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Those of you outside the medical services industry have probably never heard the phrases “DME” (Durable Medical Equipment) or the more formal DMEPOS (Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies). You’ve also probably never heard of Medicare’s DMEPOS Competitive Bidding program, and now that I’ve said it, your first thought is probably, “Hey, bringing competition to the medical marketplace! That sounds like a great idea! After all, competition brings down prices while improving service, right? So who could be opposed to that?” Well, a lot of us, actually. Not because we’re evil monopolists bent on holding onto our little fiefdoms...

I've got a friend who recently got into the trucking industry and is having to pay his dues, so to speak. He doesn't have a regular route yet and it's been a long time since he's been home to Georgia. He's extremely lonely right now. He will be in Illinois sometime tonight or tomorrow morning, heading from Arkansas to Chicago. Is there anyone in Illinois who would be willing to take in a "homeless" Messianic for Thanksgiving tomorrow? Thanks in advance and shalom.

Pardon the vanity, but I wanted to let everyone who might be interested know that I will be doing an interview on the Armed With Iron podcast tonight at 10pm EST. The primary subject is anti-Semitism both past and present and how it relates to Biblical prophecy. We'll also probably talk a bit about Passover, since that's right around the corner. Shalom.

An emergency prayer request for a member of our congregation: A young lady named Havanna has been rushed to the hospital with a ruptured appendix. Please lift her up in prayer for healing. If one of my Jewish friends, whether traditional or Messianic, would be so kind as to post the benediction for healing from the Amidah for Havanna bat Sarah, I would greatly appreciate it. Baruch Hashem (in all things)

Last night, an interview that I did with Derek Gilbert on the View From the Bunker podcast went live. We discuss my book, When the Stars Fall, but also talk a bit about the Messianic Jewish perspective on Yeshua and Scripture in general. The link.

"Tis that wonderfully busy time of year again, and I haven't had time to create a new article for Yom Kippur just yet. Hopefully I'll have time in the next couple of days. In the meantime, here are links to some of the articles I've written on the subject in the past: Yom Kippur, Part 1: Traditions and BloodYom Kippur, Part 2: The Exodus and the FutureDid God Reject the Sacrifice Because of Yeshua? A Response to Rabbi Singer And an overview of the Feasts for those who might not have seen it before: The Feasts and the Exodus Shalom.

Yom Teruah, better known as Rosh Hashannah, is upon us. I'd thought about creating a nice, elaborate blog post, but decided instead to take the opportunity to plug my book, When the Stars Fall, Vol. 1, by linking to the .pdf of the sample of Interlude 5: The Feast of Trumpets. Here are a few highlights to whet your appitite: However, [Rosh Hashannah is] not it’s Biblical name, which is Yom Teruah, the Day of the [Trumpet] Blast: The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of...

With Rosh Hashanah fast on its way (Sept. 8, for those who didn't know), a number of Messianic blogs (like Derek's) have already delved into Psalm 27, which is traditionally canted during the month of Elul. The Just Jewish blog actually has links to some songs based on Psalm 27. Since part of the purpose of this website is to chronicle the prophetic significance of the yearly cycle of Appointed Times, I would be remiss if I didn't do the same. This is one of the many psalms that David composed while he was under attack. David here follows his...

Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal. In the week that the UN Security Council imposed a new round of sanctions on Tehran, defence sources in the Gulf say that Riyadh has agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on Iran. To ensure the Israeli bombers pass unmolested, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are...

Following the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE, a would-be messiah named Simon Bar-Kochba incited another revolt in 132 CE and drove the forces of Emperor Hadrian from Jerusalem for three years. When the rebellion was finally put down, the Romans forcibly removed the Jews from Judea and scattered them across the empire, and renamed the land Palestine (for the Philistines, the Jews’ ancient enemy). For the nineteen centuries since, Jews in the Diaspora have celebrated Passover with the hopeful phrase, “Next year in Jerusalem!” Following the rise of Islam, the Dome of the Rock was built...

It being traditional to read the book of Ruth for Shavuot, I thought I'd post some commentary for my fellow disciples of Yeshua. The book of Ruth is, on the surface, a simple little romance story set in the backdrop of the time of the Judges. Actually, that’s only true in the minds of modern students since the idea of romantic love is a Medievil invention born of tales of chivalry, but that’s another issue. In truth, Ruth from its inception was intended as a story of redemption, one based in a very Jewish sense of love. And woven into...

