It was on this day, in 586 B.C., that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, occupied Solomon’s Temple. As we’ve stated in previous installments, Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon epitomize everything that God’s people are to avoid and resist. Babylon manifests everything we are not supposed to be and, yet, God allowed Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians to occupy and […]
Horace Greeley, writing for the New York Tribune, once told his readers: “Go West, young man. Go West and grow up with the country.” At that time the country was, indeed, growing and expanding westward with the belief that it was mandated by heaven. The history books call that belief, “Manifest Destiny.” Migrating westward was […]
It was on this day, in 1970, that one of many ceasefires that have occurred during the many wars Israel has fought with her enemies went into effect along the Egyptian, Jordanian and Lebanese border. Like many more to follow, this cease-fire did not produce a permanent resolution to the conflict Israel has with her […]
It was on this day, in 444 B.C., that Nehemiah began to rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem. Previously, Nehemiah had been in Persia serving the king as his cupbearer. When he heard that the city of Jerusalem lay in ruins, he lamented, and he cried out to the Lord to restore His people and […]
It was on this day, in 1881, that the first shipload of Russian Jewish immigrants landed in New York City. The significance of this is that it marked the beginning of a mass immigration of Eastern European Jews to America. They brought with them a strong commitment to be true to their Jewish heritage and […]
It was on this day, in 1492, that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain signed a decree expelling all Jews from Spain. This expulsion culminated on August 2nd of that same year, which was the 9th of Av on the Hebrew calendar. It just so happened that the Jewish expulsion coincided with the preferred […]
According to tradition, it was on this day that Egypt was afflicted with the plague of the frogs. This plague, along with the other plagues, was designed to bring the king of Egypt into submission to God’s plan, which was to let Israel go into the wilderness. But Pharaoh’s response was, “Who is the Lord […]
It was on this day, in 1955, that the Yarkon water project was opened. This project supplied water to the Negev, which is a desert region in southern Israel. Since 1948, the Israeli people have worked very hard to transform what was a vast wasteland into a veritable garden spot capable of feeding its citizens […]
It was on this day, in 1733, that Jewish settlers arrived on the second ship ever to reach the colony of Savannah, Georgia. Accompanying them on this voyage was the first ever Torah scroll to find its way to the colony of Georgia. This particular Torah scroll, and other articles were brought from England made […]
It was on this day, in 1205, that Pope Innocent III decreed, as church doctrine, that all Jews were to be considered as perpetually doomed to servitude and subjugation because of their involvement with the crucifixion of the Messiah. This remained official church doctrine until sometime in the 1960s. Obviously, the attitude that inspired this […]
It was on this day, in 1970, that Israeli Airmen encountered and shot down four Russian MiGs being flown by Russian pilots over the Suez front. As far as we know, this was the very first time that Israeli and Russian military forces had encountered on another. However, according to a certain prophet, we have […]
It was on this day, in 1808, that Napoleon Bonaparte decreed that all Jews living in the French Empire must adopt a family name. Before that, many people were not commonly known as John Smith or Mary White as they are today. In the Biblical era, God’s people were identified by their father’s name; for […]
