During a Shabbat dinner that I attended recently, an Arab was the honored guest of a Jewish host. The Jewish gentleman was a successful physician and the Arab gentleman a linguist, with two degrees from Harvard University. They sat at the head of the table. They both wore a kippah and a smile.

The next day we attended reception with a selected group. The Arab man approached me and sat beside me. He interestedly addressed me, “I understand that you are an ESL expert.” He was an expert Linguist with two degrees from Harvard University.

Then he began to share his heart with me about a country whose culture he had fallen so in love with that he would lose his own identity to live there and be like it. He spoke of its beauty and uniqueness. He spoke of this quite strongly. We were interrupted, though, and weren’t able to finish the conversation.

That evening, I thought about how sad it was that his Arab man was so enamored with that country and culture, but that he did not know about heaven. If he knew about it, he would be more enamored with God and His beauty then that country.

Two days later, at an Israeli celebration, the Arab man said that he was sorry that we didn’t finish the conversation. I told him that I had thought about it. He said, “That we didn’t finish it? “ I said “No, the fact of how you are so impressed by that country that it fills your very being. But you have no idea about heaven. You have no idea of what heaven looks like. It is no comparison to that country. The Son of God sits at the right hand of His throne. A host of angels glorify Him day and night! You have no idea of heaven!” He looked at me with an absolute acceptance and said, “You have no idea of how what you are saying to me right now and what it is doing to me.” I asked, “Have you read the Bible?” He said, “Yes, I love Jesus and I live by the red letter (an Arab response). I asked, “Have you ever prayed to ask Him to be the God of your life, to come into your heart and be your personal Savior and Lord?” He just looked me with that absolute understanding of what was happening inside of him. I said, “We are going to pray right now, for you to believe in the Son of God, Jesus. No one knows what we are talking about, or that we are praying. Now, let’s pray.” He looked straight into my eyes and said, “You are the devil’s worst enemy.”

He understood the decision he was about to make. The Spirit of God was working in his heart, and he prayed with me. He believed in Jesus as His Savior and confessed this with His mouth. The presence of the Lord was so strong that both of us felt Him. We looked at each other and smiled joyfully! He shook my hand and with an amazing smile said, “Thank you.” He said, “You have no idea what you have done this day in my life. This is very powerful!” I couldn’t imagine all that he was, all that left him, and now … JESUS! I said, “Now you will see heaven! When you read the Word, it will be alive and full of His fire.”

This Arab man will now be sitting at the banquet table with Jesus, the Jewish Savior—Jesus, the Son of God, and Savior of both Jew and Arab!

“Abba, Father, how difficult it is to imagine peace between the Jew and the Arab, when there is the constant threat of Your people by radical Islam. Yeshua, help us know when the one standing in front of us is the one You are drawing to Yourself – Jew or Gentile. For You are the King of the Jews, the Savior of the world, The Prince of Peace”

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3:14

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Colossians 1:27