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Replacement theology refers to the faulty belief that God replaced Israel as His chosen people with the Church. According to those who hold this view, God’s promises to Israel now belong to the Church, and His plans no longer extend to the Jewish people or Israel. The origins of this belief are ancient. They stem from social and theological forces.

Ancient Judaism attracted non-Jews. Most chose not to identify fully with Judaism, which required a man to undergo the rite of circumcision. So too, the Jewish commandments proved too hard for non-Jews and alienated them from their families and civic identities. Non-Jews attracted to Judaism were called God-fearers (or God-worshippers).

The Jewish followers of Jesus attracted non-Jews as well. The Jewish followers of Jesus decided non-Jews could remain non-Jews, but they had to avoid meat sacrificed to idols, prohibited sexual unions, and bloodshed. Jesus’ community required them to adopt a Jewish morality without fully converting to Judaism. They lived Jewishly without being fully part of the Jewish community. This was Paul’s position as well.

Non-Jews stood on the edge of the synagogue, not fully part of the community. This created an inferiority complex, a sense of being an outsider. Such feelings can produce resentment over time. They can be overcome by the outsiders concluding they represent the true faith. Jews failed, and God rejected them. Their laws were null and a hinderance to salvation. Scattered evidence of this logic appears among non-Jews prior to the rise of Christianity, but with the rise of Christianity, these ideas became more widespread as Christianity showed itself as the true religion and Israel’s replacement.

An apocryphal work known as Fifth Ezra reflects this belief. This work likely dates to the second century A.D. Preserved in Latin, it was originally written in Greek. The author proclaims, “What can I do about you Jacob? You would not listen to me, Judah. I will turn to another nation and give it my name in order that they may keep my decrees. Because you have forsaken me, I will forsake you…I am going to deliver your houses to a coming people who, though they have not heard me, believe; [those] to whom I showed no signs will do what I decreed. They did not see the prophets, yet they will keep in mind their time-honored [admonitions]” (1:24-25, 35-36).

Justin Martyr (about A.D. 100-165) also embraced this belief. In his Dialogue with Trypho a Jew, he interpreted Genesis 9:27 as, “Accordingly, as two peoples were blessed—those from Shem, and those from Japhet—and as the offspring of Shem were decreed first to possess the dwellings of Canaan, and the offspring of Japhet were predicted as in turn receiving the same possessions…so Christ has come calling men to…a living together of all the saints in the same land whose possession He promised, as has already been proven.

Whence men from all parts, whether slave or free, who believe in Christ and know the truth in His and the prophets’ words, know that they will be with Him in that land, there to inherit the things that are eternal and incorruptible” (139:4-5). Justin elsewhere described Gentile Christians as the “true Israel” (Dialogue 11:5; 120:5). The idea emerged quite early within Gentile Christianity that God had rejected the Jews, and their laws were not relevant.

It is critical that Christians understand the dangers of these distorted beliefs. For centuries, sermons and writings espousing replacement theology have planted the seeds of anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism. Not only did this lead to widespread discrimination and violence against the Jewish community in much of Western society; it left the door wide open for six million Jews to be murdered in the Holocaust. 

While not all Christian groups accept this theology, it has seen a resurgence in recent years within many Christian circles, and it is absolutely imperative that we oppose and root out this toxic thinking. 

Marc Turnage is President/CEO of Biblical Expeditions. He is an authority on ancient Judaism and Christian origins. He has published widely for both academic and popular audiences. His most recent book, Windows into the Bible, was named by Outreach Magazine as one of its top 100 Christian living resources. Marc is a widely sought-after speaker and a gifted teacher. He has been guiding groups to the lands of the Bible—Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—for over twenty years.

Website: WITBUniversity.com
Facebook: @witbuniversity
Podcast: Windows into the Bible Podcast

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Celebrations are taking place across Israel this week, as the world’s only Jewish nation remembers its dramatic beginnings 75 years ago. Based on the Hebrew calendar, Independence Day is the fifth day of Iyar and originally took place on May 14, 1948. 

That day, David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, stood up in a simple Tel Aviv art gallery and read the new nation’s Declaration of Independence. As Tel Aviv’s Independence Hall tour guide Isaac Dror recalled, “Ben-Gurion was standing here as the voice of 11 million Jews around the world who had no voice, who had no address and nowhere to go to.”

Ben-Gurion declared “Israel” to be the official name of the modern Jewish state—a national comeback according to Isaiah 66:8 (NIV): “Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.”

Not only has this nation been birthed; it has exhibited tremendous progress and growth. Such progress can be seen in the strength of Israel’s military—today one of the most powerful in the world—with tremendous advantage over its enemies in technology, training, and know-how. 

The Times of Israel reports that Israel’s population is near 10 million, a 12-fold increase since the nation’s founding, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. And by 2048, Israel’s centenary year, the population is predicted to hit 15.2 million.” 

Israel has enjoyed solid economic growth, too. Reuters reported in February that Israel’s economy grew 6.5 percent in 2022—much stronger than most Western countries, according the Central Bureau of Statistics, which cited the nation’s growth in exports, investment, and consumer spending. In fact, this country—just the size of New Jersey—has the highest concentration of new businesses per capita in the world, earning it the nickname of “Startup Nation.”

