Best of the Feast!

Last week, more than five thousand Christians from 80 nations showed up in Jerusalem for the annual Feast of Tabernacles celebration, sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. It was the best Feast attendance in seven years, which is quite remarkable given that rockets were still falling all around Israel just a few short weeks ago. So the huge turnout was an encouraging sign that tourism to Israel is on the rebound after this summer’s conflict in Gaza. But it also demonstrated that the Jewish state truly has committed Christian friends around the globe. Now the throngs of Christian pilgrims were warmly welcomed by local Israelis. And Israeli-Christian relations reached a milestone moment when Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, representing the people of Israel, and World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder, representing the Jewish people abroad, both addressed the Feast in person, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also delivered a videotaped greeting. But what did these three key Jewish leaders have to say to Israel’s loyal Christian friends? Well, President Rivlin noted that the Christian connection to Zionism has “deep historical roots.” Netanyahu spoke of the biblical background to the Feast of Tabernacles and thanked Christians for always standing with Israel. Meanwhile, Ronald Lauder focused on the need for Jews and Christians to unite in defense of our common freedoms and values, and especially in calling for the protection of persecuted Christians in the Middle East. The Best of the Feast! That’s our focus this week here on Front Page Jerusalem. We’ll bring you the remarks of Israeli leaders Reuven Rivlin and Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as global Jewish leader Ronald Lauder to the Christian Embassy’s annual Feast of Tabernacles gathering in Jerusalem this week.

Airing the weekend of October 25, 2014

Next Week on FRONTPAGE JERUSALEM

Recently, thousands of Christians from around the world gathered in Jerusalem to mark the Feast of Tabernacles, in keeping with the prophetic vision of Zechariah 14:16. This annual celebration of the biblical festival of Sukkot is sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. And this year’s Feast saw one of the best turnouts in years, despite the fact that Israel just faced an intense rocket war only a few weeks before. In fact, many of the Christians attending the Feast said they decided to come at the last minute to show their solidarity with Israel. Now there were a number of top Israeli leaders and prominent Christian ministers speaking at the Feast of Tabernacles celebration. Next week, we’ll have biblical insights from some of the teaching sessions at the Feast, which was held under the theme of “Restoration.” So what exactly does the Bible have to say about Restoration in our day? How does it apply to modern-day Israel? And is restoration also promised for your church and even for your family and nation? The Best of the Feast – Part II! That’s our focus next week here on Front Page Jerusalem. We’ll bring you excerpts from messages delivered by leading Christian ministers at the recent Feast of Tabernacles gathering in Jerusalem, beginning with the Christian Embassy’s executive director Dr. Juergen Buehler. He spoke on how the Church needs to undergo a paradigm shift in how it relates to Israel in light of its modern-day restoration. Plus, we’ll also have a report from our Front Page team in Jerusalem on some worrying developments along Israel’s northern border.

Airing the weekend of November 1, 2014