Israel’s New Reality
This statement, made by former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Perez, may have paved the way for his failure in May to be officially elected to that position.
This statement, made by former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Perez, may have paved the way for his failure in May to be officially elected to that position.
Extraordinary diplomatic efforts in recent years have been undertaken to resolve some of the world’s most complex, divisive conflicts—in Ireland, Bosnia, and the Middle East. The latter is no closer to resolution.
The words “Allahu Akbar!” (“God is great!”) regularly resound from the mosques of the world as a confession of Islam. Those same words were shouted loudly in Arabic to a group of elderly Greek tourists…
The long interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets is continued from chapter 10. In the last verse of that chapter, John was instructed that he must prophesy again about many peoples, tongues, and nations.
America has once again witnessed the stomach-wrenching emotion of flag-draped coffins being carried from large Air Force cargo planes. Grieving widows and their children are told by grim-faced leaders that their loved ones did not…
I have never been one to scrupulously follow a recipe. A pinch of substitution here, a dash of elimination there—it all suits me fine as long as it turns out edible.
Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
It has become quite fashionable among some feminist writers and people sympathetic to the women’s liberation movement to castigate biblical writers for their “sexism.” Often biblical authors have been characterized as “male chauvinists”…
When the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, it indwelt each member of that small group of believers in Jerusalem, including the women. Among them were Jesus’ mother Mary and the other…
In the previous article, which presented the biblical view of inspiration, we saw that both human and divine factors were involved in the writing of the inspired Scriptures. This means that the Bible…
Theodor Herzl had a dream. It was a dream born of the desire of the Jewish people to have a homeland in Eretz Israel under the recognition of international law.
Thus saith the Lord Gᴏᴅ: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, to which they are gone, and will gather them on every side…
The most prominent events marking the early days of the modern Zionist movement were the publication of Theodor Herzl’s The Jewish State in 1896 and his calling of the First Zionist Congress in 1897.
So wrote Chaim Weizmann in 1919. Both God in heaven and Balfour in England viewed “with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.”
Thus far in our study of bibliology (the doctrine of the Bible) we have examined the subject of divine revelation, which involves God’s uncovering of knowledge to mankind.
There are a number of interludes throughout the judgment portions of Revelation. One is presented between the sixth and seventh seals in Revelation 7, and a second is presented between the sixth and seventh trumpets…
Two thousand years ago a young Jewish woman and her husband came to the town of Bethlehem, in Jewish Judea, to be registered for taxation. Their permanent residence was Nazareth.
Some Jewish people think that Christianity is confused and splintered. They point out that there are Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Catholics, Pentecostals, and many other divisions. Within those groups there are conservatives…
The Jewish expression “Eat kosher but think trayf [non-kosher]” encapsulates the ideology of one of the more popular branches of modern American Judaism. An attempted medium between the traditional and liberal wings of Judaism…
A Christian woman was interested in the beliefs of Reform Judaism. She asked her Jewish friend what a Reform Jew believes. The friend responded, “Be a good spouse and parent, work hard, be honest…
Within the world of Orthodox Judaism there is a group of intensely religious Jews whose influence and significance far outweigh their number. Termed ultra-Orthodox by outsiders, they are more properly known as Hasidic Jews…
When John “opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (v. 1). This seventh seal contains the seven trumpet and seven bowl judgments.
In case you haven’t noticed, there seems to be a great many things to be depressed about these days. The assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin sent the nation into a state of national…
The expression the imminency of Christ’s return means that Christ could return at any moment. Nothing else has to happen before His return.
The life of Joseph presents some very important lessons for all who care to read the chapters in Genesis devoted to him. But there is one overriding factor in the story that should overwhelm…
Trials and testings come into the life of every person. If you are not going through any at the moment, wait a while. Sooner or later, they’ll come.
