The Friends of Israel Today

Was Jesus a Zionist? (Part 1 of 2): Anti-Zionism is spreading throughout the world. Recently, college campuses have become hotbeds for this form of antisemitism, as protesters against Israel chant, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.” But the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea is the nation of Israel’s. The fierce wave of ... Read More The post Was Jesus a Zionist?...

The Shema, Part 4: What does it mean to love God with all your strength? It goes far beyond physical power! The conclusion of our series on the Shema and loving God with our whole hearts brings us to the final portion of the command in Deuteronomy 6. The word we read in Scripture translated as “strength” comes from the ... Read More The post Loving God With Your Whole Heart: The Shema from Deut. 6...

The Shema, Part 3: Are we made of body and soul, or are we one holistic being? After studying the heart last week, our study of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6 brings us to Moses’ instruction to the Israelites to love the Lord with all their soul. The Hebrew word nefesh used in Deuteronomy 6 sheds light on what our ... Read More The post Loving God With Your Whole Heart: The Shema from Deut. 6 (Part 3...

The Shema, Part 2: Before the call to love God “with all your heart,” the well-known Shema begins with an instruction to “hear.” While this part of the Shema is easy to overlook, it sets the tone of God’s Word to the Israelites, as it invites them to know and follow Him truly, developing a heart of loving obedience. Part ... Read More The post Loving God With Your Whole Heart: The Shema from Deut....

The Shema, Part 1: In Moses’ final words to the Israelites in Deuteronomy, he told them, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn.” The listening Israelites, already physically circumcised as a mark of the nation’s covenant with God, must have been taken aback. But what God intended for His people went far beyond the act ... Read More The post Loving God With You...

The Lord's Prayer, Part 2: Jesus prayed to the Father, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What does this Kingdom look like? The Hebrew prophets provide answers in specific, physical details. Part 2 of our 3-part series on the Lord’s prayer directs our attention to Jesus’ focus on the Kingdom of God. ... Read More The post Israel’s Altar Call: The Lord’s Prayer (Par...

The Lord's Prayer, Part 1: Many Christians can recite the Lord’s prayer from Matthew 6 by heart. But Jesus’ model for prayer meant much more to His Jewish listeners than we realize today. Chris begins a 3-week series on the Lord’s prayer by revealing the monumental implications it had specifically for Israel. Jesus came to Earth offering the Kingdom of ... Read More The post Israel’s Altar Call: T...

Israel My Glory In Depth: Interview w/ Dr. Randall Price: When Israel and the United States entered into war with the nuclear-aspiring nation of Iran in February, the world fixed its attention on the Islamic Republic. Now, more and more people are seeing Iran for what it is: the shadowy threat that has hung over Israel for decades and driven ... Read More The post Israel My Glory In Depth: Intervi...

The Fellowship Offering: What do Israel’s offerings teach us about our relationship with God? This week we conclude our series on the Lord’s instructions to the children of Israel regarding sacrifice. We’re studying the fellowship offering, the blood sacrifice of an animal, which emphasizes the restored relationship God seeks to enjoy with us. It shows that we are not meant ... Read More The post...

The Sin & Trespass Offerings: We humans are impossibly far from God. We cannot approach Him in our sin; an atoning sacrifice for sin is necessary—even if our sin is unintentional. This week, as we study sin and trespass offerings in part 2 of our series on the Levitical sacrifices, we see that sin is not measured by our intentions ... Read More The post Ancient Israel’s Sacrifices: The Sin & Tresp...

The Burnt Offering: If God is truly holy, how could sinful men ever approach Him? God Himself answered this question for the children of Israel when He gave them the Law. Only through a God-appointed substitute—an atoning sacrifice—could His people be presented as wholly belonging to Him. We begin a new series this week on the Levitical sacrifices God appointed ... Read More The post Ancient Israe...

The History and Heart of the Tabernacle, Part 6: Journeying through ancient Israel’s Tabernacle, we have examined the altar of sacrifice, the laver, the table of showbread, the menorah, and the altar of incense. Finally, we arrive at the inner sanctum to find the veil, the ark of the covenant, and the holy of holies. This was the Lord’s throne ... Read More The post The History & Heart of the Tabe...

