Punishing the Punishers (Amos 1:2—2:3)
Today’s world is quick to hate Israel. Anti-Israel forces continuously make false accusations against the Jewish nation…
David M. Levy
What Does It Mean to ‘Work Out Your Own Salvation’?
In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, my beloved…
Christ’s Preeminence
If you were to ask a group of Christians which passage in the Bible best describes Jesus Christ, you would receive many different answers…
Who Is Melchizedek?
The author of the book of Hebrews presented Christ as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 7:17). Much controversy has revolved around…
Paul’s Principles for Prayer
“Exclusive of the Psalms, which form a prayer-book on their own, the Bible records no fewer than 650 definite prayers…
From Wicked to Worst to Wonderful (Zechariah 10—11)
A look at Israel’s shepherds: what was and what is to come. Victory, deliverance…
Glorious! (Zechariah 9)
Some of the clearest, most abundant Messianic prophecies on the Lord’s First and Second Advents appear in Zechariah 9—14. These chapters consist of events…
Can People Who Rejected Christ Before the Rapture Be Saved After It?
In biblical terms, the word Rapture…
Paul’s Thankfulness
The Bible admonishes believers to be constantly and consistently thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will. Jesus’ brother James wrote, “My brethren…
Why Should We Study Bible Prophecy?
Most people want to know the future and understand their purpose. They ask, “Where did I come from? Why am I here…
Introduction to Colossians
Although the apostle Paul penned the book of Colossians nearly 2,000 years ago, its message rings as true today as when he…
What Is Meant by ‘God’s Grace’?
Grace is often defined as “God’s unmerited favor toward humanity.” Though true, this definition is incomplete…
God’s Sufficiency
When an army goes to war, its survival and success in battle depend on a lifeline of supplies. Likewise, missionaries who go forth to preach the gospel…
What Is the Mystery of Israel’s Blindness and the Gentiles’ Fullness?
A biblical mystery is a truth the meaning of which God has kept secret since eternity…
The Contented Life
Contentment is a difficult word to define. It varies based on each person’s values and perspective on life. Some people believe pleasure, popularity, prestige, power…
The ‘Locusts’ Are Coming!
When God wants to get a nation’s attention, He often allows natural disasters. Floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, or…
Why Should I Study the Book of Revelation?
The book of Revelation sparks widespread reactions. On the one hand, like a magnet, it draws readers seeking to…
What Is the 70th Week of Daniel?
When it comes to prophecy, perhaps none is more amazing than the one we call the 70 weeks of Daniel (Dan. 9:24–27)…
The Path to Peace
Everyone faces discouragement. The Jewish patriarch Moses became so discouraged with the Israelites’ complaints for meat in the wilderness that he said…
Did Jesus Promise to Do Whatever Christians Ask?
Many people misinterpret Jesus’ statements concerning His promise to do…
Steadfast in Unity
We live in a changing, decaying, unraveling world. A general increase in lawlessness and crime, government regulations, high taxes, poor education, and a…
How Were People Saved in the Old Testament?
When Adam and Eve first sinned, God promised that one of Eve’s…
The Christian’s Walk
The writers of Scripture often used the word walk to describe the Christian’s conduct or manner of life. The apostle Paul instructed Christians to…
Are Christians Eternally Secure?
Many Christians are not certain they will enjoy eternal life when they die. Some doubt because they have neglected to…
The Coming Anti-Israel Alliance
Jewish people around the world are still traumatized by Hamas’s horrific, unprovoked surprise massacre…
The Invaders
The ancient historian Josephus identified Magog as the area inhabited by the Scythian tribes, a nomadic people in the mountainous region north of the Black and Caspian Seas…
No Weapon Formed
The threat to Israel’s survival has existed for millennia. Jewish people often stand before their history in sober silence, so stunned by the unmitigated brutality…
Israel’s 6 Steps of Redemption
Ezekiel said, “So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward” (39:22). Israel will…
One Thing I Do
Professional athletes devote their lives to the pursuit of a prize. They focus all their efforts on reaching their goals, putting aside all distractions…
Can a Christian’s Name Be Erased From the Book of Life?
In Revelation 3:5, the apostle John wrote, “He who overcomes shall be…
Paul’s Testimony
Contending for the faith is not easy. It’s an unpopular, perilous, thankless job. It is more pleasant to be an appeaser than an opposer…
Was Jesus Impeccable?
Theologians hold two positions on the nature of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Mt. 4:1–11). One position teaches…
Words of Warning
Life is full of warnings. The Internet, TV, and billboards bombard us regularly with warnings, telling us what to think, believe, and do…
What Is the Key of David?
