The Bible deals with evil in many different ways. One of the most common occurrences of evil in the Old Testament is the wicked nations that oppress God’s people. The Scriptures clearly remind New Testament saints that their struggle is not against flesh and blood (humankind), but against rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark…
When Jesus calls Himself “the Alpha and the Omega” in the opening chapter of Revelation, He is suggesting that all things begin and end with Him. John 1:1-18 and Colossians 1:15-23 show that the Word that later became flesh was creator as He executed the divine plan to prepare an abode for His creation. He…
When we consider God’s sending Jesus to be our Savior, we are reminded that “[His] thoughts are not [our] thoughts and [His] ways are not [our] ways” (Isaiah 55:8). The truth of the matter is that we have a difficult time with forgiveness. We are willing to be patient and forgive those we love, but…
It is real common for the Bible to use physical examples to illustrate spiritual realities. The subject of healing is one such example. As usual with all of these illustrations, many will apply them literally instead of spiritually. In the New Testament, we have examples of the deaf, blind, lame, demon-possessed, or lepers being healed….
There are many times when God promises to be with His people. In Genesis 28:15, God promises Jacob, who is fleeing from his brother Esau, that He will be with him wherever he goes. He tells Joshua to be “strong and courageous” and that He will be with him wherever he goes (Joshua 1:1-9). Numerous…
The words that we often hear for “father” is Abba, Ab, or Pater. They depict one of the tenderest descriptions that God has given Himself. It conveys the unwavering care and love that He has for us. The relationship also illustrates our response of simple child-like trust, God’s discipline, inheritance, and adoption. Not all of…
Hosea 1-4 is one text that illustrates God’s relationship with Israel through a marriage relationship. In these chapters, God uses His prophet Hosea to make a point to Israel by having Hosea marry Gomer, a prostitute. Hosea represents God, while Gomer represents the people of God. In these chapters, Hosea is led to show the…
God reveals His name as The Holy One of Israel. It reveals that He is set apart from our world of sin. No one in Israel—nor any of us—can come close to His perfection. He is pure, righteous, great, and greatly to be praised by all of His creation (Psalm 48:1). Two things about God…
Sheep are unique creatures that are very needy and dependent on a protector. A. B. Paterson offers a different view of sheep that we seldom emphasize when describing sheep. we often think of sheep as being innocent and even cuddly, the following quotation from A.B. Paterson provides a different aspect of them: He writes: People…
God is —a Consuming Fire, and His will is that we are consumed by Him or give all we have to Him. In the end, we will be consumed by Him, either in our destruction or in giving ourselves totally to Him—either way the selfish creature comes to an end. Though we have little to…