Charisma Magazine

Most news we hear from Israel involves suicide bombings, military skirmishes and ethnic tensions. In the time since the Jewish state was created 61 years ago, it seems its history has been written in blood as Israeli leaders have fought to defend the land that was given to them by God thousands of years ago.

Yet this place we call the Holy Land cannot be defined by religious conflicts and territorial disputes. Pilgrims who have traveled there from around the world have discovered that Israel defies the stereotypes and the political clichés: They have discovered a land rich with history and a diverse people who want peace more than war.

Officials in Israel last week indicted the man accused of sending a bomb to the home of a Messianic minister in March 2008 that nearly killed the pastor's teenage son.

Jack Teitel, 37, was indicted for attempted murder, among other charges, for allegedly sending a bomb hidden in a gift basket to the home of David Ortiz, pastor of a Messianic congregation in Ariel, Israel.

(Photo of Ami Ortiz, Compass Direct News)

Your personal Bible may have a black, brown, blue, or red leather or imitation leather cover. The words may be a fine-print, red-letter edition distinguishing Christ's words. Your translation may be the popular 1611 King James Version, New King James Version, Amplified, or New American Standard. It may have a red ribbon inserted to mark selective passages. Your Bible might be a translation from a language other than English. In the Jewish synagogue, the Torah is in the form of a scroll and not a leather-bound book.

The Bible says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19). The "acceptable year of the Lord"—the Year of Jubilee—was the last in a 50-year period.

During the first 49 years, the Israelites could own slaves, sow their fields, prune their vineyards, and gather the harvest; but each seventh year was set apart as a Sabbath for the land. At the beginning of the fiftieth year, the trumpet sounded, proclaiming the Year of Jubilee. This was a year when the ground wasn't worked, slaves were set free, and debts were erased. It was a year of rest for the entire land.

During my trip to the Garden Tomb in Israel, I felt God's Spirit in a way I had not experienced Him before. I could hear Him saying: "I love you. I sent my only Son to die for you, so you can spend eternity with me." The revelation of His feelings made me weep when it was time to board the bus. But God's love is not confined to a rock-hewn grave. It abides in the hearts of people who accept Yeshua. To learn more about the Garden Tomb, watch videos below.