THE EARLY church had to deal with a number of heretical teachings. The idea that Jesus was not fully God and fully man was one of them. In his gentle style, John counseled believers to love one another, to recognize false teachings, and to test the spirits, because not everything that manifests from the supernatural realm is from God.Continue Reading
THE CONCEPTS of holy ground and cosmic geography are behind most of the stories in today’s Old Testament study. As we saw in the life of Elijah, God often did things to teach a lesson and/or send a message. In this case, it was the clear message that Israel belongs to Him.Continue Reading
SPIRITUAL WARFARE and the sin of the Watchers are the focus of this week’s New Testament study. Peter and Jude were in accord with the letters we read this week, and there is a lot of meat in these four short chapters.Continue Reading
THE DIVINE COUNCIL in action and prophecy is the focus of this week’s Old Testament study. Psalm 82 depicts a courtroom scene in the divine council with Yahweh declaring judgment on the lesser gods who “judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked.” Incredibly, the psalm prophesies a day when the small-G gods die “like men,” which may have something to do with their bad attitude.Continue Reading
FAITH AND perseverance are at the heart of today’s New Testament study. We conclude the remarkable Book of Hebrews with a discussion of the Old Testament patriarchs who were accounted righteous because of their faith. Then we move to Paul’s second letter to Timothy, in which he exhorts the young man to keep fighting the good fight.Continue Reading
GOD HAS a council that carries out His commands, and this week we get one of the few glimpses into its workings recorded in the Bible. It’s the story of Ahab’s demise in battle against the Syrians at Ramoth-Gilead, where the king of Israel is enticed by lying spirits to go to his doom.Continue Reading