Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
The fig tree's first appearance in the Bible is in Eden. In this paradise, God created Adam and Eve and provided them with an abundance of food, including the fig tree. Here in Genesis, the fig represents the abundant provision that God provided for humanity before sin entered the world.
The seven species are wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and honey (dates). Even today, these fruits and grains represent the fertility and richness of the Promised Land, underscoring God's covenant with Israel and His promise to provide for His people.
In the Book of Micah, a prophetic vision of the Messianic Age is presented, where the entire world will gather in peace and learn God's ways. The prophet said...
"He will judge between many peoples and decide for mighty nations far off.
Micah foresaw a time of prosperity, safety, and unity, where each person will enjoy the fruits of their labor, including sitting securely under their own fig tree.
The disciples of Jesus were also longing for this day to come, and they discussed it many times in the Gospels.
Yeshua spoke of the fig tree numerous times, using it as a symbol for Israel. His teachings hold profound significance for us today, especially concerning the rebirth of Israel.
A few days before His crucifixion and resurrection, He promised this to His followers...
"Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door."
Jesus used the blooming of the fig tree (symbolic of the nation of Israel) as a massive signpost for us. He wanted us to know that when the fig tree returns to life, He is near, right at the door.
For Believers, the fig tree began to bloom again in 1948.
After almost two millennia of exile, the Jewish people returned to their Promised Land and the nation of Israel was reborn.
Since the fig tree has so much spiritual symbolism, we knew we had to somehow weave it into our newest jewelry. And so we did!
It's a stunning piece of jewelry in a timeless style, allowing women of faith to be reminded every day that the King of Israel is near, right at the door.
Click below to treat yourself with this beautiful jewelry, or surprise a loved one with this one-of-a-kind gift...
It is imperative that we stand with God, and stand with the Jewish people in this hour.
Not only does Scripture provide clear demarcations and declarations regarding Israel and His plan for salvation which I outline below, it also shows us how we are to respond in proclamation, praise and prayer! Join me for such a time as this in calling forth God's purposes for the Jewish people around the world!
The Bible is our foundation for life, revealing the very nature of God Himself, and how we should then live in relationship with Him in light of these absolutes. The people of Israel are God's chosen people, through which He foretold, demonstrated and then extended His plan for the salvation of all mankind through Jesus Christ. Let's look to Scripture as our roadmap for end-time events related to Israel and the Middle East, and accept the invitation God has extended for us to partner with Him as watchmen on the walls for the days in which we live!
The Miraculous Birth of a Nation
The Scriptures foretell a regional dispersion of the Jewish people followed by a regional regathering. In detail, the prophetic Scriptures predict a second worldwide scattering followed by a second worldwide regathering. We have these Scriptures being fulfilled in our lifetime!
Isaiah 43:5-6: "Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, 'Give them up,' and to the south, 'Do not keep them back. Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth.'"
Isaiah 11:11-12: "In that day the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, who shall be left, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. He shall set up a banner for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
On May 14-15, 1948 the nation of Israel was reborn out of a time of tremendous persecution, and out of the ashes of the horrific holocaust of WWII. But ultimately, God's redemptive plan and purposes prevailed. The enemy of God and His redemptive purposes for the Jewish people and all the peoples of the earth, are under attack again. Satan and his lying demons are stirring evil men's hearts to "cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more remembered" (Ps. 83:4). But we must take a stand and be God's friends and Israel's friends in this tumultuous hour.
7 Clear Scriptural Demarcations and Declarations
1. The only reliable source. The Scriptures, God's distinct prophetic words, provide the only reliable source of light upon the current situation in the Middle East.
2. The ultimate destiny. God has determined the ultimate destiny of both Israel and the church in eternity on the basis of His foreknowledge. Its outworking in time is guaranteed by the irrevocable covenants which God has made with each of them. God will perform His very own Word!
3. Dependency upon God's grace. For all good that God has promised to Israel and the church, both are equally and totally dependent upon God's grace which can be appropriated by faith. We are saved by grace through faith!
4. Tests and pressures lie ahead. Tremendous tests and pressures lie ahead for both Israel and the church, but those who faithfully endure will be privileged to share God's kingdom with Him throughout all eternity.
5. Acknowledging our spiritual inheritance. Authentic Christian believers from gentile backgrounds owe their spiritual inheritance to the God of Israel. One appropriate way to acknowledge their gratitude is to stand by Israel and to uphold them with fervent intercession.
6. The future of the Middle East. The people of the Middle East will never know true justice and lasting peace until they are submitted to God's ruler—the Lord Jesus Christ. This is true for every nation, all mankind, every ethnic background, every individual person, and every people group of the earth.
7. God's plan of salvation. There is only one way to salvation and it is by placing faith in the atoning work of the cross of God's only son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except by believing in Christ Jesus!
Lessons From Our Bible – A Jewish Book
"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book."
The Bible is essentially a record of God's plan for salvation of mankind highlighting Israel's history, written by Israelites, partly in the form of history and partly in the form of prophecy.
1. Old Testament authorship. Jewish authors wrote all 39 Books of the Old Testament. (Of course, this is the human agency we are acknowledging, as we believe God inspires all Scripture directly.)
2. The Messiah's background. Jesus was born a Jew, died a Jew and will return as a Jew.
3. Location of gospel accounts. All the events of the gospels (except the flight to Egypt) take place in the land of Israel.
