Augustine’s Amillennialism remained the dominant view of organized Christendom until the seventeenth century. During that century a major change in western thought took place. This change developed into an intellectual revolution.
We read many times in the Bible that the people of Israel are God’s chosen people, His peculiar treasure. The people of Israel consider this to be a great honor, but most forget that there are some conditions involved…
Millennium, like aluminum, has a nice resonant ring to it. Say it aloud and hear the reverberation MILLENNIUM.
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is that which their father spoke unto them, and blessed them; every one, according to his blessing, he blessed them. Genesis 49:28
The tenth chapter of the Gospel of John is one of the most beloved and popular chapters in the Bible. It is special to God’s people because it presents the Lord Jesus Christ as the Shepherd of His flock…
With the exception of organized crime, robbery is the most prevalent and costly crime in America. Many are surprised to find that shoplifting and employee theft rank together as the number one type of robbery.
The biography of a man’s life can be written chronologically, by subject or by events that trace the course of that life. We can study his background, upbringing, marriage, family and even his death.
As the golden glow of the morning light streaked through the eastern sky, the priests, clothed in white linen, pressed the silver trumpets to their lips and delivered the familiar threefold blast.
Premillennialism is strongly based upon the literal, historical-grammatical interpretation of those Old Testament passages which the prophets wrote concerning the future Kingdom of God…
There is a saying here in Israel, “What the eye does not see the heart does not grieve for.” But I do see, and therefore I grieve and cannot be silent.
Few would deny the truth of this beloved hymn. We need God’s mercy drops falling around us, but we need the outpouring of His showers of blessing perhaps even more. But what is God’s blessing?
How swiftly the years pass! For a person over fifty, it seems only a short time since graduation from high school or college. Twenty-five or thirty years of a good marriage pass by swiftly…
When Judah returned to her land, she expected to experience prosperity and glory as in the days of Solomon. But such was not the case! In fact, the opposite was true. Their wicked enemies lived in prosperity while Judah suffered privation.
A proper understanding of the words of Scripture is essential to a proper understanding of the message of Scripture. Misunderstanding, or lack of understanding, robs many Christians of a true appreciation of their riches in Christ.
Jacob’s series of deathbed blessings on his twelve sons in Genesis 49 were also prophecies of what would characterize the tribes that came from each son. All of these prophecies have been fulfilled…
The previous article began to examine the history of the different Millennial views which have been held by the organized Church during its time in the world. That article noted that numerous historians declare that Premillennialism…
Recently I had to pay a visit to the local medical clinic, and, as I am sure is the case ail over the world, I had to wait a very long time before I could see a doctor and receive treatment.
Some crucially important questions are being directed at you. They have to do with faith. Do you want to please God? The Bible says, “. . . without faith it is impossible to please him [God] . . .” (Heb. 11:6).
Children are a blessing from the Lord. A happy home with little ones filling it is a delight that is beyond description. Many childless couples would give all of their resources to have youngsters of their own.
The United States has the highest divorce rate in the world at almost fifty percent. Many more who are emotionally divorced from each other would like to terminate their marriages, but they stay together because…
In December, 1984, astounding news leaked to the World Press. For over a year the Israeli government had been secretly flying over ten thousand Ethiopian Jews out of their refugee camps in the Sudan…
During the history of the Church three major views have been held concerning the future Kingdom of God foretold in such passages as Daniel 2 and 7. Today those three views are called Premillennialism, Amillennialism and Postmillennialism.
“Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?” (Ex. 15:11). Not many people know this truth; therefore they live their lives hoping that better times will come. They live in fear of the situations that surround them.
“The crowd came nearer and nearer. The eleven young men, concerned for my safety, formed a ring around me. If anyone was going to get hurt, they determined it would be them first.
Another significant biblical covenant which will determine important issues related to Israel and the future Kingdom of God is the New Covenant. According to the Old Testament the parties of this covenant would be God and the nation of Israel.
