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…
Israel My Glory
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
How to Make Charoset
Charoset (also spelled haroset) is a mixture of apples, nuts, honey, and a little cinnamon. It is one of the elements on the seder plate, symbolizing the…
The Seder Plate
These are the elements that belong on the seder plate: Betzah (egg). The egg speaks of winter yielding to spring and life reemerging from seeming…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2013
A New York Times columnist has come under fire after retweeting a message calling the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the National Rifle Association (NRA)…
Going It Alone
A prominent Virginia physician went into a deep coma awhile back as a result of a life-threatening bout with meningitis. In 2012 his book about the experience was…
They Cry in Silence Jan/Feb 2013
When Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was finally released from prison in Iran in September 2012 after an ordeal of many years, people around the world rejoiced. They did…
Where to Find Good Information Online
With so much material floating in cyberspace, it’s sometimes difficult to know which websites are dependable and which are not. Here are some sites that provide solid…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2013
Many people in the world do not realize Israel supplies its enemies in the Gaza Strip with electricity. Not long into the Israeli government’s Operation Pillar of Defense…
Selling the Big Lie
Explaining why she left her job, a reporter for a major organization in Washington, DC, said recently, “I feel like I am, as a reporter in the Capitol, lied to every…
They Cry in Silence Nov/Dec 2012
Violent attacks on Nigerian Christians continue to increase at an alarming rate, and they seem to be the work of the notorious, radical Islamist group Boko Haram, which has vowed…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2012
Moishe Oofnik, Israel’s version of Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch, is on the cover of a new 15-page pamphlet telling Israelis how to prepare for war. The leaflet, part of a public-awareness…
Christians and the Right to Vote
Many Christians are loath to participate in the political process. Some write it off, espousing the notion that voting is a fruitless waste of time. Others say it’s all in the Lord’s…
The Sound of the Shofar
When Jewish people hear the shofar, they know it’s a call to their people. In ancient days, it called them to prayer, safety, or war or to hear God’s Word. In June…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2012
A new computer virus with Persian words in its programming code has infected sensitive computers across the Middle East, including Israel, and gathered information on critical national infrastructure, an Israeli security…
A Declaration of Peace
History has a nasty way of repeating itself. And it’s happened again. Those of us who remember 1938 recall Britain’s then-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain triumphantly waving a paper while disembarking…
They Cry in Silence Jul/Aug 2012
Eleven Christians in India barely escaped death recently after Muslims barged into a home where they were praying and tried to kill them. The mob grew larger and larger until…
25 Years of Changing Lives
Joyful reunions, laughter, and sweet fellowship flowed at the recent 25th anniversary celebration of The Friends of Israel’s Institute of Jewish Studies (IJS). Alumni, faculty, staff, and friends gathered at Friends…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2012
Many Arab graduates from Hebrew University in Israel refused to sing Israel’s national anthem at recent graduation ceremonies. “This is not a single event,” said someone who attended, “but a symptom…
Jim Showers Assumes Position of Executive Director
Dr. James A. Showers took the reins this month as president and executive director of The Friends of Israel (FOI), becoming only the fifth man to do so in the 74-year history…
Christian Zionism—The Real Story
The heat is up on the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian dilemma. The current offensive touts a single state that eliminates Israel in favor of a Palestinian fiefdom…
An Incentive to Pray Fervently for Israel
Naftali Bennett, chief of staff to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2006 to 2008, said Israelis are “more concerned now than ever about Iran’s race to acquire a nuclear bomb.” To plead…
They Cry in Silence May/Jun 2012
