A Basket of Summer Fruit Summertime reminds us of "those lazy, hazy, crazy days" of our youth. The hot summer months are often times of careless play and distraction, of letting responsibilities lie dormant while we pursue fun and relaxation. Charles Whitaker shows that, biblically, summertime sounds a warning to us to prepare for the fall harvest, a time of judgment.
|
A Cool Appraisal of Global Warming We have all heard the dire warnings of environmentalists regarding global warming. But are they true? Richard Ritenbaugh shows that this political movement lacks the scientific facts to support its contentions.
|
A Day of Lust, Not Love Should a Christian celebrate Saint Valentine's Day, a holiday with its origins firmly rooted in paganism? Some would reason that, since it is not observed as worship, this holiday, which focuses on love, does not break God's commands against idolatrous practices. Martin Collins argues that Valentine's Day concentrates, not on real love, but on lust and sexual immorality, which are contrary to the way of life that pleases God.
|
A Distant Reflection George Santayana's famous quotation—"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it"—applies equally well to the church of God. Richard Ritenbaugh compares the history of the early church with the events and trends being exhibited in the modern church of God. Will today's church follow the disastrous example of early second-century Christianity?
|
A Godly Quest for Pleasure Is a Christian denied a pleasurable life? Are we relegated to lives of drab monotony and duty? David Maas ponders these questions from the standpoint of the drives God created in humankind, concluding that there is a godly way to fulfill our desires for pleasure.
|
A Growing Divide After the fall of the Berlin Wall, most thought the world would come together, but that has not been the case. In fact, America and Europe have been steadily moving away from each other politically, economically, and culturally. What impact will this have on our understanding of biblical prophecy?
|
A Matter of Honor The Bible has a great deal to say about honor and whom we should honor. This article gives us a hard but necessary lesson in honor.
|
A Mid-East Mess The latest round of violence in Palestine highlights a major flaw in the peace process: Neither side necessarily wants peace! Both sides want control of Palestine and specifically Jerusalem. The City of Peace is the key factor in the coming world crisis!
|
A Portable Peace Peace is less of an external situation than an internal state. As such, we can have peace wherever we happen to be. We can help ourselves create this state by occasionally getting away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
|
A Priceless Gift God's children may look no different on the outside than others do, but God has given them something inside, something spiritual, that makes them different from others and special to Him. John Ritenbaugh explains that this specialness obligates us to be faithful.
|
A Sin Unto Death I John 5:16 often elicits many questions about sin and its consequences. This article systematically answers these questions, explaining that the apostle's words hold out hope for those who have fallen by the wayside.
|
A Stone Named Jerusalem The Catholic Church did not forbid keeping the Passover until AD 325. The controversy over Passover or Easter boils down to either following Scripture or Roman tradition.
|
A Subtle Yet Devastating Curse Amos 8:11 speaks of "a famine . . . of hearing the words of the LORD." Such a spiritual famine is occurring today: The words of God are readily available, but few are hearing them. David Grabbe explains this prophecy and its connection to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
|
A Tale of Two Complaints (Part One) The Bible records at least two complaints uttered by the prophet Jeremiah to God during the chaotic decline and fall of Judah. Charles Whitaker evaluates the first of these two grievances, explaining that it concentrates on the injustice of the prosperity of evil men and on the prophet's dismay at the abuse of the land.
|
A Tale of Two Complaints (Part Two) Because of his deeply expressed emotions regarding the decline and fall of Judah, Jeremiah is often called the "Weeping Prophet." He can perhaps also be called the "Complaining Prophet" on account of his two major complaints to God about his nation's situation. Tackling the second of those complaints, Charles Whitaker completes his study of the prophet's grievance and crisis of faith.
|
A Tale of Two Widgets How do we, as wise consumers, choose between the similar products by rival companies? Along with price and availability, a major factor is the companies reputations for producing a quality product. Charles Whitaker uses this example as a metaphor for our production of righteous fruit to please the Father.
|
A Time to Laugh At the right time and in the right situation, laughter can indeed be the best medicine. David Maas explains how theraputic humor and merriment can be both physically and spiritually.
|
A Time to Throw Away Many of us tend to be pack-rats, saving everything for years and years until we have collected a mass of—well, junk! David Maas compares this with accumulated sin. The time has come to get rid of it!
|
A Truth About Revelation 2 and 3 The church of God has long taught that the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 refer to seven church eras from the apostles' day to Christ's return. While such an interpretation may be possible, the Bible itself does not indicate anything of the sort. John Ritenbaugh provides evidence from Revelation that the primary interpretation concerns all the churches extant during the end time.
|
A Woman's World It is no longer primarily a man's world, and God's Word has a great deal to say about a society when this happens. Richard Ritenbaugh summarizes the history of feminism and the affect it is having on us.
