Oh, What Joy!

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Ephesians 1:7

The moment you invited Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior, all your sins were forgiven—your past sins, your present sins, and your future sins. Once you are born again, you are in Christ. You do not have to try to get forgiveness. You have the forgiveness of sins through His blood, and this forgiveness of sins that you have is not according to what you have done, but according to the riches of God’s grace—His unmerited, unearned, and undeserved favor!

The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). In other words, the punishment for sin is death. It also tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22 NIV). Blood is thus necessary for the forgiveness of sins. That is why even under the old covenant of law, sin was covered temporarily through the blood of sacrificial animals.

The good news of the gospel is that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came down from heaven to earth and sacrificed Himself at the cross. His perfect, sinless blood provided forgiveness for all our sins. You and I cannot pay for our own sins, so He did it for us. Now, whosoever believes in Him will never die but will receive the gift of eternal life. Hallelujah!

My friend, notice how David describes the blessedness of a man whose sins are forgiven:

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”
—Romans 4:7–8 NLT

Oh, what joy and what a blessing it is to receive the forgiveness of sins! Conversely, when believers start to question if they are truly forgiven, it leads to all kinds of insecurities, fears, and destructive bondages.

Fear and insecurity cannot exist in a healthy relationship with God. In a marriage relationship, for example, if a wife never feels secure in her husband’s love for her, she will never draw strength from or find joy in her marriage. Instead of thriving, that marriage will disintegrate over time. Similarly, our heavenly Father does not want us to live trapped in perpetual insecurity because we are never sure of our forgiveness.

Today, based on the Word of God, rejoice and thank God for the blessing of His forgiveness, so dearly paid for and so freely given to us. Let this truth of the gospel anchor and put strength in your heart, and drive away every fear and sense of insecurity.

This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution. Joseph Prince

When the Storms of Life Rage

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

Storms of life. You know them well. They overwhelm you. Wave after wave of relentless battering that knocks you off your feet till you don’t know which side is up. Till every ounce of energy is used up and you feel so weak, abandoned, and lonely. Perhaps you’re caught in one of life’s storms right now.

When the disciples of Jesus were out at sea, caught in a turbulent tempest and tossed by the waves, who came to them in their darkest hour? It was Jesus Himself (Matt. 14:22–33). Jesus came in style, walking on the raging waters. The loving Savior came to them at their exact point of need to rescue them.

What does this tell you? That He is above the storms. He walks above—He is greater than—every adversity and opposition that you may be facing right now, and He comes to you to rescue you!

With the billowing waves beneath His feet, His first words to His disciples were, “Don’t be afraid. Take courage. I am here!” (Matt. 14:27 NLT). What comfort those words must have brought to the disciples who were exhausted and shaking with fear for their lives.

My friend, when the storms of life rage, don’t go by what you see and hear all around you. Don’t go by your negative feelings and emotions. Live by the truth of God’s Word, which encourages you to “be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic . . . For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deut. 31:6 NLT).

Our God is a personal and loving God who is with you in your boat right in the midst of the howling storm. He knows how to lead you to victory every time. He cannot fail you!

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. Joseph Prince

In the Place of Nearness

Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our LORD.

Romans 8:38–39

You may have read of how Joseph in the book of Genesis wanted his family to dwell in Goshen, which means “drawing near.” He wanted them in a place of nearness to him and he told them, “There I will provide for you” (Gen. 45:11).

Beloved, even in the midst of famine, Jesus, our heavenly Joseph, wants us close to Him so He can provide for us. In the book of Exodus, God declared, “I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there” (Exod. 8:22).

In the land of Goshen, God’s people were protected from all of the ten plagues that besieged the land of Egypt during the time of Moses. In the second last of the ten plagues, a thick, paralyzing darkness covered the land of Egypt for three whole days. Yet, during that time, “all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings” (Exod. 10:23).

I believe it was a supernatural darkness that covered Egypt, because the Egyptians must have turned to natural resources of light to dispel the darkness—only to find they couldn’t. By the same token, it was a supernatural light that the Israelites enjoyed in Goshen, a light the darkness tried to smother but couldn’t.

Now, I believe this is prophetic of our times. The Bible is relevant for today. We are living in days where we see darkness—a supernatural darkness—cover the earth. Yet, the Scriptures tell us that even when there’s thick and deep darkness all around, the church—you and I, together with our families—can experience and enjoy God’s supernatural light in our dwellings. We, who have been drawn near to Him through the work of His Son, can have intimacy with God and enjoy His protective covering to live fear-free and victoriously in these dark times.

Beloved, in the place of nearness, God makes a difference between His people and the people of the world. We are in this world, but we are not of this world (John 17:14). We are His. He desires for us to be close to Him so that He can hide us under the shadow of His wings. He paid the price so that we can be called His children. Oh, what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons and daughters of the Most High (1 John 3:1)!

Beloved, whatever may be happening in the world today, you can be bold and fearless because nothing can ever separate you from the love of God, your heavenly Father!

This devotional is taken from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times. Joseph Prince

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Shalom from the Philippines and Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! I am in the region of Batangas on the island of Luzon on my second week of rest and preparation. As I mentioned before, 2025 is going to be a huge year for Behold Israel and I will have a more extensive speaking schedule than I’ve ever attempted before. I realize that I’m taking on a lot, but after a year of focusing on ministry inside Israel, I am ready to take God’s prophetic truth out to the world again.

This is supposed to be a time of rest, but if you follow me on Telegram you’ll know that these last two days have been anything but restful. Still, I want to try to respect my time here, so I am only going to focus on two very important items for this newsletter – one pleasure and one business.


The Sick Man’s Rage
First, the pleasure. Tuesday, December 3, will see the release of my next thriller book, The Sick Man’s Rage, written with Steve Yohn. I know that some people wonder why I make such a big deal about these fiction books. The answer is very simple – it is my one opportunity to get the Gospel into the hands of unbelievers who would never pick up a non-fiction book about the Bible. It is a lamb in wolf’s clothing. Amidst the action and excitement and gunfire is the truth about who God is, His plan for our salvation, and the path He’s leading the world down into the end times.

But The Sick Man’s Rage has another element to it. It is a tribute – a memoriam, if you will – to the victims of October 7. The book opens at the Nova festival that fateful morning, then walks through the tragedy of what happened, capturing what one reader said were “the raw emotions of fear, hate, being hunted, and tortured.” The first part of this book is our way of saying to all who were killed, brutalized, taken hostage, or who had to witness their loved ones enduring those fates, “We will never forget, and we will ensure that the world will remember what happened to you also.”

But that is just the beginning of the book. Nir, Nicole, and the Kidon team at the Mossad then take the reader through Israel’s revenge on Hamas leaders, which ultimately blows up into a direct conflict with Turkey. Once again, the action is high, the plot is deep, the humor is extensive, and the truth is celebrated throughout. As Tom Doyle, CEO of Uncharted Ministries and an author in his own right, said about The Sick Man’s Rage, “Amir and Steve have the uncanny ability to predict the future from the pages of Scripture, weave it all together and, in the process, inspire us to live all out for Christ today!”

So, please consider making The Sick Man’s Rage part of your Black Friday shopping. It’s a great stocking stuffer, and your preorders will help to ensure that these books end up on the shelves of big box stores like Target, Walmart, and Hobby Lobby. It’s in those stores that unbelievers will stumble across the book while looking for a fun read, pick it up, and in the middle of a great story get confronted with the truth!


The Ceasefire with Hezbollah

Origins of the Ceasefire
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Famous words spoken by Vito Corleone to his godson Johnny Fontane. Johnny had asked the Don for a favor, and Corleone knew he had the power and ruthlessness to fulfill the man’s request. When Lebanon, Western Europe, and the United Nations came to President Joe Biden telling him that he had to force an end to Israel’s hostilities in the north, Biden knew what he had to do. With Don Corleone, his promise was realized with a subtle warning and a severed horse head. With Joe Biden, it was the threat to cut off weapons shipments to Israel. Different methods, one result. The extortion paid off.

Joe Biden’s international track record has been disastrous, particularly in the Middle East. His ill-conceived withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in 2021 set the stage for what has been one blunder after another. Under this administration, Iran has felt empowered to push forward their nuclear program while bulking up the strength of their proxy militias. The Houthi rebels of Yemen have become the pirates of the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, who, while they’re at it, aren’t afraid to launch a suicide drone or shoot a missile at Israel every now and again. And it was because of the weakness of the White House that Hamas felt emboldened to carry out its attack on October 7. There is no one who can tell me that massacre would have taken place if our 45th and soon-to-be 47th president had been sitting behind the Resolute Desk. To keep himself from being seen as an incompetent failure when it came to international negotiations, Joe Biden needed at least one win. With this twist of Israel’s arm, he believes he has gotten it.

