The Savior’s victory over sin and death cannot be fully appreciated apart from believing that God meant what He said from the very start about the reality of death and its undeniable status as the consequence of sin, defined in the Bible as “lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Satan is behind the confusion about death; he has the world believing that dead people are alive, that souls cannot die, and that the punishment for the unsaved is eternal life in a fiery chamber of horror.
Read MoreThe great lengths of God’s love in action to redeem and restore us are unmatched! I ask myself why am I so reluctant to honor and obey Him? His love defies logic, but my willful disobedience is even more illogical! His willingness to redeem me from my own rebellion against Him and then to lead me in paths of righteousness is beyond amazing. He is the Lamb. He is the Shepherd.
Read MoreMany accounts in the Word are prophetic microcosms which point to future events that will come to pass on a voluminous scale. God’s obedient, loyal, faithful people will have His blessing of inner peace in the last days, even while knowing that the ire of Satan is aimed directly at them.
Read MoreAs the righteous King, Jesus desires for His kingdom to steadily grow. He longs for each of His children to be saved! The figure of Jesus as a Lion tells us what He did, while the figure of Jesus as a Lamb tells us how He did it.
Read MoreScripture tell us: The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. (Revelation 13:2b) The dragon is Satan. His plan is to eclipse Jesus and the truth of His Word with substitute ideas, altered commandments, and earthly grandeur. In this way, Satan deceives people into worshiping him instead. Beloved, thank Jesus for His Word! He speaks with impartial honesty on every subject.
Read MoreGod’s Spirit spoke through Daniel, who saw in vision the efforts of Satan to usurp the roles of Jesus and deceive people into worshiping him. It is similar to a “bait and switch” scheme. The word “antichrist”(used by John in the New Testament) is usually taken to mean “against Christ”, but it also means “in the place of Christ.” This power claims to speak for God.
Read MoreThe conversation between Jesus and Pilate bears many haunting similarities to the watered-down thinking in the world of today. The great question “What is truth?” is asked, but Pilate leaves without pursuing, or even waiting for, the answer. Impatience, willful ignorance, or laziness can all be behind coming very near the kingdom of God yet failing to enter.
Read MoreThe priest caught the blood and “recorded” the confessed sin in the Holy Place. God’s record-keeping is flawless. Confessed sins are forgiven sins, recorded and covered in blood: the precious blood of the Lamb who has become our Advocate. When the Accuser points out our sin, our Advocate says, in effect, “Ah! Here it is right here: Forgiven!”
Read MoreLet us take a look at the office of prophet that Jesus fulfilled while on the earth. He was made manifest in human flesh to speak the words of life. Those who heard and believed Him were persuaded to leave behind their sinful pasts and pursue life!
Read MoreThere is a popular and dangerous teaching that has gained much traction in recent decades. In it, our enemy has injected procrastination into his web of entanglements; he would have us believe that there is an additional seven years beyond the return of Jesus for those who have rejected Christ.
Read MoreIt is fascinating to think of Jesus calmly stooping down to write with His finger in the dust on the temple floor. In the scene of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11), we see the power of Jesus, and the power of His Word. Satan was ever about the business of securing the ruin of Jesus (and now, of course, His followers).
Read MoreOur compassionate God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah of a future day in which He will not remember my sins. Such a thought is too wonderful for me!
Read MoreThis was the second time in His earthly ministry that Jesus cleansed the temple. His usual demeanor which can easily be described as “calm” or “never-in-a-hurry” is in dramatic contrast with these two episodes. These cleansings, which punctuated the beginning and the end of His earthly ministry, flashed an “EMERGENCY!” sign, illustrating the pressing urgency of making distinctions . . .
Read MoreThe tabernacle, on the outside, looked fairly plain. But inside it was gloriously beautiful, augmented by the glory of the presence of God manifested above the mercy seat of the ark. Likewise, Jesus appeared as an ordinary man. But bright glimpses of heavenly glory were perceived by those who hungered and thirsted for righteousness
Read MoreThis very prophetic passage from Psalm 74 shines a bright light for the student of God’s Word who understands the purpose of the sanctuary: to point toward, magnify, and testify to the work of the Son of God in the process of reconciling the world unto Himself.
Read MoreOur self-imposed separation from God is the reason for which He so faithfully and completely displays His divine plan of reconciliation. The complex nature of sin’s deception calls for our willingness to be immersed into the process.
Read MoreThere are many terrible, and yet truthful, accusations that our enemy desires to hurl at me before the throne of God.
Read MoreIn the days of the early Apostolic Church, the pure Gospel message was spreading in ever-widening circles. The life-changing, heart-renewing message reverberated throughout the known world.
Read MoreThe experience of the rescued children of Israel, as they moved away from Egypt and toward the Promised Land, is illustratively detailed in the earthly sanctuary.
Read MoreDuring their sojourn in Egypt, the Hebrew nation contained a remnant who actively passed down God’s law from generation to generation. Their minds were able to grasp and commit to memory the perfect word-for-word orations of the committed older generations.
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