As the aged, bedridden Jacob pronounced prophetic blessings on his sons by Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah, he must have looked forward with great anticipation to what God had in store for his two youngest sons…
In previous articles, we observed the means God uses to reveal His truth to all mankind in general. This article examines the significance of general revelation.
Titillating words, these. Mankind, in the infancy of its innocence, was led to believe that being liberated from obedience to the Creator could be equated with becoming God-like. The delusion was but an extension…
I had never seen Michael, our Israeli guide, so excited. Our Institute of Biblical Studies group was touring the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, seeing the usual sights, when Michael motioned us to join him on the other side of the church. He led us down a corridor into a small chapel. Michael explained in hushed tones that this was a very ancient part of the church, and tourist groups usually do not get to see it.
It is easy to determine the Jewish opinion of Jesus during His earthly ministry by reading the Gospel accounts. In simple terms, the common people, even if they did not accept His Messianic claims, generally…
The name Jesus means different things to different people. To some, He is a great prophet, teacher, or leader, but others use His name as a curse. While some have never heard His name…
Never in all history have men spoken so much of the end-times, yet been so shrouded in ignorance of God’s impending doomsday,” said Carl F. H. Henry.
In the previous two articles, we studied the biblical teaching concerning God’s uncovering of knowledge to all mankind through nature. This article examines His use of history and the human conscience as two other means of general revelation.
From a distance, which is where I sit, things don’t look promising for Israel. Frankly, I, along with hosts of Christians who are deeply committed to promoting Israel’s best interests…
In his essay, “The Messianic Idea in Israel,” the renowned scholar, Gershom Scholem, contrasted the Jewish and Christian concepts of the Messianic redemption. While Christianity conceives of redemption as an event in the spiritual…
The subject of politics can be volatile and is often avoided in polite conversation. Still, jokes about politicians, parties, and their performance permeate our society. Who among us is not interested in the various national…
Until recent years, every organization, group, or institute in Israel, along with geographic regions where there was a concentration of people, planned their defense according to the well known ways of terror attacks…
In Revelation 4, John presented a description of what he saw and heard in his heavenly vision. He saw God the Father seated on His throne and heard the host of heaven offering Him continual…
In our previous article we examined Psalm 19:1–6, one of the biblical passages that addressed God’s uncovering of knowledge to all of mankind through the means of nature. In this article we will study two…
What constitutes a “call” for a person of God? Is it a mystical experience that seemingly only a few receive? Is it that still small voice of God that speaks to us in our confusion?
Was Ezekiel a paranoid schizophrenic? If not, he must, according to some writers, at least have had an abnormal personality. To lovers of the Bible, such a diagnosis of a biblical prophet is nothing short…
A few short months ago, a bill was introduced in the Congress of the United States to recognize city of Jerusalem as Israel’s national capital and move the U.S. Embassy to the city by 1999.
Ezekiel 38–39 foretells a massive future invasion “of Israel by the armed forces of six nations. Five of those nations are identified in 38:5–6 with the names they bore in Ezekiel’s time.
Soon after the Lord delivered the children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt, He gave Moses instructions to build the Tabernacle. The work was done according to God’s plan, and when it was completed…
Questions about heaven are always at the center of a believer’s thinking, especially questions dealing with the appearance of and activities in heaven. Through the eyes of John, believers are permitted a gaze…
Capernaum was a picturesque town located on the northwestern shore of Galilee where the Jordan enters the lake. The city lay on a gentle slope rising from one of the numerous shallow coves that lend…
I was scared stiff at the prospect of preaching in my hometown! A few years earlier, I had come to the Lord in a church in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
When the darkness of night falls, it creeps around the world from east to west. In the same manner, the first beams of morning sunlight sweep around the world from east to west.
Swimming pools become graveyards for many young children each summer. To prevent these needless tragedies, some municipalities require fences around pool perimeters. Some pool owners take the additional safety measure of installing another barrier on…
John the Baptist had boldly confronted sin in the palace of Herod. Herod had taken his brother’s wife Herodias for himself, and John was beheaded for his decrying confrontation of this sin.
