By Way of Deception by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn

By Way of Deception, book 2 in the Nir Tavor thriller series, is even better than book 1. 

Wow, talk about a wild ride! From deep in the Iranian desert to Houston and the South China Sea, this book takes the reader all over the world, keeping us on the edge of our seats wondering what is going to happen next. 

But even more than I love a good adventure, I love Israel, and I loved how Israeli this book is. Maybe it's because I've been studying there, but I saw so many elements that incorporated Israeli culture and history—like a member of Tavor's team being a descendent of Alexander Zaid, a Zionist hero who founded "The Watchmen". I've been to the kibbutz where his family lived, and have seen the statue mentioned on page 77, as well as to Beit She'arim National Park. So to see a fictional descendent of his have a role in the story was fun. 

I think my favorite thing about the whole story was the Jewish sense of humor throughout the book. It's even stronger here than in Operation Joktan, and had me laughing out loud so many times. 

All of it—the dialogue, the storytelling, the plot and structure—showcased so much of modern day Israel while also giving deep insight to its more recent—and ancient—history. For spoilers' sake, I'm not going to write too much about the events, other than to say that I loved how real and relevant Nir's journey as he is grappling with the truth that Jesus was (and is) the Son of God, all while risking his life... and one could even say, being willing to give his life to save others. 

The parallels are striking, not to mention the fact that this series is going to take us through all the countries mentioned in Ezekiel 38. It's set in modern times, with references to current events, and often forecasts what could happen to bring it all about. 

If you loved the first book, or if you love anything by Joel C. Rosenberg, I definitely recommend this series. But beware—it will leave you ready for more... I wonder when book 3 is coming out?

Click here to buy it on Amazon.

Operation Joktan by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn

When I heard that Amir Tsarfati had co-written a novel with Steve Yohn, I was surprised. He's written many nonfiction books, but not many writers can make the transition between nonfiction writer and novelist. So I was a bit skeptical.

Operation Joktan did not disappoint.

The first of a trilogy, Operation Joktan takes the reader into the world of a Mossad agent. Through a complex and thrilling adventure, we follow Nir from South Africa to the Middle East, and Europe, with a final adventure in the United Arab Emirates. 

What's so fun is that Amir was a major in the IDF, so these events are based off of real events that the general public doesn't know about.

BUT, what has been shocking is that this book, released November 2021, seems almost prophetic, as in early 2022 there were terrorist attacks in the UAE. 

I'm always a little skeptical of writers who cross genres, and Amir did this well. Couple this with the fact that English isn't his first language, (he speaks it excellently, it's just that speaking and writing are very different mediums to excel in), and it's even more impressive.

If you love thrillers that literally could be pulled from the front pages, then I recommend this book.

Click here or on the links or image above to find it on Amazon, and come back next week for book 2 in this series!

The Red-Haired Archaeologist Digs Israel

Right before coming to Israel, I found this short, quick read by Amanda Hope Haley: The Red-Haired Archeologist Digs Israel.

Written by (you guessed it!) a red-haired archeologist, it's more a story of the time after she attended a dig in Israel, when her family came to visit and they explored this beautiful land for a few more weeks than it is about her adventures digging (although there is that at the beginning). So for me, it was a review of many of the places I've been, seen through the eyes of an American archaeologist—which was fun! 

Haley's attention to detail was strong here, as she noted small events that happened in each city during her visit, from someone's expression to the food they ate. And I totally get why she wrote this, because I created my own photo album after I came, completed with written explanations, because I wanted to personally re-live my own trip and never forget those tiny details. So it was fun to go through this travelogue with her and her family.

If you want to know more in general about a lot of famous sites in Israel, then this is a great, quick read from someone who loves history and sharing it with others. 

Click here or on the image above to find it on Amazon!

The Secrets of the Cross Trilogy by Elizabeth Musser

Last month, I read this fascinating trilogy by Elizabeth Musser. It doesn't directly touch on Jewish culture (though there are Jewish characters in the series), but I did see correlation as far as honor/shame cultures and the importance of family.

So, I wanted to share the Secrets of the Cross Trilogy with you!

Set primarily in the early 1960s (book 3 is set in 1994), the story follows characters in southern France and northern Algeria during the French-Algerian conflict, detailing the dynamics of racism and clashing cultures between Algerians loyal to their country, descendants of Algerian soldiers who are loyal to the French army and fought against Algeria in the war, Europeans living in Algeria as a result of the conflict, and all of those 3 also living in France. 