The Nuts and Bolts of the Ceasefire
According to the New York Times, there are five parts to this truce: 
1.    Israel and Hezbollah will cease firing for 60 days
2.    Israel will gradually withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon
3.    Hezbollah forces will move north to be replaced in the south by Lebanese military
4.    These withdrawals will create a buffer zone along the Israeli border
5.    The goal is for this truce to become permanent

A number of nations will oversee this deal, including the United States and France, as well as a peacekeeping force belonging to the United Nations. If Israel sees Hezbollah terrorists in the border zone, they retain the right to military action.

Before and After the Ceasefire
In the days leading up to the ceasefire, fighting was hot and heavy. Hezbollah fired 250 rockets and other airborne weapons into Israel on Sunday, causing some damage. Israel struck back hard all the way up to the time the ceasefire went into effect. Hezbollah’s Aerial Unit 127 was particularly hard hit, losing in excess of 150 UAV launch positions, 30 command centers, 20 weapons storage facilities containing UAVs and cruise missiles, and four drone and missile manufacturing workshops. Both sides wanted to inflict as much damage as they could before they had to silence their guns.

Since the ceasefire began, there has been a mass migration of Lebanese back south to the second and third tier cities and towns. First tier towns would be those right along the border. But along with the residents have come Hezbollah operatives who have simply put on civilian clothing. There is no one there to stop them, because as of the time of this writing, the Lebanese army and UNIFIL (the UN’s peacekeepers in Lebanon) are still back at their bases apparently trying to figure out how to lace up their combat boots. Meanwhile, down in Israel the residents of north still aren’t able to go home, nor will they be able to until it is assured that the threat directly across the border has been dealt with. It had looked like we were well on the way to making that happen. But all that progress is being reversed.

My Opinion of the Ceasefire
This is a terrible deal. Here is my take on the ceasefire:
1.    The supposed buffer zone in southern Lebanon is not a real buffer. It is space that will be occupied by the Lebanese military, UNIFIL, and civilians that can easily be infiltrated by Hezbollah.
2.    Lebanese residents who allowed Hezbollah to operate from their villages are experiencing no repercussions. They can move back in so they can prepare the guest rooms for when their terrorist friends sneak back down to their home-away-from-home.
3.    As mentioned above, Hezbollah operatives can simply change into Lebanese army uniforms and return to the south. There is no shibboleth that can help determine the terrorists from the civilians.
4.    France, who doesn’t even allow Israel to participate in weapons exhibitions within their borders, is now part of the supervision mechanism. Why do I think that they will lean in their judgments toward the Francophile Lebanese? At least Paris has come out and said that Netanyahu is entitled to immunity from ICC arrest warrants because Israel is not a party to the court. We’ll give them a very small tip of the cap for that one.
5.    A 60-day-truce is essentially an end to hostilities. Unless Hezbollah does something completely nuts, like try to perpetrate their own October 7, there is little chance of Israel being able to gin up enough international goodwill to relaunch an invasion. This very likely would be true even with Donald Trump in office.
6.    Benjamin Netanyahu promised a generational change. What we got in the north is more of the same. Fight hard, sacrifice our children, then pull back when the international pressure gets too tough. I will admit that I have the benefit of distance. I am not sitting in his office having to deal with the internal and international pressures which have to be back-breaking. When Netanyahu summed up the ceasefire deal, he put forth three items:
a.    The ceasefire was forced on Israel by the Biden administration by continuing the embargo of much-needed arms.
b.    Israel will use the time to go after the source of Hezbollah’s power – Iran. It will begin now and go full speed after Trump takes office. It is good that Netanyahu emphasized this because Iran International has reported that the Islamic regime has injected gas into thousands of advanced centrifuges in order to enrich more weapons-grade uranium. The progress of this program must be stopped while it still can.
c.    Israel is forced to wait for the next White House administration to go all in.
7.    Netanyahu must find a way to pick back up the battle to wipe out Hezbollah once Trump is in office. Otherwise, the north will never feel safe. The prime minister has two years left in his term, and he likely won’t run again. To secure his legacy as a generational leader, he must destroy Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranian nuclear program.


The Ministry

Make sure to tune in next Wednesday, December 4, at 10:00 AM PST when Rick Yohn and I have a conversation about why Christians should read the Old Testament in our next Explore the Bible session. Too often do I hear Christians disregard the Old Testament simply due to the arrival of the New. I believe you will find this episode very enlightening.

Shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, stuffers, calendars, and more! We have several items available in the shop that enable you to express your support for Behold Israel this season! Moreover, our books and Bible stuffers serve as valuable, supplemental resources for you and those around you. Visit the Behold Israel Shop today: https://shop.beholdisrael.org

Thank you for your prayers as I’m in this beautiful island nation. Even as I seek to rest in Him, I feel myself pulled back to Israel due to current events. Still, I know I am here for a reason, and I look forward to seeing what He does with my remaining time in the Philippines.

Your prayers and support are what keep this ministry going. We are amazed at how God uses you to bless us. Thank you, and may the Lord bless you with the same measure with which you bless us.

Awaiting His Return,

Stop Being Robbed

“ . . . I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel . . . not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers . . . I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people . . . For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Hebrews 8:8–10, 12

Do you sometimes think God is happy with you, and then at other times think He is angry with you? Or that He forgives all your sins today, but that tomorrow He may not be as forgiving? That’s what a lot of Christians believe. “It’s simple,” they tell me. “God is happy with me when I do right, and He is angry with me when I do wrong.” Really? I call this “schizophrenic Christianity”!

My friend, if you find yourself in this unhappy camp, I believe it is because you are living between two covenants—the old covenant of law and the new covenant of grace. As a result, you believe in a mixed message that tells you there are times when God is happy with you and times when He is angry with you.

Let me show you something that will clear up this erroneous belief. While the old covenant of law is based on “you shall not . . . you shall not . . . you shall not,” I want you to notice in today’s scripture that the new covenant of grace is the Lord saying, “I will . . . I will . . . I will . . . ” It is clear that the emphasis and demand of the covenant of law is on you performing, while the emphasis and demand of the covenant of grace is on God Himself performing!

He will do everything on our behalf. In fact, because Jesus has already died on the cross for us, He has already done everything on our behalf. Remember, Christianity is “done, done, done,” not “do, do, do.” Jesus came to establish the new covenant of grace and under this new covenant, God is no longer angry with you because His anger and wrath have already been exhausted on the body of Jesus on the cross.

Pay close attention to this for it will radically transform your life: the only reason Jesus could cry out “It is finished!” (John 19:30) on the cross was that the full anger of God against sin had been totally exhausted on His body. Jesus cannot lie! And if the anger of God against all your sins has already been completely exhausted, how can God be angry with you today when you fail? How can God be angry with you when He has already declared, “Your sins and your lawless deeds I will remember no more”?

Many Christians have been robbed of fellowship and intimacy with God because they believe the lie that God is still angry with them because of their sins. They avoid having contact with Him, thinking that He gets angry with them whenever they fail. So instead of going to God when they fail, they run in the opposite direction. Instead of running to the solution, they run away from it.

Stop being robbed of true intimacy and a relationship with your gracious heavenly Father. Instead of avoiding Him when you fail, know that He has the answer to all your problems. This is why you can always run to Him and receive grace for your failures. His grace is greater than all your failures. He loves you perfectly and wants you to reign in life, so go to Him with all your imperfections. He is your God, and He will love and transform you into wholeness!

This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs. Joseph Prince

Worship Activates Angels

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.

Psalm 34:7

Beloved, we have a resource that is greater than any attack the devil can launch against us. Would you like to know how you can activate angels in your life?

The most important key is worship. As you offer your praise to the Lord, the passage above tells us that’s when angels are most active. Our Lord Jesus defined “fear” as “worship” for us. When Satan tempted Him in the wilderness, Jesus responded by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13, which says, “You shall fear the LORD your God.” But He changed the word “fear” to “worship” and said to the devil, “For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God’” (Matt. 4:10).

Beloved, when you worship the Lord, His angels camp all around you, surrounding you to deliver you. If you are going through a difficult period in your life and are fearful, choose to worship Him. Fear fills our hearts when we are occupied with ourselves, but when we worship the Lord, we become occupied with Him, His beauty, and His goodness, and His angels surround us like a protective shield.

