Summary: How does a tiny nation like Israel cause so much interest and tension in the world? What is it about the Holy Land that we should know?
then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. – Deuteronomy 30:3
A Supernatural Experience
I want to tell you a significant story in my life that has led us to our next film production and allows you to join us in this significant project. Many of you might be surprised that before we made our first film, Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus, we had another film that was its precursor. It was 2007, and I thought we were finally ready to release the new film, EXODUS: Out of Egypt. During this time, we hired Paul Ridgeway, who owned a promotions and publicity company. The BIG IDEA was to do a reenactment of the Israelites leaving Egypt and making their way to Mount Sinai. We planned to do this reenactment in Texas and would invite people to join the trek. We would call it the TEXODUS.
As we sat in the conference room discussing all of the logistics, Paul read a letter he had received from author Joel Rosenberg concerning the rockets that were being fired at Israel. As Paul finished the letter, he looked up and said,” If this reenactment happens, it needs to happen in Israel.” Dr. Lennart Moller, author of The Exodus Case, was at the table and said, “Yes, Israel!” At that moment, it felt like a wave came through the room, and people started to weep. It lasted for several minutes as wave upon wave rolled over us. It felt like water, and at least nine people felt the same thing on three sides of the table.
After it was finished, we didn’t know what else to do, so we went to lunch. Then, Pete Windahl, our co-producer, said, “Did you feel the wave?” And we all acknowledged that we had, and it came from the end of the room down the table. It was a life-changing experience.
All I knew was that we weren’t going to Texas; instead, we headed to Israel. The film The Journey Home shares more details about this pivotal moment.
So, within weeks, I was in Israel in a meeting with our Israeli producer, Sharon Schaveet; she asked me, “Who do you want to interview?” I said, “I am making a film about the Bible and God acting in history. I need to talk with the leaders of your nation, Benjamin Netanyahu, Shimon Peres, ambassadors, top scholars, and leading rabbis. She understood the request, and to my surprise, within the next week, I was sitting with the President of Israel, Shimon Peres.
In that interview, we experienced a similar event that cannot be explained. But a presence entered the room like a mist and it felt Holy as Shimon Perez described the early days of Israel becoming a nation after 2000 years of exile.
In the next several days, I interviewed Bible scholars, two Israeli ambassadors, leading rabbis, Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, and Benjamin Netanyahu. His interview was to last 15 minutes, but I had prepared the day before and learned about his family and his grandfather, Nathan. When Netanyahu mentioned his grandfather, I completed his sentence by saying, “Nathan?” From that moment on we talked for over 50 minutes about his family, the Bible and the history of Israel.
Many of the interviews from this earlier trip have never been heard by the public, yet they are incredibly insightful about what is happening today in Israel. In this next Patterns of Evidence investigation titled THE ISRAEL DILEMMA, it is finally time to see them. This film will investigate the Biblical covenants and the prophecies Moses recorded in the Bible concerning Israel’s future. Is there evidence that God actually made an everlasting covenant with Israel? And what does that mean for each of us today? This is The Israel Dilemma. See the trailer of what we hope to produce with your help!
Would you help us make this next film, Patterns of Evidence: The Israel Dilemma, with a generous donation? We can’t make these films without help from our Thinkers. Your past donations have made it possible to present more evidence for the Bible to the world. Demonstrating the historical credibility of the Bible is a vitally important endeavor at a time when many are searching for answers. Please help us make this next film, The Israel Dilemma, as a witness and testimony of God acting in history. You are changing LIVES! DONATE NOW
Thank you in advance for your support and keep thinking!
Top Photo: Poster for The Israel Dilemma 2nd Photo: The late Paul Ridgeway in Israel, 2007. (© 2007, Patterns of Evidence LLC ) 3rd Photo: The late Shimon Peres in Israel, 2007. (© 2007, Patterns of Evidence LLC ) 4th Photo: Timothy Mahoney interviewed Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, 2007. (© 2007, Patterns of Evidence LLC )
