Our God Who Helps
The Jewish Scriptures present the first glimpse of God’s creation of the earth by saying, “The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2). There were not…
Biblical Studies/Theology
Blessings of the New Covenant
Believers who live on this side of the Messiah’s empty tomb, the Day of Pentecost, and the book of Hebrews ought to learn to wallow more carefully in the New Covenant.
Baptism and Indwelling
New Covenant believers must be careful not to look with disdain on what God did with His people in ages past. In fact, Yahweh proved Himself blindingly gracious under the Old Covenant…
The Great Enabler
Throughout the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is seen acting dramatically in the lives of people to enable those individuals to do that which, left to themselves, they could not do.
A Phenomenal Shavuot
Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims and strangers from all over the ancient world. They came from Mesopotamia, Judea, Asia, Egypt, Libya, and even Rome. It was summer; and Jewish people were gathering…
The Filling of the Spirit
Spirit-filling empowered John the Baptist to “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (Lk. 1:16) and be the forerunner of the Messiah “in the spirit and power of…
Faith Before the Flood Hebrews 11:4–7
n Hebrews 11 a gallery of portraits is paraded before us, painted by the hand of God. Each portrait presents the unique faith of individuals who performed great exploits. These men and women…
The Love of God Part Four
The previous article focused on the world as an object of God’s love and explained the distinction between agapao and phileo, the two key Greek words associated with God’s love…
Worship Prayer
Worship should be an essential element of prayer. The modern-day word worship comes from the old English word weorthscipe.1 It referred to “worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being.”2 These meanings indicate…
When God Seems Silent
Imagine crying out to God but receiving no response. He’s always there, of course, but sometimes it doesn’t seem that way. Here’s what to do when God seems silent.
The Bedrock of Faith Hebrews 11:1–3
The author of Hebrews revealed in chapter 10 that salvation is established on the bedrock of Christ’s sacrifice and not through the Levitical system. Christ’s death for sin and His abiding priesthood…
The Love of God Part Three
God’s love is one of the great themes of the Bible. The previous articles on this theme focused attention on His love in the Old Testament. Now let’s begin to examine His love…
Zerubbabel: Man With a Mission
Today’s Muslims claim the Jewish Temple of Jehovah never existed in Jerusalem. The Bible says differently, as you’ll soon see.
Words of Warning Hebrews 10:26–39
This section of the book of Hebrews comes on the heels of a strong warning in 10:25 that believers not abandon assembling together, as some were doing. In fact, Christians in every generation…
The Love of God Part Two
The previous article began to focus on God’s love in the Old Testament. God’s love involves a confirmed, inner, favorable disposition toward the objects of His love and a high, passionate degree…
The Greatest Mystery of All
Consciousness, black holes, “rare antimatter.” These are considered some of the world’s greatest mysteries. But one mystery surpasses them all.
Tsedek and Mishpat: The Perfect Rightness of God
There is perhaps no virtue more central to who God is and how He works in the course of human history than that of justice or righteousness. A small constellation…
A Lifestyle of Faith Hebrews 10:19–25
To this point, the book of Hebrews has been doctrinal in nature. Using comparison, the author has shown Christ’s superiority over angels, Moses, and the Levitical priesthood. He has also shown…
The Love of God
The primary Hebrew word for “love” in the Old Testament is ahabh. Together with its derivatives, it is used to express different types of human affection within various relationships, such as husband-wife…
Fishers of Men
It may surprise you how much work goes into maintaining a fisherman’s net . . . regardless of what you’re fishing for.
Replacement Theology: The Black Sheep of Christendom Conclusion
When the reformers separated from the Roman Catholic Church, they brought with them Replacement Theology. Furthermore, they built their eschatology (doctrine of future things) and ecclesiology (doctrine of the church) on the idea…
Making God Known
If you were to ask people to define the term missionary, they probably would tell you it means someone who goes to a faraway land to teach about Jesus. And they’d…
Christ’s Sufficient Sacrifice Hebrews 10:1–18
Hebrews 10 culminates the central exposition on Christ’s eternal priesthood. In his closing argument, the author contrasted the imperfect, insufficient, and ineffective Levitical sacrificial system with Christ’s once-for-all, perfect, and sufficient…
Specific Reasons for God’s Anger and Wrath Conclusion
Our three previous articles presented specific reasons for God’s wrath against Israel and other nations. Now we will focus on specific reasons for God’s anger and wrath against mankind in general…
Blessed Are the Intolerant
Wanting to be more “accepting” of the world, professing Christians are turning away from biblical truth. Here’s a look at the sad downward spiral.