My ministry receives praise reports from people all over the world who, upon encountering His love for them personally through the preaching of the gospel, go on to be conscious of and full of thanksgiving for His goodness and grace upon their lives. Let me share with you a praise report from Sophia (who lives in Georgia, US), who’s also experienced the Lord’s intervention and protection.

Today, I read your devotional titled God’s Angels Are Watching Over You and was really encouraged. I recall an incident when my daughter and I were driving down the road behind an eighteen-wheeler when a vintage-looking car suddenly tried to get between our vehicle and the truck. I thought, “Why are you—” Right then, I heard a voice inside speak to me, asking me to be quiet. So I let the car squeeze in front of us. Immediately after I let the car in, one tire of the eighteen-wheeler blew. Surprisingly, the vintage car stayed in front of my car, taking the full impact of all the flying pieces of the exploded tire.

Once there were no more tire pieces coming from the truck, the vintage car returned to the left side of the road and drove off quickly. It then dawned on me that perhaps the driver of this car was an angel of the Lord. I was so encouraged to know that God protects us in these days and times!

Amen! When God gives His angels charge over you, they go ahead of you to guard and protect you from all sorts of danger. And yes, they may even choose to travel in vintage cars. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (KJV).

This devotional is taken from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times. Joseph Prince

Good Things Happen when You Believe God Loves You!

. . . to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:18–19

Once, when I was preparing to preach, the Lord shared this with me: “good things happen to people who believe that God loves them.” My friend, good things happening to you does not depend on who you are, what academic qualifications you hold, or what your profession is. Good things simply happen to you when you believe that God loves you! He loves you all the time. Even when you fail, He loves you! His love is not like our love. Our love is conditional, but His love is not. It is not contingent on our behavior.

It is contingent entirely on His grace and the work of His Son, Jesus Christ.

When Paul prayed for the church of Ephesus, he prayed that they might be able to comprehend “what is the width and length and depth and height” of “the love of Christ” (see today’s scripture). Notice Paul’s emphasis on the love of Christ. In other words, it is not about our love for Christ. Paul was praying for them to have a revelation of Jesus’ love for them and not their love for Jesus. Now, observe closely the result of them knowing the Lord’s love for them: they would be “filled with all the fullness of God.” I have heard many sermons saying that if you do this and do that, you will be filled with the fullness of God. But that is not what the Bible says. It says that when you know the love of Christ, you will be filled with the fullness of God. You will see Him provide for your needs in big and small ways.

I want to share a praise report from Kimberly, who lives in Florida, that demonstrates this truth. She and her husband had received the revelation of the gospel of grace and began to see financial breakthroughs where they had previously struggled. On their eighth wedding anniversary, Kimberly’s husband had surprised her with a new wedding ring. He got the new three-carat diamond ring at a supernaturally low price—almost nothing over their trade-in, half-carat diamond! To Kimberly, it was a symbol of God’s favor on their marriage and lives. So you can imagine her dismay when she lost it! Kimberly recalled:

I was choking back negative thoughts as I feverishly tried to find the ring. We tore our house apart. The more I searched, the more stressed I became. I remember hearing the Holy Spirit say, “Stop trying to find it. Just rest and I will bring it back to you because I love you.” This gave me peace for about a day and a half but by the third day, I was in tears and frantic again! I cleared my bathroom vanity area three separate times to look for it!

I went to the bedroom in tears, looked up, and said, “Jesus, I know that You love me, and You don’t have to help me find my ring to prove that. But because You love me, will You bring my ring back to me?” I prayed that simple prayer, walked back into the bathroom, and found my ring lying on my vanity area! Completely shocked, I immediately called my kids in to ask them if they had placed my ring there, and they said that they had not. I began crying and praising God because He truly answered my prayer by placing my ring in a spot that I had just checked and scrutinized three times! Jesus brought it back to me just as He had promised! I praise Jesus for loving me. Now, my ring symbolizes His grace even more.

Have you been there before? You got so frantic and stressed that God had to interrupt your frenzy of worry to remind you that He loves you and would take care of that detail for you? What made the difference for Kimberly was this very knowledge that the Lord loved her. Once she was conscious of how much the Lord loved her, she saw her prayer answered and her precious ring (which the Lord had blessed them with) returned to her.

Beloved, I pray that you have been growing in the revelation of how much God loves you as you see all that Jesus has accomplished for you on the cross. The more you realize that it is a revelation of Jesus’ love for you and not your love for Jesus, the more you, your family, and your future will be filled with the fullness and riches of His grace.

This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs. Joseph Prince

Message from Amir Tsarfati

When He says that the day of the Lord will so come as a thief in the night, it will surprise everyone but not us, because the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, “It shall not come as a thief in the night for you. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety,’ then sudden destruction comes upon them.” Who is going to celebrate peace in the Middle East, in the construction of the third Temple? Israel. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to tell you something. In Matthew 25, Jesus said, “Watch therefore for neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of man is coming.” We don’t know the day, we don’t know the hour, but it’s not going to surprise us because we know the times. We know the seasons.

In fact, the Bible says, “Concerning the times of the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you for you yourself know perfectly.” I love it. So many Christians, or those who call themselves Christians, they don’t know perfectly anything. In fact, they are not even looking forward to it. When the Bible says, “You know perfectly. For you yourself know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” And I’m wondering why thief in the night? Because as long as we are in this world, this world is a dark world.

According to Romans 13:12, it says, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” So we’re at the very end. The day is at hand, but we’re still in the night. We’re at the tail end of the night. 1 Thessalonians 5:4 and 5 talked about how we are of the day although we are still in the night. The night is far spent, the day is at hand, and we are not of the night but of the day. And this is why I love to conclude this message with the verses from Hebrews 10:23 to 25 because I know there’re so many Christians who are so tired. They’re like, “How long can we still stay here?” I always tell them, “Rejoice in the Lord, always.” Philippians says that, and he says, “The Lord is at hand.” That’s why you need to rejoice.

Those who espouse that the rapture is a recent invention of the overactive imagination of some will have to explain exactly what Paul was talking about to the church at Thessaloniki. He told them in 1 Thessalonians 4 that there was coming a moment in time when dead believers in Christ and those still alive would at the same second meet Jesus in the air and forever be with Him. He said to offer the comfort of those words to each other.

If He was talking about the second coming, there would be little comfort in knowing we are going through the tribulation. And what do we do with this?

1 Corinthians 15:50-52
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Paul said not everyone’s body is going to die. Sleep was how the early Christians referred to the body in the grave, because they knew it would be resurrected one day. He also said living mortals would be changed into immortals in the twinkling of an eye. 

Some will bypass death and become immortal, and then what? Stay here? Doesn’t this too imply a change of location, not just physical habitation? The Bible clearly teaches the rapture of the church and it is inferred by things like the absence of any mention of the church in Revelation 6-18 when the tribulation is in full swing.

Matthew 24:44
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Jesus is coming at a time when He is not expected, which would include today. The Jews aren’t expecting Him, the world isn’t expecting Him, and the vast majority of the church isn’t expecting Him. So when He’s not expected, we should be expecting Him to come get us at any moment.

The big question is, are you ready? When He’s ready, it will be too late to get ready. While the day and hour are clearly unknown to all of us, the evidence that the season of church history we are now in is a better candidate for the rapture than any other. Namely, because it didn’t happen then, it makes it a greater likelihood now.

Be ready! He could come even, perhaps, today!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

The Gracious Gift of Righteousness

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:17

If you struggle, as many believers do, with whether you deserve to be blessed, favored, and victorious, you are asking the wrong question.

The question you should be asking is, does Jesus deserve to be blessed, favored, and victorious? Because you are in Christ, having a blessed future is not contingent on how much you strive to be perfect or how hard you work at changing yourself. It is contingent on the person of Jesus.

The Bible proclaims, “as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). Does Jesus deserve to be blessed, favored, and victorious? Then so do you! This is what being in Christ Jesus means. It means that today, God assesses you and sees you based on the perfection of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ righteousness is your righteousness. In fact, the Bible explains that because Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us, we are now the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).

“Righteousness” is a legal term. It means to have right standing before God. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words defines righteousness as “that gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God.” In other words, your right standing before God is based upon Jesus’ right standing before God.

Today, you are as righteous as Jesus because your righteousness is from Him. He purchased it for you at the cross. When you received Him as your Lord and Savior, He took away all your unrighteousness once and for all and gave you His gift of righteousness. This righteousness is something that you can never obtain or achieve through your right doing; it can only be received by your right believing in Jesus.

And do you know what happens when you receive this gift of righteousness? The Bible declares that “those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17). Hey, when you reign, your addictions don’t. When you reign, sicknesses don’t. When you reign, fear, depression, and every obstacle that is obstructing you from living your life to the fullest will be torn down and flushed out!

