It is inspiring to see the power of God displayed throughout creation. The mountains, the stars, the storms, all declare His glory. And it is comforting to see God’s righteousness in His actions. He wields His power justly and rightly, according to His character. As He imparts His righteousness on us, His power sustains us.
Lord, You alone are worthy to be praised. From near to far, Your creation displays Your glory and praises Your name. Your hands alone have to power to create. You create and govern with goodness, with justice, and with righteousness, because that is Who You are. I praise You for revealing Your glory and Your goodness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Hate The term “hate” can be misleading. When used in a hate crime law, the word “hate” does not mean rage, anger, or general dislike. In this context “hate” means bias against people or groups with specific characteristics that are defined by the law.
At the federal level, hate crime laws include crimes committed on the basis of the victim’s perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.
Most state hate crime laws include crimes committed on the basis of race, color, and religion; many also include crimes committed on the basis of sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability.
Crime The “crime” in hate crime is often a violent crime, such as assault, murder, arson, vandalism, or threats to commit such crimes. It may also cover conspiring or asking another person to commit such crimes, even if the crime was never carried out.
Under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, people cannot be prosecuted simply for their beliefs. People may be offended or upset about beliefs that are untrue or based upon false stereotypes, but it is not a crime to express offensive beliefs, or to join with others who share such views. However, the First Amendment does not protect against committing a crime, just because the conduct is rooted in philosophical beliefs.
Why have hate crime laws? Hate crimes have a broader effect than most other kinds of crime. Hate crime victims include not only the crime’s immediate target but also others like them. Hate crimes affect families, communities, and at times, the entire nation.
Why report hate crimes? The Hate Crimes Reporting Gap is the significant disparity between hate crimes that actually occur and those reported to law enforcement. It is critical to report hate crimes not only to show support and get help for victims, but also to send a clear message that the community will not tolerate these kinds of crimes. Reporting hate crimes allows communities and law enforcement to fully understand the scope of the problem in a community and put resources toward preventing and addressing attacks based on bias and hate.
Experts estimate an average of 250,000 hate crimes were committed each year between 2004 and 2015 in the United States. The majority of these were not reported to law enforcement.
Terminology Hate Crime: At the federal level, a crime motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.
Bias or Hate Incident: Acts of prejudice that are not crimes and do not involve violence, threats, or property damage.
Cling to Jesus as a branch to a vine. Engrave God’s word on the tablet of your heart. We’ve been given a great treasure, the knowledge of God and His saving grace. And it is something that is worth holding on to and protecting. And God gives us His Spirit, to guard our knowledge by His wisdom so that we do not lose hold of what we’ve been given.
Lord, thank You for opening my eyes to the truth of Your grace. Please fill me with Your Spirit, so that Your wisdom may never depart from me. May Your truth grow deep roots within my heart, and may you open my eyes and mind to be always discerning and watchful for the temptations and lies that would try to steal Your truth away from me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. Matthew 7:5
When we are quick to judge others, we often find that a moment of self-examination is in order. It’s not that we should remain silent when a loved one is caught in sin. But we must be sure that our own shortcomings do not prevent us from offering sincere and beneficial help. When we are blinded by our own sin, we risk inflicting more harm on those we wish to help.
Dear Father, thank You for Your deep well of forgiveness. Please search my heart and reveal any sins to confess even as I prepare to intervene in my loved one’s situation. Cleanse me by Your righteousness and fill me with Your grace so that I may see with wisdom and truth, and act with love and mercy toward others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Having faith in God is complicated: in happy, positive times, it is easy to forget that God carried you along the way, and in difficult times it is easy to blame Him. I have looked at my faith from a narcissistic lense too often, desiring a reward for being faithful to God. I forget that faith is the reward. Believing in the Lord is what gives me peace and joy, hope and power. In happy times or times of any trouble, we are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1: 3-4). Let us rejoice in His holy name!
Holy, holy, holy Lord. God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. The hope I feel for the future with you knows no bounds, my Lord, and I aim to please you with every moment of my life. Forgive me for my transgressions and doubts, but I pray to you with a resolve that I did not feel before. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Today in the Word logo FULL ISSUE • RESOURCES • GIVE Fear of the Lord John’s Fear of the Lord Sunday, April 28 | Revelation 1:9–18 On the Go? Listen Now!
Fear of the Lord is an important part of worship in the book of Revelation: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water” (14:7). “Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (15:4).
This truth is seen and the tone set at the very start of the book, in John’s vision of the risen Christ. When he saw Him, he “fell at his feet as though dead” (v. 17). A mere man like John should feel overwhelmed upon seeing a vision of the incarnate and glorified Christ. Awe, reverence, and a sense of God’s greatness literally knocked him out!
What did John see (vv. 12–16)? Christ appeared “like a son of man,” a Messianic allusion (Dan. 7:13) and Jesus’s favorite name for Himself in the synoptic Gospels. His robe with a golden sash indicates His role as both priest and judge as well as His kingly status. His white hair signifies wisdom, dignity, and eternality. His eyes of blazing fire represent penetrating insight and omniscience. His feet of glowing bronze symbolize victorious strength. The two-edged sword in His mouth is the Word of God (Heb. 4:12). His face shining like the sun suggests God’s glory.
Christ placed His hand on John and reassured him, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (vv. 17–18). How incredibly comforting! The eternal Lord of the universe has won the victory and is on our side.
Go Deeper John experienced his vision on the Lord’s Day, that is, Sunday (v. 10). In what ways have you experienced the fear of the Lord during your church’s Sunday worship services?
Pray with Us: Dear Jesus, You told John, “Do not be afraid” (Rev. 1:17). What comforting words! We praise You for Your victory over death, for bringing us freedom from sin, for taking away worldly fear, and giving us godly fear. Bless Your holy name!
🇮🇱🙏⛪🇮🇱🙏⛪🙏🇮🇱🙏⛪🇮🇱🙏 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. Proverbs 3:19
How can we begin to measure the mind of God? Even as scientists learn, piece by piece, how the universe and the earth work, we realize the complexity and order of creation. We realize how little we know, despite how much we’ve learned. And none of it is an accident. Each process, each atom, each scientific principle, has been laid down by our Creator to display His glory and power.
God, my words cannot describe how awesome You are. As I look into the heavens, I marvel at Your vast power. And as I meditate on the makeup of the earth, and all of the plants, animals, chemicals, and processes that form our complex ecosystem, I appreciate Your infinite wisdom even more. You are wise, powerful, and magnificent indeed! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jesus gave us the most important commandments that we are to live out in our lives as Christians. The first one: We are to love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds. The second one being that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. It should be no surprise that the greatest commandments of all have to do with love. Everything that is to do with God is all about love. God created us out of love and He redeemed us out of love. We are where we are, as His children, because of the love of God.
You cannot be a child of God if you do not have the love of God in your heart. But the love of God is not just about saying that you have it. It has to be evident in your thoughts, beliefs, and actions. You may not have it all figured out but you will learn as you go. This is why we have the Bible – it helps us grow in the knowledge of God and what His love really means. We express our love for God through communicating with Him regularly, studying His word, and obeying His commands.
We also express our love for God through loving people. There is no way you can claim to love God if you harbor resentment and hatred against people. It can be hard to let go of the hurtful things that people have done to us, but forgiveness sets us free. Forgiveness is a godly action because we are emulating what God did for us. God is more than capable of healing our brokenness and helping us find the strength to forgive those who have wronged us.
Part of being a Christian is humbling ourselves and realizing that without God, our lives truly mean nothing. We are to acknowledge that we have made a conscious choice to turn away from the bad deeds and sinful habits, and we have turned to the holy life God has presented before us. God had to forgive us of our sins first in order for us to be qualified to live this life. We are to never forget of this great forgiveness that God promised the children of Israel all those years ago. Repent from all evil ways, and choose to be transformed by the love of God and His Word.
Father, I humbly present myself as one who has chosen to turn away from their sinful ways. It is a choice I made when I chose to follow you and Lord, it is a choice I intend to abide in. Father, help me to walk in a way that is worthy of this calling. Thank you for your patience, O Lord, and for never going back on your promises. Were it not for your forgiveness, O Father, I don’t know where I would be. I humble myself before you, O Lord, and pray that I abide in you and nothing else. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out?
I walk out in support of Israel! Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, the Red Sea to the south, Egypt to the southwest, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, and the Palestinian territories – the West Bank along the east and the Gaza Strip along the southwest. Tel Aviv is the financial, economic, and technological center of the country, while its seat of government is in its proclaimed capital of Jerusalem, although Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem is unrecognized internationally.
God’s word is a precious resource for us- but only if we use it. Scripture is a firm foundation for all areas of life- family, work, and community. When we try to build these things up without the wisdom of God’s word, we are vulnerable to the shifting sands and shaky ground of human thinking and feeling. Only God’s word provides a sure foundation for our lives.
Father, thank You for the gift of Your word. I pray that as I read and study, You would give me wisdom to not only understand Your word but to apply it. Show me how I can use Your instructions and insights in all areas of my life so that when storms arise around me, I may remain firm in Your truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Share Share Tweet Tweet Forward Forward Today With Allen Jackson Daily Devotional Authority In the Cross Romans 6:6 (NIV®) We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
We are hardwired toward ungodliness. Have you noticed? We don’t need classes on how to be selfish, stubborn, or impatient. We’re just naturally good at those things! This verse, however, has great news: We have been given authority over our carnal nature. But many of us seem to be unaware of the authority that has been given to us. We think whatever authority we have is derived from the correctness of our doctrine, the group to which we belong, or the sign on the building where we gather. Our authority is much greater than any of those things because it is anchored in the redemptive work of Jesus of Nazareth. When you are faced with your carnal nature—and you will be—remind yourself that you are no longer a slave to sin because your old self was crucified with Jesus. That’s an amazing promise!
THINK ABOUT IT We are born with carnal, selfish minds. But God gave us a way to overcome our selfish nature through our faith in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the power of His Holy Spirit.
PRAYER Heavenly Father, I rest in the authority You have given me through Your Son, Jesus of Nazareth, and His death and resurrection. I place my ungodliness at the foot of the cross and remind myself that I am no longer a slave to my carnal nature. Thank You for Your faithfulness to me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why? Sometimes, we needlessly complicate our faith, and that can quickly put us on the wrong path. Fad teachings and new doctrines seem to emerge every day, but we already have God’s word and we already have the Lord’s Supper. We need not reinvent our faith with extraneous rituals, they only lead to polluted doctrine. Instead, let us hold to the simple gatherings and foundational truth that we have already been given.
Lord, thank You for revealing Yourself to me in Your word, and thank You for the simple communion that I share with my fellow believers. Please work in these things to build me up, so that I may be satisfied in You. Give me the wisdom to discern unsound doctrine, so that I may remain steadfast in Your truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The fall of Man was a terrible time. Not only had man disobeyed God, but they had lost the freedom, peace and comfort in having a relationship with God. Once they made the mistake and discovered they were naked, Adam and Eve ran to hide when God came to look for them. They hid because they were ashamed – they were ashamed of what they had done. Despite the fact that God was looking for them, Adam and Eve felt that they couldn’t face Him. Not after what they had done.
That is what sin does to us. It makes us feel as if we cannot commune with God. When we make mistakes, the devil tries to take advantage of them and make us feel like we are less than who we actually are. The devil is bent on causing a divide between us and God. He will go at any length to do so. When we slip up and disobey God, the devil jumps in, ready to condemn us and make us feel like we are unworthy. If we are not knowledgeable of God’s love and His everlasting mercy, we will end up falling for the enemy’s trickery. The moment the enemy manages to make us feel less, he will keep on beating us down until we believe it.
God doesn’t want us to see ourselves in that light. There is nothing we will gain from beating ourselves up. God doesn’t delight in seeing it. That is not what He desires for our lives. When we make mistakes, we need to realize that God has forgiven us. This does not mean we deliberately repeat the offense. No. It simply means that we should focus our eyes back on Christ, and keep on moving forward. Guilt is not from God and neither is condemnation.
It takes wisdom to understand the importance of keeping peace with everyone in your life. Only a fool will take delight in starting quarrels and stirring up dissension among people. There is nothing to benefit from strife; all it brings is pain, discomfort, and sorrow. Why would one want to live like that? When you have godly wisdom, you will know when to confront and when to draw back. Godly wisdom will also help you confront a person in a respectful, yet firm, manner. You do not need to insult a person in order to get your point across – that is foolishness. We often find it necessary to insult people we think are below us – call center assistants, customer service, waiters, employees, etc. Every heart matters and the words you speak will either break or build a heart. Wisdom will guide you in speaking effectively without causing strife with another person.
Dear God, it can become hard to think clearly when I am caught in tense situations. Father, I pray that if I am ever caught in a tough situation, may I think clearly, guided by your wisdom, and not by my emotions or my feelings. May I always have it in my heart to want to be at peace with everyone; and may you help me live this out. I cannot do it on my own power. I know that maintaining peace with my neighbors is attainable, through you, O Lord. May you guide me accordingly, with your wisdom at the front of my mind. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. Psalm 142:7
Sin takes many forms. Pride, greed, lust, envy, and more. But all sin leads to bondage. All sin imprisons us. And even as Christians, our enemy continues to set traps of temptation for us, hoping to bind us once again. And every time, it is God who breaks us free, on our day of salvation, and each time we stumble. And when He rescues us, His glory is revealed when others see us living liberated lives.
Lord God, thank You for saving me and rescuing me from my bondage to sin. Sometimes, I stumble or wander back into those familiar chains. Please break me free once again and guard my heart and life. Surround me with Your righteous ones, so that I may be better defended against the enemy as I move forward proclaiming the goodness of Your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Growing up, the Bible was in my bedroom but seldom opened. I believed in Jesus and cannot remember a time I felt as if God didn’t exist. God just was. However, I did not follow Him as Lord and Savior growing up. In God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness to me, that changed over time. Far from being a God who “just was,” I discovered that he is “the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come” (Revelation 1:8).
As different opportunities arose, I heard more of God’s Word through circumstances, through other believers, through music, and for myself as I started to open up the Bible and engage with it more. What I found was a book that was the very word of God, which is “alive and active… sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Here are a selection of verses that have shaped my walk as a follower of Jesus. May they bless you as much as they have encouraged and sustained me.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9
What does it take to be a peacemaker? It takes a child of God, one who reflects His image and character. For it is only through the unconditional love of God that we can know peace. And when we live in that love and pass it on to others, without judgment and condemnation, we invite others to experience His peace.
Father, thank You for the peace that You have given me by saving me and making me Your child. Lord, help me to see others as Your children, and to overflow with Your love, so that through me they may see Your peace at work in my life. Use me to draw others into Your love and into Your peace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Teaching American History
EXPAND TIMELINE “The Bible,” from Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gersham Machen December 31, 1923 EDITED AND INTRODUCED BY SARAH MORGAN SMITH, ELLEN DEITZ TUCKER, DAVID TUCKER
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Religion in American History and Political
STUDY QUESTIONS What does Machen mean by the inerrancy of the Bible? Why is it important to him? How does Machen’s view of inerrancy differ from Fosdick’s? Introduction J. Gresham Machen (1881–1937) was the last of a long line of Presbyterian theologians at Princeton who thought of themselves as upholding the traditional teachings of the denomination. In chapter four of Christianity and Liberalism (printed here almost in its entirety), Machen asserted that the Bible as both God’s revelation and as inerrant was essential to Christianity. He contrasted this view with the view of religious liberals (e.g. Harry Emerson Fosdick, see document 19), who he argued placed human experience at the center of religion. In noting that nature was part of God’s revelation, Machen echoes a traditional view, which we have encountered in detail in Palmer, “Baconianism and the Bible”(see document 11). Writing several decades after Palmer, however, in a world of increased secularism and scientific influence (see documents 14 and 16), Machen felt the need to argue for the authority of the Bible, an authority Palmer could take for granted. The writings of Machen, Fosdick, and Dixon included in this collection were part of the modernist-fundamentalist controversy of the first decades of the twentieth century. In large measure, that controversy still defines America’s religious world and influences our politics.
—Sarah Morgan Smith, Ellen Deitz Tucker, David Tucker Chapter 4: “The Bible” Modern liberalism, it has been observed so far, has lost sight of the two great presuppositions of the Christian message—the living God, and the fact of sin. The liberal doctrine of God and the liberal doctrine of man are both diametrically opposite to the Christian view. But the divergence concerns not only the presuppositions of the message, but also the message itself.
The Christian message has come to us through the Bible. What shall we think about this Book in which the message is contained?
According to the Christian view, the Bible contains an account of a revelation from God to man, which is found nowhere else. It is true, the Bible also contains a confirmation and a wonderful enrichment of the revelations which are given also by the things that God has made and by the conscience of man. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork”1—these words are a confirmation of the revelation of God in nature; “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”2—these words are a confirmation of what is attested by the conscience. But in addition to such reaffirmations of what might conceivably be learned elsewhere—as a matter of fact, because of men’s blindness, even so much is learned elsewhere only in comparatively obscure fashion—the Bible also contains an account of a revelation which is absolutely new. That new revelation concerns the way by which sinful man can come into communion with the living God.
The way was opened, according to the Bible, by an act of God, when, almost nineteen hundred years ago, outside the walls of Jerusalem, the eternal Son was offered as a sacrifice for the sins of men. To that one great event the whole Old Testament looks forward, and in that one event the whole of the New Testament finds its center and core. Salvation then, according to the Bible, is not something that was discovered, but something that happened. Hence appears the uniqueness of the Bible. All the ideas of Christianity might be discovered in some other religion, yet there would be in that other religion no Christianity. For Christianity depends, not upon a complex of ideas, but upon the narration of an event. Without that event, the world, in the Christian view, is altogether dark, and humanity is lost under the guilt of sin. There can be no salvation by the discovery of eternal truth, for eternal truth brings naught but despair, because of sin. But a new face has been put upon life by the blessed thing that God did when He offered up His only begotten Son.
An objection is sometimes offered against this view of the contents of the Bible. Must we, it is said, depend upon what happened so long ago? Does salvation wait upon the examination of musty records? Is the trained student of Palestinian history the modern priest without whose gracious intervention no one can see God? Can we not find, instead, a salvation that is independent of history, a salvation that depends only on what is with us here and now?
The objection is not devoid of weight. But it ignores one of the primary evidences for the truth of the gospel record. That evidence is found in Christian experience. Salvation does depend upon what happened long ago, but the event of long ago has effects that continue until today. We are told in the New Testament that Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of those who should believe on Him. That is a record of a past event. But we can make trial of it today, and making trial of it we find it to be true. We are told in the New Testament that on a certain morning long ago Jesus rose from the dead. That again is a record of a past event. But again we can make trial of it, and making trial of it we discover that Jesus is truly a living Savior today.
But at this point a fatal error lies in wait. It is one of the root errors of modern liberalism. Christian experience, we have just said, is useful as confirming the gospel message. But because it is necessary, many men have jumped to the conclusion that it is all that is necessary. Having a present experience of Christ in the heart, may we not, it is said, hold that experience no matter what history may tell us as to the events of the first Easter morning? May we not make ourselves altogether independent of the results of Biblical criticism? No matter what sort of man history may tell us Jesus of Nazareth actually was, no matter what history may say about the real meaning of His death or about the story of His alleged resurrection, may we not continue to experience the presence of Christ in our souls?
The trouble is that the experience thus maintained is not Christian experience. Religious experience it may be, but Christian experience it certainly is not. For Christian experience depends absolutely upon an event. The Christian says to himself: “I have meditated upon the problem of becoming right with God, I have tried to produce a righteousness that will stand in His sight; but when I heard the gospel message I learned that what I had weakly striven to accomplish had been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ when He died for me on the Cross and completed His redeeming work by the glorious resurrection. If the thing has not yet been done, if I merely have an idea of its accomplishment, then I am of all men most miserable, for I am still in my sins. My Christian life, then, depends altogether upon the truth of the New Testament record.”
Christian experience is rightly used when it confirms the documentary evidence. But it can never possibly provide a substitute for the documentary evidence. We know that the gospel story is true partly because of the early date of the documents in which it appears, the evidence as to their authorship, the internal evidence of their truth, the impossibility of explaining them as being based upon deception or upon myth. This evidence is gloriously confirmed by present experience, which adds to the documentary evidence that wonderful directness and immediacy of conviction which delivers us from fear. Christian experience is rightly used when it helps to convince us that the events narrated in the New Testament actually did occur; but it can never enable us to be Christians whether the events occurred or not. It is a fair flower, and should be prized as a gift of God. But cut it from its root in the blessed Book, and it soon withers away and dies.
Thus the revelation of which an account is contained in the Bible embraces not only a reaffirmation of eternal truths—itself necessary because the truths have been obscured by the blinding effect of sin—but also a revelation which sets forth the meaning of an act of God.
The contents of the Bible, then, are unique. But another fact about the Bible is also important. The Bible might contain an account of a true revelation from God, and yet the account be full of error. Before the full authority of the Bible can be established, therefore, it is necessary to add to the Christian doctrine of revelation the Christian doctrine of inspiration. The latter doctrine means that the Bible not only is an account of important things, but that the account itself is true, the writers having been so preserved from error, despite a full maintenance of their habits of thought and expression, that the resulting Book is the “infallible rule of faith and practice.”3
This doctrine of “plenary inspiration”4 has been made the subject of persistent misrepresentation.…
As a matter of fact, the doctrine of plenary inspiration does not deny the individuality of the Biblical writers; it does not ignore their use of ordinary means for acquiring information; it does not involve any lack of interest in the historical situations which gave rise to the Biblical books. What it does deny is the presence of error in the Bible. It supposes that the Holy Spirit so informed the minds of the Biblical writers that they were kept from falling into the errors that mar all other books. The Bible might contain an account of a genuine revelation of God, and yet not contain a true account. But according to the doctrine of inspiration, the account is as a matter of fact a true account; the Bible is an “infallible rule of faith and practice.”
Certainly that is a stupendous claim, and it is no wonder that it has been attacked. But the trouble is that the attack is not always fair. If the liberal preacher objected to the doctrine of plenary inspiration on the ground that as a matter of fact there are errors in the Bible, he might be right and he might be wrong, but at any rate the discussion would be conducted on the proper ground. But too often the preacher desires to avoid the delicate question of errors in the Bible—a question which might give offence to the rank and file—and prefers to speak merely against “mechanical” theories of inspiration, the theory of “dictation,” the “superstitious use of the Bible as a talisman,” or the like. It all sounds to the plain man as though it were very harmless. Does not the liberal preacher say that the Bible is “divine”—indeed that it is the more divine because it is the more human? What could be more edifying than that? But of course such appearances are deceptive. A Bible that is full of error is certainly divine in the modern pantheizing sense of “divine,” according to which God is just another name for the course of the world with all its imperfections and all its sin. But the God whom the Christian worships is a God of truth.
It must be admitted that there are many Christians who do not accept the doctrine of plenary inspiration. That doctrine is denied not only by liberal opponents of Christianity, but also by many true Christian men. There are many Christian men in the modern Church who find in the origin of Christianity no mere product of evolution but a real entrance of the creative power of God, who depend for their salvation, not at all upon their own efforts to lead the Christ life, but upon the atoning blood of Christ—there are many men in the modern Church who thus accept the central message of the Bible and yet believe that the message has come to us merely on the authority of trustworthy witnesses unaided in their literary work by any supernatural guidance of the Spirit of God. There are many who believe that the Bible is right at the central point, in its account of the redeeming work of Christ, and yet believe that it contains many errors. Such men are not really liberals, but Christians; because they have accepted as true the message upon which Christianity depends. A great gulf separates them from those who reject the supernatural act of God with which Christianity stands or falls.
It is another question, however, whether the mediating view of the Bible which is thus maintained is logically tenable, the trouble being that our Lord Himself seems to have held the high view of the Bible which is here being rejected. Certainly it is another question—and a question which the present writer would answer with an emphatic negative—whether the panic about the Bible,5 which gives rise to such concessions, is at all justified by the facts. If the Christian make full use of his Christian privileges, he finds the seat of authority in the whole Bible, which he regards as no mere word of man but as the very Word of God.
Very different is the view of modern liberalism. The modern liberal rejects not only the doctrine of plenary inspiration, but even such respect for the Bible as would be proper over against any ordinarily trustworthy book. But what is substituted for the Christian view of the Bible? What is the liberal view as to the seat of authority in religion?
The impression is sometimes produced that the modern liberal substitutes for the authority of the Bible the authority of Christ. He cannot accept, he says, what he regards as the perverse moral teaching of the Old Testament or the sophistical arguments of Paul. But he regards himself as being the true Christian because, rejecting the rest of the Bible, he depends upon Jesus alone.
This impression, however, is utterly false. The modern liberal does not really hold to the authority of Jesus. Even if he did so, indeed, he would still be impoverishing greatly his knowledge of God and of the way of salvation. The words of Jesus, spoken during His earthly ministry, could hardly contain all that we need to know about God and about the way of salvation; for the meaning of Jesus’ redeeming work could hardly be fully set forth before that work was done. It could be set forth indeed by way of prophecy, and as a matter of fact it was so set forth by Jesus even in the days of His flesh. But the full explanation could naturally be given only after the work was done. And such was actually the divine method. It is doing despite,6 not only to the Spirit of God, but also to Jesus Himself, to regard the teaching of the Holy Spirit, given through the apostles, as at all inferior in authority to the teaching of Jesus.
As a matter of fact, however, the modern liberal does not hold fast even to the authority of Jesus. Certainly he does not accept the words of Jesus as they are recorded in the Gospels. For among the recorded words of Jesus are to be found just those things which are most abhorrent to the modern liberal Church, and in His recorded words Jesus also points forward to the fuller revelation which was afterwards to be given through His apostles. Evidently, therefore, those words of Jesus which are to be regarded as authoritative by modern liberalism must first be selected from the mass of the recorded words by a critical process. The critical process is certainly very difficult, and the suspicion often arises that the critic is retaining as genuine words of the historical Jesus only those words which conform to his own preconceived ideas. But even after the sifting process has been completed, the liberal scholar is still unable to accept as authoritative all the sayings of Jesus; he must finally admit that even the “historical” Jesus as reconstructed by modern historians said some things that are untrue.
So much is usually admitted. But, it is maintained, although not everything that Jesus said is true, His central “life-purpose” is still to be regarded as regulative for the Church. But what then was the life-purpose of Jesus? According to the shortest, and if modern criticism be accepted the earliest of the Gospels, the Son of Man “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Here the vicarious death is put as the “life-purpose” of Jesus. Such an utterance must of course be pushed aside by the modern liberal Church. The truth is that the life-purpose of Jesus discovered by modern liberalism is not the life purpose of the real Jesus, but merely represents those elements in the teaching of Jesus—isolated and misinterpreted—which happen to agree with the modern program. It is not Jesus, then, who is the real authority, but the modern principle by which the selection within Jesus’ recorded teaching has been made. Certain isolated ethical principles of the Sermon on the Mount are accepted, not at all because they are teachings of Jesus, but because they agree with modern ideas.
