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 Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee was fully reopened with the help of Israel President Reuven Rivlin this week, some 22 months after Jewish extremists set fire to the compound.
Two rooms in the historic church, where tradition says Jesus performed one of his most noted miracles, were badly damaged in the blaze.
Renovations on the church took eight months. The State of Israel covered one-third of the cost.
Rivlin and his wife were joined by a number of Christian leaders and foreign dignitaries at the celebratory event.
The Israeli president told to those gathered and to Christians around the world:
"We stand up for religious freedom because, as a people, we know very well what it means to suffer religious persecution. And we stand up for religious freedom because we are a democratic state – who believe in the rights for everyone to worship God according to their belief.
“The last time I was here, we stood together and looked at the burnt walls and the terrible graffiti. Today, I visit here again, and see the renewal of this historic, special, and holy place. I want to thank all the people who worked hard to restore this place, and to say clearly; that hate cannot win.”
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Glory to God, peace on earth Goodwill to all men Here with the angels we sing And as He reigns from above May He reign in our hearts Our sovereign Lord and King
Oh, Immanuel Oh, Immanuel Oh, Immanuel God with us
Hallelujah to the One who made His home among us And took our sin away Oh, hallelujah! He has torn the veil That separated To bring us face to face
Glory, glory, glory to God in the highest Worthy, worthy, worthy is our Messiah
Kinneret is the Hebrew name for the Sea of Galilee, Israel’s blessed source of freshwater. The Hebrew root of the word Kinneret is כִּינור kinor, which is a violin or a harp, much like the shape of the lake. To this day, Jews around the world include in their morning prayers a prayer for rain over the Land of Israel during its short rainy season, to refill the fresh waters of the Kinneret. Delight in these blessed waters with body care products made of the mineral-rich waters of the Sea of Galilee.
Two leading rabbis met in Jerusalem this week and revealed why this year is especially auspicious for the coming of the Messiah, and the surprising preparation we must do.
It’s great to hear from you and make new friends from all over the world. Please send mean email and let me know how you are enjoying Jerusalem365 (don’t forget to say where you are from!).
Thank you Jerusalem365 for sending me mails. I am practicing Judaism at Moreh, Moreshet Synagogue at Manipur under the B'nei Menashe community. Getting mails from Jewish organizations regarding how to be Jewish makes me feel alive, and I want to live for my Family. Torah has chosen me and I embraced the Torah to live for eternity. Toda Raba Lekha.
As the deer longs for brooks of water, so does my soul long for you. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God, when shall I come and appear before God?
In today's beautiful psalm, an exiled Israel calls longingly to God to be brought home to its Land. The Psalmist compares the nation's longing to be close to God, to a deer which longs for a brook of water to quench its thirst. Now you can delight in the quenching waters of the Holy Land with a new line of face and body care products based on organic oils and purified mineral-rich waters from the Sea of Galilee.
Two American families moved to Yavne’el in the Upper Galilee and personally witnessed Jacob’s blessing to Naftali come to fruition right in their backyard.
In 72 minutes, the film reveals that radical Islamists driven by a religiously motivated rejection of western values cultures and religion are engaging in a multifaceted strategy to overcome the western world. Find out more in this compelling documentary.
I am enjoying your Israel365 website with all the information and reminders of things that happened on certain days and the upcoming events. I have made some purchases from your online store. I was with a tour in Israel April 4 - 13 and loved it. I am already planning to return with them in 2018. I live in Lubbock, Texas, USA.- Lynn Welch
I have learned so much from this site! I like the pictures you post. I have never been there and I feel like visitor. The scriptures are inspiring. May God bless this ministry and bring many people closer to God. Johanna Simon. Arizona, USA
The incense shovel after having been cleaned in the Israel Antiquities Authority metallurgical laboratories. Photo: Clara Amit (Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority/TPS)
2,000-Year-Old Bronze Artifacts Tied to Temple Unearthed Near Sea of Galilee
“And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of sweet spices; every morning, when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn it.” Exodus 30:7 (The Israel Bible™)
An ancient bronze shovel and jug tied to the religious rituals of the Second Temple were discovered in archaeological excavations at Magdala – an important Jewish town dating back to the period of Roman antiquity, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Tuesday, April 5.
During an ongoing excavation project, a group of volunteers from Chile discovered an ornate bronze incense shovel and a matching bronze jug believed to have stored incense or coals for ritual use.
“The incense shovel that was found is one of ten others that are known in the country from the Second Temple period. From early research it is thought that the incense shovel was only used for ritual purposes, for the embers and incense that were burnt in ritual ceremonies,” Dina Avshalom-Gorni, the Chief archaeologist on behalf of the IAA, told Tazpit Press Service (TPS).
The incense shovel as it was found in the excavation. ( Eyad Bisharat, Israel Antiquities Authority/MFA)
According to Avshalom-Gorni, incense shovels are known worldwide as ritualistic and religious implements in ancient religions, and their use has permeated into Judaism. The book of Exodus states: “You shall make the altar…you shall make pots for it to receive its ashes, and shovels and basins and forks and firepans; all its utensils you shall make of bronze,” a quote which ties these artifacts to the rituals of the Jewish Temple, at least symbolically.
“We know that these are certainly sacred tools, perhaps pertaining to the local synagogue discovered on this site, a synagogue which was quite grand and rich and important in the region,” Avshalom-Gorni explained to TPS. “It’s a rare and exciting find.”
The site is located near the town of Migdal along the western shore of Sea of Galilee. Migdal, or Magdala as it was known by its Latin name, was a large Jewish fishing and trade town in the Early Roman period. It is mentioned in Jewish sources, and at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple it served as a main military base for the ancient Jewish historian and general Josephus.
Another famous denizen of the city, according to the Christian tradition, was the penitent prostitute Mary Magdalene—named for her birthplace Migdal.
The jug as it was discovered in the excavation. (Photo: Eyad Bisharat/Israel Antiquities Authority/TPS)
In recent years the IAA has been leading extensive excavations at the site, overseen by the archaeologists Dina Avshalom-Gorni and Arfan Najar, in partnership with the Anahuac University of Mexico’s Dr. Marcela Zapata-Meza and with the help of volunteers from Mexico, Chile, Spain and Italy.
“It is a very impressive site and is open to the general public. The land actually belongs to a private developer from the Catholic Church, who planned to build a hotel for pilgrims on that plot,” Avshalom-Gorni explained.
According to Israeli law, before approving construction on any building project in the country IAA experts must first survey the plot to assure it will not damage an archeological site.
The stone with the menorah symbol which was discovered in the synagogue at Magdala. (Photo: Yael Yulowich, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority/MFA)
“We began exploratory digs in 2009 and little by little it became evident to us and to the Catholic Church that we have discovered a major site which was dated to the exact time of the ministry of Jesus in the Galilee, and the home of Mary Magdalene,” she added.
The landowner then decided to turn the location into an open-air museum alongside the ongoing excavations, which continue to produce thrilling archaeological finds.
