Israel

More Than Sacrifice

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In Hosea 6, two verses sit side by side and illuminate one another with remarkable clarity. God declares that He desires faithful love rather than sacrifice and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Then, almost immediately, He says that Israel, like Adam, has violated the covenant. Suddenly the problem is seen in a different light. Israel’s failure was not primarily ceremonial but relational. Like Adam before her, she had not merely broken rules; she had betrayed the God who loved her. Yet Hosea’s message does not end with betrayal. The God who exposes the wound is the God who intends to heal it, and the story ultimately points beyond both Adam and Israel to Jesus Christ, the faithful Man who succeeds where all others have failed.

When God’s Word Finds a Voice

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God’s word was never meant to remain silent on the page. When we speak what He has said—simply, faithfully, and without striving—we are not trying to create reality, but agreeing with it. “By His stripes you are healed. Amen.” And sometimes the quiet power lies not in saying it once, but in saying it again, and again, until the truth settles deeply within and the word itself does its work.

Christian Zionism Through the Lens of Scripture: Israel Reborn, but Not Yet Born Again

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The modern rebirth of Israel is one of the great wonders of history, yet it is not the end of the story. The covenant people have returned to the land, but the breath of God has not yet entered them. To bless Israel biblically is not to idolise her, but to pray for her redemption — rejoicing that she is reborn, while yearning for the day she will be born again.

Israel’s Restoration and the Breath of the Spirit

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Israel’s modern restoration is real but incomplete. The bones have come together, yet the breath has not entered them. Scripture shows that God will again bring His people through a refining fire so that the Spirit of grace and supplication may be poured out. The national body stands ready for the breath. In Christ, that breath has already been given to His Church—the covenant fulfilled, the curse exhausted, and the Spirit alive within.

A Known Name, A Gathered People, A Poured-Out Spirit

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In the closing verses of Ezekiel 39, we are given a window not merely into Israel’s return from exile, but into the final reconciliation still to come — a day when God’s glory will no longer be hidden, His Spirit no longer withheld, and His name no longer misunderstood. “I will not hide My face from them any longer,” He says, “for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel.” This is not a footnote to history. It is the crescendo of redemption.

The nations will know, Israel will know, and the Church must know: God is not finished with His people. The same mercy that gathers the scattered and pours out the Spirit will soon fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory. Let us be found watching, longing, and ready.

Clothed in Clean Garments: A Theological Reflection on Zechariah 3

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Zechariah 3 opens a heavenly courtroom: Joshua stands filthy, Satan accuses—but the Lord rebukes, cleanses, and clothes. This is no mere vision of ancient Jerusalem. It is a prophecy of Christ’s atonement, accomplished at the cross, and of Israel’s yet-future redemption. The day of cleansing has already happened. The day of recognition is still to come.

Covenants and Testaments

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Are covenants really replaced by the New Testament—or are they renewed, as the Hebrew B’rit Hadashah suggests? In this article, John explores the unbroken nature of biblical covenant, showing how God’s promises from Noah to David remain active, enfolded into the renewed covenant through Christ. Scripture is a single, continuous revelation—never discarded, always fulfilled.

The Apple of God’s Eye

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The Apple of God’s Eye
Today I learned something about the “apple of God’s eye”. This is another fine example of colloquial Hebrew being translated into colloquial English and thereby missing the depth of meaning and beauty contained in the original language.