Missiles, ceasefires, protests, terrorism, war. When conflict erupts in and around Israel and blame begins to fly from every direction, certain questions resurface in the minds of believers: Is now the time?

It is a good question. It is perhaps the most human question we can ask. In fact, one of the final questions asked of the risen Messiah was this: “Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)

Restoration is a question of “When” not “Whether”

Notice carefully what the disciples asked. Their question was not if restoration would come, but when. Acts 1:6 assumed the kingdom would be restored to Israel. After receiving forty days of teaching concerning the Kingdom of God, their question remained, “Is it now?” Jesus did not rebuke the expectation. Instead, he said the timing was not for them to know. “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.” (Acts 1:7)

It is human to want timelines, but His response calls for trust. It is hard to wait, but He wants faithfulness. However, the question is not a bad one. In asking, they revealed that expectation for Israel’s restoration stretches into the New Testament. The hope of restoration had not disappeared.

Restoration is an Old Testament thing

The language of restoration did not begin with Acts 1:6. Moses spoke of a future national regathering and permanent restoration after dispersion in Deuteronomy 30. Jeremiah wrote that God would bring them out of banishment and into restoration, restoring them to the land. In Ezekiel 39 the Lord says, “I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel.” Amos described ruined cities rebuilt and vineyards planted once again. These examples show restoration is both spiritual and physical.

Restoration is not for something new

You don’t restore something that works. Restoration itself requires that something is first broken. The promise of restoration was not for the church. At the beginning of Acts, we see the beginning of the Church. You don’t need to restore something which is new. The restoration of Israel and the blessing of the Gentiles are not competing ideas. They meet in Messiah.

Restoration is for something broken

Therefore, Peter’s words in Acts 3 are so important. After Pentecost (Heb. Shavuot) Peter calls Israel to repent so that “times of refreshing” may come and so that God may send the Messiah again. Peter then speaks of the “restoration of all things” which God foretold by the prophets. The restoration language in Acts supports continuity with Old Testament national promises. The theme of restoration stretches deep into covenant promises and prophetic hope.

Restoration is ahead

The restoration described in Scripture is both national and cosmic. It includes Israel, but it does not stop there. The prophets envisioned a renewed world where creation itself flourishes under the reign of Messiah. Isaiah 11 describes harmony in nature itself. Romans 8 speaks of creation groaning for liberation from decay.

The biblical story does not end with escape from the world, but with the renewal of it. God restores what sin has fractured. Hearts are restored. People are restored. Israel is restored. Even creation itself is restored.

And this matters deeply in moments like ours. Every siren, every rocket, every grieving parent reminds us that the world is not yet as it should be. But Scripture calls us to live with expectation, not despair. The same God who promised restoration in ages past has not forgotten His word.

So, when believers ask, “Is now the time?”, we ask alongside the apostles. They were asking the right question, but it was not yet time. And while we may not know the timing, we do know this: The King is coming, His promises remain, and restoration is still ahead.

Israel Today Ministries feeds children and Holocaust survivors in Israel.  Thank you for your prayers and partnership!

May God, bless you,

Scott Johnson

• Scott Johnson is a Senior Middle East Analyst, who lived and worked in the Middle East, and has degrees from Moody Bible Institute and the University of London. He an ITM Advisory Board member.

And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:28).

Before the World was created, and before the Stars danced in majestic design. Before the galaxies displayed their glorious splendor, and before Adam and Eve graced the landscape of our blue-jeweled-planet. Before there was light or darkness, and before anything was realized, before time itself, there was God. Within the eternal mind of God, before anything was created in Heaven, or, on earth, visible, or, invisible, there was a plan, there was a design, and a purpose that He set in motion.

He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.  And Christ is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Col. 1).

God chose to communicate through His creation. David said, The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork (Ps. 19:1).  Just by simply looking up into the heavens you know that God exists and is there.

God chose to communicate through His Word.  The psalmist wrote, Forever, O Lord, your word is settled in heaven.  Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you established the earth and it abides (Ps. 119:89). David stated, You have magnified your word above all your name (Ps. 138:2).