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing.

He Freely Gives

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Romans 8:32

Isaiah 53:5 tells us that by Jesus’ stripes we are healed. Every stripe He bore as He was scourged was for our healing. And He willingly allowed stripe after stripe to rip into His body so you and I could be well. Don’t ever believe the enemy’s lie that God wants you sick or that He is not willing to heal you. At the cross, our Lord Jesus demonstrated once and for all that He wants you well.

The Bible even tells us that it pleased the Lord to “crush Him” (Isa. 53:10 NASB). I used to wonder how it could have pleased the Lord to crush His own Son. Then one day, the Lord showed me.

My wife, Wendy, and I had gone to a mall and the nearest parking lot we could find was quite a distance away. We did a lot of shopping that day and before we knew it, we had our hands full of shopping bags. By this time, our Jessica, who was a cherubic two-year-old then, was tired and wanted to be carried. I picked her up with one arm, and she was so exhausted she fell asleep on my shoulder almost immediately.

As we walked toward our car, I felt my arm go to sleep, and I realized the car was much farther away than I had thought. It felt like a million pins and needles were piercing my arm, and I knew I could stop the burning pain by simply putting Jessica down and making her walk the rest of the way. But she was sleeping so soundly and deeply, I could not bear to put her down. I loved her so much I was willing to “crush” my arm so my little darling could continue to sleep.

All of a sudden I began to understand how it could please God to crush Jesus, who is described in the same chapter as “the arm of the LORD” (Isa. 53:1). It pleased the Lord to crush His only begotten Son because of His great love for you and me. That was the only way God could save us from sin and disease, and He willingly chose to give up His Son.

Today you can have full assurance God wants to heal you. The Bible tells us, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

God already gave us the best of heaven when He gave us His darling Jesus. What are our temporal needs when He has already given us a gift that is eternal? Whatever your needs are, whether it is financial provision or healing for your body, they are all lesser compared to the gift of His Son. How shall He not with Him also freely give them to you?

This devotional is taken from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional. Joseph Prince

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Shalom from Manila! It is wonderful to be back here with my dear friends with whom God has allowed me to develop a family-level relationship. It was a difficult decision to come to the Philippines but knowing that I had people here to welcome me made leaving my family for a time much more palatable.

The past 12 months have been most trying and challenging for my country, my family, and myself. After much prayer and wise counsel, I realized the necessity of taking a break for a couple weeks to rest my body and mind. It will also help to prepare me for 2025 and what is scheduled to be my busiest year of speaking since Behold Israel began. Thank you for your love, prayers, support, and encouragement, which are more needed than ever during these dark days of hatred and violence directed at my nation.

When I speak of hatred of Israel, most people’s minds immediately turn to Iran and its many proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah. It’s very true – Iran despises Israel to its very core. But you may be surprised to learn that there is a country that the ayatollahs hate even more than Israel. The end game of Iran’s Shiite Islamic regime is not Jerusalem, but Mecca and Medina. And where are these cities? In the heart of Sunni Saudi Arabia.

There has been a division in Islam, the origin of which goes back to the succession following the death of Muhammad. The Sunnis, the majority branch, supported the election of a caliph, leading to the selection of Abu Bakr. However, the Shiites believed that leadership should stay within the family of Muhammad, namely with his cousin and son-in-law Ali. Unfortunately for the followers of Shia, it was the Sunnis who ended up with the two most important sites in Islam – the Masjid Al-Haram with the Kaaba in Mecca and the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina – both in their flagship country, Saudi Arabia. The third holiest site is the Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (or al-Aqsa mosque) in Jerusalem.

It is an impossibility for the Iranian regime to gain control of Mecca and Medina with a direct assault. The Saudi’s military is strong, and their oil is plentiful enough that most of the western world would spring to their defense. So, instead the ayatollahs are playing a long game. It began after the Iranian Revolution with the creation of a corridor of influence that stretched through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon towards the Mediterranean Sea. Now, they’re also looking south, bringing Yemen and Qatar into their pocket. If their strategy plays out, Jordan will be next, then the Gulf states like the UAE, Bahrain, and Oman. Looking at a map, it becomes obvious what Iran is doing. It is surrounding Saudi Arabia, cutting them off from any neighborly help. The stranglehold Iran could put on the Saudis would eventually force the Sunni kingdom to their knees.

It is very true that Iran hates Israel for a whole lot of reasons. But looking at this strategy we see that, in reality, the Jewish state is a means to an end. If Iran as leader of a great Muslim coalition were to take Israel, it would place the al-Aqsa mosque wholly in Islamic hands. But even more so, it will ensure that Saudi Arabia is caught in a steel vice that will squeeze until Mecca and Medina are finally in Shiite hands.

This is one more reason why Iran needs to be stopped. Toppling the ayatollahs’ regime would save the oppressed Iranian people, bring relief to the Saudis, stabilize the region, and serve as a death sentence to the proxy militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. It may also cause Qatar to stop funding Hamas. Ultimately, as followers of Scripture, we know that Persia (Iran) will join a future coalition against Israel, as told in Ezekiel 38. Is the end game of Mecca and Medina their reason? Maybe. What we do know is that whether under these ayatollahs or under a regime that might replace it, Iran will pitch in with Russia, Turkey and others to destroy Israel. And they will fail.


The Middle East

BREAKING NEWS: The Hague Issues Arrest Warrants Against Netanyahu and Gallant
Just today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has charged Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant with “crimes against humanity and war crimes” for their supposed maltreatment of civilians in Gaza. This appalling move was immediately met with derision by both Israel and the United States. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog condemned the action, stating, “Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughingstock.” In the United States, Senator Lindsey Graham promised, “The US Senate will act and impose sanctions on this irresponsible body. Senator Schumer should pass the bipartisan legislation that came from the House punishing the court for such outrage and President Biden should sign it. Now.” Do these charges mean that Netanyahu is going to jail? Absolutely not. It does, however, restrict his travel to many western nations, including The Netherlands, site of the recent pogrom on Israeli soccer fans, which has already announced that they would obey the order. But if the prime minister wants to go to the United States, he will find no restrictions other than not going to Dearborn, Michigan, whose mayor, Abdullah H. Hammoud, has already announced that he will arrest him on the spot. In all of this ridiculousness, the promise of the Muslim enclave of Dearborn’s mayor is the only action that is not surprising.

Ceasefire in Lebanon?
Israel is cautiously optimistic about a US proposal for a ceasefire in Lebanon. There are still two sticking points from Jerusalem’s point of view. First, there is the question of the extent of Israeli freedom of action in the event of a Hezbollah violation. The second is regarding the composition of the supervisory committee in Lebanon. If these issues are able to be satisfactorily dealt with, there could be a ceasefire within a week. It will be none too soon for Hezbollah, because the groundswell of Lebanese citizens against the terrorists continues to grow.


Hezbollah Unleashes Rockets on Israel
Amidst talks of a ceasefire, both sides in the Israel-Lebanon war continue their fight. Israel is pelting Beirut, Tyre, Baalbek, and other areas with airstrikes, while the ground war is gradually making its way north. At the same time, Hezbollah is shooting what rockets they can into Israeli territory. Akko (Acre) experienced a barrage of 25 missiles yesterday with only one hitting the ground, causing no injuries. On Monday, another barrage proved fatal for one woman. More than 100 rockets were fired by Hezbollah, with one hitting a three-story building in the northern town of Shfar-am killing the forty-one-year-old. Farther south near Tel Aviv, shrapnel from an intercepted missile hit several buildings causing fires and wounding numerous people.


Hezbollah’s New Secretary General Threatens Israel
Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s new secretary general following the targeted killing of his predecessor, is making the most of his few remaining days on this earth by uttering threats against Israel. It seems he is upset that his friend, Hezbollah media relations chief Mohammad Afif, was taken out in an air strike in Beirut on Sunday. In a speech yesterday, he said, “Israel attacked the heart of Beirut, so it must expect the response to take place in the heart of Tel Aviv. It must pay the price.” In the same speech, he made the assertion, “When the enemy does not achieve its goals, it means we have won.” By that same logic, if the Buffalo Bills football team had the goal of beating the Kansas City Chiefs by 10 points, then their nine-point victory on Sunday was really a loss, which means the Chiefs remain undefeated and we have one more reason to dislike the music of Taylor Swift.


