Category: Opinion

The Obama administration has dropped demands for a Jewish construction freeze in eastern Jerusalem, according to a report filed by Ha’aretz on Thursday. The news comes as a result of a meeting held this week in London between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. special Mideast envoy George Mitchell.

While rejecting a total freeze in settlements and stressing the need to guarantee “normal life” for Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, Netanyahu proposed a nine month halt to settlement construction in the West Bank. Besides Jerusalem, the agreement would also exclude about 2,500 Jewish homes in disputed territories already under construction.

Pnina Pie is a successful baker in Tel Aviv, Israel. But when authorities discovered she is also a Messianic Jew, they revoked her kosher license, told other Jews to boycott her bakery and started a campaign to close down her establishment. Pnina took her case all the way to Israel’s Supreme Court and won. But that’s not the end of the story. To learn why Pnina and others like her suffer for their faith, click below to watch the video.

Did Israel go far enough earlier this year in its battle against the terror and rockets of Hamas? The Bible holds the key to understanding this question.

The Jewish prophet Amos wrote, “Woe to you who put far off the day of doom, who cause the seat of violence to come near” (Amos 6:3, NKJV). The ancient Hebrew word for what our English Scriptures translate as “violence” is the word hamas. In fact, many of the Hebrew Scriptures use the word hamas wherever it says “violence.”

As I read Romans 9 and 10, I see in my mind’s eye the religious Jews in Israel as they bobbed back and forth, their prayer shawls waving gently with their movements while they prayed earnestly at the Western Wall. I just returned from Israel and saw this same scene, which always brings tears to my eyes. They are praying for Messiah—when Messiah has already come.

These Jews have great zeal in their religious activity, but they are without knowledge. Paul recognized this. He says about them, “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10:2-3).

The Sea of Galilee is one of the most popular tourists spots in Israel. This historic body of water is home to 27 species of fish, but in biblical times, Yeshua stood on its shores—and sometimes on the sea—and performed many miracles. He saw Peter and Andrew casting their net into the water and said, “‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men'” (Matt. 4:19, NKJV); He walked on water (see Matt. 14:22-33), and fed more than 5,000 people with five fish and two loaves of bread (see Matt. 14:13-21). To learn how to cast your net in this ancient sea, click below to watch the video.

Most Christians support Israel theoretically, but in day-to-day life, the nation, her people and her concerns seem far-off.

However, I believe the time has come for our outlook to change. Israel is rapidly evolving into what may become the most fundamental issue to face every Bible-believing Christian in the world.

Nations such as Iran are calling for the annihilation of Israel. An increasingly violent, militant Islam is poised to inflict global terror on all who stand with Zion. Historically Christian Europe is in demographic danger of becoming a Muslim continent.

Running through Jerusalem is a dividing line that becomes clearer with every passing day. When this reality hits us, we will be compelled to choose a side. Every committed Christian, I believe, will soon have no choice but to prepare for action.

Former Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said it is “virtually unrealistic” for a Palestinian state to be placed “in the middle of the Jewish homeland” and that Israel should be able to build settlements where it wants, according to the Associated Press (AP).

While on a three-day tour of Israel this week, the former Arkansas governor and one-time Southern Baptist pastor told reporters on Tuesday that the international community should consider establishing a Palestinian state elsewhere.

“The question is should the Palestinians have a place to call their own? Yes, I have no problem with that,” Huckabee said. “Should it be in the middle of the Jewish homeland? That’s what I think has to be honestly assessed as virtually unrealistic.”

The Menorah is a seven-branched candelabrum used in ancient synagogues long before the birth of Jesus. It is a symbol of Judaism and remains an emblem of the nation of Israel today. To learn more about the Menorah and the Star of David, click below to watch the video.

If you thought taking prayer requests via e-mail made things easy for your congregation, you’ve got nothing on Alon Nil. The 25-year-old from Tel Aviv, Israel, recently launched a non-profit service that allows people around the world to place their prayers in Jerusalem’s Western Wall-via Twitter.

Nil created the service, which is available to people of all faiths, as a way to connect people with the Jewish culture. Using the Twitter account @thekotel, individuals can tweet a prayer (no more than 140 characters, of course), which Nil will print out on a small piece of paper and stuff in the cracks of the prayer site-also known as the Kotel and believed to be the place closest to the Holy of Holies in the second temple.

We gentile Christians enjoy the blessing of knowing Jesus as Savior. We were grafted into the fold through the work of Christ on the cross, with a command to tell the world about Him. But the message of Yeshua is “to the Jew first.” And today, many Jews are accepting the Messiah into their lives and introducing Him to others. Here’s why. Click below to watch the video.

It has been over 2,000 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus. Since that time Christianity has grown and changed to reflect different eras, cultures, and different beliefs. The expression of our faith has taken on various forms and faces. It is ever growing and transforming—sometimes with choices that are for the better and some for the worse.

Since the 1970s more and more Christians are finding themselves returning to the Jewish roots of their faith. And with this outpouring has come many questions regarding the importance of our roots and in what form they should and can be expressed. In other words, “how deep do I really want to go?”

When we went to Russia to be intercessors for a music festival in St. Petersburg, we heard many testimonies from Jewish people. As they shared how their lives had been changed when they received Yeshua (Jesus), these testimonies all had a common theme. I do not recall hearing one testimony that did not include some type of sign that God used to reveal His Son Jesus to them as their Messiah.

In 1 Cor. 1:22-24, we see Paul’s insight into those with whom he was sharing the good news. He says, “For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Though Jesus was born in Bethlehem, taught in Jewish synagogues, and spread His message “to the Jew first,” the majority of people in His homeland do not recognize Him as the Messiah. But thanks to what they say is a spiritual awakening unfolding in the Holy Land, many Jewish believers are sharing the gospel and leading their brothers and sisters to Christ. Click below to watch the video.