Covenant & Conflict

"I'm just a village idiot. I'm just asking questions." This feigned innocence is used by a growing anti-Israel Christian crowd to sound humble while pushing an agenda. Nic Lesmeister helps you see through this smokescreen. Nic rejoins David Blease on Covenant & Conflict to name what's actually going on under the "just asking questions" posture, why the world til...

What if joy wasn’t the absence of pain, but something deeper, stronger, and always available? In this powerful episode of Covenant & Conflict , David Blease sits down with author and missionary Bonnie Saul Wilkes to explore a lifetime journey of calling, sacrifice, and discovering what true joy really is. From growing up with a Jewish last name in a Christian home… to encountering antisemitism...

What happens when a Jewish man finds Yeshua, but refuses to stop being Jewish? In this powerful episode of  Covenant & Conflict , we sit down again with Rocket Rudolph, a Torah-observant Jewish follower of Jesus, to wrestle through one of the most misunderstood tensions in Christianity: Can you follow Jesus and still remain Jewish? What does “Torah observant” actually mean today? Did the early...

In this long-awaited episode of Covenant & Conflict , we sit down with international lawyer Andrew Tucker to unpack one of the most misunderstood and controversial topics in the world today: Israel and international law. From accusations of genocide to debates over occupation, settlements, and the United Nations, this conversation brings clarity to the legal language dominating headlines and s...

What should Christians really believe about Islam, and why does it matter right now? In this powerful and unfiltered episode of Covenant & Conflict, we sit down with Nathaniel Buzolic (Nate Buzz) to explore one of the most important and misunderstood topics in the Church today: Islam, Christianity, and the truth about Jesus (Yeshua). This conversation goes far beyond headlines. We dive into th...

In this powerful episode of the Covenant & Conflict Podcast , we sit down with Joshua Aaron to unpack one of the most complex and misunderstood topics in the Church today: the relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and the identity of Israel. Joshua shares his deeply personal story. He grew up between Orthodox Judaism and Christianity, encountered Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah, and now liv...

What happens when an Ethiopian Jewish man, raised in deep tradition, encounters Yeshua (Jesus) in a dream that changes everything? In this powerful episode of Covenant & Conflict , we sit down with David Safafa, an Ethiopian Jewish believer and leader in Israel, as he shares his incredible journey from growing up in a remote Jewish community in Gonder, Ethiopia, to immigrating to Israel during...

What did Yeshua actually say must happen before His return, and what does that mean for how we live right now? In this episode of  Covenant & Conflict , David Blease sits down with  Ben Juster  (President of a network of Messianic Jewish congregations through  Tikkun America ) for a deeply practical, Scripture-grounded conversation on  Israel, the End Times, and the return of Jesus  without da...

Are modern Christians missing the gift of the Sabbath? In a world addicted to productivity, burnout, and constant noise, what if the Fourth Commandment isn’t a burden, but an invitation? In this episode of Covenant & Conflict , we sit down with Michael Hirsh, author of  Pressing Pause: A Guide to Sabbath Rest for Modern Believers , to explore how rediscovering Shabbat transformed his faith, ma...

What is the theological foundation of the Messianic Jewish movement? Should Jewish believers in Jesus remain Jewish? And why does replacement theology continue to distort how the Church reads Scripture? In this deeply important conversation, Preston Benjamin sits down with Dr. Dan Juster, founding member of numerous Messianic Jewish assemblies, unions, and congregations. Today, we explore the hist...

In this powerful conversation, David Blease sits down with Nathaniel Buzolic (known to many as “Nate Buzz”) to trace his extraordinary journey from Hollywood fame to radical faith, and from personal brokenness to becoming one of the most outspoken Christian advocates for Israel today. After moving to the United States in his early twenties, years of rejection in Hollywood finally led to a breakout...

What does  biblical unity between Jewish and Gentile believers  actually look like in practice, not just theology, but lived relationships? In this episode,  Micah and Abby Mahoney  of  Heartcry of David  share their powerful journey into a ministry centered on reconciliation, worship, and covenantal unity. With backgrounds spanning  Christian, Pentecostal, and Messianic Jewish spaces , they descr...

