From the Editor May/Jun 2024
Ever since God promised the land of Israel to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob nearly 4,000 years ago, a yearning to live in this Holy Land…
Features
Conquering our Kvetching
My beloved mother was a five-star kvetch. This Yiddish term describes a habitual complainer—and my mother was…
The Fight to Survive
From Egypt’s Pharaoh to Persia’s Haman to Germany’s Hitler, many a world leader has attempted to destroy the Jewish people, defying God’s declaration…
The Forgotten Ones
As of June 2023, according to the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees, the world has 108.4 million displaced people…
Israel’s Never-Ending Struggle
The Arab-Israeli conflict is often perceived as a highly intricate issue involving a multitude of historical, political, and social elements…
Bordering on Normal
Israel is bordered by Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan in the east, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and Egypt in the south. No map, however, conveys the…
Why Do You Love Israel?
Picture this: A Jewish man who has embraced Jesus as his Messiah waves the flag of Israel and sings…
The Truth About Sin
The world is filled with iniquity. The evil we see overtaking the world today proves yet again the truth of Scripture: “The heart is deceitful…
Israel’s Reconciliation
Scripture places much emphasis on Israel’s reconciliation with God through faith in His promised Son. Beginning in Genesis 12, we see God working…
A Special Type of Fear
Most people fear something. Some fear heights, others fear wild animals, and others fear spiders or snakes or sharks. In Australia, where I live, you can experience…
The Great Forgiver
Corrie ten Boom couldn’t believe what she was seeing. It was 1947, two years after World War II had ended; and Corrie just finished talking to…
The Way Back to God
Few believers in Jesus Christ will deny that we have been swept up in a period of chaos and confusion that threatens the survival of our nation…
Meet AI Jesus
“Welcome, my children! I’m AI Jesus, here to answer your questions 24/7. Whether you’re seeking spiritual guidance, looking for a friend, or simply want…
A Boy Named David
My first encounter with King David came in a Sunday-school kindergarten class. We learned a peppy little song called “Only a Boy Named David”…
The Warrior King
The acronym SERE refers to military training for Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape. It prepares U.S. combatants for wilderness survival, enemy evasion, and…
The Sweet Psalmist of Israel
Imagine an aging, frail King David (1 Ki. 1:1) reflecting back on his life—his mind flooded with moments of joy and sadness…
A King After God’s Own Heart
It’s easy to imagine the men who became America’s Founding Fathers in 1776 hard at work in the small east room…
Analyzing October 7
October 7 is going to be remembered in Israel as a mini Holocaust. Hamas, a terror organization based in Gaza, really fooled Israel…
From the Editor Nov/Dec 2023
Each December, I begin formulating a plan to read my Bible for the following year. In past years, I jumped into Genesis feeling energized…
It’s Not Luck—It’s Providence
In June, I returned from ministering in Colorado on a red-eye flight, scheduled to arrive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania…
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh
I’m sure he meant well, but the president of the United States was not supposed to kiss the Queen Mother of the United Kingdom…
Bridging the Gaping Chasm
What an experience it must have been. For 400 years, the Israelites lived in Egypt, a land whose gods were as numerous as the…
God’s Holy Mishkan
God’s revelation concerning the Israelites’ Tabernacle covers 50 chapters in the Old Testament, while His revelation about the creation of the world…
Holiness Today: The New Administration
God chose Israel to be a holy nation. He told the Israelites, “You shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy…
From the Editor Sep/Oct 2023
Hymns have a unique staying power. If you grew up singing hymns in your church, I’m sure you can attest to this fact. The sweet words of these songs…
Dying to Live
Marcus is dead. His lifeless body lies on a hospital bed. The doctors attending him look down on his corpse. Only minutes ago they were busily monitoring his vitals…
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Most people want a stamp of affirmation when they complete a transaction. All types of affirmation exist…
The Difference Between ‘Do’ and ‘Done’
If you’re like me, you examine the guarantee offered when you buy a product. The better the guarantee, the more confident you are…
In Jesus’ Words
For many who come to faith in Jesus Christ, the phrase once saved, always saved plays an integral part in their discipleship. For others, eternal security is a false teaching…
4 Common Misconceptions About Eternal Security
As I sat at a sidewalk café with a parishioner and her husband one sunny afternoon…
From the Editor Jul/Aug 2023
American pastor Andy Stanley stated in a 2018 sermon, “Peter, James, [and] Paul elected to unhitch the Christian faith from their Jewish scriptures…
‘Moshiach Is Here!’