Shavuot is a Feast that is de-emphasized in the traditional Jewish community (due to two thousand years of being forbidden to own farmland) and largely misunderstood in Christendom. Yet it is one of the three pilgrimage Feasts, in which all the men of Israel were commanded to present themselves before the Holy One. It turns out that the meaning of this Feast is easy to apprehend as long as we look at it first through the lens of the Exodus from Egypt. In the third month after Israel’s departure from Egypt, we arrived at Mt. Sinai (Exo. 19:1). Three days...

On May 1st-4th, I debated Don Preston (Eschatology.org) on Biblical eschatology in Memphis, TN. Don is a full preterist (which some would label "extreme preterism") who believes that all Biblical prophecy was fulfilled in or before 70 AD. I am of course a Messianic premillennialst who believes that we are rapidly moving into the End Times. Don proved to be as cordial and as much a gentleman in person as he was via email and the phone, and I was very honored to have the opportunity to engage him.  He was also a strong opponent, and I believe my own...

Is prophecy for today? Or have all of the prophecies in the Bible been fulfilled already? Will God keep His promises to Israel? Or has He transferred all of those promises to the Church? On May 1st-4th, I will be debating Don Preston (Eschatology.org) on Biblical eschatology. Don is a full preterist (which some would label "extreme preterism") who believes that all Biblical prophecy was fulfilled in or before 70 AD. I am of course a Messianic (Hebrewroot.com) premillennialst who believes that we are rapidly moving into the End Times. Both of us are committed to an edifying and God-pleasing...

In my first article on the Fall High Holy Days, we saw that the Feast of Trumpets is intimately linked by both Yeshua and Sha’ul with Yeshua’s Second Coming on the clouds of heaven, and saw that this corresponded with the expectations of the rabbis. Now we come to the second of the Fall Feastdays, and the holiest day of the Jewish—which is to say, Biblical—calendar: Yom Kippur takes place on the tenth of Tishri, nine days after Rosh Hashanah. On that day, the high priest would put on a special coat of white linen and carry out a very...

As many of you already know, we are entering into the fall High Holy Days, comprised of the Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles. Just as the spring Feastdays celebrate the First Coming of Messiah Yeshua, and Shavuot (Pentecost) celebrates the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) to the Ekklesia in between the visitations of Yeshua, the Fall Feastdays look forward to His Second Coming—and in particular, the Feast of Trumpets looks forward to His Glorious Appearance in the clouds of heaven!The day which this year falls on September 23 (beginning at sundown the previous night) is known...

When the Stars Fall: A Messianic Commentary on the Revelation by Michael D. Bugg About the Time of the End, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the Prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition. --Sir Isaac Newton Introduction Over eighty years ago, H.A. Ironside wrote, “It is certainly cause for deep regret that to so many Christians the Book of Revelation seems to be what God never intended it should be—a sealed book.”[1] Sadly, eight decades later, the situation is little changed. Why is...

Since the Hebrew Christians were not completely removed from Jerusalem until well into the second century, for the first one hundred years, the Church remained very much a part of first-century Judaism, and its leaders stayed involved in many Jewish affairs. There was no immediate split from the synagogue, as evidenced by Jesus’ warning that some synagogues would punish His followers for preaching a different brand of Judaism (Matthew 10:17). We know that this scourging by synagogue leaders was not an abnormal part of normative Judaism since it is mentioned a number of times in early rabbinical literature.[1] The structure...

A Catholic group plans to ask the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the tax-exempt status of a Miami, Fla., church, where prominent Democrats helped turn the Sunday church service into what the South Florida Sun-Sentinel called a "political rally." The Catholic League said the bishop of Miami's New Birth Baptist Church, Bishop Victor T. Curry, "welcomed" former Democratic presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton and the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe. "Rev. Sharpton, speaking from the pulpit, added to the politicized atmosphere by shouting, 'We're not people who are going to be beat twice,'" Catholic League President William...

Here's a question: Is Walt Disney Co. a marvelous Southern California economic engine or ... the Spawn of Satan? I spent a week in August grappling with just this question, on vacation with my wife, my three boys and my brother and his family at Disneyland. (snip) But it wasn't Cathy's preternatural cheer or even spending $250 a night for a Disneyland hotel room that sent me to the Bible for a quick refresher on Satan. It was standing before the giant gates of the Magic Kingdom with the kids, waiting to get my hand stamped. Revelations 13 became reality:...