Kameel Majdali's Road Ahead

It is not the biggest in the world - though it has impressive dimensions. It is not the most scenic - though it is picturesque and moving. The amount of fish it contains cannot rival that of many other bodies of water. Despite all this, it is the most famous body of water in the world. Though it is a lake, we call it the ‘Sea of Galilee.’ A Bible tour of the holy land is not complete without a visit to this majestic, natural tribute to the ministry of Jesus Christ. While called ‘Sea of Galilee’ five times in the New Testament (Matthew 4:18; 15:29; Mark 1:16; 7:31; John 6:31), it is also known as ‘Sea of Chinnereth (Numbers 34:11); Sea of Chinneroth (Joshua 12:3), and Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1). Its Hebrew name is Kinneret, derived from the Hebrew word ‘ kinnor’ which means ‘harp.’ Look at the lake on a map and you’ll understand why. It’s dimensions? The Sea of Galilee is 21 kilometres (13 miles long), 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) wide, 50 metres (164 feet...

Many Bible-believing Christians (and traditional ones, too) long to make the trip of a lifetime - the journey to the holy land. Though there is no specific New Testament command for Christians to make the trip, the fact is that they are doing so in record numbers. No matter what country they come from, what denomination they belong, or what kind of background they have, the reasons for the trip are amazingly universal: 1.   Devotion: They want to walk where Jesus walked; 2.   Education: They want to learn more about Christ and the Bible. Ultimately, the journey is more than a mere sightseeing tour - it is a pilgrimage. What is the difference? Tourism seeks recreation for diversion and pleasure. Seldom would the tourist seek to go to a ‘war zone’ to have a holiday. The pilgrim, however, has a very different paradigm, even though they may look and act just like a tourist. The difference is not so much in what the pilgrim does or wears; it is the fact that they ha...

• •   Iran pursues nuclear technology while the West talks to them about it (P5 + 1); • Russia is deadlocked with the West over Ukraine, while its fighter planes cross into British airspace; • The Islamic State continues its macabre display on social media of images of decapitated and caged prisoners; • Eastern Libya, NE Nigeria, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq are battling terrorist groups who are occupying their territory; • China marches to military and economic superpower-hood; • The Eurozone and the United States continue to experience ballooning debt. These developments sound frightening, perhaps even apocalyptic. Is our post-World War II world more unstable than ever? Is the international order fraying at the seams? Could we be entering the period the Bible calls ‘the last days?’ To understand the end-times, we need a key. And that key is a ‘key-term?’ What is it? ‘The Day of the Lord’ This phrase is used in both Old and New Testamen...

Let’s face it - the Arabs do not get good press in the western world. Indeed, there are problems in the Arab world that dwarf that of other parts. Four successive, UN-sponsored Arab Development Reports, show regress rather than progress. Democracy has been sorely lacking. The result of the 2011 Arab Spring has been instability, not democracy. Women’s rights, human rights, just plain being right, seems to be in short supply. Dictatorships, repression, religious extremism with corresponding brutality, and outright terrorism, are the connotations westerners have of the Arab world. There is another side of the story. It is called the ‘classic Arab,’ also known as ‘The Original Arab’ ( al Arab al Aseel ). Warm-hearted, noble, generous, charming, kind, magnanimous, and superbly hospitable, it is a welcome treat to meet the classic Arab. When you are his guest, you are celebrated, not tolerated! While I grew up with a father who fit this mold, he had to do so in an American-contex...

The place: Wadi Musa near Petra in Jordan. The time: 7:30 A.M., Wednesday 4 February 2015. A group of Christian pilgrims from the United States, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia were waiting in their bus, ready to drive north after touring Petra the day before. Then word came from a military commander? No one is to leave the Petra area until further notice. The reason: Jordan was in a state of military readiness after waking up to the most unwelcome and distressing news. What news? Jordanian pilot Lieutenant Moaz al Kassasbeh, 26, who was captured by the Islamic State after his plane was shot down in Syria on 24 December 2014, had been brutally executed by being caged, doused in petrol, and then burned alive. The Islamic State continues to grab headlines. They forcibly expel groups of people in Syria and Iraq whose beliefs are considered ‘unorthodox,’ commit capital punishment through beheadings, crucifixion, and pushing homosexuals off rooftops. Now, they have added to th...