THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD
- “Here, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deut 6:4)
- “Before me no god was formed nor will there be one after me.” (Isa 43:10).
THE FATHER IS GOD
Continue reading WHY DO CHRISTIANS BELEIVE IN THE TRINITY?THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD
THE FATHER IS GOD
Continue reading WHY DO CHRISTIANS BELEIVE IN THE TRINITY?One of humanity’s many responses to God’s revelation of Himself. The Bible recognizes that men and women also may be the objects of praise, either from other people (Prov 27:21; 31:30) or from God Himself (Rom 2:29), and that angels and the natural world are likewise capable of praising God (Ps 148). Nevertheless, human praise of God is one of Scripture’s major themes.
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (PRAISE)During the Roman era, tax collectors and the manner in which taxes were collected evolved and varied from one region to the next. Here we offer a general picture of the process that will allow us to appreciate the role tax collectors played in the Gospels. Taxes were paid to both the temple and the state, each of which established its own tax code without consideration of the other. First-century Jews paid a religious tithe of their produce, herd, and flock (Lev 27:30-32); they were also required to pay the half-shekel or two-drachma tax for sanctuary upkeep (Exod 30:13; Matt 17:24). The state demanded taxes that included a poll tax levied on males fourteen to sixty-five years of age and females twelve to sixty-five, real estate tax, customs tax collected at road and harbor stations, a tax on produce that amounted to 10 percent on grain and 20 percent on wine, fruit, and oil, a 1 percent income tax, and sales and inheritance taxes.
Continue reading EVERYDAY LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES (TAX COLLECTOR PT1)The number cannot be taken literally. Even the literalism formerly taught by the Jehovah’s Witnesses cult (prior to its own growth spurt) has been revised. If not a literal head count, the number must be symbolic, and likely meant to point to the completion of God’s work of salvation among all the nations.
Continue reading IS HEAVEN’S POPULATION LIMITED TO 144,000To be entirely and blatantly truthful in everything we say could unnecessarily hurt a lot of feelings and create a lot of worries. Thus, in everyday conversation we say “white lies” about someone’s appearance or even about our own state of health.
Continue reading IS IT EVER OKAY TO LIE?In Exodus 12, God gives Moses the instructions and requirements for the Passover.
Continue reading THE PASSOVER IN THE BIBLEExodus 19 describes Israel arriving at Sinai. This chapter is important for understanding the events at Sinai, where Israel spent over two years (Numbers 10:11). God addressed the people as “the house of Jacob. . . the people of Israel . . .” (Exodus 19:3) as a way to remind them that they were the people of the covenant, the descendants of Abraham. What was about to happen at Sinai was not a new covenant with the people but an extension of the covenant God made with Abraham.
Continue reading ISRAEL AT SINAITHE PASSOVER is the Old Testament feast that celebrates and remembers God’s liberation of Israel from Egypt. After Joseph saved Egypt from starvation (Genesis 41), the Israelites lived in Egypt as guests. Eventually, the Egyptians forgot about Joseph and enslaved the Israelites for hundreds of years (Exodus 1:6-14).
Continue reading OLD TESTAMENT ORIGIN OF THE PASSOVER15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
Continue reading SCRIPTURES OF THE DAY (DANIEL 7:15-28)OLD TESTAMENT