Covenant & Conflict

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 Operation Moses, and ultimately discovering the Messiah.
This is more than a story… It's a testimony of identity, sacrifice, calling, and revival in Israel today.
What You'll Hear in This Episode:
Life as an Ethiopian Jew before modern connection to global Judaism
The shocking discovery of Jewish identity connections through DNA
The journey to Israel during Operation Moses
A life-changing dream encounter with Yeshua
The cost of following Messiah — rejection, loss, and perseverance
The birth of the Beresheet Congregation — the first Hebrew-speaking Ethiopian Messianic community
A growing revival among young people in Israel
Why believers around the world need to pray for Israel right now
Why This Story MattersGod is moving in Israel. From Ethiopian Jews to native-born Israelis, there is a rising hunger for truth and identity in the Messiah. David's story is a glimpse into a larger movement that connects the Jewish roots of the faith, the restoration of Israel, and the global Body of Messiah.
If you care about:
Israel
End times prophecy
The Jewish roots of Christianity
Revival among the nations
…this episode is for you.
00:00 Introduction – Ethiopian Jewish Believer from Israel03:47 Growing Up Jewish in Ethiopia06:53 Journey to Israel – Operation Moses & Aliyah Story10:12 Encountering Yeshua in a Dream (Radical Transformation)14:50 The Cost of Following Messiah (Rejection & Faith)16:08 Calling & Launching a Congregation in Israel24:04 A Hebrew-Speaking Revival Among Young Israelis26:48 What God Is Doing in Israel Right Now (End Times)30:11 How to Pray for Israel & Stand with the Body of Messiah
Get InvolvedDavid and the Beresheet Congregation are seeing a real revival in Israel, especially among the next generation.
Pray for:
Strength for leaders
Unity among Jewish and Gentile believers
Continued openness to the Gospel in Israel
Stand with Israel. Stand with the Body of Messiah.
Subscribe for MoreIf you're passionate about:
Biblical truth in modern issues
Israel and the Church
Real conversations that matter
Subscribe to Covenant & Conflict and join the conversation.

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 date-setting, fear, or internet conspiracy vibes.
You’ll hear why end-times teaching can become a “minefield,” what Matthew 24:14 means for the global mission, why Jerusalem and the Jewish people still matter in God’s covenant plan, and how preparing for the return of Yeshua looks less like panic and more like holiness, godliness, unity, gospel witness, and enduring suffering with hope.

This one is for anyone who’s asked:
Are we in the “season” of Yeshua’s return?
What role does Israel play in the last days?
Why does the Bible still speak of Israel and the nations together?
How should believers respond to rising antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment?
Does my end-times framework change how I live?
Resources mentioned
Israel, the Church, and the Last Days (Asher Intrater & Dan Juster)
Tikkun America / Tikkun Global (see links below)
Connect with Ben / Tikkun
Tikkun America: tikkunamerica.org
Tikkun Global: tikkunglobal.org
If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s confused about Revelation, and drop a comment: What’s the most practical takeaway you’ve heard about the End Times?

Chapters
00:00 — Welcome + Why End Times Conversations Get Heated
00:31 — Who Ben Juster Is + Messianic Judaism’s Modern Roots
04:19 — Avoiding Fear & Date-Setting: Where to Start Biblically
06:44 — Matthew 24:14 + The Gospel to Every Nation
10:44 — Jesus Says “You Will Not See Me Again Until…” + Israel’s Role
21:29 — How to Prepare for Yeshua’s Return: Holiness vs Godliness
44:31 — Antisemitism, Replacement Theology, and Standing with Israel

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, marriage, and ministry.
Michael shares his radical conversion story from growing up without faith in Michigan to leaving the dream of baseball behind to pursue Jesus. But the real turning point came years later in Jerusalem, during a Shabbat dinner that he describes as a “Damascus moment.” What he discovered about the command to “Remember the Sabbath” changed everything.
This episode unpacks:
What the Fourth Commandment really means
Why Sabbath is not legalism
The burnout epidemic in modern Christianity
How Shabbat restores identity and communion with God
Practical steps to start observing Sabbath today
If you are a pastor, leader, high achiever, or simply exhausted… this conversation may be exactly what your soul needs.

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 history, theology, and future of the Messianic Jewish Movement.
Drawing from decades of leadership and scholarship, Dr. Juster shares his personal journey from training as a Presbyterian pastor to helping pioneer the modern Messianic Jewish movement. What began as scholarly research into early Jewish faith within the Church became a lifelong conviction that Jewish followers of Yeshua are called to maintain their Jewish identity and covenantal responsibility within the New Covenant.
We discuss:
The historical roots of Messianic Judaism
Why Jewish believers in Jesus are called to live as Jews• The founding vision behind the UMJC in 1979
What “Jewish life in a concrete historical community” truly means
The principle of mutual blessing between Jews and Gentiles
The theological dangers of the One Law movement
The global effort to repudiate replacement theology
Practical steps churches can take to align with God’s covenant purposes for Israel
Dr. Juster makes a compelling biblical case that the Messianic Jewish movement is not a fringe expression of Christianity but a necessary restoration within the body of Messiah. He argues that Jewish continuity in Yeshua is essential to God’s redemptive plan and that the Church must move beyond supersessionism to faithfully understand Scripture.
If you care about Israel, covenant theology, Jewish identity in Christ, or the future relationship between the Church and the Jewish people, this episode will challenge and equip you.This is not merely a historical discussion. It is a conversation about God’s ongoing covenant faithfulness and what obedience looks like today.
Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of theology, Israel, and the Church.

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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 role on The Vampire Diaries, but success did not bring peace.
Choosing to follow Jesus publicly strained his career, complicated relationships on set, and forced him to confront what it truly means to surrender everything to God.
After experiencing deep betrayal and heartache, Nathaniel desired to give up on life, left Hollywood, and traveled to Iraq during the Syrian civil war, volunteering with humanitarian efforts on the ground. In a moment of total surrender, he gave his life fully to God, leading him to read the entire Bible in 28 days and igniting a life-altering calling tied directly to Israel.
Since then, Nathaniel has led countless believers through the Holy Land, helping Christians understand the Jewish foundations of their faith. After the October 7 Hamas attacks, he returned to Israel to document survivor stories, stand with the Jewish people, and speak truth in the midst of global confusion.
In May 2024, Nathaniel made history as the first non-Israeli, non-Jewish person ever invited to light the torch at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony, exactly seven years after his first visit to the land.
This episode also tackles:
God’s covenant with Israel
Why replacement theology fails biblically
The rebirth of Israel in 1948 fulfilled prophecy
Why Christians cannot understand Scripture without Israel
What it means to live out “promise made, promise kept.”
Whether you’re wrestling with faith, Israel, end-times theology, or what it truly costs to follow Jesus, this episode will challenge and inspire you.
0:00 – From Poverty to Hollywood
8:35 – Landing Vampire Diaries
14:15 – The Moment Jesus Became Real
22:11 – Betrayal & Rock Bottom
25:29 – Iraq, ISIS & Surrender
32:28 – Reading the Bible in 28 Days
34:39 – God Said “Go” to Israel
43:10 – October 7th & The Spiritual War
48:34 – Lighting Israel’s Independence Torch