March 2, 2016 Year C Luke 13:18-21 Jesus shared two short parables in which He described how the kingdom of God would grow. First, He compares the growth of the kingdom to the growth of a mustard seed. The smallest of all seeds grows after it is planted and dies in the ground. It rises to be a large tree, where birds will nest in its branches. In this first comparison (Luke 13:18-19), the kingdom is very small. It grows... Read more
March 1, 2016 Year C Ezekiel 17:1-10 God has power over political leadership. The Bible makes this case very clear in a variety of places. Whether it is the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2, the words of Jesus before Pilate in John 18, or the appeal of Paul in his letter to the Church of Rome in Romans 13, the Bible makes the case that God is the one Who has power over political leadership. He lifts one up... Read more
Revelation 2:12-17 Keeping God’s Truth In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis says that doctrines are like maps. They are not the reality and may not be as exciting as reality, but they chart reality for us in a vital way. Just as studying a map of the shore of the Atlantic is not as exciting as walking along the Atlantic coast itself, so studying the doctrine of Atonement is not exactly the same as the experiencing the Cross itself. But... Read more
February 26, 2016 Year C Daniel 12:1-4 We live in a world which is ever closer to the return of Jesus Christ. In Daniel 12:1-4, we have three events that will happen at His return. These three events are just snapshots of the entire series of events that will take place when Jesus returns until the end of time. First, there comes a difficult time for the nation of Israel. Known elsewhere as the “Great Tribulation,” Israel will encounter the... Read more
Revelation 5:1-14 Seven Characteristics of Jesus Christ on the Throne In Revelation 1, we saw a picture of Jesus Christ as He appeared to John. This picture of Jesus was to show Him as someone who would encourage the church during the difficult times they would soon encounter. In Revelation 5, we see Jesus Christ as Someone Who would have power over the events that would “soon take place.” Revelation 5 provides us a powerful picture of Jesus on the... Read more
Revelation 4:1-11 The Seven Wonders of Worship in Heaven You may have heard of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The historian Herodotus (484 – ca. 425 BCE), and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca. 305 – 240 BCE) at the Museum ofAlexandria, made early lists of seven wonders. Their writings have not survived, except as references. The classic seven wonders were: Great Pyramid of Giza Hanging Gardens of Babylon Statue of Zeus at Olympia Temple of Artemis at... Read more
Rapture Ready – Reasons to Believe in the Rapture in Revelation Before we continue to Revelation 6, I wanted to pause and study a certain doctrine that is hinted in Revelation, impacts the events in Revelation, but is not directly referenced. It is the doctrine of the rapture. This is a controversial doctrine. Scholars are not in agreement on this issue. I want to share with you the top seven verses about the rapture, the difference between the rapture and... Read more
The Theology of the Book of Revelation by Richard Bauckham Introduction Most interpretations of revelation in contemporary churches are concerned with the chronology of the book of Revelation. While this has benefits it is not the best approach. First because that was not the manner in which revelation was written. Revelation was not written with times and dates said in the text. Many of the Old Testament prophets were given a time oriented prophecy and somewhat given events to describe.... Read more
February 22, 2016 Deuteronomy 1:39 The children who grew up knowing God‘s deliverance from Egypt were young. They were so young that they did not know good from evil. Implied in this statement is the idea that at the beginning of life, we are born with the lack of knowledge between good and evil. Good and evil must be taught. At some point, a person recognizes evil for what it is and chooses it. No one ever exempts themselves from... Read more
February 22, 2016 Year C Exodus 33:1-6 God will still deliver on His promises, even if we act arrogant. Yet, that doesn’t mean He likes it. He can show His disapproval by delivering on His promise, but doing it by proxy. God has delivered the Israelites out of the hands of the Egyptians (He attributes the work to Moses) (Exodus 33:1). He has taken them on a journey and provided them every step of the way. All the while, the... Read more
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