Plenty of media are covering Israel’s current chaos: the ongoing demonstrations against the proposed reforms of Israel’s judiciary, the synchronization of proxy attacks by Iran’s Islamic regime on the Jewish homeland, and the reemergence of anti-Semitism—which has burgeoned from benign growths into dangerous melanomas worldwide. 

Nevertheless, today, I am sharing—and rejoicing—over how Israel remains one of “The Best” nations for innovations across sectors of scientific and medical discovery and implementation. You will find information that might help you, your family, or friends. 

First, join me in revisiting some of Israel’s past accomplishments and innovations, a tiny sample indeed! (Check out www.Israel21c.org—an excellent resource.) Motorola in Israel developed the cell phone technology leading to our smartphones. The global leader Watergen is the first to create a machine that makes drinking water from the air—a remarkable machine to witness in action. Our taste buds delight when we visit Israel, as personal proof that this tiny nation maintains the strictest food quality and nutrition standards in the world. 

Environmentalists will appreciate that Israel is the only country that has more trees today than 50 years ago. For such a small country, Israel has absorbed more immigrants than any other country, with Jews from over 100 countries. In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted 22,000 Ethiopian Jews to safety, making it the only country in the world to bring a black population into freedom.

Israel’s innovations are fueled by its high number of scientists and technicians. Ranking third highest in the world for entrepreneurial initiatives, Israel boasts the highest rate globally of women entrepreneurs and those over age 55. 

Several medical innovations include an emergency bandage that enables self-application to wounds and staunches blood flow so successfully that it’s used by armies in the U.S., Germany, Australia, and other countries. Good news for physical therapy comes in the form of an Israeli-created glove-like device that helps restore paralyzed hands and arms. Millions have benefitted from fingertip monitors for sleep disorders and cardiac issues. 

Seeing one product demonstration was an emotional time for thousands of us at an American Israel Public Affair Committee (AIPAC) policy conference. We gasped and kept applauding when a paraplegic walked out on the stage aided by ReWalk, a robotic exoskeleton. It is one of Israel’s most famous inventions. The kibbutz-owned company Netafim invented smart drip and micro-irrigation that is improving crops in 112 countries. 

Switching toward several more recent innovations, Believer Meats, a food technology company, addresses increased concerns about food shortages. As it says on its website, the firm creates cultured meats by growing “animal cells in fermentation tanks into actual meat without harm to animals, and at a fraction of the environmental cost, to transform our planet and secure nutrition for generations to come.”

Israelis also remain focused on water. In Mayu, for example, this startup aims to “fix” existing water by adding minerals—with a swirl. Their first product, Mayu Swirl, is on Amazon. Sports lovers should check out this Artificial Intelligence (AI) ability from an Israeli sports-tech company, WSC Sports. They won an Emmy at the 74th Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards, which curates real-time sports highlights. For children with dyslexia, Singit is an app that uses songs kids like and includes questions to learn vocabulary and meaning. It makes learning a foreign language easier. OrCam invented wearable devices equipped with high quality cameras for the visually impaired, helping them read text and recognize faces. 

This brief tour of Israel’s significant presence in this world is summarized from God’s words in Isaiah 49:6. “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” 

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob always included us non-Jews in His beautiful, redemptive plan first through Jewish scribes as vessels for His Word, and the most profound love the world has ever known through Jesus. However, the millions of lights exemplified among the Jewish people to bless the world are beyond measure. It is my hope that after you have read this small sample, you will look for ways to advocate for Israel amid the Jew hatred raising its evil head, especially everywhere it is ignored. Silence and inaction from Christians will only feed the evil. Together, let us advocate for Israel, our spiritual homeland. 

I am a Christian Zionist who is delighted to extend my appreciation and honor for all Israelis who have died defending Israel—which rebounds in a blessing for me and many millions worldwide fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: “And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 

Join our CBN Israel team with thanks to God for blessing our world with Israel:

• Pray with thanks to God for honoring His promises to bring Jewish people back to their homeland. 
• Pray for Israel military’s vigilance and safety amid intensifying threats. 
• Pray for the development of workable policies for Israel’s judiciary. 
• Pray that Christian advocacy for Israel will increase exponentially.

Arlene Bridges Samuels pioneered Christian outreach for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After nine years on AIPAC’s staff, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her part-time as Outreach Director for their project, American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, guest columnist at All Israel News, and has frequently traveled to Israel since 1990. She co-edited The Auschwitz Album Revisited and is a board member for Violins of Hope South Carolina. Arlene attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summit and hosts her devotionals, The Eclectic Evangelical, on Facebook.

They lived on the frontlines. Galina and her elderly mother Tatiana resided in Mariupol, one of the first Ukraine cities bombed by Russia. Working at a supermarket, Galina heard the explosions and froze, saying, “The store was packed with people… there was panic and fear.” 

Galina’s apartment was damaged by rocket fire, so she and her mother took refuge in the basement. When their food ran out, she had to buy stale, moldy bread, so the two had something to eat. Galina admits, “I never prayed so much… I asked God to have mercy on us.” 

Eventually, a rescue bus took them to Moldova. Because they are Jewish, they were grateful to be able to fly to Israel as refugees, and new immigrants. Galina said, “We came with only the clothes on our back… We needed help.” They rented an apartment with money from a government grant—yet still needed appliances and food. And they were alone in a new country. 