It is not true at all, then, that modern liberalism is based upon the authority of Jesus. It is obliged to reject a vast deal that is absolutely essential in Jesus’ example and teaching—notably His consciousness of being the heavenly Messiah. The real authority, for liberalism, can only be “the Christian consciousness” or “Christian experience.” But how shall the findings of the Christian consciousness be established? Surely not by a majority vote of the organized Church. Such a method would obviously do away with all liberty of conscience. The only authority, then, can be individual experience; truth can only be that which “helps” the individual man. Such an authority is obviously no authority at all; for individual experience is endlessly diverse, and when once truth is regarded only as that which works at any particular time, it ceases to be truth. The result is an abysmal skepticism.
The Christian man, on the other hand, finds in the Bible the very Word of God. Let it not be said that dependence upon a book is a dead or an artificial thing. The Reformation of the sixteenth century was founded upon the authority of the Bible, yet it set the world aflame. Dependence upon a word of man would be slavish, but dependence upon God’s word is life. Dark and gloomy would be the world, if we were left to our own devices and had no blessed Word of God. The Bible, to the Christian is not a burdensome law, but the very Magna Charta of Christian liberty.
It is no wonder, then, that liberalism is totally different from Christianity, for the foundation is different. Christianity is founded upon the Bible. It bases upon the Bible both its thinking and its life. Liberalism on the other hand is founded upon the shifting emotions of sinful men.
FOOTNOTES 1. Psalm 9:1 2. Romans 3:23 3. This is probably a reference to Machen’s predecessor at Princeton, A. A. Hodge (1823–1886). Chapter three of Hodge’s Outlines of Theology (1860) is “The Rule of Faith and Practice,” which argues that “the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, having been given by inspiration of god, are the all-sufficient and only rule of faith and practice, and judge of controversies.” Hodge spends much of the chapter criticizing the “Romish” or Roman Catholic approach to the Bible. 4. Machen defines this term in the next paragraph. 5. Machen referred here to what some saw as attacks on the authority of the Bible because of the claims of modern science and the results of the “higher criticism” that subjected the Bible to philological and historical analysis. 6. giving insult or treating contemptuously PRIOR The Bible
Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.
If you’ve ever visited an art museum, you know that some pieces are so expertly made that they make you stop and think. They invite you to consider the artist’s mind, passion, and purpose as you take in the intricacies of the finished work. God’s creation, from vast galaxies to delicate flowers, instills the same wonder in all who seek to know Him.
God, You are magnificent and awesome. As I look at the beauty of creation around me, I am overwhelmed by the power of Your hands and the creativity of Your mind. You’ve built beauty and grandeur into everything that You have made, and seeing Your work makes me want to know You even more. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Marriage is meant to be one of the earthly representations of love. When a man and woman decide to come together as one, as one unit, one flesh, one family, and they decide to take on the world together. The best marriages are the marriages that are rooted in the love of God. Couples who choose to make Christ the center of their relationship make the journey slightly easier for themselves. Marriage is an illustration of God’s relationship with the church – we are the church.
Patience and forgiveness are major parts of marriage. Without them, no marriage is able to survive. You need to understand that there will be times where your spouse will disappoint you and you will disappoint your spouse. You will discover things about each other that will require a lot of adjusting. There are times where you will share opposing points-of-view. Instead of burning the house down with words of anger, you will have to work out your issues in love. Love is more than a feeling. It is more than the butterflies or sweet sensations you experience in your stomach. Love is a choice. Every day, you make the decision to love you partner and work with them as a team.
Love means that you are well aware of your partner’s flaws and shortcomings but you choose to see the better parts of them. Marriage is a joint effort at becoming better people. You challenge each other. You cheer each other one. When one of you is down, the other one pulls them up and vice-versa. Marriage is not 50/50. It is not about splitting the effort in half. Marriage is 100/100 – you both have to be all in all the time.
Prayers: We can’t walk out of our marriage because You said what You put together may no man take apart! I thank You for being here with us both and every marriage You have put together in Jesus name Amen
Famous People You May Not Know- Chief Massasoit Massasoit was born in a Pokanoket village at the site of today’s Rhode Island. His village was near a spring of water which is named after him. He was liked by seven leaders. In March 1621, a Native American named Samoset entered Plymouth Colony and said to the Pilgrims in English, “Welcome Englishmen”. He had learned some words from the English fishermen and traders that had visited his tribe. He said he was sent by Massasoit, “the greatest leader of the country.” After a few days, Massasoit came in person and was received with great friendship. Massasoit’s people had been seriously weakened by a series of epidemics and were vulnerable to attacks by the Narragansetts, and he formed an alliance with the colonists at Plymouth Colony for defense against them. It was through his assistance that the Plymouth Colony avoided starvation during the early years. When the Pilgrims decided to celebrate a bountiful harvest of Thanksgiving, Massasoit was invited and brought 90 warriors as guests. For the Thanksgiving feast, they pounded the dried ears of corn into a dish they called nasaump, and prepared a stewed pumpkin porridge called pompion.
How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?
I Trusted God! A Focus on Freedom Hebrews 2:14-15 (NIV®) He too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Wouldn’t you like to have a friend who is powerful enough to free you from the Devil’s strongholds in your life? None of your earthly friends will ever be able to do that, but that is exactly why Jesus left Heaven and came to Earth. Sometimes, it’s easier to be focused on the things that can beset us rather than on the One who sets us free. It’s not helpful to live in fear or spend time wringing our hands over what might happen. Jesus came and died for us so that we don’t have to be afraid of illness, evil, or a shaky economy. I’m not saying we will never encounter sickness, hardships, and challenges—because we will. But Jesus invites us to trust Him for deliverance from anything that could hold us captive. He invites us to be spiritually whole and live in the light of His freedom.
THINK ABOUT IT Jesus paid the price for our redemption and freedom on the cross. His work is perfect and complete. All we need to do is humbly release ourselves from what diminishes us and receive and walk in His finished work.
PRAYER Heavenly Father, I yield to You without reservation. Through the cross of Jesus, I have experienced forgiveness, freedom, and deliverance. Set me free from anything that separates me from Your best. I turn away from ungodliness and embrace the truth. In His name, Amen.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. John 16:7
Do you ever think that being a Christian would be easier if Jesus were living among us, the way He did with His disciples? Well, not according to Jesus. Why? Because after Jesus, came the sustaining and transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus walks as God with us, the Holy Spirit comes to us and God in us. Instead of just witnessing the power of God, we have the blessed joy of living in that power as He works through us.
Thank You, Lord, for the saving grace that You imparted on me through Jesus. And thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Help me to know more of Your power, so that the Spirit may do great things in my life for the glory of Your name and the sake of Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The way we love God is reflected in the way we love the people around us. The Christian life is not a life of selfishness or pickiness, where we choose to stick to ourselves or hang around select people of our liking. There is no room for excluding people when it comes to walking in the love of God. The same way God’s arms were wide open for us when we were sinners, is the same way we are to have our arms stretched out wide open to the people around us. The love of God knows no boundaries when it comes to reaching out to people.
The love of God isn’t for a certain group of people. It is for anyone and everyone and the only way God’s love can reach other people is through us. We are God’s representatives on earth and He expects us to do what He would have done.
When Jesus came to the earth He looked down upon no one. He entertained everyone and accommodated them as best as they can. Even though He had many disputes with the Pharisees over their self-righteousness, Jesus never closed them out. He was open to talk to Nicodemus (John 3:1-21), who was a Pharisee. Jesus still spoke to him, counselled him, and taught him about the Way.
The love of God should move us to overlook all offences in order to minister to other people. This is no easy feat but this is why God is with us. This is why the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to love people past the offense they may have caused us.
Loving the people around us is not an option, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. It is a commandment.
God is Love. You cannot claim to be of God if you refuse to love the people around you. The love of God overrides all prejudice and forms of exclusion.
God doesn’t expect us to stand on the outside, looking in. He expects us to go in, full speed ahead, loving on anyone we can so that they know that there is a God out here who cares about them deeply.
As children of God, it is our duty to exhibit God’s love through our words and actions. If we fail to do so, how do we expect to lead more people to Christ?
You cannot reach out to people without the love of God. It is the love of God that compels us to reach out to people to glorify Him, Who loves us.
Something major is going down at the Supreme Court right now. It’s moving lightning fast, and we face looming deadlines.
A federal appeals court overturned Biden’s massive expansion of the abortion pill. This drug kills more babies than any other method of abortion.
Biden and the abortion industry rushed to appeal, and the Supreme Court just heard oral argument last week. We filed several briefs in the case representing pro-life groups. Now we just filed a vital brief in another Supreme Court case – our third filing this term – where the abortion industry is trying to shut down pro-life centers. And we’re taking further legal action later this week.
The abortion giant is reeling. But as we battle the limitless taxpayer-funded resources of Biden and Planned Parenthood at the Supreme Court, we need you.
When the Roman Empire collapsed, Western Europe was cast into darkness. But in the midst of chaos, Christianity provided hope and became the foundation upon which civilization was rebuilt. Join Professor of History Kenneth Calvert in an exploration of how Christianity forever changed the world in our newest free course, “Ancient Christianity.”
Jesus saves calls us to love our neighbors. But we can’t be ambassadors of love if we think, speak, and act with hatred. Deceit, envy, and slander all cast us in opposition to others because they focus our minds on our own self-interests. We must seek the Spirit to overcome the attitudes that lead to judgment and resentment, so that we may exemplify God’s love to those around us.
Lord, thank You for the love that You poured out on me even though I don’t deserve it. Please fill me with Your love so that I may love my neighbors fully and freely, the way that You love me. Rid my heart and mind of all bitterness and jealousy, and give me new eyes to see others instead through Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
He Will Strengthen Us!
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. Psalms 31:24
When we look at the world around us, it can become very easy to become discouraged by what we see. The amount of hatred that runs deep in the hearts of many people, and the constant agony that we see across the world is enough to make a person question life. But as Christians, we don’t need to question life.
We know that all things relating to doom, death and destruction are of the enemy. We know that all things good come from God and he has commissioned us to go into the world and release this good to all mankind. The ultimate good being the gift of salvation.
Preaching the gospel will come with consequences. People will try to discourage us. We will be threatened. People will abandon us. There will be moments where it will feel as if the entire world is against us. But we have to choose to hold on to God and to praise him regardless of what is happening.
God is always good, no matter what we face on this earth. When we remind ourselves of his goodness, it helps us endure the trials and tribulations of life. In times of trouble, we need to turn our eyes to God and seek Him as our refuge. We can only receive comfort and strength from God.
Human beings will always let us down. We will also let people down. The only one who will never let us down is God. His faithfulness is always assured. No matter what. God’s word informs us of the many reasons we can trust God in peace. He has been faithful even before we realized the weight of his love.
Please enjoy this excerpt from our upcoming devotional by Mike Aquilina and Adam Lucas, Feasts 0f Our Fathers: Praying the Church Year with the Early Christians, due out in April 2024.
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Today Christ descends into hell, says this ancient preacher, bringing his victory over death to those already dead.
Reflect: Matthew 12:40, Acts 2:31, Ephesians 4:9, 1 Peter 4:6
Read: What is happening today? A great silence falls over the earth, a great silence and indeed a stillness, because the King sleeps. The earth was fearful and grew still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and raised up all who have slept since the beginning of the world. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld trembles with fear. Yes, he has gone in search of our first father, as a lost sheep. Yes, he wants to visit those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. He goes to liberate from sorrow the captive Adam and his companion Eve; for he is both God and their son.
The Lord approached them carrying the cross, the weapon that had won his victory. When Adam, the firstborn, saw it, his heart was filled with remorse and cried out to everyone, saying: “My Lord be with you all!” And Christ answered, saying, “And with your spirit!”
He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying:
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light—I, your God and the son born to you. Now, to you and your offspring in bonds I say by my own authority ‘Come out!’ and to those in darkness ‘Be illumined!’ and to those who are sleeping ‘Arise!’ I say to you: ‘Awake, O sleeper!’ For I did not create you to remain a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead, for I am life for the dead.
“Arise, my creature! Arise, my likeness, you who were created in my image and from whom I was born. Rise! Let us go away, for you are in me and I am in you. Together we form one person, indivisible, for your God is your son. For you, your God became your son. For you, the Lord took the form of a slave. For you the highest heavens came to earth—and under the earth. For you, for the sake of a human being, I became a helpless human being, free among the dead. For you who left the garden, I was delivered to the Jews in a garden and crucified in a garden.
“Behold the spit on my face, which I received to restore the life I once breathed into you. Behold on my jaws the blows I received to restore your deformity back into my image. Behold on my back the marks of the whip that I endured to lift the burden of sin from your back. Behold my hands, fixed in the tree for the sake of you, who maliciously stretched your hand toward the tree. Behold my feet, driven well into the tree, because your feet had maliciously run to the tree of disobedience, on the sixth day when your judgment was delivered.
“For your rebirth and the restoration of paradise I have labored to exhaustion. I slept on the cross, and a sword pierced my side: all for you who slumbered in paradise and delivered Eve from your side. My wounded side has healed the pain of yours. Let my sleep awaken you from yours in the underworld. The spear that wounded me has turned the spear from you. Arise, let us leave here. The enemy led you to leave the earthly paradise; yet I do not restore you to paradise but to be enthroned in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was the symbol of life; but, behold, now I am your life. I ordered the cherubim to guard you as slaves; now the cherubim must worship you as divine. You hid from God as if you were naked; but now here you are hidden within the naked God. The cherubic throne awaits you. Its bearers are at the ready. The bridal suite is ready, the banquet plates are set. The eternal dwellings and mansions are prepared. The treasuries of good things were opened. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from everlasting
Remember: Christ descends into the netherworld today to rescue the souls of the righteous trapped by original sin.
Pray: Victorious God, you went down to the realm of the dead to rise again in glory. By the power of your resurrection, bring all our loved ones who have passed to new life with you. The Harrowing of Hell
We profess that Jesus “descended into hell” before rising from the dead. But how can God go to hell, which by definition is the state of separation from God? We in the modern era mean something different by “hell” than the common usage of the early Church. The Creed is saying that Christ went to the realm of the dead before his resurrection. Called Hades in Greek and Sheol in Hebrew, this realm of the dead was the collective afterlife for both the good and the bad. Jesus’ passion and resurrection unlocked the gates of heaven for the souls of the righteous, which previously had been closed to all people due to Adam’s sin. Jesus shows us in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus that there were differences in the fate of the good and the bad even before his resurrection, as the righteous Lazarus goes to the bosom of Abraham, whereas the unrighteous rich man is sent to a place of torment. But even this “bosom of Abraham” wasn’t heaven, and although there was some comfort there, it was not a place of true eternal rest.
Jesus went to this realm of the dead on Holy Saturday. True man, he experienced death and the afterlife like others. But unlike the other righteous, Jesus goes to Hades as a conqueror. He preaches the gospel to the dead, frees deserving souls from their prison, and brings them into the perfect and lasting happiness of heaven.
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 1 Peter 2:2
We come into this world as infants, helpless and dependent on milk for nourishment. The same is true of our spiritual rebirth. We do not come to faith as mature believers full of knowledge and wisdom. Rather, we need to grow, and it’s good to start small, with the milk of scripture, the basic truths and assurances that will form the foundation of our faith as we grow to full maturity.
Father, thank You for saving me and giving me new life as Your child. Lord, I am overwhelmed by the depth of Your word. Please direct me to the nourishing milk of scripture, help me to abide in the simple truths of Your love and salvation as You prepare me to grow beyond infancy and into maturity in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
There is no Christian walk without the love of God. The love of God is the epicenter of Christianity. It is the love of God that led to salvation. Out of God’s love, He gave up his son, Jesus Christ, so that He could stand in our place and take all the consequences for the sin we were born into. It is love that compelled Jesus Christ to walk on this earth and reach out to the oppressed, the overlooked, and the maltreated. Love compelled Christ to heal those who were struck down by infirmities and lifelong ailments. Without love, we wouldn’t have a chance on this earth. Love kept Christ focused on the mission ahead of Him, even after he’d been betrayed, abandoned, beaten, and mocked.
Any other person would have retaliated or given up long in advance. Not Jesus. There were times Jesus would enter a city and he would be mocked and reduced to being seen as the “carpenter’s son”. There were times where Jesus was called demonic. People threatened to kill him on a regular basis. He was looked down upon but he never let any of it phase Him. Even on the cross, when He was in an excruciating amount of pain, He managed to plead for forgiveness on behalf of the people who supported his crucifixion. In the face of torture, Christ did not think of himself. He thought of the souls in front of him.
The love of God has the power to transform the darkest hearts in the world. It has the power to heal lifelong wounds and restore broken hearts. The love of God is break through fortified barriers, and touch the coldest hearts.
When we, the body of Christ, walk in one accord – the love of God – we become an unstoppable force. When we refuse to allow malice into our hearts, and we choose to love everyone around us, things begin to change. Lives change for the better. Families are brought back together.
Prayer
Most importantly, people see Christ in us. It is the love of Christ in us that we express to others. By expressing love we are showing Jesus love through us. Thank You Father God for Jesus Your loving Son who was willing to obey You to buy us back. He showed us love by shedding His blood. The perfect obedience and gift. Thank You very much.
This is why we need to be rooted in the Word and I believe that in each story! I love those stories. We are all babe’s who are still crawling thank You for Your patience and prayers in Jesus Christ name Amen
Another weapon of the enemy that we will encounter in many instances of our life is temptation. The enemy will try to take advantage of our weaknesses and fleshly desires in order to sidetrack us from our walk with God. As human beings, we all have fleshly desires that will try to detract our focus. It could be a love of food, or more harmful things like an addiction to harmful substances, etc. As we grow in our relationship with God, and we work towards removing these unhealthy desires from our life, the devil comes in and tries to knock us off of our feet.
We need to realize that there is no temptation out there that is too great for us to handle. The same way God has equipped us with the strength and resolve to endure various trials and tribulations, is the same way he has equipped us to overcome any temptation that comes our way.
One of the ways the enemy tries to get to us is through our mind. When we are presented with tempting situations, the enemy will try to manipulate us into thinking that there is no way out of the temptation before us. He will try to make us think that we are too weak to resist.
But the word of God tells us otherwise. The word of God tells us of the authority that we possess as sons of God. The word of God tells us of the exceedingly abundant amount of strength that we possess in Christ that enables us to resist any temptation to come our way.
The word of God provides us with the wisdom we need in order to get out of any sticky situations we may find ourselves in. It gives us the clarity we need in order to see the temptation for what it is – nothing but a lousy tactic of the enemy.
The Holy Spirit strengthens us and enables us to move past the temptation, keeping our eyes focused on Jesus Christ, the one who set the example for us.
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. John 1:7
We’re all familiar with the idea of laws. We know the Ten Commandments, and we understand all of the rules that have been built on top of them. But now that we have received grace from Jesus, are we done with the law? Not at all. Rather, we see how the law has pointed to Jesus all along, revealing His character, and helping us see our need for His grace, by which he empowers us to live for Him.
Jesus, thank You for the ancient law and for Your word, which have led the way to You. Though I could never keep the law on my own, You have given me Your grace, which covers my sins. Remain in me, Lord, and live through me, so that I might dwell in Your truth, and Your grace may flow through me to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Tonight at sunset, the festive one-day holiday of Purim begins.
What is your favorite type of weather?
In the Bible, seasons are a reminder of God’s majesty and that the earth will continue to exist. The seasons can also be seen as an analogy for the characteristics of natural seasons in our lives and our relationship with God. For example, spring is a time of new life and growth, while summer is a time of persistent effort with the reward of seeing results.
Notice the repetition of “every” as well as “time”: “season” is a Hebrew word that is literally “appointed time”. Christian, as the world turns, turns, and turns with everything, know that not one detail or second of your life is without purpose.
Springtime: A celebration of new life and growth, also a time of release and fresh opportunities Summer: A time of persistent effort but with the reward of seeing results Ecclesiastes 3:1 reads, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”. This means that the various circumstances we go through in life are not by incident, but orchestrated or allowed by God with great purpose and intentionality. Genesis 8:22 says, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease”. In biblical prophecy, a “season” is often used as a metaphor for a period of time, and it can refer to a variety of lengths of time.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Part of God’s great design to this earth is seasons. We experience wet and dry seasons, the typical four seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall, and there are planting seasons and harvesting seasons. We see creation moving through seasons each year, and we ourselves live through seasons, as well. In these seasons we learn to depend on and come to expect things. So, too, we find in the Bible that our lives go through seasons.
Seasons of sadness, loss, joy, newness, and growth. All of these life seasons are intentional and God’s influence in them should be acknowledged and counted on. We find this often quoted verse in the book of Ecclesiastes, which is believed to have been written by Solomon, the son of King David.
When Scripture declares that for everything there is a season, this means that the various circumstances we go through in life are not by incident, but orchestrated or allowed by God with great purpose and intentionality.
What Does The Bible Mean ‘For Everything There Is a Season’? Ecclesiastes :31 affirms two important reminders:
The things we go through in life are not in vain. Our situations will not last forever. If you are in a certain season of life, you can be confident the season will come to an end at some point. This verse serves as a reminder that our circumstances will change and that is something we can come to expect in life. Whatever God takes us through has purpose, perhaps to deepen our faith or to help us achieve breakthrough in an area of life.
We will get over our sorrows. We will get out of the valley. We will go through hardships. And whatever season of life we find ourselves in, it will have a beginning and it will have an end. We will enter new seasons, too. Ones that bring relief, hope, or a deeper sense of faith.
It’s helpful to also read other translations of this verse to get a better idea of its meaning:
“Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses”. – Good News Translation “Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven” – God’s Word “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth” – The Message “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” – NIV
What Is the Context of This Verse and ‘For Everything There Is a Season’? As you read Ecclesiastes, you may get the impression that Solomon had somewhat of a grave outlook on life. The book begins with Solomon’s declaration that everything is meaningless (see verse 1:1). He had seen the ups and downs of life, yet could not quite make sense of life. Why was there so much suffering? Where was God in the midst of life? What is the meaning of the mundane days we live? In this book, Solomon reflected on his understanding of God and how that fits with what he knew and the life he was experiencing. Perhaps you have found yourself wondering or reflecting like Solomon did.
In the third chapter, we find perhaps some clarity around the mysteries of life. When nothing seems to make sense, if we find God’s presence in life, that’s when real meaning and satisfaction will emerge. Life without God is hopeless, but a life lived for God and in acknowledgement of his divine presence is one marked by fruitfulness and significance.
In this chapter, Solomon affirmed the seasons of joys and the seasons of hardships, the high and the low seasons, the valleys of despair and the peaks of honor. This is the ebb and flow of life that we can anticipate, and when we keep God at the center, purpose will emerge and refining of our hearts will take place.
Why Is There a Time for Bad Things? The reality is that life gets hard. As we know, bad things happen even to those who follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Sinful nature has left nothing untouched, and this is why we await the second coming of Jesus. But until then, we know that we will go through tough seasons just as much as we go through joyful seasons.
Even Jesus reminded us that we will always have troubles, but we can still have peace in him (see John 16:33). The hope found in this Ecclesiastical passage is that these seasons of suffering, hate, and death will end. God will bring us through to better days marked by comfort, love, and new life. Through it all, we can rest in the peace Jesus has given us. Regardless of what we face, God remains in control and is the author of our days.
How Does God Make Everything Beautiful in Its Time? God is our redeemer. To redeem something means to offset its negative traits. In a biblical sense, redemption means that Jesus’ work on the cross has covered our sin. His sacrificial love has offset and delivered us from sinfulness, death, and guilt. God’s redemptive work makes us beautiful and it makes all things beautiful.
This concept of redemption that we find in Scripture teaches us that God will redeem us from despair and work all things together for the good of those who love him (see Romans 8:28).
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
We find this promise written that God will make everything beautiful in its due season. God will judge right from wrong and bring about justice (see Ecclesiastes 3:16-17). God will make things right. We may not always know how he will make things beautiful or when he will do that, but we can count on it, pray for it to happen, and put our trust fully in God to redeem even the worst of our circumstances.
What Do We Learn from Ecclesiasties 3:1 about Change and Timing? Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, goes to great lengths to preach that we must put our trust in God’s sovereignty which means he is in control of all things. God is with us in the hardest battles. He guides our steps from one season to the next. He sees what is coming ahead for us and will provide what we need to get through. No matter what seasons lay behind us or ahead of us, God is always present and always leading us through each – for the purpose of His glory.
The greatest hope we have in seasons of trouble or change is that God will never leave us nor forsake us (see: Hebrews 13:5). We may experience God’s timing as difficult, or late, or hard to understand, or different than what we’d expect or hope for. But truly, God’s timing is perfect and always comes to pass in a way that will bring us goodness rather than hopelessness.
How Can We Apply “For Everything There is a Season” to Everyday Lives? When we wake up, we can trust that whatever season we are in is not by accident, nor will God allow it to unfold without bringing out a grander purpose and drawing us closer to him. Every season is purposeful in leading us into a deeper relationship with God and creating unshakeable faith.
We can hope that the Lord will give us seasons of joy, and know that he wants us to enjoy life (see Ecclesiastes 3:12-13). We should savor the goodness of life and the ways God has gifted us with his favor. Apply this verse to your life by trusting that God knows the seasons in your life in which you will relish and endure, and he will be with you every step of the way. Therefore, we should lean into God regardless of the situation because he loves us and will journey with us each moment, each day, and each season. Like Solomon, we can pause to reflect on our lives and how we see God’s presence and direction.
God is the author of our time and the seasons we go through. Though life does not always make sense, or may even feel insignificant at times, rather than getting lost in despair, we can find comfort and hope in God. God brings us to new seasons, changes our circumstances, and adds fullness to our existence. God alone will make things beautiful in due season and cause our lives to be abundant in meaning.
KJV Dictionary Definition: season season SE’ASON. n. se’zn.Season literally signifies that which comes or arrives; and in this general sense, is synonymous with time. Hence,
1. A fit or suitable time; the convenient time; the usual or appointed time; as, the messenger arrived in season; in good season. This fruit is out of season.
2. Any time, as distinguished from others.
The season prime for sweetest scents and airs. Milton.
3. A time of some continuance, but not long.
Thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. Acts 13.
4. One of the four divisions of the year, spring, summer, autumn, winter. The season is mild; it is cold for the season.
We saw in six days’ traveling, the several seasons of the year n their beauty.
seasonable SE’ASONABLE, a. Opportune; that comes, happens or is done in good time, in due season or in proper time for the purpose; as a seasonable supply of rain.
Mercy is seasonable in the time of affliction. Ecclus.
seasonableness SE’ASONABLENESS, n. Opportuneness of time; that state of being in good time, or in time convenient for the prupose or sufficiently early.
seasonably SE’ASONABLY, adv. In due time; in time convenient; sufficiently early; as, to sow or plant seasonably.
seasoned SE’ASONED, pp. Mixed or sprinkled with something that gives a relish; tempered; moderated; qualified; matured; dried and hardened.
seasoner SE’ASONER, n. He that seasons; that which seasons, matures or gives a relish.
seasoning SE’ASONING, ppr. Giving a relish by something added; moderating; qualifying; maturing; drying and hardening; fitting by habit.
SE’ASONING, n.
1. That which is added to any species of food to give it a higher relish; usually, something pungent or aromatic; as salt, spices or other aromatic herbs, acids, sugar, or a mixture of several things.
2. Something added or mixed to enhance the pleasure of enjoyment; as, with or humor may serve as a seasoning to eloquence.
