"The axe is already at the root of the trees" (Matt 3:10): Clifford Hill asks if these words of John the Baptist have relevance for us today.

I have always thought that in this verse John the Baptist is speaking about judgement falling upon Israel. That is what all my commentaries say. The axe is about to cut down the tree. But John does not say this. He says that the axe is at the ROOT of the trees, not the trunk!

This changes the meaning of the metaphor: the root of the trees was being cut off so that the "nourishing sap" (to use Paul's words in Romans 11:17) from the root could not feed the tree to produce good fruit. Therefore, it would have to be cut down.

Israel's long-awaited Messiah was about to appear and John's mission was to prepare the way for him. Meanwhile, the spiritual life of the nation was being corrupted by the Scribes and Pharisees whose teachings and interpretations of the Law made life difficult for ordinary people. The Israelites were being cut off from their spiritual heritage in the teaching of Moses and the prophets, so they were unable to read the signs of the times. Jesus wept over Jerusalem: "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42).

Our Spiritual Heritage

In Britain, America and Europe since the Second World War, we have been cutting off our Judaeo-Christian roots. The 'nourishing sap' of the word of God that has blessed our nation for centuries is being cut off at the very time when we most need the guidance and the blessing of God.

Just as Jesus came to Israel at a time when they were cut off from their own spiritual heritage, so now Britain and other 'Christian' nations are cutting themselves off from their own Judeao-Christian roots."

The nations are being shaken with greater speed and severity each day but because the leaders of the Western nations do not know the word of God, they are unable to perceive the significance of what is happening. They do not know what to do: so inevitably they are making all the wrong decisions.

The Greek TragedyProtestors clashed with police outside the Greek Parliament on Wednesday.

In Brussels the Eurozone nations are struggling to save the euro. They may have succeeded in a patched-up deal to stop the Greek crisis bringing down the whole structure of European finance – but they are simply 'kicking the can down the road', delaying the day of judgement. They continue to build up a mountain of debt that will eventually become a volcano that will burst and spill out, engulfing not only Athens but the whole of Europe.

Battle in the Middle East

In the Middle East the power struggle for control of the Muslim world is increasingly centring upon the two behind-the-scenes main players in Iran and Saudi Arabia. With America's President Obama having another year to run, there is huge danger in his desire to be friendly to Iran, despite the recent treaty.

Everyone knows that the Iranian nuclear programme is not just to produce nuclear power for peaceful purposes, because they are sitting on the world's fourth greatest reserves of oil. They don't need nuclear power! What they do want is a nuclear bomb! Then they can control the Middle East and prepare to attack Israel. But if they succeed in their nuclear ambitions, the Saudis will have to do the same. They will immediately purchase a nuclear bomb and the race for survival will be on! Who will blink first?

Global Insecurities

With the rising tide of terrorism from militant Islam, the threat to world peace grows daily. So too does the danger of worldwide financial collapse. In Beijing the Communist rulers are struggling to control their stock market casino as the gambling fever that grips the nation has paved the way for a gigantic double-dealing con-trick that has swindled millions of small investors out of their savings. Clearly there is no way that a massive $3.5 trillion could have gone through a life-and-death cycle in a mere 80 trading days of normal commercial activity! Yet, the all-powerful commissars of China are powerless to protect their own people from financial disaster.

For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, there have been warning signs of these global problems for a long time. Many Christians believe that a critical point in world history will occur around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles this year which coincides with the Lunar Eclipse, the 'Super Blood Moon' on 28 September, 2015.

Whether or not this is the case, we are certainly living in volatile times. What can be done? The most effective thing Christians can do is pray – but we need to know how to pray and what to pray for. This is where knowledge of the Bible and an understanding of the nature and purposes of God are essential.

The most effective thing Christians can do is pray- but we need an understanding of how to pray and what to pray for."

When we can understand what God is doing, we know how to pray. We should be praying for our nation; for repentance for all we have done that is contrary to the word of God and the way we have cut off our spiritual roots. God is slow to anger and abundant in mercy. It is time to call upon him for help. Never was there greater need than today.

'Peace in Jerusalem: But the battle is not over yet!' by Charles Gardner (Olive Press, 2015, 241 pages).

Charles Gardner reports on an inspirational conference bringing Jew and Gentile together in the peace and reconciliation of Christ.

With the Middle East engulfed in flames, a story of peace and reconciliation was unfolding last week in Manchester, where delegates from all over the Arab world came together for a unique conference aimed at building bridges between Arabs and Jews who have become followers of Jesus.