But thankfully, friends like you were there. Through CBN Israel, caring donors offered them groceries, and a much-needed stove and washing machine. Galina exclaimed, “In our war-torn Ukraine, I could only dream of fresh bread. But now, I’m in a peaceful place, and you bring me food. I’m extremely grateful to you for helping us… May the Lord repay your generosity!” 

And your generous gift to CBN Israel can be a blessing to many who are fleeing dangerous situations and seeking a safe haven in Israel. You can provide food, housing, essentials, and financial assistance to them—as well as to others in desperate need. 

Your support can extend help and hope to lonely refugees, terror victims, Holocaust survivors, single mothers, and struggling families—giving them vital aid and encouragement. 

Please join us in reaching out with God’s love and compassion!

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The Jewish revolts against Rome (A.D. 66-136) scattered the Jewish community outside the land of Israel. Judaism never lost its connection to the land because the land was part of God’s covenant with Israel. Jewish families recited, “Next year in Jerusalem,” every Passover in the Diaspora (the Jewish community outside of the land of Israel). So, Jerusalem and the Jewish ancestral land remained part of Jewish faith and hope.

The Jewish community did not entirely leave the land of Israel after the Jewish revolts. Jewish communities resided in the land during both the Byzantine and early Muslim periods. However, the Crusaders slaughtered all inhabitants of Jerusalem upon their conquest of the city in 1099 A.D. Jews, eastern Christians, and Muslims were put to the Crusader sword.

The Medieval Jewish Sage, Nachmanides (Ramban), played an instrumental role in reestablishing a Jewish presence in Jerusalem following this period. He immigrated from Spain to Jerusalem in the thirteenth century and settled in Jerusalem on the western hill, where the Jewish Quarter of the Old City presently resides.

Another immigration of Jews occurred in the eighteenth century. These Jews came from North Africa, belonging to the Sephardic or Mizrahi branch of Judaism. They were religious. They settled in Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, Tiberias, and Safed. The ancient land of Israel belonged to the Ottoman Empire at this time and was part of Syro-Palestine.

The Jewishness of these cities made the Jewish populations the greatest of the various people groups inhabiting them. When Europeans began to enter the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century, the censuses they took showed the Jewish population as the largest in these cities. As a result, the Ottomans began resettling Arabs into Syro-Palestine from elsewhere in their empire in the 1850s to 1870s. This way, the Arab populations of these cities would exceed the Jewish populations.

The rise of nationalism in Europe in the nineteenth century impacted European Jewry. Some identified with nationalist sentiments in Europe; others came to express a desire for a Jewish nationhood in their ancestral homeland. This movement became known as Zionism. The growing anti-Semitism in Europe, especially eastern Europe and Russia, and the pogroms in these regions led to the beginnings of Jewish immigration into Ottoman Syro-Palestine at the end of the nineteenth century.

Many of the Jews who came to settle in Syro-Palestine were not religious, nor necessarily motivated by religion. Jewish families, like the Rothschilds, and Jewish agencies, like the Jewish National Fund, provided funding for Jews to acquire land from the Ottomans. These waves of Jewish settlers, which stretched into the early twentieth century, bought agricultural tracks of land.

Though they were not natural farmers, they learned farming establishing schools for farming and farming communities, some of which became the first kibbutzim. The Jews legitimately purchased land from the Ottomans, but this did occasionally lead to the displacement of local Arab farmers. The Ottomans did not care, as long as they were well compensated. But herein lies the beginnings of the Jewish-Arab conflict.

Jewish immigration into their ancestral homeland occurred over centuries. The deep connection of Jews to the land of Israel fueled the hope of millions to return.

Marc Turnage is President/CEO of Biblical Expeditions. He is an authority on ancient Judaism and Christian origins. He has published widely for both academic and popular audiences. His most recent book, Windows into the Bible, was named by Outreach Magazine as one of its top 100 Christian living resources. Marc is a widely sought-after speaker and a gifted teacher. He has been guiding groups to the lands of the Bible—Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—for over twenty years.

Website: WITBUniversity.com
Facebook: @witbuniversity
Podcast: Windows into the Bible Podcast

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

From sunset to sunset on April 17-18, Israelis marked Holocaust Memorial Day. The customary countrywide alarm sounded, announcing two solemn minutes of silence. Jewish citizens froze in remembrance, stopping everything—including their cars on busy highways and city streets where they got out and stood. 

Fewer than 150,000 Holocaust survivors remain in Israel. Six survivors always light the flames of six torches at the official state ceremony at Israel’s Yad Vashem National Holocaust Memorial. Jewish communities mend the torn tapestry of their history by their sheer will to live, using endurance, innovation, holy festivals, and family to honor those lost—still securing Israel’s safety 8,760 hours each year for the only Jewish country in the world. 

Seventy-eight years have passed since American, British, and Soviet forces liberated surviving Jews in the concentration camps. The worldwide Jewish community has developed countless educational and inspiring ways to remember and honor the men, women, and children who perished—ways that always proclaim the resounding motto, “Never Again.” 

I recently saw a creative idea that gave me fresh insights into such steadfastness. During a weekend with our close friends Rev. Dr. Tony Crisp and his wife Karen in Kingsport, Tennessee, we were their guests at Dr. Crisp’s excellent event, Jesus and the Passover. The next day we visited his office, where I gravitated toward a large book, the biggest I had ever seen. Displayed on an elegant wooden accent table, it opened in the center. I asked, “What is this, Tony?” 

