From the Editor Jul/Aug 2025
Israel My Glory Sneak Peek with Jesse King, our managing editor, is a video series that gives a glimpse into our latest issue.Ebenezer Scrooge hated Christmas. The protagonist of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol eschewed Yuletide cheer to maximize his profits by oppressing his meek employee, Bob Cratchit. But after supernatural encounters with the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, old Scrooge realized the error of his ways and filled his heart with lovingkindness.
The life of Saul of Tarsus followed a Scrooge-like trajectory. While Scrooge hated Christmas, Saul the Pharisee hated Christians and “made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison” (Acts 8:3). Likewise, it took a supernatural encounter with Jesus of Nazareth to change his life and transform him into a new man who shared his Savior’s love with Jewish people and Gentiles alike.
Under his Roman name, Paul, he preached the Good News of Jesus’ death and resurrection from Jerusalem to Rome. He established many significant churches and taught them God’s Word, ultimately penning at least 13 of the New Testament’s 27 books.
Sadly, many Jewish people consider him a traitor, believing his message of Jesus’ love constitutes a desertion of their faith. They don’t understand that Paul could not have chosen a more Jewish pursuit than placing his faith in the Messiah of Israel and spreading this gospel near and far.
Lest we forget, to Paul’s Jewish countrymen—such as Moses, the prophets, and the apostles—“were committed the oracles of God” (Rom. 3:2), including the Messianic prophecies that Jesus fulfilled (Isa. 53). And by promising the land of Canaan to Jacob’s descendants, God placed Israel at the center of the known world, connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe and drawing people from all nations to Jewish people like Paul, who could teach them about the Most High God.
In this way, Paul fulfilled God’s purpose for His Chosen People. Rather than resting on his earthly privileges (Phil. 3:4–6), the apostle proclaimed Jesus’ name both in synagogues and among Gentiles, suffering everything from stoning to shipwreck. But no trial slowed his zeal for the Lord’s work. As he wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rom. 1:16).
As you study Paul’s life and mission in this issue of Israel My Glory, I pray God will fill your heart with the same love the apostle had for Israel’s Messiah and empower you to share it with others.
In His service,
Jesse King
Managing Editor