The “key of the house of David” or “key of David” is mentioned only twice in the Bible (Isa. 22:22; Rev. 3:7). Possessing the key…
Paul’s Partners
The apostle Paul personally discipled several committed men who partnered with him in spreading the gospel. Most of them came to salvation in Christ during…
God’s Holy Mishkan
God’s revelation concerning the Israelites’ Tabernacle covers 50 chapters in the Old Testament, while His revelation about the creation of the world…
How Does a Church Lose Its First Love?
Christ commended the Ephesian church for its zeal and service to God. He recognized the believers’ devotion in…
Patterning Christlikeness
Many godly men and women in the Bible serve as examples for us of how to live for Christ. They trusted God’s…
What Does It Mean to Partake of the Divine Nature?
Originally, humanity was created perfect by God. People possessed a perfect…
The Mind of Christ
In Philippians 2:3–4, Paul admonished Christians to live in spiritual unity with one another. Nothing was to be done within the church through selfish ambition…
Q: What Is a Biblical Mystery?
A mystery is something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain. It has a secret quality whose meaning is…
Spiritual Unity
The 6th-century BC Greek storyteller Aesop, whose oral tales compose the famous Aesop’s Fables, has been credited with the origin of the…
Q: Does God Really Know Me?
The answer to the title’s question is an unequivocal yes! God is omniscient and knows everything about your life…
To Live is Christ
An old martyr once told his executioners, “You take a life from me that I cannot keep and bestow a life upon me that I cannot lose…”
Behind the Book
Reading the book of Esther is like reading a novel filled with suspense. Chock-full of intrigue, heroism, pathos, and deception, it holds your attention from beginning to end…
Ahasuerus
King Solomon wrote, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He [God] turns it wherever He wishes” (Prov. 21:1)…
Q: What Is God’s Providence?
Providence is God’s active care, control, and governance over everything in His created universe by His…
Rejoicing in Christ
If anyone had a reason to ask, “Why me?” it was the apostle Paul. No one who followed Christ suffered more for the gospel than he did…
God is Omniscient
Omniscience means having complete and unlimited knowledge and understanding of all things. No one fits this description but God…
Paul’s Joy
Several years ago, we received a Thanksgiving Day card titled “Blessed and Grateful.” The sender wrote, “We hope your celebration of God’s blessings is…
Q: What is the Judgment Seat of Christ?
In biblical times, a judgment seat (called the bema) was a raised platform erected at…
Introduction to Philippians
Christian leaders often create ministry strategies, only to discover God’s will is different…
When Everything Went Wrong
When people think of King Solomon, they usually recall his great wisdom and the magnificent Jewish Temple he built…
The Beginning of the End
God is not to be trifled with. He warned Israel’s kings not to worship other gods, and He meant it. Because He knows the end…
Q: What Will Our Resurrected Bodies Be Like?
Every human being will receive a resurrected body prepared for eternity…
Paul’s Final Words
Place yourself in the apostle Paul’s sandals: You are in a dungeon awaiting execution, knowing your fellow workers face great persecution from Roman officials…
The Child and the Seed
It has been said the key to all Messianic prophecy hangs at the Bible’s front door and was given by God to that “old serpent, the Devil…”
The Continuing Conflict
Satan’s goal is to rule the world instead of God and have all humanity worship him (Isa. 14:12–14). Consequently, he has tried…
Q: Who Is An Overcomer?
People in sports know the name Nike. It’s a popular brand of footwear and gear identified by its logo: the swoosh…
Paul’s Personal Word
If we had written the apostle Paul’s last words, we might have chosen to conclude his final epistle with a testimony to his victorious, faithful ministry…
Q: What is the Intermediate State?
The phrase intermediate state refers to the condition of people between death and the resurrection of their bodies…
Paul’s Triumphant Testimony
Are you prepared to die? The last words a person utters or writes when death is imminent are usually of great importance…
When Peace Fills the Earth
People often ask, “Will there ever be peace on Earth?” Yes, there will be when Jesus the Messiah returns…
An Outline of the New Covenant
A. It is made with the Jewish people (Jer. 31:31). B. It is different from the Mosaic Covenant…
7 Features of the Coming Jewish Kingdom
The prophet Isaiah provided a wonderful glimpse of the future…
Q: What is God’s Covenant Relationship with Israel?
God made eight binding covenants that are recorded in the Bible…
Preach God’s Word!