The History and Heart of the Tabernacle, Part 5: As we continue exploring ancient Israel’s Tabernacle, we pass beyond the altar of sacrifice, the laver, and the table of showbread to find the sacred furnishings in the holy place: the menorah and the altar of incense. The menorah provided light and allowed the priests to minister before the Lord. The ... Read More The post The History and Heart of...

Israel My Glory In Depth: Interview w/ Paul Golden: What do King David and MLB Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson have in common? A lot of home runs—and a lot of strikeouts. Metaphorically, David hit some big home runs in his career as God’s faithful and loving servant. But his strikeouts—coveting, adultery, and murder—paint a picture of a sinful and ... Read More The post Israel My Glory In Depth: Inte...

The History and Heart of the Tabernacle, Part 4: After studying the altar and the laver within ancient Israel’s Tabernacle in recent weeks, we now continue into the sanctuary, the holy place, to find the table of showbread. Here 12 loaves of bread remained arranged before the Lord. The symbolism and practicality in this image is profound: God was hosting ... Read More The post The History and Hear...

The History and Heart of the Tabernacle, Part 3: In Israel’s ancient Tabernacle, the Israelites immediately arrived at the altar, where they met the Lord through sacrifice. Just beyond the altar in the courtyard stood the laver, the bronze basin where the priest met God through cleansing. As the altar demonstrated God’s desire to forgive sinful man, the laver demonstrated ... Read More The post Th...

The History and Heart of the Tabernacle, Part 2: The altar of Israel’s Tabernacle was a sacred place. Why? Because God Himself established it as a place to meet His people in covenantal faithfulness! In part 2 of our series on the Tabernacle, Chris offers a plethora of valuable truths about the altar, where ordinary Israelites were allowed to go ... Read More The post The History and Heart of the...

The History and Heart of the Tabernacle, Part 1: What was the purpose of Israel’s ancient Tabernacle? Exodus 25:8 explains it well: “Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.” God wants to dwell with His people! We begin a series on the heart of the Tabernacle this week. Though God needed to maintain distance ... Read More The post The History and Heart of the Tabernacle: The...

Orienting Our Hearts Towards Jerusalem: At the moment Gentiles are saved, they enter into a story far beyond themselves—God’s story with the Jewish people. Their salvation signals the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise with Israel. Specifically, the Holy Spirit draws Gentile believers’ hearts to Jerusalem, God’s chosen city and the epicenter of His redemptive plan. Thanks to the Spirit’s indwel...

Romans 11: Having a Heart of Humility: The belief that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plans and affections has grown increasingly popular among Christians today. Yet, God’s Word teaches that the church is not a replacement, but rather a wild branch grafted into a covenantal olive tree rooted in Israel. Part 2 of our 3-part series on why ... Read More The post Why Should I Pray for Israel?...

Psalm 122: Our Command to Pray for Israel: Many influential voices are shaping a narrative that demonizes Israel, and it’s catching on at an alarming rate with young Christians in particular. But God loves Israel, and we should too. More than that, we should be praying for Israel. This isn’t an optional exercise for the Christian life—it’s an essential act ... Read More The post Why Should I Pray...

Israel My Glory In Depth: Interview w/ Mike Stallard: When so many headlines signal disaster for Israel and the world’s hatred toward it, peace and security seem so far off. But the Bible has an amazing future in store for Israel! Our newest Israel My Glory issue teaches the story of the book of Amos, and Dr. Stallard closes our ... Read More The post Israel My Glory In Depth: Interview w/ Mike St...

Interview with Dr. Mark Hitchcock: As the world grows increasingly restless and unstable, the prophecies in the book of Revelation garner much attention. That’s where a new book from Pastor Mark Hitchcock comes into focus. In The Revelation Answer Book, Dr. Hitchcock addresses 125 end-times questions with the truth of God’s Word. He joins our show this week to share ... Read More The post Answerin...

FOI in Action: On December 14, 2025, two gunmen opened fire on the crowd at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, killing 15. The terrorist attack left the nation shaken and the Jewish community traumatized and fearful for its safety. It made clear a little-known yet long-true fact: Australia has a serious antisemitism problem.  The Friends of ... Read More The post FOI In Ac...

How Did the Average Israelite View Jesus?: We all see Jesus differently! Over the past two weeks we’ve explored how the Romans dismissed His ministry and the Jewish religious leaders of His day considered it a threat. But the common Jewish people were much more interested in our Savior. We hear about “The People of the Land,” the average Israelites ... Read More The post Perspectives on Jesus: The...