Prayer A to Z

As for Israel during this period, though God has withdrawn Himself from them as a nation, He has not totally cast them away.  All Jews who believe in Him and in His son are saved just as anyone who believes.  They are “a remnant according to the election of grace” (Rom. 11:5).

Moreover, all believers during this period, whether Jews or Gentiles, enter into the kingdom of God and of His Son by their new birth (Col. 1:13).  This kingdom which we enjoy now is of course the spiritual dimension of the kingdom—where Christ rules and reigns in every believer’s heart, where He has blessed us with His presence and love, and where He has granted us forgiveness of sins based on our redemption, which He purchased with His blood (Col. 1:13-14).

With that said, be careful to understand that the church is not, nor ever will be the…

When Jesus was born, and then again when He began His ministry (at about age 30), many recognized Him as the Messiah and that He would soon bring in His kingdom; for they had been waiting for Him and were anticipating His coming—as was predicted by the prophets.

John the Baptist and Christ himself preached that the kingdom was “at hand”—meaning that it was to be expected immediately. The twelve disciples, being commissioned and sent out by Jesus, also preached that the kingdom of God was “at hand.”  They believed that the kingdom, which was offered by Jesus, was the same kingdom that was anticipated by the prophets—which we know as the millennial kingdom.  Moreover, Jesus’ many works and miracles were their evidence that He was beginning to bring in the long awaited kingdom of God.  In fact, as Jesus did His works He Himself was constantly pointing back to…

Isaiah 30:26

And the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the bruise He has inflicted.

An image taken from a video uploaded on Sunday by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria claiming to show fighters in Tikrit, Iraq. (Credit ISIS, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)

(Washington, D.C.) — Please pray for Christians in Iraq, as well as all of Iraqis, as the ISIS jihadist offensive intensifies — and share this with others to pray, as well.

Now that U.S. military forces have all been withdrawn, the radical Islamist groups have launched a “surge” of their own, one that they have been preparing for quite some time. There is a real danger now that Iraq could completely collapse and soon be in the hands of Radicals.

The Christians of Iraq are particularly vulnerable. By the grace of God, I have had the opportunity to travel into Iraq four times since its liberation, usually with members of The Joshua Fund team. We have met with…

After the period of the prophets, Malachi being the last, there was a period of 400 years where God seemed to be silent—where other world kingdoms arose: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. But, though God was not working outwardly, I suggest that He was nevertheless working in His own way to affect His kingdom. For example, during this time of silence, the persecuted Jews saw the need to devote themselves to the study of the Old Testament, and some very good things came out of this movement: notably the education of the apostle Paul.

Moreover, I think the most significant thing that was happening was that God was working in hearts, primarily in the Jews, as He was helping people to wait on Him. For many years the prophets had preached about the kingdom of God and about the coming of the Messiah, but when suddenly prophecy came to a…