Through His sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus has brought us salvation and granted those who believe eternal life. He is rightly called our Saviour, but from a Jewish perspective He cannot—yet—be fully called the Messiah.
All around the world there are changes taking place. The vast majority of these changes are not good. This evil is actually preparing the world for an empire that will rule over all the nations. This one world government will eventually be ruled by the antichrist.
Imagine a world where people from all nations and backgrounds come together to learn from the teachings of the Lord and walk in His paths. This is the vision presented in Micah 4:1-2
I have a very good friend who I catch up with every few months for breakfast. We order our food and coffees and then sit down and the conversation starts with something like - ‘How are you?’ ‘How are things with the family?’ ‘’Have you heard the one about the pastor,...
When we hear the word ‘gospel’ today, we tend to think of the basic message of Christianity; namely that mankind is separated from God through sin and that Jesus paid the penalty for our sin through His death, burial and resurrection.
Mark 12:29-30 is a very familiar verse to most Christians and often quoted. Did you realise that Jesus was quoting the first two verses of the Shema which was an integral part of daily prayer then—and now?
As an evangelical Christian closely involved in building bridges between Christians and Jews, there is a subject I try studiously to ignore, and that is the “problem” of Messianic Jews. It is indeed the “elephant in the room.”
When the Shema is recited by the Jewish people (and Christians), it begins with this statement: Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4) Pronouncing God’s name YHWH is considered a sin, so the Jewish people use other words to replace...
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the dramatic Yom Kippur. The Yom Kippur war is not only a powerful story from the pages of history, but I believe it also prophetically foreshadows an even greater war to come—while also pointing to the means of deliverance and victory. Caught Napping On October 5th, 1973 the Egyptian army on the West bank of the Suez Canal were drawn up in full battle array with bridging equipment and rubber boats for crossing the Canal. The Egyptian side of the Suez was bristling with 100,000 troops, 1350 tanks and 2000 artillery pieces and heavy mortars. Meanwhile the Israeli side of the border barely numbered 450 aging reserve troops, 44 artillery pieces and only 3 tanks! The border with Syria was in an even worse situation with the Israeli troops and tanks outnumbered in even greater numbers. The thin line of Israeli tanks and troops on the Golan was all that separated the civilians of the Galilee region from the incoming armada of Syrian troops and tanks. The surprise attack caught Israel napping. The seemingly all-knowing Israeli intelligence community had been completely blindsided by the attack. Israel’s frontline soldiers were therefore unprepared for the […]
Israel is celebrating her 70th birthday this year. What Israel has achieved and in 70 years is nothing short of astounding. Incredible. MIRACULOUS! That’s not a word I use much, but I use it regularly when I talk about Israel. As we celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday, remember to honour God for keeping His promises to His people and for fulfilling His Word. Many are aware of the passage in Isaiah about a nation being born in day. “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.” – Isaiah 66:8 We read that and cheer loudly; “Yes, a land was born in one day! Yes, Israel was born on May 14, 1948. Praise God!” This is a correct response, the rebirth of the Sovereign State of Israel in May, 1948 was indeed the fulfilment of Isaiah 66:8, but I want to dig a little deeper to show you something even more astounding, even more miraculous—if that’s even possible. Isaiah 66:7-8, “Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she […]
This is the season of joyful feasts, a time of year where the faithfulness and triumph of the Lord is measured against worldly threats. Jesus used the Feast of Tabernacles to make a profound statement. On the last day of the Feast, He declared rivers of living water would flow from the innermost being of those who believe in Him (John chapter 7) The Feast of Tabernacles, this year in October, is also known as Sukkot (sukkah singular). Most people eat and sleep in the Sukkah. From the fragile sukkah the stars are visible and the occupants are exposed, at least partially, to wind and rain. The conditions relate to their history and the forty days of wandering in the wilderness. In the synagogues the celebrants sing hymns while circling in a procession. The circle is about unity. They dance, hand on the shoulder in front, and shuffle forward while singing hymns. In this formation, they are one. There is no leader, no class. No direction either! They are together linked by choice and wherever they are going, they are going together. Christians Those who ignore the Biblical feasts miss the deep lessons. Christians have the same human emotions as […]
Easter: March 25-29 | Passover: April 23-30 “Everyday for more than a millennium, since the time of Moses, the priests had offered sacrifices for the sins of God’s people at the third hour and the ninth hour—at dawn and at three in the afternoon. And each year since the time of Moses, Israel had celebrated Passover, and the priests had offered the daily sacrifice at three in the afternoon before Shabbat and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Now all those offerings came to one great, final conclusion as God’s Lamb, presented to the people as He rode into Jerusalem on lamb-selection day, was offered at the exact hour of the last sacrifice of Passover.” (Echoes of His Presence, Ray Vander Laan, Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, Colorado) Quite a few years ago, those words by Ray Vander Laan touched me deeply. I pictured Jesus riding on the donkey, into Jerusalem, on lamb-selection day and that fact, brought me to my knees, overwhelmed. God is amazing and His covenant is specific and provable. He has never detoured from His plan to bring us into His Kingdom. “The spiritual does not come first, but the physical and then the spiritual.” […]