God chose to communicate through a nomadic people. 

Nearly 4,000 years ago God chose a 75-year-old man from Mesopotamia and made a covenant with him. Abraham lived some 300 years after the flood and Jewish tradition declares that his mother took him as a child to learn from Noah and Shem as they were still alive during Abraham’s lifetime.

God chose to make a covenant with Abram (Genesis 12:1-3).

Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Abram means exalted father.  Abraham means father of a multitude – Genesis 17, Abraham was 99-years-old.

When the Lord made this covenant, He began to communicate specifically through a chosen people. These tribes were the descendants of Abraham and Sarah. Through Abraham came the promised son Isaac.  Then Jacob was born, then the 12 sons of Jacob, the patriarchs, followed by Moses, the prophets, judges, and kings.

God chose to convey a story through these descendants of Abraham, a story so wonderful, so profound, so simple and yet so complex. It was a story of an Anointed One that would come, a Messiah who would redeem Israel and deliver them from their oppressors. This Messiah would be the glory of Israel and a light to the Gentiles.

God chose to reveal a promise concerning land that exclusively belonged to the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son. This hope touched the very soul within the children of Israel. This promised piece of real-estate is at the heart of the tension throughout the Middle East. “Who owns the land” is the main issue that is so provocative that people are willing to give their lives for this portion of property.

God chose borders of His chosen land? Genesis 15:18 (from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates). This is in part the same location as Israel today. Israel does not have all the land promised her.  The fulfillment of all the land is yet to come.

God chose descendants to dwell in this land? Genesis 12:1-3 (descendants of Abraham).  This covenant was later confirmed to Abraham to be unconditional and everlasting (Genesis 17:7, 8), “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

Subsequently, the covenant was confirmed to his son Isaac in Genesis 17:19, and then to his grandson Jacob in Genesis 35:9-15.

God chose the children of Isaac, Abraham’s son, to be:

1. A witness to the true God of the universe before the nations
2. A conduit to receive, preserve, and transmit Holy Scripture,
3. The posterity for the Messiah, the savior of the world

Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth’ (Isa. 49:6).

“You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the Lord, “that I am God (Isa. 43:10 – 12).

They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises.  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen (Rom. 9:4,5).

God chose Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel) to be the center of the world. Israel has been on the crossroads of the great empires, Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Israel has been “Gods testing ground of faith.” Israel has been, and still is, the place where God shows forth His miraculous power to sustain, and bless His ancient people.  God’s covenant regarding the land is everlasting and unconditional.

God said to Abram, For all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever…Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you (Gen. 13:15-17). 

God chose Gentiles to Help. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land.  The strangers (Gentiles) will be joined with them…People (Gentiles) will take them and bring them to their place (Isa. 14:1, 2).

Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations (Gentiles), and set my banner for the peoples: They shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders (Isa. 49:22).

God Chose Precious Promises. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3).

God Chose:

1. To communicate through Creation
2. To communicate through His Word
3. A people
4. A Covenant with Abram
5. To Convey a story of an Anointed One
6. To Reveal a promise
7. Israel’s Borders
8. Abraham’s Descendants
9. Children of Isaac to be witnesses
10. Eretz Yisrael
11. Gentiles to Help
12. Precious promises regarding Israel

This is why Israel exists!

Shalom and Blessings,

Dr. Jeff

In December, U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, greeted Louise and me by saying, “Hello, I am Mike Huckabee.” He was so humble, and charming.

I said, “It is an honor to meet you. I voted for you.”  He replied, “You are a very intelligent man!”  We laughed.  I gave him a signed copy of my book, Fifty Days with God: A Jubilee.

He knew of our work in Israel, and we found out that we have mutual friends and ministry acquaintances.  We chatted about ITM, Israel, his calling as Ambassador, God’s plan for Israel, and the heresy of Replacement Theology that is taught profusely in the church today.

He has represented the U.S. through wars with Gaza, Hezbollah, Iran, and Yemen.  His work is just beginning.  Being Ambassador to Israel is not ceremonial, it is a hard-working position.  The security is high and the expectations are great.