Two suicide bombers from the Boko Haram Islamist sect drove a car laden with bombs into the worship service of a Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) congregation recently, killing…
Amazing Archaeological Discoveries Affirm Jewish Claim to Land
A 2,000-year-old, second-Temple-era clay seal the size of a coin and a 1,500-year-old stamp, discovered within weeks of each other, have thrilled the Israeli archaeological world and further prove Israel’s historical…
Reich Explains the Clay Seal
Professor Ronny Reich of Haifa University, who oversaw excavation of a 2,000-year-old clay seal, spoke to the press, giving more details about the amazing discovery in Israel…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2012
Legal activists gave Delta Airlines a recent lesson in geography—and law—after its frequent-flyer program website referred to Ben Gurion airport in Lod outside Tel Aviv as “Occupied Palestinian Territory…
Some Good News for A Change
There’s Good News Tonight.” That was the lead each evening on Gabriel Heatter’s national news broadcast during World War II. Known for exuding a “dignified optimism,” Heatter brought to the…
They Cry in Silence Mar/Apr 2012
When this column first appeared in our May/June 2001 issue, it was intended to inform our readers about persecution of the brethren in faraway places. Living in the West tends…
Bill Sutter to Retire
After 25 years of faithful service to The Friends of Israel, Rev. William E. Sutter will retire May 1 as president and executive director. Bill’s retirement was announced recently by The Friends…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2012
A cyber war between Israel and its enemies is heating up, with both sides hacking into each other’s websites. Hackers recently brought down the El Al and Tel Aviv Stock…
In God We Trust—or Not
For people who doubt there is a war against God and Christianity in America, here is something to disabuse them of that notion. Last year, U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson…
Esther Fragment Survives Holocaust
In October 1940, the Nazis established the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland, where they forced all Jewish people in Warsaw and surrounding towns to live. They crammed an estimated 400,000 Jews…
They Cry in Silence Jan/Feb 2012
Imagine your 12-year-old daughter or granddaughter is on her way home from school. Several men jump out of a van and abduct her. Then they beat and rape her every day for months…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2012
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood held a “kill the Jews” rally in Cairo in November. Thousands attended, promising to “one day kill all the Jews” and wage war against Jerusalem’s “Judaization.” The rally…
Chasing Arafat’s Dream
During the fiasco over the Palestinian Authority’s all-out push at the UN in September for a unilaterally forged Palestinian state, the implausible morphed into the incomprehensible. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon eloquently illustrated…
NRB: Google, iTunes, Facebook All Censor Christian Views
If you think you can place overtly Christian content on the ubiquitous Internet giants Google or iTunes, think again. The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) has publicized its first report of the John Milton…
They Cry in Silence Nov/Dec 2011
Kidnapped Christian Girl in Sudan Escapes. Hiba Abdelfadil Anglo, 16, has escaped from Muslims who kidnapped her in June 2010, beat and raped her, and tried to force her to convert to Islam.
FOI Launches Adult-Volunteer Program in Israel
If you are 18 or older and would like to volunteer your time, effort, and resources to help the people of Israel, then you may want to join us in March…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2011
When Gaza-based terrorists opened up a fresh mortar attack on the Erez Crossing border terminal between Gaza and southern Israel recently, three Palestinian women and two infants were passing through.
The Plague That Will Not Go Away
A grisly discovery was made in Norwich, England, recently. Seventeen Jewish skeletons, apparently from the same family, were found at the bottom of a medieval well. Archaeologists theorize the Jews were forced down…
Christian Demoted for Refusing to Attend Islamic Event
Tulsa, Oklahoma, Police Captain Paul Fields has been demoted, docked pay, and told he will not be promoted—all for refusing to attend an event at an Islamic center tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.
‘I Will Come Again’
Jesus’ promise to come again was familiar talk to His disciples. That’s because it was connected to a special, joyous occasion expertly described in this article.