Political speculations are of so dry and asutere a nature, that they will not go down with the public without frequent seasoning. Addison.
Definitions from Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828.
Tonight at sunset, the festive one-day holiday of Purim begins.
Purim spiel (Purim play): Part of the fun of Purim is the Purim spiel, a traditional Jewish play that often involves a comic dramatization of events and characters found in the Book of Esther.
On Purim, in synagogues around the world, the entire scroll of Esther, which is called the Megillah, is read twice—once on the night of Purim and once on the following day of Purim. (All Jewish holidays start in the evening at sunset.)
During the reading, the listeners participate by cheering whenever the hero Mordechai, guardian of Esther, is mentioned and by booing whenever Haman–the influential anti-Semite who had called for the annihilation of all the Jews of Persia–is mentioned.
The scroll of Esther
Although Purim is a Biblical festival that is overlooked by the Church, it’s an eye-opening read for all people devoted to the God of Israel and His people.
The Book of Esther is chock full of irony, mysteries, secrets, and intrigue that provide powerful life lessons.
Unlike the other Holy Days of the Lord, the command to celebrate this festival isn’t found in chapter 23 of Leviticus. What’s more, the command to celebrate this special holiday doesn’t come from God, but from Mordechai, the hero of Esther.
He commanded the celebration of the salvation of the Jewish People in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot to annihilate all the Jews in a single day.
“Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.” (Esther 9:20-22)
Purim is characterized by feasting, celebrating, dancing, wearing costumes and great rejoicing.
It’s traditional for Jewish people to send gift baskets called Mishloach Manot (sending of portions) to one another and to the poor.
These special baskets contain ready to eat foods that are fit for use at the festive Purim meal. Among other foods, this might include special triangular cookies filled with poppy seeds or other fillings, called Hamentaschen (Yiddish) or Oznei Haman (Haman’s ears) in Hebrew.
Hamentaschen are traditionally eaten during Purim. While poppy seed filling is the most traditional filling, others include prune, nut, date, apricot, fruit preserves, cherry, chocolate, dulce de leche, caramel, and cheese. The shape is said to be like Haman’s hat or his ears.
This common practice is based on Mordechai’s command:
“He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” (Esther 9:22)
While many individuals do send food gifts to friends, neighbors, business associates and family, etc., the giving of gifts to the poor is often accomplished by donating money or food to charities which distribute food on Purim day.
The poor are not exempt from participating in this practice.
At Purim, baskets called Mishloach Manot are given to friends, family, neighbors, and the poor. Although they traditionally contain food that can be used for the Purim meal, they also often have a variety of special snacks and treats.
A Game of Chance
“For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. … Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.” (Esther 9:24-26)
The word Purim, as Scripture tells us, means lots, as in the method of choosing or making a decision seemingly by ‘chance’.
In Persia, the pur (a lot) was used to seek guidance from pagan gods. The name of the holiday, therefore, is derived from Haman drawing lots to determine the date when to schedule the extermination of the Jews!
The lot fell to the 13th day of the month Adar.
Although the day that Haman cast the pur seems to be a matter of chance, even a glance at the Hebrew calendar reveals God at work.
On the 13th day of the month Nissan, which is the first month of the Hebrew calendar, the edict was issued that the Jews should be annihilated on 13th day of the 12th month (Esther 3:7, 12-13).
Why is this significant? Because that was the day before Passover!
A Jewish family sits together to enjoy the Passover meal and recount the story of deliverance from Egypt.
Imagine that every Jewish household in Persia was searching their houses for chametz (leaven) in preparation for the beginning of Passover the next day, when they would have a Passover seder (traditional meal and recounting of the story) to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt.
As they were preparing to retell the story of the Passover to themselves and to their children the greatness of God’s power in bringing them out of Egypt, they likely received the shocking news.
In exactly eleven months’ time, their enemies would attempt to murder each one of them in cold blood for one reason and one reason alone – they were Jews.
God had made sure that uppermost in His people’s minds and hearts was the remembrance of His supernatural, mighty, and delivering power.
Haman had sent out a message promising destruction, but God’s message to the Jewish people seems clear: “He who delivered you from Egypt’s pharaoh long ago is well able to deliver you from Haman today!”
The Purim story written in Hebrew on a scroll that is set in an olive wood case.
Events may occur in our lives that seem random, but the book of Esther reveals that God is in control, no matter how powerful our enemy or how bleak the situation.
Whatever our situation or circumstance, we can rest in the assurance that our times are truly in God’s hands (Psalm 31: 15).
The whole story of Esther seems to be one of happenstance, such as the following:
Queen Vashti ‘just happens’ to pick this time to refuse to come to the king’s royal feast. In response, the king decides to find a new queen.
Mordechai ‘just happens’ to be in the right place at the right moment to hear of a plot against the king’s life, and he takes action to thwart that plan (Esther 2:21).
The king ‘just happens’ to have a sleepless night and calls his courtiers to read his book of chronicles, which reminds him that Mordechai saved his life (Esther 6:1).
Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem: Everyone can get in on the fun at Purim, including bakers, counter assistants, and cashiers.
Mysteries in the Book of Esther
“He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.” (Daniel 2:22)
Purim is a festival to dress up, wear a mask and have fun.
Little boys dress as Mordechai, the King, and even the bad guy, Haman. (Boo!)
Nowadays, however, the costumes have expanded to include every conceivable disguise, since the theme of concealed, hidden and mistaken identities runs throughout the Book of Esther and the festival of Purim.
Even God is hidden in the Purim story.
In a search of the entire scroll of Esther from beginning to end, the name of God isn’t mentioned once.
For that reason, the book of Esther almost didn’t make it into the canon of the Bible.
The closest reference to God is when Mordechai tells Esther that redemption for the Jews will come from “another place” (makom aher) if she doesn’t act.
This term seems connected to HaMakom (literally The Place), which in Judaism refers to God “The Omnipresent.”
Even when God seems hidden, He is still there, and He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us.
Even when we can’t see or understand what is going on in our lives, with tribulations before us, behind us, and surrounding us, God is still there.
He is faithfully working behind the scenes to work out all the details, divine appointments, and circumstances to secure our victory. He may even ask for our participation in the drama!
In the Book of Esther, the heroine of the story, Esther, had a secret identity.
In obedience to the instruction given to her by Mordechai, her cousin and guardian, Esther concealed her Jewish heritage from King Ahasuerus, who not only ruled over most of the known world, but was her husband (Esther 2:10).
She did not reveal her true identity as a Jewess until the exact right moment when it was necessary to defeat the plot of Haman.
The very name Esther (אסתר) comes from the root S-T-R which means hidden or concealed.
In an ironic twist of mistaken identity, when King Ahasuerus asked Haman what should be done for someone who the king wishes to honor, Haman, in his own sense of pride and self-importance, assumed that the king wanted to honor him.
“Now Haman thought to himself, ‘Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?’” (Esther 6:6)
He, therefore, advised an elaborate public demonstration of favor. The man the king sought to reward, however, was Mordechai, Haman’s arch enemy, and Haman was elected to carry out the reward.
“‘Go at once,’ the king commanded Haman. ‘Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.’” (Esther 6:10)
In God’s Kingdom, things are backwards or upside down, from the ways of the world. After all, it’s a Kingdom where the first are last and the last are first, where tax collectors and prostitutes enter before Kings and Pharisees, where the weak are strong and the poor are rich.
At the beginning of Esther, we see a poor orphaned Jewish girl named Hadassah, living in exile in the Land of Persia. But God saw potential in her. He saw Esther, a courageous and Godly Persian queen.
God also sees our true identity and our potential. He knows who we truly are and has a destiny for our lives.
The question is whether or not we will have the courage, perseverance and determination to take hold of it. Do we have faith to believe what the Word of God says about who we are in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus)?
Royal Positions and Hidden Identities
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
The Word of God says that our very life is “hidden with the Messiah in God.” (Colossians 3:3)
In Messiah, our true identities are sons and daughters of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – members of a royal priesthood.
Just like Esther was willing to lay aside her own plans and dreams to fulfill her destiny, to fulfill our destinies, we must lay our hopes and ambitions on the altar and say, “not My will but Yours be done.”
Like Esther had a secret identity, the Church may also have a hidden identity–not separate from the Jewish people–but fellow citizens and an integral part of the commonwealth of Israel.
“Remember that at that time you were separate from Messiah, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12)
Just like Mordechai called upon Esther to approach the king to petition him for the lives of her people, so too the Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit) is crying out to the Church to pray and intercede for the salvation of Israel and the Jewish People from the people and countries who threaten her survival.
Today, just like during the time of Haman, the current leaders of Iran (Persia) are pointing their missiles and developing nuclear weapons to destroy the Jewish people in Israel.
This is not a time to remain silent. You can be like Queen Esther.
Have you not come to this royal position for such a time as this?
This month we begin a new theme on the topic of Sacrifice, which is fitting for this season as we prepare our hearts for Easter to honor and praise Jesus for His ultimate sacrifice.
The dictionary defines a sacrifice as: “the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.” A secondary definition also defines sacrifice as “an act of offering to a deity something precious.”
In simple terms, a sacrifice is something you desire that you choose to give up for a greater purpose or to a greater Person. And in reality, that’s what makes sacrificing so difficult! Because what is being given up is something valued, cherished, loved, and desirable.
Yet because we are supposed to model our lives after Jesus’ life, we are called to sacrifice on a daily basis. But we find that God invites us to sacrifice our wants, desires, and plans in order to experience something richer, more purposeful, and more in line with His desires for us.
However – because we are human – even when we know it’s what God wants, it doesn’t make it easier to lay down our desires and follow His plan. Thankfully, God has given us His Word to glean from. He sent others to pave the way and provide a roadmap that is both obedient and honoring to God.
Throughout this month, we’ll learn from a few people in Scripture—Abraham, David, Paul, and Jesus—to better understand what sacrifice looks like and how we can pursue and submit to it in our daily lives. It’s not easy, but God will give us the strength to surrender, sacrifice, and put His love on display.
Jesus!
Nobody likes to be insulted or belittled. Yet, Jesus tells us to expect opposition and rejection. When others talk down on us for standing up for Christ, it is evidence that Christ is in us and His Spirit is working through us. When we share in suffering for His name’s sake, we share in His glory as it is revealed in us.
From His triumphal entry into Jerusalem to His last breath on the cross, Jesus’ final days were marked with joy, fellowship, grief, betrayal, pain, and death. But this death was not the end. Jesus rose victorious from the grave, securing a place in Heaven for all who turn from sin and believe in Him.
Salvation Is Won” reveals the story of Jesus’ last days on the earth from His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, to His betrayal, death, and resurrection from the grave.
Father, please give me the perseverance to endure the mocking of those around me. Some days I want to run and hide, but You call me to stand firm. When others hurl insults at me, give me the power to respond only with Your love and truth. And as You work through me, please soften the hearts of my attackers so that they may see You and know You, too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Nothing Is Impossible With Christ Jesus! Day 1
This has to be one of the most motivating Bible verses in the word of God. It sums up our Christian walk. In our own power, there are many things that we can consider to be impossible. But when we are with God, absolutely nothing is impossible. The Bible is filled with so many instances where God turned the impossible into the more-than-possible.
Abraham and Sarah were unable to conceive a child. They were both very old and neither of them was fertile. But when they encountered God, they received life in their loins and Abraham became the Father of many nations – starting with his own children.
When the Israelites were escaping from Egypt, they found themselves in front of the Red Sea. I’d like you to think about this for a moment. The Israelites were not in front of a pond or a river they could wade through. They weren’t even in front of a lake. The Israelites were faced with an entire sea. What did God do for them? He parted the sea in two and held it until every single one of the Israelites had crossed safely. It is very clear that that sea was not crossed in a day. Think of the great expanse. But God kept it open until they were on the other side!
Lastly, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was conceived through a virgin and the Spirit of God. This is a feat that still leaves many intellectuals dumbfounded in this day and age. “It’s impossible!” one would cry. Not with God, my friend. When God intervenes, all protocols are broken.
Through God and His wonder-working power the dead have been raised, barren wombs have been with child, addictions have been broken, lives have been restored, and people have received miracle provision. It is through God, the fate of our eternity was redeemed.
When you think of the numerous times that God has turned the impossible into a moment of possibility, you should become confident. There is nothing too big for God to handle. Look at who you are talking about! He is the God who created the heavens, the earth, and the universe. He knows every star by name.
1 Timothy 4:12: Day 2
When we are young, people often don’t take us seriously. It can be frustrating, especially if people are telling you to act like an adult and yet you are treated like a child. Here we see Paul encouraging Timothy to be an example. Instead of dwelling on the disadvantage of youth, focus on being worthy of being looked up to. Focus on maturing spiritually. Let your words and conversations reflect Christ. Pray that your character will reflect Christ, and above all, have faith in God.
LORD, help me to have the character that resembles You. Strengthen my faith in You, LORD. Help me to be content with my age and the stage of life I am in. Help me to do what I can do instead of focusing on what I can’t do. Conform and shape me into whom you want me to be. Above all, I want to please You. I want to do your will and live for You. Give me wisdom and insight to do so, and lead me by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Proverbs 31:30– Day 3
Face-value, earthly things will never hold a substantial amount of value. We live in a world that is more concerned about how people look, how much money they have, and the kinds of material goods they possess. All of these things will fade away with time. The thing that will remain in people’s minds for a very long time will be our characters and the virtues we possess. Men and women of God need to ensure that their characters and their virtues are godly.
Dear God, I pray that I never become caught up in the things of this world. I know that things like physical appearance and money are fleeting; they will not last an eternity. But the things that come out of my heart will. Lord, may my heart be a reflection of your light. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
1 Timothy 5:1 – Day 4
There are likely older believers in your life. Here, Paul tells Timothy not to rebuke his elders, but to come to them the way he would come to his father. Then, he tells Timothy to treat younger men as his brothers. Similarly, you can treat older believers in your life as your father or mother. Don’t be harsh with them, but come with respect and humility. With younger believers, treat them as your sibling. Do not taunt or be rude to them. Do not act as though you are better than them. Rather, treat them with respect that you would want to receive from those who are older than you.
Heavenly Father, make me respectful and humble as I interact with those older and younger than me. If I see something in their life that needs correction, give me wisdom and humility to address it. Lead me by your Holy Spirit, and do not let me do it on my own strength. Let me correct others because I love them and you, not for selfish gain. Thank you God that you correct me in love and not wrath. Let me correct and treat others how you treat me and how I would want to be treated. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Psalm 103:5 – Day 5
“Youth is wasted on the young!” How true is that statement! The older we get the more we long for the days of our youth, when we were more energetic and our joints didn’t creak every time we took a step. When we look into the mirror and see a new wrinkle or gray hair, we wax nostalgic for the days of smooth skin and shiny locks. In this passage, we are told that youthful vitality is not lost to us, not through God. He will renew us as the “eagle.” Eagle. Not sparrow, or swallow, or hummingbird. But the strong and mighty eagle, who can fly up to 10,000 feet, who has over 7,000 feathers to keep it warm and dry, who has exceptional eyesight and seems to soar effortlessly. The eagle is a symbol of strength and grace. Through God, we have the ability to maintain our own strength, stamina and vitality. Through God, we are renewed. Through God, we are made young again.
Galatians 6:9 – Day 5
We should always strive to do good in every way and every place that we can. Our actions testify to the world of the God we preach is a good and loving God. Check your actions and your thoughts and ask yourself if you are truly reflecting the nature of God.
Dear God, I ask that you help me ensure that in everything I do, I reflect your goodness and I reflect your love. My desire is for more and more people to come into your light and the only way they can do this, is by believing in you. May my actions communicate who you are, just as much as my words do. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Isaiah 41:10 – Day 6
God has gone to the ends of the earth to make sure that you will always know that, no matter what, He has got you covered. He will keep you at rest, He will strengthen you, and He will see you through the tough times. In everything you do, every trial that you face, and in every challenge, that comes your way, you should know that you have no reason to fret or worry. God is with you.
Dear God, I thank you that I can trust in you completely, never having to worry or fret when troubling times come my way. I thank you, Lord, that I can rely on your faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Romans 15:13 Day 7
Having faith in God is complicated: in happy, positive times, it is easy to forget that God carried you along the way, and in difficult times it is easy to blame Him. I have looked at my faith from a narcissistic lense too often, desiring a reward for being faithful to God. I forget that faith is the reward. Believing in the Lord is what gives me peace and joy, hope and power. In happy times or times of any trouble, we are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1: 3-4). Let us rejoice in His holy name!
Holy, holy, holy Lord. God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. The hope I feel for the future with you knows no bounds, my Lord, and I aim to please you with every moment of my life. Forgive me for my transgressions and doubts, but I pray to you with a resolve that I did not feel before. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Salvation Baptism When we repent and trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross, He saves us, and we are baptized into Him by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body…
In this baptism, we are also given the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to comfort (John 14:16), teach (John 14:26), guide (John 16:13) and seal (Ephesians 4:30) us.
This is the baptism of our salvation. Once again, this is not something we do, but something Christ does for us (John 1:33), and no water is involved.
Water Baptism Water baptism is a church sacrament (a church ceremony, or practice, that is considered holy and sacred because of its spiritual significance). Water baptism varies greatly among denominations in both practice and significance. There are two sacraments of baptism performed by Christians churches —(1) infant baptism or (2) youth and adult baptism (sometimes called believer’s baptism because the person makes a profession of faith). These baptisms can be performed by the sprinkling of water or by partial or full immersion in water.
Infant Baptism Many churches that practice infant baptism do so with the understanding that the baby is being baptized into the family of believers and dedicated to the Lord. It does not impart any forgiveness of sins, since only Jesus can forgive sins, and only His blood can wash us clean (Revelation 1:5).
In this type of dedication or infant baptism, both the parents and the congregation affirm their trust in Christ as Saviour and commit to raising the child in the Lord’s will and His ways. As the child grows and matures, the child still must repent and trust in Christ to receive forgiveness of sins and be saved by Him. The age, or level of maturity, at which a child can come to Christ will vary (Read more about the age of accountability), but with sound biblical teachings, even young children can understand the gospel, respond to it and be saved by Jesus.
When salvation is received, by someone baptized as an infant, they are called in Scripture to make a public profession. Churches that practice the sacrament of infant baptism also have the sacrament of confirmation. In confirmation, a believer confirms the vows made by their parents on their behalf and publicly professes their faith and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
Baptism of Youth and Adults Other denominations wait until a child is old enough, or mature enough, to understand their sin and the gospel of saving grace (the age of accountability). Once someone has repented and trusted in Jesus, and been saved by Him, they then make a public profession of faith in baptism. This is often done by full immersion into water.
By outward appearances, full immersion baptism is similar to the baptism practice of John the Baptist. However, it is very different in meaning. John the Baptist used water to baptize unto repentance (Matthew 3:10). It was a baptism of purification based on the confession of sins (Matthew 3:6). It was not forgiveness of sins since John did not have the power to forgive sins. Only God can forgive sins and it is received by trusting in Jesus and being washed by His blood, not water.
Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.
The Bible is clear, water baptism is not necessary for salvation. However, there are some churches that would disagree. Search the Scriptures. It is only by Jesus that we are saved (Romans 5:9, Acts 4:12).
If Baptized as an Infant, and Later Confirmed, Do I Need to Be Re-baptized? NO. If water baptism is necessary for salvation, then the Lord erred when the thief on the cross trusted in Him and Jesus promised, “Assuredly [truly], I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” Luke 23:43
We know that the Lord did not err. His words are true and His words to the thief were a promise of salvation– yet the thief on the cross was not baptized. The thief on the cross did the only thing that was necessary for salvation. He called out to Jesus in trusting faith, knowing that Jesus is the Lord and He has the power to bring people into His kingdom.
So if you were baptized as an infant, and later confirmed, you don’t NEED to be re-baptized. In confirmation, you made a public profession of your salvation. However, if you wish to be baptized again, or your church requires it for membership, you should certainly do so. Testifying publicly to what Jesus has done for you, and in you, is always a beautiful thing. It glorifies God and reminds everyone who witnesses your profession of the riches that God has already imparted to you when He saved you.
If Water Baptism Is Not Necessary for Salvation, Should It be Eliminated? Absolutely not! While water baptism has no saving power, it does have sanctifying benefits. Water baptism is a public profession of God’s mercy and grace, whether it’s by believing parents and congregants who vow to raise a child in the knowledge of the Lord, or as a personal profession by a redeemed sinner who has been saved by the grace of God.
I do not want to be misunderstood on this, so let me clarify. Although there may be no need to be water baptized, it is a beautiful sacrament and should be practiced. If one was baptized as an infant, they must understand that they should make a public profession when Jesus saves them. This can be done in confirmation or water baptism. If one was not water baptized as an infant, they should be baptized. However the sacrament is practiced, it is a beautiful testimony that proclaims the mercy and grace of God and His goodness in saving sinners.
Do Not Let This Be Divisive Various churches and denominations have different views on what water baptism signifies and how it should be practiced. I encourage you, DO NOT let this doctrine become divisive among believers. Search the Scriptures for your understanding. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will reveal all truth.
The Bible is clear that we are to profess with our mouth that which we believe in our hearts (Romans 10:9-10), so be ready to do so. Share the saving grace of Jesus with others, by telling of what He has done for you and what He desires to do for all people.
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Addendum An email was received suggesting this is putting infant baptism “on par” with believer’s baptism. That is not the case.
Infant baptism could be considered similar to infant dedication. It has no saving power. Confirmation could be considered similar to believer’s baptism in that they are both are a profession of faith and that the person has been saved by Jesus by grace alone.
Remember, the question was whether water baptism is NEEDED. We cannot say that someone who was baptized as an infant, has been saved by Jesus, made a profession of faith, but was never immersed in water baptism, NEEDS to be baptized.
The point of this article is that the water of baptism does not save anyone. Only the baptism (washing) in Jesus’ blood (Rev 1:5) has saving power. But don’t hear me wrong. Believer’s baptism is a beautiful way to proclaim the gift of salvation and it is to be commended. Some churches require it, but others do not. And, we should not let this be divisive.
Jesus prayed for unity in the Church, not for uniformity. According to your church’s tradition, tell the world of what Jesus has done in saving you…and then never stop telling people. Especially tell those who do not know Jesus. Tell them that Jesus loves them and offers forgiveness for their sins and new life in Him. To Him be the glory!
The Lord is our portion, our daily sustenance. It is good that we maintain a steady diet of His word, with portions that give us nourishment and growth each day. And it’s good that we take in an amount that we can absorb and put to good use. And there are no fillers or substitutes that will give us the same spiritual nourishment as God’s word.
Father, thank You for the gift of Your word. As I open Your word and take in its contents, please use it to satisfy my daily hunger for You, Your love, and Your righteousness. May Your word nourish me and fulfill me as You use it to prepare me for the day ahead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This is getting really bad, and we’re worried that so many may not be ready for the coming avalanche.
Biden and the radical Left are spearheading an insidious war on our Christian faith. Kids are being banned from praying in school, Bible studies are being banned in senior living centers, the Deep State FBI is placing spies in churches, and banks have been forced to report when you buy a Bible. If this continues, we could lose everything we’ve fought for.
We’re fighting back, and we JUST filed a lawsuit against a school that has literally banned students from even appearing to pray. It’s outrageous and unconstitutional.
We’ve never seen anything like it. We’re your last line of defense in court. But we face a major challenge. We’re up against the unlimited, taxpayer-funded resources of Biden and the anti-Christian forces on the Left as they wage relentless attacks on your faith. We need your support NOW.
What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?
Jesus of Nazareth I have watched since 1978.
Robert Powell stars in the epic 1977 drama chronicling the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. With Laurence Olivier, James Earl Jones and Ian McShane. My mother would watch it every Easter season. When I can’t sleep I play the movie. Beginning before the Nativity and extending through the Crucifixion and Resurrection, this mini-series brings to life all of the sweeping drama in the life of Jesus, as told by the Gospels.
The Greatest Story Ever Told! From his birth in Bethlehem to his death and eventual resurrection, the life of Jesus Christ (Max von Sydow) is given the all-star treatment in this epic retelling. Major aspects of Christ’s life are touched upon, including the execution of all the newborn males in Egypt by King Herod (Claude Rains) ; Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist (Charlton Heston) ; and the betrayal by Judas after the Last Supper that eventually leads to Christ’s crucifixion and miraculous return.
King of Kings In this reenactment of the life of Jesus Christ, when word spreads throughout Judea that the son of God is to be born in Bethlehem, King Herod demands that all infants be killed. Mary (Siobhan McKenna) steals away with her young son, Jesus, who grows up preaching, performing miracles and acquiring devotees. One of Jesus’ (Jeffrey Hunter) followers, Judas (Rip Torn), betrays him, and he is sentenced to crucifixion. But Jesus has always known of his fate and has prepared himself for death.
The 10 Commandments Enjoying a life of ease in the court of Egypt’s pharaoh, Moses (Charlton Heston) discovers his Hebrew heritage and, later, God’s expectations of him. He dedicates himself to liberating his people from captivity and — with the aid of plagues and divine intervention — manages to lead them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. A greater challenge comes in the form of the golden calf idol, however, and it takes an unforgettable visitation by God on Mount Sinai for Moses’ mission to prevail.
There are many more Jesus. Jesus is a 1999 Italian-American biblical historical drama television miniseries that retells the historical events of Jesus Christ. I love to watch the Bible collection from 1996,
Lord, You know my heart. You know my sins. Nothing is hidden from You. I confess with my mouth the ways that I have disobeyed You and strayed from You. Lord, I long to be clean, but I cannot do it on my own. Please wash me in Your blood, so that I can be made blameless in Your sight, pure and white as snow. In Jesus’ name, amen.
According to the Bible, Jesus Christ lived a life of perfect obedience to God. He said, “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). Jesus’s obedience is also described as active, which includes his actions, and passive, which includes suffering and death.
According to the Bible, Jesus learned obedience through suffering. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. His death was the only way to save lost men and women. Jesus’s obedience fulfills the expectations of the prophets of the Old Testament, who expected God to send a Messiah to rescue his people and to provide a sacrifice for their sins. Jesus is both of these. His obedience identifies him as the divine Son. Christians believe that Jesus’s obedience was in perfect obedience to the law of God. They also believe that Jesus was perfect in moral perfection, including absolute sinlessness, perfect righteousness, unwavering faith, and perfect wisdom.
How did Jesus show perfect obedience? 1. Although Jesus was without sin, he submitted to baptism “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:13–17; see also 2 Nephi 31:4–7; John 3:5). 2. At the age of 12, when Joseph and Mary found Jesus teaching in the temple, He “was subject unto them,” and obediently returned home with them (see Luke 2:42–51).
Was Jesus made perfect through obedience? Hebrews 5:8–9, “Although he was a son” — although Jesus was the Son of God — “he learned obedience” — catch that phrase — “he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”
What does the Bible say about Jesus obedience? Jesus Christ Obeyed His Father
He said, “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). His whole life was devoted to obeying His Father; yet it was not always easy for him. He was tempted in all ways as other mortals (see Hebrews 4:15).
What does obedience to Jesus look like? Listening to what God says in the Bible. Following Jesus as His disciple. Being polite and following the rules of a good society to show our consideration and respect for others. Trusting that God’s way will be best for us, rather than our own or the world’s way.