From a cultural standpoint, it's a fascinating story to explore, as I knew little of this dynamic. Combined with daring rescues, harrowing escapes, plots, and intrigue, it's a great read!

But what I wanted to share is what stood out to me on page 204, as the character of Ali, an Algerian socialist, vows revenge on his father's death against the descendants of the man who killed his father (who is also dead): "Ali spat. 'Captain Duchemin! You traitor. I'll find your daughter and granddaughter, and then I can draw the line through your family no one will remember them. My father will be avenged'".

This reminded of the blogs I wrote a few years ago about the importance of family, names, and the dynamics of honor and shame in Eastern cultures. This character is so focused on revenge that he wants to wipe out the whole family line of a man who is already dead (so he won't know it happened) in order to avenge his dead father.

He's focused on the name. He wants to completely remove the name. There is importance in names in Eastern cultures that we don't pick up on right away in Western cultures. As I stated in this blog, "The idea is so much deeper in Jewish culture, however. 'It's hard to overstate how important names were in Biblical times,' Lois Tverberg states in Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus. 'In ancient thought, without a name, an object or being didn't even exist. Egyptian documents describe the time before creation as "when no name of anything had yet been named,' and it was only when God created and named things that they officially existed.

Names in ancient Near Eastern culture were more than just descriptive words. They were reputations... legacies... identities."

Wow! That's very different from Western culture. What other media (books, movies, tv shows, etc have you seen this)? I'd love to know in the comments below!

You can find the trilogy here on Amazon!

The Rock, The Road, and the Rabbi: The First and Second Temples

Speaking of the importance of pictures and analogies in Hebrew culture, here's another one from The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi that really stood out to me:

The Temple Mount is the most contested piece of land in all of the world. I'm not going to go into all of it here, as this blog might take up the whole internet. So I'm going to quickly summarize the legitimate claim of Israel and the Jewish faith to it. 

The First Temple, built on Mount Moriah, was built by Solomon on the very mountain where God led Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. It was destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians, when the last of the Israelites were carried away into captivity. God allowed this to happen because Israel had turned away from their first love: YHWH.

In 538 BC, the Second Temple was built by Zerubbabel, who was allowed by Babylonian King Cyrus to do so (Ezra 2). However, it was much smaller, less ornate than the original temple. Then, God allowed King Herod to begin a large-scale renovation and expansion of it, which "was one of the largest construction projects of 1st century B.C. Because of the immense resources Herod invested, the Second Temple became one of the wonders of the ancient world [....] The Second Temple stood from 516 BC to 70 AD" when the Romans destroyed it (page 157). All that remains today is the most Western Wall, considered to be holy ground to the Jews, as it is all that remains from the Temple. Sobel says God allowed this temple to be destroyed because of the intense hatred Jews at the time felt towards their fellow man.

In fact, he says, "The choice of location for the temple was connected to—and symbolic of—its spiritual foundation, which was love. The First Temple was destroyed because of idolatry, and the second was destroyed due to a senseless hatred that the Jewish people had towards one another. 

Thus, the First Temple was destroyed when Israel broke the 1st and greatest commandment, which is, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength,' (Deut. 6:5). The Second Temple was destroyed when Israel broke the 2nd greatest commandment: 'Love your neighbor as yourself' (Lev. 19:18)."

WOW! Talk about a powerful picture. 

To this day, the Jewish people wait to rebuild the temple. Plans are already made and materials gathered for its construction. And the Bible says there will be one, because the antichrist will declare himself to be God, which will lead to the ultimate abomination that causes desolation. But honestly, I think that will be the 4th Temple, because of what Kenneth E. Bailey said here. According to him—according to Paul—we as believers are the Third Temple, with Jesus as the cornerstone. 

What do you think? What I do know is that watching for the rebuilding of the physical Temple is a key sign of the last days. Currently, it doesn't exist. But I heard that it could literally be rebuilt in as quickly as 90 days, because of the plans in place! WOW!

The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi: The Dead Sea Coming back to Life!

This is the last post from the series on The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!