Tony then picked up the heavy book, titled And Every Single One Was Someone. He explained that he had received it, gratefully, as a gift from a Jewish friend and then highlighted facts about the unusual book. “There are 1,250 pages in this book. It has only one word, JEW, written six million times.” He pointed out that “each page is imprinted with the word JEW 4,800 times.” 

In my research, I learned about Phil Chernofsky, the author of this 2013 book. He designed it as a teaching tool for his math and Jewish studies students at a Jewish day school. In a New York Times book review in 2014, Chernofsky described his concept of the stark volume, observing, “That’s how the Nazis viewed their victims: These are not individuals, these are not people, these are just a mass we have to exterminate.” In the foreword, Chernofsky invites readers to step back from the pages to note that it looks like “nothing more than a design.” Then he invites readers to look closely, and focus on one word, JEW, then a column of JEWS, realizing it may represent a family, or a page of JEWS representing a small town. 

His foreword concludes, “They are gone but we remember them.” 

Remembering the Holocaust (Yom HaShoah) is a message not only for Jews. It is for Christians. If we take God’s word seriously in the Old and New Testaments—which emphasize His eternal covenants with the Jews—clearly, we must remember! The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob commissioned us non-Jews to pray not just for the “peace of Jerusalem” but to act. The Jew hatred is no longer appearing in the margins. It has become a panorama of propaganda infecting minds globally. 

Among evangelicals, steadfast pastors are leading the way to oppose this reincarnated evil. They express their advocacy for Israel, the birthplace of our faith, in a broad range of outreaches. It may include tours to Israel, humanitarian aid to Holocaust survivors, teaching, pulpit preaching, speaking up for Israel in world governments, authoring, and funding bomb shelters. Rev. Dr. Tony Crisp is one of them. 

Born into poverty in McMinn County, in Tennessee’s Appalachian Mountains, Tony was an unlikely candidate for Israel advocacy. However, since Dr. Crisp’s profound encounter with Jesus at almost 20, then biblically understanding Israel’s importance, God has vaulted him into relentless advocacy for the last 40 years in pastorates from California to Tennessee. Tony serves as Lead Elder and Teaching Pastor at Remnant Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. His leaders and congregation are fully supportive of him, as he spends as many as four months of travel annually to teach hundreds through his company TLC Holy Land Tours. To date, he has led some 100 tours to Israel. Impacting thousands of lay people and pastors, he proclaims that the Bible is a Jewish book, written by Jews for Jews—and for us. 

Tony’s unforgettable teaching combines a brilliant biblical understanding of Israel’s ancient and modern history with extensive geographical, cultural, and archaeological expertise. He is a walking encyclopedia, a pastor with a servant heart and a sense of humor. His reach has grown internationally with his podcast, “On The Way,” already heard in 130-plus countries.  

In addition to Tony receiving numerous awards, positions, and initiatives, the historically Jewish American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) appointed him as one of several Christians to their National Council. He has spoken on AIPAC panels and at AIPAC’s General Sessions, inspiring both Jews and Christians in political advocacy with the United States Congress—making sure lawmakers continue to support Israel’s security aid. He also serves on the board of directors for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem-USA.

One of Tony’s latest and far-reaching roles is his appointment as corporate pastor for 5 Stones Intelligence, an intelligence and protective agency service based on Judeo-Christian principles. The organization engages an expert network that includes former members of the CIA, FBI, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. He has already hosted numerous tours to Israel and is now planning additional tours for police officers, special agents, special forces operators, intelligence officers, and security professionals. These specialized tours are filled with biblical studies, tactical training, and intelligence briefings from Israel’s top experts. With the world descending into darkness, their grasp of biblical truths and expanded tools will bless all of us.

I am highlighting Tony’s ministry as an example of other fine pastors who are dedicated to the biblical narrative of God’s eternal plans for His Jewish people and His Holy Land. A strong remnant exists among pastors who I am honored to know. However, the resurgence of Jew hatred and propaganda is a trumpet call for additional pastors and their congregations to lift shields of prayer, biblical teaching, and practical actions. 

Please read what the Palestinian Authority published on Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Monday April 17, as translated and reported by Palestinian Media Watch (www.PalWatch.org): “That Jews were trained by the Nazis in concentration camps to kill ‘without feeling anything’ and that the Germans would deliberately free Jews in concentration camps to ‘prepare them’ for combat against Arabs in Palestine.”

After reading the above outrage, I hope you will decide to join Tony and/or other pastors, as well as CBN Israel to spread the facts and pass on God’s Word. 

John 4:22 “Jesus said, ‘You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.’” 

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” 

Romans 11:18 “Do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.” 

Please join CBN Israel in prayer this week for Israel and the Jewish people:

• Pray for more pastors to proclaim truths about God’s eternal promises to Israel and the Jewish people.
• Pray asking Jesus in what ways He wants you to advocate for Israel. 
• Pray asking God to reveal every terror plot against Israel during their current, serious security threats inside and outside their land. 
• Pray that Christians will actively advocate for Israel and Jewish communities worldwide amid the rise of dangerous anti-Semitism.

