The Call Of Jerusalem

Reading ‘The Call of Jerusalem’ from three different perspectives It's been almost 20 years since I first read Prof. Tan Nget Hong's first edition of ‘The Call of Jerusalem’. At that time, I did not know Prof. Tan personally nor had I heard about him. However, after reading this book, I wanted to make a phone call to him to express my appreciation of the book. Unfortunately, the phone call did not get through at that time. Over the past decade or so, Prof. Tan and I have become close friends and partners in the ministry of Caring and Comforting God's chosen people. On 27 and 28 October 2015, both of us were workshop speakers at the "Caring for God's Chosen People" Mandarin-speaking seminar held in Kuala Lumpur. Unexpectedly, the attendees filled the main Worship Hall of Kuala Lumpur Hokkien Methodist Church. We believed that this was the first time that a public meeting on the theme of “Caring for God’s Chosen People” was held in Malaysia. It is indeed a great honor that we can contribute to promoting the ministry of “Caring for God’s Chosen People” among the Malaysian Chinese churches. To this day, we still remember vividly the feeling of excitement in our hearts throughout the seminar, and we are indeed grateful to the Lord that we could be used by Him in this ministry. I am very glad to learn that Prof Tan is publishing an updated e-version of this book, and believe sincerely that reading this book will bring many benefits to the readers! Since his first visit to the Holy Land in 2000, Prof. Tan has made many trips to the Holy Land in the past 20 years. As a free independent traveler, he has opportunity to make meaningful visits to most biblically related places in the Holy Land, and this book is the product of his observations, research and meditations during his visits to the Holy Land over the past 20 years. Although today there are already many Chinese books about the Holy Land, this book still has its own unique features and deserves to be carefully read by believers. First of all, this book can be regarded as a very comprehensive handbook for the travelers to the Holy Land, and it serves both as a reference and a travel guide for those who are visiting the Holy Land. The destinations described in this book cover almost every Christian ‘must-visit’ site in the Holy Land. The author's explanation of each biblical site is very detailed, including the historical, geographical and cultural aspects, as well as current background. In addition, the author provides many practical guidance and suggestions for the reader based on his own rich personal experiences. The tips provided can also save first-time visitors to the Holy Land from many unnecessary hassles, including the trap of being deceived by unscrupulous ‘tour-guides’. This book can also be read as a devotional. Readers not only read about the author’s narratives of the scene and background of the biblical sites, but also his pastoral teachings, exhortations and relevant prayers. For as an elder of the church, Prof. Tan always shares with readers the relevant biblical facts and teaching, God’s will and the love of Christ. At almost every biblical site, the author quotes appropriate Scripture to help the reader connect with the teaching of the Bible. Believers who visit the Holy Land with this book in hand will feel that they not only enjoy the benefit of a personal guide to explain the significance and background of the biblical sites, but also receiving sound teachings of the Bible by an Elder with spiritual understanding. The last portion of the book reveals the author’s deep concern for the salvation of God’s chosen people as he exhorts believers to share God’s desire for the redemption of the Jews. May the apostle Paul's prayer become the prayer of every believers: "Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved." (Rom 10:1). This is also the burden that I share with the author. Our life mission is to make people know Christ and fulfill the Great Commission, through our speaking or writing, and in this, the Jews should have the priority, because ‘salvation is from the Jews’, as Paul says in Romans: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16). Therefore, this book can be read from three different perspectives: 1. As a Holy Land travel guidebook for Christian travelers 2. As a devotional aid for Christian spiritual discipline 3. As an introduction to Missions to the Jews I pray that the Lord may use this book as a blessing for every reader.