Our time with him lasted over 40 minutes before he was called away on some urgent matter – Louise and I were humbled and grateful for him taking time out of his busy schedule to be with us.  We said our goodbyes with great warmth.  I assured him that “for such a time as this” he was called to this position, and that tens of thousands are praying for him.

He expressed a heartfelt humility and thankfulness.  Ambassador Mike Huckabee is a true Christian Statesman.  Pray for him, that God gives him wisdom, clarity of thought, peace, and protection.

Shalom and Blessings,

Dr. Jeff

*Read Louise’s blog about our Meeting the Ambassador

Have you noticed how dizzying the things of the world have become? Have you noticed how it does not slow? The media, and the tools of media, spin and churn a vertigo of fear. It’s too easy to become drawn into that relentless cycle. It entices with “what if” questions that feed doubt and anxiety.

You might innocently just be trying to check the news or catch the weather but the stream of fear pouring out can mesmerize anyone. Passive recipients become entrapped and distracted away from the truth. This is not what God wants for us. We are not a people with a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) The problem is not with seeking knowledge. The problem is who we are asking.

God wants us to ask Him questions. Questions are good!

The Asking Promise:

Believers are given a promise. The promise is that if we ask God for wisdom – He will give us wisdom! We read this in James.

James was written to all the Jewish believing assemblies throughout the Roman Empire in what is called the dispersion. The word dispersion or diaspora is a term that refers to the Jews who were living outside the land of Israel. James’ role was to provide godly guidance to these young believing assemblies and guide them on how they ought to live and behave. He did this for the church in Jerusalem, for the believers in the diaspora through this letter, and now for you and I.

He writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James1:5

The criteria for receiving the wisdom that God has promised to you and I is that we ask in faith and that we ask honestly. The saints grasp for promises like these when the nights get long. It is so uncomplicated that it reflects instruction intended for children. This is good because simplicity is valuable when faced with the confusing temptation the world has to offer. We only need to trust the simple promises of God like a child.

Ask like a Passover Child:

Every year Pesach, or Passover, is celebrated because God passed over the blood stained doorways of Jewish homes sparing the firstborn from death during the final Egyptian plague. Every year the story is retold in Jewish homes at the Seder with the story being prompted by questions from the children.

 Why is this night different from all other nights?

• On all other nights we eat bread or matzah, but on this night only matzah, why?

Because of the haste of leaving Egypt

• On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, but on this night, we eat bitter herbs, why?

Because of the bitterness of slavery

• On all other nights we do not dip our food even once, but on this night, we dip twice, why?

Because of the tears and suffering

• On all other nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, but on this night we all recline, why?

Because of the posture of free people

These are called the four questions. From the lips of the children, they seek truth and comfort from the wisdom of their father and learn of God’s salvation. This festival of freedom is initiated by the questions of children.

Ask and He gives a spirit of peace:

The believer may approach the Father in the same way, like a child.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” Philippians 4:6-7

A spirit of peace is profoundly available if we ask “like a Passover child.”

We here at Israel Today Ministries teach scripture and feed children and Holocaust survivors in Israel.  Thank you for your faithful prayers and partnership!

May God, bless you,

Scott Johnson

• Scott Johnson is a Senior Middle East Analyst, who lived and worked in the Middle East, and has degrees from Moody Bible Institute and the University of London. He an ITM Advisory Board member.

During Passover Jesus directed the disciples to find a donkey with a colt. “So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. ⁸ And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David!  ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” ¹⁰ And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matt. 21:6 – 11, NKJV).

Jews, celebrate Passover remembering their deliverance from Egyptian slavery.  For centuries, the early church would celebrate the resurrection during Passover.  Why?   Jesus died on Passover during the exact moment the Passover lambs were being slaughtered.  Thus, Paul stated, “Yeast, too, is a “small thing,” but it works its way through a whole batch of bread dough pretty fast. So get rid of this “yeast.” Our true identity is flat and plain, not puffed up with the wrong kind of ingredient. The Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed for the Passover meal, and we are the Unraised Bread part of the Feast. So let’s live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread—simple, genuine, unpretentious” (1 Cor. 5:6 – 8, The Message)

The Feasts of Passover (Pesach), Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzot), and Firstfruits (Yom HaBikkurim), are all part of Passover.