4. The people of the gospels. Over 90 percent of the people portrayed in the gospels are Israelites.
5. New Testament authorship. Every one of the 27 books of the New Testament has Jewish authorship (Luke might be considered as a possible exception, but he was a proselyte to Judaism).
6. The establishing of the early apostolic church. The main instruments for establishing the early apostolic churches and spreading the gospel of the Kingdom were Jewish.
7. Background of the disciples All 12 apostles chosen by Jesus were Jewish.
8.The condition of the future city of God. The future city of God, the New Jerusalem, as recorded in the book of Revelation is inscribed with the names of the 12 tribes of Judah.
9. Characteristics of the foundation. Its foundations carry the names of the 12 apostles of Jesus.
Statements by Early American Fathers Emphasizing their Reliance on the Word of God
The statements below, and many others like them, reinforce the inspiration, authority and the necessity of relying upon and building within the constructs of the Bible. They also give us a warning of consequences that could occur when we as a people or any governing society err from the absolutes in the Word of God.
1. George Washington –"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
2. Abraham Lincoln – "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man. All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book."
3.Daniel Webster – "If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering, but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.
Our Significant Scriptural Response
1. Proclaim – (Jeremiah 31:10) "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far off, and say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock."
2. Praise – (Psalm 8:2) "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength because of Your enemies, to silence the enemy and the avenger."
3. Pray – (Jeremiah 31:7) "For thus says the LORD, "Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; publish, praise, and say, 'O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.'"
Our Prophetic Posture in Prayer
We are called to stand in the gap as believers in the Messiah and pray and take a stand for the God of Israel and the nation of Israel. God is raising up a corporate Esther for such a time as this.Will you join me in proclaiming, praising and praying, "He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd does his flock." And declare, 'O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.'" Amen and Amen!
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Take a moment and check out our Faith-Friendly Film Review of A.D. THE BIBLE CONTINUES —a 12-week television event premiering this Easter Sunday, April 5th on NBC at 9 ET / 8 CT.
Arriving just in time for Easter and airing in prime time through Pentecost and beyond, A.D. THE BIBLE CONTINUES tells the amazing story of the first followers of Jesus as recounted in the Book of Acts and the Gospels.
Click here to read the full review and find out how we rated A.D. THE BIBLE CONTINUES.
As you know, we’ve developed a set of five specific criteria to measure the compatibility of entertainment products for Faith Driven Consumers like you and me.
By supporting faith-compatible entertainment, we collectively encourage Hollywood to continue producing more products that resonate with the 41 million Americans who are Faith Driven Consumers and spend $2 trillion annually.
Share this review with your family and friends. We hope you will use it to make an informed stewardship decision about taking the time to tune in to A.D. THE BIBLE CONTINUES this Sunday evening and in the weeks that follow.
Jesus' Words Backed by Archaeology: The Stones Are Crying Out
A burial cave in Jerusalem (YouTube)
A few years ago, people exploring caves outside Jerusalem came across the find of a lifetime: an ancient burial cave containing the remains of a crucified man. This find is only one in a series of finds that overturns a century-old scholarly consensus.
That consensus held that the Gospels are almost entirely proclamation and contain little, if any, real history. The remains belonged to a man who had been executed in the first century A.D., that is, from the time of Jesus.
As Jeffrey Sheler writes in his book Is the Bible True? the skeleton confirms what the evangelists wrote about Jesus' death and burial in several important ways.
First, location—scholars had long doubted the biblical account of Jesus' burial. They believed that crucified criminals were tossed in a mass grave and then devoured by wild animals. But this man, a near contemporary of Jesus, was buried in the same way the Bible says Jesus was buried.
Then there's the physical evidence from the skeleton. The man's shinbones appeared to have been broken. This confirms what John wrote about the practice of Roman executioners. They would break the legs of the crucified to hasten death, something from which Jesus, already dead, was spared.
This point is particularly noteworthy, since scholars have long dismissed the details of John's Passion narrative as theologically motivated embellishments. Another part of John's Gospel that archaeology has recently corroborated is the story of Jesus healing the lame man in John 5.
John describes a five-sided pool just inside the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem where the sick came to be healed. Since no other document of antiquity—including the rest of the Bible—mentions such a place, skeptics have long argued that John simply invented the place. But as Sheler points out, when archaeologists decided to dig where John said that the pool had been located, they found a five-sided pool. What's more, the pool contained shrines to the Greek gods of healing.
Apparently John didn't make up the pool after all. The dismissal of biblical texts without bothering to dig points to a dirty little secret about a lot of scholarly opinion: Much of the traditional suspicion of the biblical text can only be called a prejudice.
That is, it's a conclusion arrived at before one has the facts. Scholars long assumed that the Bible, like other documents of antiquity, was essentially propaganda, what theologian Rudolf Bultmann called "kerygma" or proclamation.
But this prejudice does an injustice to biblical faith. Central to that faith are history and memory.
Christians believe that God has acted, and continues to act, in history. For us, remembering what God has done is an act of worship—something that brings us closer to God.
Thus, while these discoveries in the desert may come as a surprise to some skeptics, they're no surprise to Christians. While archeology alone cannot bring a person to faith, these finds are an eloquent argument for not dismissing the truth of Scripture before at least examining the evidence, because, as we are learning every day, Jesus meant it when He said, "The very stones will cry out."