Replacement Theology:
The Black Sheep of Christendom Part Three
Until the fourth century, Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire. Although Replacement Theology had overtaken the church and metastasized into anti-Semitism, the church had no authority to do anything…
Christ’s Heavenly Ministry Hebrews 9:23–28
Under the Levitical system, animal blood could only cover sin, never remove it. However, Christ’s blood was sufficient and efficacious to redeem mankind and remove sin. The remaining verses of Hebrews 9…
Specific Reasons for God’s Anger and Wrath Part Three
The two previous articles presented specific reasons for God’s wrath against Israel. Now we will focus on specific reasons for God’s wrath against other nations. Because all nations fail to acknowledge…
The Tribulation’s Silver Lining
Humanity is about to hit the skids. But God has a reason for everything. Here is a peek at His purpose and the glorious silver lining.
Replacement Theology: The Black Sheep of Christendom Part Two
The church is not Israel, and Israel is not the church. However, more and more Christians today fail to see the distinction. They have been so indoctrinated into Replacement Theology…
Christ’s Superior Ministry Hebrews 9:11-22
Hebrews 9 begins with a description of the earthly Tabernacle and its ministry through the Levitical priesthood under the first (Mosaic) covenant. Both the Tabernacle and its services were temporary…
Specific Reasons for God’s Anger and Wrath Part Two
Previously we examined the ultimate reason for God’s anger and wrath and several specific reasons for His wrath against Israel. Now we will observe additional specific reasons. “The Lᴏʀᴅ did not turn…
The Dispensation of Law
Not long ago I was driving on a scenic mountain road in Arizona and decided to let my car coast downhill. Suddenly, I saw a bright flash of light. I had just driven…
Upholding the Truth
Dispensational Theology provides the best understanding of God’s Word and His plan for creation. Here are three important reasons why.
Glossary of Terms
Allegorical Interpretation: The method of interpreting a literary text that gives the text a secondary, more “spiritual” meaning. Biblical Theology: A correlation of the data of biblical revelation of a particular…
Replacement Theology: The Black Sheep of Christendom Part One
Replacement Theology crept into the early church and altered many things. In fact, you may unknowingly be living with some of those changes in your church today.
Israel’s Primacy in God’s Program
For the past 4,000 years, Satan has incited hatred and persecution of the Jewish people with the objective of annihilating them. This article explains why.
The Dispensation of Promise
The fourth dispensation, the dispensation of promise, extended from God’s call of Abraham to the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai. The Scripture portion that covers this dispensation…
The Marvelous Age of Grace
An amazing grace characterizes the present Church Age. This dispensation began with the Holy Spirit indwelling and sealing the brethren during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, or Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4), and will culminate…
We Have Heard This Before
As the world hears the gospel, more and more people will turn to Christ until Earth becomes a wonderful place of spirituality, peace, and righteousness. This position is called Postmillennialism…
The Hebrew Tabernacle Hebrews 9:1–10
Christ’s high priesthood is superior to the Levitical priesthood because it is based on a New Covenant and operates in a heavenly sanctuary. When referring to the heavenly sanctuary, the author…
Specific Reasons for God’s Anger and Wrath Part One
Previously we saw that the ultimate reason for God’s anger and wrath is mankind’s arrogant rejection of Him as the Creator, sovereign Ruler, and Owner of the universe. Fallen humanity…
Nimrod and Globalism at Shinar
In a way, the revolt that occurred after the ancient biblical flood seems very contemporary. God instructed Noah’s descendants, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1). But…
Christ’s New Covenant Ministry Hebrews 8:1–13
Hebrews 8 begins with the author summing up the first seven chapters about Christ’s priesthood: “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High…
The Ultimate Reason for God’s Anger and Wrath
Previously we examined Old and New Testament words for God’s anger and wrath, figurative expressions of the nature of God’s anger and wrath, and literal expressions of ways God’s wrath…
Warm, Fuzzy Angels?
Hollywood director Frank Capra created a Christmas-movie classic with his 1946 release of It’s a Wonderful Life. Who hasn’t sympathized with George Bailey’s incredulity as a novice angel guides him through a supernatural…
Army of Angels
God created angels with different degrees of ability, established them in ranks based on these differences, and organized them much the way armies are organized. The Hebrew word translated “hosts” in the phrase…
No Match for the Savior
A crazed herd of screeching pigs plunging headlong down a hill into the Sea of Galilee may sound comically bizarre until you hear the rest of the story. The account…
Joseph of Nazareth
He was a carpenter with no aspirations to greatness. Yet he became great. This excellent article takes a deeper look at Joseph and the qualities that made him a man of God.