|
Abortion: The Land Is Full of Bloody Crimes An early statement by the Church of the Great God on abortion, focusing on the term "viability" as used by pro-abortion advocates.
|
Abraham's One God The first commandment sets the stage for Mike Ford's review of Genesis 22, Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. He suggests that God wanted to know one thing: Would Abraham put Him first and have no other god?
|
Abstaining From Evil God does not just want us not to sin, He also wants us not even to appear to be doing evil. John Reid shows how Christians must guard their thoughts, words and deeds at all times.
|
Abstinence - Asceticism or Christian Living? Some equate abstinence with religious asceticism. Abstinence, however, has a much broader purview. Martin Collins explains that Christians may need to abstain from more than just sinful actions.
|
After Pentecost, Then What? For many decades, the church of God has understood that the annual holy days typify the steps in God's plan of salvation. But what happens between Pentecost and Trumpets, during the long summer months? John Ritenbaugh uses the elements of Israel's trek through the wilderness to expound on the subject of sanctification.
|
All About Edom (Part Five): Obadiah and God's Judgment The latter half of the prophecy of Obadiah provides clues to the timing and extent of its fulfillment. In this concluding article on the Edomites, Richard Ritenbaugh relates details of Edom's prophesied demise for its hatred of the people of Israel.
|
All About Edom (Part Four): Obadiah and Edom's Sin Because of the millennia-long conflict between Israel and Edom, one might think that the prophet Obadiah would predict the Edomites' downfall with a certain gleeful relish, but in fact, he laments Edom's horrible end. Richard Ritenbaugh reviews the middle passage of Obadiah, in which God describes the complete devastation of Edom and His reason for it.
|
All About Edom (Part One) The twin sons of Isaac, Esau and Jacob, are perhaps the classic model of sibling rivalry, and their contentious relationship has had a tremendous impact on history. Richard Ritenbaugh introduces the ancient people known as the Edomites by examining the life of the original Edomite, Esau.
|
All About Edom (Part Three): Obadiah The Bible's most comprehensive prophecy about Edom appears in the twenty-one verses of Obadiah. Richard Ritenbaugh introduces this "minor" prophet and his inspired predictions concerning the descendants of Esau.
|
All About Edom (Part Two) One of the greatest honors a man can achieve is to be called 'father of his country.' Esau was prophesied to be the father of a nation, Edom, and as Richard Ritenbaugh details, the Bible gives us plenty of clues about the character of his descendants.
|
All in All The apostle Paul uses the enigmatic phrase "all in all" a handful of times in his epistles. It is an expression of the fantastic oneness that the Father and Christ are working to produce in the people God has chosen. John Ritenbaugh explains how Christians play their parts in unifying the Body of Christ and preparing for an eternity of oneness in the Kingdom of God.
|
Amazing Grace The old song speaks of "Amazing Grace" but do we really understand just how amazing it is? John Ritenbaugh fills in some details on this vital topic.
|
America's Mercenary Culture Mercenaries are soldiers who fight for money. Sociologists are concerned that the mercenary attitude pervades American culture from Washington to Peoria. Does the Bible have anything to say about this "each man for himself" way of life?
|
Amos 5 and the Feast of Tabernacles How can we evaluate whether our Feast of Tabernacles is a "good" one or not? Using God's criticism of Israel's feasts in Amos 5, John Ritenbaugh shows that the ancient pilgrimage locations of Bethel, Beersheba, and Gilgal provide instruction about what God wants us to learn from His feasts.
|
An Extraordinary Feast When God says that His feasts are special, they really are! Mark Schindler explains that we are vicarious participants in the events the feasts memorialize.
|
An Unpayable Debt and Obligation When God calls us and redeems us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, we suddenly come under obligation, an immense debt we cannot pay. Were we to somehow pay it ourselves - which we could do only by dying - we would have no hope of eternal life, just the finality of death. John Ritenbaugh illustrates the magnanimity of God's gracious redemption and the response it compels the redeemed to give Him in turn.
|
Anger: Spiritual Drano® Anger is often thought to be a negative emotion, but the Bible shows that anger can be used for good purposes. We can use godly anger to flush sin out!
|
Animal Idolatry Have the animal rights groups gone too far? Mike Ford argues that their movement borders on—if not transgresses—the line between concern and idolatry.
|
Another Look at Footwashing Each year, members of God's church participate in a footwashing ritual during the Passover service. Most consider it a symbolic action to remind us of the need to serve one another as Christ served His disciples. However, Bill Keesee asserts that it means much more: Footwashing helps us to remember our need to forgive one another as Christ forgave us.
|
Anti-Americanism Abroad God prophesies that Israel will be conquered in the end time. Could anti-American sentiment, especially in Europe, be the beginning of the end for modern Israel?