In this gripping episode of the Covenant & Conflict Podcast, we sit down with Rabbi Matheus Guimarães, a Messianic Jewish leader from Brazil, to uncover one of the most tragic, and least told chapters of Jewish history: the Sephardic Jews and the Spanish & Portuguese Inquisition. Through his own family’s astonishing testimony, Rabbi Matheus reveals how millions of Jews were forcibly conver...

In this powerful episode of the Covenant & Conflict Podcast, we sit down with Shilo Ben Hod, founder of SOLU Israel, for a deeply moving conversation about worship, identity, obedience, and the move of God unfolding in Israel today. Shilo shares his extraordinary journey of encountering Yeshua, surrendering his life, and stepping into a calling that would lead him into Hebrew worship, desert g...

What is the  true name of God ? In this episode of the  Covenant & Conflict Podcast ,  Nehemia Gordon  explores the history, meaning, and pronunciation of  YHWH , including  Yahweh vs Jehovah , through ancient Hebrew manuscripts, the Talmud, Dead Sea Scrolls, and early Christian sources. We discuss why God’s name appears over 6,800 times in the Hebrew Bible, why it stopped being spoken, how Je...

In this episode of the Covenant and Conflict Podcast, we sit down with Pastor Joakim Lundqvist to explore his powerful journey of faith, the unique story of his church in Sweden, and his deep heart for Israel and the Jewish people. Pastor Joakim shares how revival first broke out in his life as a teenager, how he helped build a church movement that now impacts nations across Europe and Asia, and h...

In this episode of Covenant and Conflict , Pastor Ryan Warren sits down with Israeli Knesset member Ohad Tal for a deep and honest conversation about faith, identity, and Israel’s role in today’s world. Ohad shares his journey into politics, the importance of Jewish and Christian partnership, and how Israel is working with Muslim leaders throughout the Middle East. He addresses common misconceptio...

In this profoundly moving episode of the Covenant & Conflict Podcast, host David Blease sits down with Rocket Rudolph, a Torah-observant Jewish follower of Yeshua, to share his remarkable journey of faith from Orthodox Judaism to a life-changing encounter with the Living God sparked by the television series "The Chosen." In this episode, Rocket shares his experience growing up Jewish, his earl...

In this compelling episode of the  Covenant & Conflict Podcast , Arab Christian pastor  Steven Khoury  from Bethlehem shares what it’s like to live out his faith in the middle of the Israel–Palestine conflict. Born in Jerusalem and raised in Bethlehem, Steven shares his personal journey of persecution, ministry, and hope. He discusses: What life is really like for Arab Christians in the West B...

This episode of Covenant and Conflict shares the true story of Rabbi Daniel Zion , the chief rabbi of Bulgaria during World War II. After a profound vision of Yeshua as the Messiah, Rabbi Zion partnered with Metropolitan Stefan , a leader in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, to resist Nazi orders and protect the Jewish community. Together, they helped save over 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from deportation...

The Bible’s teaching on Hell can be challenging. Much of our knowledge about Hell comes from the words of Jesus himself, but what did his Jewish audience understand at the time? In this conversation, we sit down with Dr. Dan Call, Chair of the Department of Doctoral Studies and Professor of Practical Theology, to explore these questions. In the Hebrew Scriptures and in Jewish thought, “Hell” was l...

Welcome back to Covenant and Conflict, the podcast from the Gateway Center for Israel where faith meets one of the world’s most complex conversations. In this episode, we sit down with Hannah Morton, whose journey into this topic began when she noticed how “pro-Israel” our church was. While she deeply understood the theology and biblical priority of Israel and the Jewish people, she began asking a...

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Ethiopian Israeli Worship Leader Shares About Yeshua & Israel

In this thought-provoking episode, David Blease sits down with Nehemia Gordon—renowned Hebrew scholar and former Orthodox Jew turned Karaite—to explore the profound differences between Rabbinic Judaism and Karaite Judaism. Nehemia shares his journey of faith and scholarship, revealing why Karaites choose to follow the Hebrew Bible alone, wrestling with the later Rabbinic traditions like the Talmud...