Israel Alive Again

When the Jews returned to Israel from captivity in Babylon in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C. they faced many hardships. Despite these struggles, Ezra and Nehemiah believed that God was working with them to accomplish his purpose, which was to restore a faithful community. Israel Alive Again interprets the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the context of the Hebrew Bible, exploring the theological meanings of these often slighted books, and emphasizing their relevance for the church today. Like the other commentaries in the series, Israel Alive Again is intended for the layperson, student, and pastor. Its theological exposition makes it valuable to scholars as well.

Shakespeare said, "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones." The resurrection will make the evil that men do live much longer and pose more difficulty than was ever imagined. The good that men do will return with them as a medal of honor to compliment their return to life. The heart will return to those places touched by love. It will also recoil from memories of pain and hardship incurred because of malicious actions. The deeds of both good and evil done in this life will play back in the grand time of regeneration. Some will find love and sweetness while others must seriously face those they injured. If people only knew what consequences evil deeds incur, they might not so easily think the grave secured their acquittal. The regeneration will bring men to their finest hour. Christ will rule with perfect governance. No wars, armament, doctors, nurses, lawyers, jails, criminal activity, locks, armies or navies, or any such thing. The regeneration will bring a time of blessing such as earth has never known.

When the Jews returned to Israel from captivity in Babylon in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C. they faced many hardships. Despite these struggles, Ezra and Nehemiah believed that God was working with them to accomplish his purpose, which was to restore a faithful community. Israel Alive Again interprets the books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the context of the Hebrew Bible, exploring the theological meanings of these often slighted books, and emphasizing their relevance for the church today. Like the other commentaries in the series, Israel Alive Again is intended for the layperson, student, and pastor. Its theological exposition makes it valuable to scholars as well.

A Bible student reference A New Testament prophecy of a falling away from truth into apostasy and lawlessness, in the final generation before Jesus Christ returns in glory, is being fulfilled now and is shortly to end. Yet Christianity has overwhelmingly moved so far from its first century roots that it could not even recognise this – or that Christ’s return is therefore now almost upon us! How and why this is the case is here explained thoroughly and logically with many examples directly from the word of God. In God’s saving plan for the world, everyone must in time make a free will choice to become part of the ‘Israel of God’ in order to access eternal life in the kingdom of God. The route to take is the “strait and narrow” way (Mat 7:13-14) that very few have so far found, and it involves the biblical new and old covenants which both apply to this Israel. Embark on this voyage only if you are willing to: be challenged about some basic Christian preconceptions, be a serious open-minded Bible student, and trust what the Bible teaches - but remember that time is short. “What the Bible has taught me I see as both vital and urgent for our eternal salvation; yet I know of no church or individual theologian who teaches what this book deals with in any substantive way” “Be prepared for major challenges to your understanding just as God has challenged me.” “In the epistles, Paul refers to two Israels whom he calls Israel after the flesh (I Cor 10:18) and the Israel of God (Gal 6:16); I focus mainly on the latter (but I also explain an unexpected but critically important connection between them)” “Dependent on the teaching, nearly all Christian denominations either teach nothing at all on it or almost the opposite of what Scripture repeatedly showed me. Looking back, I find this absolutely staggering!” “Very few [Christians] understand that the new covenant also only applies to Israel (as I will clearly show).” “I no longer believe that the NT [New Testament] can be fully understood without this extra Israel dimension” “Had I felt I could deliver this in a more light-hearted way I would have done so, but its implications are too awesome and fundamental to our eternal life prospects for that”

This book is a collection of narratives collects from family archives, interviews, and published memoirs. They tell the stories of everyday people living a conflict-ridden world, emphasizing individual interaction, introducing marginal voices alongside more renowned ones, defying "typical" definition of Israelis and Palestinians.

"In Paul in Israel's Story, John Meech addresses the problem of the self in community in a theological hermeneutics that brings together recent biblical scholarship and constructive theology."--BOOK JACKET.