Gaza Ceasefire Shot Down
The UN Security Council voted 14-1 for a resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Despite the overwhelming support, it didn’t pass because the one dissenting vote was the United States which is one of five nations that holds veto power. US deputy ambassador Robert Wood stated, “We made clear throughout negotiations we could not support an unconditional cease-fire that failed to release the hostages.” Tip of the hat to you, Mr. Deputy Ambassador. In the same vein, three US senate bills were pushed forward by socialist senator Bernie Sanders to embargo certain offensive weapons from going to Israel. Each resolution was soundly defeated with 18 pro against 79 con votes. With the new sheriff making his way to town, the tide in Washington is definitely turning Israel’s way.


Netanyahu in Gaza
Even with the battle raging in northern Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his way to the Netzarim Corridor on Tuesday. Standing alongside new Defense Minister Israel Katz, the PM reiterated his pledge that “Hamas will not be in Gaza.” He also reminded Gazans of a pledge he had made earlier; there will be a reward of $5 million and safe passage out of Gaza for anyone who turns over a hostage. Meanwhile, the fighting was hot farther north in Jabaliya, with many terrorists being killed while others surrendered en masse.


UNRWA Again Shows Its Colors
One hundred and nine aid trucks drove into Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies. On the way, 97 of them were violently attacked and looted by armed Palestinians. Who’s to blame? If you ask the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), not surprisingly they’ll say Israel. In a statement, the agency said, “The Israeli authorities continue to disregard their legal obligations under international law to ensure the population’s basic needs are met and to facilitate the safe delivery of aid.” Not only do we have to fight in Gaza, but we have to help feed their people and guarantee the safety of humanitarian aid. When has that ever been required of a military? Then, when the Palestinian gangs and terrorists start stealing the aid, we’re to blame for it? UNRWA is a joke.


Iran on the Cusp of Going Nuclear
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, reported that Iran is “just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.” And, if the IAEA is only now getting around to admitting to this, we can be assured that they’ve had weapons-grade uranium for months now. Is there any chance we can bring the new administration into Washington just a little early so that we can once-and-for-all shut this down?


Ukraine Upgrades it Weaponry and Russia Responds with Nuclear Threats
This last week marked Day 1000 since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War, a conflict which shows no signs of abating. If anything, the fight is ramping up. Ukraine has used for the first time American ATACMS long-range missiles which have the capability to hit deep into Russia. Also, Germany has delivered 4,000 Mini Taurus strike drones to Kyiv’s army. This deepening involvement by the west led the Kremlin to revise its nuclear policy, lowering the threshold for their use. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, warned that Ukraine’s use of western missiles could provoke a nuclear response under these new guidelines. This rhetoric, along with an increase in Ukrainian attacks, has led the US, along with Spain, Italy, and Greece, to shut down their embassy in Kyiv. These preemptory diplomatic actions appear warranted as this morning, for the first time in the war, Moscow employed an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a multi-pronged attack on the city of Dnipro. The missile, obviously used in a tit-for-tat because of Ukraine’s use of the American ATACMS missiles, is a clear warning. Even though this missile was tipped with a conventional warhead, ICBMs can easily deliver nuclear payloads. I get what Putin is doing. However, here is a quick question for the president. If you’re so concerned about some countries interfering in other countries’ conflicts through the giving of war materiel, then why has the IDF, as it’s moved in southern Lebanon, discovered that 60-70% of Hezbollah’s weapons were manufactured by Russia? Sure, some of them went all the way back to the Soviet era. But many more were modern, including large quantities of Russian “Cornet” anti-tank missiles. While you’re complaining about Ukraine’s western-aided arsenal, maybe you want to rethink giving your old stuff away to terrorists.


Mysterious China being Mysterious China
Last year, the Chinese vessel New Polar Bear severely damaged the undersea gas pipeline, Balticconnector, which linked Finland and Estonia. Finland’s Minister of European Affairs Anders Adlercreutz said of the purposeful nature of the incident, “I’m not the sea captain. But I would think that you would notice that you’re dragging an anchor behind you for hundreds of kilometers.” It took seven months to get it back online. Now it appears that the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 severed two fiber-optic undersea cables this past weekend, one connecting Finland and Germany and the other linking Sweden with Lithuania. Either some of these Chinese pilots need to go back to shipping school, or there’s something a little hinky going on.


Ministry

It’s less than two weeks until the release of The Sick Man’s Rage! I can hardly wait for this book to be released to the public. It is powerful, sobering, action-filled, and ripped right out of today’s headlines. Plus, the Gospel is clearly presented, as is God’s timeline for these final days. Great for yourself and as gifts for friends and family, preorder your copies of The Sick Man’s Rage today and help us ensure that these thrillers get into the big box stores for Christmas!

Speaking of The Sick Man’s Rage, my co-author, Steve Yohn, and I have another Authors’ Corner coming up next week. In it, we look at what went into the idea for the book, and we tell some fun stories about its writing. Tune in Wednesday at 10:00 AM PST!

If you missed yesterday’s Anchor Podcast, “Choose Life”, with Dr. Dina Aweida, you need to go back and check it out. Dr. Aweida is a doctor of biology at Technion, Israel’s premier institution for science, and is passionately pro-life. During our time together, she talks about her daily battles to educate people on the sanctity of life and the dangers of abortion. Be sure to check it out.

Thank you again for your prayers and support as I take these two weeks to prepare myself for 2025. Also, thank you for your constant love and care for Behold Israel and our team. You are a true blessing, and we thank God for you.

Awaiting His Return,

Is There No Suffering for the Believer?

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.

Philippians 1:29

A question I'm often asked is: Is there suffering in the body of Christ?

My friend, we are called and given the privilege to suffer persecution for His name’s sake as the apostle Paul states in today’s scripture. Furthermore, Paul tells his protégé, Timothy, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12 NLT). Jesus Himself said that those who follow Him will be persecuted for His name’s sake (Matt. 10:22).

However, I want you to be clear that this persecution doesn’t involve terminal illnesses, tragic accidents, or premature death.

But Pastor Prince, wasn’t Job a righteous man who experienced terrible suffering?

What happened to Job is not something that will happen to you who are IN CHRIST today. You see, one of Job’s complaints was this: “If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together” (Job 9:33 NLT). Now, read these powerful words spoken by Elihu in Job 33:23–24, which describes this mediator: “If there is a messenger for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to show man His uprightness, then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom.’”

Elihu’s description of a mediator foreshadows what 1 Timothy 2:5–6 tells us, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” Job experienced his sufferings because he didn’t have a mediator. But today, you and I do—in the person of our Lord Jesus, who died at the cross to atone for our sins and made us righteous before God. He became our ransom (the Hebrew word for ransom comes from the root word kaphar, which means “to make an atonement”).

Beloved, the atoning blood of Christ has canceled all the legal rights that the enemy had against you and your family. When you receive all that His perfect sacrifice at the cross has accomplished for you, you don’t have to live afraid that you will be like Job. Unlike Job, you have a mediator—Christ Jesus. In Him you can look forward to a future full of His promises, blessings, and protection (Ps. 23:6)!

This devotional is adapted from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times. Joseph Prince

One Encounter with His Love

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11:28–30 The Message

Many people harbor the misconception that those who are constantly partying, drinking, getting high, and sleeping around are having the time of their lives. Hollywood and the secular media have deified and glamorized the party lifestyle as cool and carefree. They have sold the lie that the YOLO life—the you-only-live-once, consequence-free existence—is awesome.

But if you peel back the curtains, you see just how deeply unhappy and depressed these people entangled in a sinful lifestyle are. Our teenagers and youths are being bombarded with these images on their social media channels, in movies, and on television shows, where sinful lifestyles are not only tolerated but also celebrated. Our kids are faced with it daily in school and on their mobile devices.

How have many churches responded? By saying, “We have to preach more on the law of Moses, on repentance, and on character.” But do you know what this generation hears when churches preach on those things?

One of the testimonies I received from a sister named Melissa, who was struggling with a destructive lifestyle of sin, gives us a pretty good sense of what young people actually hear and what it made her believe: “I didn’t think of going to God and church because people I knew would tell me, ‘You’re going to go to hell because of your choices and how you’re living. God’s angry with you. He’s disgusted with you and He’s not going to bless you.’ Because this was what I constantly heard, this was what I believed about God, and I thought there was no way I could come to Him.”

Is there any wonder why some churches are losing the next generation? Young people hear about an angry and capricious God Who is just looking for an opportunity to club them with a big stick and send them to an eternal furnace of fiery damnation. The church proudly proclaims, “We love the sinner but hate the sin.” But in reality, all that those who are struggling with sinful lifestyles hear is, “WE HATE THE SIN,” and they stay away from the church because they understandably equate that with “WE HATE YOU.” That, my friend, is simply not the gospel.

