Jewish World Update Jul/Aug 2023
The war in Ukraine helped to resolve a bitter diplomatic crisis between Israel and Poland over the Holocaust…
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Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2023
The ultra-Orthodox often find new ways to attract new followers. Recently, they hosted a big, public meeting with a well-known rabbi. Like many rabbis, he felt he could convince…
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…
Who Rules the Roost?
The Israeli government’s proposal to reform its judiciary drew wide-ranging international criticism earlier this year. In an article titled “Israel unveils…
UN Seeks to Brand Israel as Occupier
The United Nations General Assembly recently asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to provide a…
The Friends of Israel in Action May/Jun 2023
We often hear the same questions asked at our Friends of Israel (FOI) prophecy conferences…
Tolerance for Some: Antisemitism in the Age of Social Justice
Victims of injustice have long found hope in the story of the Israelites…
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…
Q: Does God Really Know Me?
The answer to the title’s question is an unequivocal yes! God is omniscient and knows everything about your life…
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…
Gordon’s Calvary
There is a distinctive, rocky outcropping north of Jerusalem that, in 1842, Otto Thenius, a German preacher, proposed to be the actual place of Christ’s crucifixion…
The Garden Tomb
Nothing compares to taking communion while sitting on the benches in the picturesque setting of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. Considered by many…
The Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is the best place to stand in Israel to get a bird’s-eye view of Bible prophecy. Perched “on the mountain, which is on the east side of the…
Bethlehem
A short bus ride from Jerusalem lies the city of Bethlehem. It is located a mere six miles south of Israel’s capital in what traditionally was Judea and today is called…
Valley of Elah
One of the most famous upsets of all time took place in the Valley of Elah: The Israelite shepherd boy David slew the Philistine warrior giant, Goliath…
Joppa
On the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, in an ancient section of what is now Tel Aviv, lies one of the oldest cities in the world: Joppa (also called Jaffa and Yafo)…
Caesarea Maritime
When I lead our Up to Jerusalem tours to Israel, I enjoy seeing the excitement of those who have never seen the Holy Land. On our first full day of touring…
Mount Carmel
My college professor once invited a missionary to speak in our class on the history of the Christian faith. She had spent many months providing…
Megiddo
In 2002, the CBS television news show 60 Minutes ran a segment on what it proposed motivated evangelical support for Israel. The broadcast claimed we believe that…
Gideon’s Spring
Scripture teaches time and time again that bad choices lead to bad outcomes. Man’s disregard for God and His Word leads to destruction…
Caesarea Philippi
The crystal water rippling through the springs of the Banias Nature Reserve creates an idyllic background for visitors walking through Caesarea Philippi…
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee is Israel’s largest freshwater lake and the lowest freshwater lake on Earth, lying 700 feet below sea level. It measures slightly more than…
Masada
Spectacular. Mighty. Imposing. Remarkable. All these words aptly describe this desert plateau that rises more than 1,400 feet above the shores of…
En Gedi
The landscape surrounding the Dead Sea looks like something from another world. Barren mountains of rock, crystalized salt formations, and sinkholes…
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…
The Witness of Joshua’s Altar
Joshua built an altar to the Lord on Mount Ebal as a place of worship and witness (Josh. 8:30–31). He constructed…
To Live is Christ
An old martyr once told his executioners, “You take a life from me that I cannot keep and bestow a life upon me that I cannot lose…”
Looking for Faith in All the Wrong Faces
If you were to ask me if I believe in the prosperity gospel, I would answer unequivocally, “No, of course not!”…
Jewish World Update May/Jun 2023
The concepts of “Palestinians” and “Palestine” are political tools used to subvert, demonize, and destroy the Jews’…
Apples of Gold May/Jun 2023
We live very close to our Arab neighbors, so we see each other almost every day. A few months ago I had a long conversation with some of them…
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…
Inside View Mar/Apr 2023
At our farewell dinner for our Up to Jerusalem tour to Israel in October, I was touched by the comments of our Israeli guide. We honored him for skillfully leading…
Growing a Global Love for Israel
Last December the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) invited me to the sixth annual Christian Media Summit…
Iranian Drones in Ukraine: Warm-up for Israel?
Russia’s use of Iranian-made, unmanned drones in its war against Ukraine is…
The Friends of Israel in Action Mar/Apr 2023
Halina Ostik, who fought in the Polish Resistance during World War II, smuggled Bibles into the country under the…
Anti-Zionism: The Modern Antisemitism
“There’s going to be an anti-Israel protest downtown,” my friend said. “I think we need to do something.” The next day, we…
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…
Behind the Book
Reading the book of Esther is like reading a novel filled with suspense. Chock-full of intrigue, heroism, pathos, and deception, it holds your attention from beginning to end…
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)…
Q: What Is God’s Providence?
Providence is God’s active care, control, and governance over everything in His created universe by His…
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…
Let’s Nosh Some Hamantaschen!
A humorous quip describes most of Jewish history: “They tried to kill us. They failed. Let’s eat…”
Archaeology and Jericho (Conclusion)
Previously, we looked at two of four issues (the ban and morality) that clarify God’s controversial actions in the…
Rejoicing in Christ
If anyone had a reason to ask, “Why me?” it was the apostle Paul. No one who followed Christ suffered more for the gospel than he did…
How Do You Spell “Love”?