Passover: Part of the tradition and celebration included the
head of each household taking a lamb to the Temple to be slaughtered as a sacrifice unto the Lord. Each family would procure a lamb and tend to it making sure it was without spot or blemish.

Then at the appointed time on the day of Passover, the heads of the households, wearing a special white outer garment, would carry the lamb on their shoulders into the Temple. They would line up by the thousands. At 3:00 P.M., the time of the afternoon sacrifice, a priest would climb to the top of the wall and blow the shofar (trumpet) indicating that it was time to offer the Passover Lamb.

The heads of the households would take a special sacrificial knife and slit the lamb’s throat. The priests, who were standing by, would catch the blood in a basin and then offer the blood upon the Altar. The men would prepare the lamb and take it home to be eaten with family and friends.

The blood would splatter on the white garments worn by the men. They would walk home with this blood stained outer garment. The blood-stained garment was horrifying to look at. It was a reminder of the payment for redemption from bondage and from sin was the “shedding of blood” (Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22).

Unleavened Bread, represents a pure bread, without sin (leaven), – Jesus was without sin, ^“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21, ESV).

Firstfruits, “But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of them that are asleep” (I Cor. 15:20, ASV).

Messiah became Sin!

Jesus died a horrible death on the cross for our sin.  He cried, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani – My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me” (Matt. 27:46, KJV)?

This was the moment when God the Father hid His face from His Son, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness” (Hab. 1:13, NKJV). 

Why?  Because it is written at that moment Christ became a “curse for us.”  “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Gal. 3:13, NLT).

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:10, 13, 14; Isa. 59:2, KJV).

Jews enslaved for so long!

The Jews were enslaved in Egypt for so long they had lost hope. Then came Moses, the first prophet, with a message from God – they should trust in the “blood of the Lamb.”  They would become free from slavery and free in their souls – only if they believe the message and act upon it. The last prophet, John the Baptist, came with the same message, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Remembering Messiah, our Passover lamb, is a Celebration of Hope:

The Scripture and rabbinic sages of old told that Messiah would come, die, and be resurrected (Scripture and Talmudic references are noted below):

• Salvation Comes from Messiah & that He would come in Nisan – on Passover (Psa. 116:13; Exod. 12:42; Pesachim 119b; Rosh Hashmah 11b)
• Messiah Would Die (Lev. 17:11; Isa. 53; Psa. 22; Sukkah 52a; Sanhedrin 98b)
• Messiah Would be Resurrected (Psa. 72:16; Isa. 53:11; Ketuboth 111b)

The Charge

The resurrection is God’s affirmation that he has not only, “Reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ,” but has “given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor. 5:18,19, NKJV).

After the resurrection, our Lord gave us a mandate to be witnesses for Him “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, ESV).

The Lord also gave us the charge to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature…to the Jew first, and, also to the Greek” (Mk. 16:15 NKJV; Rom. 1:16, ESV). 

“So let’s live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread—simple, genuine, unpretentious” (1 Cor. 5:6 – 8, The Message)

Shalom and Blessings,

Dr. Jeff

Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore (Genesis 22:17).

The rabbis wondered about these words. They said, “It would have been better if the Torah said, ‘as the sand’ or ‘as the stars’”. Why does the Torah use both?

Their conclusion was that God revealed to Abraham a vision of his future progeny.  He saw that they would be persecuted and downtrodden like the sand.  But, eventually He would raise them up like the stars of the heavens.

God made a covenant with Abram (exalted father), his name would be changed to Abraham (father of a multitude) in chapter 17:1 – 8, that would change the world.

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you
And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:2, 3).

Genesis 12:2, 3 contains seven blessings.  Seven is the number of perfection.  The blessing that was bestowed upon Abraham was perfect.