The gospel is our beloved Lord Jesus reaching out to the woman at the well who had had five husbands and was cohabiting with another man out of wedlock. The gospel is our Lord Jesus rescuing the woman caught in adultery from the religious mob that wanted to exercise its legal right to brutally bludgeon her to death with rocks. When you observe our Lord Jesus, He was always comfortable with those who were tangled up in sin, so much so that the religious leaders mocked Him and called Him a friend of sinners (Matt. 11:19). He was undeterred by His critics, and just one encounter with His love and grace caused sinners to be transformed forever from the inside out.

My dear friend, that’s the grace revolution that we have been talking about throughout this book. Our Lord never endorsed people’s sinful lifestyles; He simply awakened them to His deep and personal love for them, and once they experienced His love, they had the power to walk out of the prison of sin, addiction, and bondage. The woman at the well became an evangelist in her city and many came to know Jesus because of her. The woman caught in adultery walked away with the gift of no condemnation and the power to sin no more. The religious actively shunned the sinner; Jesus actively pursued the sinner.

God’s glorious grace opens the prison doors for those trapped in sin and bondage. He has given you the power to walk out freely today. Welcome His deep love for you and you will be set free!

This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution. Joseph Prince

Message from Amir Tsarfati

“I will take you from among the nations, gather you of all the countries and bring you into your own land.” That’s what Ezekiel said. Wow! First, there’s this physical restoration of Israel. Then He says, “Then, I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will take the heart of…” How can you get a new heart? I’ll tell you how. Read Jeremiah 31. The Lord said in verses 30 and 31, He said, “I will give you a New Testament, new covenant, and it will no longer be written on paper. It will be written on the plates of your heart.”

Your heart will change, and the word will be already on it. How? Only when you believe in Christ, the New Testament, new covenant. “I will take that heart of stone out of your chest, give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. You shall also be my people and I will be your God.” So God began over the last 70 years, the physical restoration of Israel. It’s called aliyah in Hebrew, “to ascend, to go up to the house of the Lord.” Aliyah is going up. The Lord came down upon the mountain, maybe because Moses went up to get the law.

But Micah said, “Come up, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God of Jacob.” So God is bringing the Jews back to the land. Did you know that there’s a new report that shows that a greater number of Jews are making aliyah? It means that we are closer to seeing Israel receive a new heart. Because first, they need to be restored physically to the land, and then they will be restored spiritually. He’s bringing the Jews, the Jewish people, back from the ends of the earth. Not just from one place, not just from Babylon. This time, from the four corners of the world.

It is quite curious, in light of all we see today, that people still believe that the modern nation of Israel is not the Israel of the Bible. Yet, there being a modern nation of Israel is one of the most consistent prophecies of the Old Testament. Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Amos all wrote of it, and yet the number of people who deny it continues to grow.

Jeremiah 31:37
Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD.”

Obviously heaven cannot be measured nor the foundations of the earth searched out. The Lord hung the earth on nothing (Job 26:7) and measures the heavens with the span of His hand. What this can mean if it is not literal is anyone’s guess.

We see the return of physical Israel to their God-given homeland today. Yet, we see them there largely in unbelief that their Messiah has come in the person of Yeshua, Jesus of Nazareth. That can only mean the spiritual birth of the Jews is yet future when God takes their hearts of stone and gives them a heart of flesh.

Jeremiah 31:31-34
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

We might say that what the church has experienced for some 2000 years, the Jews who survive the Tribulation will experience also. They will all know the Lord, His word will be in their hearts, and their sins remembered no more.

The Jews are being regathered physically today right before our eyes. That means their renewal spiritually must not be too far off! We also need to remember that before the 70th week of Daniel begins, the church age has to come to an end.

Soon and very soon we are going to see the King, and not long after that, all Israel is going to see Him too!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Blessed with Good Success to Be a Blessing

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.

Genesis 12:2

Make no mistake about this: God wants us to be successful. Yet, He does not want us to have success that will crush us. I am sure that you have heard many stories of people who receive a sudden windfall when they come into a large inheritance or strike the first prize in a lottery. However, for some of these people, the sudden wealth did not give them a better life. Instead, in many instances, we know that it corrupted and destroyed their lives.

Often, these people were not able to handle their so-called success, and ended up leaving their wives and allowing their families to break down before their eyes. Perhaps they bought all sorts of things and lived in huge houses. Yet, they still felt a chronic sense of loneliness, emptiness, and dissatisfaction.

The sad reality is that many of those who chanced upon such sudden wealth squandered it all away, and some even became bankrupt. Such results are clearly not the Jesus-kind of results, nor are they the Jesus-kind of success. Let me make it clear from the outset: God has no problem with you having money, but He does not want money to have you!

“But Pastor Prince, how can you say that God has no problem with us having money? Doesn’t the Bible say that money is the root of all evil?”

Hold on a minute, that’s not in the Bible. Let’s be scripturally accurate. What the Bible says is this: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). Can you see the difference?

Having money does not make you evil. It is the obsession with and intense love of money that lead to all kinds of evil. Just because a person has no money in his pocket does not mean that he is holy. He may well be thinking, dreaming, and lusting after money all day long. You don’t need to have a lot of money to have the love of money. If a person is always purchasing lottery tickets, going to the casinos, and gambling in the stock market, this person clearly has a love for money. He is obsessed with getting more money.

When God called Abraham, He said to him, “ . . . I will bless you . . . and you shall be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). We who are new covenant believers in Christ are called the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:29) and like Abraham, we are called to be a blessing.

Now, how can we be a blessing if we are not blessed in the first place? How can we be a blessing to others when we are always flat on our backs with sickness, living from hand to mouth, never having enough for our own family, and always having to borrow from others? No way, my friend.

God wants you healthy and strong, and He wants you to have more than enough financial resources so that you can be generous with your relatives, friends, community, or anyone who needs help. How can you be in a position to help others if you need all the help you can get yourself? It’s definitely not God's best for you if you barely have enough for yourself. He wants to bless you so that you can be a blessing!

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor. Joseph Prince

The Truth About God’s Chastening

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”

Hebrews 12:5–6

Pastor Prince, how can you say there is no chastisement and punishment in the new covenant? Today’s scripture states it very clearly.

My friend, there is confusion in the church because the original Greek word for “chastens” in today’s scripture has been poorly translated. The Greek word is actually paideuo, which means child training. Pai is where you get the word pediatrician (a doctor who specializes in treating children), while deuo means to teach a child. You will find that the translation of the word paideuo as child training is more consistent with the context of the passage. Read on.

The next verse says, “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (Heb. 12:7). Clearly, because God deals with us as sons, He disciplines and brings correction to us just as earthly fathers would their sons.

Now, think about this for a moment: would you give your son a sickness, terminal disease, or accident to teach him a lesson? Then why do you think your loving Father in heaven would do that? No way! When you train your child, you give him lessons that will teach him things to benefit him in the future. And for him to benefit from the lesson, how can he die from it?

So God would never use terminal sicknesses or fatal accidents to teach you and me—His children—lessons. In the new covenant, while there is no longer any punishment for sins, there is child training. But God does not train His children with sicknesses, diseases, or accidents any more than you and I do. He does it through His Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17, Heb. 12:9).

Yet, sadly, there are still Christians who accuse our heavenly Father of using sickness and disease to discipline His children. What kind of God is that? Come on, He is our Abba! Abba is the most affectionate term you can use to address a father in the Hebrew language. It means “Daddy!” Do you really think your Daddy God will punish you that way?

If you earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your heavenly Daddy who loves you (Matt. 7:11). Sicknesses, diseases, and accidents are from the devil, and because of Jesus’ finished work, we have been redeemed from every evil work and curse.

We can receive protection from every evil occurrence, sickness, and disease. Our heavenly Father is one who “forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (Ps. 103:3–4). And by the stripes on Jesus’ back, we are healed!

Whenever you hear a teaching that puts fear in your heart, such as “God gives you diseases and accidents to teach you a lesson,” you can be sure that what you are hearing is not the gospel, or good news, of Jesus. The good news of Jesus always liberates as His perfect love removes every fear. The good news always imparts faith and exalts the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross!

My friend, reject anything that even remotely suggests that God is angry with you and is going to discipline you with painful, deadly things when you fail. Our Father is full of grace and mercy and wants us to be healthy, provided for, and protected from all evil occurrences! Let’s start to expect good gifts from Him.

This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs.

Your Hundredfold Harvest Is Coming

“But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Mark 4:20

When you get discouraged that you have been partaking of the holy Communion but your healing is taking longer than you hope for, the enemy can start to play mind games with you. Maybe you are starting to entertain thoughts that the Communion is just an empty ritual. May I tell you there is spiritual warfare going on to get you to give up on the very channel God has ordained to bring supernatural life and health into your body?

