As we approach the end of the age we are overwhelmed with the amount of evidence of the reliability and accuracy of the Bible. In the last century, archaeological discoveries have significantly reinforced the Bible’s credibility. A pivotal moment was in 1947 with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, an event whose significance was underscored with the timing of the reestablishment of the nation of Israel.
Let me take you back to 1947: a Bedouin named Mohammed ed-dib discovers ancient scrolls in a cave near Qumran. After this initial find, even more scrolls are discovered and in November of 1947, some of the scrolls are sold to Professor Eliezer Sukenik, a professor of archaeology at Hebrew University. The significance of the timing of these events should not be overlooked. Professor Sukenik writes in his journal:
“While I was examining these precious documents in my study, the late news on the radio announced that the United Nations would be voting on the resolution that night—whether or not Israel would be allowed to become a nation… It was past midnight when the decision was announced while I was engrossed in a particularly absorbing passage in one of the scrolls, and my son rushed in with the shout that the vote on the Jewish State had passed. This great event in Jewish history was thus combined in my home in Jerusalem with another event, no less historic, the one political, and the other cultural.”
The very day the first Dead Sea scrolls were purchased and the 2000-year-old parchments containing prophecies of Israel’s restoration to the Land were being read, the UN General Assembly was casting votes to decide whether Israel would become a modern nation, and decided in its favor. As God providentially unveiled the documentation of Israel’s ancient history through the discovery of the scrolls, the very words of those scriptures were being fulfilled concerning the nation’s future rebirth!
The Isaiah scroll, now the earliest known copy of this ancient prophetic book, contains numerous predictions of the regathering of the Jewish people to the Land and the restoration of their nation:
Isaiah 11:11-12 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
This prophetic fulfillment, evident to everyone, is a clear and powerful sign of God’s sovereignty over History, and of the reliability of our Scriptures!
Are you in doubt that God is in control? Have no doubt, nor fear of the enemy who is plotting to “rob, kill, and destroy” … for just as the scriptures proclaim the restoration of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland … they proclaim the Kingdom of God is coming that shall never pass away!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Rockets are flying through the skies of Israel and many are landing on the ground. Emails are also flying through cyberspace as people all over the world express support through prayer for us and our nation. Words cannot express our gratitude for your care and concern. In times like these the best and the worst are brought out in people: either the peace, confidence, and strength which come from faith, or the fear and panic which overwhelms the souls of worldly men.
Since moving to Israel we’ve been thrust into a Middle Eastern culture of “extreme hospitality”. The above parable from Luke takes place in a similar cultural context, and it powerfully illustrates how God wants us to approach Him.
Unless you’re up on your biology, you’re probably wondering, “What in the world is a coney?” I certainly was. After doing a little research, I discovered that a coney is a rock badger.
I ran across a profound story that shows what happens when the family structure breaks down — but this didn’t have to do with people — it had to do with elephants.
As some of you may know, a bomb exploded in a bus within blocks of our Jerusalem apartment when we first moved to Israel. That morning, my wife and I, along with our newborn baby, were heading to the city center to run a few errands when suddenly we heard the explosion. Within minutes, the sirens were screaming from every part of the city as officials quickly made their way to the scene. Later that month, the bus I was supposed to be on drove away as I watched it carry away the 50 or so people who would be critically injured and the 8 who would be dead seconds later, when that bus exploded before my very eyes. So, to put it mildly, we have seen firsthand how terrorism works and how it affects people.
We know a Christian woman who has struggled with her past for years. She rarely thinks or speaks of anything else. And as a result, her life has just spiraled downward, despite all our attempts to minister to her. It breaks our hearts to see.
Today marks Holocaust Memorial day here in Israel. At ten o’clock in the morning on this day, war sirens sound calling the entire Land to remembrance of the 6,000,000 Jews who died and many more who suffered under the Nazi regime during WW2. People in their homes and workplaces rise in silence; cars come to a halt, even on the highways; pedestrians stop where they are and pause… for one minute as the sirens wail, we remember.