What made Jesus perfect? Jesus learned obedience through suffering, and was made perfect by it. Then, having been made perfect, he became the Author of salvation to all who, in following him, are learning obedience through suffering. Yes, Jesus is perfect. His perfection is moral perfection: absolute sinlessness, perfect righteousness, unwavering faith and obedience to the Father, perfect wisdom, perfect understanding, perfect knowledge and more. After all, he is God.
What is Jesus passive obedience? Jesus’ passive obedience is His paying the penalty for our failure to obey God’s law. Some people stumble at this point, because they imagine that the bulk of Jesus’ life was occupied with obeying God’s law for us—active obedience—and then in dying, Jesus paid the penalty for us—passive obedience.
What did Jesus command us to obey? In 35 years of church life, I had never been asked about my basic obedience to Jesus’ final and most straightforward command: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you,” (Matt. 28:19-20a).
The Lord rendered to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord delivered thee into my hand today, but I would not stretch forth my hand against the Lord’s anointed. 1 Samuel 26:23
Just because we can do something doesn’t mean that we should do something. When David was being pursued by Saul, he had multiple opportunities to take Saul’s life, but he refused every time. Why? Because David understood that God chose Saul for a time and a purpose, and he did not want to encroach on God’s sovereignty by taking matters into his own hands.
Lord, I confess that my ideas, plans, and agenda are not always in alignment with Yours. Sometimes I see an easy or quick solution to my problems, yet You call me to defer to Your timing and Your purpose. Help me Lord, to set aside my own will and seek Yours, so that I may work within Your plan and purpose for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?
My middle name is Martha and my sister Helen’s middle name is Mary!
It’s ironic how my sister Helen and I have biblical middle names that match the sisters of Lazarus who was best friends with Jesus. This sister of Lazarus Mary is not Mary Magdalene. They are two very different people.
Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness to Jesus resurrecting her brother, Lazarus.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus visits the home of two sisters named Mary and Martha. The two sisters are contrasted: Martha was “encumbered about many things” while Jesus was their guest, while Mary had chosen “the better part”, that of listening to the master’s discourse. The name of their village is not recorded, nor (unlike in John 11:18) is there any mention of whether Jesus was near Jerusalem. Biblical commentator Heinrich Meyer notes that “Jesus cannot yet be in Bethany, where Martha and Mary dwelt [according to John’s Gospel]”. But the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges claims that it was “undoubtedly Bethany”.
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha”, the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.
The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. Ecclesiastics 10:13 Our speech reveals what is in our hearts and minds. Are we full of wisdom and grace, or are we on a course toward destruction? When we speak with love and truth, setting aside malice and deception, God’s grace is revealed in us. But when our words are careless, we not only harm others, but we reveal ourselves to be untrustworthy, bringing down judgment upon our own heads. Father God, You alone are the source of all wisdom. My mind is limited and my ways are faulty. Help me to seek You before I speak, so that I may discern truth from folly and speak only what is gracious and right. Guard my mouth against impetuous and unrestrained speech, so that I may not harm myself or others with my words. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The Word of the Lord praise be to God in Jesus name Amen
For other uses, see Martha (disambiguation). Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness to Jesus resurrecting her brother, Lazarus.
Saint Martha of Bethany
St. Martha of Bethany on the left, Jesus at the house of Mary and Martha by Harold Copping Virgin Born probably Iudaea Province, Roman Empire Died traditionally Larnaca, Cyprus, Roman Empire or Tarascon, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire Venerated in Catholic Church, Eastern Christianity, Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church Canonized Pre-congregation Feast
29 July (Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran), 4 June (Eastern Orthodox) Attributes broom; keys; Tarasque;[1] Patronage butlers; cooks; dietitians; domestic servants; homemakers; hotel-keepers; housemaids; housewives; innkeepers; laundry workers; maids; servants; servers; single laywomen; travellers; Tarascon; Villajoyosa, Spain; Pateros, Philippines; Malagasang Segundo, Imus, Cavite, Philippines Etymology of the name Biblical references edit In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus visits the home of two sisters named Mary and Martha. The two sisters are contrasted: Martha was “encumbered about many things” while Jesus was their guest, while Mary had chosen “the better part”, that of listening to the master’s discourse. The name of their village is not recorded, nor (unlike in John 11:18) is there any mention of whether Jesus was near Jerusalem. Biblical commentator Heinrich Meyer notes that “Jesus cannot yet be in Bethany,[4][5] where Martha and Mary dwelt [according to John’s Gospel]”.[6] But the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges claims that it was “undoubtedly Bethany”.[7]
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha”, the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”[8]
Christ in the house of Martha and Mary, by Henryk Siemiradzki, 1886 In the Gospel of John, Martha and Mary appear in connection with two incidents: the raising from the dead of their brother Lazarus (John 11) and the anointing of Jesus in Bethany (John 12:3).
In the account of the raising of Lazarus, Jesus meets with the sisters in turn: Martha followed by Mary. Martha goes immediately to meet Jesus as he arrives, while Mary waits until she is called. As one commentator notes, “Martha, the more aggressive sister, went to meet Jesus, while quiet and contemplative Mary stayed home. This portrayal of the sisters agrees with that found in Luke 10:38–42.”[9] In speaking with Jesus, both sisters lament that he did not arrive in time to prevent their brother’s death: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died”.[10] But where Jesus’ response to Mary is more emotional, his response to Martha is one of teaching, calling her to hope and faith:
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord”, Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord”, she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
As the narrative continues, Martha calls her sister Mary to see Jesus. Jesus has Mary bring him to Lazarus’ tomb where he commands the stone to be removed from its entrance. Martha here objects, “But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days”, to which Jesus replies, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”. They then take away the stone and Jesus prays and calls Lazarus forth alive from the tomb.
Martha appears again in John 12:1–8, where she serves at a meal held in Jesus’ honor at which her brother is also a guest. The narrator only mentions that the meal takes place in Bethany, while the apparently parallel accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark specify that it takes place at the home of one Simon the Leper. As the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “We are surely justified in arguing that, since Matthew and Mark place the scene in the house of Simon, St. John must be understood to say the same; it remains to be proven that Martha could not ‘serve’ in Simon’s house.”[2] It is at this meal that a woman (Martha’s sister Mary, according to John) anoints Jesus with expensive perfume.
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Is Mary Magdalene the sister of Martha? I have been asked this question many times, suggesting that it interests many people. It has often been a topic of discussion in the history of the Christian church. Let’s examine the biblical evidence.
UNCATEGORIZED JANUARY 29, 2009 This page is also available in: Español
Is Mary, the sister of Martha, the same as Mary Magdalene?
I have been asked this question many times, suggesting that it interests many people. It has often been a topic of discussion in the history of the Christian church. Let’s examine the biblical evidence.
1. Mary of Bethany:We know little about this Mary, unless she is identified with Mary Magdalene.
This is what we know: She was the sister of Martha and Lazarus and lived in Bethany, in the region of Judea (Luke 10:38, 39; John 11:1, 2). She used to sit at Jesus’ feet to learn from Him. Since this was the posture assumed by a disciple, we can conclude that she was a disciple of Jesus. She anointed Jesus shortly before His crucifixion, revealing her devotion and love for Him (John 11:2; 12:1-8). This act was her expression of gratitude for the forgiving love of the Savior she experienced (Luke 7:47, 48). Luke implies that she had been forgiven much. After the anointing, no other mention is made of Mary of Bethany.
2. Mary Magdalene: The full name of this woman has traditionally been taken to imply that she was from the city of Magdala, located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. The first time she is mentioned in the Gospels she is specifically included among women who had been healed by Jesus from their sickness or from demonic possession; specifically that she had been freed from seven demons, most probably by Jesus (Luke 8:2). These women were Jesus’ disciples—they accompanied Him during His second Galilean tour—and they provided financial support for His ministry (verses 2, 3). In other words, Mary Magdalene was relatively wealthy.
3. Same Person? Based on the biblical evidence I can only say, “Perhaps” or “Probably so.” Most interpreters believe these are two different persons, because no historical evidence exists to support the position that they are the same person.
Besides, there is the problem of the place of origin. Bethany is in Judea, while Magdala is in Galilee. One could speculate that perhaps early in her life Mary left her home in Bethany, went to live in Magdala, and after she met Jesus she returned to Bethany. This does not contradict any of the biblical evidence, but simply goes beyond it.
Another detail to suggest we are dealing with the same person is that the anointing of Jesus recorded in Luke describes Mary as “a woman who had lived a sinful life” (7:37, NIV). In this case it would be difficult to deny that this refers to Mary of Bethany. Besides, they were both disciples of Jesus, and they appear to have had some financial resources that were placed at the service of the Lord. Based on the Bible I cannot provide a final answer to your question. Please, do not get frustrated; we don’t know everything.
4. What Really Matters: Perhaps what is significant for us in the discussion of the identity of Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany is that, whether or not they were the same person, Jesus trained women to proclaim the good news of salvation. He called men and women to the service of the gospel.
Mary Magdalene came to play a significant role in the gospel narrative. She almost became the disciple par excellence. She witnessed Jesus’ death on the cross (Matt. 27:55, 56; John 19:25) and accompanied His body to the tomb (Matt. 27:60, 61). On Sunday morning she was the first to get to Jesus’ tomb, and, seeing that it was empty, went and informed the disciples that someone had taken away Jesus’ body (John 20:1, 2). The other disciples came and found it to be true and went away, but Mary stayed behind and was the first to see the risen Lord (verse 15). He commissioned her to tell the disciples He had been resurrected (verse 17). In obedience, she and the other women went to the disciples and announced that the Lord had risen (John 20:18; Matt. 28:7; Luke 24:9).
If the resurrected Savior used women to proclaim to the male disciples that He was alive, we should also make full room for women in the proclamation of the eternal gospel.
What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Acts 17:28
Sometimes, even as Christians we struggle to grasp how much we depend on God. After all, we don’t see Him and hear Him, so it is easy to perceive Him as distant. But we are reminded by Paul’s words that God not only created us, but He continuously sustains us. God didn’t just create us and then step aside. Rather, He actively maintains the universe, continuing to make a place for us to live and glorify Him.
Lord, thank You for creating me, in Your image and as Your offspring. Thank You for faithfully watching over Your creation and holding all things together. Thank You for making a place for me in Your creation, and as Your child. Please remain with me and sustain me, so that my life may bring You honor and glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Even as Solomon warned his son to refuse the enticements of the world, the flesh, and the Devil, so you also. Our Lord has warned us to do the same in this verse from Proverbs. We are your sons and your daughters, and you provide us with the instruction we need to follow you. Those who have cast off any purpose to obey your law and live in a continual, unrepentant practice of sin, sinners, love to cause others to fall. But however great the allurement or enticement may be, we cannot be forced to sin against our own wills. We must choose to yield ourselves to God instead of to sin (Romans 6:13).
Amen
The book of Isaiah follows the Jewish people during their exile from Babylon. Times were tough: the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadrezzar, and the Jewish people were enslaved for decades. In Isaiah 40, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The Jewish people are permitted to return to Jerusalem, ending their exile, but a long trek is ahead of them. With this context in mind, I believe Isaiah 40:11 begins to make a lot more sense.
What is the longest walk you have ever been on? How about the longest walk in the summer in the desert? Now imagine that you don’t know when you will arrive, what will be there when you arrive, and that each day brings you to a new place that you have possibly never been before. Imagine the fear you would feel, the insecurity you would be wracked with on a daily basis, and the anxiety you would feel towards the unknown you would encounter every single day. There is an answer, however, a guiding hope that will lead you when you are lost. It is the Lord our Shepherd. This imaginary exercise can only paint a very loose picture of what the exiles of Jerusalem were truly feeling. They were enslaved for decades, broken and tortured, split from their families and had their faith decimated. They continued to trust in God, and God never abandoned them.
The rejoicing tone of this verse can be easily felt. Wandering in the desert, tired and lost, the Jews are finally allowed to return home. Their faith wavered, their will was tested, but God fed his flock, gathered and carried them, and gently led those with children. A shepnherd can carry a baby lamb and will see the mother of the baby follow closely, the most intimate and gentle experience that a shepherd can perform.
What can we take for this verse that we can use in our lives? First trust in God. He will not abandon us and will always be there for us when we ask Him to be. He’s even there when we don’t ask Him to be.
Second think of others that we can act as a shepherd towards. Carry those that need to be carried when they need it, leading those who need to be led when they need us.
Lastly be wise enough to recognize not everyone is in control of our lives. God has a plan for the Hebrews in the Book of Isaiah and although it may be impossible for many of them to realize God’s plan for their lives at the time, He followed through with His plan like or not. I have had the same problems within my life thinking I am able to control everything there comes a time in everyone’s life when we need help and God is the only way no matter what!
Your plans Father God are so much better than any plan I have for myself. I ask You for help and You will help, but in your way! Thank You Father God for hearing our prayers in Jesus We come to you, Lord, honestly confessing that we are often tempted to go astray, that the world’s sinful enticements still have too much pull on our hearts. But being your children, the desire of our heart of hearts is to refuse to consent to temptations and to please you. Help us to be men and women of virtue, possessing the moral fortitude (inner strength) needed to overcome the world I pray this in Jesus name Amen.
Women at the Western (Wailing) Wall, the first two on the left are tourists from Africa and Asia. The rest of them are Israeli Jewish.
“The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.” (Matthew 10:41)
Shalom Delana,
One of the least recognized yet significant roles women play is that of prophet.
Nevertheless, in the Bible, prophecy is a gender-neutral gift of the Spirit.
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1)
God uses men and women to speak on His behalf.
Let’s look at three women prophets who embraced their destiny, spoke out, and saved Israel from destruction
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The Role of the Prophet
“Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.” (Acts 21:8-9)
What is a prophet?
In Hebrew, the word for prophet is navi. Some believe the word comes from the verb nava, which means to bubble up. But some modern linguists lean more toward the source being the Akkadian verb nabu, meaning to call.
Some scholars believe the word navi comes from the term niv sefatayim, meaning fruit of the lips, which emphasizes the prophet’s role as a speaker.
Regardless of the source of the word, the mission of the prophet throughout the Bible is clear — to speak on behalf of God.
The only way prophets have known what God wanted them to say is when He told them through His Spirit (Ruach in Hebrew), as He did with Ezekiel:
“Then the Ruach [Spirit] of the LORD came on me, and He told me to say: ‘This is what the LORD says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind.'” (Ezekiel 11:5)
A woman named Deborah was also empowered by Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) to be both a prophet and a judge during the time when Jabin, the king of Canaan, was oppressing Israel. As such, God placed Deborah as a key leader in Israel.
Judge Deborah the Prophet and Warrior Speaks Out
“Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.” (Judges 4:4)
In Judaism, women are traditionally revered as “the mother of life” and as being endowed with a deeper sense of understanding than men.
We read in Judges 4:5 that Deborah was a judge.
She “used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.”
The people of Israel in 12th century BC revered Deborah for her judgment and leadership abilities so much that she even directed men in battle as their Commander-in-Chief.
She was not only a prophet and a judge, she was a warrior.
During Deborah’s leadership, the people of Israel had been living for 20 years under the oppression of the king of Canaan.
They needed deliverance, so she called for a respected man of war named Barak and prophesied:
“The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.'” (Judges 4:6-7)
The Song of Deborah, by Gustav Dore
Respecting her anointing by Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) and placement by God in Israel for such a time as this, Barak told Deborah that he would not go into battle without her:
“Barak said to her, ‘If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.'” (Judges 4:8)
Barak perhaps made a common miscalculation.
While he seemed certain of Deborah’s anointing, he also seemed to doubt God’s ability to use him when distanced from her leadership.
It wasn’t enough to hear God’s destiny over his life — that God would give the enemy into his hands. Barak needed His spokesperson for the destiny to be there, too, and he perhaps idolized her as a “good luck charm” or a guarantor of success.
Because Barak had more faith in God’s spokesperson over God’s prophetic word, God modified Barak’s destiny:
“‘Certainly I will go with you,’ said Deborah. ‘But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.'” (Judges 4:9)
“Yael went out to meet Sisera” (Judges 4:18) Image from page 315 of The Art Bible (1896)
God empowered another woman to take the glory that could have gone to Barak, if only he had enough faith to believe it would happen as God said.
After all, he gathered ten thousand troops and pursued the enemy as they fled.
He did the work, but it was a woman, not a soldier, who killed Jabin’s army commander, Sisera.
Completely defeated, Sisera fled from Barak and went to the tent of Yael the wife of Heber the Kenite, who was a metal smith.
It is possible he went there to have his weapons of battle fixed since the Kenites were at peace with the Canaanites.
While sleeping in Yael’s tent, she killed him by hammering a peg through his head, thus fulfilling Deborah’s prophecy that God would deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman. (Judges 4:21-22)
God is not a respecter of persons that He would only give wisdom, courage, and advance knowledge about civil matters or battle strategies to men alone.
He empowers women with such abilities, too.
A Jewish Israeli woman soldier holding her gun, protecting a Jerusalem street along with her male comrade.
If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?
David lived a victorious life for God, but he still wanted to achieve more. So God assured him that the good work He began with David would continue with his offspring. So too, is our work only set for a time, but God uses us within His larger kingdom plan to continue what has been started by others and to pass on our responsibilities to those who follow us.
I used to say that to myself until I grew closer to God and read the Purpose Driven Life! I learned God made me for His joy. I do have purpose here on earth because God said so. Also learned bad things do happen in life,. Knowing God promises to be there no matter all I have to do is ask Him to be with me. I learned there is only one of me and God wouldn’t have it any other way. Knowing You Father God, you’re able to have anything You want. I humblie thank You for Your unconditional love in Your, Son Jesus name Amen
God, thank You for all that You have done and continue to do through me. It is a joy to be able to serve Your kingdom. As I reflect on my work, I thank You for those who came before me, giving me a foundation to build on. Please grant me the grace to raise up others to continue in service to You beyond my years. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Trials and tribulations are an inevitable part of the Christian walk and (or) life. There are times where we will be mocked for what we believe and it will leave us weary and down. Christ tells about this in scriptures.
Isaiah too foresaw Jesus, God’s servant, being mocked (Isaiah 50:6). Jesus too predicted that people will mock him (Mark 10:34). It happened to him like that (Matthew 27:29 and 41). So let us remember that the sufferings of Jesus intensified because of mockery he faced.
Proverbs 17:5 ESV Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
Psalm 1:1 ESV / 140 helpful votes Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 Peter 3:3-7 ESV / 96 helpful votes Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
Galatians 6:7 ESV Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
Isaiah 57:4 ESV Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, the offspring of deceit,
Proverbs 15:12 ESV A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.
Proverbs 14:6-9 ESV A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance.
Ephesians 4:29 ESV Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Romans 12:2 ESV Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Ephesians 5:4 ESV
Have you wondered about how much the riches of God’s glory must be? It’s a common phrase that we come across, but we rarely stop to think about what it really signifies. Do the riches of God’s glory come with a limitation? The simple answer is no, they do not. The riches of God’s glory are endless and ever-abounding. When you view this verse from the point-of-view that God’s riches are endless, it totally blows your mind. The amount of strength that we are able to receive from God is boundless. There is no limitation to it.
We are always going to need to be strengthened as we go through this world. There are challenges that await us at every corner. When we think that we have got everything under control, the enemy springs up and tries to make us feel as if we are worthless. There are days where we can easily fend off his attacks, but there are also days where those attacks will take a large toll on us. In those moments, we are unable to pick ourselves up and it becomes very hard to push on.
It is in those moments, we need to call on God for his strength. The reality of the matter is this: our own human strength will never be able to sustain us. If it was, we would have no reason to depend on God. It is only through God, we are able to face the trials of life.
It is evidenced through both Old Testament and New Testament Scripture that God does have the power to heal our physical bodies. Miraculous healings still happen today! Use the following Bible verses to talk to God about your pain and fill your heart with hope.
Father, help me to keep my focus on you when the pain and hurt are overwhelming. Help me to be faithful and to see the good and blessings that surround me. Please strengthen my mind, heart, and body, and heal me today. May the Holy Spirit guide me in peace and comfort today. Amen.
What bores you? Democrats pay the media to lie to American people!
You want to talk about lying in politics? Fine. Let’s talk about it.
Democrats lie all the time.
The Republican tax cuts didn’t cut taxes. We have “direct evidence” of Trump-Russian collusion. You can keep your doctor. It’s easier to get a Glock than a library book. Mitt Romney murdered a lady.
Bill Clinton’s I did not have sexual relations with that woman.
Democrats lie all the time, aided by a media complex that laps it up and uncritically regurgitates it. Former Vice President Joe Biden launched his presidential campaign by saying Democrats are waging “a battle for the soul of this nation.” How can his party win that argument when its own character is stained by lie after shameless lie?
Perhaps the most egregious policy canard floated by Democrats during Donald Trump’s presidency has to do with the Republican tax cut.
According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, just 17% of Americans believed their taxes went down. What’s the truth? Let’s ask The New York Times, which — after printing lie after lie regarding the tax cut — finally reported in April: “If you’re an American taxpayer, you probably got a tax cut last year. And there’s a good chance you don’t believe it.”
Gee whiz, if only there were an industry with the resources and responsibility to have told people the truth about it all this time. Better late than never, I guess.
The Times continues: “To a large degree, the gap between perception and reality on the tax cuts appears to flow from a sustained — and misleading — effort by liberal opponents of the law to brand it as a broad middle-class tax increase.”
The unnecessary qualifier “appears” notwithstanding, the Times spoke of the devil and he did appear: Democrats lied, the media helped them, and people bought it. When Trump lies, we suffer endless analysis about whether the Republic will survive. When Democrats lie, we get nothing until the narrative is baked beyond repair.
Mueller report:Takeaways on Trump, Russian interference and what Democrats can do now.
Instead of fighting this “sustained and misleading effort” while it was ongoing, the media instead focused its efforts on Russia collusion (another lie that went belly up) while allowing the tax deception to be amplified through unchallenged quotes and columns promising mass deaths and “an endless global recession.”
In his opening campaign speech, Biden himself piled on the tax dishonesty: “There’s a $2 trillion tax cut last year. Did you feel it? Did you get anything from it? Of course not …All of it went to folks at the top and corporations.” The Washington Post’s fact checker gave him “four Pinocchios” for what it called a “whopper” from a man who has never been known for “turning a phrase with precision.” Biden is building his economic argument on one big fat lie. Just like Hitler did! Hitler told the biggest lie over and over again until the people believed it. Democrats lie all the time about stuff that matters; they just don’t pay the same price as Donald Trump for their untruthfulness. About two-thirds of Americans consider Trump dishonest, according to a recent survey, including a quarter of his own party. When it comes to paying for mendaciousness, however, the media has failed to spread the tab evenly around the ideological dinner table. Has Adam Schiff, for instance, paid any price at all for lying about Russia collusion? His media appearances haven’t abated since his embarrassing exposure as a fraud.
More from Scott Jennings:
Democrats and media enablers will try anything to frame Donald Trump
This nation doesn’t need an ethics lecture from a Democratic Party that lies more than a no-legged dog. Lord have mercy, but has Biden forgotten that Democrats — led by his old boss — passed Obamacare on the back of a cock-and-bull story so egregious that it was given the “Lie of the Year” award? President Barack Obama lied repeatedly to the American people, yet Democrats celebrate his “scandal free” administration. If Trump’s lying is a scandal, folks, we need to revisit Obama’s tenure, stat.
We know Obama is running things with the help of Hillary Clinton.
Gracious God our Father, we come to You in Jesus name we thank You for sending Jesus to die for sinners, including myself among them.
🙏 God’s Promise 🙏
Isaiah 9:6 – in God’s promise to us was to send His Son: “His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Promise fulfilled!
Generative AI is experimental. Learn more The Bible has many passages that mention God as a defender, including: Deuteronomy 32:4 “The LORD is your mighty defender, perfect and just in all his ways; Your God is faithful and true; he does what is right and fair”. Psalm 62:6-8 “He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God”. Psalm 62:5-7 “I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter”. Exodus 15:2-3 “The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name”. Zechariah 1:18-2:13 “He will defend His chosen people and punish the wicked in His time!” . Psalm 18:1-6 “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies”.
Hear us today as we praise you – the LORD God Almighty – above Whom nothing and no one is greater – our all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving God.
Praise God that He is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and that He is your solid Rock, your Fortress, your Rescuer, your Shield, your …
God, our loving Heavenly Father, wants us to find happiness and joy. He created a plan for us to grow, live by faith, and return to live with Him someday. His plan gives meaning and context to our life here on earth and answers the big questions: “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” and “What happens after I die?”
What does the Bible say about loyalty to your country? Righteousness exalts a nation.
Here are our sons and daughters, submit them to any test of comparison you will; regard for truth, veneration for age, reverence for God, love of man, loyalty to country, respect for law, refinement of manners, and lastly, … purity of mind and chastity of conduct.
What does God say in the Bible about us? You are children of God, heirs of God (1 John 3:2; Romans 8:16–17). You are no longer orphans. You belong to me (John 14:18; 1 Corinthians 6:19). And I love you as a perfect Father (1 John 3:1; Luke 15:20–24).Sep 24, 2015
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Acts 17:26 “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”
Who was the most loyal person in the Bible? Similar to the Hebrew Bible narrative, Islamic tradition mentions that Satan heard the angels of God speak of Job as being the most faithful man of his generation.
What did the Bible say about a good woman? She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
True History or Consummate Fraud?
Hear the confident declaration of American statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852):
The Gospel is either history, or it is a consummate fraud; it is a reality or an imposition. Christ was what He professed to be was an imposter. There is no other alternative. His spotless life in His earnest enforcement of the truth – His suffering in its defense, forbade us to suppose that He was suffering an illusion of a heated brain. Every act of His pure and holy life shows that He was the author of truth, the advocate of truth, the earnest defender of truth, and the uncompromising sufferer for truth. Now, considering the purity of His doctrines, the simplicity of His life, and the sublimity of His death, is it possible that He would have died for an illusion? In all His preaching the Savior made no popular appeals. His discourses were always directed to the individual. Christ and His apostles sought to impress upon every man the conversation that he must stand or fall alone – he must live for himself, and die for himself, and give up his account to the omniscient God as though he were the only dependent in the universe. The Gospel leaves the individual sinner alone with himself and God, Himself!
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6
Without God, our brokenness leaves us searching in the dark, unable to see His glory. But Jesus changed all of that, bringing the light of God not only to our world through His life, but into each of our hearts through our redemption. All of us who know Jesus not only have been given the blessing of seeing God’s glory, but He also continues to shine through us so that His light may expel darkness wherever we go.
Father God, thank You for sending Jesus, and for the light that You bring into my life through him, and for opening my eyes to see Your glory revealed in him. Please shine through me so that I may reflect Your glory and others may see You and know You as well. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The third Person, Holy Spirit is the best gift from God and His, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in my life!
A citizen’s arrest is when a private citizen makes an arrest, as opposed to a police officer. In some situations, a citizen can make an arrest without a warrant. All states allow some form of citizen’s arrest in their criminal procedures.
Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828:
patriotism, n. Love of one’s country; the passion which aims to serve one’s country, either defending it from invasion, or protecting its rights and maintaining its laws and institutions in vigor and purity. Patriotism is the characteristic of a good citizen, the noblest passion that animates a man in Note how the definitions have changed. With its objective actions, Noah Webster’s patriotism is very different from the vague, subjective patriotism is not just an emotional feeling; it is action.