Arlene Bridges Samuels pioneered Christian outreach for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After nine years on AIPAC’s staff, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her part-time as Outreach Director for their project, American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, guest columnist at All Israel News, and has frequently traveled to Israel since 1990. She co-edited The Auschwitz Album Revisited and is a board member for Violins of Hope South Carolina. Arlene attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summit and hosts her devotionals, The Eclectic Evangelical, on Facebook.

She was blind, Jewish, and came alone from Russia to Israel in 2018 to become a citizen. Living by herself in the northern city of Karmiel, she depends completely on the government to survive—along with a caretaker, who comes for a few hours. Still, she’s grateful for all she has.

She is comfortable in her neighborhood; with everything she needs nearby. She has even learned to walk those short distances on her own, which, being blind, is a huge accomplishment. 

Recently, Tanya had problems with her teeth, and required dental prosthetics. Sadly, the dental clinic botched the work—leaving her with no teeth and needing dentures urgently. She found another dentist who could do the work, but she couldn’t afford it. Who could help her? 

Thankfully, friends like you were there for her through CBN Israel. Donors provided grant money to cover the cost—and Tanya is thrilled to be eating and smiling again! They also gave her vouchers for food and necessities. Plus, they are connecting her with local partners who can offer her more services, given her blindness, and provide beyond what the government covers. 

In addition, she is thrilled that her son and his family finally immigrated to Israel and moved not far away so they can visit her—and her grandson sometimes comes to help her! 

Because you cared, Tanya is living a fuller life. And your gift to CBN Israel can help so many in need receive groceries, housing, financial aid, and more. With the influx of refugees and colder weather, your support is crucial. You can provide a lifeline to single mothers, Holocaust survivors, refugees, and more. 

Please join with us to make a difference today!

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The New Testament connects the coming of Jesus to Israel’s hopes of redemption (Luke 1:50-55, 68-75; 2:25, 38; 21:20-28; 24:21; and Acts 1:6-8). Jesus’ followers expected the end of the age would bring God’s promised redemption of Israel (Acts 1:6). They called their fellow Jews to repent as part of God’s final redemption, the resurrection of the dead, and the return of Jesus.

Jesus’ followers faced the challenge of their claim of His Messiahship. While they pointed to His resurrection as proof of God’s vindication and exaltation of Him, Rome still ruled the land of Israel and nothing had changed for the people of Israel. Ancient Judaism believed at the end of the age non-Jews would forsake their idols and turn to worship the God of Israel but remain non-Jews. The inclusion of the Gentiles into Jesus’ movement connected to this expectation as evidence that the end of the age had come.

Paul explained God’s grace to the Gentiles in Romans. Israel’s disobedience created an opportunity for the inclusion of the Gentiles into Israel, being grafted onto the olive tree of Israel. He expected non-Jews to remain non-Jews, in other words not to circumcise, but he instructed them to live Jewishly in their morality and belief in the God of Israel. They had received God’s Spirit as sons and daughters, proof God accepted them; therefore, they should walk according to the Spirit producing the fruit of the Spirit.

Paul believed the proof to Israel that Jesus was God’s Messiah was the turning of the non-Jews from their idols and worshipping the God of Israel but remaining Gentiles. By the Gentiles walking by the Spirit, living Jewishly, they testified to the end of the age and God’s fulfillment of His redemptive promises to Israel in Jesus. When Israel sees the Gentiles doing this, they will repent, which will bring the resurrection of the dead (Romans 11:15), and thus, all Israel will be safe (Romans 11:26).

To describe his position, Paul used the image of an olive tree. The non-Jews he represented by a single wild olive branch grafted on to the olive tree, which represented Israel. He reminded his Gentiles readers that “it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you” (Romans 11:18). Paul understood the horticulture of olives well. He never implied the single wild olive branch supplanted the tree, nor did he imagine a blossoming branch grafted onto a withering root.

The New Testament never indicates the followers of Jesus changed their initial proclamation: the coming of Jesus heralds the redemption of Israel. Christianity has historically struggled with this reality, trying to understand God’s relation to the Church and Israel. But those problems are ours, not the early followers of Jesus, including Paul.

Marc Turnage is President/CEO of Biblical Expeditions. He is an authority on ancient Judaism and Christian origins. He has published widely for both academic and popular audiences. His most recent book, Windows into the Bible, was named by Outreach Magazine as one of its top 100 Christian living resources. Marc is a widely sought-after speaker and a gifted teacher. He has been guiding groups to the lands of the Bible—Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—for over twenty years.

Website: WITBUniversity.com
Facebook: @witbuniversity
Podcast: Windows into the Bible Podcast

By Arlene Bridges Samuels

You may not immediately recognize the names of Leah, Maia, and Rina Dee who lived in Efrat, Israel. Years ago, I stayed in this beautiful town seven miles south of Jerusalem, where more than 13,000 residents—many of whom immigrated from the United States—practice their Jewish faith, hold Old Testament ideals and professional positions, and love their ancestral homeland.

Last Friday, Leah, Maia, and Rina set out on a family trip from Efrat to Tiberius for a joyous Passover visit. On the way, two Islamic Palestinian terrorists pulled up beside their car and fired on them. The car plowed off the road. In their frenzied hatred, the killers then fired 22 more shots from their Kalashnikov assault rifle, murdering sisters Maia (20) and Rina (15). The murderers mortally wounded their mother, Leah (48). She died Monday in an Israeli hospital. 

