What Jesus Understood About Hanukkah

Dr. Susan Michael
6 Dec 2014
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A common understanding of the December holiday season is that Christmas is the holiday for Christians and Hanukkah is the holiday for Jews. Few Christians relate to Hanukkah since it is not one of the biblical feasts of Israel. But, the fact that Jesus celebrated Hanukkah should make Christians curious enough to investigate the possible importance of the festival to their faith.  It is no exaggeration to say that had it not been for Hanukkah, there could have very well not been a Christmas. Hanukkah prepared the way for the birth and ministry of Jesus. Therefore, Christians may want to […]

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Understanding the Chaotic Middle East

Dr. Susan Michael
5 Nov 2014
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If you thought the Middle East was confusing before, it just got a whole lot worse. Alliances are changing daily, borders are being redrawn, and countries thought to be allies of one side are becoming allies of the other. ISIS or ISIL Just figuring out the real name of the bad guys is confusing. There has been a lot of speculation on whether the correct name to use is ISIS or ISIL, and what the difference is between the two. There is an easy explanation because both are translations of the original Arabic title of which the first three words […]

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Celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles

Dr. Susan Michael
14 Oct 2014
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For 35 years some 5,000-8,000 Christians have travelled from over 100 nations to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. The biblical holiday, which lasts for seven days beginning on the evening of October 8, commemorates God’s supernatural provision for the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings and celebrates God’s provision. Why do Christians come to celebrate this Jewish feast? It was started by an international group of Christians living in Jerusalem who met together regularly to pray. They were in Jerusalem for academics, as journalists, representing churches, and as individuals with a personal desire or call to do so. One […]

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When Will Gaza Learn Terrorism Doesn’t Pay?

Dr. Susan Michael
10 Sep 2014
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The 25-mile strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and Israel’s southwest border known as the Gaza Strip, has been home to over ten thousand rockets launched at Israel since 2006 and in return has suffered billions of dollars of damage. As a result of the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords, the territory was designated to be a part of a Palestinian State under the same Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank. Hamas, however, won local elections in 2006, and subsequently kicked the PA out of Gaza in 2007. Hamas has been ruling the area since. Who is Hamas? Hamas […]

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Taking Israel Out of the Bible

Dr. Susan Michael
4 Aug 2014
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New Christians struggling to study their Bible are often taught to read the scriptures as though they were written personally to them, even reciting the scriptures using one’s own name in place of the verse’s subject. While it is important to apply scripture to one’s own life, it is equally important to not ignore the original context of the scripture and the original recipient of that particular promise. For example, a special verse that brings comfort to a person who may be experiencing difficulty is Isaiah 49:16 “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” This […]

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The Privilege of Partnering with God

Dr. Susan Michael
10 Jul 2014
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God in His sovereignty has chosen to partner with man in the execution of His will. What a humbling and convicting thought that is. He is certainly not limited by man and can execute His will quite on His own, yet He has elected to work through and in partnership with us. C.S. Lewis once wrote concerning this partnership with God: “For He seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye.” This helps to […]

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Partnering with God

Finding Hope in the Faithfulness of God

Dr. Susan Michael
4 May 2014
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There are times in the lives of all believers when they may face doubts and discouragement. No matter what the reason for one’s disappointment, the Bible offers guidance as well as examples of others who have experienced the same. But today, we can find considerable encouragement not just in the biblical stories of the Israelites of old, but in the story of God’s faithfulness to their descendants today. The faith of our fathers The Puritans were so encouraged by the story of the ancient Israelites that they took from it direction for themselves. They yearned for freedom from their “bondage” […]

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The Importance of Remembering

Dr. Susan Michael
1 Apr 2014
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Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, is a sacred day in memory of the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust. This year it will be marked on April 28 with many ceremonies, all with the Israeli national flag flying at half-mast. At 10:00 a.m. sirens will sound throughout Israel for two minutes during which people will cease all activity, even stopping their cars in the middle of the street, in order to stand at attention in silent tribute to the dead. On the eve of Yom HaShoah, South Florida residents may participate in a March of Remembrance on […]

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Learning to Decipher the Rhetoric

Dr. Susan Michael
7 Mar 2014
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One of Israel’s staunchest allies, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, recently visited the Jewish State and expressed great solidarity between the two countries. The highlight of the very warm and friendly visit was his speech before the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, where he told Israel’s leaders that Canada would stand behind them through “fire and water.” The Israeli Knesset is known for the occasional heckling and outbursts of its members, but for the first time in history, a foreign dignitary, Prime Minister Harper, was heckled by one of the Arab Members of Knesset. Israel has several Arab political parties and […]

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The Palestinian Jesus

Dr. Susan Michael
11 Feb 2014
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a Christmas message in Bethlehem last month in which he called Jesus “a Palestinian messenger.” As a Muslim, Abbas used the term “messenger” which is in keeping with Islam’s view of Jesus as a prophet. But, to describe him as “Palestinian” is a very cunning twist of facts in an attempt to rewrite history and deny the Jews’ historical connection to the land of Israel. In this distorted scenario, Jesus is not the Jewish Messiah but is a Palestinian revolutionary who lived under occupation and died a martyr for Allah when he was murdered […]

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