Daily Thanksgiving Too many Americans confine their giving of thanks to the one day on which the national holiday occurs - and many confine their activities on Thanksgiving to little more than eating and drinking too much, watching football, and planning their Black Friday shopping trip. Answering four vital questions about thanksgiving will help us to evaluate our approach to this spiritual duty.

Damnable Heresies Indeed, many heresies crept into the church over the past several years. John Ritenbaugh explains the difference between heresy and apostasy, how Satan works to introduce heresy into the church, and most importantly, what we can do about it!

David the Prophet In thinking about David son of Jesse, we immediately bring to mind that he was King of Israel, a shepherd, a warrior, a psalmist, and a man after God's own heart. But we often fail to realize that, among his many other accomplishments, he was a significant prophet. Richard Ritenbaugh examines Psalm 22, a most clearly recognizable prophecy of Christ's suffering among the many psalms of David.

Dead to the Law? Romans 7, verse 4, says that we are 'dead to the law through the body of Christ.' What does this mean? Earl Henn explains the meaning in its context, showing that it refers to the 'old man' which perished at our baptism.

Death of a Lamb Since the church no longer keeps the Passover with the slaughter of a lamb, we miss important and poignant details that could enhance our observance. A personal experience with two ewes serves as a springboard to explain greater, spiritual lessons.

Deceptions of the End Time Our world is full of lies and liars, and many in God's church are ignorant of just how much deceit is out there. Jesus tells us, however, that the best way to resist deception is being convicted of the truth.

Defining Hope for the Creation None of us is perfect. We are all, in a sense, broken to some degree, whether from birth or by the constant grind of life. We have little hope of repair. James Beaubelle, however, finds real hope in Scripture, arguing that, if our hope is in our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, we can have faith that our hope will be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.

Desire Earnestly to Prophesy Paul's admonition to the Corinthians to desire to prophesy has confused some due to a fundamental misunderstanding of what prophesying really is. Bill Cherry examines this command in its context, showing that it has everything to do with Christian fellowship, particularly on the Sabbath.

Developing a Mature Spiritual Appetite One of the most widely occurring metaphors in the Bible involves eating. David Maas contends that it is not just what we ingest spiritually that is important, but that we also develop the ability to feed ourselves properly.

Devoting Ourselves to Fellowship We do not often think of fellowship as a means of devotion, but when we look into the book of Acts at the unity of the early church, fellowship was a priority of those first members of God's church. Clyde Finklea reveals that Christian fellowship is more than just getting together on a regular basis; it is sharing with each other on a higher, spiritual level.

Did Angels Marry Human Women? Genesis 6:2 has long been a bone of contention among Bible students. Using the Bible to explain itself, this article clarifies that this verse does not suggest some angel/human hybrid but intermarriage in defiance of God's law.

Did God Change the Law of Clean and Unclean Meats? Most Christians believe that the clean and unclean laws were "done away" at the crucifixion. But is that the case? John Reid looks into the most troublesome New Testament scriptures on the subject.

Discouraged? Why? As God's children, we have no need to become discouraged for long. God has given and done so much for us that we have no reason to get down.

Divine Protection Today? Does God protect His people even today? Indeed, God's arm has not been shortened!

Divine Warning God often works through disasters, natural and manmade, letting His people know His displeasure with their sins. John Ritenbaugh argues that the terrorist attacks of September 11 are a divine warning, especially to His church, to return speedily to a right relationship with Him.

Do Angels Live Forever? While the subject of the demons' ultimate fate is not a salvation issue, many people wonder how God will deal with them at the end of the Millennium. John Ritenbaugh tackles four assumptions that Bible students and scholars tend to make when dealing with this issue, showing that none of them holds up under biblical scrutiny.

Do Not Be Afraid! Jesus is well-known for bringing significant spiritual principles out of common human experiences in nature. Nothing is as common as the lowly sparrow, a tiny bird that seems to have little or no value. Ted Bowling describes how our Savior utilizes this forgettable bird to teach about God's watchfulness and care over His "little flock" and each of His chosen people in it.

Do We Have 'Eternal Security'? Are we "once-saved, always-saved"? Once God grants us His grace, are we assured eternal life? Richard Ritenbaugh exposes the fallacies of this Protestant doctrine of "eternal security."

