The previous article examined several biblical indications that God is sovereign over time. One of the most significant indicators of God’s sovereignty in that sphere is His amazing seventy-weeks prophecy delivered to Daniel in 538…
Not long ago I received a nice visit in our home from four men who considered themselves extremely pious. They believed they were fighting for justice and righteousness; and wherever they went…
He Speaks as God. “I will multiply thy seed” (Gen. 16:10); “I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Gen. 22:12); “And the angel…
History has shown us that where there is no faith there is hate. So it was with Hitler when the Nazis in Germany sang, “Today Germany belongs to us. Tomorrow, the world.” Then came Saddam Hussein….
As it is written in Ecclesiastes 11:1, “Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.” So it has been with me. Before I was married, I worked in a joinery…
Nahum 1:1-15: In the days of the prophet Nahum, Nineveh was at the height of its glory. Its influence through trade, culture, and political conquest extended from Egypt to the Persian Gulf. The city was built by Nimrod…
We are again approaching Yom Kippur, this most solemn of days, when people ask the Lord to forgive their sins. And what is more, they are so sure that when they come with their “sacrifices,” their sins…
Some say Yeshua. Others say Jesus. Either way, it is the name of Almighty God. And it has a special significance.
Micah 7:1-20: Micah’s grief over the deterioration of Judean society is poignantly expressed in this final chapter. The prophet lamented Judah’s sinful condition, knowing that the nation could not go unpunished. In the midst of sorrow…
The ninth day of the month of Av is drawing near (August 7). So the people of Israel come to the Western (Wailing) Wall, weeping night and day and reading the book of Lamentations, asking…
If you’re a believer, then this article is especially for you . . . and for anyone else who may be in danger of presuming on the wonderful, amazing grace of God.
Previously we examined the senselessness and consequences of idol worship. Here we will examine spheres that are subject to the sovereignty of the true and living God. Angels God’s significant relationships with the angels…
When the weather is nice, many people come out on the streets; and we have nice conversations. In fact, you can meet people here from all over the world and hear many different languages spoken. Before…
No man-made treaties will end this world’s bitter fight over Jerusalem. God will end it Himself—in a most definitive and remarkable way.
Repentance and an end to sin, idolatry, and false prophets all await Israel in the spectacular final days before the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom.
Is it wrath or blessing? Is it one day or many? Actually, the Day of the Lord contains all these components, as this outstanding article clearly explains.
Someday God Himself will return to this planet to set up an eternal, unrivaled Kingdom. What will it be like? Here is a biblical glimpse into that glorious time.
Micah 5:1–15: For centuries, Jewish people have looked for the Messiah to deliver them from Gentile oppression, secure for them the land of Israel…
Despite all that is happening, people still come to Israel. Why? Because Israel is like an electromagnet, drawing people from all over.
Micah 4:1-13: Many questions must have troubled King Hezekiah and the leaders of Judah when they heard Micah preach of the nation’s impending demise. After all, if Judah were destroyed, how would God fulfill the irrevocable promises
Where there is no faith, there is the tendency to hate. We see this every day as Arabs volunteer to become suicide bombers. And they wait eagerly to be called to do so. Those…
In Psalm 94 it is written, “O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself. . . . How long shall the wicked triumph?” (vv. 1, 3). Each day the situation in Israel brings more grief…
Micah 2:1-13: God gave the Jewish people the land of Canaan as an everlasting inheritance. However, their uninterrupted possession of it was conditioned on the nation walking in God’s ways and keeping His commandments. Failure…
I was riding home on the bus recently, and an ultra-Orthodox man was seated next to me, reading from the book of Psalms. He was reading chapter 96, the same chapter we had read…
Did you know that every promise in the Book doesn’t belong to the church? Actually, most of them belong to Israel.
Many people say God is finished with Israel and that He has given all Israel’s blessings to the church. But the Bible tells a different story.
Micah 1:1-16: One of the brightest and yet darkest periods of Judah’s history came in the eighth century B.C. Although the prosperity of Uzziah’s kingdom (790–740 B.C.) was still being felt in the days of his son…
We live in a time when the eyes of all the world are looking on us. The Lord has chosen us, saying, “Yet now hear, O Jacob, my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen…
On March 28 our holiday of Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, will begin. It is a holiday that celebrates our redemption from slavery in Egypt. But more important, Pesach teaches of our redemption from sin…
Some waited for years and were sure when they saw Him. Others are still waiting. Can we truly identify “he that should come”? Yes!
How can we know that Jesus’ claims about Himself are true? Examine man’s twofold dilemma and God’s gracious, twofold solution.
Many great doctrines of Christianity appeared first in the Old Testament. Come to the Psalms for a look at Jesus’ resurrection, ascension, and return.
First, I wish to express my sorrow to the many families who are suffering because of what happened in America on September 11. It was a terrible tragedy. We are familiar with tragedy in Israel…
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Lk. 2:13–14).
Christmas is approaching. And as people the world over look forward to the gifts, decorations, and tinsel of the season, those of us who love the traditional carols anticipate with joy the sweet strains…
Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the way, and smote those behind thee, even all that were feeble behind…
A day is coming when people of all nations will go up to Jerusalem for the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles—and woe to them if they don’t go!
