Last week we learned that Jesus’ birthplace of Bethlehem was no ordinary little town. It was the subject of a prophecy from Micah 5:2 revealing the birthplace of the Messiah, which the Jewish people knew well. But beyond this, Micah gave another detail of the Messiah’s origin a chapter earlier. It specified the exact place and people in Bethlehem that …
December 4, 2021 | Messianic Prophecies of Bethlehem, Part 1
If you’re like most people, your hometown is a special place. It’s part of what developed your personality and perspective in life. In the same way, Jesus’ hometown was a big part of His human background. It wasn’t just some town, or some meaningless blip on Israel’s radar, as some today think it was. Bethlehem was the subject of one …
November 27, 2021 | All About Hanukkah
This Sunday evening marks the beginning of Hanukkah, an eight-day holiday for the Jewish people to celebrate the rededication of the Temple more than 2,000 years ago. Its origin story is memorable: A group of Jewish rebels courageously drove out the Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes for defiling the Temple and attempting to erase their Jewish identity. And like Christmas around …
November 20, 2021 | Thanksgiving Offering – Leviticus 7
Celebrate this Thanksgiving by learning a beautiful lesson from the Bible about Thanksgiving! We dig into Leviticus this week for a special lesson. You’re probably not familiar with this law from the Lord unless you’ve done your homework in the fine details of the Law. But Chris draws our attention to Scripture this week for a look at why our …
November 13, 2021 | Interview: Jonathan Hessen, TV7 Israel News
It’s important to know what’s going on in Israel, but there are many voices trying to spin the stories of the nation. If you’re looking for a reliable Israeli news broadcast, we recommend TV7 Israel News! Produced by believers, it is the only evangelical Christian news entity that is broadcast from Jerusalem and shared with the world. Our guest on …
November 6, 2021 | Interview: Rabbi Shmuel Bowman, Operation Lifeshield
Living in Israel comes with a caveat: The threat of long-range attacks from enemy nations is always present. Rocket strikes are a common enough occurrence that Israelis have procedures in place to protect themselves. All throughout the country, bomb shelters have been built and installed, which people can run inside safely to withstand deadly attacks. When sirens go off to …
October 30, 2021 | Chris Katulka/Jim Showers: Christian Zionism, Part 2
Christians have shared an important friendship with Israel throughout history. But as a whole, that relationship is starting to crack. A recent study found an increasing number of young evangelical Christians are no longer supporting Israel because of its dispute with the Palestinians. How can we support Israel when so many other believers have begun to abandon the Jewish state? …
October 23, 2021 | Chris Katulka/Jim Showers: Christian Zionism
Christian Zionism is our passionate belief today, but this movement started long before us. Looking back in American history we can see a precedent set forth by many presidents: a desire to see national Israel restored. Miraculously, the world witnessed this come to pass in 1948, and we’re thrilled to see the Jewish people in their homeland today. But the …
October 16, 2021 | History of Church Doctrine with Dr. Michael Svigel, Part 2
Many of us have developed a view of the early church without acknowledging the culture of its time, which largely influenced the church. Greek and Roman culture played a role in shaping the early church, so we should know what those cultures were all about! After studying the Orthodox foundations of our faith last week, we continue learning about the …
October 9, 2021 | History of Church Doctrine with Dr. Michael Svigel, Part 1
A bad reputation is brewing among evangelical Christians. As a whole we’ve been found lacking in our knowledge of biblical doctrine. That’s a problem we need to address! Dr. Michael Svigel is part of the solution. He’s written RetroChristianity: Reclaiming the Forgotten Faith and is a voice of wisdom on the topic of doctrinal development in the early church. Dr. …