This last post is going to talk about the Dead Sea, and something incredible discovered in 2011. Actually called the Salt Sea, it was nicknamed the Dead Sea because nothing can live in it. The water is about 10x more mineral than an ocean, which means that you can float in it. It's literally impossible to drown. If you walk far enough out, your feet will just fly out from under you (this happened to me) and you will float. It's so trippy! At 2000 feet below sea level, it's the lowest place on earth, and believed to be the site of Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. It's also evaporating at the rate of 1 meter a year. 

Many years ago, a tourist noticed freshwater pools along the shores of the Dead Sea with fish swimming in them! WOW! And then somehow they figured out how to explore the bottom in 2011 and discovered "huge craters on the seafloor, fifteen meters across and 20 meters deep, full of fresh fish and covered with mats full of microorganisms, with freshwater flowing from the craters" (page 165)!

WOW! This is especially incredible to me in light of Ezekiel's words about what will happen in the Millennial Kingdom: 

"He asked me, 'Son of man, do you see this?'

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, 'This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing'” (Ezekiel 47: 6-12)

SO COOL! This is what's coming—but it's already happening!

I hope this series encourages you to get this book (click on the picture below to get it on Amazon, or click here). Have you guessed the meaning of the title yet? The Rock is the Jesus, the Road is the Holy Land, and the Rabbi is the Word of God.

What did you think of this series? Let me know in the comments below!

The Rock, The Road, and The Rabbi: Faith as a Mustard Seed

This is probably my favorite scene from The Rock, The Road, and the Rabbi.

Kathie Lee Gifford depicted a scene on top the Mount of Olives, which I can see clearly in my mind's eye. I remember being there. But her guide, Ray Vander Laan, took her to a specific place I didn't go. She describes her group being told to sit very specifically in front of some overgrown bushes, looking out over a beautiful view. Then Ray told the group that those were mustard plants, "the most feared plant in all of Israel [....] It's feared because once it takes root, it can't be destroyed. You can try to burn it, stomp it out, tear it out, but eventually, it takes everything in its way" (page 110).

All of this from the tiniest of seeds—and Jesus compares the mustard seed to the Kingdom of God! In fact, Jesus said, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

That's when Gifford says Ray pointed at the Herodium in the distance, quoting the verse above. The Herodium is one of Herod's 11 palaces, and the place he was buried. It symbolizes the evil and opulence found in this world, and the hardship the Jewish people found at Herod's hands. Then, Ray pointed in the other direction, in which the Dead Sea was clearly visible! This is the only place on the Mount of Olives on the where you can see mustard plants, the Herodium, and the Dead Sea—which means Jesus was standing in that very spot when He said those verses!

Ray said, "The kingdom of God is us! It is all of us as believers. If we just believe, we can say to that mountain—the world's way, Herod's way, Satan's way—be gone, into that sea, the Dead Sea, which is already dead!"

WOW!!!

Definitely another #micdrop moment!

The Rock, The Road, and the Rabbi: Jesus Writes in the Dirt

In Hebrew culture, pictures and references are very important, like what was depicted in the last blog post by the significance of the number 153. 

The same is true for actions and even quotations. For example, in the Bible when Jesus said something and the people became so angry they wanted to attack Him, to the modern Western reader, it might not be obvious as to why. His words might even seem innocuous. But that's because the practice of this oral culture was for a rabbi to reference a passage from the Torah and let the audience finish it. So when Jesus made a reference, he often only said the beginning part and the part left unsaid was for the audience to know and understand—and that's what made them angry.

Here is another example of this, which I thought was so cool. On pages 79-81, Rabbi Jason Sobel talks of the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery in John 8, which I've talked about here and here. What caught my eye was Sobel's unpacking of Jesus writing in the dirt, of which none of us knows what He wrote (I hope to one day!). 

Sobel points out that:

• Jesus wrote in the dirt twice
• He wrote with His finger twice
• Jesus wrote specifically in the dirt, and 
• Jesus knelt to write (page 79).

Then, he ties that to:

• God wrote the 10 Commandments twice on tablets of stone with His finger.
• The second set of tablets was a sign that God had forgiven Israel, and Moses descended Mount Sinai with those tablets on the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year.
• When the Pharisees brought this woman before Jesus, they had literally just finished observing the Day of Atonement. "Jesus' action of writing in the dirt reminded these leaders that they, too, were guilty of breaking the 10 Commandments and needed atonement, for which they had just fasted and prayed for a week earlier" (page 80).
• Jesus writing in the dirt reminded them that they were formed from dust.
• Jesus kneeling to write puts Him on the same level as the woman—He meets us where we are.