Barrenness was an extreme source of shame and disgrace in ancient Israel, and Rachel’s barrenness only worsened her relationship with her sister Leah. It was bad enough they shared a husband.
Almost every Jewish home here has a mezuzah nailed to the right doorpost of the front door. A mezuzah is a small receptacle that contains a piece of parchment on which is written Deuteronomy 6:4–9.
The first time I received a Bible, I knew nothing about faith, especially about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was 1948, during the War of Independence here in Israel.
The world has so many big countries. Russia has 6.6 million square miles of land; Canada has 3.8 million. Even Jordan has 57,354 square miles of land. We have only 7,850 square miles.
Many people here live with horrifying memories of the Holocaust. They came here to find peace. But with the unrest in Israel today, the terrible fear they lived with in Europe has returned to them.
Do Christians read more into the words Son of God than the Bible intends? Examine the origin of the title and how it applies to Jesus.
Although veiled in flesh while on earth, Jesus was still God. This article explores how Jesus lived within the scope of human limitations.
The term Son of man is used no fewer than 192 times throughout the Word of God. And it means more than you might expect.
Since Israel rejected Jesus Christ and His offer of God’s theocratic Kingdom, the theocratic Kingdom was not established with the nation of Israel that existed at the time of Christ’s First Coming.
We have a saying in Israel: Curses, like chickens, come home to roost. But a curse cannot rest where a blessing has been pronounced. Many rabbis today are making new laws, and they claim these…
In the previous article, we saw that Christ offered the future theocratic Kingdom to Israel and told the nation what it must do for the Kingdom to be established. He offered the Kingdom through…
Many people come here to Jerusalem every year. As it is written in Isaiah 2:3, “for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
Confused by the many views on the Rapture? This illuminating article will help you understand what the Scriptures teach about this exciting event.
Is the idea that the Lord can return at any moment just wishful thinking? Read this article and learn what the Bible has to say about imminency.
Gone in an instant! How can that be? But it can be, and it has happened before.
The gospel of the Kingdom contained nothing about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, the gospel defined in 1 Corinthians 15 focused on His death, burial, and resurrection and said nothing about…
For more than 2,000 years, God has been building His cathedral of grace. Take a marvelous look inside through the book of Ephesians.
How could a Moabite woman end up in the line of the Jewish Messiah? Read this timeless testimony to God’s love and grace.
In the previous article, we noted that the Kingdom of God has at least two aspects, or expressions: the universal and the theocratic. The universal Kingdom is the rule of God administered directly or indirectly…
Here in Israel, there is a new surprise every day. But never was I as surprised as I was recently when I took my wife to the hospital on the bus—and I have lived here…
Here in Israel, many people believe that if they perform good deeds (mitzvot), heaven will be opened to them. They say that repentance and good deeds will shield them from retribution.
Take an in-depth look at the seventy weeks of Daniel and God’s six goals for the people of Israel.
In the previous article, we noted that Jesus Christ (Mt. 19:28) and the apostles Peter (Acts 3:19-21) and Paul (Rom. 8:19-22) foretold that nature will be restored to its original pre-fall condition when Christ…
Every day we see the Orthodox distributing leaflets on the street. They are free to do this, not like us. We must have eyes in the back of our heads to stay out of trouble.
The topic was the coming millennium and what we can expect to see develop in the future. Panelists on the television show were secular, running in persuasion from moderately conservative to rather radically liberal. A nattily dressed man, representing the views…
If there is one question that seems to come up more than any other these days, it is this one: “Do you believe that the coming of the Lord is really near?” For almost 2,000 years believers have been looking forward to that…
Since the recent election here, the ultra-Orthodox have been devoting much energy going from house to house, talking about repentance and telling people that good deeds are a shield against retribution. They make a big noise, but…
Israel is a small country, and at times we feel as if we are sheep among wolves. But even though we are small, we remain strong because the Lord is with us. Most people living in Israel, both Jews and Arabs, do not know the Lord. The Arabs…
Soon Jewish people around the world will observe the high holy days, culminating with the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. As it is written in Leviticus 17:11, “the life of the flesh is in…
Near the end of his life, as the Roman Emperor Domitian was making claims of divinity and persecuting the church, the Apostle John wrote, “the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 Jn. 5:19b). John was teaching that earthly rulers…
Revelation 22:6–21: All the purposes of God, from the inception of creation to the close of human history, have been completed. Christ has assumed His sovereign rule and reign over creation and has restored creation to the original…
I recently received a telephone call informing me that a dear friend of our family was sick in the hospital, so my wife and I immediately went to see her. Visiting a sick person in the hospital is not like going to a wedding. There are no…
Here in Israel we are facing new elections, and there is great competition among the political parties. Every party and every politician wants to be the greatest, and there is no love or consideration among the candidates. Everyone wants…
In Israel, many of the ultra Orthodox people follow the age-old tradition of merrymaking at the graves of famous rabbis. They do this every year—it is a big part of their religious life. When they go to these graves for their annual time of…
