Features
Where Have All the Christians Gone?
Freedom. Democracy. Have these truly been the result of the so-called Arab Spring? Not for Christians, who appear to be in even bigger trouble than they were in before.
The Megillah Begins Esther 1—3
Almost 2,500 years ago, a Persian official wanted to wipe the Jewish people off the map. Sound contemporary? It’s in the book of Esther, where the story begins.
How the Megillah Ends Esther 6—10
Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot.” So says one of America’s popular comic-book superheroes. He could have added, “And they’re a proud lot, too.” Most villains are proud and arrogant...
Haman’s Main Problem Esther 5
Haman had it all. Yet Mordecai’s refusal to bow to him ruined everything, as far as he was concerned. That’s because he had two problems many still have today.
The Holiday of Purim
Fun, fun, fun! That’s the theme of the Jewish holiday of Purim. Special foods, floats, costumes. Learn how people celebrate today, both in the United States and Israel.
More In This Issue
From Bill Sutter’s Desk Jan/Feb 2012
The world is filled with travesties of justice, and among the worst is the demonization of Israel. Yet Israel wants peace, and almost all its neighbors want...
Eye on the Middle East Jan/Feb 2012
Did spring really come early for Arabs in the Middle East last year? Many believe so. Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak was forced out after decades of ruthless rule...
In God We Trust—or Not
For people who doubt there is a war against God and Christianity in America, here is something to disabuse them of that notion. Last year, U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson...
Esther Fragment Survives Holocaust
In October 1940, the Nazis established the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland, where they forced all Jewish people in Warsaw and surrounding towns to live. They crammed an estimated 400,000 Jews...
Dear Court: Clean Up Your Mess!
Do you remember as a child being told to pick up your room? Most of us do. There are advantages to orderliness. And when it comes to our most fundamental liberties...
They Cry in Silence Jan/Feb 2012
Imagine your 12-year-old daughter or granddaughter is on her way home from school. Several men jump out of a van and abduct her. Then they beat and rape her every day for months...
Dilemma and Decisions Esther 4
Ever been between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes? It’s that terrible situation in which both choices that lie before you are bad. Queen Esther faced...
The Facts and Flaws of Covenant Theology Part Three
If Replacement Theology is true, then certainly God has an opinion about it—one He states clearly and teaches visibly in Scripture. Conversely, if it is not plainly taught, then Replacement Theology...
Why I Am a Pretribulation Rapturist
There are five views concerning the Rapture: pretribulation (pretrib), midtribulation (midtrib), posttribulation (posttrib), partial Rapture, and prewrath. Pretrib says the church will be raptured before...
Excuses, Excuses
Some people object to studying prophecy because they claim it is “too deep” and difficult to understand. Nonsense. For example, in Revelation 6:2, the apostle John wrote, “And I looked...
How to Have Faith
What is faith? How do you know if you have it? Will it do what you hope it will do? People exercise faith every day without realizing it. They go to doctors...
The Accomplishments of Faith
Hebrews 11:32–40: The beginning of Hebrews 11 describes faith. Then it systematically illustrates it in the lives of those who lived before the patriarchal period until Israel crossed the Jordan River...
The Love and Mercy of God Part Three
Previously we examined characteristics of God’s mercy or lovingkindness as revealed in the Old Testament. Now we will focus on God’s mercy in the New Testament. God’s mercy is expressed through three clusters...
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2012
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood held a “kill the Jews” rally in Cairo in November. Thousands attended, promising to “one day kill all the Jews” and wage war against Jerusalem’s “Judaization.” The rally...
Zvi Jan/Feb 2012
I have lived in the same neighborhood in Jerusalem for 37 years. Most of the people here know me, and we are good friends. But some people do not like me because...
Daily News from Israel
UAE Seeks to Grow Economic Ties with Israel
Bloomberg reports, the United Arab Emirates is seeking to grow economic ties with Israel, to the tune of more than $1 trillion over the next decade...
News Digest — 9/24/21
On September 24, 1950, Operation Magic Carpet concluded with its final flights of two planes carrying 177 Yemenite Jews to Israel’s Lod Airport. During this operation...
News Digest — 9/23/21
A day after the General Debate at the 76th UN General Assembly began, the international body turned the spotlight on the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of...
Afghanistan’s Last Jew Flees the Country
Zebulon Simentov, the last Jewish citizen of Afghanistan, left the embattled country this month for a neighboring country. Simentov lived in and...
News Digest — 9/22/21
Thousands of worshipers gathered at the Western Wall on Wednesday morning (22nd) for the traditional Priestly Blessing. The first was held at 9:15, followed by...
Improved Relations
In 2014 Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom created tensions between her office and Israel. She “repeatedly enraged Israel starting with Sweden’s recognition...
News Digest — 9/21/21
Some 2,000 years ago, as the festival of Sukkot approached, tens of thousands of Jews left their homes throughout the land of Israel and beyond and began a journey toward...
News Digest — 9/20/21
A special ceremony was held Sunday (19th) to commemorate the 48th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. Officials and bereaved families gathered at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl to...