Traveling in another car further ahead, Rabbi Leo Dee and their three other children were unaware of this tragedy. He received a phone call from his sister, who had heard of an accident on that route and was checking to make sure they were all safe. Appalled, Rabbi Dee retraced his route—and discovered his family’s catastrophe. On Sunday, Rabbi Dee and his remaining children buried Maia and Rina together in a double funeral. The funerals took place with Rabbi Dee’s emotional, eloquent remarks. 

Rabbi Dee’s three family members were complete strangers to the murderers. They died for one reason: They were Jewish, viewed as mere objects in the face of coldblooded hatred. Passover ended in Israel on April 12. However, the suffering of the four remaining family members, and the town of Efrat residents who grieve with them, is stamped into the Dees’ hearts for all their days as they walk through their valley of the shadow of these senseless deaths. 

Two of my Israeli friends who live in Efrat attended the funerals. Rabbi Shmuel Bowman is the CEO of Operation Lifeshield, which delivers portable bomb shelters to at-risk communities under rocket attack. Jonathan Feldstein is the creator of the Genesis 123 foundation, which designs meaningful partnerships between Jews and Christians. Both leaders have built outstanding friendships with the Christian community worldwide. I am honored to know them. 

Shmuel observed on the day of the Dee family murders, “The disgusting thing about this tragedy is the response by the Palestinian leadership and also many ordinary Palestinians. As noon prayers ended today [Friday] on al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, hundreds of people chanted in support of the deadly terror attack… How could a human being act joyfully about such an act?”

Two days later, returning home from the double funerals, Shmuel described it as a “difficult, long day,” with thousands at the funeral crying yet reciting psalms about healing and strength “focused on the power of prayer as a force for life.” He emailed me Monday after learning about Leah’s death, revealing, “Now the sacred work of helping my friend Leo and his family, as they navigate the challenging road ahead.”

Jonathan Feldstein had already set up a link at Genesis 123 when Israel came under rocket fire from three different enemies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. Calling the murders “horrific,” Jonathan goes on to say, “Despite the threat of terror and war being real here, there’s an indescribable sense that our children are actually safer here than in most parts of the world.” 

Feldstein cites a study that Israel is the fifth-safest place in the world for tourists, far safer than the U.S. He asks, “How is this paradox possible?” and observes, “We live our lives with purpose. We are here as part of God’s promise to restore us to the Land He gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their descendants. That’s us.” He goes on to regale Passover’s festival of freedom, commenting: “Sometimes, there’s a horrible price to pay. It’s not always easy. But even at times of great domestic strife, we come together as we have now.” 

A memorable line from Leon Uris’s Exodus summarizes what Israelis bravely deal with daily: “Why must we fight for the right to live, over and over, each time the sun rises?”

On to the mainstream media, illustrations are plentiful, but a few examples show propaganda-imitating strategies from Hitler’s marketing machine against Jews. Unfortunately, it mostly overrides facts about Israel’s longing for peace 75 years later, demonstrating another malignant escalation of the world’s longest hatred.

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) is a reliable non-profit Israeli research institute that provides in-depth information about Palestinian society. Here is an example of where innocent Israeli deaths are perpetuated by the Palestinian Authority’s “martyrdom” strategy despite the PA’s abuse of its own innocent children:

“The PA encourages children to see Martyrdom—death fighting Israelis—as something glorious that will bring them honor and popularity. They are told that … people will honor their Martyrdom and their pictures will be everywhere.” Children are brainwashed at summer camps, on children’s TV, and in their schools. 

In an example from CNN on April 7, 2023, Becky Anderson, CNN host of Connect the World, stated, “Earlier this week Israeli police stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of Islam’s holiest sites. They did that twice. They arrested hundreds of Palestinians.” For a few seconds she mentioned Maia and Rina Dee. “Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, two Israeli women were shot and killed and a third critically wounded at what Israeli police are calling a Palestinian terror attack on an Israeli car that was driving in the occupied West Bank.” 

Basically, CNN said twice that Leah, Maia, and Rina Dee were at fault for driving on a main highway in the occupied West Bank. In fact, the area is Samaria and Judea, Israel’s biblical heartland—and one sister was a teenager. 

Even worse—with no mention of Jewish murders—here is what Amnesty International added amid layers of lies: that a second consecutive night-time attack on Palestinian worshippers at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque “illustrates the sheer brutality of Israel’s apartheid. …These orchestrated attacks demonstrate just how far Israeli authorities will go to maintain their cruel system of apartheid. … Once again, Israeli security forces have shown the world what apartheid looks like … turned one of the holiest sites in Islam into a crime scene.” But the exact opposite is true. Cause and effect are rarely well covered by mainstream world media.

Frequently, prior to Jewish holidays, Iran’s nearby proxies circulate lies that Jews are going to “invade and take over” the al-Aqsa mosque. This dangerous ritual is against the rules and protocol of the Muslim authorities themselves. The lies are the beginning of the conflict’s cause yet are almost completely ignored by the media.