As I mentioned previously, miracles of instantaneous healing can take place. But our Lord Jesus tells us in today’s scripture what to expect when we are trusting Him for a breakthrough that does not manifest instantly. Notice what He says about how the seeds of the Word of God bear fruit when they fall on good ground. Luke’s gospel also records: “But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15 AMP).

The seeds that fall on good ground “bear fruit with patience.” “Patience” refers to perseverance and endurance. Do you know why patience is involved? Because it takes time for seeds to bear fruit. It does not happen overnight. Just as the farmer waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth, you also need to be patient (James 5:7). Your harvest will come incrementally—first thirtyfold, then sixtyfold, then a hundredfold.

When you begin to partake of the Communion, you might see some improvements, but the pain is mostly still there. That’s a thirtyfold harvest. Don’t give up! Keep on partaking of the holy Communion by faith until you get your sixtyfold harvest. That’s when you know there has been major improvement—you can even feel it—but maybe some symptoms are still there, lingering on. That’s the time to keep persevering, and to keep trusting, and to keep putting your eyes on His finished work until you see your hundredfold harvest of blessings, and you experience full healing for your condition.

When a seed is sown, you don’t see anything immediately, but you know it will begin to sprout leaves and grow. You don’t have to keep digging up the soil to check if the seed is growing. In the same way, when the seed of the Word of God is sown, your part is to have faith in the power of His Word and to be patient, as you believe that His words shall not return to Him void. And just as the earth yields crops incrementally, “first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head” (Mark 4:28), I declare that you shall reap the full harvest of your healing!

This devotional is taken from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional. Joseph Prince

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Shalom from Israel! It has been a very loud week here in northern Israel. There has not been a single day lately that I have not seen the inside of a bomb shelter at least once. But God has miraculously protected us, along with most of Israel. I can say “most”, but not “all”. On Tuesday, there was a direct hit by a Hezbollah rocket on a warehouse in Nahariya. Two men in their fifties were killed, and another two were wounded. Despite that tragedy, we saw God working to save others. In the Haifa suburb of Nesher, disaster was just barely averted as kindergarten teachers managed to rush their students into a bomb shelter seconds before a Hezbollah drone slammed into the school. Thank you, Lord, for protecting all those young lives!

Friday marked day 400 that the hostages have been held in captivity. It’s becoming a dangerous time, because the larger the number grows the easier it is to lose touch with its significance. Think of what you were doing in October 2023. Now imagine that every day since then, you have been held prisoner. Every morning you wake up to the same darkness of the tunnels. Your body has sores from every surface around you being hard. Each day you are confronted with the same stench of body odor and excrement. You find it hard to move around because your muscles have begun to atrophy from lack of use. That is how your day begins. You get a little bit of food, just enough to sustain life, but you are a skeleton compared to how you used to be. You sit there as the hours pass, wondering if today is the day that you’ll see the flashlights of your salvation or you’ll feel the sharp blade of your death. When your body is finally too exhausted to stay awake anymore, you sleep knowing that tomorrow will likely be exactly like today.

That is the experience of the hostages day after day after day after day. The monotony may be broken up at times by being moved from one location to another. Or, there may be regular bouts of abuse they experience of every conceivable kind. Any way you look at it, it is a nightmare. Four hundred days of it! It’s ridiculous! It’s inconceivable! I feel nauseous just thinking about it. Lord, bring our hostages home! Provide them with Your divine rescue! And, until You do, give them the strength to endure the compounding days of their tortuous captivity.

Psalm 69:1–3, 14-18 (NKJV)
Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God….
Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.
Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.


The Middle East

On Monday, I went live with a very important MidEast update. Not only was the information important, but the crew at CONNECT were at the top of their game with accompanying graphics which aided in showing the exact situation as it currently stands in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. If you’re looking for a one-stop overview of Israel’s war, that video is the place to get it. Also, if you haven’t yet done so, please subscribe to my Telegram channel. There you will find regular updates throughout the day and night as the action happens.


The Four Objectives in Gaza
The cries for Israel to pull out of Gaza get louder and louder around the world. Thankfully, the incoming White House administration understands that if the job is not completed then it won’t be long before it is proved to have been for naught. Israel has four objectives that must be accomplished before it can consider shutting down the war in Gaza. First, they must eliminate Hamas’s military power. Second, they must destroy Hamas’s political rule over the region. Third, they must bring the hostages back home – both the living and the dead. Finally, they must provide an environment so that southern Israelis feel safe enough to return to their homes where they can live in peace. Only when those four goals are achieved can Israel consider slowing down the battle.


The Battle for Jabalia
Approximately thirty percent of Gaza is under direct Israeli control. Much of the Israel Defense Force’s (IDF) focus currently is on the city of Jabalia. Located in the north of Gaza, this area is now the greatest stronghold of Hamas. The IDF has surrounded Jabalia from all sides and is looking to wipe out the terrorist’s grip on the area. So far they have killed a thousand terrorists there and have captured a thousand more. Ultimately, what the IDF is seeking to do is related to the fourth objective in the paragraph above – return the southern Israelis to their homes. Once northern Gaza is cleared of all terrorists, then there will be a buffer of safety that will allow peace in the region.


Progress and Pain in Lebanon
Daily, the IDF is hitting Hezbollah sites in Lebanon. The devastation in cities like Beirut, Tyre, and Baalbek has been great, but there is still so much work to do. Hezbollah has had years to build up their arsenal of weapons. Thus far, a stash ten times bigger than what was found in Gaza has been discovered in Lebanon ready to be used in an invasion of Israel. If Hezbollah had been given the opportunity to drive south across the border in conjunction with Hamas – or even instead of Hamas – the results would have been devastating. Now, the IDF is ensuring that the terrorist group will never have that opportunity. Caches are constantly being destroyed. Nearly 1000 cement trucks have been brough to southern Lebanese villages to seal up the tunnels and underground infrastructure of Hezbollah. But it hasn’t all been victories for the IDF. Just yesterday, six Israeli soldiers were killed in two incidents in southern Lebanon. The oldest age reported thus far among the fallen was just 22.


Successful Operations in Syria
The IDF destroyed a third-floor apartment in the southern suburbs of Damascus on Sunday. Inside that apartment was Ali Musa Daqduq, the head of Hezbollah forces in Syria, and some leaders of an Iraqi militia. They were all eliminated. Also taken out by the IDF near the city of al-Qusayr on Sunday was Salim Jamil Ayyash. In 2020, Ayyash was sentenced in absentia for organizing the suicide bombing that killed Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. Finally, rumor has it that Israel attacked an innocent convoy of humanitarian aid in Homs province. Don’t believe it. The trucks were carrying weapons along a route known for smuggling into Lebanon.


Drones Intercepted Targeting Israel Nuclear Reactor
A drone entered Israeli territory from the east and was shot down over the Dead Sea. A second drone also coming from the east was taken out before it crossed into Israel’s territory. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility, saying the UAVs were on their way to the nuclear reactor in Dimona. The number of drones coming from Iraq have steadily increased and are becoming a greater source of concern. These proxy militias sponsored by Iran that are firing them are just another issue Israel will have to deal with when it is done with Hezbollah.


New European Pogroms
At various points in the last couple decades, leaders from European nations began to change their ideas on immigration. Instead of blocking the mass of migrants pouring into their countries, they decided the more civilized way of treating them would be to do so with open arms. After all, what could possibly go wrong? So the Muslim immigrants came, and they came, and they came. Now these same countries are looking at their skyrocketing crime rates and the fear many of their citizens have of simply walking the streets and they say, “Oh, maybe that’s what could go wrong.” But it’s too late now. Instead of an overt invasion like the Umayyads carried out in Spain centuries ago, this was a soft invasion. The results, however, are the same. Europe has been Islamicized.

Does that matter? Maybe we should ask the Jews who were in Amsterdam Friday night. Following a football game, fans of the Israeli team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, made their way back to their hotels. But a mass of Muslims were waiting for them. When the Israelis exited their public transportation, they were attacked. Many were beaten, some were stabbed. It was horrific, lasting about five hours. The Dutch police were nearby, but they didn’t help. Many shopkeepers closed their doors to the fleeing Jews. Thankfully, there were some who opened their doors, hiding the Jews in their homes in a scene reminiscent of World War II. As the weekend progressed, the violence spread as Jews were hunted down also in Sweden and Belgium. Ironically, November is Islamaphobia month. It seems, though, that we need to ask whether they should fear us or we should fear them. And, yes, I certainly recognize that it is not all Muslims who act this way. But there are enough to make me renew my call to Jews everywhere that it is time to come home. Europe is not safe anymore. America is not safe. Asia is not safe. It is time to make aliyah and come home to the land given to you by your Creator.