The “Joy” ship—what a misnomer! I thought. I had reluctantly returned to my unfittingly named Norwegian cruise ship…
Don’t Get Too Comfortable!
If we knew years ago what the world would look like today, we probably wouldn’t have signed up for what we face now…
Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2023
It is written in Jeremiah 6:14, “‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace.” It is also written, “I will give you assured peace in this place” (14:13)…
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…
Inside View Jan/Feb 2023
A few years ago, a friend sent me a page from the December 27, 1937, issue of Life magazine. In it was an article titled “Christmas in Naziland…
Social Media’s Antisemitic Underbelly
Twitter and Instagram recently locked rapper Kanye West out of his accounts after he posted, “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but…
The Israel–Lebanon Maritime Agreement
Israel and Lebanon, two long-time adversaries that are technically at war, recently reached an agreement on…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jan/Feb 2023
We enter 2023 thanking God that more than 90 people have graduated from our Friends of Israel (FOI) Bridges program…
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…
God is Omniscient
Omniscience means having complete and unlimited knowledge and understanding of all things. No one fits this description but God…
The Infamous Pogroms
In AD 38 in Alexandria, Egypt, the Roman prefect (governor) Flaccus encouraged an Egyptian mob to attack the city’s large Jewish community…
Israel’s Beautiful Tomorrow
This world is not a pleasant place. Between global pandemics, social unrest, sky-rocketing costs, and rampant…
Pale of Settlement: Czarist Russia’s Giant Ghetto
Here’s a phenomenon worth investigating: How did God preserve the Jewish people…
M for Murder
One of the earliest non-Jewish references to Israel is the Merneptah Stele, an inscription by the pharaoh Merneptah who reigned from 1213 to 1203 BC…
Facing Replacement Theology
Have the blessings God promised to the Chosen People of Israel been redirected to all believers in the church? Will the…
Archaeology and Jericho (Part 3)
God commanded Joshua to destroy the Canaanites and conquer Jericho. This account has sparked ethical debates…
Paul’s Joy
Several years ago, we received a Thanksgiving Day card titled “Blessed and Grateful.” The sender wrote, “We hope your celebration of God’s blessings is…
Aidan’s Crucible
I barely recognized him. My grandson was no longer the 19-year-old kid I knew. He had lost weight and was lean, angular, and fit and carried himself with confidence…
Jewish World Update Jan/Feb 2023
It is almost impossible to grasp the danger of Israel’s present moment. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) agreement with…
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2023
The ultra-Orthodox are always looking for 10 men to form a minyan, a quorum necessary for synagogue prayer. So I wait outside the synagogue, watching them call 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…
Inside View Nov/Dec 2022
Many believers today see no value in studying prophecy, particularly end-times prophecy. They say it serves no purpose and is difficult to understand…
PC(USA): At Odds With God’s Word
My responsibilities at The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI) have changed over the years, but one of the tasks I enjoy most is…
Radical PIJ Is Moving In
Recent clashes between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have underscored Iran’s…
Christian Persecution Nov/Dec 2022
A 28-year-old Christian in eastern Uganda has died from head injuries sustained in an attack by Muslim extremists in July…
The Friends of Israel in Action Nov/Dec 2022
Last spring, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) telephoned Tim Munger, a Church Ministries representative…
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…
Keeping His Promises
Jesus’ Second Coming will bring to completion scores of prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures, as well as many predictions and promises Jesus made…
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…
No Other Name
How can people hate someone who died for them? After all, the whole world celebrates heroes, people who selflessly “pay the ultimate price” for a noble cause…
The Moses Test
Remember Y2K, the colossal, highly anticipated computer catastrophe that was supposed to paralyze the universe the moment we…
The Hope for All Time
On December 25, much of the world will pause to celebrate Christmas. And though it is a well-documented fact that Jesus was not born on that date…
Q: What is the Judgment Seat of Christ?
In biblical times, a judgment seat (called the bema) was a raised platform erected at…
Archaeology and Jericho (Part 2)
One of the best-known accounts from Scripture is the miracle of the walls that came tumbling down…
Introduction to Philippians
Christian leaders often create ministry strategies, only to discover God’s will is different…
Just a Closer Walk With Thee
Did you know people can be disciples of just about anything? Sports teams, fitness programs, and celebrities all have…
Jewish World Update Nov/Dec 2022
Ben & Jerry’s, the Vermont-based ice cream company that started in an old gas station in 1978 and grew into a behemoth…
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2022
Through God’s miracles, the Jewish people have survived; and now we live in the Promised Land. At this time of year, we enjoy celebrating Hanukkah…
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…
Inside View Sep/Oct 2022
“The Holocaust is not about the murder of 6,000,000 Jewish people, it’s about the murder of one Jewish person times 6,000,000!”…
Something is Wrong
Pro-choice activists are fuming over the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared abortion is not a constitutional right, overturning its…
Israel, EU Sign Gas Deal
The European Union (EU) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel that eventually could see…
Christian Persecution Sep/Oct 2022
In June, Islamic terrorists again stormed a church in Nigeria, massacring more than 50 Christians who were peacefully…