1. I will make you a great nation,
2. I will bless you,
3. And make your name great;
4. And you shall be a blessing;
5. I will bless those who bless you,
6. And I will curse him who curses you;
7. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Abraham’s sons received similar seven-fold blessings, Isaac (Genesis 26:3, 4) and Jacob (Genesis 27:28, 29).

1. A great nation: In old age Abram was given the promise of an abundance of offspring.  This was a promise that would test his faith.
2. I will bless you: Here the promise is regarding protection, peace, and a bestowal of all that is good which would be highlighted some 430 years later by the Aaronic Blessing found in Numbers 6:24 – 26 describing a life that is blessed by the Lord.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’

Y’va-rech’cha Adonai v’yee sh’m’reicha.

Ya-er Adonai panav eleicha vee choo-neka.

Yee sa Adonai panav eleicha v’yasem l’cha shalom.

3. Make your name great: A promise that Abram’s name would not only represent his personality, but it would be associated with the ideal called Abraham and the impact his purpose and calling would have on the world. His name has great worth.
4. You shall be a blessing: The mysterious fruit of his great worth through the prophets, priests, kings, and ultimately the Messiah will bless the nations beyond measure.
5. I will bless those who bless you: The word “bless” means to serve, the concept of bending the knee.  When one bends the knee, it implies doing service for someone, to bring benefit, to show sympathy, friendship, and/or seeking their welfare, thus blessing the person, or in this case the people of Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob.
6. And I will curse him who curses you: Those who would hurt, harm, or seek evil against Abraham will be cursed.

Two different Hebrew words are used for “curse”. 

The first is “kalal” meaning, “to consider lightly, to hold in contempt, not taking them seriously – a throw away.

The second word is “aor” which means to absolutely destroy, to annihilate, to extinguish, to end.

Simply put, God said to Abraham, “I will bless and do good by those who bless and do good by you. However, I will entirely destroy and outright end those who take you lightly, or harm you!”   

– For example, the Egyptians, Babylonians, Romans, and the German Third Reich who cursed Israel are empires in the dust.

7. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed:

Abraham’s messianic seed will become the source of blessing to all nations. This blessing, or spiritual blessings will extend to the Gentiles as promised through the prophets (Isaiah 42:1, 42:6, 49:5, 6; Amos 9:11, 12).

We owe a great debt to the Jewish people. The bible, prophets, priests, kings the Messiah came through the Jews.  Gentiles go to church because of the Jewish witness of Messiah to Gentiles (Acts 10).

Simply put, “Bless the seed of Abraham, and do not “take [them] lightly.” 

Don’t Mess with Abraham!

Shalom and Blessings,

Dr. Jeff

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:27).

Moses tells us that human beings are a special part of God’s creation.

God created us in His own image, “in the image of God (tzelem Elohim)”. The Hebrew word for “image” is (tzelem) and connects to another Hebrew word (tzel) meaning “Shadow.”

A shadow appears when light falls upon us. According to Holy Scripture humans are created in God’s image, a shadow or figure of God. God’s presence and light (Shekinah) overshadowed Adam as He “Kissed” or breathed into his nostrils. As God breathed the breath of life into Adam His divine presence did cast a shadow.

Human beings (though flawed by sin) reflect or shadow God’s beauty, and holiness. Augustine stated, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in every person that only Christ can fill”. This being true a human being will only find completeness and peace, by trusting and putting their eternal future in Messiah Jesus.

Another word joins with the Hebrew word for “image” – the name Bezalel who was the person chosen by God to create the Tabernacle (Exodus 31). Bezalel means “in the shadow of God.” The tabernacle made it possible for anyone to come near to God – it provided a very special connection to the divine.

When we come near to God, and worship Him, we are in His very presence, in His shadow, and under His wings, which is a reference to the Shekinah, the Divine Presence of God (Psalm 91:1 – 4).

Points to Ponder:

Believers rest in His “shadow, under His wings” caused by the light of his glory (Shekinah) for God protects them (Psalm 91:1, 4).

