Features
From the Editor Nov/Dec 2018
When my younger daughter was about 12, she took figure skating lessons. She got pretty good, too. Since we were always at the rink about two hours, I’d bring work with me. One day a girl who sometimes skated with my daughter sat down beside me...
O Jewish Town of Bethlehem
This Christmas season, as we gather in our churches to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and sing the carols of Christmas, we no doubt will sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” one of the most beloved hymns of all time...
A Night in the Fields
Birth announcements are exciting. Parents share the news first with family, then with close friends, and later with the community. In the first century, however, it was unthinkable to send birth announcements to the poor and to those who held lower-class occupations, like shepherds...
The Incredible Incarnation
I have some Christian friends who do not celebrate Christmas. They object to the many pagan traditions that have crept into the holiday and argue that Jesus was not even born on December 25. I don’t disagree. They are quite correct...
Our Wonderful God of Christmas
For more than 50 years, Charles M. Schulz’s animated classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, has touched millions of television viewers. In it, Charlie complains, “I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy...
The Tyrant Who Tried to Kill Jesus
King Herod was a complex man. He was a brilliant builder and politician, yet a ruthless and brutal tyrant. He makes a brief appearance in Scripture as the cold-blooded killer of baby boys in Bethlehem and surrounding areas...
More In This Issue
Inside View Nov/Dec 2018
As I travel and speak, people often tell me they no longer hear teaching about Israel and Bible prophecy in their churches. Their comments reveal two distinct realities: (1) There once was a time when they did hear such teaching in church, and...
Making Something Out of Nothing
Somehow Israel always seems to find itself in the middle of a controversy. Israel’s parliament recently passed a bill called the Jewish Nation-State Law, and immediately it made headlines around the world...
The Flap Over Israel’s Nation-State Law
The Knesset recently enacted a new law that declares Israel is the historic homeland of the Jewish people and that they have an exclusive right to national self-determination in it...
Christian Persecution Nov/Dec 2018
IRAN—“We told them many times that Jesus is our Lord and you cannot take Him away from us,” Iranian Christian Marziyeh Amirizadeh told the audience at the recent Ministerial to Advance...
Q: What is the Unpardonable Sin?
According to Jesus, the unpardonable sin is “blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit” (Mt. 12:31). However, it is important to study the context of Matthew 12:22–32 to understand what this means...
Divine Affirmation
“Who were those people? What just happened?” Mary and Joseph may have asked themselves these questions following their brief encounter with Simeon and Anna at the Temple in Jerusalem. They had gone there to...
The Men from the East
The story of the wise men, or magi, is one of the most interesting and captivating accounts recorded in the Bible. Countless Christmas cards, carols, and plays present the story of their journey to see Jesus, the one “born King of the Jews” (Mt. 2:2)...
How Do We Know the Exodus Happened?
“The actual evidence concerning the Exodus resembles the evidence for the unicorn,” declared Pennsylvania State University Jewish Studies Professor Baruch Halpern.1 The ancient Israelites created...
God is Faithful
Paul’s concluding words in this epistle are extremely important. He revisited prominent themes of prayer, sanctification, the Lord’s faithfulness, spiritual commitment, and preparedness for the Rapture of the church...
The Bucket List
If today were your last day on Earth, would you be satisfied with your life? Many people who have unclear answers to such a question create bucket lists. Making a bucket list has become a popular exercise to help define what constitutes a satisfactory life...
Jewish World Update Nov/Dec 2018
“Holocaust memory and Jews are under attack [in Europe],” said Elisha Wiesel, commenting on the recent desecration of the childhood home of his late father, renowned...
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2018
I have lived in Jerusalem for 57 years, and I have seen many advertisements for special synagogue meetings where distant rabbis come to speak. Recently, I saw a poster advertising a rabbi who was coming to talk about...
Daily News from Israel
October 17, 2018
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Christian Media Summit in Jerusalem Sunday (14th): →“Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian community thrives and grows...”
October 16, 2018
“Hamas apparently hasn’t internalized the message, “ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday (14th). “If they don’t cease the violent protests against us, they will cease in...
October 15, 2018
A new government publication states, for the first time, that Israel has an exclusive right to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. The book, titled “Israel’s Right as of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria” is a compilation of materials...
October 12, 2018
The PX Commission of the Executive Board of UNESCO on Wednesday morning (10th) adopted resolution 28 and 29, titled “Occupied Palestine,” which state that the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb in...
October 11, 2018
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders from across the political spectrum, thanked outgoing US Ambassador to the UN NIkki Haley for her support following her surprise resignation Tuesday (9th)...
October 10, 2018
Jerusalem’s outgoing mayor, Nir Barkat on Sunday (7th) urged the international community to consider his proposal to end the local operations of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. In an interview with...
October 9, 2018
A terrorist went on a shooting rampage at a factory in the Barkan industrial zone near Ariel in Samaria early Sunday (7th), killing two Israelis and seriously injuring a third. Carrying an automatic rifle, the terrorist entered...
October 8, 2018
The Israeli military decided to deploy additional troops to the Gaza Strip area on Thursday (4th), following weeks of nightly riots along its security fence. “It was decided to send large numbers of reinforcements in the...