Do We Need the Old Testament? Many nominal Christians undervalue, neglect, and ignore the Old Testament, believing it has been superseded by the teachings in the New Testament. Even well-known pastors have taken this view. John Reiss provides five significant reasons why New Covenant Christians should consider the Old Testament to be just as valuable and necessary to their salvation as the New Testament.

Do We See the Line? Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, a bestselling book and television miniseries in the 1980s, contains the story of a cowboy who fails to perceive the line between right and wrong, and for his lack of moral sense, he pays with his life. Mike Ford considers I Corinthians 6:12 and the subject of "gray areas," showing that learning the spirit of the law will aid us greatly in "seeing the line."

Do We Want to Catch 'Olympic Fever'? Are the Olympics the pure sporting events they are purported to be? This article shows that the Olympic Games have their roots in religion!

Do You Desire the Day of the Lord? The prophet Amos describes the Israelites of his day as proud and secure in their special relationship with God, while God Himself castigates them for presuming He approved of them. They so misjudged matters that they eagerly desired the Day of the Lord! Using their example, David Grabbe compares them to what Jesus says about the Laodiceans, sounding a warning to us to pay attention to our true spiritual condition.

Do You Feel Lucky? Is there such a thing as luck? Is the world subject to pure coincidence or blind fate? Mike Ford tackles this philosophical subject with the truth of God's Word, concluding that, when it comes to His chosen people, God leaves nothing to chance!

Do You Have 'the Hunger'? We all have hungers, from a desire for certain foods to a yearning for success. What should a Christian hunger for? John Reid explains Matthew 5:6: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Do You See God? (Part One) It is true that we cannot physically "see" the invisible God, but that does not mean that we cannot recognize His involvement in our lives. John Ritenbaugh helps us to realize just how much God wants to be part of our lives.

Do You See God? (Part Two) Conversion, our walk with God, is a lifelong process in which we endeavor to see things as God does. John Ritenbaugh admonishes Christians to understand and act on the fact that God is deeply involved in our lives.

Does God Want You to be Rich? Laodiceans think of themselves as rich, while God sees them as poor. On the other hand, the Smyrnans see themselves as poor, yet God says they are rich! What are true riches?

Does Paul Condemn Observing God's Holy Days? Galatians 4:9-10 - verses that condemn returning to keeping "days and months and seasons and years" - is a favorite target of those who claim Christians no longer need to observe God's holy days. Is that really what Paul means? By explaining the context of the passage, Earl Henn shows that the apostle meant something entirely different - in fact, just the opposite!

Does Scripture Allow for Killing in Self-Defense? Many Christians believe that we are allowed to take another's life in defense of our own, but is this what the Bible teaches? David Grabbe shows that God's Word distinguishes only between accidental and premeditated killing, meaning self-defense is not a biblical justification for murder!

Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom After the Jewish leadership tried to indict Jesus with false testimony, the high priest asks Him directly, 'I adjure You by the living God that You tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.' Christ's affirmative answer raises more questions than it answers. David Grabbe uses the Old Testament sources of Jesus' answer to explain just what He conveyed to the chief priests, elders, and council members.

Don't Be Cruel! Throughout man's long history, cruelty—both to other people and to animals—has been a frequent stain on human character; it is an unfortunate part of human nature. The Bible consistently denounces cruelty in all its forms.

Down But Not Out! Russia seems like a nation—an empire—in deep decline. But is it? We would be wise to keep an eye on the Russian bear!

During a Famine, What Is the Work? God's church faces a time of severe trial, a famine of the Word. What should Christians be doing during such a time? John Reid uses the example of the first-century church to provide an answer.

Dying—Once in a Lifetime (Part One) Atheists and God-haters in general are always trying to find discrepancies in the Bible. One they pull out every now and then is the alleged contradiction between I Corinthians 15:51 and Hebrews 9:27: Will some people never die - or will they die once like everyone else? Charles Whitaker parses the two verses to show that they are not contradictory at all because they speak about different, though related, subjects.

Dying—Once in a Lifetime (Part Two) To some students of Scripture, Hebrews 9:27 - "it is appointed for men to die once" - seems to contradict I Corinthians 15:51: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." Charles Whitaker analyzes these two verses to show that no contradiction exists, and in fact, the former verse has a dual application that expands our understanding of death, both physical and spiritual.