Believing Is Seeing
A real but unseen world exists that is controlled by the Lord. Here is a glimpse of it through the lens of the never-changing Word of God.
All About Angels
The word angel appears more than 300 times in God’s Word. So it seems God wants us to know something about angels. This outstanding article explains their number, nature, and other important things.
Angels and Salvation
God created all the angels holy and free of sin. Yet not all remained that way. Those who personally chose to stay holy became irrevocably confirmed in their state of holiness…
What’s Up With Cherubs?
Their movements are instantaneous, darting with lightning speed in their service to Almighty God (Ezek. 1:19–21). The prophet Ezekiel described them as formidable beings radiating intense brightness and generating what appear…
The Ultimate Loser
The Devil (the chief evil spirit) is an intriguing personality. The late comic Flip Wilson made audiences roar with his routine “the Devil made me do it.” Books, songs, and documentaries…
Christ’s Perfect Priesthood Hebrews 7:11–28
Many first-century Hebrew Christians struggled to understand the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Growing up under the Levitical system of animal sacrifices, they had centered their faith in the Aaronic priesthood…
God’s Anger and Wrath
The Bible reveals that God experiences anger and wrath. Many words, both in the Old and New Testaments, express this fact. In the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, nouns…
The Final Atonement
People are fond of saying, “You know, it doesn’t matter how you get to God. All religions lead to God.” Friend, that is not true. The Bible says only one person…
Who Is Melchizedek? Hebrews 7:1–10
First-century Jewish believers faced some perplexing questions concerning Christ’s high priestly ministry. Why wasn’t He called a priest while here on Earth? How could He be a legitimate high priest and how…
God is Jealous Conclusion
The previous article observed five purposes God has for the nation of Israel in light of the Gentile nations’ historic apostasy and false worship. Now we will examine one more, along…
Daniel’s Prayer for Israel
Darius the Mede was appointed king over Babylon in 539 B.C.(Dan. 9:1). In the first year of his reign, the prophet Daniel, by now an old man who had spent…
The Kingdom and the Power
Political turmoil, power struggles, wars and rumors of wars. The prophet Daniel lived through such times. And his record gives us hope while teaching an essential truth for today.
Daniel or Denial?
Although the text of the book of Daniel is the same for Christians and Jews, profound differences exist in its interpretation. If understood literally and historically, the book is easy…
Facing the Furnaces of Life
Why do bad things happen to good people? Many have tried to deal with that question. Here is an answer from the book of Daniel that may both surprise and comfort you.
Daniel’s Long Life
The Jewish prophet Daniel was born to Judean nobility, probably during the time of King Josiah’s reforms (621 B.C.). As a boy, he endured Josiah’s tragic death at the hands…
Antiochus and the Antichrist
Some say the unspeakably evil man in Daniel is Antiochus IV only. That is not correct, and here is why.
Every Knee Shall Bow
As a child I loved to read adventures set in the far-flung future or the wild and woolly West. These tales held my interest, especially as the heroes interacted with the villains. Almost every…
The Great World Kingdoms
God ordained that four Gentile kingdoms will rule the earth before His Kingdom comes. He gave this amazing prophecy to Daniel, and everything is playing out exactly as Daniel wrote it.
A Sure Hope Hebrews 6:9–20
In the previous eight verses of this chapter, the author encouraged new believers to leave Judaism and press on toward maturity in Christ. Failure to do so, he warned, would disastrously…
God Is Jealous Part Three
When God established the Mosaic Covenant marriage relationship with Israel at Mount Sinai, He declared, “You shall worship no other god, for the Lᴏʀᴅ, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous…
Imperishable Remnants
There was never a time when all of Israel rebelled against God. A remnant has always been faithful. Today twin remnants form a marvelous union of grace.
A History of Preterism
When did the preterist interpretation first arise in church history? This question poses a big problem for preterists. If the Olivet Discourse and the book of Revelation were fulfilled in the first…
Maturing in Christ
Hebrews 6:1-8: Maturing in Christ is a process; it doesn’t happen overnight. Unfortunately, some people never get there. They regress rather than progress. Hebrews 6 warns believers in Jesus to forsake practices…
God Is Jealous Part Two
Previously we studied God’s jealous response to Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness to Him. Like an unfaithful wife, Israel’s capital city had committed spiritual adultery by worshiping false gods and entering into forbidden…
Victory in Jesus
For a king to rule forever, He has to live forever. Faith in Messiah’s resurrection and future reign did not originate with Christianity.