WOW! These are things I never would have known without studying Jewish history and culture. What do you think about these connections?

The Rock, The Road, and the Rabbi: The Hebrew Alphabet

Here's another moment that stood out to me from Kathie Lee Gifford's The Rock, The Road, and the Rabbi:

Rabbi Jason Sobel explains how the Hebrew alphabet (which I am learning!) is alphanumeric, meaning each letter also signifies a number. There's great significance in numbers as well as letters, meaning you can even add up the value of the letters in a word or phrase and it will likely mean something. Cool! The letter hei, which makes the "h" sound, is the fifth letter of the alphabet, and is often connected with the divine breath of God that releases His creative power and potential (page 15). So when we see "5" in the Bible, like David picking up 5 stones when he only needed 1 to kill Goliath, it means something. 

Sobel says that in Genesis 2:4: "These are the genealogical records of the heavens and the earth when they were created, at the time with Adonai Elohim made land and sky", the word for created is bara, which means "created out of nothing". But it's written in a grammatically incorrect way, because it has the letter hei inserted in it. 

Why? Because of Who did the creating. 

This is also true for Abram and Sarai's story, who had their names changed by God, to: AbraHam and SaraH. There's only a 1 letter difference between their old and new names, and "the Lord added this letter to their names because it represented His creative power to accomplish the impossible!" (page 16).

WOW!

Here's another example of the alphanumeric quality of the Hebrew alphabet, from pages 54-55:

• The number 153 is the numerical value of the phrase, "I am the Lord your God" from Isaiah 43:3
• In Matthew 16, Peter says, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God" is a reference to Isaiah 43:3
• In John 21, when Jesus tells Peter and the other disciples to cast his nets on the other side of the boat, they catch 153 fish.
• 153 is also the value of the world HaPesach, which is the Passover Lamb described in Ex. 12:21. Jesus was the Passover Lamb.
• So, the number 153 would have reminded Peter of ALL of the above things. 
• Jesus called Peter 2x in the Bible, "The son of Jonah", which has the same value. Peter acted like Jonah by denying the Lord and running away.
• "According to Jerome, an early church father, there were 153 species of fish at the time in the sea of Galilee, which ties back to the disciples being fishers of men" (page 55).

WOW!

Is this new information to you? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

The Rock, The Road, and the Rabbi: Mic drop!

I loved reading Kathie Lee Gifford's The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi, probably because it reminded me of my trip to Israel in 2017. 

She went to a lot of places I went to, so I could see them in my mind's eye—but her tour guide was Ray Vander Laan, whose videos with Focus on the Family are incredible. I've heard there's a 3-year wait to get on one of his tours (probably longer now thanks to covid-19), but it's always good to dream. 

This book is an easy read, as each short chapter focuses on a different location, and then Rabbi Jason Sobel (pictured on the cover) often adds to the commentary. So I'm going to make this a series, because there were so many good things I picked up on in this book.

Here's some good stuff just from the opening chapters:

"All of Scripture is meant to point to the Messiah in some way. For example, as Rabbi Jason explained to me, the first letter of Genesis is the Hebrew letter bet, and the last word of the book of Revelation is the Hebrew word amen, which ends in the letter nun. The first and last letters of the Bible spell the Hebrew word Ben, which means 'Son'. From the very first to the very last letter, everything in the Bible points to the Son!" (page 5). This really struck me, because I am currently learning Hebrew, and of course, I started with the alphabet. How amazing! I love how things are hidden in Scripture like this!

Later, on page 8, Gifford describes her first few hours in the Holy Land, following guide Ray Vander Laan up a mountain to reach Gezer, an ancient Biblical city overlooking the Via Maris (the ancient trading road that ran alongside the Mediterranean Sea). Ray explained, "The problem with the Bible [...] is that the Bible was written by Middle Easterners for Middle Easterners. But we try to understand it with a Western mindset. We try to apply our own principles and our Western understanding to a culture that is completely foreign to us". As they gazed down on this road from above and saw how it connected the ancient world as nothing else could, the lesson hit home (described on page 10). 

Then, the commentary changes and Rabbi Jason Sobel adds his thoughts, and it is like the biggest mic drop of all:

"Israel's geographic position is key, since it functions as a land bridge between Asia and Africa. But from a spiritual perspective, there is even more. I believe the land God promised Abraham has the same geographic boundaries as the garden of Eden" (page 10). 