The city of Laodicea was located in a fertile valley overlooking the Lycus River about 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia and 11 miles from Colosse. Laodicea was established by Antiochus II (264–261 B.C.). Named in honor of his wife Laodice, it was destined to become the capital of ancient Phrygia.
And so I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty creator. In standing guard against the Jew I am defending the handiwork of the Lord (Adolf Hitler, August 13, 1920).
It has often been said that truth is stranger than fiction. That is certainly the case when studying the writings of those who deny the occurrence of the Holocaust.
Why risk your life to save Jews? It was obvious that the easiest and safest position was to be complacent about Hitler’s obsession to annihilate the Jewish race.
Several years ago there was a TV series called Little House on the Prairie. One of the show’s characters, a youngster named Albert, became friendly with an elderly Jewish man.
This is the introductory article in a series presenting the doctrines contained in the Bible. The word doctrine comes from the Latin term doctrina, which means “instruction, education, learning.”
Perverted theology is not a new fad. The wonder is that we seem to be surprised each time some emerging religious “star” professes to be anointed with a new revelation regarding heretofore obscure…
“My God, where are you? My God, my God. Where are you? Evil crushes me. Grinds me into dust. O, my God. I can’t bear it. I can’t bear it. Why have you left me?
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1–2, Paul and his companions asked the Thessalonian saints to avoid doing two things. First, they were not to be “soon shaken in mind.”
The beginning of 2 Thessalonians 2 makes it clear that at least two events will precede the advent of the Day of the Lord: the arrival of the great apostasy and the unveiling of the…
We are living in a day characterized by apostasy. It is hard to say exactly when it began, but it came to the United States as a result of European “free-thinking liberalism.”
It has been said that many churches begin with a man, reach out with a mission, become a movement, and eventually end up a monument. Often this is true, but not for every church.
The current wave of vilification flowing over those designated as members of the “religious right” carries ominous undercurrents. Elements from the highest levels of authority in America have declared segments of the evangelical Christian communit…
It is wonderful to see a family that gets along well. You can sense the harmony, fellowship, and love shared by all. Many people long for such ongoing relationships in their own families…
The Scriptures reveal a perpetual principle in effect in every age of history since the fall of man. That principle is as follows: Eternal salvation is always by the grace of God…
The hands of Caiaphas are bloodstained. On this high holiday, this Day of Atonement, he has already cut the throat of the sacrificial bull.
In August of each year, the synagogue Scripture reading from the prophets is taken from the Book of Isaiah. Around the third Sabbath in August, the reading ends at Isaiah 52:12…
A new Decalogue has been adopted by the neo-Christians of our day, ‘Thou shalt not disagree,’ and a new set of Beatitudes too, ‘Blessed are they that tolerate everything, for they shall not be made…
“We want a piece of the action!” This seems to be the prevailing attitude when the international community talks about Jerusalem. Until the Jewish people began to wind their way back toward the Holy City…
“And Isaac entreated the Lᴏʀᴅ for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lᴏʀᴅ was entreated by him, and Rebekah, his wife, conceived. And the children struggled together within her;
This February, a lone Jewish man walked into a mosque inside of a shrine built over the cave of Machpelah in Hebron. Dressed in Israeli military garb, he gunned down 29 Muslim Arabs…
On September 13, 1993, Israel signed a peace treaty with the PLO, an organization then known as one of our worst enemies. You would expect that after such an historic step…
“Churches are like people. No two are alike. Each has its own personality … size and shape … strength and weakness,” wrote Steven Lawson.* This is evident when reading Christ’s letters to the seven churches…
The ground in front of the beautiful Golden Gate was still soft from the recent heavy rains. An archaeology student confidently stepped back from the gate to capture its entire view in his camera…
Lord Byron, in “The Destruction of Sennacherib,” caught in vivid poetic form not only the essence of a battle long gone, but the final convulsions of the “times of the Gentiles.” Thus, human observation confirms…
In Luke 21:24 Jesus Christ referred to “the times of the Gentiles,” when the Gentiles would be the dominant power in the world and Israel would be at the mercy of or dependent upon…
When Bible readers move from the Old to the New Testament, they encounter many new ideas and institutions. They encounter groups like the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and Zealots, who are not mentioned in the Old…
The solace of blissful sleep was violently shattered with dreadful visions of hideous creatures. So disturbing was the dream that the usually composed Prophet Daniel was greatly troubled in mind and body.