As Iran continues its aggressive stance against Israel, threatening to wipe the Jewish state off the map, Iranian refugees and asylum seekers now living in Britain embraced their Jewish 'brothers', some of whom had travelled from Jerusalem to meet with them. Also present was a sizeable contingent of Egyptians along with representatives from Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria. Others wanting to join them had been unable to get visas.

Highway of Peace

As part of the great untold story of the Middle East, the three-day conference was hosted by the Church's Ministry among Jewish people (CMJ), a 200-year-old Anglican society specifically dedicated to spiritual revival in Israel. Other key figures behind the event were Robert Sakr and Michael Kerem, along with Rev David Pileggi, rector of Christ Church in Jerusalem.

Although working mainly among Jews since its founding in 1809 by slave trade abolitionist William Wilberforce and members of the Clapham Group, CMJ has also consistently reached out to Arabs over the years and, in 2012, held their first At the Crossroads conference at their Jerusalem headquarters to enable Jew and Gentile to express their oneness in Christ and work together to spread the gospel, on the basis of a prophecy from Isaiah 19 (v23-25) of a "highway" of peace and reconciliation from Egypt to Assyria via Israel.

The 'At the Crossroads' conferences aim to bring Jew and Gentile together to express their oneness in Christ and work together to spread the gospel."

This highway, which includes much of the modern-day Arab world, represents the very path travelled by Abraham, father of the Jewish race, and so it's perfectly appropriate that it is also the road to peace for Isaac and Ishmael, the sons of Abraham.

Iranians Pray for Jewish Rabbi

At the second At the Crossroads conference, held in Jerusalem in 2014, a number of UK-based Iranians were turned back at the Israeli border and so missed out on a chance to meet with other Muslim-background converts from all over the region. And so, UK at the Crossroads was arranged to encourage and inspire those who would struggle to enter Israel.

David Friedman, a Messianic rabbi from Jerusalem, was delighted that so many Iranians had turned up for the conference – they have established thriving churches throughout England – and implored them to join him in praying for barriers to be broken between their two countries.

"We need to get together and pray for our two nations," he said. Reminding them of a time in ancient days when a Persian king opened the door for his people to come back home, he prayed that God would so pour out his Spirit that hatred of Israel (among the authorities) would be melted by love. The alternative was a nuclear conflagration that would destroy not only the Middle East, but possibly the entire world.

Before he had finished speaking, the Iranians responded by coming forward to pray for him, and for Israel! It was an awesome moment- something akin to an earthquake in reverse as a shattered and broken world is put back together again, with all the pieces mended.

An Israeli Messianic rabbi implored people to pray for barriers to be broken between Iran and Israel. Iranians responded by coming forward with an awesome offer of prayer."

United in Jesus

Sessions were interspersed with times of worship in Arabic, Farsi (the language spoken in Iran), Hebrew and English, creating a beautiful atmosphere of shared love and identity. Communication may have been a challenge at times, but you only had to look in each other's eyes to know you were one in Christ who, in the words of St Paul, destroys the dividing wall of hostility, creating "one new man" out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling both of them to God through the cross (Eph 2:14-16).

Beirut-based Robert Sakr, one of the visionaries behind the conference, said: "There's no such thing as a peace process apart from Jesus. In the 55 years I've lived in the Middle East, there has been no political solution."

There's no such thing as a peace process apart from Jesus." ~ Robert Sakr

Turkish Christians Apologise for Armenian Genocide

The conference also heard how Turkish Christians recently met with a group of Armenians to apologise for the genocide that took place 100 years ago.

Admitting a mistake goes very much against the grain in the Middle East, but they embraced in the name of Jesus and a Turkish pastor, Ali Pektash, got down on his knees to wash the feet of an elderly Armenian, apologising for what his grandparents had done, whereupon the Armenian responded by washing the feet of his Turkish brother-in-Christ.

"Forgive me for what my people have done in killing, torturing and forcefully converting and expelling you from our land," Ali told his hosts, asking them to pray that the curse he believed had come upon his nation as a result would be lifted.

The Armenians, along with a group of Yazidi Kurds, duly prayed for their visitors and forgave them. And when two pastors who had been at loggerheads with each other saw what happened, it melted their hearts and they were reconciled.

Focus on the Wheat

Robert Sakr frankly admitted that he didn't understand what was happening in the Middle East today, with borders being wiped out and bloodshed on a horrific scale. "But I know that God is in control and that the harvest will come in an environment of both persecution and blessing."

Referring to Jesus' parable of the weeds (Matt 13) in which he explains that the weeds, planted by an enemy, should be left to grow with the wheat until the harvest, Robert said that while organizations like CNN and the BBC were focused on covering news about the weeds, "we must take care of news about the wheat".

