Love Not the World
1 John 2:12–17: In this section, John assured his readers of his confidence in their salvation (vv. 12–14); and he instructed them to guard against loving the world and becoming part of its…
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The Grace of God Part Eight
We saw that the word translated “testify” refers to “an emphatic affirmation that a thing is or will be so.” The word translated “gospel” means “good news.” A commission is “an authoritative order”…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2014
The New York Times has apologized for the picture it chose to go with an article it published in November about the brutal murder of 19-year-old Israel Defense Forces soldier…
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2014
Recently I was again called up for a term of military service. There were a number of fellows with me who knew me personally. Out of sheer boredom, one of them tried to start an argument with…
Inside View Nov/Dec 2013
Every time I visit Israel, I see the modern miracle of the Jewish people. No other nation has ever been exiled and returned to its homeland to become a nation again. First the Jewish people returned…
Eye on the Middle East Nov/Dec 2013
It was merely a handshake. But it was no ordinary handshake. It was one of a kind, seen by millions around the world. It was proclaimed as the event that sealed the deal that would alter the…
It Is About Religion
The day held a unique significance for Egyptian President Anwar Sadat as he sat in a reviewing stand accompanied by a host of political, military, and visiting international dignitaries. It was…
They Cry in Silence Nov/Dec 2013
U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) probably should have read Proverbs 17:28 before telling the world via Fox News in September that Muslims who shout “Allahu Akbar!” are no different from Christians…
Who Weeps for the Children?
It was a rather strange occurrence. The church was filled to capacity night after night to listen to Dr. J. Sidlow Baxter, one of the last great pulpit orators to have settled in the United States from…
The Biblical Bottom Line
I was watching a television talk show one evening that centered on a discussion between the host, a well-known skeptic, and a spokesman for the “evangelical” left. Political and social issues…
Shout, O Israel! God Loves You!
They are a minority. They always have been a minority. Moses, their first national leader, described them as “the least of all peoples” (Dt. 7:7); and that assessment remains true today…
Messiah
As we teach the Bible, we’re always surprised to learn how many people don’t realize that Jesus’ name is not “Jesus Christ.” The word Christ is English for the Greek word Christós.
If That Isn’t Love
It doesn’t take long for people to realize how much I love my little dog, Herbie. If I could, I’d take him with me everywhere. Herbie helped me understand how difficult it is for families to lose…
While We Were Still Sinners
I will never forget the day I visited the infamous Dandora Dump on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. The stench overwhelmed me as I witnessed young children scouring smoking mountains of toxic…
NFL Hall of Famer Raymond Berry Speaks of His Love for Jesus and Israel
In football lore, it is the Greatest Game Ever Played. On December 28, 1958, in front of 64,185 freezing spectators who filled Yankee Stadium in New York City and another 45 million television viewers…
The Greatest Gift of All
I still can’t believe I overslept on Christmas morning. I can’t believe any 8-year-old would oversleep on Christmas morning. I saw my father sitting near the Christmas tree, beaming with anticipation.
Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh
In 1857 Rev. John Henry Hopkins, Jr., popularized the wise men who brought their gifts to Jesus when he composed the well-known carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are” for a Christmas pageant…
We Beheld His Glory
At Christmas we celebrate what may be the single most remarkable and mysterious event in all of history—the incarnation of Jesus Christ. God sent his Son to be born of a virgin, that He…
The Love of God is Greater Far
In 1096 in the city of Worms, Germany, Rabbi Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai composed a lengthy poem, Hadamut, extolling God. Tragically, that same year the Crusaders came to the city and murdered…
How Much is ‘So’?
Psalm 103:11 is a marvel to meditate: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.” Many people have expounded on this verse to show…
The Test of Knowing God
1 John 2:3–11: It is easy for someone to say, “I know God”; but what does that really mean? First John 2:3–11 provides three tests or evidences of what it means to know God and be in…
The Grace of God Part Seven
In Acts 20:24 the apostle Paul referred to his purpose in life: “that I may finish my race with joy.” The Greek word translated finish means “to fulfill” or to carry out “a required course in…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2013
Recent excavations near the southern wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem have unearthed a literal treasure trove, again confirming an ancient Jewish presence in the city. Led by archaeologist…
Zvi Nov/Dec 2013
On Friday nights, when Shabbat begins, many people go into the Old City of Jerusalem to pray at the Kotel, the Western Wall. Some seem to spend most of their lives there because they believe God hears them better when they are close to where the Temple once stood.