To understand the end-times revival of the Roman Empire, we must first understand the term the times of the Gentiles. Jesus said, “And they [the Jewish people] shall fall by the edge of the sword…
What did Jesus look like in the flesh? Artists have tried to paint Him and authors have tried to describe Him. Nowhere does Scripture relate the physical appearance of Jesus during His earthly life.
True heroes are in short supply these days. Loyalty to causes larger than one’s own personal interests seems to be out of favor with the “me” generation.
The Temple still stood gloriously on that high mount where the Dome of the Rock now rests. The Pharisees still controlled the synagogues, influencing the people with their strict interpretations of the law.
Hebrews 11 describes the faith of the three men the Jewish people hold to be the cornerstone of Judaism: Abraham, Moses, and David. Abraham is also called the “friend” of God (Isa. 41:8).
Moses had a rich heritage of faith. Before his birth, Pharaoh of Egypt commanded that all male babies born to Hebrew women be killed (Ex. 1:15–22). When Moses was born, his parents had to make…
Every year new members are elected to the various sports’ Halls of Fame. Many good players, however, never receive this public honor. Buried in the past rosters of hundreds of teams are thousands of excellent…
Futurists are inundating the country with articles, books and videos on what to expect by the year 2000 and beyond. This has rekindled an interest in the study of biblical prophecy.
As with so many important chapters in God’s Word, Matthew 24 actually begins at the end of the previous chapter. The 23rd chapter records what was undoubtedly the hardest-hitting message Jesus delivered during His earthly…
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Torrents of tribulation have been part and parcel of the human experience since Adam decided to take a bite out of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Until this day, with increasing frequency…
Towering over the efforts of mankind, the marvelous inventions that have made life comfortable, the grandiose plans of politicians, and any dreams we may have is the fact that Jesus Christ will come to the…
A number of fine Christians believe that Christ used the fig tree to represent the nation of Israel, that the time when the tree’s branch is tender and it puts forth leaves refers to Israel’s…
Christ’s Second Coming is one of the dominant themes in the Olivet Discourse. His coming will be sudden, unexpected, visible, personal, powerful, glorious, and triumphant. When the Lord comes, He will judge the nations…
Among the material possessions Maxine and I hold dear is an old oak dining room table. It was the object of a rescue effort launched years ago when we discovered the table…
Whenever the Lord calls a person to serve Him, opposition usually follows. Sometimes it comes in a very subtle manner, and at other times it comes through strong, open resistance. Unbelievers and believers alike can…
Being a leader is an unenviable calling. It appears glamorous and glorious, but it is more often lonely and thankless. The best training for a would-be leader is to observe closely the model…
When the Jewish people returned to their homeland after the Babylonian Captivity, Jerusalem lay in ruins. The Temple, the city walls, and the gates had been destroyed as a result of the three invasions…
The Jews who were living in their homeland during the 440s BC (93 years after the Babylonian Captivity had ended) had a great heart for God. Perhaps all the opposition, affliction, and reproach they had…
VANCE HAVNER once said, “Contending for the faith is not easy. It is not pleasant business. It has many perils. It is a thankless job, and it is highly unpopular in an age of moral…
Something within human beings compels them to look for something new—a better way, better quality, better fashion. “Build a better mousetrap,” youngsters of another generation were told…