What was the highest office in Israel? The king? Not so! The highest office was to serve as a priest, for the priest was a mediator between God and man, the highest calling in life.
My dad obtained a position in a shoe store, but the working conditions there were uncomfortable, and this resulted in his becoming dissatisfied with life. One day a Jewish lady walked into the store and requested to see my father.
Marriage is ordained by God. He planned it, blessed it and millions of people have enjoyed the courtship, companionship and love of their mates down through the centuries. From marriage often comes the privilege and blessing of children…
When the bedridden old Jacob was pronouncing a prophetic blessing on each of his sons by Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah, he must have looked forward with anticipation to what God had in store for his two youngest sons.
The planet Earth is replete with “pedigree” organizations. Membership within them is often predicated upon political, educational, social, economic or philosophical qualifications.
I was recently asked to visit an elderly man whose son is my friend. When I arrived at his home, I could immediately tell that he was very sick and that I had arrived in the last hours of his life.
It is never easy to swim upstream – to buck the tides and resist the currents. But, by the very nature of the case, true Christianity calls for an upstream lifestyle.
Almost everyone has a home town. For many of us, it is the city of our birth. For others, it is the place where much of their lives has been spent.
In the previous article it was noted that, although the Old Testament promised the New Covenant specifically to the literal nation of Israel, the Church also has a relationship to the New Covenant…
What child has not heard the stern voice of his father, “Son, you must be disciplined for what you did!” The word discipline struck fear in the son’s heart as big tears poured from his eyes, for he knew the punishment that awaited.
Occasionally the Authorized Version employs a word which current in English usage. This is due to the fact that it was produced in 1611, and the language has undergone changes in over three and a half centuries.
It seems that there is always something new coming upon the scene, and in Israel our something new is a new holy one. He is a rabbi whose father, a very famous rabbi himself died about a year ago.
One of the most popular Christian songs of recent years is entitled “El Shaddai.” El Shaddai is one of the compound names for God. It occurs seven times in the Bible.
The aged Jacob followed the prophecy on his son Dan (Gen. 49:16-18) with three brief but significant words about the other three sons of Bilhah and Zilpah -Gad (49:19), Asher (49:20) and Naphtali (49:21).
A person with a true friend is most fortunate. He has one with whom he can share his innermost thoughts – one with whom he can rejoice – one with whom he can weep when deep trials and testings come.
When I became a believer in Christ, I expected that those closest to me would also accept Him. Once they have the truth about Jesus, I reasoned, they will immediately open their hearts to Him.
Malachi was the last Old Testament book to be penned, about one hundred years after Cyrus decreed that Judah could return to their land (538 B.C.). During this time the Jewish faith was reformed under Ezra and Nehemiah…
In the previous article it was noted that Amillennial and Pre millennial Bible scholars disagree concerning when and how God’s promises regarding David in the Davidic Covenant are to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
As we all know, we are living in very interesting times, and here in Israel people are beginning to be interested in things which before they never thought about. The Jewish people have always followed after the faith of their fathers.
El Elyon is one of the truly exquisite names for God found in the Bible. Each of the divine names is given to reveal to man some quality or characteristic of God that cannot be found…
“Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord” (Gen. 49:16-18).
After David had become firmly established as king over the entire nation of Israel (2 Sam. 7:1), he expressed the desire to build a permanent house of worship for God in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 7:2-3).
Memory is a wonderful gift from God, but it can be a burden or a blessing. A burden it was when Habakkuk recalled the injustice taking place in Judah and God’s seeming complacency to judge it.
The nation of Israel and her people the Jews are an enigma to this world. The preservation of the people of Israel is a contradiction of all historical trends. The uniqueness of this people is captured in an essay Mark Twain authored in 1899.
Monotony can often become a way of life. So often the same things are repeated over and over again. The woman faces that seemingly endless pile of dishes to clear, another meal to prepare…
There are all kinds of people in the world. Some are happy – very happy – and some are very unhappy. And even some people who were happy a long time ago are now confused and don’t know what to do.
