Bearing the Right Fruit
The theme of fruitfulness can be traced throughout the scriptures. In the last blog, we examined Isaiah 5, which contains the song of the vineyard. God the landowner lovingly cultivated…
Life Insurance
How can a Christian know that they'll be saved? On the day of God's final judgment, can we be certain that we shall be vindicated and welcomed into God's glorious…
Blessed Assurance
Frances "Fanny" Crosby was born in 1820 just north of New York City. She was blind for most or all of her life. Her blindness might have been congenital, or…
Salvation and the Spirit
It's not at all unusual to hear Christians talk about the time when they were "saved" in the past tense. Perhaps this salvation event occurred when they were a child…
Well Done!
Most evangelicals have been taught that the righteousness of Christ is imputed or credited to those who put their faith in him. When God looks at Christians, he regards them…
Vindication of the Righteous
In Matthew 13, Jesus tells this very brief but revealing parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When…
Standing Before the Pearly Gates
When people think about salvation, there are lots of ideas which fill their minds. In Revelation 21, John describes a vision of "the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down…
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…
The Seed of the Church
Our study of Revelation 11:1-13 is now complete. How can we apply what we've learned? How is this strange passage relevant to Christians living in the 21st century? There's a…
Vindication of the Martyrs
The two witnesses of Revelation 11 represent God's holy people. They've been given the task of prophesying to the nations, warning them that God's righteous judgment will come upon everyone…