Israel (MNN) — U.S. President Biden recently voiced his hope for a Gaza ceasefire deal by Monday, but one Israeli official tells The Washington Post, “There is no deal” while Hamas officials say gaps remain in the ceasefire proposal.
Meanwhile, the mood is heavy as Israeli troops prepare to invade Rafah. Death is an ever-present possibility.
“I heard someone say once, ‘There are no atheists in the trenches of war,’ and I can say that for a fact,” says Zev Sigulim, a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces. He partners with MegaVoice to distribute audio Bibles among IDF troops.
Presenting “non-Jewish” ideas isn’t always a popular task.
“There was some religious Jewish radio station warning soldiers of being targeted for missionary work, which makes you think twice about going into the trenches and giving soldiers audio Bibles,” Sigulim says.
However, now is the prime time to introduce Scripture because “Jewish people are all interested in this subject of the Messiah,” he continues.
“God is right now being talked about in the trenches; you’ve got people who are semi-religious talking with secular Israelis, and then there are those who are genuinely interested in knowing about God and Jesus in the New Testament.”
MegaVoice’s solar-powered audio Bibles typically bring God’s Word to unreached groups of people in the world’s most remote locations. More about that here. Today, MegaVoice is providing God’s Word in audio to those on the frontlines of freedom in Israel.
Admittedly, not all IDF soldiers are initially drawn to the audio Bibles because they want to hear Scripture. “Some of the units have a flashlight and a radio … and having that ability creates somewhat of an interest for a secular person,” Sigulim says.
“A lot of the IDF right now is war, fighting, and shooting. But a majority of it is guard duty and standing watch. You can’t watch TV or be on your smartphone, but you can have a radio. You can put your earphones in one ear, listen to the radio, and hear what’s going on.”
(Photo courtesy of MegaVoice)
Believers have distributed more than 1,500 units so far.
“There are two types of missionary work you can talk about in the Israeli army. There’s missionary work by Israelis, like me, who are friends with non-believing Israeli soldiers saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got an audio Bible here; would you be interested in it?’” Sigulim says.
“Then, there are organizations who come with their people [and] they want to serve … giving soldiers food and tactical gear and medical equipment that is much needed, [as well as] handing them an audio Bible,” he continues.
“The Christian community at large has made a huge impact because even the religious soldiers, they don’t care about the rabbis [who say], you know, ‘No, no, don’t accept help from these nice Christian people!’ When you’re in the trenches, you’ll take what you can get.”
Pray IDF soldiers who want to know the truth will receive a MegaVoice audio Bible.
Additionally, “pray for Israel, pray for the soldiers, and pray for Israeli believers who are fighting for their country,” Sigulim requests.
“Pray for this spiritual war that is going to affect all of us.”
Header image depicts IDF Multi-Dimensional Unit fighters maneuvering on the ground in the Gaza Strip in the Iron Swords War.(Wikimedia Commons)
