Rev. John Tweedie takes you deep into Israel’s desert where a revolutionary archaeological discovery was made. Here, near the ruins of the ancient Jewish community of Qumran, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The scrolls reveal the accuracy of the Bible we read today while bearing witness to a strong Jewish presence in the Land over 2000 years ago.
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Sixteen key European legislators, among them the current Chairman of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, Gabriele Albertini, have written an open letter to the United Nations. In the letter they urge the UN to reject the application for recognition of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state.
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The Palestinians submitted their formal application for full membership of the UN last Friday, and both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly. Following the speeches, the Quartet of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the US released a proposal for the resumption of negotiations. Israel has decided to accept the proposal, but the Palestinians seem likely to reject it. What are to make of all of this? Three analyses. (more…)
By Lance Lambert.. This extends from the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes in 175 BC to Pompey’s conquest of the Promised Land in 63 BC, a period of 112 years. We come now to the person of Antiochus Epiphanes, whose policy and character dominate this period. (more…)
Lance Lambert… We come now to a brief survey of the history of this period, dwelling particularly upon the time of Antiochus Epiphanes and the Macabees. Zerubbabel was the last of the royal princes of the House of David to take any office. The actual Throne of David became vacant when King Zedekiah was taken into exile in 586BC; there was no rightful, legal king or prince in Israel until Christ was born. (more…)
By Lance Lambert.. The Temple of Christ’s time was in fact neither Solomon’s nor Zerubbabel’s! And it would be well to trace the history of the Temple during these four hundred years. Going right back to the Tabernacle and representing the Eternal Purpose of God to dwell in the midst of His own, it was not only the focal point of the life of His people, and of their progress, but of conflict too. (more…)
By Lance Lambert..The Party of the Essenes grew up at the same time as the Pharisees and Sadducees, emerging from the Chasidim in the 2nd Cent BC. They arose probably because they could not accept the political settlement after Antiochus IV Epiphanes, which gave the high priesthood and governorship to the Hasmoneans. They withdrew therefore from public life as a “righteous remnant,” a “people prepared for the Lord.” (more…)
By Lance Lambert.. The Pharisees were a party on the extreme right wing, which grew up after the return from Babylon. They felt the need, in the light of the tremendous inroads of Hellenism, to protect the pure and true faith. Originally they were known as “The Chasidim” – The Pious. This broke into two wings – the small nationalistic political party called “The Zealots”[1] and the much larger, more popular party of the Pharisees probably a nickname,[2] but best understood as “Puritans.” (more…)
Manfred Gerstenfeld… Out of the total Dutch population of 16 million, Jews represent about two in every thousand. Jews often play a symbolic role in Dutch society which exceeds their actual importance. One facet of this is their image as absolute victims. Second, the Jewish community has on various occasions been used by Dutch authorities as instruments in achieving political goals. (more…)
