“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away: and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1).  Revelation twenty-one gives us a figurative glimpse of what heaven will be like.  The picture of God wiping away all tears, and the thought of death, […]

It is amazing to me that so many simple teachings in the Bible can be misunderstood.  While Martin Luther had good intentions in starting the 16th century Reformation Movement, a religious revolt against Catholicism, more harm has been done religiously than good from that movement.  After the Lutheran church was started in 1520, several other […]

Most of us remember the story of Gideon liberating the Israelites from the Midianites, with the help of God of course.  Gideon was able to defeat an army of 135,000 with just 300 men.  How were they able to do it?  First, the hand of God was with them, without which such a victory would […]

Everyone wants to look beyond the veil of death to view that which is on the other side.  In Lk. 16:19-31, we have at least a glimpse of that which we desire to see.  That particular text gives us a picture of life after death and the condition of both the righteous and the wicked […]

That the church grew rapidly in the first century is clear from reading the book of Acts (Acts 2:47; 4:1-4; 5:12-14; 6:1; etc.).  The question is why did the early church have so much success in the area of growth?  I believe I know at least part of the reason.  They practiced a daily religion.  […]

By Wayne Jackson John Calvin (1509-64) was a religious reformer and theologian. The basic premise of his theology was the absolute sovereignty (right to reign) of God, out of which evolved his misguided theory of “predestination.” The Swiss reformer believed that human “free will” was destroyed by man’s “original sin”; thus, the innate power to […]

Some people take pride in their fearless nature.  They fancy themselves as being bold and courageous and not afraid of anything.  But there is something that most people fear, even the most courageous, and that is death.  Men fear death because of the misery that attends it.  Men fear death because of the darkness and […]

In Genesis 12 we read of the call of Abraham.  God had a great future in store for Abraham, but before He could use him, God had to separate him from his idolatrous surroundings (Joshua 24:2). So God said to Abraham “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s […]

Is the New Testament text in the Bible reliable?  Can we be sure we have what the apostles originally wrote?  The answer is a resounding yes.  While the original writings of the apostles have vanished, many copies of them were made, sometimes by way of apostolic instruction (Colossians 4:16). Over the first few centuries, thousands […]

Referring to kingdom citizens as the salt of the earth is one of the classic statements found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:13).  It is practical, useful, and understandable because salt is such a common commodity. While there are literally dozens of uses for salt, two come to mind immediately when related to […]