WHAT???

I've heard that it could be in Bahrain, or even Saudi Arabia. But Israel itself being the Garden? WHOA! That's especially interesting to me because as Ezekiel 36-37 predicted, the Land has come back to life in recent decades. The very desert is blooming—which is spoken of in Scripture. And later in Ezekiel, it talks about the Millennial Kingdom and how a river will flow out from the Temple Mount, in one direction to the Mediterranean and in the other, to the Dead Sea. It says that the Dead Sea will fill with life. Could Israel really be the setting for the Garden of Eden?

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

The Last Jihad Series by Joel C. Rosenberg

So, I was definitely late to the party when it comes to reading Joel C. Rosenberg's books, but I'm so glad I'm here now!

I just finished reading Rosenberg's 5-book series, The Last Jihad, and all I can say is: Wow! (I feel like I say that a lot when it comes to his books.

What's so incredible about this one is the story behind it, how the first book was almost completely written before September 11, 2001. And then, the same could be said for things that happened in the next year and book 2. Reading this in 2021, it's still eerie to see, because there are things in there that are happening now. 

How did this happen? Well, he based this books on Biblical prophetic texts, specifically Ex 38-39. Most recently, in book 4, The Copper Scroll, he talks about deal signed by Iraq and China as an exchange of oil for weapons. And on March 27, 2021, a very similar deal was signed in real life between China and Iran. I was literally reading book 4 when this announcement was made. 

While I've loved reading all of Rosenberg's novels so far, this one has caught my attention because it literally deals with the last days and what it could be like. I've always loved imagining what those would be like. So it definitely caught my attention and let imagination fly!

The other thing I wanted to point out from this series is how Rosenberg treats the depiction of honor and shame in this culture and explains it to the Western readers (and characters). He does an amazing job of that in book 2, The Last Days, specifically while describing the view point of Palestinian society. Pages 253-255 have an especially beautiful description of the heartache of the shame felt as a whole by the culture of the character who is speaking. His request to the President of the United States in this scene isn't so much about power or winning, so much as restoring some honor to his people.

Anyway, I loved this series! It's going on the shelf and will be read over and over, haha. If you've read it, I'd love to know what you think. Please let me know in the comments below!

Mysteries of the Messiah: Aleph, Tav, and 14

Mysteries of the Messiah did not disappoint!

Honestly, there was so much in this book that it was like drinking from a firehose—which I think was the point! Rabbi Sobel was able to clearly explain so many deeper meanings than what non-Hebrew speaking readers will understand from first glance. And this is the stuff I LOVE!

The biggest thing I picked up is the importance of the alphanumeric nature of both Hebrew and Greek. Without knowing these things, there's so much that can be missed!

Here are some of my favorite examples:

• The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, aleph, is the letter that represents God's name. And in Hebrew, there is only 1 letter's difference between "exile" and "redemption": the letter aleph (from page 6).
• The letter tav, which in ancient Hebrew was written in the form of a cross, was the sign of the doorposts. "This means that the cross, the symbol of Christianity, was originally a Jewish symbol.....The tav was used as both a sign and seal of ownership" (page 116). But then... it switched to a sign of freedom and redemption. In Ezekiel 4:9, God says, "'Go throughout the city, through the midst of Jerusalem. Make a mark on the foreheads of the people who sign and moan over all the abominations that are committed in it'. The Hebrew word here for 'mark' is tav. The tav was the sign placed upon the foreheads of the faithful—it was the mark of those who were sealed for life. The letter tav is the last letter of the aleph-bet and symbolizes the end. It points to everything in Israel's history culminating in the cross. Also, the Messiah is the Alpha and the Omega—in Hebrew, the Aleph and the Tav—the First and the Last" (page 117).
• The number 14 has so much significance that it is ridiculous. It is the number associated with royalty, because the Hebrew word for 'gold', zahav, adds up to it. There are 14 generations between Abraham and David, from David to the Babylonian exile, and from the Babylonian exile to until the Messiah. Sobel points out that when you say something 3x in Hebrew, it means the maximum amount, "By using 3 sets of 14, Matthew was communicating that the Messiah was the ultimate King of kings and Son of David." Also, one of the 3 wise men brought gold to Jesus. But there's more! (All of this is from pages 180-182):
• 14 is also the number of redemption and salvation. God redeemed Israel from Egypt on the 14th day of the 1st month, which is why it Passover is celebrated on this day.
• In the book of Esther, God saved the Jewish people on the 14th day of the last month.... The Jewish year begins and ends with God redeeming His people on the 14th!
• 14 is written in Hebrew with the letters yud and dalet, which also spell 'hand'. There are 14 bones in the human hand. God delivered His people from bondage by His mighty hand!
• The modern State of Israel was born on May 14, 1948.
• John 1:14 says, "And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us."
• Isaiah 7:14 says, "Behold, the virgin will conceive. When she is giving birth to a son, she will call His name Immanuel [God with us]." Sobel notes that while there were no chapters and verses in the original texts, this is still too incredible to be a coincidence.

