The Friends of Israel Today

There’s no better way to teach about Israel than by going to Israel—and that’s where we find Chris this week! Steve turns the tables to interview Chris, who is enjoying his time in the Holy Land on The Friends of Israel’s Up to Jerusalem tour. Chris is excited to be back in the land, and you’ll be excited, too, when you hear all the highlights from his current trip. If you’ve got the itch to tour...

If you’ve ever enjoyed our magazine, Israel My Glory, you’ll love hearing about its past, present, and future on this week’s show! After 23 years of faithful service with IMG, editor-in-chief Lorna Simcox is handing off the baton to Jesse King, the new managing editor of the magazine. Chris speaks with Lorna and Jesse this week to help you get to know the people behind IMG. Lorna’s reflection on h...

In the days of the prophet Hosea, Israel’s spiritual adultery brought God’s judgment upon itself. But God was preparing to draw His people to repentance. After digging into their five cycles of judgment last week, we now see the hope that awaited Israel in the conclusion of our 4-part series on the book of Hosea. In His mercy, God brought a great promise of restoration and salvation for Israel thr...

The book of Hosea is a sad story of Israel’s failures in faithfulness to God. The Israelites of Hosea’s time committed spiritual adultery against the Lord, as they worshiped false gods instead of Him. So God used the Assyrian Empire to judge them harshly for their sins. Today’s show, part 3 of our 4-part series on Hosea, explores these cycles of judgment the Israelites endured. But there is still...

Our sins demand punishment. When Israel turned from God in the times of the prophet Hosea, the nation faced divine punishment. Because of the Israelites’ unfaithfulness to the Lord—their spiritual adultery—God used Hosea to issue a poignant lesson to His people. He instructed Hosea to marry Gomer, a prostitute, who would bear children whose names indicated God’s anger and impending judgment on the...

In the book of Hosea, God gave the prophet Hosea an incredibly difficult task: He was to marry an immoral woman who would be unfaithful to him. But through this difficult assignment, God showed His desire for His Chosen People and His everlasting faithfulness. As we open our 4-part series on the book of Hosea, Chris details Hosea’s character and the state of the wayward Israelites who had been cal...

Antisemitism is a global issue today—and it has been for thousands of years. How did it begin, and why does it continue to plague the Jewish people? Ty Perry speaks with Chris this week about his new Israel My Glory article focused on antisemitism. Ty traces this evil hatred of the Jewish people from its source, Satan, to its present manifestations. Discover the dangers of antisemitism on this wee...

Our host, Chris Katulka, is an expert on all things Israel—and now he’s written a book about Israel! He takes the hot seat this week to answer questions about his new book, Israel Always: Experiencing God’s Pursuit of You Through His Chosen People. He speaks about the past, present, and prophetic future of Israel from his book, which reveals the amazing story of the Jewish people, God’s love for t...

Abraham’s covenant with God included promises of a special land and countless descendants for Abraham. But it also included a promise of blessing for the whole world. And we enjoy that blessing today! In the conclusion of our 4-part series on the Abrahamic Covenant, you’ll find how God’s words to Abraham have extended thousands of years for our benefit today and how we in turn can bless the Jewish...

God’s eternal covenant with Abraham included a miraculous guarantee: Abraham would have a son in his old age, and descendants as countless as the stars in the sky would follow in his line. This promise was part of God’s glorious plan to send a redeemer: the Messiah. Part 3 of our 4-part series on the Abrahamic Covenant explores God’s promise of Abraham’s offspring; and you’ll find your own love fo...

Why is the land of Israel so important to God? Because of His eternal covenant with Abraham! Chris digs into the incomparable land of Israel promised to Abraham’s descendants in part 2 of our 4-part series on the Abrahamic Covenant. This Holy Land guarantees Israel’s bright future in God’s plan of redemption, as Jesus will reign from here when He comes again. In the meantime, we should follow God’...

Evangelism is growing throughout the world, but many Christians don’t care about Israel and the Jewish people. They don’t understand God’s love for His Chosen People and the responsibility we have to love them too. God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12 shows us exactly why we need to have a biblical love for Israel and why we’ll be blessed for doing so. Discover the significance of this promis...