作者的话 《耶路撒冷的呼唤》是笔者在千禧年前往圣地旅游后所著，在2002年出版，2014年又由文桥传播中心再版。感谢神，近20年来笔者又有机会多次再前往圣地旅游并参与各种聚会，有更多机会了解圣地并接触当地的牧者、信徒，收集更多资料。这次就借着出版电子书的机会，把这十多年来更多的圣地见闻、资料与图片添加进去，所以这本《耶路撒冷的呼唤》电子版算是增订版。 比较起实体本的四十三章，电子版增加了八章，所描述的景点，除了以色列地，也包括了约旦境内的尼波山与佩特拉峡谷。许多章也增加了篇幅，包括比较实用的苦道14站巡行灵操与耶路撒冷旧城主要观光路线介绍，相信对要去耶路撒冷做属灵旅行的读者会有所帮助。增订版的内容也包括了笔者访问伯利恒第一浸信教会拿音浩里（Naim Khoury）牧师、海法的彼得·冢平（Peter Tsukahira）牧师与在西岸犹太定居点垦殖民西蒙 (Shimon)的所见所闻，并一些圣地的新考古发现。 整体来说，电子版增版的篇幅比2014年的实体版大约增加了60%。相信对已经拥有实体本的读者，电子版增订本还是很有参考价值。愿此书能为主所用，帮助信徒更明白以色列，也成为更蒙福的人。 ▊作者简介 陈业宏博士 - 台湾大学化学系学士 - 美国芝加哥大学化学系博士 - 现任马来亚大学分子医学系教授 - 着有《耶路撒冷的呼唤》《不堪回首伊斯坦布尔——中东基督教会的衰微》《凡有耳的，就应当听：启示录七教会与拔摩岛所见所思》《千年脚踪——保罗在希腊与罗马》等书。

The classic story and spellbinding events of the birth of Israel is now available in a mass market paperback.

The 21st century exists in the shadow of the return of extremist Islam to the center of the world’s political stage, a process that began at the end of the previous century. While researchers have focused on the rise of Hamas, this return has in fact manifested itself in a range of independent Islamic extremist groups with their own philosophies. Jihad in Palestine provides a comprehensive study of the variety of Islamic extremist groups operating inside Israel/Palestine today, examining their philosophies and views concerning martyrdom, as well as their attitudes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These ideologies are presented in their own words, thanks to the author’s extensive translations and commentary of primary sources in Arabic, including the writings of the Islamic Jihad, al-Jama’a al-Islamiya, Hizbal-Tahrir al-Islami, Hamas and the Islamic Movement. The book studies the attitudes of these organisations towards the fundamental issues surrounding Jihad, including the concept of personal obligation, the relationship of the movement to the peace agreements and attitudes towards Jews expressed in the movement’s writings. Exploring the basic theories of sacrifice and analysing modern day Palestinian society, it promotes a greater understanding of the religious angle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The book will be of interest to students and scholars of Middle East Studies, Jewish Studies, Political Islam and Terrorism & Political Violence.

According to tradition, the First Crusade began at Pope Urban II’s instigation and culminated in July 1099, when western European knights liberated Jerusalem. But what if the First Crusade’s real catalyst lay far to the east of Rome? Countering nearly a millennium of scholarship, Peter Frankopan reveals the First Crusade’s untold history.

The second annual St. Andrews Conference on Scripture and Theology brought leading biblical scholars and systematic theologians together in conversation, seeking to bridge the growing gap between these disciplines. Reflecting the convergence of the Old Testament s cultic theology, Hellenistic ideas, and early Christian thinking, the epistle to the Hebrews provides a perfect foundation for this fruitful dialogue. / The contributors examine a number of key theological themes in the letter to the Hebrews: the person and nature of the Son, his high-priestly work, cosmology, the epistle s theology of Scripture, supersessionism, the call to faith, and more. Unlike many modern treatments, this substantial volume considers Hebrews in both its ancient context and against our modern backdrop. / Edward Adams, Loveday Alexander, Harold W. Attridge, Richard Bauckham, Markus Bockmuehl, Daniel Driver, Douglas Farrow, Trevor Hart, Richard B. Hays, Stephen R. Holmes, Morna D. Hooker, Edison M. Kalengyo, Mariam J. Kamell, Bruce L. McCormack, Nathan MacDonald, I. Howard Marshall, R. Walter L. Moberly, Carl Mosser, Mark D. Nanos, Nehemia Polen, John Polkinghorne, Ken Schenck, Oskar Skarsaune, Daniel J. Treier, John Webster, Ben Witherington III, Terry J. Wright.