That's all for this post on Mysteries of the Messiah... check back next week for 1 more!

The Elijah Chronicles by Ray Bentley and Bodie Thoene

Have you heard of The Elijah Chronicles?

This 3-book series follows American Jack Garrison from his initial fact-finding mission to Israel through an incredible adventure throughout the Holy Land. My favorite part is that it is set in modern times, so there are mentions of real-life world leaders and events that just happened a few months ago. But it's more than just being a modern day story. This is how Amazon describes it: Watch history, prophecy, and current events leap to life as best-selling author Bodie Thoene and prophecy scholar Ray Bentley lead you on a journey that melds the past, present, and future into one unforgettable story. 

I've read many books by Bodie Thoene (co-authored by her husband, Brock), and reviewed them here. So I'm familiar with her work, though not Ray Bentley's. I was excited by the premise of this trilogy and enjoyed it. However, before I go into something specific I learned from this series, I do want to say that as an avid reader, I felt something lacking from this series. The physical books themselves are shorter than a true novel, and their print is large. It felt more like I was reading 3 novellas than 3 full-length novels, and this was evident to me in the reading. I didn't get as immersed in the stories as I normally would, because of the lack of detail. In addition, at times the actual timing in the series felt abrupt and unclear, especially in the 3rd book. Since The Cyrus Mandate is set in 2020 and discusses real-life events, I knew what it was referring to. For instance, Covid-19 and its effects are just suddenly referred to as having arrived and the characters are dealing with the normal. But there was no build up to that (outside of one mention something being released from China in one of Jack's visions). But for readers 10, 20, 30 + years from now, will they understand the minutiae that led to that scene (will we even be here, haha)? It could be the purpose of this series was to show the truths of today and what is going on for the modern reader in a fiction form. If so, this series met its purpose and they writers did a great job! It's just that for me personally, as a lover of Israel and someone who loves a good novel, I wanted more (because it was great)!

There is one thing I wanted to highlight specifically from the series, and that is the discussion on pages 240-242 of The Cyrus Mandate. One of the characters asks how Jews and Arabs are linked in Biblical prophecy, and Jack replies by explaining about the sons of Abraham, not only Isaac and Ishmael, but also the sons he had with Keturah, the wife he married after Sarah died. By his explanation, the Sunni nations are cousins of Isaac's descendants: "They share blood with one another. They are cousins to one another, it makes sense that they could come together in mutual blessing, mutual protection, mutual economic and technology and medical benefit" (referring to the historic Abraham accords). However, Shia Muslims, like Iran, are not related by away of Abraham. And this is where Ezekiel 38-39 comes into play. "God is using geopolitical reasons, pragmatic reasons, economic reasons, protection reasons, all of these things. He's bringing the Abrahamic family together".

I thought this was such a great explanation of the incredibly complicated situation in the Middle East that many outside of this region do not understand completely. And in light of the Abraham Accords that have happened since (UAE, Bahrain, Bhutan, Morocco, Sudan, Kosovo) and the ones that might come soon it was especially enlightening. 

If you like reading contemporary fiction set in "our day" that is strongly linked with real-life events, then this series is worth the read! You can get it here on Amazon, and please let me know what you think about it below!

The Turned the World Upside Down by Charles Martin

 Finally, my review of Charles Martin's newest book, They Turned the World Upside Down!

I always need to start off talking about Charles Martin by stating that he is my favorite author, especially in the fiction world. His first nonfiction, What if It's True?, was incredible, and his second has not disappointed either. It felt very different than the first book, though still familiar, and it's clear why this book needed to be written and published as well. It's message is powerful, and one that needs pouring over instead of a quick read-through.

