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Bible Prophecy scholar says 2023 marks an important anniversary for Israel
For Immediate Release (Arlington, TX) —Dr. Jeffrey Johnson has his eye on an important date coming up on May 14, 2023. That date marks the 75th anniversary of the birth of the nation of Israel, following over 2,400 years of the Jewish people being without a homeland. As founder of Israel Today Ministries, Dr. Johnson has spent over two decades ministering directly to the Israeli people, including Holocaust survivors. At present, 165,000 survivors remain and over 1/3 of them live in poverty.
“Israel is the place where God became man,” says Dr. Johnson. “The scripture is principally about Israel, the people of Israel, and the future of Israel. Scripture teaches that God will bless those who bless the seed of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, and that he who touches Israel touches the apple or pupil of God’s eye.”
In his new book, “Hope Rising: Messianic Promise,” Dr. Johnson fuses together Old Testament and New Testament scriptures and offers readers insights into the meaning of biblical words and phrases in their original languages.
“Paul told Timothy to ‘rightly divide the word of truth,’” says Dr. Johnson. “Reading a translation, without knowing the Hebrew or Greek, is like reading lyrics of a song without the music.”
Dr. Johnson says that the book was meant to help people understand the important intersections between what he calls the “First and Second Covenants.”
“I prefer the term First and Second Covenants rather than Old and New Testaments,” says Dr. Johnson. “Christians ignoring the Old Testament will miss the meaning of everything written in the New. For example, there are many parallels between the sacrifice of Isaac and Jesus on the cross. When Abraham and Isaac were ascending the mountain, they had two other men with them, but then Abraham asked them to stay behind and didn’t allow them to watch the sacrifice. When Jesus was on the cross, darkness fell for three hours, and no human eye could see what was happening. When the puzzle pieces of scripture are put together, we see the Messianic promise much more clearly.”
Dr. Johnson also tackles two difficult questions in “Hope Rising”: 1) Does God care? and 2) Why doesn’t God speak?
“In the last couple of years, I have heard these questions asked a lot,” says Dr. Johnson. “In the book, I point out numerous scriptures in both the First and Second Covenants that show us God is directly affected by the trials and anguish of human pain and He responds with immeasurable love. Likewise, there are many scriptures that show us God will often reveal Himself clear and suddenly. To me, the propensity of God is to be silent. It is an act of grace and love. His silence actually strengthens our faith. When God is silent, He often has a greater purpose in mind, though we may not fully understand. But when we seek to follow Jesus, we shall see God, for Christ is God.”
“Israel is the place where God became man,” says Dr. Johnson. “The scripture is principally about Israel, the people of Israel, and the future of Israel. Scripture teaches that God will bless those who bless the seed of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, and that he who touches Israel touches the apple or pupil of God’s eye.”
In his new book, “Hope Rising: Messianic Promise,” Dr. Johnson fuses together Old Testament and New Testament scriptures and offers readers insights into the meaning of biblical words and phrases in their original languages.
“Paul told Timothy to ‘rightly divide the word of truth,’” says Dr. Johnson. “Reading a translation, without knowing the Hebrew or Greek, is like reading lyrics of a song without the music.”
Dr. Johnson says that the book was meant to help people understand the important intersections between what he calls the “First and Second Covenants.”
“I prefer the term First and Second Covenants rather than Old and New Testaments,” says Dr. Johnson. “Christians ignoring the Old Testament will miss the meaning of everything written in the New. For example, there are many parallels between the sacrifice of Isaac and Jesus on the cross. When Abraham and Isaac were ascending the mountain, they had two other men with them, but then Abraham asked them to stay behind and didn’t allow them to watch the sacrifice. When Jesus was on the cross, darkness fell for three hours, and no human eye could see what was happening. When the puzzle pieces of scripture are put together, we see the Messianic promise much more clearly.”
Dr. Johnson also tackles two difficult questions in “Hope Rising”: 1) Does God care? and 2) Why doesn’t God speak?
“In the last couple of years, I have heard these questions asked a lot,” says Dr. Johnson. “In the book, I point out numerous scriptures in both the First and Second Covenants that show us God is directly affected by the trials and anguish of human pain and He responds with immeasurable love. Likewise, there are many scriptures that show us God will often reveal Himself clear and suddenly. To me, the propensity of God is to be silent. It is an act of grace and love. His silence actually strengthens our faith. When God is silent, He often has a greater purpose in mind, though we may not fully understand. But when we seek to follow Jesus, we shall see God, for Christ is God.”
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About Dr. Jeffrey Johnson:
Dr. Jeffrey Johnson is a humanitarian, author, and scholar on the Jewish roots of Christianity, the Middle East, and Bible Prophecy. As the founder of Israel Today Ministries, he has delivered over 218,000 meals and additional resources to the people of Israel. He was a pastor for over 17 years and received his master’s degree from Moody Bible Institute and his Doctorate from Louisiana Baptist University. He is a member of the American Society of Church History as well as Evangelical Theological Society. He taught a modular class on Missiological Issues with Judaism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Systematic Theology at Arlington Baptist University, and was a guest lecturer at Harvard University and Oxford University, among others. For more information visit https://israeltodayministries.org/. ### |
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