Webster’s original definition starts with a love for the country, but moves to specific actions: service to the country, defense of the country, protection of the rights of the country, and preservation of religion and morality in public and private life. This kind of patriotism puts the needs of the country above personal or partisan desire, as well as above the favor of foreign nations.
Prayer: I love my country, Lord, and I ask You to protect us from harm. Be with those men and women in each branch of service. Guard us all in Your Name.
Promise: Hear God’s promise: “The Lord commanded us to observe all these statues, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 6:24).
If Christ has not risen, your faith is futile 1 Corinthians 15:17
Hear the confident declaration of American statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852):
The Gospel is either true history, or it is a consummate fraud; it is either a reality or an imposition. Christ was what He professed to be, or He was an imposter. There is no other alternative. His spotless life in His earnest enforcement of the truth – His suffering in its defense, forbid us to suppose that He was suffering an illusion of a heated brain. Every act of His pure and holy life shows that He was the author of truth.
If you knew what really happens in the spiritual realm when you pray, you would never stop praying.
In this new message, explore mercy and grace, the protection of God, the intimacy prayer fosters with the Father, and the power that moves through your life when you pray.
Colossians 1:17 tells us that He is in everything and that He holds everything together. That is good news! There is no end to the supernatural power of God that can move through your life.
If you had the power to change one law, what would it be and why? I can’t change God’s Laws! We are to obey what He says. Generative AI is experimental. Learn more In Psalm 19, God’s Word is described as the “law of the Lord”. Verses 7-11 say, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes”. The “Word of God” is made up of the canonical books of the Old and New Testament. The law is one of the two main parts of the Word of God, the other being the Gospel. The law is God’s word that expresses his will. In the law, God revealed his character and righteous requirements to the nation of Israel.
The law is a part of the Word of God. The law is God’s specific commands and demands for his moral creatures. The law is also known as the “decalogue,” “God’s Law,” or “The Ten Commandments”.
A citizen’s arrest is when a private citizen makes an arrest, as opposed to a police officer. In some situations, a citizen can make an arrest without a warrant. All states allow some form of citizen’s arrest in their criminal procedures.
The Word of God is the Bible, which is considered a direct line of communication from the Lord. The phrase “the Word of God” can also refer to something that God has decreed to come to pass, or the actual spoken words of God. According to Quora, the law is the written scripture, while the word is the revealed scripture. The law condemns, while the word saves. The law is justified by requirements that are hard to fulfill, while the word is justified by faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”. When Jesus speaks of fulfilling the law and the prophets, he is speaking of bringing to fulfillment both the prophecies of Scripture and Scripture as a whole by His coming and His ministry. In Luke 24:44, Jesus says, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled”. Jesus and the law: an exegesis on Matthew 5:17–20 BY DAVID WENHAM The very strong statements about the continuing validity of the Old Testament law ascribed to Jesus in Matthew 5:17–20 have caused great difficulty to many Christian interpreters. Some have felt that they are in contradiction to Jesus’ more liberal attitude to the law1 attested in Mark’s Gospel (and elsewhere); others have wondered how they can possibly be reconciled with the teaching of Paul, the writer to the Hebrews and others, who suggest that the Christian is at least in some senses freed from the law.
A common solution to these problems is to ascribe the views expressed in Matthew 5:17–20 to the Jewish Christians of Matthew’s church rather than to Jesus. But this solution, however plausible it may seem, is not without objection on critical grounds,2 and it is in any case no final solution for the person who wishes to interpret Matthew 5:17–20 as part of the Word of God.
How then can we make sense of these verses? Dr Robert Banks has made some important suggestions on this, which, if accepted, would go a long way to answering our question.3 His views in general on Jesus’ view of the Old Testament law are summed up by the editor of Themelios as follows: ‘Jesus did not “expound” the law, nor did he “abrogate” it, or even “radicalize” it. The law was not, as such, any more the object of his attention than the traditions. His own new teaching moves on a plane above and beyond the law. The question is not Jesus’ attitude to the law, but the law’s relevance to him. It points forward to him, and in that sense it is fulfilled in his coming, and particularly in his teaching. “It is only in so far as it has been taken up into that teaching and completely transformed that it lives on” (p. 242). Even the decalogue does not remain in force as “eternal moral law”. Only the teaching of Jesus has that status.’4
This general position is in accord with and is supported by Banks’ detailed discussion of Matthew 5:17–20. Among the points made by Banks, the following are particularly important (and controversial): in v. 17b., ‘I have come not to abolish them but to fufil them,’ Banks argues that the Greek word translated ‘fulfil’, plerosai, should not be interpreted to mean ‘establish’; rather it means to ‘fulfil’ all that the law pointed forward to, and thus to transcend and replace the law. The law, like the prophets, pointed forward to Christ, and now that Christ has come the law is included in and superseded by him.
In the following verse (v. 18), which speaks of not an iota, not a dot, passing from the law until all is accomplished, Banks takes the phrase ‘until all is accomplished’ to mean ‘until all is fulfilled in Christ’ (in the way described already). Once Christ has come, the law is replaced by His teaching. V. 19 warns against relaxing ‘one of the least of these commandments’, and Banks takes this to refer to Jesus’ commands, not to the Old Testament law.
On the basis of such exegetical arguments Banks can conclude that Matthew 5:17–20 is not concerned to teach the abiding validity of the Old Testament law so much as superiority and authoritative character of Jesus and his teaching.
The Holy Spirit, also known as the Holy Ghost, is featured in many famous Bible stories. From the birth of Jesus to the miraculous events of Pentecost. When it comes to the Holy Spirit, there is much more than meets the eye. So, what exactly is the Holy Spirit?
There’s nothing more encouraging to tell ourselves at the beginning of a new day, whatever prospects may await, than “this is the day that the Lord has made” and “I will rejoice and be glad in it!”
That is what Psalm 118:24 says and that is the foundation for the lyrics of “Hava Nagila,” which goes like this:
Hava nagila, hava nagila Let us rejoice, let us rejoice
Hava nagila ve-nismecha Let us rejoice and be glad
Hava neranena, hava neranena Let us sing, let us sing
Hava neranena ve-nismecha Let us sing and be glad
Uru, uru achim Awake, awake brothers
Uru achim b’lev sameach Awake brothers with a joyful heart
century, the Hasidic communities in Eastern Europe and Russia were known for humming a nigun.
They did so as a way to maintain a level of joy and happiness in the face of oppressive regimes, pogroms, and ruthless anti-Semitism.
In the early 20th century, a group of Hasidic Jews from Sadigora, Ukraine brought their tunes with them to Israel.
One in particular caught the attention of a Jewish composer and musicologist, Abraham Zvi Idelsohn.
A passionate Zionist who immigrated to Israel in 1905, he wanted to unite the Jewish People (the early pilgrims to Israel) in song through the music they brought with them and the newly revived Hebrew language.
Idelsohn transcribed the tune into sheet music and is credited with adding the lyrics while serving as a bandmaster in the Ottoman Army during WWI.
In 1918, a choir sang his rendition for a celebration concert in Jerusalem after the British Army defeated the Turks.
It caught on and quickly became an all-occasion song.
From High Holy Day feasts to informal folk dances, Jewish weddings, and bar/bat mitzvah celebrations, Hava Nagila is a staple song.
Dancing the traditional circle dance known as the Hora at Kibbutz Dalia in 1945. (Israel National Photo Collection)
In the 1950s, the famous Jamaican-American singer Harry Belafonte helped to popularize it among the non-Jewish world by closing his performances with the joyful song.
Today, a version of it exists in most any music style, such as mambo, surf rock, and even heavy metal.
Bob Dylan, a famous American Jewish singer, named his rendition “Talkin’ Hava Nagila Blues,” saying it was “a foreign song I learned in Utah.”
That sums up how familiar this Eastern European Hasidic tune has become to Jew and Gentile around the world.
Why so much attention?
Because it really is a happy, joyful tune.
However, Idelsohn secularized Psalm 118 by removing references to the Lord, and few who sing it know how much God delights to hear us rejoice in song to honor Him!
Singing and Dancing David (painting in a Florence church)
You can help educate Jewish People worldwide today.
“Rejoice in hope… Rejoice with those who rejoice.” (Romans 12:12, 15)
Believers dance and rejoice at a Messianic synagogue. (YouTube capture)
Rejoicing in Our Salvation Leads to Victory
“Is rejoicing really that important?” you might ask.
When we consider that joy is one of our spiritual weapons, the answer is yes! Rejoicing is linked to praise, and praise is linked to victory!
When we rejoice, we put on the “garment of praise [tehilah] for a spirit of heaviness [dullness, depression].” (Isaiah 61:3)
The enemy would dearly like to destroy our joy; it’s one of his weapons to separate us from God. So, it’s critical that we remember to rejoice.
The Songs of Joy, by James Tissot
God Rejoices over Israel!
An end-time prophecy is being fulfilled right now.
Only one time in the whole Bible does God say He will do something with all of His heart and all of His soul.
It is the planting of His Chosen Jewish people back in the Land that He gave to them as an everlasting possession:
“I will rejoice in doing good to them, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all My heart and all My soul.” (Jeremiah 32:41)
Jerusalem, the City of the Great King, is “created to be a delight” (Isaiah 65:18); and again, God says that He Himself will “rejoice over Jerusalem” and “take delight” in His people (Isaiah 65:19).
Jerusalem
Yeshua wept over His city 2,000 years ago (Luke 19:41) because the people rejected Him.
Today, the people of Israel still reject Yeshua and His salvation, but He is coming soon!
And at that time, they will “rejoice greatly” as they sing and shout out what is prophesied in Psalm 118 and Matthew 23:
“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
The Jewish people will then be singing songs to the Lamb and who knows, maybe also Hava Nagila!
What’s your favorite candy? I don’t know if I have any! Well yeah, I do! It is peeps!
Marshmallow Peeps are a marshmallow candy that come in the shape of chicks, bunnies, and other animals. They’ve been marketed in the United States and Canada since 1953, and are made by Just Born Quality Confections, which is based in Pennsylvania. Peeps are made from sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin, and the eyes are made from food-grade carnauba wax. They are coated in a layer of sugar crystals, which gives them a sweet texture. A Peeps chick contains 28 calories. You can buy Peeps in a variety of flavors and shapes, including holiday shapes.
Peeps are produced by Just Born,[1] a candy manufacturer founded in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, by an immigrant from Vinnitsa in the Russian Empire (now in Ukraine), Sam Born (1891–1959).
In 1953, Just Born acquired the Rodda Candy Company and its marshmallow chick line, and replaced the painstaking process of hand-forming the chicks with mass production.[2] When founder Sam Born displayed a sign for his freshly made candy, he titled it “Just Born”, playing off of his last name and the fact that he made his candy fresh daily.[3] According to Mary Bellis, the newly purchased company, Just Born, was soon the “largest marshmallow candy manufacturer in the world.”
Just Born began producing other shapes in the 1960s, following seasonal themes. Twenty years later, the Marshmallow Peeps Bunny was released as a popular year-round shape of the candy.[4] The yellow chicks were the original form of the candy — hence their name — but then the company introduced other colors and, eventually, the myriad of shapes in which they are now produced. Peeps were manufactured in different colors, such as lavender starting in 1995 and blue in 1998. Prior to that, they were only being produced in the traditional colors: yellow, pink and white. New flavors such as vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate were introduced between the years of 1999 and 2002.[4]
The Peeps Fun Bus In 2003, the Peeps Fun Bus conducted a tour across the country to promote the brand. The tour included giveaways and games and was decorated with a giant Peep on the top of the bus. [5]
In 2009, Just Born expanded the Peeps product line further by introducing Peeps Lip Balm in four flavors: grape, strawberry, vanilla, and cotton candy.[6] Just Born has come out with several other various accessories. Items such as nail polish, wrist bands, umbrellas, plush toys, golf gloves, earrings, and necklaces are produced and sold online and in retail stores. Other companies have produced items based on the popular Peeps candy. Peeps micro bead pillows were made by Kaboodle and conform to one’s shape. The company Kaboodle promises that “they’ll last a lot longer than their edible counterpart!” Ranging from infant sizes to adult sizes, Peeps Halloween costumes can also be found on the shelves of several costume stores. The first Peeps & Co. store opened in November 2009 in National Harbor, Maryland, Prince George’s County. Peeps & Company retail stores were later opened in Minnesota (as of 2019, shut down due to low profits) and Pennsylvania. In 2014, Peeps Minis were introduced, and were intended to be available year-round.
Why did Peeps take 27 hours to make? They Make Millions in Minutes
It used to take 27 hours to make a single Peep because each one was hand-squeezed from a pastry tube. That was in 1953. Now it takes six min. utes, thanks to owner Sam Born’s son, Bob, who mechanized the process in 1954 with a special machine still used today.
Did Peeps get banned?
After this upcoming Easter season, when Peeps will once again be ubiquitous in grocery stores, the treats will no longer contain red dye No. 3, which will be banned for use in food in California starting in 2027.Oct 13, 2023
What was the original name of Peeps? Peeps, as we know them today, are made by the Just Born company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Sam Born, owner of Just Born, purchased the Rodda Candy Company in 1953. The Rodda Candy Company were makers of what were called back then the “Rodda Chick” – a handmade chicken confection that took 27 hours to make.
Do Peeps get moldy?
Peeps are a good substrate for fungal research because they contain sugar and corn syrup, which some fungi love. But they also contain potassium sorbate, a preservative that prolongs shelf life and prohibits the growth of many molds and yeasts.
Healthy or not … Are marshmallow peeps good for you? Peeps are a type of marshmallow candy that are popular during the Easter holiday season. While they can be enjoyed in moderation as a sweet treat, they are not particularly nutritious and are high in sugar and calories. One Peep contains about 28 calories and 6.5 grams of sugar.
Originally promoted primarily at Easter, Peeps have subsequently been marketed as “Always in Season”, and have expanded to Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Since 2014 the confection has been available year-round with the introduction of Peeps Minis.
Peeps ingredients include sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, food dyes and salt.
Describe your most ideal day from beginning to end.
Everyday I begin thanking God for His gift life. He wakes and lays me down. My relationship with God is so much more important to me than anything else in my life.
Here are some Bible verses about putting God first: Proverbs 3:6 “In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success” Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” 2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”
Other Bible verses about putting God first include: Matthew 10:38-39 Matthew 13:44-46 Matthew 22:37-40 Ephesians 1:22-23 Colossians 3:17 Exodus 20:3 Proverbs 3:5-6
According to the GCU Blog, you can look for God in every situation, big or small. For example, you can look for beautiful things he has made when walking down the street, or thank him for the people in your life when you are with them. According to churchofjesuschrist.org, you can experience God in your everyday life by: Serving others Working in a soup kitchen or local homeless shelter Doing small, daily acts of service According to JC Recovery Center, God can work in our lives through trouble and hardship. He might use these times to help us grow or to benefit those around us. According to Wikipedia, the five major milestones in the New Testament narrative of the life of Jesus are: Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension. According to the Gospel Coalition, the main purpose of life is ultimately to glorify God.
Jesus Christ’s life is full of meaningful moments, so much so that it is hard to choose just 10 of the most important events in His life. These events occurred across the Holy Land, in all the places where Jesus walked in Israel. 1. Birth of Jesus Christ, Bethlehem And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
Mary and Joseph left their home in Nazareth and traveled to Bethlehem, Joseph’s ancestral hometown, where he was required to register for a national census. When they arrived, there were no rooms available, and the only place they could stay was in a barn. Here Mary gave birth to baby Jesus. They were visited by shepherds from the surrounding fields and three wise men from the East who came to see the birth of a king. In the 4th century, the Church of Nativity was built around the grotto, where Jesus was born. 2. Jesus Visits the Temple, Jerusalem After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Luke 2:46
When Jesus was 12 years old, he traveled with his parents from Nazareth to Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover. At the end of the celebration, Mary and Joseph began the journey home together with a group of fellow pilgrims. They presumed Jesus was among the group. But a day into their travels, they realized they had lost Jesus. Returning to Jerusalem, they found Him in the Temple. Jesus said to His parents: “Why were you searching for me?” … “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Luke 2:11 3. Baptism of Jesus, Jordan River Then John said, “I saw the Holy Spirit come down on Jesus as a dove from heaven. John 1:32
How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life? My relationship with God is my everyday life!
What’s your favorite thing to cook? I am not a cook! I am a daughter, mother, sister, grandmother, etc: Everything I have cooked over the years I have learned from other people! I do make dinner, breakfast, and lunch! There is a big difference.
A cook is a person who prepares food for eating. In the food industry, a cook is a professional who prepares food for consumption, especially in restaurants. A cook is sometimes referred to as a chef, but the terms are not interchangeable. According to the Cambridge dictionary, a cook is someone who prepares and cooks food, while a chef is a skilled and trained cook who works in a hotel or restaurant.
The correct option is A chef. A chef is a trained professional cook who is skilled in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. Boarding schools and colleges have their own chefs to prepare food for their students.
prepare (food, a dish, or a meal) by combining and heating the ingredients in various ways. “shall I cook dinner tonight?”
God Bless Your Morning in Jesus Christ name Amen
A cook is a professional individual who prepares items for consumption in the food industry, especially in settings such as restaurants. A cook is sometimes referred to as a chef, although in the culinary world, the terms are not interchangeable. Cooks’ responsibilities include preparing food, managing food stations, cleaning the kitchen, and helping the chefs.[1] Restaurants will give a title to the cooks according to their designated stations.[2] Examples are broiler cooks, fry cooks, pantry cooks, and sauce cooks.
Hello, I am Bishop Robert Stearns and I invite you to join me on a transformative journey through our Watchmen on the Wall Course.
Are you a Christian pondering your relationship with Israel, the Jewish people, and the in-depth prophetic scriptures about Israel? Like you, I once had no connection or understanding of these crucial topics. But through studying the Bible and traveling to Israel, my perspective was profoundly changed.
In this course, you’ll cut through misinformation and gain clarity on God’s narrative concerning Israel. With comprehensive modules like ‘God’s Everlasting Covenant with the Jewish People’ and ‘The Miracle of Israel through the Eyes of History,’ you’ll delve deep into these vital subjects. You’ll also learn how to become an informed intercessor and an articulate ambassador for Israel.
I know you want to be a biblically informed, active supporter of Israel. In order to do that, you need clarity and understanding of God’s storyline concerning Israel, and how it applies to you today.
In this course you will:
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🖥️ Write about your first computer. 🖥️ I was in school using these two PCs for school work. That was in the 80’s. I liked them.
Ten Republican senators in Oregon cannot run for reelection, the state’s top court ruled on Feb. 1.
The court found that the senators are banned from running for reelection under a constitutional amendment approved in 2022. The amendment, Ballot Measure 113, states that lawmakers who miss at least 10 legislative days without an excuse cannot seek reelection. The ruling upheld a decision from Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade, a Democrat.
Ms. Griffin-Valade said in 2023 that the senators, under the measure, could not try for another term after their current term. “My decision honors the voters’ intent by enforcing the measure the way it was commonly understood when Oregonian added it to our state constitution,” she said at the time. The decision sparked a lawsuit from some of the Republican senators, but the Oregon Supreme Court sided with the secretary of state.
“Because the text is capable of supporting the secretary’s interpretation, and considering the clear import of the ballot title and explanatory statement in this case, we agree with the secretary that voters would have understood the amendment to mean that a legislator with 10 or more unexcused absences during a legislative session would be disqualified from holding legislative office during the immediate next term, rather than the term after that,” the new ruling reads.
Justices said they used their typical methodology in construing the amendment “by determining how the voters who adopted the amendment most likely understood its text.” The method included considering the information presented to voters, which stated that voting yes would disqualify legislators with 10 unexcused absences for the term “following current term in office.” “Those other materials expressly and uniformly informed voters that the amendment would apply to a legislator’s immediate next terms of office, indicating that the voters so understood and intended that meaning,” the justices wrote.
The ruling applies to 10 Republican senators in the 30-seat body.
“I’ve said from the beginning my intention was to support the will of the voters,” Ms. Griffin-Valade said in a statement. “It was clear to me that voters intended for legislators with a certain number of absences in a legislative session to be immediately disqualified from seeking reelection. I’m thankful to the Oregon Supreme Court for providing clarity on how to implement Measure 113.”
Senate President Rob Wagner, a Democrat, said that the ruling “means that legislators and the public now know how Measure 113 will be applied, and that is good for our state.”
The senators in question, including state Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, missed more than 10 days in 2023 while protesting Democrat-sponsored bills on abortion and other issues. Their walkout of about six weeks delayed voting because it resulted in a lack of quorum, or the minimum number of senators needed to be present to hold a vote.
“We obviously disagree with the Supreme Court’s ruling. But more importantly, we are deeply disturbed by the chilling impact this decision will have to crush dissent,” Mr. Knopp said on Feb. 1.
Oregon voters approved Measure 113 by a wide margin following Republican walkouts in the Legislature in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
The measure says disqualification applies to “the term following the election after the member’s current term is completed.”
Mr. Knopp and others had challenged the interpretation of the measure.
Lawyers for the senators said they viewed the measure language as meaning that the lawmakers could run in 2024, since a senator’s term ends in January while elections are held the previous November. They argued the penalty doesn’t take effect immediately, but rather, after they’ve served another term.
All parties in the suit had sought clarity on the issue before the March 2024 filing deadline for candidates who want to run in this year’s election.
Mr. Knopp and three other Republican senators had already launched reelection bids before the case was considered, while two other senators have said that they’re retiring at the end of their terms. The remaining GOP senators were elected in 2022 for terms that end in early 2027, so they will be barred from running in 2026.
Justice Aruna Masih didn’t participate in the consideration of the case or the decision, the Oregon Supreme Court stated.
All justices on the Oregon Supreme Court were appointed by Democrat governors, either Gov. Kate Brown or Gov. Tina Kotek.
“I’m disappointed but can’t say I’m surprised that a court of judges appointed solely by Gov. Brown and Gov. Kotek would rule in favor of political rhetoric rather than their own precedent,” said state Sen. Suzanne Weber, another lawmaker affected by the ruling. “The only winners in this case are Democrat politicians and their union backers.”
Another challenge from Republicans, this one in federal court, is still pending. The court recently denied a preliminary request that would have let three of the Republicans run, a decision the Republicans have appealed.
The International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American multinational technology corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York and is present in over 175 countries. IBM is the largest industrial research organization in the world, with 19 research facilities across a dozen countries, and held the record for most annual U.S. patents generated by a business for 29 consecutive years from 1993 to 2021.
IBM was founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR), a holding company of manufacturers of record-keeping and measuring systems. It was renamed “International Business Machines” in 1924 and soon became the leading manufacturer of punch-card tabulating systems. During the 1960s and 1970s, the IBM mainframe, exemplified by the System/360, was the dominant computing platform, and the company produced 80 percent of computers in the U.S. and 70 percent of computers worldwide.
After entering the multipurpose microcomputer market in the 1980s with the IBM Personal Computer, which became the most popular standard for personal computers, IBM began losing its market dominance to emerging competitors. Beginning in the 1990s, the company began downsizing its operations and divesting from commodity production, most notably selling its personal computer division to the Lenovo Group in 2005. IBM has since concentrated on computer services, software, supercomputers, and scientific research. Since 2000, its supercomputers have consistently ranked among the most powerful in the world, and in 2001 it became the first company to generate more than 3,000 patents in one year, beating this record in 2008 with over 4,000 patents. As of 2022, the company held 150,000 patents.
As one of the world’s oldest and largest technology companies, IBM has been responsible for several technological innovations, including the automated teller machine (ATM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), the floppy disk, the hard disk drive, the magnetic stripe card, the relational database, the SQL programming language, and the UPC barcode. The company has made inroads in advanced computer chips, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and data infrastructure.[citation needed] IBM employees and alumni have won various recognitions for their scientific research and inventions, including six Nobel Prizes and six Turing Awards.
IBM is a publicly traded company and one of 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It is among the world’s largest employers, with over 297,900 employees worldwide in 2022. Despite its relative decline within the technology sector, IBM remains the seventh largest technology company by revenue, and 49th largest overall, according to the 2022 Fortune 500. It is also consistently ranked among the world’s most recognizable, valuable, and admired brands.
What do you complain about the most? How time has gone by. Wasted time” is a phrase that means time is being spent on something that is unnecessary and doesn’t produce any benefit. For example, someone might think that talking to someone who doesn’t listen is a waste of time.
Definitions of waste of time. the devotion of time to a useless activity. “the waste of time could prove fatal” type of: dissipation, waste, wastefulness. useless or profitless activity; using or expending or consuming thoughtlessly or carelessly.
Amen
Wasted time” can also mean time, money, or other resources that are not used effectively because they do not produce the desired result. For example, someone might say that a trip was wasted if they weren’t home when someone else arrived. Some synonyms for “wasted time” include: Procrastinate, Delay, Stall, Play for time, Temporize, Kill time, Dally, Tarry, Loiter. Some slang terms for “wasted time” include: Dawdling, Hanging around, Killing time, Kicking back, Lolling around, Goofing off, Kicking around, Vegging out, Hacking around
Here are some examples of sentences using the phrase “waste time”: “You waste too much time watching television” “I wasted a lot of time waiting for you” “Spending my afternoon rearranging the furniture was a waste of time; it didn’t improve the look of the room” “The lecture was a complete waste of time” “We have half a mind to report it for wasting police time” “The average worker spends about two hours a day wasting time”
“Waste of time” is a phrase used to describe when something doesn’t produce a desired result. Here are some other phrases related to wasting time: Burning daylight: Wasting daytime hours when work can be done Waste no time: To start doing something immediately Don’t waste your time: To not make good use of available hours
What are your favorite sports to watch and play? I was a Michigan fan until three years ago because of what they said about Israel! Pro football I stopped watching because they are a contributor to human trafficking. They are also disrespectful to kneel while National Anthem. That’s an insult to those who fought for our freedoms and are still fighting for our freedoms. They have no right to disrespect our military and that is what they are doing. The football players who kneel the basketball players who disrespect our National Anthem should be held for treason.
Football players get millions of dollars and cry if they get hurt. Football is not football anymore it is a Sissy ball.
“God has granted me another child.” (Genesis 4:25)
Shalom Delana,
Seth is a popular name in the Western world, but few people know it’s the name of a significant man in the Bible that is packed with God’s hope and promises for our lives.
We read that “hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)
Let’s see how God planted a seed of hope in the spiritual DNA of Seth — a hope that all humanity has longed for and which we find fulfilled in Messiah Yeshua.
Restoring Hope Through Seth, a Son Appointed by God
We often hear about Adam and Eve’s dreadful decision to disobey God in the Garden of Eden.
As a consequence to their sin of disobedience, which was now part of their human nature and that of humanity forevermore, the couple lost their second-born child when their first-born son Cain, murdered his brother Abel.
Cain’s sin of murder evolved into a legacy of descendants who created weapons of warfare (as Tubal-Cain did) and seemed to glorify murder without consequence (as Lamech appeared to do). (Genesis 4:22–24)
So, God began a new line of righteousness, revealing the fullness of His grace and mercy:
“Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth [shayth – שֵׁ֑ת], for, she said, ‘God has appointed [shat – שָֽׁת] me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.’” (Genesis 4:25)
Through Seth, God laid a new foundation.