Believers are secure in the “Shadow,” caused by the light/glory (Shekinah) of the Almighty, and are protected as God will never abandon His children.

Believers have peace, and assurance that God can be known, and is known.

Believers have been accepted in the Beloved.  (Ephesians 1:5 – 7).

These truths are humbling. We do not deserve God’s mercy – He doesn’t owe us anything.

Nevertheless, through His love, mercy and grace, God makes it possible for anyone to come near to Him in a personal relationship through the blood of Messiah Jesus – “To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:6, 7).

Shalom and Blessings,

Dr. Jeff

Time is short, Life is precious, and Jesus is coming soon!

I received a letter from the Mayor of Ofakim expressing his heartfelt appreciation for ITM and our work in Israel.

Mayor Itzhak Danino stated,

“Your visit to our city was truly inspiring. The many years of’ contribution you have given to Israel are heartwarming, a true blessing to the Jewish people. We cherish the bond we have formed, a wonderful friendship that honors the legacy of your late mother and continues through you.”   You can read the complete letter above.

Beloved, your steadfast generosity and prayers are making a powerful impact upon Israeli hearts.  Thank you for standing shoulder to shoulder with us.  There is more work to be done and the partnership of friends like you is key to our mission.

May God, bless you beyond measure for your exceptional love, and kindness as together we feed children and survivors in Israel, and teach God’s holy Word!

The Defenders

While in Ofakim we met some of the defenders of the city.  Three grandmothers were sitting on a bench.  The mayor introduced Louise and me, explaining why we and our team were in their city providing food for the surviving children on behalf of hostages taken by Hamas.  These three women took up arms against the Hamas invaders and were willing to die to protect their families, their neighbors, and home. They reminded me of Deborah who defended Israel (Judges 4, 5).

Bomb Shelters (inside a shelter)

We spoke with people who ran into bomb shelters when the attack on October 7  began.  There were stories of Hamas throwing grenades and using rocket launchers against the shelters.  One person shared while in the shelter, terrorists attempted to throw smoke grenades into the air vents of the shelter. The horror, the terror was indescribable.

“Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God  “Speak kindly to Jerusalem (Isaiah 40:1, 2).

Israel Today Ministries brings comfort, sustenance, and Messiah Jesus feeding children and survivors in Israel.

Shalom and Blessings,

Until He comes, we are

Together Under His Wings,

Dr. Jeff

Time is short, Life is precious, and Jesus is coming soon!

Before the World was created, and before the Stars danced in majestic design. Before the galaxies displayed their glorious splendor, and before Adam and Eve graced the landscape of our blue-jeweled-planet. Before there was light or darkness, and before anything was realized, before time itself, there was God.

Within the eternal mind of God, before anything was created in Heaven, or, on earth, visible, or, invisible, there was a plan, there was a design, and a purpose that He set in motion.

You see He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.  And Christ is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Col 2).

God chose to communicate through His creation. David said, The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork (Ps. 19:1). Just by simply looking up into the heavens you know that God exists and is there.

God chose to communicate through His Word.  The psalmist wrote, Forever, O Lord, your word is settled in heaven.  Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you established the earth and it abides (Ps. 119:89). David stated, You have magnified your word above all your name (Ps. 138:2).

God chose to communicate through a nomadic people.  Nearly 4,000 years ago God chose a 75-year-old man from Mesopotamia and made a covenant with him. Abraham lived some 300 years after the flood and Jewish tradition declares that his mother took him as a child to learn from Noah and Shem as they were still alive during Abraham’s lifetime.

God chose to make a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). When the Lord made this covenant, He began to communicate specifically through a chosen people. These tribes were the descendants of Abraham and Sarah. Through Abraham came the promised son Isaac. Then Jacob was born, then the 12 sons of Jacob, the patriarchs, followed by Moses, the prophets, judges, and kings.

God chose to convey a story through these descendants of Abraham, a story so wonderful, so profound, so simple and yet so complex. It was a story of an Anointed One that would come, a Messiah who would redeem Israel and deliver them from their oppressors.  This Messiah would be the glory of Israel and a light to the Gentile.