Sixty-Seven Days Until Trump’s Inauguration
It is still over two months until Donald Trump begins his second non-consecutive term as president, and already he is making liberal heads explode. His cabinet picks are smart, well thought out, and, in many cases, out of the box. So far, he has tapped:

-    Secretary of Defense – Pete Hegseth, Fox News host, army combat vet, two-time bronze star recipient
-    Attorney General – Matt Gaetz, congressman and strong conservative
-    Secretary of Homeland Security – Kristi Noem, governor, former congresswoman, patriot
-    Secretary of State – Marco Rubio, senator, former Trump presidential opponent
-    Head of NSA – Mike Waltz, congressman, 28-year veteran of the army and reserves, Green Beret, four-time bronze star recipient
-    Director of National Intelligence – Tulsi Gabbard, former Democrat congresswoman and vice chair of the Democrat National Committee
-    Ambassador to Israel – Mike Huckabee, former governor, great friend of Israel, and pastor
-    UN Ambassador – Elise Stefanik, congresswoman, a great friend of Israel
-    Heads of the new Department of Government Efficiency – Elon Musk, multi-billionaire, and Vivek Ramaswamy, former political rival

There are numerous others who have also been chosen, many of whom do not fit the traditional, stodgy, Washington beltline mold. This is truly an eclectic bunch that will bring a new perspective to the nation’s capital. One thing we can all be sure of is that these next four years are not going to be boring. Most of us in Israel are cheering because we know that Trump is a huuuge fan of Israel, and his appointment of Mike Huckabee as the U.S. ambassador to our nation is proof of that. We are praying that God protects President Trump and that He gives him wisdom to bring peace to the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Along that vein, Prime Minister Netanyahu only has two years left until the next elections here in Israel and there is no telling what will happen at that time. That means that these next two years with Trump and Netanyahu working together are crucial. They must make the most of this short period, changing absolutely everything that needs changing.


Turkey Severs Relations with Israel
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that his country had officially severed relations with Israel. This leads to two questions. First, you mean you hadn’t done that already? With you constantly running your mouth against us, we figured you’d done that long ago. Second, the next time you make an announcement like that, would you mind putting a QR code for our upcoming thriller The Sick Man’s Rage in the corner of the screen? Between your rhetoric and our writing, we’re kind of following the same script. Much appreciated!


Ministry

Looking for stocking stuffers for your Christmas list? How about a copy of my new fiction book, The Sick Man’s Rage? Our series of Nir Tavor novels are high quality, adrenaline-inducing, action-packed, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Plus, they follow biblical prophecy and clearly present the gospel! By preordering copies today for yourself and as gifts for family members and friends, you’ll help us to get The Sick Man’s Rage into big box stores where they can been seen and picked up by people who may not hear the truth any other way. Don’t wait, preorder today!

On our next Anchor Podcast, airing Wednesday, November 20 at 10:00 AM PST, Amir interviews Dr. Dina Aweida, doctor of biology at Technion, Israel’s premier institution for science. Dr. Aweida is passionately pro-life, and daily battles to educate people on the sanctity of life and the dangers of abortion. This fascinating discussion, entitled “Choose Life”, is one that you will not want to miss.

Yesterday, we aired on our “Explore the Bible” series a great discussion I had with Dr. Rick Yohn about how we got our English translations of the Bible. Entitled “Why So Many English Translations?” we talked about how we got from the King James Bible to where we are today, and we looked at which version might be best for you. On Monday, Pastor Barry Stagner and I had another of our great Q & A sessions during which we answered your questions live on air. Check it out!

Thank you for your prayers and support over these past months! Part of what energizes us to do what we’re doing here is knowing that you are there lifting our arms up. May God bless you as you bless us.

Awaiting His Return,

Jesus, Be the Center

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

I love how in Luke 24, the Holy Spirit intricately records for us the meeting that Jesus had with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus on the very first day of His resurrection. With heavy hearts, grieved and shell-shocked, they talked about how Jesus, whom they greatly esteemed, had been taken by the religious leaders, condemned to death, and crucified.

Read the full story and notice how the two disciples were caught up with their own understanding of the events that had transpired and with their thoughts about the redemption of Israel. As a result, they were downcast, disappointed, and depressed. This is what happens when the truth about Jesus is absent from our minds.

The disciples had hoped that Jesus would be the one who would redeem Israel. To them, Jesus was simply a means to an end. They were more consumed with Israel’s redemption than with the Redeemer Himself. No wonder they were depressed! Jesus can never simply be a means to an end, no matter how noble that end may be. We need to be occupied with Him and allow everything to revolve around Him as He takes center place in our lives.

The disciples were downcast because they didn’t believe in what God’s Word had prophesied about Jesus’ suffering and resurrection. If they had believed and understood that the events in the last three days were all orchestrated by God and that the cross was His grand redemption plan to save all men, they would have been rejoicing with faith, love, and hope. They would have been greatly anticipating their reunion with the resurrected Christ instead of being so inward-looking and discouraged. But because of their wrong beliefs, they had become disillusioned and were mentally defeated.

If you are feeling fearful, anxious, or depressed today, do a quick check. What’s on your mind? What’s your heart occupied with? Are your thoughts filled with faith in Jesus, the Shepherd of your life, or are they filled with apprehensions about the future, fears about your current situation, and excessive self-introspection? Give Him center place by believing that He is the answer to everything you need in life, and begin to walk in a new measure of His peace, joy, and liberty.

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. Joseph Prince

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Do we understand that in the minds of the Jews, when you say the word Christianity or Christian, they see everything that is not in the Gospel and it’s so depressing. Last time I heard, He’s not a baby anymore. Last time I know, He’s not stuck on the cross anymore. The resurrection, it’s why we’re here, and the fact that God has a Son is not a foreign thing. It’s deep in the Old Testament, and you should know it because you need to give them that hope. And in Proverbs 30:4 it says, “Who has ascended into heaven or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His face? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name and what is His Son’s name, if you know?" It’s all in the Old Testament. Even in Psalm 2, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry.” It’s all there.

Now did God give the Jews a New Testament? Oh, yes, He did. In fact, I was shocked to find the word “New Testament” in the Old Testament, and then I was shocked that I was shocked. In Jeremiah 31, “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant, a new testament, with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.’” And the one new thing in this Testament is not the nullification of the promise to Abraham that He will make us a great nation and through us He will bless the whole world. What God made new is the end of the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant that He’s now giving, and He’s explaining that not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, way after Abraham. We’re talking about the Exodus. We’re talking about Moses. We’re talking about Mount Sinai.

“And then He says, ‘My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,’ says the Lord. ‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ says the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.’” It’s a spiritual regeneration. It’s a birth from above. It’s a new birth. It’s something that is of the Spirit. This is the first time we understand what to be born again is all about right there in this scripture.

While there are many reasons to reject the heretical and unbiblical teaching of Replacement Theology, one of the most significant is that it teaches something about God’s nature and character that is not true. Look at what the Lord said about His chosen, yet disobedient, people, Israel:

Jeremiah 24:6-7
For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

It is not within the nature and character of God to choose a group as His own special people, make them unconditional and everlasting promises, and then change His mind. It would be like the Lord promising to give us “temporary” eternal life that we can lose based on poor behavior.

To deny that modern Israel is a fulfillment of God’s promises to them is to deny the very word of God, and, by that, to question His nature and character.

Romans 11:1
I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Paul’s point is that if God cast off His people, then why are some of them getting saved, using himself as the example. Does it make any sense for God to cast you off and then save you? Of course not!

We might consider Judaism as a fulfilled religion. Jesus came and fulfilled the whole law and instituted a new covenant for both Jew and Gentile.

1 Corinthians 11:25
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

The Old Covenant was a blood covenant, but the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins. Hebrews reminds us that better blood was required for that to happen. So through the Jews, God sent His Son into the world to shed His “better blood” on behalf of sinners.

The Old Covenant highlighted the sinfulness of all people and the New Covenant offered to all sinful people what the Old could not, salvation for their souls through the blood of Christ.

We should all rejoice in the fact that God has not cast off His chosen people even after all they have done. That tells us what is actually true about God’s nature and character that Replacement Theology denies.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If Replacement Theology is true, then what we just read in Romans isn’t. But, thanks be to God, it is true and Israel is the greatest proof it is so!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,