The Resurrection Wrangle
As Jesus taught in the Temple in Jerusalem, representatives from various religious sects came to hear Him. Their intent was to find fault with His responses to their questions. For one…
The Jewish Promise of Resurrection
In a Phoenician town called Zarephath, the prophet Elijah was in the home of a widow whose son fell sick and died. Elijah fervently prayed, “O Lᴏʀᴅ my God, I pray…
The Passover Lamb
Matzoh, matzoh, matzoh. There’s plenty of matzoh on Passover tables around the world. But something else is conspicuously absent.
The Jerusalem Road
The Romans Road is a familiar term to evangelicals. It refers to a series of verses in the New Testament book of Romans that many use to teach the gospel. Although it is efficient…
Bible Portrait of the Messiah
Here are two effective ways to obtain a basic biblical understanding of the redemptive ministry of the Messiah. One comes from the New Testament, particularly as compacted in the book…
Christ Is Superior to Aaron
Hebrews 5:1–14: The tribes of Israel revered the Aaronic high priest. With the exception of Moses, he enjoyed greater access to and fellowship with God than any other Israelite. Although God bestowed…
God Is Jealous Part One
At least 29 biblical passages indicate that the God of the Bible is a jealous God. Of those passages, 28 are in the Old Testament. Only one is in the New…
His Word Is Truth
Have you ever had trouble explaining inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility to someone who doesn’t believe in them? Here’s a little help.
Jesus the God-Man
Soliciting is common in our neighborhood, especially on weekends. Answering the doorbell recently, I greeted a couple standing on our front porch. Their clothes and literature in hand identified them immediately…
Literal or Nonliteral? That Is the Question
Six days or a thousand years? How long did it take God to create the world? What you believe about Genesis 1 is more critical than you may realize.
Is He or Isn’t He?
Is Jesus the only way to God? CNN’s Larry King seems to want to know—along with millions of other people, some of whom have rather interesting points of view.
The War in America
The United States is in the midst of an internal war. The news media claims it is a cultural conflict. But the cause runs much deeper. It is a clash of two worldviews…
Holy, Holy, Holy
As Isaiah gazed into the vastness of God’s throne room, the reverberating praise of seraphim shook the very doorposts: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts; the whole earth…
Not As Good As It Gets
The consequence of reading the Bible literally is the premillennial vision of a glorious end-times Kingdom established by the glorious return of Jesus to Earth. Amillennialists—those who believe there will be no…
Jesus Is Coming Again!
Heaven is indeed a wonderful place. But I think that when Christians think of the future, they focus overmuch on heaven. Their longing is to be with Jesus in paradise…
He Cannot Deny Himself
A popular song from the 1960s claimed that all the world needs is love. Love, of course, is fine. However, the world needs much more, such as godly wisdom; integrity…
The Greatest High Priest
Hebrews 4:4–16: The importance of what you are about to study on the high priesthood of Jesus Christ cannot be overstated. Christ’s high priesthood is mentioned briefly in Hebrews 2:17 and 3:1; but the subject…
God Is Moral Conclusion
Habakkuk 2:9 says, “Woe to him who covets evil gain.” The word translated “woe” involves “negative warnings or threats of God’s physical chastisement.”1 It makes “the point that judgment is inescapable…
The Order of Abijah
The priestly order of Abijah to which Zacharias belonged originated with King David and his desire to build a Temple for the Most High God in Jerusalem. Not permitted to do so…
For Unto You
In Jesus’ day, herdsmen were held in low esteem. Their honesty and integrity were often questioned, and apparently they could not always observe the rituals or keep the ceremonial laws.
No Other Name
As Christmas approaches, many people concentrate on gifts and decorations and enjoying the season. Fewer think about who Jesus is and what it meant for Him to come to Earth. But without the Incarnation…
The Rest God Gives
Hebrews 4:1–13: Chapter 3 of Hebrews presents two types of rest: that of entering Canaan (the rest offered to Israel) and that which comes from a life of faith in Christ. All the Israelites 20 and older…
God Is Moral Part Nineteen
Numerous biblical passages refer to the sin of covetousness, which is of major concern to God. Consequently, it is important to understand the nature of covetousness, the issues related to it…
Israel: Still the Apple of God’s Eye Part Three
Today we live in what Jesus referred to as the “times of the Gentiles” (Lk. 21:24). The entire world lies under Gentile domination and has done so since the Babylonians destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem…
David, Bathsheba, and the Faithfulness of God
Just about everyone knows about King David’s sin with Bathsheba. But do you know why God did not cast David away, as He did Saul? The answer may not be what you think it is!
Solomon’s Fall from the Lord
The First Commandment proclaims, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3). To that end, God’s Word provides instructions to light our paths and help us live. One of those instructions for believers…