“I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the moshiach [Messiah], and though he may tarry, still I await him every day.” So states the Jewish sage Maimonides’…
Building Up, Not Tearing Down
The Bible Jesus and the apostles used was the Old Testament because no New Testament existed in the…
The Jewishness of Peter
Newsflash: The apostle Simon Peter was not a Roman Catholic. He did not consider Rome his homeland, and he certainly…
The Gospel of the King
Many people are confused by the relationship between the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the New Testament. Both were penned by Jewish men…
3 Proofs and a Mystery
When the apostle Paul’s epistles and the Epistle to the Hebrews were written in the 1st century AD, the only Holy Scriptures accepted in the synagogues and churches were…
From the Editor May/Jun 2023
The Lord has been gracious to The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI) as we seek to proclaim biblical truth about Israel, the Messiah, and God’s Chosen People…
Inside View May/Jun 2023
On our tours to the Holy Land, I teach each group about modern Israel. Many Christians don’t realize what it took to bring a country into existence…
Doing the Right Thing
Within hours of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s midgame cardiac arrest in January, sports writers, reporters, and analysts around the country prefaced their remarks with…
Jerusalem of Gold
If you’ve never been to Jerusalem, it’s time you made the trip. But if you can’t go in person, I suggest you relax, put your feet up, and come with me…
Via Dolorosa
The traditional route Jesus traveled to His crucifixion, known in Latin as the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrow), is debated. We know Jesus appeared before…
Happy Birthday, Israel!
In a small room in faraway British Mandate Palestine, Jewish statesman David Ben-Gurion rose to his feet before an assembly of Jewish dignitaries…
From the Editor Mar/Apr 2023
Publishing is an interesting industry. We must do everything very far in advance to meet our deadlines. I’m writing this column on December 2, 2022, but you’re reading…
God & Money
The popular musical Hello Dolly! had many memorable lines; but my favorite is this one: “Money,” said Dolly Levi, “pardon the expression, is like manure…
Ahasuerus
King Solomon wrote, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He [God] turns it wherever He wishes” (Prov. 21:1)…
Mordecai
Occasionally, my second son and I dabble in the hobby of polishing rocks. With lots of time and patience, rough-hewn stones placed into a rock tumbler…
Esther
When I was a kid, watching the Miss America Pageant on TV was a big deal in our home. The competition symbolized everything we knew back then about beauty…
Haman
Villains! Where would literature, movies, or old-time radio serials be without them? From Sherlock Holmes’s Professor Moriarty to Peter Pan’s Captain Hook…
From the Editor Jan/Feb 2023
As a child, I asked my dad, “Why didn’t Jewish people fight the Nazis?” He replied, “They couldn’t fight. You don’t understand.” Today, I understand better…
Finishing Without Regrets
When the apostle Paul sat in a cold, dark Roman prison, he chose his final words carefully as he took inventory of his life…
The Never-Ending Hatred
Imagine you’re on your way to Sabbath morning services at your local synagogue. For you, this is a day of tradition. It may…
Villainous Antiochus
The pages of history are filled with heroes and villains. Heroes protect people and fight evil, like Winston Churchill who led the people of Great Britain in…
‘Away With Them!’
“Get off my land. This is still my home, my land. Get off my land.” This passionate statement by Tevye the Jewish milkman comes from the 1970s blockbuster…
Pale of Settlement: Czarist Russia’s Giant Ghetto
Here’s a phenomenon worth investigating: How did God preserve the Jewish people…
From the Editor Nov/Dec 2022
Christmas is around the corner. ’Tis the season for almost every made-for-television movie to overload us with house-decorating, tree-lighting, cookie-baking, and…
The Fallacy of Fictionalism
Scott Hershovitz is a philosophy professor and director of law and ethics at the University of Michigan…
The Rest of the Story
Christians around the world eagerly await the Christmas season, and my wife and I are no exception. One of our favorite activities this time of year is to take a…
5 Reasons Why Jesus Will Rapture His Church
How exciting was it when you knew your dad was on his way home when you were…
‘I Will Return’
Following a 2020 Democratic presidential debate, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) approached Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who reached out his hand to shake hers…
Until He Comes
“I want your room cleaned up before I get home!” Sound familiar? Parents often leave directives like these for their children before leaving the house…
From the Editor Sep/Oct 2022
My husband, Tom, had a wonderful opportunity recently to visit Israel on a tour led by the Zionist Organization of America. He was among a handful of Christians…
My Threescore and Ten
Birthdays, like mile markers, disclose the distance traveled but not the distance remaining on our lives’ journeys…
The Unlikely King
It was a scandal many find hard to stomach even today. The king God chose to govern His people committed adultery with another man’s wife…
The Richest Man on Earth
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” These words of wisdom, falsely attributed to…
When Everything Went Wrong
When people think of King Solomon, they usually recall his great wisdom and the magnificent Jewish Temple he built…