Happy New Year, friends! Today’s special guest is Bassem Eid, a Palestinian human rights activist who supports the state of Israel—you read that right! But how does a Palestinian come to support Israel? Isn’t that the opposite of what we hear in the news? Bassem discusses Israeli-Palestinian relations, the struggle of the Palestinians against their own corrupt leaders, and how he became a defender...

We hope you have a very merry Christmas! While we studied Isaiah 7 in our Christmas series last week, we’re jumping ahead to chapter 53 to read about Jesus’ divine mission to save His people from their sins. Even though this chapter comes from the Tanakh, it’s not welcome in Jewish synagogues. That’s because it so clearly validates Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah that it goes against Jewish teachin...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As we prepare to celebrate during this happy season, this week’s program takes us back to the very first Christmas. The Old Testament prophecies and New Testament context converged in this time to create an incredible account of the virgin birth that fulfilled the divine Messianic expectations and made a way for us to have a relationship with the Lord. Thi...

Hanukkah is almost here! We’re continuing our discussion this week with Steve Herzig, vice president of North American Ministries here at The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Steve grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home and brings a personal perspective to the Jewish holidays. This week he shares his memories of celebrating Hanukkah growing up and how he observes Hanukkah now as a believer in Jesus...

Hanukkah and Christmas fall on the same week this year—and this week we are talking about all things Hanukkah! We welcome Steve Herzig, vice president of North American Ministries here at The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, to the program. He and Chris discuss everything from how to pronounce “Hanukkah” to the inspiration it provides for Jewish people today to why Jesus celebrated this Feast of...

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! You might know about this favorite holiday’s American roots, but did you know just how much Thanksgiving connects to Israel and the Jewish people? Chris teaches about the surprisingly long list of similarities between Jewish culture and customs and our current holiday celebrations on this Thanksgiving-themed show. Enjoy taking some time this weekend to listen and disco...

The votes are in! A familiar face is returning to the premiership in Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu—the longest-serving prime minister who last held the title just last year. But why have Israelis gone to the polls five times in four years? What does Netanyahu’s return to power mean? And what does the future hold for Israelis? Chris shares the answers to your election questions on this week’s show to...

Hear from the front lines of Israel’s emergency care! Don Sharpe, our guest on this week’s program, is saving lives in Israel. A Magen David Adom volunteer from Alberta, Canada, Don is the first international paramedic trained to provide volunteer EMS care in the Holy Land. Tune in to find out how Don became a Magen David Adom volunteer in Israel despite living halfway across the world, stories fr...

God is blessing The Friends of Israel’s ministry Down Under! You won’t want to miss this week’s interview with Deane and Margaret Woods, who recently retired from 18 years of ministry in Australia. Through their faithful service, a new generation of Christian servants are serving the Jewish community and changing lives with God’s love. Tune in for their stories of starting our Australian ministry...

Jesus’ epic showdown with a demon-possessed man put His power and identity on display in the book of Luke. Though the confrontation fits into just a few verses, it shows us Jesus’ Messianic ministry and ability to free people both from demons and from sin. He does the same thing today for all who believe on Him, so we should share about our Savior with those around us today! Join us this week for...

You won’t be surprised to know Jesus is the Holy One of God, but you might be surprised to learn who else is called a Holy One of God. You might also be surprised that those who called Jesus the Holy One were the apostle Peter… and satanic demons. What does this title for Jesus tell us about our Savior? Join us for part 1 of our 2-part series on the Holy One of God for another biblical perspective...

You might be familiar with King Solomon’s wisdom and wealth, but did you know that his reign over Israel gave us a picture of an even greater Kingdom to come? Timothy Rabinek, our Field Ministries representative in Poland, wrote about the parallels between the two kingdoms in Israel My Glory magazine. He joins Chris on our show this week to share how these kingdoms are marked by judgment, wisdom,...

God called His people to repentance in the first two chapters of Joel, as His judgment was coming to them. But in chapter 3, we see how God not only defends Israel but also brings ruin to the nations that mistreated His Chosen People and divided the Holy Land. As we conclude our 3-week study of the book of Joel this week, you’ll find clarity in biblical prophecy and confirmation of God’s promise t...