Christian liberty is a gift from God. Scripture says Christians are free to practice whatever God’s moral absolutes do not prohibit (Gal. 2:4; 5:1), providing they do not violate their own consciences (Rom. 14:22–23)…
Often, as time goes by, things need a little updating. We’ve updated the look of Israel My Glory several times during its 74 years, and we thought you might appreciate…
Our mission statement reads, “The Friends of Israel is a worldwide Christian ministry communicating biblical truth about Israel and the Messiah, while fostering solidarity with the Jewish people.” We have two primary efforts…
Some people maintain Romans 9—11 is a digression. However, as Bible scholar Thomas R. Schreiner noted, “The idea that these chapters disrupt the argument of the epistle has all but vanished today…
On my first day of college many years ago, I met a Gentile who was “born again.” He presented Jesus Christ as Savior and the only way to heaven and told me…
Christians should live according to God’s universal guidelines of conduct through the power of the Holy Spirit. Part one examined the fi rst guideline. Here are three more.
3 John 1–4: Churches are like families: full of members with differing personalities, dispositions, and temperaments. Some members are friendly, loving, truthful, generous, and hospitable…
Psalms 120 through 134 are referred to as the Songs of Ascents due to the superscription at the beginning of each psalm. The term ascent carries the notion of step or degree. The interpretation of…
Sung by ancient pilgrims making their way up to Jerusalem to observe the primary feasts of Israel, Psalm 120 is the first in a series known as the Psalms of Ascents. It begins with a…
Living in danger was nothing new to my late colleague Zvi Kalisher. He lived in Israel for nearly 70 years and witnessed countless dangers. He often described his situation as…
Situated at the midpoint of the Psalms of Ascents, Psalm 127 is didactic, or instructional, and is attributed to King Solomon. Confronting the reality of daily existence, it motivates readers to…
2 John 5–13: All Christians should obey biblical truth and manifest love, as taught by Jesus Christ. The “elect lady and her children,” whom the apostle John mentioned in his second epistle, lived observably according to these commandments…
2 John 1:1–4: A major problem in the first-century church was the proliferation of false teachers. Under the inspiration and leading of the Holy Spirit, the apostle John…
Humanity’s refusal to accept God’s wisdom has led people to reject His moral absolutes. Consequently, individuals engage in practices that violate what God ordained for mankind. They commit…
In our modern or postmodern world, the narratives of the Old Testament frequently slip from a vibrant canvas of deep theological truth into shallow “stories” from which believers draw…
Imagine, if you can, an “appearance” by the God of glory to an idol worshiper named Abram living in Mesopotamia. He gave Abram a command and an extraordinary promise…
The first time I viewed the GEICO insurance ad on television, I chuckled. It flashes back to medieval times, where an elderly mentor peers into a big book of tricks then…
1 John 5:13–21: Some Christians lack assurance that they are truly born again. Certainty about one’s salvation comes through knowing what God’s Word teaches. The apostle John’s major focus…
The foundation, or beginning, of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Ps. 111:10). Unfortunately, large segments of humanity do not fear the Lord and have no true wisdom. Instead…
History is replete with small nations that strut across the world stage, proudly flex their political muscles, and then vanish into obscurity. Edom was such a nation, and its story was…
Blood moons are a beautiful sight. These astronomical anomalies have become a hot topic for both backyard astronomers and Christians who consider them prophetic signs. Are the blood moons signs? Or are they…
Obadiah 1–4: When the apostle Paul wrote to his young protégé Timothy to tell him how to pastor the church at Ephesus, he cautioned him not to give too much responsibility to…
Pride is a matter of the heart. In both Hebrew and Greek, the languages of the Old and New Testaments respectively, the words pride and proud denote an arrogance, a puffing up…
Obadiah 5—9: Most Americans remember where they were on 9/11. We remember our vulnerability; our politicians singing together on the Capitol steps in Washington, DC; the national prayer…
Obadiah 10—14: Imagine having to sleep with a gun under your bed. I am not talking about Detroit, New York, or Philadelphia. I am talking about Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. This…
Obadiah 15–16: Have you ever seen someone revel in another’s misfortune or be smug and self-satisfied when sympathy was called for? There’s a saying, “What goes around comes around.” The Bible…
Obadiah 17–21: One of the joys of spending time in Israel is the privilege of making wonderful friends. As relationships grow, conversations arise on a variety of topics. Sometimes…
The Bible teaches that the foundation, or beginning, of genuine wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Unwise people spurn the fear of the Lord by neglecting God’s moral absolutes…
Signs are important to me because I travel a lot, and they point me in the right direction. Biblical signs are somewhat different. Though they point us in the right direction…
The Bible calls attention to several problems with false wisdom, which, in reality, is not wisdom at all. After Babylon had manifested great pride in abusing the Israelites during their 70-year…
Christians are often accused of worshiping three gods. Admittedly, the truth of a triune (three in one) God is a difficult, if not impossible, concept to grasp. God is not like…
In most Bible-believing churches, a Sunday morning service seems filled with a spirit of joy and harmony. Visitors are welcomed warmly and invited to please come back…
Out with the old gospel, in with the new. That seems to be mainstream Christianity’s new direction. Is it biblical? Judge for yourself.
