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…
Features
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…
Holiday Under the Stars
Many years ago, a pastor and I visited a friend who is a rabbi at a local synagogue. Sukkot was approaching, and Rabbi offered to…
‘Remember the Sabbath’
When my wife and I lived in Minnesota, we enjoyed visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art where more than 90,000 beautiful…
From the Editor Jul/Aug 2021
Who among us, at one time or another, has not questioned God? Why, Lord, did You let my baby die? Why didn’t You heal my child? Why do You allow Christians to…
The Real Friend of Israel
Many Americans are still reeling from the results of the 2020 presidential election. According to two surveys, between 76 and…
Job: Misery’s Poster Child
Americans entered 2020 with great hope. The stock market, employment, and prosperity were at all-time highs…
The Wrong Trifecta
After his wife’s death, C. S. Lewis kept a journal documenting his journey of grief. It was later published as A Grief Observed. One of the entries jolted me…
What Not to Say
I hung up the phone in shock. I had called looking for comfort, maybe some sympathy. A man who had been a pillar in my life and a spiritual father to me had passed away…
Can You?
It is never fun to be in God’s waiting room. If Job could speak with us, he probably would verify the difficulty of waiting on the Lord. Job’s story, told in the Bible book…
From the Editor May/Jun 2021
Shortly after I became a Christian in 1980, I was invited to a luncheon sponsored by the local branch of a nondenominational, evangelical Christian organization…
A Letter to My Dad
Another Father’s Day is just around the corner. My dad passed away in 2008; and at age 97, my mom still misses him. Perhaps that was why she showed me…
From Death to Life
Population 4.18 million. Situated like a jewel by the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, it beckons to tourists from around the world to enjoy its nonstop nightlife…
Getting the ‘Package Deal’
“What do you mean you became a Christian at 21? Aren’t you a pastor’s daughter?” an older gentleman asked me…
He Never Let Go
My story begins with my father, who was enjoying recognition as a successful research chemist despite two big problems: He was a functioning alcoholic and an atheist…
What is the Gospel?
Many years ago, my wife and I were invited to dinner at the home of a prominent older woman. She knew governors and senators and had been friends with Albert Einstein…
From the Editor Mar/Apr 2021
When I became a Christian, I didn’t know much about Christianity. I didn’t know the New Testament or doctrine or what God expected of me as a believer…
No Place Like Home
A bump on the head and a trip to Oz was all it took for Dorothy to realize there’s no place like home. Dorothy is the main character in L. Frank Baum’s children’s book…
The Coming Conflagration
“It is apocalyptic.” U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon didn’t exaggerate much when he assessed the wildfires that ravaged…
Getting Serious About Talking to God
The doctrine of coming judgments is not popular. Most Christians don’t like reading or hearing about it. They say it’s scary…
The Secret to Serving Christ
When I was a teenager, I enjoyed visiting my pastor’s study. His bookshelves were sprinkled with interesting knickknacks…
The Christian Thing to Do
The toxic turn in the nature of the American political system, bitterly pitting factions and friends against one another, has…
From the Editor Jan/Feb 2021
Many years ago, my husband’s friend Ken Campbell lost his 18-year-old daughter in a car accident. Ken pastored a church here in South Jersey, and Gwendolyn was a student at Word of Life…
Meditating on God
Health experts agree that walking 10,000 steps a day is a good thing. So I do this “good thing” regularly, and I can tell you that my Oy veys grow louder every time I start walking. But I can also tell you that…
The Great I Am
“Welcome to the State of Israel,” the guard said, smiling as he checked us through security and into the Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC. My wife and I attended a function there…
The Father Knows Best
In 1949, a show called Father Knows Best debuted on the radio. It made the transition to television in 1954, starring Robert Young, who played Jim Anderson, the father of three children…
The Future-Teller
A peculiar industry has been growing in America. It generates $2 billion in revenue a year and employs roughly 85,000 people who are primarily mediums, astrologers, palm readers, and fortune-tellers…
The Absurdity of Idolatry
Sam Coonrod made news last summer when he refused to kneel. The then-27-year-old relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants was the only baseball player…
From the Editor Nov/Dec 2020
It’s confession time. I possess a peculiar ability that annoys everyone, even my husband. I listen to the same music over and over…
A Christmas to Remember
During the Christmas season, the popular children’s animated television show Bob the Builder and Hallmark…
What God Told Isaiah
More than any other time of year, Christmas is when people talk about Jesus’ birth. You would think that after 2,000 years, Jesus’ miraculous conception would be…
The Shekinah Glory
As I look at the world and the terrible things people do, I will never understand why God loves us and wants to dwell among us. The fact that a Jewish virgin bore the divine…
Seeing God
The one true and living God is omnipresent. That is, He is everywhere all the time, an infinite being with respect to space. Despite this magnificent attribute…
Immanuel Forever
We don’t know his name or his background. We do know he was a criminal (Lk. 23:32). But as he hung between heaven and Earth on a Roman cross, something within…
From the Editor Sep/Oct 2020
At sundown September 18, our Jewish friends will celebrate Rosh Hashanah. This first of the High Holy Days initiates a new year on the Jewish calendar…
From Moses to Jesus
Eclectic is how I would describe my mother’s taste in furniture. Nothing really matched when I was growing up. Furniture was not her thing…