From Bill Sutter’s Desk Jan/Feb 2006

I was approaching the microphone to introduce Walid Shoebat as our prophecy conference speaker recently when a thought raced into my mind: The grace of God is a miracle!

But for the grace of God, Walid would not be telling his life story to Bible-believing Christians. Apart from God’s grace, it is inexplicable that someone who spent decades despising Israel would now be a strong advocate for the Jewish state and a loving friend of the Jewish people. The lesson for all Christians is that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.

An Arab by birth, a Palestinian by identity, a Muslim by belief, and a terrorist by activity, Walid Shoebat, now a Christian through his faith in Jesus Christ, is an example of the remarkable transformation that occurs when God changes a life.

Born in Bethlehem of Judea, Walid’s grandfather was the Muslim chieftain of Beit Sahour, a Palestinian town adjacent to Bethlehem and known as the Shepherds’ Field. His grandfather also was a friend of Haj Amin al-Husseini, the grand mufti of Jerusalem who befriended Adolf Hitler and collaborated with Nazi mastermind, Adolf Eichmann. Even Walid’s great grandfather helped the Arabs fight against the Jews.

Walid lived through the 1967 Six-Day War while in Jericho. As a young man, he joined the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and expressed his hatred for Israel by performing acts of terror against the Jewish state and was imprisoned in Jerusalem’s central prison for incitement and violence. After his release he continued rioting in Bethlehem and on the Temple Mount. Upon entering the United States as a student, he became a counselor for the Arab Student Organization at Loop College in Chicago. There he continued his anti-Israel activities.

In 1993 Walid began studying the Bible in a challenge to convert his  wife to Islam. After six months of intense study, he realized that everything he had been taught about the Jewish people was a lie.

Shoebat testified,

I was reading something very new, a Jewish Bible, and saw that the Jews have suffered the true refugee problem, not the Palestinians. My enemies accused me of being a racist and a traitor when I became a Christian and began loving the Jews. What is amazing is that when I was a terrorist, I was a “freedom fighter”; but for loving the Jewish people and their culture, I am called a racist.

Driven by a deep  passion to proclaim the truth about the Jewish people and Israel, Walid’s life changed dramatically. He left his work as a software engineer and set out to bring the cause of Israel to people throughout the world, speaking to churches and synagogues, civic groups, government bodies, and the media.

Today Walid is still an activist, but in a radically different way. He has dedicated his life to sharing his testimony, explaining the truth about Israel, and exposing the jihadist threat to our civilization. He has appeared on many Christian and secular television and radio shows nationally and internationally, including The Friends of Israel Today with Elwood McQuaid. He is an extraordinary speaker, with knowledge and life experiences every person needs to hear to better understand the miracle of God’s grace through Jesus Christ in turning a terrorist and hater of the Jewish people into one of their champions and advocates. He is living proof that God’s redeeming mercy is without bounds.

Said Shoebat, “Joel 3:2 talks about the judgment of the nations for dividing the land of Israel and scattering God’s Chosen People. The Scriptures tell us we must actively support Israel and the Jewish people.” Shoebat noted, “The words of the people who lie about Israel are winning the argument in the media. We as Christians must be a voice for the Jewish people and stand up for Israel, but we must do it in a way that can effectively penetrate the media.”

For more information about his compelling testimony and outreach, log on to www.shoebat.com. To schedule Walid Shoebat to speak, to help with other aspects of this campaign for truth, or to give him a word of encouragement, you may email him at [email protected], or phone 877-832-7200.