On Friday, October 4, Branson area audiences received a unique perspective on the conflict in Israel from guest lecturer Omer Eshel, who lives with his family on the west side of Galilee, near the Syrian border.
Following a presentation to the Branson Christian Businessmen’s luncheon, held at Golden Corral, an evening meeting was held at Branson First Presbyterian Church. The visits were coordinated by Monna Stafford, Regional Manager for Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas for Bott Radio Network, which includes Branson’s KBCV 1570 AM and 103.9 FM.
Omer Eshel was formerly stationed in Chicago as the Consul for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism for the American Midwest, where Stafford became acquainted with him. After leaving that position, Eshel became director of a Jerusalem-based company, “The Bible Comes to Life.” Born and raised in Israel, Omer is an archaeologist, historian, guide and diplomat. His recent U.S. visit included lectures in Portland, Oregon; Chicago; Dallas; Oklahoma City; Memphis; and Kirksville and Branson in Missouri. In addition to his acquaintance with Stafford, he is familiar with visits to Israel hosted by Sherry Herschend of Herschend Family Entertainment/Silver Dollar City.
Since October 7, 2023, Eshel and his family have seen the war up close and personal, having seen missiles fly over their home and spending a lot of time in their bomb shelter, which he described as a room in homes that can take a direct hit. The possibility of that is something Israelis are living with every day; families cannot plan an outing or allow children to play outdoors without rehearsing where the nearest shelters are. His presentation included several points not likely to be heard via mainstream media. As an example, he pointed out the contrasting numbers of Muslim nations, mostly Arab, with over 1.8 billion people as compared to 8 million Jews in one small nation, located on land with which it has over 3,000 years of history, asking, “How can Israel be the oppressor here?”
Those historical roots, according to Eshel, are foundational to the conflict but not in ways many people think. Israel is literally the land where the Bible happened; from his home, Eshel and his family are within sight of where several key events in the Gospel accounts took place. He showed slides and video of numerous archaeological finds verifying biblical events. “Satan hates Israel because it validates the Word of God, something the enemy has tried to destroy from the beginning,” he said.
Regarding the October 7 massacre, Eshel said Israel, while prepared to defend themselves, was not fully cognizant of the scope of evil of which their enemies are capable. He compared it to the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that forced the United States into World War II, saying that people with a generally biblical worldview have trouble processing the extreme evil it takes to carry out such an attack; the only two nations that have warned civilians of an impending attack are Israel and the United States, which dropped warning leaflets prior to the use of the atomic bomb.
Key takeaways for many on Friday evening audience included the significance of the names of people and places in the Bible, as Eshel pointed out many locations now thought of as Muslim were originally Christian, having been evangelized by the early apostles. Other attendees had not previously realized that the Nazis developed the concept of fake news, intentionally propagandizing citizens to believe wrongly about Jews and other groups. He then tied that to a warning about Chinese-based TikTok, with algorithms targeting American youth, and urged families to study historical truth and teach it to their children.
To start or boost such study, attendees received resources including maps, charts and historical notes. If you missed Friday’s lecture, visit The Bible Comes to Life online at www.tbctl.com and check out the “educational toolbox” section. While many resources are free, there is also an option for donating to help provide supplies and equipment for Israeli fire departments helping protect key biblical and archaeological sites. Additional information is at https://www.standwithus.com. You can also visit www.bottradionetwork.com to find faith-based factual programming to add biblical perspective to the news we hear each day.
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