Generic term applied to a variety of skin disorders from psoriasis to true leprosy. Its symptoms ranged from white patches on the skin to running sores to the loss of digits on the fingers and toes.
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (LEPROSY)
The Old Testament concept of being clean can be difficult to grasp. The basic idea sounds foreign to modern ears, and the legislation that describes how that state is achieved and maintained can overwhelm us, making books like Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy much more difficult to understand. But when we acquire a clearer understanding of the notion, we find that the image of being clean is a helpful one that spreads its influence from Genesis through Revelation.
Continue reading SIGNS AND SYMBOLS OF THE BIBLE (CLEAN/UNCLEAN PT1)
At the time of Nahum’s prophecy, Assyria (of which Nineveh was the capital) was the most powerful empire on earth. For three hundred years the Assyrians had conquered all people’s in their path. Nineveh, the shinning center of Assyrian culture, learning, and technology, was
Continue reading WHAT’S SO IMPORTANT ABOUT THE PREDICTION OF NINEVEH’S DOWNFALL?
“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise” (Jeremiah 17:14).
When our bodies are injured, we know to go to the nearest hospital for help. When our souls are sick, where do we go? We will find no help at the Regional Medical Center. Only God can help the soul and His hospital for the sin-sick is the church. Eugene Peterson was right when he said, “The Sunday morning congregation is a hospital” (Hos. 6:1; Mk. 2:17; Lk. 4:18). How is the church like a hospital?
Continue reading GOD’S HOSPITAL
JOHN 20:27-28: Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing And Thomas answered and said unto him, my Lord and my God.
Continue reading NAMES OF GOD (GOD)
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (MATTHEW 19:23-30)
The matter of circumcision became a contested issue as the early Christian church was finding its feet. To appreciate why, we first need to understand that this had grown to be a most important element within Judaism. Between the time of the Old and New Testament, Seleucid King Antiochus IV attempted to stamp out Judaism, in part by forbidding the practice of circumcision among the Jews. This rite had become so vital to the identity of God’s people that they chose to die rather than yield to this pagan order.
Continue reading SIGNS AND SYMBOLS OF THE BIBLE (CIRCUMCISE)
Throughout the history of Christianity, there have been many attempts to communicate coherently what the Bible teaches about the identity of God. Inevitably, some of these attempts have been woefully inadequate, erring in ways that result in a mony to His triune identity.
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (TRINITY PT3)
Both men and women of the Bible times wore outer robes or cloaks that extended almost to the feet (read Gen 37:3; Deut 22:5 and 1 Sam 19:24). These loose-fitting gowns were held tight against the body by a belt or sash (generally referred to as a “girdle” by the King James Version) around the person’s waist.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTMOS AND CURIOSITIES (TUCKING IN THE CLOAK)
In the work of creation, God the Father brought the universe into being out of nothing by the agency of His Word and His Spirit. In the first chapter of Genesis, one reads, “God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). The unformed and uninhabited earth is covered by darkness and water, but the Spirit of God is “hovering” over the waters of the earth, ready to bring form to the earth so it can be inhabited. God then speaks: “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). Throughout the works of creation, God the Father speaks forth His Words (i.e. the Son), and the unformed
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (TRINITY PT 2)