Since my focus on this blog is highlighting things about Israel or a culture connected with the Bible (first century or modern times), I'm going to focus on that for this review and specifically feature one insight that stood out to me. But I did want to say that these details are included to enhance the story and explain the context, not the focus—which is encouraging readers to live as Jesus charged His followers to. 

But here's what stood out to me as far as this blog's focus (and there were many moments like these with clear, cultural insights throughout the book):

In Chapter 9, "Willing to be Willing", Martin opens with the story of Peter and John going to the temple to pray in Acts 3. There, at the gate called "Beautiful", they meet a lame beggar who is asking for alms. He asks them for money, but Peter says, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give unto thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!" The Bible says that immediately, the beggars feet and ankles were made strong and he does: "leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God." 

This is where Martin says something I hadn't considered before: "Then he walks into the temple. Why? Because he's been lame since birth, and according to Leviticus, 'no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame.' Which means he was excluded from temple worship. For his entire life. No fellowship with God. He was born and has always been a complete and total outcast. But not any longer. Now he's included" (pages 138-139). 

WOW! Maybe I've heard this before in my life, but I can't remember if I had. The magnitude of that moment... not only the physical healing, but that it allowed the beggar to enter the temple for the first time... that can't be glossed over. His healing brought Him near to God. It brought him in fellowship with others, but most of all, the God of the universe. I'm going to be thinking on this for a while, and its wider implications of how our healing and freedom always brings us closer in fellowship with God. 

What do you think about this story? Did you know this before? And have you read this book? If not, I definitely recommend it! You can get it here on Amazon. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Empire's End by Jerry B. Jenkins

In November, I covered a book called I, Saul by Jerry B. Jenkins, and said that I felt like it was possibly a part 1 of a 2-part series, only I couldn't find the second book, I, Paul (published in 2014). That's because it appears the series got a re-vamp and book 2 (I say this loosely, as it could be a stand alone) is actually Empire's End. 

Written in 1st person, as if from the perspective of Paul, this fictional memoir follows Saul of Tarsus from childhood, through his education under Gamaliel in Jerusalem, his persecution of the early church, his conversion, his 3 years in Arabia, and the beginning of his early ministry. It's an interesting read, as long as the reader keeps in mind that it is fiction (as is good practice with all Biblical fiction). And it could easily lead into a part 3, although I can't find evidence of one's existence yet.

I enjoyed this book, as it explored something I'd never seen depicted before, so I definitely wanted to share it with you. If you like Biblical fiction, I recommend this book. Click here to find it on Amazon!

The J.B. Collins Collection by Joel C. Rosenberg

This J.B. Collins collection left me speechless. 

This was only my 2nd time reading a series by American-Israeli author Joel C. Rosenberg, and so far, it's my favorite. So real, so thrilling, so full of rich detail and insight into the Middle East. It felt like I was reading events that could have been ripped from the headlines of a slightly alternate reality, especially considering all that has happened in the real world since the first book's publication in 2015.

I don't want to go too in depth into the series in this review because I want to leave it for you to discover yourself. But, here is a quote that stood out to me from the first 1st book, The Third Target. In it, the main character, J.B. Collins, a reporter for the New York Times, is speaking with the King of Jordan. The main reason why I want to highlight it isn't really because of the story, but because of something new I learned about Jordan: 

"It is not widely known in the West, but we have in Jordan a small but thriving Christian community that is perhaps the oldest in the world. The place where Jesus was baptized is Jordan's most important Christian site. It is here on the east bank of the Jordan River. This is where Jesus' mission started. This is where Christianity began. Jordan is also where Moses lived and died. This is where Elijah the prophet was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire. There is so much rich history here...." page 334.

Basically, now I want to go to Jordan to see these places myself!

But, back to the point of this post: this 3-book series. If you love military-action thriller series', it will not disappoint! Click here to find it on Amazon!

From Nominal Muslim to Christian Author

 Last week, I heard an interview by Susie Larson of author Tessa Afshar, and wanted to share it with you.

The interview was about Tessa's book, Daughter of Rome, my favorite of hers, and the incredible couple of Aquila and Priscilla. I spoke more about them in this blog on July 27, 2020. It again really brought their story alive to me to understand with better context what was really going on in the lives of this couple in the Early Church.