God chose to reveal a promise concerning land that exclusively belonged to the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son. This hope touched the very soul within the children of Israel. This promised piece of real-estate is at the heart of the tension throughout the Middle East. “Who owns the land” is the main issue that is so provocative that people are willing to give their lives for this portion of property.

God chose borders of His chosen land? Genesis 15:18 (from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates). This is in part the same location as Israel today. Israel does not have all the land promised her.  The fulfillment of all the land is yet to come.

God chose descendants to dwell in this land? Genesis 12:1-3 (descendants of Abraham). This covenant was later confirmed to Abraham to be unconditional and everlasting (Genesis 17:7, 8). Subsequently, the covenant was confirmed to his son Isaac in Genesis 17:19, and then to his grandson Jacob in Genesis 35:9-15.

God chose the children of Isaac, Abraham’s son, to be:

1. A witness to the true God of the universe before the nations
2. A conduit to receive, preserve, and transmit Holy Scripture
3. The posterity for the Messiah, the savior of the world

God chose Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel) to be the center of the world. Israel has been on the crossroads of the great empires, Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Israel has been “Gods testing ground of faith.” Israel has been, and still is, the place where God shows forth His miraculous power to sustain, and bless His ancient people. God’s covenant regarding the land is everlasting and unconditional.

God said to Abram, For all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever…Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you (Gen. 13:15-17). 

God chose Gentiles to Help. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land.  The strangers (Gentiles) will be joined with them…People (Gentiles) will take them and bring them to their place (Isa. 14:1, 2).

Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations (Gentiles), and set my banner for the peoples: They shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders (Isa. 49:22).

God Chose Precious Promises. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3).

Shalom and Blessings,

Dr. Jeff

Scientists say the probability of you existing at all comes out to 1 in 102,685,000  — yes, that’s a 10 followed by 2,685,000 zeroes!

The odds of you being alive are basically zero. You matter! You are a miracle.

Genesis 1

When God created during the first five days, He said, “Let there be! [light, firmament, luminaries],” (Heb. yehi, 1:3, 6, 14).  

Grammatically in the Hebrew “Let there be” expresses encouragement, or exhortation.

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship” (Psalm 19:1, NLT).

By the time, we arrive on “The Sixth Day (Genesis 1:31)” a profound change happened,

“Let us make” (Genesis 1:26) which is one Hebrew word “naaseh” which expresses a command.  In contrast to the encouragement or exhortation of “Let there be.”

Here, a directive was spoken, a demand was given. With great divine power and purpose God was about to do something extraordinary – create humankind in His, “Our own image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26, NASB).  The Hebrew word “bet-zal-meinu” translated “in our image” refers to the original image or imitation.

Free Will

Every human being is stamped with the image of God.

Every human being has free will.

Every human being has the free will to come to the Father through Jesus, or reject the prompting of God.

This is a mystery.  We all have choices. “God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go wrong or right (C.S. Lewis, “The Case for Christianity”).

People do make wrong decisions during times of fear and uncertainty – even Christians.  As believers, we must anchor our minds and actions upon God’s word.  There are days we do this better.

Good news, when we err, tomorrow God’s mercies are renewed.  We get to have a “do over.”  “The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will    hope in him!” (Lamentations 3:22 – 24, NLT)

During a time of testing, remember God created you in His image. You are no mistake – God makes no mistake!

Points to Ponder:

1. With great divine power and purpose God created you (Psalm 139:13 – 17, NLT).
2. “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
   
3. Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
4. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
5. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
6. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!” 

• God thinks about you, “But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God” (Psalm 40:17, NKJV).
• God will hold your hand, walk with you and help you, “For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13, NKJV). 

 If you err, you can begin again.

God, in His mercy, gives us the opportunity every morning to begin anew, to have a “do over.”   – You matter!  You are a miracle. If you were not here, the world would not be the same.  Your absence would create a huge void!

Shalom and Blessings,

Dr. Jeff

Time is short, Life is precious, and Jesus is coming soon!