Inside View Sep/Oct 2013
Israel’s enemies are at it again. The latest attack comes from the Church of Scotland in its document The inheritance of Abraham? A report on the ‘promised land,’ which refutes Israel’s…
Eye On the Middle East Sep/Oct 2013
Though lacking the pizazz of typical rags-to-riches stories, the saga of the thousands of Ethiopians who have immigrated to Israel is one worth telling. In many ways, their experience is…
Creating History
The craft has been around forever, but now lying has reached new heights. Even the most salacious prevaricators over past centuries did not take it on themselves to alter the history of…
FOI’s 75th Anniversary Celebration
Five hundred people from all walks of life gathered at The Mansion in Voorhees, New Jersey, on May 30 to help The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI) celebrate its 75th anniversary and give…
They Cry in Silence Sep/Oct 2013
It is well known that Christians are being viciously persecuted in countries with Muslim majorities. Now, however, Muslim violence is spreading to areas where Christians are the majority, such as…
No Surprises, Please
On October 6, 1973, 40 years ago, Israel was wrapped in prayer shawls, observing the holiest of Jewish religious observances, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Radio was silenced…
Watching Out for the Watchers
Earlier this year a former intelligence defense contractor named Edward Snowden made some stunning disclosures. His revelations pertained to federal government surveillance via two…
The Jewish Family Promise
The call of Abraham in Genesis 12 is one of the most significant events in the biblical record. Although there is no way to know when the patriarch was born, scholars place his birth around…
Land Rights of the Patriarchs
For centuries people have argued over who has the legitimate claim to the land known today as Israel. The Arab-Israeli conflict has raged for decades, with both sides claiming exclusive rights…
Land Rights of the Kings
For 332 years (1375–1043 B.C.), judges ruled over Israel. When the prophet Samuel, Israel’s final judge, was old, he appointed his sons to take his place. However, the Israelites rejected Samuel’s…
Home from Babylon
As the prophet Jeremiah had foretold, the Jewish people remained captives in Babylon for 70 years. When they returned home, they no longer were subjects of a Jewish king. With the demise…
From Rome to the Turks
For hundreds of years, the Roman Empire ruled much of the known ancient world. Most of that time, Jewish people remained in their land. Then two major events occurred that resulted in their…
Buying Back Their Land
Whether or not the Jewish people were faithful to God, their behavior never invalidated their rightful ownership of the land of Israel. Disobedience cost them possession of it from time to…
The British Mandate
World War I (1914–1918) changed the map of the old Ottoman Empire in the Middle East. The region was split into two great sections. The northern half went to France (the French Mandate)…
Rev. H. Leroy Gardner
Harold LeRoy Gardner, The Friends of Israel’s Midwest representative in the Department of Ministry Advancement, was called on May 29 to meet the Savior whom he had so passionately…
The Arab Riots of the 1920s
A prevailing sentiment around the world seems to be that if Israel had never gained its independence, the Arabs would be happy; and there would be peace. But Arab terrorism started…
The Hadassah Hospital Massacre
In November 1947, the UN General Assembly passed a plan to partition what was left of British Mandate Palestine and establish separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem an international…
The Continual Jewish Presence
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convinced the phrase “2,000 years of exile” is inaccurate. It is used to describe the almost 2,000-year dispersion of the Jewish people between…
The Division and Desecration of Jerusalem
On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly approved Resolution 181, a plan to partition what was left of British Palestine into two states: one Arab, one Jewish. Seventy-seven percent…
Jewish East Jerusalem
Is a ruin still a ruin when it is rebuilt? It is when the ruin is a synagogue located in the Old City in what today is called East Jerusalem. The Hurva (Hebrew, “ruin”) Synagogue was dedicated on…
Israel in the Book of Revelation
The struggle for the land of promise is merely the tip of a large iceberg. It is symptomatic of a far greater struggle between God and His enemy, Satan. The book of Revelation is apocalyptic…
God’s Provision for Sin