Jewish men read from a Torah scroll wearing a tallit (prayer shawl) and tefillin (phylacteries).
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In fact, Jewish sages consider Seth’s name to mean foundation because they say that from him the world was founded. (Midrash Aggadah Genesis 4:25)
Though God did set Seth as a foundation for the promised seed of Messiah, this is not the literal Hebrew meaning of Seth’s name.
The name Seth in Hebrew is Shayth – שֵׁ֑ת. It is related to the verb sheeth (שִׁית), meaning to set, place, or appoint.
God appointed Seth in place of his brother Abel, who died without any descendants, to begin a new bloodline that would bring salvation to the human race.
Cain Leads Abel to Death, by James Tissot
Losing a child to murder must be the most tragic event in any parent’s life, and even worse when it is committed by another family member.
But God knows our despair. He truly is our Comforter and is always ready to turn our ashes into joy, by placing a new path of restoration before us.
Satan, however, is continuously trying to replace God’s plans of hope and salvation for the human race with his plans of deception, failure, and ultimately death and eternal condemnation.
We see this pattern of Satan’s disruption at the very beginning of creation when he deceived Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve (1919 Bible Primer by Adolf Hult)
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So in Genesis 3:15, God stepped in and placed the hope in Eve that one day her seed would “bruise” Satan’s head.
The Jewish sages write that “Eve had respect to that seed which is coming from another place. And who is this? This is the King Messiah.” (Genesis Rabbah 23:5)
Satan also understood God’s plan to save humanity through Eve’s seed by sending us a Messiah, so he has been trying to wipe out humanity (physically and spiritually). One way he does this is by taking advantage of our emotional wounds.
God warned Cain to master the sin that was boiling up in his heart — his hatred, anger, and jealousy against Abel. (Genesis 4:7)
Cain did not heed God’s warning. He acted on his feelings by murdering Abel.
Jealousy, anger, and hatred are just three of the toxic emotions that the enemy of God encourages in us to lead us away from God’s love and protection. Sadly, Cain did not seek God’s help in these matters.
Within seven generations, Cain’s descendants became skilled in warfare and killing without repentance; they also became skilled musicians of the flute and harp. (Genesis 4:21–24)
Though they acquired many practical skills, they lacked understanding and knowledge of God and His standards of righteousness.
And then came Seth, the son appointed by God. (Genesis 4:25)
Throughout history, God has appointed people to be a light in the midst of great darkness.
Restoring Hope Through Messiah Yeshua
Even though God appointed Seth to begin a new line of righteousness, it seemed that for several generations, Satan would still prevail.
Initially, God’s plan appeared to be going well. At the ripe old age of 105, God blessed Seth with a son whom he named Enosh. (Genesis 5:6)
Only after the birth of Enosh “men began to call on the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 4:26)
But that wasn’t enough to turn the hearts of humanity away from their sin.
Seven generations after Enosh, God saw that the thoughts of humanity were continuously evil and the earth was full of violence and corruption. (Genesis 6)
God’s plans to restore righteousness prevailed when He sent the Great Flood, which wiped out all of Cain’s descendants.
God is always in control of His great plan for humanity!
Noah and His Ark (1819), by Charles Willson Peale
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Seth’s righteous seed would continue through Noah and his son Shem, continuing down the bloodline to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who were the fathers of a chosen people called the Israelites.
God made a promise and covenant with Abraham that through his seed would come a nation of priests.
God appointed this nation to spread His righteous ways throughout the world.
But many of them followed their own ways, and did evil in His sight, as happened in the days of Cain’s descendants before the Great Flood.
It seemed that Satan had the upper hand again! The “nation of priests” had turned away from God’s laws and incurred the penalty of their sin — death and separation from God forever.
Nevertheless, God never wavered in His promise to Eve that through her seed the Messiah would come.
The apostle Luke records for us that Yeshua (Jesus) descended from the seed of Seth. (Luke 3:38)
Even though Adam and Eve’s one act of disobedience in the Garden brought us all condemnation, God kept His promise to Eve. He sent us — and appointed for us — His only begotten Son, Yeshua, as our Messiah. (Acts 3:20)
“Messiah’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.” (Romans 5:18)
Yeshua in His perfect righteousness took our death sentence upon Himself by dying on the execution stake so that we could live free of eternal condemnation.
So, how do we apply His sacrifice (blood atonement) to our own sins?
By acknowledging our sins, repenting, and claiming His death in place of our eternal death.
Only then can we be restored to a right standing with God and enter into eternal life.
Being restored to God is like mending a broken ladder to heaven.
Believers Are Appointed to Be Like Seth
Just as God appointed Seth to begin a new line of righteousness in the bloodline of humanity, so too has God appointed us to begin a new line of righteousness in our own lives and future generations.
When we abide in Him and rely on His empowering Spirit in us, we sin less and repent quickly when we do, resulting in close fellowship with our Father who gives us joy, hope, and freedom.
Messiah Yeshua says, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” (John 15:16)
We are to persist in asking the Father for what we need to bear fruit for Him. (Romans 12:12)
The more we abide in Him and rely on His Spirit in us, the more we will be able to replace temptations to sin with God’s empowering Spirit.
Like Seth, we can set a new foundation for ourselves and the people around us.
“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have appointed you to be a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'” (Acts 13:47)
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Orwellian is an adjective that describes a situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free and open society. Orwellian can be used to describe a political system in which the government tries to control every part of people’s lives. It can also describe aspects of society reminiscent of Orwell’s critiques, such as mass surveillance and restrictions on free speech. Orwellian can also mean relating to or suggestive of George Orwell or his writings, especially relating to or suggestive of the dystopian reality depicted in the novel 1984. In 1984, social control is exercised through disinformation and surveillance. Synonyms of Orwellian include dystopian, nightmarish, terrifying, gloomy, hellish, despotic, tyrannical, oppressive, repressive, dictatorial, totalitarian, authoritarian, and autocratic.
What books do you want to read? The Bible is the only book I want to read! Bible, the sacred scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament, with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Old Testament being slightly larger because of their acceptance of certain books and parts of books considered apocryphal by Protestants. The Hebrew Bible includes only books known to Christians as the Old Testament. The arrangements of the Jewish and Christian canons differ considerably. The Protestant and Roman Catholic arrangements more nearly match one another. A brief treatment of the Bible follows. For full treatment, see biblical literature.
Bible, the sacred scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament, with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Old Testament being slightly larger because of their acceptance of certain books and parts of books considered apocryphal by Protestants. The Hebrew Bible includes only books known to Christians as the Old Testament. The arrangements of the Jewish and Christian canons differ considerably. The Protestant and Roman Catholic arrangements more nearly match one another.
I Am Who I Am Amen
Traditionally, the Jews have divided their scriptures into three parts: the Torah (the “Law,” or Pentateuch), the Neviʾim (“Prophets”), and the Ketuvim (“Writings,” or Hagiographa). The Pentateuch, together with the Book of Joshua (hence the name Hexateuch), can be seen as the account of how the Israelites became a nation and of how they possessed the Promised Land. The division designated as the “Prophets” continues the story of Israel in the Promised Land, describing the establishment and development of the monarchy and presenting the messages of the prophets to the people. The “Writings” include speculation on the place of evil and death in the scheme of things (Job and Ecclesiastes), the poetical works, and some additional historical books.
In the Apocrypha of the Old Testament, various types of literature are represented; the purpose of the Apocrypha seems to have been to fill in some of the gaps left by the indisputably canonical books and to carry the history of Israel to the 2nd century BCE.
The New Testament is by far the shorter portion of the Christian Bible, but, through its associations with the spread of Christianity, it has wielded an influence far out of proportion to its modest size. Like the Old Testament, the New Testament is a collection of books, including a variety of early Christian literature. The four Gospels deal with the life, the person, and the teachings of Jesus, as he was remembered by the Christian community. The Acts of the Apostles carries the story of Christianity from the Resurrection of Jesus to the end of the career of St. Paul. The various Letters, or Epistles, are correspondence by various leaders of the early Christian church, chief among them St. Paul, applying the message of the church to the sundry needs and problems of early Christian congregations. The Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse) is the only canonical representative of a large genre of apocalyptic literature that appeared in the early Christian movement.
S.E.K. Mqhayi (born Dec. 1, 1875, near Gqumahashe, Cape Colony [now in South Africa]—died July 29, 1945, Ntab’ozuko, S.Af.) Xhosa poet, historian, and translator who has been called the “father of Xhosa poetry.”
Mqhayi, who was born into a family of long Christian standing, spent several of his early years in rural Transkei, a circumstance that is reflected in his evident love of Xhosa history and his mastery of the praise poem. He taught school and helped to edit several Xhosa-language journals. In 1905 he was appointed to the Xhosa Bible Revision Board, and he later helped codify Xhosa grammar and standardize Xhosa orthography. After completing this work, Mqhayi devoted most of his time to writing.
His first published book, U-Samson, was a version of the biblical story of Samson. In 1914 his Ityala lamawele (“The Lawsuit of the Twins”) appeared. Inspired by another biblical story, Ityala lamawele is a defense of Xhosa law before European administration. In the 1920s Mqhayi wrote several biographies and Imihobe nemibongo (1927; “Songs of Joy and Lullabies”), the first published collection of Xhosa poems, many of which celebrate current events or important figures. A work of fiction, U-Don Jadu (1929), describes a utopian multiracial state that combines elements of Western society and Xhosa culture. Mqhayi’s autobiography, U-Mqhayi wase Ntab’ozuko (1939; “Mqhayi of the Mountain of Beauty”), gives a vivid picture of late 19th-century Xhosa life.
Mqhayi’s collected poems, Inzuzo (“Reward”), were published in 1942. A short autobiography and two works, “The Death of Hintsa” and “The Dismissal of Sir Benjamin D’Urban,” were published in Mqhayi in Translation (1976).
Methuselah, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), patriarch whose life span as recorded in Genesis (5:27) was 969 years. Methuselah has survived in legend and tradition as the longest-lived human. His prodigious age has been taken as literally 969 solar years, as a possible mistranslation of 969 lunar months or tenths of years (with his age then ranging from about 78 years to almost 97 years), and as a myth intended to create an impression of a distant past between Adam and Noah, as well as any number of other interpretations.
Genesis tells nothing about Methuselah beyond sparse genealogical details: according to Genesis 5, he was the great-great-great-great-grandson of Seth, the child of Adam and Eve begotten more than a century after Cain. He was the father of Lamech and the grandfather of Noah. According to the biblical account, he came of hardy stock: all his forebears lived to an age between 895 and 962 years except his father, Enoch, who lived to be 365. (In the genealogy of Cain in Genesis 4, there is a Methushael who also fathers a Lamech. Given this and certain other similarities, some scholars have proposed that the genealogies of Seth and Cain were possibly one list that became two at some point.)
The enumeration of Methuselah in Genesis is his only appearance in the Hebrew Bible save for a mention in 1 Chronicles 1:3, where he is cited in the lineage of Saul. In the New Testament he is mentioned once in the Gospel of Luke. There, at 3:23–38, the lineage of Joseph, husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus, is traced back 75 generations, through David and Saul, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to Methuselah and thence to Seth and Adam.
Charles Hodge (born Dec. 27, 1797, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.—died June 19, 1878, Princeton, N.J.) conservative American biblical scholar and a leader of the “Princeton School” of Reformed, or Calvinist, theology.
Hodge graduated from Princeton University in 1815. He became professor of biblical literature at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1822 and professor of theology in 1840. From 1826 to 1828 he traveled in Europe, where he met the prominent theologians of the day, though he remained firmly resistant to newer trends of thought. Hodge continued to teach at the seminary until his retirement in 1877. In 1846 he served for one year as moderator of the “Old School” Presbyterian Church. This body, like the “Princeton School” of orthodox Calvinist theology, in which Hodge was a major figure, stressed the verbal infallibility of the Bible and asserted other generally conservative views.
Hodge constructed an influential Systematic Theology, 3 vol. (1871–73), and wrote numerous biblical commentaries. For 46 years he edited the Biblical Repertory and Princeton Review, a journal that he founded in 1825 and to which he contributed nearly 150 articles.
Abel, in the Old Testament, second son of Adam and Eve, who was slain by his older brother, Cain (Genesis 4:1–16). According to Genesis, Abel, a shepherd, offered the Lord the firstborn of his flock. The Lord respected Abel’s sacrifice but did not respect that offered by Cain. In a jealous rage, Cain murdered Abel. Cain then became a fugitive because his brother’s innocent blood put a curse on him.
Encyclopedia Britannica HomeGames & QuizzesHistory & SocietyScience & TechBiographiesAnimals & NatureGeography & TravelArts & CultureMoneyVideos Bible Home Philosophy & Religion Scriptures History & Society Bible sacred text Written and fact-checked by Last Updated: Dec 31, 2023 • Article History Top Questions Why is the Bible important? What language was the Bible originally written in? How is the Bible organized? When was the Bible written? What does the Bible say? Moses and the Israelites Moses and the Israelites Moses leading the children of Israel through the Red Sea, 15th century; illustration from a German Bible. Bible Bible The first printing (1663) of the Bible in the American colonies; it was translated by Christian missionary John Eliot into Massachuset (also known as Wampanoag), an Algonquian language. Philip II; Bible Philip II; Bible A Bible (1569)—written in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin—that was subsidized by Philip II of Spain. Bible, the sacred scriptures of Judaism and Christianity. The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament, with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox versions of the Old Testament being slightly larger because of their acceptance of certain books and parts of books considered apocryphal by Protestants. The Hebrew Bible includes only books known to Christians as the Old Testament. The arrangements of the Jewish and Christian canons differ considerably. The Protestant and Roman Catholic arrangements more nearly match one another.
Category: History & Society On the Web: Christianity.com – “Bible” (Dec. 31, 2023) A brief treatment of the Bible follows. For full treatment, see biblical literature.
mosaic: Christianity More From Britannica Christianity: Biblical foundations Consider the Bible’s Old Testament as a literary masterpiece dramatized by paintings, music, and sculpture Consider the Bible’s Old Testament as a literary masterpiece dramatized by paintings, music, and sculpture The Bible As Literature, Part One: Saga and Story in the Old Testament. Treating the Bible as a collection of literary masterpieces, this film, produced in 1974 by Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation, skillfully weaves together paintings, sculpture, music, and drama to renact the stories of the Bible. See all videos for this article Examine the Old Testament’s The Book of Proverbs and other books through a literary lens Examine the Old Testament’s The Book of Proverbs and other books through a literary lens The Bible As Literature, Part Two: History, Poetry, and Drama in the Old Testament. The second part of an examination of the Bible as literature, this film examines the books of Joshua, Samuel, and Kings as historical documents, the Book of Proverbs as lyric poetry, and the prophetical books as protest literature. It was produced in 1974 by Encyclopædia Britannica Educational Corporation. See all videos for this article Traditionally, the Jews have divided their scriptures into three parts: the Torah (the “Law,” or Pentateuch), the Neviʾim (“Prophets”), and the Ketuvim (“Writings,” or Hagiographa). The Pentateuch, together with the Book of Joshua (hence the name Hexateuch), can be seen as the account of how the Israelites became a nation and of how they possessed the Promised Land. The division designated as the “Prophets” continues the story of Israel in the Promised Land, describing the establishment and development of the monarchy and presenting the messages of the prophets to the people. The “Writings” include speculation on the place of evil and death in the scheme of things (Job and Ecclesiastes), the poetical works, and some additional historical books.
In the Apocrypha of the Old Testament, various types of literature are represented; the purpose of the Apocrypha seems to have been to fill in some of the gaps left by the indisputably canonical books and to carry the history of Israel to the 2nd century BCE.
Bible Bible St. Mark, illuminated manuscript page from the Gospel Book of the Court school of Charlemagne, c. 810; in the Stadtbibliothek, Trier, Germany. scripture scripture Le Miroir de humaine saluation (“The Mirror of Human Salvation”) by Ludolf of Saxony (supposed author), c. 1455; the French manuscript is an example of western European Christian scripture written in the vernacular. The New Testament is by far the shorter portion of the Christian Bible, but, through its associations with the spread of Christianity, it has wielded an influence far out of proportion to its modest size. Like the Old Testament, the New Testament is a collection of books, including a variety of early Christian literature. The four Gospels deal with the life, the person, and the teachings of Jesus, as he was remembered by the Christian community. The Acts of the Apostles carries the story of Christianity from the Resurrection of Jesus to the end of the career of St. Paul. The various Letters, or Epistles, are correspondence by various leaders of the early Christian church, chief among them St. Paul, applying the message of the church to the sundry needs and problems of early Christian congregations. The Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse) is the only canonical representative of a large genre of apocalyptic literature that appeared in the early Christian movement.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray. S.E.K. Mqhayi Home Literature Novels & Short Stories Novelists L-Z Arts & Culture S.E.K. Mqhayi South African poet and novelist Also known as: Samuel Edward Krune Mqhayi Written and fact-checked by Last Updated: Article History S.E.K. Mqhayi (born Dec. 1, 1875, near Gqumahashe, Cape Colony [now in South Africa]—died July 29, 1945, Ntab’ozuko, S.Af.) Xhosa poet, historian, and translator who has been called the “father of Xhosa poetry.”
Category: Arts & Culture In full: Samuel Edward Krune Mqhayi Born: Dec. 1, 1875, near Gqumahashe, Cape Colony [now in South Africa] Died: July 29, 1945, Ntab’ozuko, S.Af. (aged 69) Notable Works: “Ityala lamawele” Subjects Of Study: Xhosa language grammar orthography syntax Mqhayi, who was born into a family of long Christian standing, spent several of his early years in rural Transkei, a circumstance that is reflected in his evident love of Xhosa history and his mastery of the praise poem. He taught school and helped to edit several Xhosa-language journals. In 1905 he was appointed to the Xhosa Bible Revision Board, and he later helped codify Xhosa grammar and standardize Xhosa orthography. After completing this work, Mqhayi devoted most of his time to writing.
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) only confirmed photograph of Emily Dickinson. 1978 scan of a Daguerreotype. ca. 1847; in the Amherst College Archives. American poet. See Notes: Britannica Quiz Poetry: First Lines His first published book, U-Samson, was a version of the biblical story of Samson. In 1914 his Ityala lamawele (“The Lawsuit of the Twins”) appeared. Inspired by another biblical story, Ityala lamawele is a defense of Xhosa law before European administration. In the 1920s Mqhayi wrote several biographies and Imihobe nemibongo (1927; “Songs of Joy and Lullabies”), the first published collection of Xhosa poems, many of which celebrate current events or important figures. A work of fiction, U-Don Jadu (1929), describes a utopian multiracial state that combines elements of Western society and Xhosa culture. Mqhayi’s autobiography, U-Mqhayi wase Ntab’ozuko (1939; “Mqhayi of the Mountain of Beauty”), gives a vivid picture of late 19th-century Xhosa life.
Mqhayi’s collected poems, Inzuzo (“Reward”), were published in 1942. A short autobiography and two works, “The Death of Hintsa” and “The Dismissal of Sir Benjamin D’Urban,” were published in Mqhayi in Translation (1976).
Methuselah Home Philosophy & Religion Religious Personages & Scholars History & Society Methuselah biblical figure Also known as: Methushael Written and fact-checked by Last Updated: Article History Methuselah Methuselah Methuselah, stained-glass window by the Methuselah Master; in Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, Kent, England. Methuselah, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), patriarch whose life span as recorded in Genesis (5:27) was 969 years. Methuselah has survived in legend and tradition as the longest-lived human. His prodigious age has been taken as literally 969 solar years, as a possible mistranslation of 969 lunar months or tenths of years (with his age then ranging from about 78 years to almost 97 years), and as a myth intended to create an impression of a distant past between Adam and Noah, as well as any number of other interpretations.
Genesis tells nothing about Methuselah beyond sparse genealogical details: according to Genesis 5, he was the great-great-great-great-grandson of Seth, the child of Adam and Eve begotten more than a century after Cain. He was the father of Lamech and the grandfather of Noah. According to the biblical account, he came of hardy stock: all his forebears lived to an age between 895 and 962 years except his father, Enoch, who lived to be 365. (In the genealogy of Cain in Genesis 4, there is a Methushael who also fathers a Lamech. Given this and certain other similarities, some scholars have proposed that the genealogies of Seth and Cain were possibly one list that became two at some point.)
The enumeration of Methuselah in Genesis is his only appearance in the Hebrew Bible save for a mention in 1 Chronicles 1:3, where he is cited in the lineage of Saul. In the New Testament he is mentioned once in the Gospel of Luke. There, at 3:23–38, the lineage of Joseph, husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus, is traced back 75 generations, through David and Saul, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to Methuselah and thence to Seth and Adam.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Mindy Johnston. Charles Hodge Home Philosophy & Religion Religious Personages & Scholars History & Society Charles Hodge American scholar Written and fact-checked by Last Updated: Dec 23, 2023 • Article History Charles Hodge (born Dec. 27, 1797, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.—died June 19, 1878, Princeton, N.J.) conservative American biblical scholar and a leader of the “Princeton School” of Reformed, or Calvinist, theology.
Hodge, Charles Hodge, Charles See all media Category: History & Society Born: Dec. 27, 1797, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S. Died: June 19, 1878, Princeton, N.J. (aged 80) Subjects Of Study: Bible Calvinism Hodge graduated from Princeton University in 1815. He became professor of biblical literature at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1822 and professor of theology in 1840. From 1826 to 1828 he traveled in Europe, where he met the prominent theologians of the day, though he remained firmly resistant to newer trends of thought. Hodge continued to teach at the seminary until his retirement in 1877. In 1846 he served for one year as moderator of the “Old School” Presbyterian Church. This body, like the “Princeton School” of orthodox Calvinist theology, in which Hodge was a major figure, stressed the verbal infallibility of the Bible and asserted other generally conservative views.
Hodge constructed an influential Systematic Theology, 3 vol. (1871–73), and wrote numerous biblical commentaries. For 46 years he edited the Biblical Repertory and Princeton Review, a journal that he founded in 1825 and to which he contributed nearly 150 articles.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen. Abel Home Philosophy & Religion Religious Personages & Scholars History & Society Abel biblical figure Written and fact-checked by Last Updated: Article History Abel, in the Old Testament, second son of Adam and Eve, who was slain by his older brother, Cain (Genesis 4:1–16). According to Genesis, Abel, a shepherd, offered the Lord the firstborn of his flock. The Lord respected Abel’s sacrifice but did not respect that offered by Cain. In a jealous rage, Cain murdered Abel. Cain then became a fugitive because his brother’s innocent blood put a curse on him.
Eyck, Jan van: Cain killing Abel, detail from the Ghent Altarpiece Eyck, Jan van: Cain killing Abel, detail from the Ghent Altarpiece See all media Category: History & Society Notable Family Members: brother Cain The storyteller in Genesis assumes a world of conflicting values, and he makes the point that divine authority backs self-control and brotherhood but punishes jealousy and violence. Cain had not mastered sin (v. 7); he had let it master him. The narrator takes a somber look at the human condition, seeing a dangerous world of Cains and Abels. Nevertheless, God is on the side of the martyrs; he avenges their deaths in the ruin of the Cains. In the New Testament the blood of Abel is cited as an example of the vengeance of violated innocence (Matthew 23:35; Luke 11:51).
Deborah, prophet and heroine in the Old Testament (Judg. 4 and 5), who inspired the Israelites to a mighty victory over their Canaanite oppressors (the people who lived in the Promised Land, later Palestine, that Moses spoke of before its conquest by the Israelites); the “Song of Deborah” (Judg. 5), putatively composed by her, is perhaps the oldest section of the Bible and is of great importance for providing a contemporary glimpse of Israelite civilization in the 12th century BC. According to rabbinic tradition, she was a keeper of tabernacle lamps.
The two narratives of her exploit, the prose account in Judg. 4 (evidently written after Judg. 5) and the martial poem comprising Judg. 5 (a lyric outburst showing a high standard of poetic skill in ancient Israel), differ in some important details. The most obvious discrepancy is in the identity of the chief foe of the Israelites. Judg. 4 makes the chief enemy Jabin, king of Hazor (present Tell el-Qedah, about three miles southwest of H̱ula Basin), though a prominent part is played by his commander in chief, Sisera of Harosheth-ha-goiim (possibly Tell el-ʿAmr, approximately 12 miles [19 kilometres] northwest of Megiddo). In the poem Jabin does not appear, and Sisera is an independent king of Canaan. Other important contradictions include the action sites (Mount Tabor in Judg. 4 is not found in Judg. 5, for example); which Israelite tribes joined Deborah and her chief commander, the Naphtalite Barak (only Zebulun and Naphtali in Judg. 4, additional tribes in Judg. 5); and the manner of Sisera’s death (in Judg. 4 he is murdered in his sleep, in Judg. 5 he is struck down from behind while drinking a bowl of milk).
Assuming that the account preserved in Judg. 5 is the older (probably written in 1125 BC), the reader can reconstruct the actual history of the events. Israel holds the wilder parts of the country, the hills and the forests, but the Israelite settlements in the central range are cut off from those in the northern hills by a chain of Canaanite (or possibly Egyptian) fortresses down the Plain of Esdraelon (between Galilee and Samaria). At the instigation of Deborah, a charismatic counselor (or judge) and prophet (she predicts that the glory of war will fall to a woman, which it does—to Jael), Barak gathers the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir (Manasseh), Zebulun, Issachar, and his own tribe of Naphtali. Asher, Dan, Gilead (Gad), and Reuben remain aloof. Judah and Simeon are not mentioned (attesting to the antiquity of the poem). The Israelite clans fall on the enemy at Taanach; a thunderstorm, in which Israel sees the coming of God from Mount Sinai, strikes terror into the Canaanites; their fabled 900 chariots of iron are useless on the sodden ground; and the Kishon River, swollen by torrential rains, sweeps away the fugitives. Sisera escapes on foot, pursued by Barak, taking refuge in the tent of Heber the Kenite (the Kenites, a nomadic tribe, were supposedly at peace with Canaan); he is offered protection by Heber’s wife, Jael; as he drinks a bowl of milk, she pierces his head with a tent peg and kills him (thus fulfilling Deborah’s prophecy).
Write about a few of your favorite family traditions. ⛪ Going to church is my favorite family tradition!
Similarly, God did not want the Israelites to go through Philistine territory and immediately encounter a war, lest they lose heart in God’s protective care and run back to Egypt.
Likewise, God might not take you on the most direct route to fulfilling your destiny. Instead, He just might take you out of the way a bit, proving His magnificent love for you by parting a sea on the way or lighting your path during a time of darkness.
With that firsthand experience of God’s Presence, your faith will be made stronger to sustain you in the trials that will certainly come to you further down the road.
Still, as with any relationship, it takes more than one great experience with God to know who He is and to understand His character, integrity, and love. So sometimes the journey to our destiny is more than roundabout; it is the long way.
This truth is evident at the Red Sea. Even though the Israelites experienced walking out of Egypt with the spoils of the land and their firstborn sons still alive, that was not enough to calm their fears for long.
Amen
In last week’s study, after the last and most devastating of the Ten Plagues (Death of the Firstborn), Pharaoh finally relented in letting the Israelites go free.