Last Friday, after Ramadan prayers ended, dozens of Palestinians remained in the mosque for an overnight. Muslim worshippers at the al-Aqsa Mosque reported the facts, saying that the violent outbreak had been instigated by “Muslim extremists” who barricaded themselves in the mosque, imprisoned the worshippers there, and kept other Muslims from entering the mosque to pray. The perpetrators had backpacks filled with weapons, stones, and fireworks to use against the Israeli police who maintain security atop the Temple Mount. 

After repeatedly trying to negotiate, the Israeli police were then forced to restore order. When they began clearing the mosque, the instigators then used their mobile phones to show that “the Jewish occupation is desecrating the third-holiest mosque in the world.” Thus, they accomplished their intended purpose. Never mind that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are still praying on the Temple Mount during Ramadan, which ends April 20. 

Some media reported earlier about the Palestinian mosque takeovers. However, when Israeli police cleared out the worshippers from the mosque, mainstream media instantly latched onto that event—excusing perpetrators and terrorists, and instead blaming Israel with outsized lies. 

Cause is now ignored, effect is amplified, and leftist broadcasters covered the murders of Israeli civilians like Leah, Maia, and Rina Dee as if they were not human beings. While Palestinians gave out candy in their streets to celebrate the Jewish sisters’ deaths, Rabbi Leo Dee declared through his tears at the double funeral, “The formula for faith is always to focus on what you do have and not what you do not have. I still have three wonderful children and a wonderful wife.” Today, he cannot claim that last blessing—he is now a widower. 

We urge you to join our CBN Israel team this week to pray repeatedly with Psalm 59:1-3: “Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me. Deliver me from evildoers and save me from those who are after my blood. See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, LORD” (NIV).

Prayer Points:

• Pray for the Dee family using Isaiah 42:3—“A bent reed He will not break off
  And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.”
• Pray for the rapidly evolving security challenges Israel is facing where their enemies sense weakness and disunity within the population. 
• Pray for Israeli military for readiness and willingness to lay aside unusual political disputes to defend their nation. 
• Pray for Christians worldwide to become active purveyors of facts about Israel to counteract propaganda.

Arlene Bridges Samuels pioneered Christian outreach for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). After nine years on AIPAC’s staff, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her part-time as Outreach Director for their project, American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, guest columnist at All Israel News, and has frequently traveled to Israel since 1990. She co-edited The Auschwitz Album Revisited and is a board member for Violins of Hope South Carolina. Arlene attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summit and hosts her devotionals, The Eclectic Evangelical, on Facebook.

By Marc Turnage

The traditional location of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which sits within the heart of the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The origin of the church goes back to the Emperor Constantine. His mother the Empress Helena on a visit to the Holy Land (326 A.D.) was shown this location by local Christians and identified as the place where Jesus’ crucifixion and burial took place. Upon that site, her son built the first church, which was called the Church of the Resurrection. 

Archaeological excavations within the church have uncovered the history of the site. In the 8^th-7^th centuries B.C., the location of the Holy Sepulchre was a large limestone quarry to the northwest of the walled city of Jerusalem. According to the excavator, the site continued to be used as a quarry until the first century B.C. when it was filled in with soil and stone flakes from the quarry. The site at this time became a garden or orchard that contained fig, carob, and olive trees. At the same time, it developed into a cemetery. Within the complex of the Holy Sepulchre, tombs dating to the first century have been discovered.

One of the challenges for modern visitors to the church is its location within the modern Old City of Jerusalem and its walls. Jesus was crucified outside of the city walls. The modern Old City walls, built in the 16^th century, however, have nothing to do with the walls of Jesus’ Jerusalem. Jews did not bury within the walls of city, but rather outside. The presence of first century tombs within the Holy Sepulchre complex indicates that this location stood outside the walls of Jerusalem in Jesus’ day. 

Jewish tombs in the first century consisted of two types: kokhim and arcosolia. The most common being the kokhim. A kokh (singular) was a long, narrow recess cut into a rock tomb in which a body, coffin, or ossuary (bone box) could be laid. The typical kokhim tomb was hewn into the hillside and consisted of a square chamber. The entrance to an ordinary kokhim tomb was a small square opening that required a person entering to stoop. The height of the chamber was usually less than that of a person, so they often cut a square pit into the floor of the chamber. This pit created a bench on three sides of the chamber where the bodies of the deceased could be prepared. 

After the chamber and the pit were cut, the kokhim were cut level with the top of the benches and perpendicular to the wall of the tomb in a counter clockwise direction, from right to left, in every wall except the entrance wall. One to three kokhim were usually cut per wall. The kokh had roughly vaulted ceilings and were the length of the deceased or a coffin. After the deceased was placed into the kokh, a blocking stone sealed the square entrance of the tomb. Small stones and plaster helped to further seal the blocking stone. The tomb was sealed in a manner that it blended into the surrounding hillside. 

In addition to the kokhim tomb, arcosolia tombs began to appear sporadically during the first century. The arcosolia is a bench-like aperture with an arched ceiling hewn into the length of the wall. This style of burial was more expensive since only three burial places existed within a tomb chamber instead of six or nine, as typically found within kokhim tombs. Approximately 130 arcosolia tombs have been discovered in Jerusalem and over half of them also contain kokhim. Ossuaries (bone boxes) could be placed on the arcosolia benches.

The tomb identified within the Holy Sepulchre as the tomb of Jesus was originally an arcosolium (singular) with an antechamber; however, the centuries of pilgrims and the various destructions of the church have deformed and obliterated the tomb. What visitors see today is a later structure; nevertheless, the tomb originally contained a first century arcosolium tomb. 

