Israel & Jewish Roots

Christians have long made pilgrimages to the ancient Village of Cana where Jesus performed His first miracle. More recently, couples have begun visiting the Franciscan Wedding Church to get married or renew their marriage vows. Jesus performed His first miracle, turning water into wine at a wedding, thereby validating and blessing the covenant of marriage.Father…

In Hebrew, the sacred, divine name of God is spelled with four Hebrew letters: yod, hei, vav, and hei, or, in English, YHVH. This four-lettered name is called the tetragrammaton, which means "four letters." This name, YHVH, is found 6,823 times in the Hebrew Bible. Hebrew scholars and rabbis all agree that the exact pronunciation…

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…

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…

The great theme of faith continues as we study the book of Hebrews. We have learned that faith sees the unseen, and we endure in faith and hope when we keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. Now we turn our eyes heavenward to look into realms of…

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…

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…

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said President Barack Obama must choose between Israel and Iran. The comment was made Tuesday in Istanbul during an economic address before the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference. "The support of both Israel and Iran can't go hand in hand. No change is made unless great choices are made," said…

As I showered in preparation for our last day of sightseeing, I reflected on many of the places we've visited. A list with a one- or two-sentence description would fill the rest of this blog. While each now holds a special place in my heart, and many brought the Bible to life and me to…

Believers are often confronted by skeptics who bark out their opposition to our present translation of Scriptures, charging that the translation is not the same as the original Word God gave to Moses, the prophets, and the apostles. However, an event in 1948 helped settle the controversy of the authenticity of the 1611 translation of…

Israel. The mere mention of the word conjures up a favorite memory for those who've been, and a longing for those who haven't. After being here three days, it's difficult to pinpoint that one "a-ha" moment. It might be because those enlightening moments have been nearly nonstop since stepping off the plane in Tel Aviv.Our…

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…