1. Background It can be seen as ironic, that from the writings of the one referred to as the Apostle of Love, should come interpretations of hatred an…
Jews in John’s Gospel: Antisemitism or Culture
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Passover
Replacement Covenantology
Have you heard of the term Replacement Theology? I’m sure you are familiar with this term, but it is the idea that the Christian Church has replaced the nation of Israel in God’s plan.
A Mandate from Heaven
How amazing that in 1980, God asked a group of praying Believers residing at the time in Jerusalem to be His agents of fulfilling prophecy.
How Can I Hasten Jesus’ Return?
Micah 4:2 speaks of a coming time when both Jews and Gentiles will go up together as brothers, united in Messiah, to Jerusalem. We will hear the Messiah and learn from Him about His ways, and walk in His paths.
Return to the Promise Land
Aliyah (Hebrew: עֲלִיָּה aliyah, “ascent”) is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to the Land of Israel (Eretz Israel in Hebrew). Also defined as “the act of going up”—that is, towards Jerusalem—”making Aliyah” by moving to Israel is one of the most basic tenets of Zionism. The State of Israel’s Law of Return gives Jews and their descendants automatic rights regarding residency and Israeli citizenship. For much of Jewish history most Jews have lived in the diaspora where aliyah was developed as a national aspiration for the Jewish people, although it was not usually fulfilled until the development of the Zionist movement in the late nineteenth century. The large-scale immigration of Jews to Palestine began in 1882. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, more than 3 million Jews have moved to Israel. As of 2014, Israel and the Palestinian territories together contain 42.9% of the world’s Jewish population. Successive waves of Jewish settlement are an important aspect of the history of Jewish life in Israel. Eretz Yisrael (“Land of Israel”) is the Hebrew name for the region known in English as Israel. This traditional Hebrew toponym, in turn, has lent its name to the modern […]
The Prophetic Significance of Israel’s New National Holiday
The Netanyahu government is receiving broad political support for a proposed new national holiday celebrating ‘aliyah’ or Jewish immigration to the land of Israel. The motion will set aside the 10th of Nissan to honour the crucial role of aliyah both in the re-birth and in the ongoing strengthening of the nation of Israel. The 10th of Nissan was chosen as many Rabbis believe it marks the date the ancient Israelites first entered the Promised Land under Joshua. While this is interesting, I believe that establishing the holiday on this particular day also has a significant connection to Bible prophecy. 2600 years ago, the prophet Jeremiah predicted that a day would come when the original Exodus from Egypt would be overshadowed by a far greater Exodus ‘from the land of the north and from all the lands’ (Jer 16:14-16). It is therefore very interesting to note that this new annual celebration of the modern day return of the Jewish people falls four days prior to Passover on the Jewish calendar. Is the stage being set for a celebration of a greater Exodus that will literally overshadow Passover celebrations? The Miraculous Modern Day Exodus National Aliyah Day will be a time […]
Passover and Easter – Holy Days Are Here Again!
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.” […]
Understanding the Feasts of the Lord
For centuries there has been controversy, particularly in Gentile Christian thinking regarding the Biblical feasts and festivals that the Jewish people have upheld for millennia and by way of contrast, what most Christians have upheld traditionally in Sunday observance and Christmas and Easter celebrations. The origins of the Jewish feasts are clear and precise in scripture as being God given, Holy convocations (special assemblies) which were intended by Him to be eternal. Most Christians have dismissed these God- given festivals as Old Testament and only for Israel and many believe that if New Testament believers should observe them in any way, we could be placing ourselves under law and in effect negate the New Covenant bene ts in our lives. If we believe that the Body of Christ (Messiah) is consistent with Paul’s description in Ephesians 2, we should at least be looking for a level of mutual understanding on these important issues with our Messianic brethren. Firstly let us look at the festivals which God introduced and called His own from Leviticus 23 THE FEASTS OF THE LORD… SABBATH / SHABBAT “And the LORD spoke to Moses, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: The feasts […]