Perhaps there is no other portion of the Torah so filled with vital stories than the section in Genesis 18:1-22, 24. Called Vayera, it includes the stories of three men who visited Abraham; of God's promising to give him and his wife, Sarah, a son; and of angels visiting Lot and urging him to leave Sodom—fast—since judgment was coming.
Unlike some characters we read about in Scripture, Abraham was a good man. He cared about his nephew. According to the Torah, the future patriarch of the Jews talked with God about His decision to destroy Sodom, pleading with Him to spare the city for the sake of the righteous. read more
Richard Land, director of the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) Ethics & Religion Liberty Commission, has joined with Jewish and Evangelical leaders in calling for immediate economic sanctions against Iran.
Land issued a statement Nov. 2 with Paul de Vries, president of the New York Divinity School and Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis. The men called for economic sanctions that would specifically target banks working even indirectly with Iranian financial institutions, firms and governments that export refined petroleum to Iran. read more
There was a song in the late fifties called "Hearts Made of Stone." I'm sure the writer of this song had no idea he was quoting Scripture. The promise to Israel in Ezekiel 11:19 is, "Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh."
When we were in Israel we walked along the shore in Natanya. As we were walking on the beach we noticed hundreds of smooth pebbles shaped like hearts. We collected as many as we could carry back with us to the States. Many in our tour put these hearts in baskets, and as they prayed for the peace of Jerusalem daily, they lifted up the basket to the Lord and proclaimed this Scripture promise: "I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh."
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Jesus was a Galilean. That much we know. The question of who exactly the Galileans were during biblical times is a much more complicated matter. The origins and identity of the people dwelling in this northernmost part of Israel at the time of the Second Temple remains an unsolved and fascinating riddle of history—made even more interesting by the fact that the Galilee was the venue for most of Jesus' ministry.
Easton's Biblical Dictionary tells us: In the time of our Lord, Galilee embraced more than one-third of Western Palestine, extending "from Dan on the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, to the ridges of Carmel and Gilboa on the south, and from the Jordan valley on the east away across the splendid plains of Jezreel and Acre to the shores of the Mediterranean on the west." read more
Before I took a pilgrimage to Israel in March, I was unsure of what Messianic Jews believe. Many of my questions were answered when I met believers in Yeshua from around the world on the airplane, in the Old City, at the market and in other places in Israel. Jesus destroyed the barriers that keep us separated. Because of Him, we are one body. My fellow believers in Yeshua taught me we have more in common than we know. Click below to discover what I learned. read more
I had an experience with fear that almost robbed me of a trip to Israel. My husband was thinking of taking our two oldest boys and me to Israel with a tour our church was sponsoring. I was enthusiastic about the trip until I received a call from my prayer partner. My prayer partner called me before we made our final decision on whether to take this trip or not.
My prayer partner told me about a lovely vision she had of our whole family riding in a chariot in heaven. She said she saw us all dressed in white with crowns on our heads. She thought she was telling me something that would edify. However, all I could see was our whole family going down over the ocean in a Boeing 747. I hung up the phone, paralyzed with fear. read more
Although the entire civilized world recognizes the teaching of Messiah, His promise of blessing extends beyond the spiritual realm into everyday life. In fact, if you have a cell phone, a huge company in Israel probably made your antenna.
In the reading this week drawn from Genesis 12: 1 17: 27, the Creator tells Abram He is going to bless the world through his descendants. In case you're thinking He's talking about all people, including biological and even spiritual descendents, He's really not. He's talking about Jews. read more