Adonai is the third of the three primary names for God. It is the least used of the primary names, occurring about three hundred and fifteen times. But its significance and application to man cannot be overstated.
The aged patriarch, Jacob, continued his series of prophetic blessings on his twelve sons with brief but significant statements about Zebulun, Leah’s sixthborn, and Issachar, her fifthborn.
Several years ago the Shah of Iran went into exile trying to save his life from his foes. Hunted down, he moved from Iran to Europe, to the United States, to Mexico and finally to Egypt.
While going through a trying circumstance one will often hear, “Just pray about it, for you know prayer changes things!” One is left with the impression that God will alter the circumstances for good when prayer is offered in faith.
Earlier it was noted that a number of the biblical covenants determine the final outcome of several important issues related to Israel and the future Kingdom of God. One of those covenants, the Abrahamic, has been examined already.
Everyday I thank the Lord that I can go on the streets with a smile on my face rather than thinking, as so many people are doing, how I can take revenge on the people who made trouble for me so long ago.
Let me say it up front – unadorned – without apology and accurately. Man, without God, is hopelessly lost. He is like a blind man, in a dark room, looking for a black cat that isn’t there.
David! The very mention of his name will captivate the mind of any Jewish person. This shepherd-king is the hero of Israel. Every Jewish mother would love to have a son like him.
History is punctuated by nations who spread themselves like a green bay tree, and with imperial precision subjugate the world under their feet.
Jehovah is the second of the three primary names for God. It is the most prevalent name for God in the Bible, occurring more than seven thousand times. And as with all of God’s names…
If a poll were taken as to which of Jacob’s twelve sons is the most famous, certainly either Joseph or Judah would be the favored one. Although more space is given to the personal history of Joseph…
The previous article examined the biblical evidence for the unconditional nature of the Abrahamic Covenant. The present article will consider the effect of that covenant, particularly upon the nation of Israel.
There is a very big competition raging in Israel at this time. It is not a competition in the business world, but something which has never been seen before in this nation – a competition to see who can bring more people to repentance.
William Shakespeare immortalized the question, “What’s in a name?” Let’s attempt an answer. The Apocrypha states, “A name endures while beauty wanes.” A famous rabbi wrote, “No monument gives such glory as an unsullied name.”
“Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can, seldom found in a woman and never in a man,” wrote a perceptive person. There are those who would disagree, especially that women are somewhat patient and men never are.
What folly, that men should think that they could entomb and hold fast the Son of God! Repeatedly during the Lord’s public ministry, the Jewish leadership kept demanding that He give them a sign (Mt. 12:38; 16:1; Lk. 11:29).
Three simple words: “He is risen.” And with that reality, light dispelled darkness – righteousness bested sin – truth destroyed error – life conquered death – and God defeated Satan. The consummation of that statement is still future – but immutably certain.
Following the crucifixion of the Son of God, Joseph of Arimathaea went before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to beg for the body of Jesus. Who would have thought it?
True faith is not belief without evidence – but trust without reservation. It is neither blind nor unreasoning. Faith – the biblical kind – rests upon the revealed Word of God. Abraham is repeatedly set forth as a man of faith…
The previous article indicated that the most crucial issue related to the Abrahamic Covenant is this: the nature of that covenant. Is the covenant conditional or unconditional in nature?
The twelve sons of the aged patriarch had arrayed themselves about his deathbed, most probably in the order of their births. Jacob had issued to Reuben his portion, i.e., because of Reuben’s sin he would forfeit the double blessing of the firstborn (Gen. 49:34).
There are many countries in the world, some big and some small, but there is only one country on earth where you can see signs all over, written in big letters, “WELCOME TO THE HOLY LAND.”
Occasionally a package leaves the shipping department of The Friends of Israel carrying this printed message: One of two. It is the Mission’s way of saying, You have not received everything yet — another package is still to come.
“Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel, your father” (Gen. 49:2). The twelve sons dutifully assembled. They arranged themselves in a semicircle around their aged father as he sat on the edge of his deathbed.