Knowing his life would soon end, the apostle Paul fixed his attention on completing his letter to young Timothy, his protégé and son in the faith…
The Bible: The Greatest Book Ever Written
Voltaire, the famous French philosopher once called the “prince of infidels,” reportedly said in 1776 that within 100 years…
Four Important Words
In explaining that we consider Scripture the ultimate authority for life, we often use the phrase verbal, plenary inspiration. The apostle Paul said…
Q: What Was Christ’s Self-Emptying?
The apostle Paul’s statement about Jesus in Philippians 2 has been misunderstood and misinterpreted over the centuries…
Preparation For Perilous Times
The apostle Paul was martyred during the rule of Roman Emperor Nero, an evil, diabolical man whose vicious cruelty…
God’s Guarantee to Us
One of the many Scriptures Sunday school teachers encourage their students to memorize is 2 Timothy 3:16. It is God’s guarantee to us that…
The ‘Forbidden Chapter’
What joy was mine when I ministered in Israel for one month each year when I served as director of…
Q: Did Jesus Claim to Be the Messiah?
Many people say Jesus was a great teacher, even a prophet, but that He never claimed to be…
Facing Perilous Times
In many of his epistles, the apostle Paul warned churches that in the last days, charlatans will emerge teaching erroneous, deceptive doctrines that cause…
Q: Is Today’s Increase in Knowledge a Sign of the Times?
The recent growth in world travel and technology has been remarkable…
Perilous Times Predicted
People who serve Satan may not realize what they are doing. But if they distort, oppose, twist, or deny the true gospel…
19 Characteristics of People in the Last Days
Self-love heads the list of sins because human nature is always selfish. All evil desires spring from this craving…
Job: Misery’s Poster Child
Americans entered 2020 with great hope. The stock market, employment, and prosperity were at all-time highs…
Q: Who Is Satan?
Satan is not mythological. He is a real being who truly exists in the world (Job 1:6) and whose name means “accuser” or “adversary.” He possesses the attributes of…
About the Book of Job
A quick overview of the book of Job…
Faithful in Service
What is the church? Many people think of it solely as a building—sometimes a great and majestic cathedral and sometimes an unadorned, small, simple structure…
Q: What Does ‘Crucified With Christ’ Mean?
Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live…
The Lord’s Servant
Confronting false teaching is not easy, particularly for a young minister. But it is necessary, as the apostle Paul explained to his protégé Timothy…
Q: What Is Meant by ‘The Last Days’?
People often ask how the phrase the last days should be interpreted and what events signal that we’re living in the last days…
How to Walk With God
Someone has aptly said, “Counting time is not nearly as important as making time count!” No one can stop the clock of history. It ticks with exactness through each…
Our Purpose for Living
What is the ultimate purpose for a Christian’s use of spiritual gifts? The apostle Peter stated it succinctly: “That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ…
Remain Committed
The Christian life is not a sprint to the finish line. It’s a marathon. It requires faithful endurance from beginning to end; and to live it, we must draw on…
Q: Who Created Evil?
Horrible things happen in life, and some people blame God. God said through the prophet Isaiah, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil…
The Future-Teller
A peculiar industry has been growing in America. It generates $2 billion in revenue a year and employs roughly 85,000 people who are primarily mediums, astrologers, palm readers, and fortune-tellers…
Cyrus, ‘My Shepherd’
Bible scholar Harold Willmington once wrote, “Bible prophecy is simply history written in advance!” In the case of Cyrus, king of ancient Medo-Persia, God wrote the…
Stand Strong in Christ
A concert violinist once was asked, “How did you become such a skilled violinist?” The musician replied, “By planned neglect. I planned to neglect everything that was…”
What God Told Isaiah
More than any other time of year, Christmas is when people talk about Jesus’ birth. You would think that after 2,000 years, Jesus’ miraculous conception would be…
For Unto Us A Child Is Born
Isaiah 7:14 is not the only Hebrew Scripture that ascribes deity to Israel’s Messiah. Isaiah 9:6–7 is another well-known prophecy…
Q: What Is the Law of Christ?
In the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry, a scribe (lawyer) asked Him a question: “Teacher, which is the great commandment…
Courageous for Christ
Eighty percent of the people around the world today being persecuted for their faith are Christians. Many live under the constant threat of violence…
Life Under the Sun Eccl. 1-3
How do we find meaning in life? That is a question people around the world ask themselves. Even Israel’s King Solomon, the wisest, richest man who ever lived, asked it…
Q: How does God see time? 2 Peter 3:1–9
The apostle Peter faced corrupt, willfully ignorant teachers who argued that since the world’s creation, God had never intervened…
Steadfast in Service
Timothy was a young leader in the Ephesian church when the apostle Paul wrote the epistle of 2 Timothy to encourage his “son” in the faith…