A Bible that cannot be understood literally calls into question the Person of God Himself and leads to speculation about God’s relationship to His creation. The Bible says God is unique…
The great apostasy foretold in Scripture is coming, and it may surprise you to see how some things that appear insignificant can be influential indeed.
Did you know a high percentage of Christians really don’t know what they believe? This excellent article takes a look at what’s important and what’s not.
The entire world lives on a seven-day cycle that was God’s design and creation: In six days He created the world, and on the seventh He rested. Genesis 1 says…
The New Testament reveals that Jesus defended and administered God’s mercy in various ways during His ministry on Earth. On one occasion Jesus and His disciples went to a house and ate…
Bible-believing Christians hold fast to many cardinal doctrines of the faith, such as the virgin birth, inspiration of Scripture, substitutionary atonement, justification by faith, and the plurality within the Godhead…
Believers today must walk in the Spirit. It is the essence of the stewardship of our dispensation and the criteria by which God will evaluate us. No one in the Old Testament…
For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (Rom. 4:3). Under the Old Covenant, people believed God accepted the blood of bulls and goats…
And I will pray the Father; and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him…
Jewish people react to the topic of the Holy Spirit much like Gentiles react to gefilte fish—with a rolling of the eyes and contortion of the face. Gentiles react that way…
Ships and boats have always intrigued me. Row boats, motor boats, fishing trawlers, riverboats, houseboats, battleships, and ocean liners—they all capture my imagination. As a child I knew the names of many famous…
The Jewish Scriptures present the first glimpse of God’s creation of the earth by saying, “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2). There were not…
Believers who live on this side of the Messiah’s empty tomb, the Day of Pentecost, and the book of Hebrews ought to learn to wallow more carefully in the New Covenant.
New Covenant believers must be careful not to look with disdain on what God did with His people in ages past. In fact, Yahweh proved Himself blindingly gracious under the Old Covenant…
Throughout the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is seen acting dramatically in the lives of people to enable those individuals to do that which, left to themselves, they could not do.
Spirit-filling empowered John the Baptist to “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (Lk. 1:16) and be the forerunner of the Messiah “in the spirit and power of…
God’s love is one of the great themes of the Bible. The previous articles on this theme focused attention on His love in the Old Testament. Now let’s begin to examine His love…
The emergent/emerging movement is barely over a decade old (depending on when one marks its birth), and already it has splintered and morphed in many directions. As a result, it is often…
Not long ago I was driving on a scenic mountain road in Arizona and decided to let my car coast downhill. Suddenly, I saw a bright flash of light. I had just driven…
Dispensational Theology provides the best understanding of God’s Word and His plan for creation. Here are three important reasons why.
Allegorical Interpretation: The method of interpreting a literary text that gives the text a secondary, more “spiritual” meaning. Biblical Theology: A correlation of the data of biblical revelation of a particular…
Previously we saw that the ultimate reason for God’s anger and wrath is mankind’s arrogant rejection of Him as the Creator, sovereign Ruler, and Owner of the universe. Fallen humanity…
Does it ever seem like everything is falling down around you? That disappointment or fear dogs your every step? One Web site offers a solution: Grab some wool and knitting…
Previously we examined Old and New Testament words for God’s anger and wrath, figurative expressions of the nature of God’s anger and wrath, and literal expressions of ways God’s wrath…
The Bible reveals that God experiences anger and wrath. Many words, both in the Old and New Testaments, express this fact. In the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, nouns…
The previous article observed five purposes God has for the nation of Israel in light of the Gentile nations’ historic apostasy and false worship. Now we will examine one more, along…
When God established the Mosaic Covenant marriage relationship with Israel at Mount Sinai, He declared, “You shall worship no other god, for the Lᴏʀᴅ, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous…
Previously we studied God’s jealous response to Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness to Him. Like an unfaithful wife, Israel’s capital city had committed spiritual adultery by worshiping false gods and entering into forbidden…
Is Jesus the only way to God? CNN’s Larry King seems to want to know—along with millions of other people, some of whom have rather interesting points of view.
The United States is in the midst of an internal war. The news media claims it is a cultural conflict. But the cause runs much deeper. It is a clash of two worldviews…
As Isaiah gazed into the vastness of God’s throne room, the reverberating praise of seraphim shook the very doorposts: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts; the whole earth…
Habakkuk 2:9 says, “Woe to him who covets evil gain.” The word translated “woe” involves “negative warnings or threats of God’s physical chastisement.”1 It makes “the point that judgment is inescapable…
Numerous biblical passages refer to the sin of covetousness, which is of major concern to God. Consequently, it is important to understand the nature of covetousness, the issues related to it…
The Bible records several examples of people who were victims of reviling, abusive speech. The prophet Jeremiah was one. His enemies said, “Come and let us devise plans against Jeremiah…
The previous article examined the biblical view of two types of negative speech: lying and false witness. Now we will observe what the Bible says about other types of negative speech.