The Roman Emperor Hadrian built on top of the quarry-garden-cemetery a raised platform with another platform on it where he built a temple to Venus/Aphrodite in the second century. This pagan temple was removed when Constantine built his church. 

Constantine built a rotunda around Jesus’ tomb. The rock of Golgotha was exposed to the open air in a garden, and on the other side of the garden, Constantine built a basilica church. 

The question arises whether or not the Holy Sepulchre contains the location of Jesus’ tomb. What we can say is this: 1) The site was a cemetery in the first century with first century tombs. 2) From the second century until the arrival of the Empress Helena, the actual tomb had been covered for 300 years. The fact that the local Christian memory remembered this location, where a first century cemetery existed, even though it was covered by the Hadrianic temple strongly suggests the authenticity of the site. 3) When Helena was shown this site, it sat like now within the walled, urban city of Jerusalem, which would have seemed strange to ancient pilgrims as it does to modern. 

Yet, the memory of the local Christian community remembered that this location once lay outside of the walls of Jerusalem. Ten to fifteen years after Jesus’ death and burial a wall was built in Jerusalem that enclosed this area into the city. 

Pilgrims to Jerusalem often wonder if the Holy Sepulchre marks the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. The archaeology and tradition of the site support its claims. 

Marc Turnage is President/CEO of Biblical Expeditions. He is an authority on ancient Judaism and Christian origins. He has published widely for both academic and popular audiences. His most recent book, Windows into the Bible, was named by Outreach Magazine as one of its top 100 Christian living resources. Marc is a widely sought-after speaker and a gifted teacher. He has been guiding groups to the lands of the Bible—Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—for over twenty years.

Website: WITBUniversity.com
Facebook: @witbuniversity
Podcast: Windows into the Bible Podcast

The Gospel of Luke makes clear that the chief priests and their scribes sought to kill Jesus because He challenged those selling in the Temple, the economy the chief priests controlled (Luke 19:47). They could not openly attack Him because of His overwhelming popularity with the people (Luke 19:48). Throughout Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem, His teachings and actions criticized and challenged the corruption of the chief priests, the Sadducean aristocracy of Jerusalem (Luke 19:45-46; 20:1-40). His popularity with the masses protected Him against the chief priests (Luke 19:47-48; 20:19; 22:2).

The book of Acts portrays this same group as the opponents of the disciples in Jerusalem (Acts 4:1-7), who, like their master, enjoyed the favor of the Jewish masses. The Gospels relate how the chief priests, and the officers of the Temple used the cloak of darkness to arrest Jesus so they could conceal their actions from the Jewish people (Luke 22:52). Jesus pointed this out to them, “When I was with you day after day in the Temple, you did not lay hands on Me” (Luke 22:53). The crowds of Jerusalem never turned their backs on Jesus. Luke relates how the crowds mourned Jesus, upon seeing the Romans brutalize Him (23:27, 48).

The chief priests of Jerusalem controlled a monopoly. They set the prices for the sacrifices. Pilgrims were forced to pay these inflated prices since they could not bring their sacrifices from a distance. Jewish sources relate how on occasion sacrifices cost so much people could not participate in the Temple festivals, and Pharisaic leaders rebuked the chief priests for their greed (b. Baba Batra 3b-4a; m. Kerithoth 1:7).

Archaeological excavations in Jerusalem have uncovered high priestly homes which attest to the opulent and lavish lifestyle in which these priests lived. Jewish sources, like Josephus, portray the priests and their slaves as protecting their wealth and power with brutal action (see Mark 14:43). Jesus condemned the corruption of the chief priests publicly (Luke 19:46, 20:9-19).

He linked their corruption to the coming destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. His was not the only voice criticizing the Jerusalem high priests in the first century. Many Jews were hopeful that He was the promised redeemer (see Luke 24:21). His popularity among the masses gave gravity to His condemnation of the chief priests. He had to be killed lest Caiaphas and the other chief priests lose their position and wealth (John 11:49-50).

It is a cruel tragedy of Christian history how the blame for the death of Jesus has been laid at the feet of the Jewish people, many of whom “hung upon His words” (Luke 19:48). The greed of a small group of the high priestly Jerusalem Sadducean aristocracy led to Jesus’ arrest and handing over to Pilate. They used the darkness of night to cover their clandestine activities from the site of the Jewish people (see Luke 22:52-53; Acts 5:27-28). They used their power and relationship with the Roman governor to ensure His death (see Luke 22:66; 23:10, 13, and 21; and John 19:6).

Their desire to protect their power and wealth motivated them to orchestrate Jesus’ death at the hands of the Romans. They are not alone in human history in perpetrating heinous actions motivated by a lust for money and power.

Marc Turnage is President/CEO of Biblical Expeditions. He is an authority on ancient Judaism and Christian origins. He has published widely for both academic and popular audiences. His most recent book, Windows into the Bible, was named by Outreach Magazine as one of its top 100 Christian living resources. Marc is a widely sought-after speaker and a gifted teacher. He has been guiding groups to the lands of the Bible—Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—for over twenty years.

Website: WITBUniversity.com
Facebook: @witbuniversity
Podcast: Windows into the Bible Podcast