During the final week of Jesus’ life, He began to prepare His disciples for what was ahead. In a detailed discourse found in Matthew 24 and 25, He warned them that His time was nearing an end, prophesied the coming destruction of Jerusalem and described His eventual return to earth. The discussion began when, on …
Do you sometimes dread the holidays because of family tensions? Well, you haven’t seen anything until you hear about Jesus’ holidays. Jesus was an observant Jew who often went to Jerusalem for the festivities surrounding the three main pilgrimage feasts and there He rubbed shoulders with the priests, Pharisees and leading rabbis. Each time He …
Jesus was a master teacher. Even skeptics who don’t believe in His divinity will often say they like His teaching. But Jesus was more than a good teacher and the people were often in awe because He taught with such authority. It was as though God Himself was speaking to them and revealing deep, spiritual …
Jesus was born while the oppressive and brutal Roman Empire and its appointed king, Herod the Great, ruled the Jewish people. Herod was a descendant of the Idumeans who had earlier been forced to convert to Judaism. Therefore, Herod was “half-Jewish” but he was also pagan and a loyal vassal to Rome. He was not …
Ever since Adam and Eve’s fall into sin and their banishment from the Garden of Eden, God has been busy at work carrying out a plan to redeem mankind and reestablish the relationship they had enjoyed with Him. He had created man for fellowship but since He is holy, He could not have fellowship with …
We end our reading of the Old Testament this week with the story of a gifted leader named Nehemiah. When Nehemiah brought the third group of exiles back to rebuild Jerusalem, he encountered much resistance. But in the end, the walls were rebuilt thanks to his wisdom, skill and strong leadership. Ezra focused his attention …
We all love a story about a beautiful, young lady chosen to be a queen, such as that found in the book of Esther, where the Jewish girl, Hadassah—an orphan who was raised by her cousin, Mordecai—becomes the queen of Persia. It almost sounds like a fairy tale—that is until we get to the part …
The first wave of exiles arrived in Jerusalem, soon after King Cyrus allowed them to return to rebuild the temple. Psalm 126 was written around this time and describes the emotions of this surreal return: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, …
The book of Job is one that we usually rather avoid! God said Himself that Job was blameless — He feared God and shunned evil. Yet He let down the protective hedge around Job and allowed him to suffer tremendous loss. When Job passed the test with a humble response, the Lord allowed even more …
Jeremiah had already prophesied to four previous kings and it was time for him to warn another one about the error of his ways. King Zedekiah was given the chance to repent and do what was right, thereby extending the life of the Davidic dynasty. If he refused, then it was all over for Judah …
A Zoom meeting this week of the global leadership of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem was abruptly interrupted by the sounds of sirens as the international participants watched the Jerusalem-based participants run into their bomb shelters. Hamas forces in Gaza had fired seven long-range missiles aimed at Jerusalem on Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) demonstrating their …
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem Responds to Gaza Missile Attacks Read More »
When I first went to Israel as a Bible student, I could not think of any field of study more boring than that of archaeology—what I called “the study of dust and stones.” Some 40 years later, I have made a complete about-face, and I have to admit that recent archaeological discoveries in Israel are …
Step Back in Time to Experience Jerusalem’s Jubilee Read More »
I was blown away when a listener recently wrote to say my Walk Thru the Bible podcast series had changed their life. Another wrote that the weekly teachings infuse them with strength and encouragement. Another listener said they have read the Bible cover to cover many times but are learning new nuggets every week, making …
God Is Transforming Lives One Bible Page at a Time Read More »
How many of us can say along with the psalmist, “I love your commandments, more than gold” (Ps. 119:127a, NIV)? That is quite a statement of how valuable and precious is the Word of God. Yet many people do not read the Scriptures because they find the Bible hard to understand. Others are being told …
Don’t Buy Satan’s Lie: Fall in Love With God’s Word Read More »