Why Revelation 20 Makes Sense
For all we can tell, the apostle Paul went to glory unaware that the Messiah’s everlasting Kingdom will begin with a 1,000-year precursor to the endless ages that follow. The Hebrew Scriptures are…
Israel’s Quest for Peace
The following is a brief excerpt from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of the United States Congress on May 24, 2011: If history has taught the Jewish people…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2011
Israeli doctors recently saved the life of 7-month-old Odai al-Kafarna of the Gaza Strip by repairing a hole in his heart. His grandmother, who brought him to the Israeli hospital…
Bowing to the Bad Guys
A recent report that Guantanamo’s Muslim detainees have convinced the U.S. prison not to fly the American flag where they can see it is consistent with the inexplicable descent into the absurd…
They Cry in Silence Jul/Aug 2011
Muslims Murder a Convert. Two Muslim extremists in Somalia murdered a member of a secret Christian community in Lower Shabele region in April as part of a campaign to rid the country…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2011
In August it will be six years since 10,000 Jews were expelled from 21 beautiful communities in Gush Katif/Gaza and the Shomron (Samaria). Most still live in trailer towns like Nitzan…
Connecting the Dots
Nehemiah had his work cut out for him. God had promised to return the Jewish people to their land after their captivity in Babylon. And true to His Word, God brought Nehemiah…
They Cry in Silence May/Jun 2011
Pastor in India Attacked. A pastor in India was stripped, beaten, and wounded by 10 Hindu extremists recently while praying in a home for a sick 8-year-old boy. The extremists arrived on motorbikes…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2011
“What kind of monster butchers an infant?” American TV personality Glenn Beck asked his viewers recently, following the brutal massacre of five Israelis in the West Bank town of Itamar.
The Heart of Prayer
Early on New Year’s Day a car bomb exploded outside a church in Alexandria, Egypt, killing 21 worshipers and seriously injuring dozens more. The next day was Sunday, and Christians throughout…
They Cry in Silence Mar/Apr 2011
Somali Girl Shot to Death for Embracing Christ. A 17-year-old girl in Somalia who converted to Christianity from Islam has been shot to death in an apparent “honor killing.” Nurta Mohamed Farah…
Israeli Diplomat Ambushed by NY Times Staff
The New York Times, flagship of the liberal American media, has never been a friend of the Jewish state. But the newspaper’s aversion to Israel turned to open hostility in December when its top…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2011
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flag now flies in Washington, DC. PLO officials hoisted their banner over their U.S. mission for the first time in January.
Said mission chief Maen Areikat…
Assessing the Fear Factor
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, leader of the crusade to build a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City, trashed his “moderation” pose when he disregarded millions of concerned Americans…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2011
The Western Wall belongs to Muslims and is an integral part of al-Aqsa mosque and Haram al-Sharif (Islamic term for the Temple Mount complex), according to an official paper published…
No One To Talk To?
British scientist Stephen Hawking is one more atheist trying to tell us there is no God. In his new book, The Grand Design, Hawking contends, “Because there is a law such as gravity…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2010
Journalist Mitchell Prothero said Hamas is confiscating humanitarian goods donated by the international community and forcing Gaza Arabs to pay for them. Prothero spoke to a commander of Islamic Jihad…
Adhan Over Ground Zero
An estimated 10,000 protestors showed up on the streets of New York June 6 to rally against the proposed construction of a giant 13-story mosque and Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero…
When God Opens a Door…
After the Communists released Richard Wurmbrand from prison in 1965, an American heard him preach in Norway and encouraged him to tell his dramatic story in the United States. According…
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2010
Bypassing Senate confirmation, U.S. President Barack Obama in July named a Medicare chief who supports socialized medicine and belongs to an anti-Israel physicians’ group. Dr. Donald Berwick contributes financially to Physicians…
Who Writes the Last Chapter?
