Bad Tenants
The theme of fruitfulness is found throughout the scriptures. Isaiah chapter 5 tells the story of a landowner who carefully cultivated a vineyard, anticipating a rich harvest of good grapes.…
The Army of the Messiah
The book of Revelation is a wondrous part of the Bible. But it's apocalyptic literature, full of symbolic imagery that strikes many modern readers as puzzling or even bizarre. Revelation…
Of Sheep and Goats
There are several passages of scripture which describe the final day of judgment, when God will require an accounting of all people. One such memorable scene comes directly from the…
Pulling Things Together
In evangelical circles, Ephesians 2:8-9 is perhaps the most frequently quoted text in the entire Bible: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves,…
The Wrong Holiday
Christmas is rapidly approaching. Most churches are well into the advent season; Poinsettias and garland adorn their sanctuaries. There is one dynamic which can be reliably observed in evangelical churches…
All Israel Shall Be Saved
For the last few weeks, we've been considering the status of ethnic Jews within God's overall purposes. The Apostle Paul spent three entire chapters (9-11) in the book of Romans…
Will the Real Israel Please Stand Up?
Events in Israel continue apace. The Israeli Defense Forces have initiated ground operations in the Gaza Strip in order to destroy Hamas and rescue Israeli hostages. The war has transfixed…
The Christ, the Son of God
In 1990, construction workers accidentally discovered an ancient tomb 2 miles southwest of the temple mount in Jerusalem. Dating to the first century, the tomb contained an ornate ossuary containing…
The King of Israel & the Rescue of the World
Last week we learned that when the first Christians went out into the world to proclaim the message about Jesus, there was one thing above all else that they said:…
First Things First
Many Christians are familiar with Alpha, a program designed to introduce people to Christianity. The title is quite fitting since alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. The…