But for the last 10 minutes of the podcast, Tessa spoke more about her story, being raised in Iran, moving to England, and then the US, and what it was like coming to Christ from a nominal Muslim context. How incredible! Her story is so good that I wanted to share it with you here. It was blown away by the goodness of God and the power of her testimony of this woman who now writes Biblical fiction. I think it will bless you too! You can listen here on Apple podcasts and here on Google Podcasts. 

Let me know what you think below in the comments!

The Marcus Ryker Series by Joel C. Rosenberg

Speaking of peace treaties between Israel and Muslim nations, have you read the Marcus Ryker Series by American-Israeli author, Joel C. Rosenberg?

I just discovered this author in January, so reading these books were a lot of fun! Actually, I only read the first 3 because The Beirut Protocol does not release until March 9 (and I really hope that is the last book in the series, because I want to know what happens!).

It's been incredible to read, however, because it's like seeing the pages of current events and recent history come to life, but in a different way, as Rosenberg clearly states in author's notes that these are works of fiction. However, throughout the novels are references (and events related to) the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, a real-life event. Book 2, The Persian Gamble , talks about a close relationship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (this was written and published in 2019, well before the real-life August 2020 peace treaty). And then, Book 3, The Jerusalem Assassin, not only is set mostly in Israel, but deals with the topic of a possibly peace treaty between.... get this.... Israel and Saudi Arabia. 

Written long before its publication date, the author had no way of knowing officially of all the peace deals that have happened since August 2020. However, I would say that the most shocking of all would be one with Saudi Arabia, and Rosenberg totally went for it in this series. I am so here for this! And now I have to wait for Book 4, which seems cruel, haha. 

If you love political and military action fiction set in real-time, then this series might be for you! You can find all of Joel C. Rosenberg's books here on Amazon... needless to say, I'm going to be reading a lot more of his novels!

Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews

Of Fire and Lions, by Mesu Andrews, is a fictional depiction of what some of the Israelites could have experienced from the time of Babylon's first invasion of Jerusalem in 597 B.C. under King Nebuchadnezzar all the way to King Darius' allowance for a group to go rebuild the temple 70 years later.

But before we explore the book, can we talk about this GORGEOUS cover? #coverlove

Andrews chose a really interesting time period to explore in this book, focusing it around Daniel and his contemporaries, best known by their non-Jewish names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Told through the alternating view points of Daniel and a female character named Abigail/Belili, the reader travels with the first wave of Jewish captives from Jerusalem all the way to Babylon and beyond. 

For me, the best part is seeing the most well known stories of Daniel put into a narrative, from his friends being thrown into the fiery furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar's transformation into a beast, the lions' den, and the hand writing on the wall. Because this is the first novel I've read dealing specifically with this part of Israel's history, it was so fun to explore it all in story form. I found myself captivated by the story, looking forward to the events still to come as I turned each page. 

If you love Biblical fiction, I definitely recommend this book. Click here to find it on Amazon!

Chosen by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Last week, I re-read a beloved series from the 1990s, the Full Circle Series by Lisa Tawn Bergren. It's a fun series because each book is set in an incredibly picturesque (and adventurous!) location, and the main characters of each novel are loosely connected to each other (a relative, friend, or roommate of the heroine/hero of the previous book... hence, a full circle). 

Even though I've read this series many times, I'd forgotten the setting of book 5: Israel!

(it has a different cover on Amazon, but this is the cover I have)

Like I said, I'd completely forgotten about this book! But in addition to describing so many places I visited on my first trip to Israel, it reminded me of A Chosen People novels by Robert Whitlow and all I've been reading about the conflict and dynamics of Israel and Palestine. Like Hana in A Chosen People, the main character is a Christian Palestinian woman, and she has one of the most fascinating jobs (to me!) ever: a biblical archeologist!

For me, it's all so incredible to explore, but the dynamics of a Palastinian Christian biblical archeologist- WOW!

So if you've ever wanted to join to a dig (at the Temple Mount!) in the heart of Jerusalem (#goals), and have an incredible adventure, all while exploring the culture and issues and modern day Israel, this is definitely the book for you!

You can buy it here on Amazon (Oh, and while reading the whole series will give you the #fullcircleeffect, you don't necessarily have to read the other books in the series to read this one- although I do recommend them all... ESPECIALLY book 4. Don't get me started on that one!)!