![]() He talked to his wife Diana (née Castro) and arrived at a decision. He came to appreciate the extent of Jewish suffering under those claiming to bear Christianity’s banner. “In the subsequent days, I bought as many books as I could to understand as much as I could about the history of the Jewish people.” And in that moment, I came to understand that he and I were spiritual brothers, but that I knew very little about him, and he may very well be scared of people like me,” said Hagee. “As I prayed, I looked to one side and saw a Jewish man engaged in fervent prayer. On his visit to Israel 45 years ago, Hagee experienced a “turning point in my life,” standing before the Western Wall for the first time. Pastor John Hagee and wife Diana welcome Ukrainian refugees to Israel. “Since the time of God’s covenant with Abraham, Israel has always and forever shall be.” There is no substitute for visiting Israel, but one need not travel to the Holy Land to “understand its vital importance to all Christians, appreciate its modern incarnation and love its people,” Hagee said. “I arrived in Israel a tourist, and I left a Zionist.” “It is foreign to arrive in a foreign land and feel completely at home, and it is unusual, yet impossible, not to leave a piece of your heart in the land once there,” he told JNS. He wanted to see where Jesus had lived and taught, as well as visit the Sea of Galilee and the Western Wall. It was not until 1978, when he was in his upper 30s, that Hagee had the financial means to travel the world, and he opted to visit Israel for the first time. “I learned Israel’s story as found in the Bible and her history as found in the pages of books, and still learn and study her contemporary challenges as described in the pages of newspapers and articles.” “The modern State of Israel is, and has always been, central to my worldview and my faith,” he told JNS. In March 1958-just before he turned 18-he preached his first sermon “and never looked back.”Īs a devout Christian, he made no distinction between biblical and contemporary Israel. Hagee turned West Point down to attend seminary. “From one breath to the next, I could not imagine my life without Him,” he said. One night at a church service that initially felt like thousands before it, he felt the desire very strongly to know God. ![]() “Ministry was the farthest thing from my mind,” he told JNS. Growing up in East Texas, Hagee aspired to serve in the military, and he received an appointment at 17 to go to West Point.
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