Perplexed had to be the feeling of Habakkuk when God answered his cry for justice in Judah. Most likely he sat in stunned silence contemplating the unexpected revelation from God.
God has chosen to base His relationship with the nation of Israel on covenants. There are basically four unconditional covenants that He made with His people. The first is the Abrahamic Covenant, which promised them a land…
It is not hyperbole to say that every spiritual blessing which the child of God possesses can trace its origin back to the Abrahamic Covenant.
Many times I ask myself why I must move so often in my work. It is certainly not by my own choice, but it has been happening for years. One advantage to this constant changing of jobs…
The women of Israel came out to welcome their returning, victorious army. They cried, “… Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Sam. 18:7).
God, where is justice? Why are You insensitive, indifferent, and inactive to the cry of the righteous? How long will You remain silent? cried Habakkuk, as he sat overwhelmed by the social and moral corruption flooding the land.
The old man gathered his strength and sat up on the bed with his feet on the floor. He sensed that the end was near. Looking back over a life that had its ups and downs…
There were three primary, divinely instituted offices in the Old Testament: the prophet was God’s spokesman to the children of Israel; the priest was the people’s representative before a holy God who was a consuming fire…
The two previous articles examined the first six dispensations which are recognized by the majority of Dispensational Theologians. This article will review the seventh dispensation and will consider several significant factors related to Dispensational Theology.
How I thank the Lord that I can walk down the street with my head held high and not downcast, as is the case with so many people here in Israel.
Few verses of Scripture have more captivated the mind, encouraged the heart and kept the child of God pressing on in the midst of adversity than the familiar thirty-first verse of Isaiah forty.
The fourth dispensation extended from God’s call of Abraham to the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai. The Scripture portion which covers this dispensation is Genesis 12 – Exodus 18.
Habakkuk’s name comes from the Hebrew word “Habkaku” which means to embrace. Ancient rabbinical legends were developed around Habakkuk’s name. Some believe him to be the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Ki. 4:16)…
“. . . how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! . . .” Hab. 1:2
Sick society is a phrase often heard to describe the moral degeneracy seen in American culture. Analyses warn that the tidal wave of moral changes sweeping this country could mean the demise of its social order.
The city was Jerusalem. The date was somewhere around 67 A.D. The situation was this: A group of Jewish people had been confronted with the messiahship of Jesus. They had listened to the scriptural claims concerning His person.
Here in Israel we are facing new general elections, and it is almost like war. There is no consideration being shown. Instead, it is a wild competition. The people seem to be looking for a new king…
To promise is one thing. To do what is promised is quite another thing. It would be wonderful if men could plan great things and accomplish them. But for most men, their word of promise exceeds their reality of accomplishment.
Towering some fifty-eight feet high is the beige limestone Wailing Wall. Standing at the wall is the stooped, five foot figure of an Orthodox Jew. Daily he comes to pray: head covered, shoulders draped in a tallith…
The majority of Dispensational Theologians are convinced that the Scriptures reveal seven dispensations of God’s rule which cover the scope of history. Inasmuch as foundational matters related to Dispensational Theology were considered in the previous article…
The Prophet Zechariah had been sent to the Jewish people who had returned from the Babylonian captivity. They had experienced few blessings and had known no victory for a long time.
Here in this land, from which the Word of the Lord first came forth, it is especially important to preach the gospel of the Lord to those who are so deaf. They are not physically deaf…
Whenever a citizenry groans under the burden of an incompetent political leader, they always can take hope that someday there will be a change. In a democracy, that change can come at election time.
Reading chapters nine through eleven of the Book of Zechariah, one would begin to wonder. The Lord promised His King for Israel, who, when He came, she rejected. He provided for her a Shepherd, but she would not follow Him.
A number of months ago an estimated 100 million Americans watched ABCs special, “The Day After.” The nation saw Lawrence, Kansas atomized before their eyes. Young and old were impacted by the television special…