Jeremiah showed the faith in the future of Judah, even while Jerusalem, the capital city, was on the verge of failing to the Babylonian army. He bought a plot of land in his hometown of Anathoth, confident that the land would be useful again after the Jewish people returned from the exile in Babylon.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (JEREMIAH’S SHOW OF FAITH)
ROMANS 12:2 – Don’t copy the behavior and customs or this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
Dead sacrifices. That’s what God wanted the Jews to give him during the era of the old covenant. These were animals slaughter as substitutes for worshippers who deserved the death penalty for their sins.
Continue reading COPYCAT’S AREN’T US
It appears that the news will be bad. A crime has been committed, and God will be the chief witness for the prosecution-who is also God. The accused, the people, must listen. But unlike a normal criminal trial, God never forces people to listen, and these people certainly had a choice. Why choose to hear bad news?
Continue reading WHY SHOULD PEOPLE LISTEN TO GOD AGAINST THEIR PERSONAL WISHES?
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (LUKE 6:37-42 “DO NOT JUDGE”)
Walking was the most common way for people living in Bible times to get from one place to another on a daily basis. Given the fatigue that discourages sustained running, those who ran were either special people with unique vocations or ordinary people who were responding to unique situations. Those expected to run included athletes, couriers, and royal guards. The Greeks introduced the world to athletic contests that were the precursor to our Olympic games. The ancient games included running events of various distances in which athletes could
Continue reading EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE BIBLE TIMES (RUN PT1)
Revelation uses three types of literature. First, it is a letter written by the apostle John to seven churches in Asia Minor. Second, it is prophecy speaking God’s judgment and truth. Finally, it is apocalyptic writing a common form of Jewish literature.
Continue reading IS REVELATION TO BE UNDERSTOOD LITERALLY?
The formal mention of prostitutes in the Bible is often used to shape our impression of people with whom they were associated. Because the law of God was clear on this matter, the linking of a man with a prostitute, whether sexually or by birth, cast a dark cloud over his character. This included notables like Judah, Jephthah, and Samson (Gen 38:15; Judg 11:1; 16:1). When Joshua sent spies to Jericho, the population was so immoral that the one person of redeeming value found in the city was a prostitute (Josh 2:1). And the image of Ahab was clearly tarnished by the fact that his bloody chariot was washed out at the place where the prostitutes bathed (1 Kings 22:38). By contrast, Israel’s leaders who aggressively expelled shrine prostitutes
Continue reading EVERYDAY LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES (PROSTITUTE P2)
Demons apparently are quite intelligent about matters of theology and practice. They are monotheists (that is, they believe that one supreme God exists), though the history of demonic influence shows that they propagandize false belief in imaginary pagan deities. They hold belief
Continue reading WHAT RELIGION DO DEMONS BELIEVE?
In a vision the prophet Ezekiel saw the temple of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. He was shocked to see on its walls paintings or sculptures of unclean animals that God’s people were not supposed to eat (Leviticus 11:1-19).
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS & CURIOSITIES (IDOLS IN THE TEMPLS)