On November 19, 1997, something extraordinary happened. Bobbi McCaughey of Carlisle, Iowa, gave birth to seven healthy babies. With the news of the successful septuple deliveries, the world seemed to pause and reflect in…
The Jewish writings have much to say about the Messiah. Very little, however, is written about His identifying characteristics, aside from His being from the family of David and bringing peace. Gershom Scholem agreed with this when he wrote…
The clearest declaration about the historical facts of the Christian gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures…
In this well-known carol, “Joy to the World,” Isaac Watts expressed the thrill of the Messiah’s birth by describing events that just don’t seem to exist. I still weed garden beds and prick myself on thorns. The curse has not been lifted. The nations of…
This year we are celebrating 50 years since our Declaration of Independence in 1948, which created the modern State of Israel. It seems like only yesterday. But, with the Declaration of Independence came a declaration of…
Once every two months, I must take my wife to the hospital for a checkup on her eye following her cornea transplant surgery. Every time we go, there is a long line of people, and we must wait patiently for her turn. People are always looking at…
Like a flickering candle caught in a gale, so is mankind’s attempt to fathom the depths of God’s ways. The finite mind of man is unable to grasp the ways of an infinitely more intelligent God. Yea, without His help, it is an impossible task destined for…
In 1 Corinthians 15:1–4, the Apostle Paul confidently asserts that “the gospel” he taught was that “Christ [the Messiah] died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to…
The Servant of the Lord is a major theme in the Book of Isaiah. An understanding of this term is germane in grasping the meaning of God’s redemptive program for Israel. The book identifies men such as Isaiah himself, Eliakim, and David…
In Philippians 2:7, the Apostle Paul stated that Jesus Christ “made himself of no reputation.” The verb translated “made of no reputation” is ekenosen. Theologians have used the major part of that verb to form the term kenosis. As a result…
Revelation 19:1–10: On March 23, 1743, The Messiah was performed for the first time in London, England. In attendance was the King of England. He was deeply moved as the “Hallelujah Chorus” was being sung, and at the words…
I am sure that many people who experienced World War II remember well the great “peace agreement” between Hitler and Britain’s Neville Chamberlain, reached in Munich in 1938. This was nothing more than a theatrical performance and…
If you ask someone to name the founder of Christianity, he or she will probably reply, “Jesus Christ.” Most people think that Jesus was His first name and Christ was His last name. The word Christ, however, is not a name—it is a title. It means Messiah. Therefore…
The English word hypostasis is derived from a Greek word meaning “essence, actual being, reality” (William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 854). Thus, it refers to the real essence of a person or thing. As applied to Christ…
In Israel there is a very large Ultra-Orthodox population, and many of them belong to a group known as Habad. Their high rabbi was Menachem Schneerson from New York. This group is very active all around the world, and they are especially powerful…
Sixty seconds is all it takes. When sponsors of a television program want to entice viewers to tune in next week, a one-minute preview of the most exciting scenes is all it takes. If you like what you see in that brief encounter, you will surely love the complete version…
Near many synagogues in Israel you can see people standing around like merchants outside a market shouting to sell their merchandise. Newcomers to the country do not know what they want, but I have been here for 50 years and I know exactly what…
Historically, some people and groups have denied that Christ came in human flesh. For example, some said that the Christ came temporarily upon an already existing man, Jesus of Nazareth. He came long enough to impart a secret body of knowledge…
Two Old Testament passages that did this will be noted. Isaiah 9:6 assigned the names “The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father” to the Messiah. Ancient Judaism recognized that this referred to the Messiah.
I have some of my best conversations with people at the bus stop or on the bus. One recent day I was waiting for the bus to go into Jerusalem…
People have it all wrong these days. Repeatedly we hear men and women talk calmly about their “near death” experiences, about seeing that inviting, great white light at the end of the tunnel.
Many successful businesses engage their employees in an annual ritual known as the “year-end formal performance review.” On those occasions, a manager sits down with an employee, report in hand, and surveys…
The recurrent hatred of Jewry throughout its existence is an enigma—a people so small in number yet so central on the pages of world history. The benefits of the Jewish people to the masses…
The subject of Christ’s eternality deals with the fact that He has always existed as a person from eternity past, with no beginning and no end. The Scriptures give at least three lines of evidence…
In Psalm 105:3 it is written, “Glory ye in his holy name; let the heart of them rejoice who seek the Lᴏʀᴅ.” The trouble is, many people in Israel have nothing in which to glory.
All of the articles thus far in this series have examined the first major area of doctrine—Bibliology (the study of the Bible). This article begins an examination of another significant area—Christology (the study of Christ).
The conflict between good and evil is vividly described in Revelation 13 and 14. In chapter 13 the two beasts reap a harvest of souls through deception and persecution…
It is obvious from observing the international scene that most of the world is against the Chosen People of God, Israel. This nation occupies a very small piece of real estate…
The Bible teaches that God wants us to have joy and happiness, but if you take a good look around the little country of Israel you will discover that most of the people…