|
Are Humans Good or Evil? One of the "big questions" of philosophy asks whether human beings are by nature good or evil, and despite a long history of philosophers and theologians weighing in on the subject, people seem to be evenly split on the answer. Richard Ritenbaugh, going to the Bible for God's answer, finds that Scripture is consistent in its description of man's nature.
|
Are Some Sins Worse Than Others? It seems that some sins should be worse than others in God's eyes. Is this so? Martin Collins explains that, though all sin merits the death penalty, some sins carry greater consequences and penalties.
|
Are the Jews Cursed for Deicide? Is Matthew 27:25 a Jewish admission of deicide? Charles Whitaker shows that, properly understood, the statement is absolutely not a curse. Moreover, God has nowhere bound Himself to chastise Jewry as a whole for the actions of a relatively few people in Pilate's judgment hall that morning.
|
Are the Sabbath and Holy Days Done Away? In order to justify not keeping the Sabbath, many use Colossians 2:16-17 as proof that Paul did not command it. Earl Henn exposes this conclusion as pure fiction!
|
Are These the Last Days? (Part 1) Are we really so certain these are the last days? How can we know for sure? What does the Bible give as evidence that the last days are here?
|
Are These the Last Days? (Part 2) A main sign of the end may be the behaviors and attitudes of Generation X. Richard Ritenbaugh analyses his own generation in relation to Paul's description of the last days in II Timothy 3.
|
Are We Opening the Door? Some know that Christ is at the door, but they will not rouse themselves from their spiritual lethargy to open it. Pat Higgins explains that failing to take advantage of the spiritual opportunities and tools God has provided for us is gambling with eternal life!
|
Are We Ready for Change? The apostle Paul describes the Christian life as a process of change: from the old man to the new man. Human beings, though, typically resist change because it is difficult. Bill Onisick provides advice on how we can make the process of change more organized and perhaps a bit easier too.
|
Are You a Christian? Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet contains Juliet's famous lines: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet." True, a person's essential character means more than a name. Yet, what about the term "Christian," which a third of the world's people appropriate for themselves, no matter how divergent their beliefs? David Grabbe explores whether Christ's disciples should call themselves "Christian."
|
Are You Bearing Your Cross? How do we, as modern Christians, bear our cross as Jesus commands? He meant far more than simply carrying a stake over our shoulders! This article shows how vital denying ourselves and taking up our cross is in following Christ.
|
Are You Drinking of the Master's Cup? When we partake of the tiny cup of wine at the Passover service, we usually think of its symbolism as Christ's blood shed for our sins. However, the cup itself and its contents have another, vital meaning for us!
|
Are You Living the Abundant Life? Non-Christians tend to see Christianity as an utterly boring, rigid way of life. However, Jesus Christ Himself says He came to give His disciples abundant life (John 10:10). Richard Ritenbaugh reveals the big 'secret' in living the abundant life.
|
Are You Sharp-Tongued? (Part One) The tongue is maybe the most untamed "beast" on earth! James says we all offend in word. But James 3 is filled with wisdom regarding how we can overcome the beast.
|
Are You Sharp-Tongued? (Part Two) James' exhortation about the use of our tongues seems to stop with James 3:12. However, the rest of the chapter provides additional wisdom on controlling our speech.
|
Are You Teachable? Scripture is full of advice about being humble and taking heed to God's instruction because, frankly, many think they know it all already! Here are several basic points to help us become better students of God's Word.
|
Are You Worthy to Escape? Luke 21:36 is a memory scripture for many, but are we applying it too narrowly? In reality, we can apply it generally anytime we face trials and crises in our lives.
|
Are Your Beliefs Preferences or Convictions? John Ritenbaugh discusses the depth of our beliefs, showing the difference between our preferences and our convictions. He looks at both legal and spiritual ramifications of this subject.
|
As In the Days of Lot Jesus says the end times will be like the days of Lot in Sodom, meaning that rampant homosexuality is a sign of the end. Earl Henn analyzes this growing, worldwide trend.
|
Ask and It Will Be Given Sometime in their Christian lives, many people hit a plateau in their growth and go little further. Have we have overlooked the simple principle of "ask and it will be given" spoken by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount?
|
Ask, Seek, Knock An explanation of Luke 11:9, Ask, seek, knock.
|
Azazel: Observations and Questions The apostle Paul writes in II Corinthians 4:7 that "we have this treasure [God's revelation] in earthen vessels," and this fact is never more noticeable than when we realize that we have believed something in error for many years. Why were we so blind? Why did God not open our eyes to the truth sooner? What is God trying to teach us? Pat Higgins ponders some observations and asks some questions in the wake of learning who the azazel goat truly represents.
|