Enemies come in all different shapes and sizes. There are physical enemies who seek to take our lives. There are enemies in the business world who would destroy our way of earning a living. There are enemies within families when close bonds have been severed due to a “falling out.” And, there are spiritual enemies […]
We have no authentic portraits, images, or likenesses of Jesus that were done during his life and so we really have no understanding of Jesus true appearance. The portraits, images, and likenesses of Jesus that have been done through the years come merely from the artist’s imagination. I understand that in history the first depictions […]
Do we, as Christians, have a responsibility to know for what purpose moneys will be used as we give to those who would ask us for help? Jesus said in Matthew 5:42, “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” We read in Ephesians 4:28 […]
In Ezekiel 28, I have understood that this is referring to the King of Tyre. However, I’ve heard parts of it referred to as describing Satan’s fall, especially verses 11 and following. Could this be a dual meaning in this chapter? Let’s read together verses 11-19. First of all, the context is set in verse […]
By now, no doubt, you have heard of the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” directed by Mel Gibson. The subject of the movie is, more or less, the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus. I saw the movie this past week and it accurately, vividly, and gruesomely portrays what the physical experiences […]
My question is what about preachers referring to the preacher’s house as the parsonage? Thanks for your question. According to Webster’s dictionary, the word “parson” comes from Middle English “persone” and Old Latin “persona.” Literally, the word simply means “person” however, the word has come to refer to a “rector” or “clergyman.” The word “rector” […]
More and more I hear of members of the church speaking about “witnessing” and less frequently do I hear about members of the church speaking about teaching the gospel of Christ. While the term “witness” is a biblical one and while many people speak of “witnessing” within the denominational world, perhaps we should wonder if […]
The Israelites were given repentance many times when they sinned against God and God himself even asked them to return to him. My question is this, why weren’t Adam and Eve given another chance when they sinned against him in the Garden of Eden? Weren’t they the first children created by him with his own […]
Witches, warlocks, bards, ovates, and druids: you’re probably thinking that Halloween is over for this year, so why the strange list? Well, according to Reuters news service, pagans are celebrating Samhuin, the Celtic new year, and “a time for remembering dead ancestors before the darkness of winter” explained one pagan priestess. According to the article, […]
I fell away from God and suffered for it. So, in my pain and desperation I promised God that if he would bring me back I would keep my life as simple as possible. I promised to be a bank teller and I also promised him I would be single. So do you think that […]
Are we, as Christians, to judge other people? Did Jesus judge people in his ministry? As you know, there are many in the religious world today who claim that it is an outright sin to judge other people. They say these things especially at times when they, individually, are caught red handed within some particular […]
Studying the apocalyptic prophets can be challenging, but rewarding at the same time. While it is difficult to be dogmatic about what the various symbols mean, there is much to be gained from the study. There are some definite lessons as well that we can glean from the cryptic writings of these prophets. During my […]
It is clear from the scriptures that in order for one to be saved, one must be baptized (Mark 16:16). Since the word “baptize” is a transliteration from the Greek word “baptizo” the significance of the word is lost to us in the English language. So it is within the context of how the word […]
Please explain Hebrews 10:26-27 The book of Hebrews is primarily concerned with Jewish Christians who have decided that it is not worth living Christianity anymore and who have decided to go back to Judaism. The writer of the book of Hebrews is exhorting and encouraging these Christians NOT to go back to Judaism. The book […]
In ladies Bible class, we have been studying the epistle of First Peter. Peter writes in this epistle to those who have been scattered abroad by persecution, particularly, those who have been born again through the redemption of the blood of Christ and struggling to be faithful to the Christ. He encourages them to stand […]
A few weeks ago I received in my e-mail inbox an article on a psychological study regarding wisdom. My first reaction to the article was, “How can you study wisdom from a psychological perspective?” So I read. The article spoke concerning the “Wisdom Project,” conducted at the University of California Davis. In the study, the […]
Matthew 2:13-23 – Jesus in Egypt By Egypt to Galilee and Nazareth Vs. 13-15 – The wise men depart and now God sends a messenger to warn Joseph regarding Herod’s impending plans. This isn’t the first time that Joseph had been visited by God’s messenger in this way (see Matthew 1:20). The warning is to […]
What is the role and fate of Satan and the unrighteous in the last days? Thanks for your question. Right now, Satan’s is the tempter and deceiver (Mark 1:13; 2 Cor. 2:11; Rev. 12:9). According to Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 20:10-15 and 21:8, Satan and the unrighteous will all end up in the lake that […]
We were studying the expulsion of demons from Legion into the swine and they all ran into the Lake and were drowned. The question was “were these demons (devils) present for Jesus to expel to show his power for the others around, or have they always been and still are present?” A: The key verse […]
In the 17th chapter of Acts, were those Paul preached to in the synagogues in Thessalonica and Berea already believers or became believers after hearing Paul? This is a good and interesting question because it takes us back to the context in which a very familiar scripture is often used. Acts 17:11 says, “These were […]