This week, however, in Parasha Beshalach, Pharaoh changes his mind and races after them to bring them back into slavery.
Thinking they are lost in the wilderness; Pharaoh seemingly traps them against the Red Sea. There is no escape.
But God miraculously splits the waters so that His people pass through on dry land, while the Egyptians drown behind them.
In relief and thankfulness to God for this amazing victory over those who wished to enslave them, Moshe (Moses) and the Israelites sing a beautiful song called Shirat haYam (שירת הים), the Song of the Sea. Some also call it Az Yashir Moshe (then Moses sang), which are the first words of the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1).
This song is recited daily as part of the Shacharit (morning prayer service).
It is written in a unique wave or brick-like pattern in the Torah scroll and is recited in regular chant and traditional melodies.
In true humility, this song gives no glory to the leadership of Moses or praise to the people for the faith it took to walk between walls of water, but totally gives the glory and praise to the Lord.
“I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. Both horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.” (Exodus 15:1)
This song of Moses is, perhaps, also mentioned in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) as a song that will be sung by those who defeat the beast in the end times. However, this time they will be singing by the sea of glass instead of the Red Sea and holding harps instead of tambourines:
“Those defeating the beast, its image and the number of its name were standing by the sea of glass, holding harps which God had given them. They were singing the song of Moshe, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: ‘Great and wonderful are the things you have done, Adonai, God of heaven’s armies!’” (Revelation 15:2–3)
Moses’ sister, Miriam, also goes out with the maidens, and they dance for joy with tambourines.
Because of these songs, this week’s Parasha is also called Shabbat Shirah (Sabbath of Singing).
Besides reading the Song of the Sea and the Song of Miriam on Shabbat Shirah, some have the custom of feeding the birds, in honor of the beautiful melodies that they sing and, perhaps, the manna that was found on the ground by the Israelites in this reading.
This is, of course, unusual in that wild birds are generally not fed on the Shabbat; only domesticated birds such as geese and chickens may be fed.
The Talmud explains that the Shabbat should not be broken by feeding animals that can fend for themselves, although there is a responsibility to feed the pets and domesticated animals that are under your care.
Haftarah Reading: The Song of Deborah
Both the Torah portion and the Haftarah (prophetic portion) of this week’s study contain victory songs by God’s people.
In the Parasha, the Israelites sing the Song of the Sea, extolling and honoring God for delivering them from Egypt. In the Haftarah, the Song of Deborah is sung when God gives them victory over General Sisera and the Canaanites.
“Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying: ‘When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless the LORD! Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, even I, will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.’” (Judges 5:1–3)
In the Song of the Sea, only God receives praise and glory while in the Song of Deborah, the actions of valiant men and women are also praised.
we can use the gift of song to praise Adonai for His goodness and mercy.
Our response to the victories that God brings us in our lives can be freely expressed with rejoicing, with singing and with dancing, just as Moses, Miriam, and Deborah did:
“Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away, O son of Abinoam!” (Judges 5:12)
The Long Way Home
The Hebrew word Beshalach (בְּשַׁלַּח), the name of this Parasha, means when he sent.
Pharaoh didn’t simply let the people go; he sent the Israelites away.
When he did, God did not lead them on the straightest, most direct route to their Promised Land, which would have taken them through Philistine territory and into certain battle. Instead, He led them around and through the Red Sea or Yam Suf (literally, Sea of Reeds).
Why didn’t God take them on the quickest route and into battle?
The Rabbis answer this with a story of a man who purchases a cow and takes her home to produce milk for his family, not to kill her for her meat.
Because the slaughterhouse is on the path to his home, he takes her on a longer, more roundabout route so that she will not smell the blood from the slaughterhouse and try to escape his care.
On the Way to the Promised Land
“And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.” (Exodus 14:10)
The Israelites’ reaction when they saw Pharaoh pursuing them confirms that they were not yet ready for battle.
The frightened Israelites did the right thing with their fear: they cried out to God!
Then they did the wrong thing: they blamed Moses for bringing them out of Egypt, only to be annihilated by Pharaoh’s soldiers. They considered it better to have been left to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. (Exodus 14:11)
Sometimes, when moving on the path to greater freedom, we may encounter fearful challenges and wish we had just stayed where we were, no matter how painful or uncomfortable that old place felt.
Nevertheless, moving ahead means facing new challenges and seeing God’s power demonstrated as we overcome them.
Moses reassured the Israelites that God would fight their battles for them, and they would only need to hold their peace.
“But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.” (Exodus 14:13–14)
Pharaoh’s Army Engulfed by the Red Sea (1900), by Frederick Arthur Bridgman
The Israelites had a dilemma: they were trapped between a big sea and an angry Egyptian army — and Moses told them to “keep silent.”
That silence involved a choice.
On one hand, they could keep silent, hear the approaching chariots, and surrender to them in overwhelming fear and helplessness.
On the other hand, they could keep silent, listen for God’s direction to move forward (kadima!), and obey Him.
“And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.’” (Exodus 14:15)
Their silence was not meant to be passive. It involved action.
So often we are told to “wait upon the LORD,” and we often accept this to mean “do nothing.”
It is true that there are times when we must find the patience to simply do nothing but wait until God shows us His direction; however, there are also times when God says, “Move forward!” At those times, we are to rise up from bended knee in heroic faith and go!
A father and son place prayers written on paper into the slits of the stones at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
God has wonderful blessings and victories in store for us if we would only take the first steps of faith, trusting in His leadership and wisdom. Through Yeshua we are more than conquerors. (Romans 8:37)
Let us, then, not miss our orders to go forward with boldness and confidence to possess the Land that is ours.
Moses demonstrated great faith to his people. We also need to encourage those who are fearful, reminding them of God’s great power, love, and faithfulness.
“Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you.’” (Isaiah 35:4)
Today, as the people of Israel stand surrounded by a sea of hostile enemies, bombarded by a wave of terrorism, may all Believers reach out to the Jewish People with words of faith and courage that God is not only our physical salvation but also our spiritual Salvation through Yeshua.
He will fight our battles for us. And as we go forward, we can be at peace as we trust in Him.
Today Delana, you can play an active role in the end-time salvation of the Jewish People by helping us bring the Good News of Yeshua to the Holy Land.
“You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance —the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.” (Exodus 15:17)
What makes a good leader? God the beautiful Person
Who leads all of us to His Son Jesus Christ.
Matthew 4:1 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
Psalms 143:10 Psalms 143:10 New American Standard Bible – NASB 1995 (NASB1995) Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Romans 8:14-17 in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father”.
Romans 8:14 KJV – For as many as are led by the Spirit of For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God
Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
John 16:7 “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Luke 4:1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Revelation 21:7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Romans 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Deuteronomy 29:4 But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.
Ephesians 3:16 That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.
Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.
Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Galatians 5:23 Gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
1 Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
1 John 3:9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
1 John 3:24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
John 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Toward the end of his life, W.H. Auden wrote a grumpy poem that ends on the perfect note for ringing in 2024.
Welcome back to Douglas Murray’s Sunday column, Things Worth Remembering, where he presents passages from great poets he has committed to memory—and explains why you should, too. To listen to Douglas read from W.H. Auden’s “Moon Landing,” click below:
Toward the end of his life, W.H. Auden returned to the UK, where he was the main guest on the BBC’s main evening chat show. While being interviewed, Auden was asked to recite his poem “Moon Landing,” the poet’s oddly grumpy take on Apollo 11’s successful voyage.
Among other things, Auden—who, you may have noticed, is among my favorites—called the conquest of the moon a “phallic triumph, an adventure it would not have occurred to women to think worth while.” (I’m not so sure of that.) His portrayal of this magnificent milestone feels lazy, tired, what one might expect of a poet in a decidedly unpoetic age nearing the end of his life. God
Thank you for helping us end 2023 strong and gear up for what the Lord has in store in the coming year!
Dear Delana,
For a long time, I thought when the truth became apparent, people would recognize it, celebrate it, and follow it. But the scriptures show us something different. Most people resent and reject the truth AND the people who deliver it. We’re seeing this in many places today.
As deception escalates, the choice is clear: Accept the truth, and choose to follow the Lord with more focus and tenacity than we’ve ever known—or be swept away in the deception. To move forward, we will need to intentionally seek the Lord. We will need to know His Word, His Spirit, and His character enough to recognize the truth. And then we will need to have the courage to embrace the truth—no matter the consequences—until the Lord of Righteousness returns. I’m grateful we’re in this season together.
I’ve recently visited twenty different cities to speak to pastors and friends of the ministry. Our cities are increasingly unsafe. Deception continues to flourish across our nation and within the church. But God is moving. I have been ministering for a long time now, and I have never seen people more hungry for the truth. They want to learn about God, know how to follow Him, and what it looks like to seek Him more fully. It’s an exciting time to be serving the Lord!
I believe God created us “for such a time as this,” to faithfully declare His Truth across our nation and around the world. We will not stop!
God is moving in the earth. His purposes are breaking forth. This present world order is rushing toward a conclusion. You and I were sent to be salt and light—bringing the hope and peace of Jesus into this place and this season. Let’s remember the importance of our assignment as we move forward into 2024.
God’s love and forgiveness with those around us. We’re thankful for friends like you who want to tell them about the peace found through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Friend, don’t you just love how whatever you’re facing, all you have to do is tell God, “I’m going to trust you,” and then you can watch as he lights up the path in front of you?
That’s true for everyone in the world. No problem is too big and no situation too dark for him.
That’s why Daily Hope is laser-focused on strategically reaching the greatest number of people online, on television, and on the radio with the greatest message in history. . .
God gives us abundant life through Jesus Christ. There’s hope for the hopeless, and there’s nothing the light of Jesus can’t outshine!
And through your support in these final hours, you’ll help share hope and love with people around the world desperate to know God is there for them.
What relationships have a positive impact on you? Jesus relationship with me has the most positive impact in my life! He has saved me. His dying took our sins away. His rising means He defeated death.
Delana,
We JUST filed our emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in the most important election case in U.S. history.
President Trump has already been banned from the ballot in yet another state, and there’s an avalanche of similar lawsuits trying to eviscerate your right to vote for the candidate of your choice.
The Supreme Court must act quickly, or there will be utter electoral chaos. This is the most important case we’ve ever taken up because if we lose our right to vote, we lose our constitutional republic. The Supreme Court could decide to take the case at any moment – yes, even this weekend.
As this case moves into overdrive at the Supreme Court, we urgently need your support.
This case is so vitally important that a group of our donors has unlocked a TRIPLE MATCH. But our urgent deadline is MIDNIGHT tomorrow.
TODAY, as we fight at the Supreme Court, have your Tax-Deductible gift TRIPLED. You determine this monumental fight. As we told the Supreme Court: “For the first time in American history, a former President has been disqualified from the ballot, a political party has been denied the opportunity to put forward the presidential candidate of its choice, and the voters have been denied the ability to choose their Chief Executive through the electoral process.” Take action with us to defend our constitutional republic at the Supreme Court.
Sirens are sounding. Hamas has fired a new barrage of jihadist rockets into Israel. The enemy continues its unspeakable evil, as the world tries to prosecute and punish Israel.
God says, “I will bless those who bless thee,” and we’re taking vital legal action. We’ve expanded our Jerusalem office. I’ve been meeting with key leaders in D.C., and we just fired off a new demand letter to the U.N. Security Council to defend Israel. But we need you to take action with us.
We’re also preparing to file a critical amicus brief at the Supreme Court in the biggest abortion case since Dobbs – to defeat President Biden’s expansion of deadly abortion pills. Defend unborn babies at the Supreme Court.
Shahzad was just 16 when they arrested him for blasphemy. Now they will hang him for his Christian faith. We just filed in a Pakistani court to expedite his appeal. Take action with us to save his life.
Finally, as we take on the biggest cases – to defend your right to vote, Israel, the unborn, and Christians from death –
peacewithgod.net Topics START YOUR NEW LIFE WITH CHRIST You can have real, lasting peace today through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Start your four-step journey now!
Step 1 – God’s Purpose: Peace and Life God loves you and wants you to experience peace and eternal life—abundant and eternal. The Bible says:
“We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“I [Jesus] came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
Why don’t most people have this peace and abundant life that God planned for us to have? Step 2 – The Problem: Sin Separates Us God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and freedom of choice. We choose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God. The Bible says:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Our choice results in separation from God. People have tried in many ways to bridge this gap between themselves and God… The Bible says:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 14:12
“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” Isaiah 59:2
No bridge reaches God… except one. Step 3 – God’s Remedy: The Cross Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the gap between God and people. The Bible says:
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God.” 1 Peter 3:18
“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
God has provided the only way… Each person must make a choice… Step 4 – Our Response: Receive Christ We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation. The Bible says:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20
“But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Will you receive Jesus Christ right now?
Here is how you can receive Christ: Admit your need. (I am a sinner.) Be willing to turn from your sins (repent) and ask for God’s forgiveness. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave. Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive Jesus as Lord and Savior) We suggest a prayer like this one:
“Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I want to turn from my sins, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe He died for my sins and that You raised Him to life. I want Him to come into my heart and to take control of my life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow Him as my Lord from this day forward. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
Did you pray this prayer?
It’s our biggest Supreme Court fight ever, but we face a critical MIDNIGHT deadline to defend our constitutional republic.
A second state has banned President Trump from the ballot. This is the worst form of election interference imaginable.
We JUST filed our emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend your constitutional right to vote. Because if we lose our right to vote, we lose our constitutional republic.
This really is a judicial emergency, and the Supreme Court could decide any minute – even this weekend – to take our case and expedite the appeal.
I’ve been working with our legal team around the clock and through the holidays because this is the MOST IMPORTANT case we’ve ever appealed to the Supreme Court. We’ve filed our first round of briefs, but now we need YOU.
We face a daunting challenge. This is our most critical time of year, with so much on the line. Our Supreme Court fight requires immense resources, and our MIDNIGHT TRIPLE MATCH Deadline is tomorrow – NEW YEAR’S EVE.
Shemot
Exodus 1:1-6:1 This week’s Torah portion tells us of the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt, and sets the stage for their redemption over the three following portions. It recounts how Jacob’s small family grew into a mighty nation and how the Egyptians came to oppress them. It also relates Moses’s development from birth to leadership.
Descent into Slavery
This is the very first example of “anti-Semitism”. What is Pharaoh accusing the Jewish people of? How does that connect with other examples of anti-Semitism throughout history?
A Leader is Born Many movies about the life of Moses portray his shock at discovering he is a Hebrew. Is this supported by the text? Do you think others in Egypt knew his true identity? How might this affect his ability later to lead the people out of Egypt?
The Burning Bush
Based on His conversation with Moses, it appears God has more in mind for the Israelites than simply their physical freedom from slavery. He outlines His plan to take the people out of Egypt and bring them to a land flowing with with milk and honey. Along the way, they will serve Him at this very place. What, then, is the Bible’s vision of true freedom? Is this how you would define freedom? Why or why not?
Return to Egypt
God recently spoke with Moses at the Burning Bush. Why does God address Moses again? What new insight does He provide that He could not relate at the Burning Bush?
Moses and Aaron Arrive in Egypt
What does Moses tell Pharaoh the Israelites want (see 5:1 and 5:3)? Does this reflect what happens in the rest of the Exodus story? Why do you think Moses says this to Pharaoh?
What is your all time favorite automobile? There is nothing better than driving a horse and buggy!
Georgia, lying at the junction of Europe and Asia, is a country of ancient myths with a rich and turbulent history. Home to the first European hominids and the birthplace of wine, Georgia’s roots trace back to ancient civilisations. Throughout its history, the Caucasus region witnessed the influence of various empires and played a crucial role in transcontinental trade routes.
The most famous Georgian kingdom was Colchis, the mythical land of Medea and the Golden Fleece. It flourished from the 13th to the 6th century BCE, thanks to its strategic location along the Black Sea and its abundant natural resources.
THE LARGEST RIVER IN WESTERN GEORGIA, THE PHASIS, WAS CONSIDERED BY ANCIENT GREEK GEOGRAPHERS AS THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN EUROPE & ASIA. Georgia is between the Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east. It is bordered by Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the southeast, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest. The country lies mostly in the Caucasus Mountains, and its boundaries are partly defined by the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, two of the world’s great mountain ranges and the highest peaks in Europe. Georgia has a diverse, fertile geography with extensive plains and rivers, navigable marshes, deep forests, mountains, and passes. Georgia has about 25,000 rivers. The largest river in western Georgia, the Phasis (now known as the Rioni River), was considered by ancient Greek geographers such as Anaximander of Miletus (l. c. 610 to c. 546 BCE) as the dividing line between Europe and Asia.
Search… 7 Ancient Sites in Georgia Article Carole Raddatoby Carole Raddato published on 20 December 20230Save
Click to listen 0:0 Georgia, lying at the junction of Europe and Asia, is a country of ancient myths with a rich and turbulent history. Home to the first European hominids and the birthplace of wine, Georgia’s roots trace back to ancient civilisations. Throughout its history, the Caucasus region witnessed the influence of various empires and played a crucial role in transcontinental trade routes.
Colchis Fountain in Kutaisi Colchis Fountain in Kutaisi Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) The most famous Georgian kingdom was Colchis, the mythical land of Medea and the Golden Fleece. It flourished from the 13th to the 6th century BCE, thanks to its strategic location along the Black Sea and its abundant natural resources.
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Geography THE LARGEST RIVER IN WESTERN GEORGIA, THE PHASIS, WAS CONSIDERED BY ANCIENT GREEK GEOGRAPHERS AS THE DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN EUROPE & ASIA. Georgia is between the Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east. It is bordered by Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the southeast, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest. The country lies mostly in the Caucasus Mountains, and its boundaries are partly defined by the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, two of the world’s great mountain ranges and the highest peaks in Europe. Georgia has a diverse, fertile geography with extensive plains and rivers, navigable marshes, deep forests, mountains, and passes. Georgia has about 25,000 rivers. The largest river in western Georgia, the Phasis (now known as the Rioni River), was considered by ancient Greek geographers such as Anaximander of Miletus (l. c. 610 to c. 546 BCE) as the dividing line between Europe and Asia.
Anaximander World Map Anaximander World Map Bibi Saint-Pol (Public Domain) REMOVE ADS ADVERTISEMENT
Wine & Metals Georgia is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Winemaking can be traced back to the Neolithic period, over 8,000 years ago. Traditional vinification techniques involved using qvevris, large earthenware jars buried for fermentation and storage. This ancient method and the presence of 500 indigenous grape varieties contribute to the distinct character of Georgian wines.
Qvevri, Neolithic Terracotta Wine Jar Qvevri, Neolithic Terracotta Wine Jar Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) The country’s rich natural resources have also played an important role in the history of the South Caucasus. The development of metallurgy more than 5,000 years ago and some of the world’s first gold mines (dating to c. 3000 BCE) contributed to a vibrant trade network, connecting the Mediterranean with the Caucasus and beyond. Georgia had a flourishing bronze and iron industry and fluvial gold in mountainous Svaneti, where gold extraction using sheepskin originated. According to historical sources, the Kingdom of Colchis was rich in “gold sands,” and the indigenous Svans mined the rivers using special wooden vessels and sheepskins. The Svans still mine gold from rivers as they did in ancient times.
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View of the Caucasus Mountains in Svaneti, Georgia View of the Caucasus Mountains in Svaneti, Georgia Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) The Golden Fleece In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece was said to be in Colchis, an ancient region located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea in present-day Georgia. The Thessalian hero Jason and the Argonauts went on a quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The Argonautica is the epic tale of their adventures. Medea, a sorceress and princess of Colchis, assisted Jason during this quest. Medea fell in love with Jason and used her magical abilities to help him complete various challenges set by her father to obtain the Golden Fleece.
However, their story took a tragic turn. After returning to Greece, Jason marries another woman, which leads to a series of events where Medea seeks revenge. The most infamous act attributed to Medea is the murder of her children, born to Jason, as a form of revenge against him.
Modern Statue of Medea Modern Statue of Medea Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) A Short Introduction to Ancient Georgia Different highly developed societies existed within Georgia’s territory during the Bronze Age. The emergence of advanced metallurgy, viticulture, farming, livestock-raising, and artistic craftsmanship characterised these successive cultures. From 3500 to 1600 BCE, Georgia was the heart of the Kura-Araxes and Trialeti cultures, which practised metallurgy and produced gold and silver artefacts of the highest artistic value.
REMOVE ADS ADVERTISEMENT Trialeti Chalice from Georgia Trialeti Chalice from Georgia Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Two early Georgian states, Colchis in the west and Iberia (or Kartli) in the east, rose during the classical period. Colchis extended along the eastern coast of the Black Sea, while Iberia encompassed Georgia’s eastern and southwestern provinces. Both kingdoms stood on the peripheries of the great powers of antiquity: the Greek world to the west, the Assyrian and Persian Empires to the south, and the Scythians to the northwest. Colchis experienced influences from these neighbouring regions and thrived economically due to its strategic location along the Black Sea trade routes.
The Colchians were skilled artisans engaged in commerce, exporting valuable resources such as gold, timber, and slaves. Goldsmithing was particularly notable, and the abundance of gold in the region contributed to the wealth and reputation of Colchian craftsmanship. Colchis’s economy also rested on agriculture, cattle breeding, and fishing. Much of the kingdom was built on the banks of the Phasis River, which flows into the eastern side of the Black Sea. The Colchian lowlands enjoyed a subtropical, warm and humid climate, creating good conditions for crop cultivation.
Horse-Figured Temple Pendants from Georgia Horse-Figured Temple Pendants from Georgia Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) In the 6th century BCE, Milesian Greeks, looking for new markets, new resources, and agricultural opportunities, established trading posts (known as emporia) along the shores of the Black Sea. These Greek colonies led to a profound Hellenization of the Colchian elite, reflected in the mintage of local Graeco-Colchian coins and the influence of Hellenistic architecture on Colchian urban planning. After the 6th century BCE, Colchis was under the nominal suzerainty of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550-330 BCE), passed into the kingdom of Mithridates VI (120-63 BCE), and then came under the rule of Rome in the 1st century BCE together with Iberia after Pompey’s victory in the Third Mithridatic War (66-65 BCE). Iberia became a vassal kingdom and Colchis the Roman province of Lazica.
REMOVE ADS ADVERTISEMENT Map of Ancient Georgian States (600-150 BCE) Map of Ancient Georgian States (600-150 BCE) Deu (CC BY-SA) Portion of a Colchian Headdress Portion of a Colchian Headdress James Blake Wiener (CC BY-NC-SA) From the 1st century CE, the Romans constructed forts along the coast at points where inland routes joined the sea. These permanent garrisons defended the Roman northeastern border (the Pontus Limes). Together with veterans, soldiers’ families, servants, and others, these forts formed settlements that could become towns and cities. Cultural exchanges occurred through trade, diplomatic relations, and the movement of people, contributing to a blend of local and Roman influences.
THE GEORGIAN KINGDOMS WERE OFTEN CAUGHT IN THE POWER STRUGGLES BETWEEN THE ROMAN & THE SASSANIAN EMPIRES. The Georgian kingdoms were often caught in the power struggles between the Roman and the Sassanian Empires, culminating in the Lazic War from 541 to 562 CE, and experienced periods of Byzantine and Persian dominance. Christianity spread in the early 4th century CE when Saint Nino (l. c. 280-332 CE) converted King Mirian III (r. 284-361 CE) and Queen Nana of Iberia (r. 292-361 CE), making Georgia one of the earliest nations to adopt Christianity as the state religion. In the later centuries of the Roman and Byzantine periods, Colchis faced challenges from various invasions, including those by nomadic tribes and the expanding Arab Caliphate. These invasions and internal strife contributed to the decline of the region’s political stability and economic prosperity.
The Caucasus after the Peace of Nisibis, c. 300 CE The Caucasus after the Peace of Nisibis, c. 300 CE Simeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-SA) UNESCO has recognised Georgia’s most significant landmarks: the ancient city and former capital Mtskheta, Gelati Monastery, and the mountainous region of Upper Svaneti, with a further fourteen on the tentative list. Other significant archaeological sites are well-preserved.
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Here are seven ancient sites to explore while visiting Georgia.
Vani Archaeological Museum & Site Vani is one of the most famous sites in Colchis. It is located 40 kilometres (24 mi) southwest of Kutaisi, the residence of the mythical King Aeetes and today the country’s third largest city. Established in a fertile region at the Sulori and Rioni Rivers confluence, Vani was a small settlement serving as the Colchis kingdom’s religious centre between the 8th and 1st century BCE. It spread on a hill over three terraces, flanked on two sides by deep ravines that served as natural defences. The city’s ancient name is not known with certainty, but scholars have argued that Surium, mentioned by Pliny the Elder (l. 23-79 CE), could have been its original name.
Treasures from a Woman’s Burial in Vani Treasures from a Woman’s Burial in Vani Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Vani’s size and wealth increased dramatically from the 6th century to the end of the 4th century BCE. During this period, the city became the political and administrative centre of the area. Vani was also the burial place for the local elite, who dominated an extremely hierarchical society. Archaeologists have uncovered 28 burials dating to c. 450-250 BCE, notable for the splendour of their goods. Various vessels were deposited with the dead, including Greek and Persian imports, providing evidence for banqueting in the local funerary rituals. The richest graves had impressive gold jewellery, including elaborate Colchian gold hair ornaments and appliques for clothing.
Ceremonial Twelve-Stepped Altar at Vani in Colchis Ceremonial Twelve-Stepped Altar at Vani in Colchis Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) By c. 250 BCE, Vani was a sanctuary city with temples, altars, and sacrificial platforms. Its inhabitants moved outside the city walls. Hellenistic bronze statues and sculptures adorned the city, attesting to the impact of Greek culture. Especially noteworthy is a fragmentary bronze torso found in the destruction level of the mid-1st century CE and magnificent bronze lamps adorned with elephant heads, Erotes, and Zeus and Ganymede.
Bronze Lamp from Vani with Zeus and Ganymede Bronze Lamp from Vani with Zeus and Ganymede Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) The recently renovated Vani Archaeological Museum-Reserve showcases more than 4,000 objects excavated in Vani since 1985, including silver drinking vessels, bronze and iron figurines used in religious rituals, and elaborately crafted gold jewellery.
Uplistsikhe Cave Town Uplistsikhe (meaning the castle of the Uplos, son of Mtskhetos, an epic hero in Georgian mythology) is an ancient fortified cave city in eastern Georgia rising high above the left bank of Mtkvari River (known in Greek and Latin sources as the Cyrus River). Uplistsikhe is one of the oldest urban sites in the Caucasus, with evidence suggesting continuous habitation from the first millennium BCE. It features a complex of caves, temples, and tunnels carved into the rock during classical antiquity. The town flourished as a major religious, political, and commercial centre during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and it was a crucial hub along trade routes (the Silk Road ran along the hills to the north).
Uplistsikhe Cave Town, Georgia Uplistsikhe Cave Town, Georgia Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) The Uplistsikhe complex had a lower, middle, and upper section covering approximately 40,000 cm² (43.0 ft²), with rock-cut structures and temples dedicated to a sun goddess. It had a defensive wall, ditch, passes, tunnels, streets, and a complex irrigation system. Uplistsikhe housed 20,000 people at its peak.