Just when some of the “leading lights” of the international diplomatic community thought progress might be brewing in the quest to tame the Iranian mullocracy through UN sanctions, the lid…
Excerpts From Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Jerusalem Day Speech
“For Zion’s sake, I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be still, until her righteousness emanates like bright light, and her salvation blazes like a torch” (Isa. 62:1)…
Anti-Jewish Church Edicts
The following is a sampling of the edicts and canon laws the organized church issued against Jewish people. This order is intended to keep Jews and Christians apart. It forbade…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2010
U.S. President Barack Obama has threatened to impose his own solution to the Middle East problem, which “the Israelis won’t appreciate,” if Israel and the Palestinians fail to settle the situation…
Malevolent Momentum
Michael Freund writes in The Jerusalem Post, “Something is stirring in the Middle East.” How right he is. And it isn’t good for Israel or the nation’s supporters. “The winds…
Israel in the News May/Jun 2010
Dr. Hagai Ben-Artzi, Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu’s brother-in-law, has called U.S. President Barack Obama an anti-Semite. Netanyahu immediately rejected the remarks. “The time has come to tell the truth,” Ben-Artzi…
Assessing the “What Hit Us?” Conundrum
It feels a lot like a dream, or nightmare if you prefer, from which we’ll emerge in the morning. But it isn’t. It is, in fact, a revolution that has ridden…
Israel in the News Mar/Apr 2010
While the world marveled at the speed and efficiency with which Israel responded to January’s Haitian disaster, The New York Times found fault. The tiny Jewish state launched such a massive…
Learning the Hard Way
Most ordinary people laugh off as silliness much of what has become known as political correctness. But in the aftermath of Maj. Nidal Hasan’s brutal attack on military personnel at Fort…
Netanyahu’s Candle of Truth
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an eloquent stand for truth at the UN in September. But what he told the Israeli news media outside the Assembly Hall may have been as important…
The Movers and Shakers
According to The New York Times, the Group of 20 (G-20) plus the European Union (EU) “represent about 90 percent of the world’s gross national product, 80 percent of world…
They Won’t Bow to Antichrist
There’s probably nothing Jewish people want more these days than peace. And when the Antichrist offers it in the future, he will deceive them—and most of the world—into believing he…
Israel in the News Jan/Feb 2010
Young female athletes from Israel’s fencing team swept top medals at a 28-nation European tournament in Austria in November, but when they received their medals, the organizers did not play…
Israel: The Inscrutable Enigma
Mark Twain, the famous American author, humorist, narrator, and social observer, had great personal problems with the religionists of his day and many other aspects of the world he occupied…
Erica’s Angels
It was bizarre to see myself lying on the floor of my allergist’s office. I lay at a slight angle in the narrow hallway, flanked on all sides by the clinic…
The 12 Rules of Christmas®
Unfortunately, Christmas has become a time of controversy over what can and cannot be done in terms of celebrating the holiday. To clear up much of the misunderstanding, the following…
Israel in the News Nov/Dec 2009
Virulent anti-Semitism thrives on a Dutch social media Website used by nearly half of the entire population of Holland, according to a recent report. And many of the online instigators…
How to Win a War Without Firing a Shot
There’s a sleeper in the two-states-living-side-by-side scenario now tantalizing the Mideast peace process. Israelis have offered a perfectly sensible five-point plan that takes into account their need for future security…
Walking for Israel
Stars of David glistened in the sun as 1,000 supporters of Israel participated in the fourth annual Walk for Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, in May. Walkers came in all ages…
The Doctrine of Mahdism
He is called the Hidden Imam. No one knows the hour of his return. But he will rule the world, which will acknowledge Islam as the true religion. Who is he? He is the Islamic messiah.
Ahmadinejad’s Messianic Policy
Even though other Muslims have ruled Iran, Ahmadinejad is different. He claims he has a direct connection to God and will usher in the Mahdi. Unfortunately, his faith has worldwide implications.
The Wake-Up Call
Too many Christians today are asleep in the pews and don’t understand what big changes are taking place in the world. Dr. Rogers has a cure. And everyone should take it.
Israel in the News Sep/Oct 2009
“Our goal has never been peace,” a Fatah official admitted on Palestinian Authority (PA) TV. “Peace is a means; the goal is Palestine,” meaning the conquest of Israel. “It has been said…
Looking Back to See the Future
The mantra of the moment embraces the idea that we should never look back because all hope and promise are found in looking to the future. Or, to quote Satchel Paige…
Israel in the News Jul/Aug 2009
Warnings abound that the Obama administration’s policies will leave Israel to face Iran and Hamas alone. The warnings are summed up in recent articles by the West’s two main pro-Israel…
The ‘Danger’ of Christian Zionism
Thus read the first line of a December 2008 news release from the National Council of Churches (NCC). So exercised is this liberal federation of mainline denominations, which claims to represent…
Christians Fight for Rights in U.S. Schools
Brittany McComb was one of three valedictorians chosen to give a speech before 400 of her peers at her high school graduation in Henderson, Nevada, in 2006. But during commencement…