A Taste of Tomorrow
On October 25, 2021, shares of Tesla spiked almost 13 percent, surpassing the $1 trillion market cap and making the electric car company’s CEO…
From the Editor Jul/Aug 2022
When I was a student at Word of Life Bible Institute, a professor from Dallas Theological Seminary told me one of the main reasons people leave the mission field is because…
A Memorial and a Name
I recently ran across a Pew Research study that sought to discover what Americans know about the Holocaust…
The Child and the Seed
It has been said the key to all Messianic prophecy hangs at the Bible’s front door and was given by God to that “old serpent, the Devil…”
The Woman Clothed With the Sun
As you study the book of Revelation, you might not notice Israel’s presence much. In fact, a number of commentators say…
The Fiery Red Dragon
All he wanted was a sugar apple. He didn’t know it would cost him his life. Muhamad Anwar, a 31-year-old fisherman, probably knew he was trespassing…
Unsealing the Title Deed
On a recent trip to Florida, I had the privilege of conducting a brief Bible study with the man next to me on the plane…
From the Editor May/Jun 2022
Last summer my husband, Tom, and I went to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the funeral of a dear friend. To say Las Vegas is hot in July is an understatement…
My Seven Chapters
Last summer I spoke at a family Bible conference. As I began preparing the messages for the ministry there, I decided to try something unusual…
Israel: Trip of a Lifetime
Pick up a tour brochure touting journeys to places far or near and you’ll likely see the claim, “The trip of a lifetime!” A promise…
3 Reasons Why I Support Israel
When I was a freshman in college, I learned a valuable lesson. My professor, Dr. Herb Hirt, told us never to read the…
From the River to the Sea
Throughout history, hatred of the Jewish people has surged and subsided but never disappeared. In the late 1800s..
5 Facts You Should Know About Israel
Have you ever wondered why the Jewish people have been scattered throughout the world more than any other people?..
From the Editor Mar/Apr 2022
If you’ve been a Christian for many years, you have probably taken communion hundreds of times. In fact, you probably know Jesus’ words…
The Giant: A Preview of Revelation 13?
Giants have always fascinated me. That’s probably why I reacted so quickly when Laura, my administrative assistant, asked me…
When Peace Fills the Earth
People often ask, “Will there ever be peace on Earth?” Yes, there will be when Jesus the Messiah returns…
‘With All Your Heart and With All Your Soul’
What started as a family moving from Canaan to Egypt to escape the ravages of a seven-year famine grew over time…
Israel’s New Covenant
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the people of the United States were devastated. Official inquiries were opened…
How I Learned I Was Wrong
“Now, the New Covenant, that’s ours. That’s for us as Christians.” I can still hear myself speaking those words to my…
From the Editor Jan/Feb 2022
A few years ago, I watched a film about a man who never learned to read in school. His mother dies when he is young; and his father moves Stanley around…
Happy New Year!
Fireworks. Noisy parties. Large quantities of food and drink. That’s how many people welcome the new year. Observant Jewish people, on the other hand…
The Bible: The Greatest Book Ever Written
Voltaire, the famous French philosopher once called the “prince of infidels,” reportedly said in 1776 that within 100 years…
Kingdom Now?
Of all the New Testament references to Old Testament Scripture, the verse that receives the most New Testament attention is Psalm 110:1…
When is a Wolf Not a Wolf?
All of us use figures of speech: “She’s the black sheep of the family” or “He had to eat crow” or “Behold, I send you…
Yesterday, Today, and Forever
It was a scam that worked for months. In 1849, William Thompson prowled the streets of New York City looking for…
From the Editor Nov/Dec 2021
When I was eight years old, I had a friend named Mary. She moved to Vermont from California, lived two houses away, and attended Catholic school. Every year I’d…
We Stand With Israel!
There is no authority on Earth except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. That may seem like a strange statement in view of…
The ‘Forbidden Chapter’
What joy was mine when I ministered in Israel for one month each year when I served as director of…
From the Root of Jesse
When my friend and colleague Steve Herzig lived in Chicago many years ago, he issued a challenge to some of his friends. The challenge seemed simple enough, but…
Christmas Is…
Christmas is a busy time of year. Everyone’s schedule seems to be full of holiday events. Getting together with family and friends. Singing Christmas carols. Buying…
God’s Awesome, Immutable Plan
In the 1980s, an action-adventure television series used a catchphrase that has long outlived the show: “I love it when…
From the Editor Sep/Oct 2021
Growing up, Passover was my favorite holiday. It arrived just when New England’s harsh, snow-packed winter was finally giving way to spring…
A Conversation with Joel Rosenberg
As part of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s mission to teach about Israel and the Jewish people, our North American…
Behold the Lamb!
Many non-Jews think Hanukkah is every Jewish person’s favorite holiday. But they would be wrong. Hanukkah is not the Jewish equivalent of Christmas…
The Four Faces of Shavuot
Have you ever gone to the grocery store and found the shelves empty? Until the recent pandemic, that would have been…