Happ-O-Getics Newsletter

Israel, and especially Jerusalem, is one of the most excavated places in the world. Recent discoveries are providing powerful archaeological evidence for King David and his kingdom, offering fresh confirmation for the historical accuracy of the Bible. Although decades of research once led many scholars to question whether David was anything more than a minor tribal leader, new finds in and around Jerusalem are painting a very different picture. These discoveries help demonstrate that the biblical description of David’s reign is firmly rooted in real history, not myth.

[Read more…] about Recent Archaeological Evidence for King David

This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea. That was when approximately 318 Christian Bishops gathered to formulate what we know as the Nicene Creed, which is still nearly universally used today. This first-ever ecumenical council met in the summer of A.D. 325 for two months at Nicea (modern Iznik) in Bithynia (northwestern Turkey). Aside from the Creed itself, the circumstances of the meeting were a testimony to God’s providential and miraculous work.

Hostile Bithynia

There was a Christian presence in Bithynia beginning in the first century, perhaps the result of converted Jews returning from their attendance at Pentecost (Acts 2:9-11), and later of those scattered from the Jerusalem church after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1-4). The apostle Paul attempted to go into Bithynia on his second missionary trip, but the Holy Spirit did not permit him (Acts 16:7).

[Read more…] about The Council of Nicea: “We believe…”

In the previous issue of this Happ-O-getics newsletter (July 2025) I presented evidence from the current excavation of the City of David which demonstrates proof of Israel’s ancient occupation of Jerusalem and Palestine. I want to follow up with news of the discoveries from current archaeology in the area between the foot of the Temple Mount to the north and the City of David to the south, an area known as the Ophel. The history of this site stretches back at least into the First Temple period of the eighth century B.C. (cf. 2 Chronicles 27:3; Nehemiah 3:26-27). Back then it was primarily significant for military defense, but just before and at the time of Jesus it functioned to facilitate pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

[Read more…] about The Ophel: Facilitating Jerusalem Pilgrimage

A common accusation by some of Israel’s neighbors and protesters in the U.S. is that Israel today is guilty of occupying the Palestinians’ homeland. As recently as 2016, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved a resolution that Jerusalem is indeed significant – but only to Islam, not to Israel. According to the declaration, Palestinians are the only true indigenous people. UNESCO’s position is that the Old Testament is not historical, and that the Jews had no ancestral connection with the Holy Land or an ancient Israel. The resolution maintained that there never was a Jewish kingdom under a real king David a thousand years before Jesus Christ came. Thus, the Jews had no rights to Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and Palestine. They were an “occupying power” – in other words “colonialists.”

Let Ancient Israel’s Stones Speak

Recent excavations in Jerusalem are dealing a fatal blow to the rampant propaganda and historical revisionism which denies that the Jewish people have been indigenous to the land for more than 3,800 years. These discoveries are also reaffirming the historicity of the Bible and a real ancient Israel.

[Read more…] about Ancient Israel: Faith or Fact?

The apostle Paul desired to take the Gospel to ancient Ephesus early in his missionary tours, but was forbidden by the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6). At the end of the second tour, He still wanted to do so and expressed, “I will return to you again if God wills” (Acts 18:21).

Evidently God did will it for he went straight to Ephesus in his third tour and after three years of teaching there, we read in Acts that “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (19:10). Paul’s teaching assuredly resulted in the seven churches of Asia to be started (Revelation 2-3).

[Read more…] about Ancient Ephesus and the Gospel