1 John 2:1–2: God is light (1 Jn. 1:5). Light defines and describes God’s true nature and symbolizes His purity, character, and glory. To have true fellowship with God, Christians must…
The Grace of God Part Six
Because of God’s grace, the church was able to grow. This article on the grace of God in the New Testament will observe how God, through grace, administered His eternal, moral absolutes over…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2013
Now even Palestinians are fighting a recent European Union (EU) decision to boycott all Israeli businesses in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. A senior Palestinian Authority (PA) official who…
Zvi Sep/Oct 2013
New neighbors have moved into our area in Jerusalem, and they think their duty is to fight against people who want to share their faith in Christ. It is not difficult for them to find…
How Hadassah Hospital Changed Healthcare
Who would have thought a women’s study group in New York City in 1912 would change the course of Jewish women and healthcare in Israel for all time. Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist…
Inside View Jul/Aug 2013
In March our Up to Jerusalem tour visited The Jerusalem Great Synagogue. It was a highlight of our trip to the only city in the world where God has chosen to place His name. Even Jesus…
Eye on the Middle East Jul/Aug 2013
Moral equivalence is a tricky device often used by people who want to remove the focus from an obvious wrong and put it somewhere else. Commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict…
Pretend Nazis
Proof of the collapse of common sense and sensitivity in today’s hedonistic culture has again reared its head, this time in the form of a bizarre writing assignment from an Albany…
Life From the Inside Out
As I sat in the pew at church a few Sundays ago, the speaker read a verse from 1 Samuel that struck me as the explanation for why we in America find ourselves in the condition…
They Cry in Silence Jul/Aug 2013
A mass exodus of Christians is currently under way. Millions of Christians are being displaced from one end of the Islamic world to the other. We are reliving the true history of…
Introduction to Jeremiah
The prophet Jeremiah ministered from 627 to about 585 B.C., more than 100 years after the trauma of Assyria’s destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. Yet the consequences…
God’s Everlasting Love Jeremiah 30—31
Parenting is not easy. Over the years we may excuse some infractions, but we must punish our children’s blatant disobedience. So it was in the days of the prophet Jeremiah. The Israelites…
Jeremiah and the New Covenant
Many people fail to realize the New Covenant is Jewish. It was given to the Jewish people through the prophet Jeremiah. Jesus ratified it with His blood on Passover, when He went to the…
The UN Arms Treaty and the U.S. Constitution
Times have changed. In ancient days, the poet Virgil began the Aeneid—his famous ode to national duty and military exploit—with the celebratory words, “I sing of arms.” In April, the UN…
Israel’s Great Assurances Jeremiah 32
The prophet Jeremiah served the Lord prior to and during the Babylonian Captivity, warning the Israelites to avoid idolatry or expect judgment. Chapters 32—33 follow the specific…
Israel’s Restoration Jeremiah 33
In Jeremiah 33, the Lord gave Jeremiah a message that all of Judah’s efforts to fight against Babylon will fail miserably (33:1–5); but God will work to bring the nation back to its…
Bulla Lessons From Jeremiah 36
It’s a fact. The deeper archaeologists dig, the more Jewish history they find. With so much physical evidence to support the Bible, it’s amazing so many people remain unresponsive toward…
Praise for Canada
Josh Reinstein, director of the Christian Allies Caucus of Israel’s Knesset, recently praised Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a “role model for world leaders.” He made the…
Shall Not Come to Mind Anymore
Jeremiah 3:16 and John 3:16: The Ark of the Covenant represented God’s presence and His footstool. It was where the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) ceremony was conducted in ancient…
Judah’s Fatal Decision Jeremiah 40—43
In 586 B.C. the Babylonians captured Judah, destroyed Jerusalem, and deported the Jewish people to Babylon. Only a remnant of poor Judeans were left in the land to…
The Consequences of Defying God Jeremiah44—46
We’ve all heard the expression “jumping from the frying pan into the fire.” The idiom creates a vivid word picture of attempting to escape a bad situation by throwing oneself…
Comfort and Promise
God’s messages of hope are often embedded in warnings of impending judgment. At the conclusion of Jeremiah’s message to the Jewish inhabitants of Egypt, He promised His Chosen People…
Why Two Kingdoms?