"We're the 'good news' people; our job is telling people what God is doing, not the enemy." He said Zionism and Arab aspirations are incompatible. "But God has the last word. For 67 years some of the smartest people in the world have tried to solve this problem. It's a puzzle. But I'm focusing on the crop of wheat which is growing and expanding. Israel was a spiritual desert when I was growing up. Now there are so many believers. We need to focus on the wheat. Yes, unimaginable evil is being perpetrated in today's world. But what God is intending to do in our day is beyond our wildest imaginations."

Our Scriptures were first given in a world that was very different from today. To understand the Scriptures, we need to place them in their proper context and study the world in those days, particularly in and around the nation of Israel.

The Bible emerged over several thousands of years that witnessed the rise and fall of several ancient Empires. This is heritage of our faith, and the background of Jesus and the first Christians. Understanding it helps us to be properly grafted into the olive tree (Rom 11). It is the legacy of our people: the land, language and culture moulded by the teaching of the One True God. On account of the call of Abraham, we call this culture Hebraic.

Why are language and culture important?

The Scriptures are not just words and ideas that lead to philosophy; they deal with matters of the heart and the way people live out their lives.

No other language is quite like Hebrew, because Almighty God brought his teaching to his people through this language. In this sense, through the language and the teaching transmitted through it, Almighty God cultivated a people for himself. We identify this as Hebraic culture.

"No other language is quite like Hebrew, through which Almight God brought his teaching to his people."

Which God?

It has been said that language is 90% of culture, and this is in accord with all we have said so far. The focus of our attention, when we consider the world of the Bible, is the Middle East, the nations around the Fertile Plain and the Mediterranean basin. These nations were distinguished by their different languages, many of which had the same Semitic root. This led to some cultural overlap in the Middle East.

Beyond the influence ofStatues of Canaanite gods language, however, is the influence of the religions and gods of these different nations. Archaeology confirms the multitude of these gods from the statues and inscriptions that have been found, and we can see how the culture of the nations was framed by their beliefs and religious practices.

Israel was the only nation in the ancient world that knew the One True God. Abraham, the father of the Hebrews, was called out of the worldly system of Ur of the Chaldees. He learned to live by faith in God, becoming a pilgrim and stranger in a world of false gods. This principle framed the culture of the Nation of Israel in a unique way. Only Israel had direct teaching from God who revealed himself first as Yahweh (YHWH) and later fully revealed himself through Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah.

He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. (Psa 147:19-20)

Despite (perhaps because of) their constant failures, the Nation of Israel in the wilderness years and in the Land of Israel thereafter are included in our Bible to teach us important truths. With the Scriptures as our reference and the history of Israel as our witness, and with the other nations of the biblical world as a contrast, we can begin to understand the unique and distinct character of a people under the One True God.

Resources for Study

The walls of Jericho

For students of the Bible, learning about the historical and geographical context of Scripture can be invaluable. Today, this is a relatively easy task: archeological sites have been opened in all the major countries mentioned in the Bible. Many sites can be visited, museums hold examples of what has been discovered and many relevant books and DVDs are available.

Not all of these resources are expensive and, where possible, a student of the Bible should acquire a small library, especially of books that have good illustrations. Illustrations give invaluable insights to enhance written descriptions of the world of the Bible and of the cultural background from which the Christian faith emerged.

They enable us to see at a glance the clothes that were worn in Bible times, features of the outdoor lifestyle of Abraham’s day, the styles of houses and the Bedouin tents, routines of home life, festivals and ceremonies of life such as birth and marriage, education, healthcare, the farming life, the crafts, means of travel and so on.

The prominent nations and Empires should be studied, including Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, and the Bible should be read in parallel so that what is studied can be put into a biblical context.

Finding similar examples today

Despite dramatic technological changes and advances in communication, we can still find examples today of cultures that remind us of the biblical world, particularly where lifestyle is simple, mainly outdoors, reliant on manual labour and devoid of the inventions of the modern era.

There are still areas of the world where water is obtained from wells, where there is no electricity or flush toilets, where pottery is baked in the village and bricks are home made, where cloth is spun and where the land is farmed according to ancient traditions. Such areas of the world give us a present day glimpse into the days of the Bible.

"Unless we develop a mindset that places our Bible readings into the ancient cultures from which they came, we will filter what we read overmuch through our experience of the modern world."

What do we gain?

Library at the Western Wall of Jerusalem

As we begin the study of the world of the Bible, at the heart of our efforts, through all the contrasts, will emerge a picture of God’s own people throughout the generations: a picture of Yahweh developing a Hebraic character in his people.

The purpose of studying these things is to understand more deeply the heritage from which the Christian Church came, that we might be properly rooted into the family of the olive tree (Rom 11) and not left to filter our understanding through some other culture ruled by alien spiritual powers.