Carrying tablets engraved with God’s own handwriting, Moses descends from Mount Horeb and commands Israel to “remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exod. 20:8). Some denominations maintain that this commandment is still in effect. One church has even named itself after belief in the seventh day as the true day of Christian worship.…
“Progressive revelation” is the idea that God revealed more and more of himself as the scriptures were written. Noah, for example, was a righteous man (Gen. 6:8-9). But he couldn’t have quoted the Ten Commandments. They hadn’t been given yet. And Abraham was a righteous man (15:6). But he didn’t know the name of Jesus.…
Although Daniel procured government posts for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, their positions failed to protect them from the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonian king built a golden idol and commanded all his officials to worship it (Dan. 3:1-5). When these three friends refused to obey the edict, Nebuchadnezzar threatened them with death. Believing that the…
Muslims believe that Ishmael is the source of Islam, that Ishmael (and not Isaac) was sacrificed by Abraham, and that Adam built the Kaaba in Mecca, the destination of Muslim pilgrimage. What does the Bible say about these matters? The book of Genesis is naturally the most reliable record of the events in Abraham’s family.…
2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
As a child I loved the “Sesame Street” character Oscar the Grouch. This green muppet, whose housing preference is a garbage can, always lives up to his name. He complains about everything and resents all social contact. Oscar’s role is amusing because he is a caricature of people we actually know. We all have a…
The Old Testament speaks of arranged marriages. Gifts are given to the father of the bride. In Muslim culture if a man wants a wife, he goes to her parents and asks for her hand. The parents will ask for money or some other gift (a dowry/mar). It’s an ancient custom. Women sometimes don’t know…
Avid football fans always relish the coming of August. Friday night high school games, Saturday college games, and Sunday afternoon NFL games make for a perfect weekend (unless you don’t know a fumble from a touchdown and wish that your husband would pay more attention to HGTV or the Hallmark Channel). The most exciting contests…
In the beginning God created both man and woman in his own image (Gen. 1:26-27). Eve was Adam’s companion, lover, and equal. She was made from his rib. As many people have noted, Eve wasn’t taken from Adam’s skull. She isn’t to rule over him. She wasn’t taken from his foot. He isn’t to trample…
On September 12, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI delivered a lecture at the University of Regensburg in Germany. His speech outraged Muslims around the world. And why? The leader of the Roman Catholic Church quoted Manuel II Palaiologos (1350-1425), a Byzantine emperor who condemned “holy war,” charging that Muhammad spread his faith at sword point. The…