People frequently become confused between the northern and southern kingdoms. Although both were Jewish, only one was Davidic. Originally, all the tribes of Israel were united throughout…
Fellowship With God
1 John 1:5–10: Fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ is the message the apostle John proclaims throughout this epistle. For believers to have fellowship with God, they…
The Grace of God Part Five
The Bible provides evidence that, through Jesus, God established grace as the new way of administering His moral absolutes over humanity. The apostle John taught that God established…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2013
Communications mavens have been saying for years that Israel needs to get its message to the world via an Israeli-type Al Jazeera. Various business people have dipped their toes in the water…
Zvi Jul/Aug 2013
Many people here know I believe in Christ. So they come to me wanting to know why I changed my faith. I tell them I have not changed my faith. I am still a Jew, but I believe in God according to…
Inside View May/Jun 2013
I often hear people say, “I think the Rapture is close!” or “I believe we are living in the last days just before the end-times.” Many people have a profound feeling this world can’t…
Eye on the Middle East May/Jun 2013
How often have you seen a household appliance create an international commotion? Apparently, when an Israeli company manufactures it, people…
Ties That Bind
Have we forgotten, or pushed out of mind, a phrase often quoted and fondly embraced in other days? I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse…
FOI at 75—Looking Back to See the Future
The world has come full circle. Seventy-five years ago, Adolf Hitler was gearing up the greatest killing machine the world had ever known, implementing…
Milestones
Our mission at The Friends of Israel is focused. We are a worldwide Christian ministry communicating biblical truth about Israel and the Messiah, while…
Israel: Thriving at 65
Golda Meir, Israel’s fourth prime minister, once joked, “Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses. He took us forty years through…
They Cry in Silence May/Jun 2013
An angry mob of Muslims burned down almost 200 Christian homes in Pakistan in March, leaving nearly 400 Christian families homeless. International…
God’s Faithfulness to Israel
After the destruction of the second Jewish Temple in A.D. 70, a group of rabbis accompanied Rabbi Akiva up to Jerusalem. When they reached Mount…
Providing for the Common Defense
To provide for the common defense is an artful, 18th-century phrase that some have tried to modernize to mean to “defend our country from other…
Mechina Academies: Israel’s Gap-Year Phenomenon
It’s still dark in Upper Nazareth as Nadav Cohen, 19, delivers a pithy, inspirational talk to his comrades—choosing Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changin’…
Creative Lawyering
His dark eyes brimmed with sincerity and love for his people. Having grown up in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, the man who sat across from me in the…
Discovering Our Biblical Roots in Modern Israel
Israel is a thoroughly modern country with major cities, modern highways, and mass transit. But have the picturesque sites and ancient customs from…
Staying Afloat Against the Flow
With 10 suitcases and three small daughters in tow, Robby and Tzippi Lasman began their journey from Israel to the United States in hopes of finding a…
From Israel to You
Thank you so much for organizing this sales event,” a grateful Israeli vendor told Paula. “You helped me pay my rent this month.” Paula Joffe, a member…
How to Listen to a Sermon
Take off your shoes, please,” my Asian friend warned. I was preparing to step onto the stage to preach to persecuted Christians in a restricted country.
The Seven Keys to History Conclusion
A correct perspective on world history provides a proper framework for living and prevents us from being easily deceived or led astray. One day, life as…
Christ’s Incarnation
1 John 1:1–4: Before the apostle John wrote 1 John, he had already lived through the inception, expansion, and persecution of the first-century church…
The Grace of God Part Four
The New Testament, as well as the Old Testament, speaks of God’s grace. In fact, God administers His moral absolutes through grace. The New Testament…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2013
Jewish groups held a mock Passover sacrifice in March opposite the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The ritual slaughter, they said, was practice in advance…
Zvi May/Jun 2013
This week I was preparing to visit an ultra-Orthodox synagogue when my wife, Naomi, said to me, “Zvi, you know I have much trouble with my feet. Please…
Inside View Mar/Apr 2013
The super-sized, thousand-mile-wide Hurricane Sandy set its sights directly at us here in southern New Jersey. I witnessed God’s incredible…
Eye on the Middle East Mar/Apr 2013
In November 2012 the Czech Republic voted against a UN resolution to make “Palestine” a non-Member Observer State. It was the sole European…
The Romans Are Back
Travelers standing atop the fortress Masada in the Judean wilderness and looking a dizzying 1,000 feet down to the desert floor become instantly…
The Changing Face of America
Drive through almost any town in America on a Sunday morning and you’ll see church parking lots filled with cars. Yet a cultural revolution is taking…
They Cry in Silence Mar/Apr 2013
Christians are targeted for persecution more than any other religious group in the world. And if something isn’t done soon to stem the situation in the…
How it All Began
Of all the Passovers that have ever been celebrated, only one was the actual Passover. It took place more than 34 centuries ago when the God of…
The Four Cups
As we sat around the Passover table, my host took us back in time to the days when his grandfather conducted wonderful seders that would last for…
Setting the Seder Table for a Large Group
If you’re conducting a Passover seder demonstration for a large group, it’s efficient to set the tables as pictured above. Although this isn’t how an authentic…