Israel & Jerusalem

Jerusalem—the Heart of a Nation

“You (Jerusalem) shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God” (Isa. 62:3 NASB). Jerusalem—it’s a name that has aroused wonder in the hearts of countless people for millennia. In AD 70, the heart and soul of the nation of Israel was

Jerusalem—Israel’s Eternal, Undivided Capital

Many cities around the world are dearly loved by those who live in them. Poetry has been written, songs composed, and movies produced about cities, large and small, by those whose identity is intertwined with the places they call home. But few, if any, engender the kind of passion as does Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Covenant,

Netanyahu: “We are in a battle for Jerusalem, our eternal capital”

 “We are in the midst of a terrorist assault focused on Jerusalem. During morning prayers [last November], as they were wrapped in prayer shawls and tefillin, four rabbis were slaughtered, four innocent and pure Jews…The human animals who perpetrated this slaughter were full of…deep hatred and terrible incitement against the Jewish people and its state.

The Western Wall: The Epicenter of the Jewish People

First time visitors to Jerusalem often make the same mistake I made about one of the most sacred sites in the city! On my first visit in 2010, I was surprised to learn that the most important “wall” in the Old City of Jerusalem was called something other than the “Wailing Wall.” Knowing that the

The Levy Report: Settlements Are Legal

{image_1}A special commission named this year by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted some clear-cut conclusions regarding the legality of the so-called “Israeli settlements”. The three-member committee, informally known as the Levy Commission—headed by former Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy, along with former Foreign Ministry Legal Advisor Alan Baker, and former Deputy President of the Tel-Aviv District Court Tehiya Shapira—determined that these settlements are perfectly legal within the standards of international law.

The Geography of Israel

{image_1}Have you ever wondered why God asked Abraham to move? Why couldn’t he have served God in Ur? Moving his household was a major event. Remember, they didn’t have moving trucks, so moving took weeks, maybe months. There is a very good answer, and it has to do with geography.

The Bible through the Lens of the Land

{image_1}When you look back over your life, there are always places, people, and memories that stand out—some for positive reasons and others because they caused pain. Then there is the special place we call “home.” For this teaching letter, I have chosen three places and events that I think would be strong memories for Yeshua (Jesus): Nazareth, where He grew up and where He was later rejected; the Sea of Galilee, where He walked on the water; and Caesarea Philippi, where He chose to make one of the most important prophetic proclamations of His life.

Israel’s Legal Right to Exist

The saga of Israel’s standing under international law began long before the United Nations was a player on the global scene. As early as the turn of the 20th century, a number of Bible-believing statesmen and politicians, many of them British, were adamant in their support of the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland in fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

The Scriptural Basis for Supporting Israel

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Does God have some special relationship with the Land and people of Israel? Well, the word “Israel” is mentioned more than 2,300 times in the Bible. How does that compare to other topics on God’s heart? Sin is mentioned 380 times. Love is mentioned 280 times. Actually, the only words I’ve found to be used more than Israel are the various names for God Himself. Maybe there is a clue about the passion of God’s heart in this frequency. I would suggest that He talks most about Himself because His first priority is for us to know Him and understand His heart toward us. Perhaps His frequent references to Israel reveal that His second priority is for us to know and understand His heart toward the Land and people He has chosen as His own.

The Museum at the Heart of the Universe

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On July 26, Israel’s largest cultural institution, the Israel Museum, reopened after undergoing a three-year-long, $100-million renovation.