Hebrews 1:4–14: No chapter in the Bible presents such a full picture of the deity of Jesus Christ as Hebrews 1. After completing His earthly ministry, Christ was restored to the dignity and glory He possessed in eternity past…
The Bible indicates that human speech can have powerful influence. Proverbs 18:21 states, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” In other words..
Just as you must have a plan to achieve your goals in life, so also God has a plan. From the world’s foundation, God’s goal to glorify Himself included a plan to redeem lost humanity.
What does it take to live a holy life? If you can faithfully master three important points, you’re well on your way.
world are bound to encounter opposition. And though suffering for one’s faith may be difficult, it produces some undeniable and sometimes surprising benefits.
Hebrews 1:1–3: Hebrews is without question one of the greatest and most important books in the New Testament. In it the writer presented an in-depth study of both the deity and humanity of Jesus the Messiah…
Our earlier study noted that God is a personal being, possessing intellect. As such, He thinks. In His Word, God refers to His thoughts and indicates they are different from and higher…
In two previous articles concerning morality, we observed biblical descriptions of various types of eyes that reflect the moral condition of a heart. After examining one more type, we will consider two…
A critical question believers must ask themselves today is, “What is the nature, purpose, and function of the church?” To reach the unsaved, must the church conform to the world’s concept…
In our previous article we noted that biblical descriptions of various types of eyes indicate that eyes reflect the moral condition of a heart. The first type we observed was the “evil eye,” which reflects…
As a person who loves the church and has been privileged to minister in numerous local churches for more than four decades, I have a deep concern regarding the directions…
If you’re interested in learning the exact differences between Israel and the church, this amazing outline is just what the doctor ordered.
In 1866 Samuel J. Stone penned the words to the great hymn of the faith “The Church’s One Foundation.” The opening words make a powerful statement about the church and its mission: “The church’s…
The church won’t be here forever. In fact, it has a future that unfolds like a symphony, with four distinct movements—all of them magnificent!
The Bible reveals that our eyes have great moral significance and, therefore, are of concern to God. They are the primary organs by which we receive knowledge and…
Did you ever become angry with God because you asked for something He did not give you? Then perhaps you’ve bought into the biggest fairy tale of all.
Previously we examined evidence that showed a total human being (body and soul) comes into existence at the moment of conception. Thus an abortion at any time after conception involves the taking…
The Old Testament often describes people’s encounters with the Lord in human form and how those experiences helped them come to know Him on a personal basis. Examining some of those passages…
So reads The Friends of Israel’s doctrinal statement. Although sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, the knowledge of sin came through the Mosaic Law given to the Jewish…
God’s grace comes to us in many forms. Each has a special purpose, and each provides a particular blessing.
In the previous article we saw that the real issue in the heated debate concerning the morality of abortion is this: At what point does the human offspring have a human soul and, therefore, become a personal
In his 13 basic principles, renowned Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon (1135–1205), also known as Maimonides and the great Rambam, replaced the Hebrew word ehad (“one”) with yahid (“only one”) to describe…
The previous article demonstrated that infanticide (the willful, premeditated killing of an infant at birth or afterward) is an abomination that God hates and that provokes Him to anger. It fits…
Our previous article showed that, historically, governmental law and the Bible regard murder as the willful, premeditated killing of a human being by another. In light of this truth, an issue that must be addressed…
Previously we examined five ways in which God revealed that murder violates and perverts His moral absolutes and fixed order of moral law. The fifth way was through God giving Israel the following…
Earlier parts of our study examined sexual violations and perversions of God’s moral absolutes and fixed order of moral law. Now we will begin to examine another violation and perversion of those moral…
An earlier part of our study indicated that, when God created mankind as male and female, He revealed the fixed, inflexible, moral order that He established for human sexuality. That order…
In Romans 1 the apostle Paul addressed the ultimate cause of the breakdown of morality and order in Gentile society in ancient times: the rebellion of human beings against the sovereign…
The previous article examined two types of sexual violations and perversions of God’s moral absolutes and His fixed order of moral law. Here we will examine five more such violations. Bestiality. The American…
The previous article concerning God presented implications for mankind concerning the fact that God is a moral being. It indicated that God created humans in His image as moral beings.
An earlier part of our study noted that God created the universe with a twofold, fixed, unchanging, inflexible order. That order conforms to and embodies the ultimate wisdom that God created and used to…
The biblical explanation of the origin of man and the world around him should satisfy Jewish people as well as Bible-believing Christians. Yet some in both groups reject the Genesis creation account.