Uplistsikhe became a significant Christian site in the early medieval era, witnessing the construction of a basilica and other Christian structures. The city thrived until the late Middle Ages, after which it declined in importance due to shifting political landscapes and Mongol raids in the 14th century.
Uplistsulis Eklesia in Uplistsikhe Cave Town Uplistsulis Eklesia in Uplistsikhe Cave Town Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Only a small portion of Uplistsikhe can be visited today, but the site is still impressive. It was buried for centuries and only excavated by archaeologists in the 1950s.
Armaziskhevi Archaeological Site (Mtskheta) Armaziskhevi (“Armazi’s Castle”) is associated with the ancient town of Armazi, located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) southwest of Mtskheta, where the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers meet. It was a significant settlement in the early history of Georgia. Three major cultural layers have been identified, with the earliest dating back to the 4th-3rd century BCE. Armaziskhevi is linked to the worship of Armazi, the chief deity of the Iberian pantheon.
Armaziskhevi Archaeological Site, Georgia Armaziskhevi Archaeological Site, Georgia Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Armazi was the capital of Iberia and the site of Iberian kings’ royal residences and tombs. In the 5th century, Vakhtang I of Iberia (r. c. 447/49 to 502/22 CE) moved the capital to Tbilisi. Armazi experienced various cultural influences, including Greek and Roman, and played a role in the complex geopolitical landscape of the region.
View of Armaziskhevi View of Armaziskhevi Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Excavations revealed buildings of Hellenistic and Roman times, including the ruins of a citadel, a palace, a six-apse pagan temple, a wine cellar complete with qvevris, and a five-room bathhouse in the Roman style. Various artefacts providing insights into the region’s ancient history have been unearthed, including pottery fragments, jewellery, sculptures, and silver dishes from royal family burials, most notably two phiale bearing the busts of Antinous and Marcus Aurelius in their central medallions.
Antinous on a Silver Dish Antinous on a Silver Dish Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Pompey captured Armazi in 65 BCE during his campaign in Iberia and Colchis. The Roman army built a bridge over the Kura River. It was restored and expanded during the reign of King Vakhtang I, and defensive towers were added on both sides of the bridge. The bridge was used until the middle of the 20th century but is now under water due to the construction of the hydroelectric power station and a rise in the river level.
Gonio Fortress (Apsarus) The Gonio Fortress, located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Batumi near the Turkish border, was the largest Roman fort along the Colchian littoral (the Pontus Limes). The site was called Apsarus in ancient times and was connected with the myth of Medea and her younger brother Absyrtus, who was involved in Jason’s escape with the golden fleece from Colchis.
The fort was established c. 77 CE to ensure control of the routes running north along the Black Sea and inland to Iberia. It was a 4.75-hectare (11.7 acres) rectangular fort with four gates, 22 towers, and solid ramparts measuring more than 900 metres (3,000 ft) in circumference. The fort experienced several stages of construction and repair up to the Ottoman period.
Aerial view of the Roman Fort of Apsarus Aerial view of the Roman Fort of Apsarus კოლხი (CC BY-SA) Excavations have uncovered various buildings, including the principia (headquarters building), praetorium (commanding officer’s residence), and barrack blocks equipped with an underfloor heating system, two thermal baths, and water supply systems, all from the Roman or early Byzantine period. Apsarus was a densely populated city. Procopius of Caesarea, a historian of the 6th century, mentions a theatre, a hippodrome, and other facilities usually found in a large city.
Remains of the Apsarus Roman Fort Remains of the Apsarus Roman Fort Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Arrian (86 to c. 160 CE), the governor of Cappadocia who reported officially to Roman emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE), inspected the fort in the early 130s during his extensive tour of the Black Sea. He recorded five cohorts in his Periplus of the Euxine Sea, approximately 1,200-1,500 men, who guaranteed safe navigation along the coast, protected traffic from pirates, and kept watch over the coastal tribes.
The Periplus of the Euxine Sea, c. 130 CE The Periplus of the Euxine Sea, c. 130 CE Simeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-SA) An interesting museum displays artefacts found at the site. A rich hoard of goldsmithery, known as the “Gonio Treasure,” was unearthed in 1974 on the outskirts of the fortress and can be seen in the Batumi Archaeological Museum.
Gold Buckle with Beasts Fighting Scene Gold Buckle with Beasts Fighting Scene Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Dzalisa Archaeological Site Dzalisa is an archaeological site dating back to the ancient kingdom of Iberia. It is situated in the Mukhrani valley, on both banks of the River Narekvavi, some 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of Mtskheta, and features remnants of a fortified city. The site can be identified with Zalissa, which was mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy (c. 100 to c. 170 CE) as one of the principal towns of Iberia. This archaeological settlement bears witness to the urban development of Iberia in the first centuries CE. It is estimated that the town covered 70 hectares (172 acres).
Dzalisa Archaeological Site, Georgia Dzalisa Archaeological Site, Georgia Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) A significant settlement existed there from the 2nd century BCE and flourished during the Principate before being destroyed in the 4th century CE and later re-settled. Archaeological excavations uncovered the remains of a large architectural complex (the largest discovered in Georgia) with a swimming pool and a bathhouse, part of a villa with mosaic flooring, soldiers’ barracks, a water supply system, and burial grounds. The villa has a 48.6 m² (523 ft²) 4th-century floor mosaic depicting Dionysus and Ariadne (identified by Greek inscriptions) in a banquet scene in what was probably a private bathing suite. Their usual entourage surrounds them: Pan, a Satyr, and a Maenad. A Greek inscription is above the mosaic’s centre: “Preiskos made this.” On both sides of the inscription, two female figures wear long garments and hold musical instruments.
Roman Mosaics from Dzalisi Roman Mosaics from Dzalisi Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Archaeopolis Archaeopolis, also known as Nokalakevi and Tsikhegoji (“Fortress of Kuji”) to The Georgian Chronicles, was a Byzantine fortified settlement on the Colchian plain’s northern edge and Lazica’s capital. It consisted of a lower town on the Tekhuri River bank and an upper citadel surrounded by three parallel defensive walls and towers. The city-fortress is a unique example of Georgian urban and fortification architecture in late antiquity. A tunnel leading down to the river was an important part of the fortification and water supply system.
Byzantine Fortress of Archaeopolis (Nokalakevi), Georgia Byzantine Fortress of Archaeopolis (Nokalakevi), Georgia Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Archaeopolis was pivotal in the Byzantine-Persian wars in the 6th century because it guarded Lazica from a Persian attack. Thanks to its impressive defensive system and garrison of 3,000 men, Archaeopolis withstood Sassanian assaults.
Excavations in the lower town revealed substantial stone buildings from the 4th to the 6th century, including six churches, two bathhouses, and two royal palaces. Beneath these Byzantine layers is evidence of several earlier phases of occupation and abandonment through the 1st millennium BCE.
Ruins inside Archaeopolis (Nokalakevi), Georgia Ruins inside Archaeopolis (Nokalakevi), Georgia Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Petra Justiniana Petra Justiniana is a massively fortified Byzantine fortress built on a rocky outcrop (the Greek name “Petra” means rock) overlooking the Black Sea. As the name suggests, it was constructed on the order of Byzantine emperor Justinian I (r. 527-565 CE) in 535. Petra was the main trading hub of the province owing to its strategic location at the crossroads of the route linking Lazica with Persia and Armenia.
Byzantine Fortress of Petra Justiniana, Georgia Byzantine Fortress of Petra Justiniana, Georgia Carole Raddato (CC BY-NC-SA) Petra also became a battleground between the Byzantines and the Sassanian Empire during the 6th-century Lazic War. The fortress was captured in 541 by the Sassanian army under Kosrau I (r. 531-579), who sent his troops through a secretly constructed tunnel and destroyed the towers, forcing a surrender.
The site contains the ruins of a citadel with double walls, an Early Byzantine basilica, two bathhouses, cisterns, and a Middle Byzantine single-nave church.
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Bibliography Baumer, Christoph. History of the Caucasus. I.B. Tauris, 2021. Braund, David. Georgia in Antiquity. Clarendon Press, 1994. Kacharava, Darejan & Kvirkvelia, Guram & Chi, Jennifer Y. & Chqonia, Anna & Lordkipanidze, Nino & Vickers, Michael. Wine, Worship, and Sacrifice. Princeton University Press, 2008. Valeri Shengelia & Kakha Silogava. History of Georgia from the Ancient Times Through the “Rose revolution”. Caucasus University House, 2023. World History Encyclopedia is an Amazon Associate and earns a commission on qualifying book purchases. About the Author Carole Raddato Carole Raddato Carole maintains the popular ancient history photo-blog Following Hadrian, where she travels the world in the footsteps of emperor Hadrian.
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BECOME A MEMBER DONATE Recommended Books Lost Towns of North Georgia Georgia History in Outline The American Revolution in Georgia, 1763–1789 (Georgia Open History Library) Oglethorpe and Colonial Georgia: A History, 1733-1783 The West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail (Images of America) Lost Towns of North Georgia Written by Russell, Lisa M. & Atkins, Foreword by Raymond, published by The History Press (2016) $17.81 World History Encyclopedia is an Amazon Associate and earns a commission on qualifying book purchases. Cite This Work APA Style Raddato, C. (2023, December 20). 7 Ancient Sites in Georgia. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2340/7-ancient-sites-in-georgia/
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Parashat Vayechi
WEEKLY TORAH READING PLAN
Dear Delana,
Below are some highlights from the Torah portion being read in Israel this week. Visit our website, http://www.TheIsraelBible.com, to access the full content, post your comments and participate in our in-depth study of the Torah portion.
Happy Learning,
Shira Schechter, Editor of The Israel Bible
This week’s Portion is:
Vayechi
Genesis 47:28-50:26 In this, the final portion of the book of Genesis, we read of Jacob’s blessings to his sons and grandsons on his deathbed, and his final passing and burial. The book concludes with Joseph’s final days, as well, and his death and enbalming in Egypt.
Jacob Nears Death
What do you think is the significance of Jacob giving his grandsons the status of sons for inheritance? Jacob Blesses His Grandsons
Why do you think Jacob has to ask who Manasseh and Ephraim are when he sees them? Jacob Blesses His Sons
Why do you think Jacob chose to bless his sons by telling them “that which shall be befall you in the End of Days”? Jacob’s Burial
Why do you think the Egyptians attended Jacob’s funeral in Israel? Joseph’s Final Days
Why do you think, 17 years after being reunited, the brothers still worry that Joseph will turn on them?
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The Israel Bible The Portion of Vayechi (Genesis 47:28-50:26) May 8, 2023
Genesis 47:28 In the portion of Vayechi, the final portion of the book of Genesis, we read of Jacob’s blessings to his sons and grandsons on his deathbed, and his final passing and burial. The book concludes with Joseph’s final days, as well, and his death and embalming in Egypt.
Jacob Nears Death Genesis 47:28-48:7
After 17 years in Egypt, Jacob feels the end of his days approaching. Knowing he would die there and not return to his homeland, he makes Joseph swear to bury him in the Cave of Machpelah with his wife, parents and grandparents.
The Israel Bible emphasizes Jacob’s request. Even though his life is comfortable in Egypt, Jacob knows it is not the place where he belongs. If he cannot return to the Land of Israel in life, he at least wants to be brought there after death. Joseph learns from his father’s yearning, and likewise exacts a promise from his descendants to take his bones with them when they ultimately leave Egypt (50:25).
Some time later, Joseph hears his father is ill, and unlikely to recover. He takes his two sons to visit Jacob. Jacob tells Joseph that God appeared to him in Luz in the Holy Land and promised to give him numerous descendants and the Land of Israel as their inheritance. He claims Joseph’s children, Manasseh and Ephraim, as his own, equal in status to Joseph’s own brothers for the purpose of inheritance. Jacob also reminds Joseph that he was forced by circumstance to bury his beloved Rachel, Joseph’s own mother, on the road to Ephrath.
Points to Ponder
What do you think is the significance of Jacob giving his grandsons the status of sons for inheritance?
Jacob Blesses His Grandsons Genesis 48:8-22
Having claimed them as equal in status to his own sons, Jacob now notices his two grandsons standing with their father. Confirming their identities, he asks Joseph to bring them close that he may bless them. Jacob is overwhelmed with joy, as he had not thought he would ever see Joseph again, let alone his grandchildren.
Joseph positions his sons within his father’s reach, with the eldest, Manasseh, at Jacob’s right hand. Jacob, however, crosses his arms to place his right hand on Ephraim’s head. Joseph protests, but Jacob insists he knows what he is doing, and someday, Ephraim will outstrip Manasseh in greatness. Jacob blesses his grandsons in his own name and in the names of his fathers, saying one day the nation will bless their children in their names. He also tells Joseph that he is giving him an additional portion (shechem) over his brothers, one that he took with his own sword.
The Israel Bible asks why future generations would bless their children in the names of Ephraim and Manasseh (as is, indeed, the custom in many Jewish homes every Friday night). Ephraim and Manasseh were the first generation to be born in Egypt, yet they remained loyal to the traditions of their father despite the temptations of Egypt. Thus, they serve as a template for the survival of the Jewish people and their return to Israel in the future.
Points to Ponder
Why do you think Jacob has to ask who Manasseh and Ephraim are when he sees them?
Jacob Blesses His Sons Genesis 49:1-33
Jacob now sets out to bless his own sons. He wishes to tell them what will befall them in the End of Days.
To Reuben, Simeon and Levi, Jacob offers only chastisement for their earlier actions. Reuben, for interfering with Jacob’s marital bed (see Genesis 35:22), and Simeon and Levi for their rash attack on the people of Shechem (see Genesis 34:25-26). In fact, Jacob goes so far as to curse Simeon and Levi’s rage, scattering their future descendants among the other tribes.
With Judah, Jacob begins offering blessings in earnest. Jacob blesses him with lion’s strength, prosperity, and wise and powerful descendants. Zebulun he blesses with success on the seas. To Issachar he gives the strength to bear labor. He blesses Dan to be the avenger of his people. Gad he blesses with military might.He offers Asher richness of bread and delicacies. He notes Naphtali for his swiftness and wise sayings. To Joseph, he bequeaths blessings of the earth and the womb, greater than any Jacob himself received. Finally, Jacob likens Benjamin to a wolf, catching prey by morning and dividing spoils by evening.
Blessings complete, Jacob asks his sons again to bury him in Israel, in the Cave of Machpelah, with his wife, parents and grandparents. His final words imparted, Jacob passes.
The Israel Bible notes that the coastal inheritance bequeathed by Jacob to Zebulun enables the tribe later to enter into a special partnership with the tribe of Issachar; the former used their seafaring success to support the latter in Torah study, thus earning a share in their merit.
Points to Ponder
Why do you think Jacob chose to bless his sons by telling them “that which shall be befall you in the End of Days”?
Jacob’s Burial Genesis 50:1-14
Joseph weeps at Jacob’s passing, and orders his father’s body to be embalmed, a process which the Torah says takes forty days. He then asks Pharaoh’s leave to bury his father in Israel, as he had promised, and Pharaoh agrees.
Joseph’s brothers attended the burial, along with Pharaoh’s servants and the elders of Egypt. So impressive was the Egyptian entourage, in fact, that the local Canaanites renamed the site Avel Mitzrayim, which means ‘Egypt’s mourning’. Jacob was buried, as requested, in the Cave of Machpelah, accompanied by a great eulogy and a seven-day mourning period., a custom still practiced by Jews today.
Points to Ponder
Why do you think the Egyptians attended Jacob’s funeral in Israel?
Joseph’s Final Days Genesis 50:15-26
After Jacob’s death, the brothers worry that Joseph will at long last be moved to avenge himself upon them. They therefore claim their father asked before he died that Joseph be merciful and forgive his brothers for what they did to him. They offer to serve him as slaves.
Joseph responds that although their initial intentions were to harm him, God always meant for events to turn out for the best. Joseph assures his brothers he has no intention of punishing them for their actions. Rather, he plans to sustain them and their families in Egypt.
Joseph lives to 110 years of age, seeing his grandsons have children. On his deathbed, he tells his brothers that God will surely remember them and bring their children out of Egypt and back to the Holy Land. At that time, he asks, those descendants should bring his bones with them out of Egypt to Israel.
The Israel Bible points out that the unique phrase Joseph uses, God shall “surely visit” you, is meant not only as a promise, but a sign. When Moses arrives on the scene a century or so later using the exact same phrase, the people know their redemption is imminent. While this sojourn in Egypt would only be one of many trials the Children of Israel would suffer, the promise God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, repeated here by Joseph, means the Jewish people will ultimately be a great nation residing in the Land of Israel, where they belong.
Points to Ponder
Why do you think, 17 years after being reunited, the brothers still worry that Joseph will turn on them?
Related Names and Places: Weekly Readings (Weekly Torah Portions) Relate Bible Verses: Chapter 47, Chapter 48, Chapter 49, Chapter 50 Spread the love Click Here
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The great multitude from all nations that stood before God’s throne, which John saw, cried out to ascribe salvation to God and to the Lamb of God. There has not been, nor ever will be, a human being of any nation or language or people group saved but by the blood of Jesus Christ. He alone, and the Father who sent Him, gain the glory for salvation, along with the Holy Spirit who applies that salvation to men’s hearts.
May we be among that great multitude, Lord, who will cry out eternal praises to you for the great salvation you have wrought. Let us look forward to that day, and yet, not wait till then to begin to praise you. Take away the stain of pride and self-praise, and let us joyfully give all the glory to you alone. Amen.
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Revelation 7:10
Hurricane Agnes It’s Pennsylvania
Share what you know about the year you were born. June 1972
Hurricane Agnes, a Category 1 storm, hit the Florida panhandle and caused millions of dollars in damage.
In 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes caused severe flooding in Pennsylvania, including the Susquehanna River. The storm hit Pennsylvania on June 22, 1972, and dumped 19 inches of rain from Florida to New York between June 19–24. The Susquehanna River’s flood elevations reached the highest ever recorded in June 1972, surpassing flood stage by 15 feet on June 24. The flood also caused billions of gallons of water to rush through Harrisburg.
1972 saw a number of events in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: June 1972 Tropical storm Agnes caused severe flooding in the Wilkes-Barre area, including South Main Street. Flood elevations were about eight feet higher than those of 1865 and 1936. More than 100,000 people were evacuated due to flooding, and 122 people died. Summer 1972 The Flood Recovery Task Force, a non-profit organization, was formed to help rebuild the Wyoming Valley after the storm.
When Hurricane Agnes flooded the Wyoming Valley, Wilkes College sustained more than $10 million in damage to 58 buildings. In the immediate aftermath of the flood, however, Wilkes’ Second President Francis J. Michelini decided that the most important mission was learning; the relationship between students and faculty were more important than brightly lit classrooms.
With this in mind, the college’s first summer session reopened less than a week and a half after the flood, with a majority of classes held on the second and third floors of buildings. While some faculty and students resumed scholarly pursuits, other students gave up summer jobs and vacations to return to campus to shovel out mud-filled basements, remove and wash off dirty furniture and desks and assisted in overall clean-up efforts. Many alumni also pitched in with cleanup efforts as well as monetary support to aid Wilkes in flood recovery. “Operation Snapback,” Michelini’s action plan to fundraise after the flood, generated millions of dollars to fix building damages and provide financial aid for students affected by the flood.
Hurricane Agnes was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane’s death toll was 128.[1] The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, with much of the east coast of the United States affected. Damage was heaviest in Pennsylvania, where Agnes was the state’s wettest tropical cyclone. Due to the significant effects, the name Agnes was retired in the spring of 1973.
Hurricane Agnes
Agnes near peak intensity in the Gulf of Mexico on June 18 Meteorological history Formed June 14, 1972 Extratropical June 23, 1972 Dissipated July 6, 1972 Category 1 hurricane 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) Highest winds 85 mph (140 km/h) Lowest pressure 977 mbar (hPa); 28.85 inHg Overall effects Fatalities 128 direct Damage $2.1 billion (1972 USD) Areas affected Yucatán Peninsula, Western Cuba, East Coast of the United States, Pennsylvania, Atlantic Canada, Iceland, British Isles IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata Part of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season Agnes was the second tropical cyclone and first named storm of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. It developed as a tropical depression on June 14 from the interaction of a polar front and an upper trough over the Yucatán Peninsula. The storm emerged into the western Caribbean Sea on June 15, and strengthened into Tropical Storm Agnes the next day. Thereafter, Agnes slowly curved northward and passed just west of Cuba on June 17. Early on June 18, the storm intensified enough to be upgraded to Hurricane Agnes. Heading northward, the hurricane eventually made landfall near Panama City, Florida, late on June 19. After moving inland, Agnes rapidly weakened and was only a tropical depression when it entered Georgia. The weakening trend halted as the storm crossed over Georgia and into South Carolina. While over eastern North Carolina, Agnes re-strengthened into a tropical storm on June 21, as a result of baroclinic activity. Early the following day, the storm emerged into the Atlantic Ocean before re-curving northwestward and making landfall near New York City as a strong tropical storm. Agnes quickly became an extratropical cyclone on June 23, and tracked to the northwest of Great Britain, before being absorbed by another extratropical cyclone on July 6.
Though it moved slowly across the Yucatán Peninsula, the damage Agnes caused in Mexico is unknown. Although the storm bypassed the tip of Cuba, heavy rainfall occurred, killing seven people. In Florida, Agnes caused a significant tornado outbreak, with at least 26 confirmed twisters, two of which were spawned in Georgia. The tornadoes and two initially unconfirmed tornadoes in Florida alone resulted in over $4.5 million (1972 USD) in damage and six fatalities. At least 2,082 structures in Florida suffered either major damage or were destroyed. About 1,355 other dwellings experienced minor losses. Though Agnes made landfall as a hurricane, no hurricane-force winds were reported. Along the coast abnormally high tides resulted in extensive damage, especially between Apalachicola and Cedar Key. Light to moderate rainfall was reported in Florida, though no significant flooding occurred. In Georgia, damage was limited to two tornadoes, which caused approximately $275,000 in losses. Minimal effects were also recorded in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee; though one fatality was reported in Delaware. The most significant effects, by far, occurred in Pennsylvania, mostly due to intense flooding. The hurricane severely flooded the Susquehanna River and the Lackawanna River causing major damage to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton metropolitan area. In both Pennsylvania and New Jersey combined, about 43,594 structures were either destroyed or significantly damaged. In Canada, a mobile home was toppled, killing two people
Hurricane Agnes was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane’s death toll was 128.[1] The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, with much of the east coast of the United States affected. Damage was heaviest in Pennsylvania, where Agnes was the state’s wettest tropical cyclone. Due to the significant effects, the name Agnes was retired in the spring of 1973.
caused approximately $275,000 in losses. Minimal effects were also recorded in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee; though one fatality was reported in Delaware. The most significant effects, by far, occurred in Pennsylvania, mostly due to intense flooding. The hurricane severely flooded the Susquehanna River and the Lackawanna River causing major damage to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton metropolitan area. In both Pennsylvania and New Jersey combined, about 43,594 structures were either destroyed or significantly damaged. In Canada, a mobile home was toppled, killing two people.
We’re getting closer! I’m sure the prophecies we’ve been reading the past few days are the same ones that Jesus mentioned to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and have been examined over the years, as those that point to the Messiah. Malachi is not one of the Major Prophets, and this book is placed last in the Old Testament. He is upset that they Israelites upon returning from exile pick up where they left off with abuses by their leaders as well as by the people. They are impatient for the Messiah to appear. So Malachi gives us this prophecy which lets the people know that the Lord, whom they seek will appear. First, John, the messenger, comes to prepare the way, and then Jesus appears in the temple. John is the last prophet of the first covenant, and Jesus brings us the new. There was a time when people thought that we didn’t need the Old Testament, the old covenant, just the New Testament. But wiser heads prevailed! How could we understand the New without the Old. Jesus himself said that he had not come to abolish the law – the first covenant – but to fulfill it. This means that we can’t just throw out the old. How else would we know of Abraham or Moses, King David and Solomon, the prophets or the times they were faithful and the times they went astray and needed God to save them. All of this is important for us, as we also are sometimes faithful and sometimes we need saving from ourselves. We learn from both the old and the new and are called to follow Jesus, as he followed the teachings of the Law.
I had two favorite things to play with! A Big Red Clock and a white piano. I loved them both.
Christmas: God Always Keeps His Promises2 Peter 1:19, 2 Corinthians 1:20
Paul puts it this way: “All the promises of God in Christ are ‘Yes,’ and in Him, ‘Amen’ ” (2 Corinthians 1:20). In the Old Testament we have the “Yes” – God’s promises. In the person and work of Jesus Christ we have “Amen” – the substantiation and fulfillment of everything God promised through His prophets
Come Let Us Rebuild. A Study of Nehemiah. Lazarus Is Dead Tuesday, December 19 | John 11:1–16 On the Go? Listen Now!
Death is like an unwelcome visitor who enters without being invited, interrupts without pardon, takes without asking, and leaves without remorse. In less than ten years, all four of my grandparents died. I remember thinking two thoughts when the fourth passed. My first was, “I was fortunate to have known all four of my grandparents.” My second: “All of my grandparents are dead!”
Jesus experienced the grief and reality of death firsthand. He plainly told His disciples in John 11: “Lazarus is dead” (v. 14). Jesus had been staying across the Jordan River where John the Baptist had previously been ministering (see John 10:40), when news came to Jesus about His friend Lazarus’s illness (v. 3). The apostle John stresses the love that Jesus had for Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary (vv. 3, 5). We would expect Jesus to hurry to Bethany to care for Lazarus. Instead, He stayed two more days (v. 6).
At that point Jesus invites His disciples to travel back to Judea with Him (v. 7). He informs His disciples that He is going to wake Lazarus for he has fallen asleep (v. 11). This is understood by the disciples as literal sleep, but Jesus knew that Lazarus had died (vv. 12–13).
Jesus also said to the disciples, “I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe” (v. 15). Although Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, He remained across the Jordan until Lazarus died, so that His disciples would witness His resurrection power and grow in their faith.
>> Death may be an unwelcome visitor, but Jesus is a permanent resident in the life of the believer. Through His resurrection Jesus defeated death once and for all! Until we get to eternity, God can use death and the losses we encounter to increase our faith. No matter what we face, He walks with us through the valley of death and loss.
Pray with Us We turn to You in loss and grief, finding hope in You and Your promise of eternity with You. Without You there truly is no point in life and no purpose in suffering. Thank You for the already/not yet restoration You have promised.
Describe a man who has positively impacted your life.
🔯 Jesus the Son of the Living God our Father in heaven! 🔯
JOY! For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Isaiah 55:12
Jesus The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived
“He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or a home. He didn’t go to college. He never visited a big city. He never travelled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for His garments, the only property He had on earth. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human race. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life.”
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT JESUS Christ is the greatest man who has ever lived in all of history. He changed the world forever. When He was born, He transformed the very way we measure time. He turned aside the river of the ages out of its course and lifted the centuries off their hinges. His birthday, His Incarnation, touched and transformed time. Now the whole world counts time as Before Christ (BC) and AD (Anno Domoni – in the year of our Lord). Jesus Christ is the central figure of history. More books have been written about Jesus Christ than any other person in history.
The world before Christ was a world without hospitals, a world without charity, a world without respect for the sanctity of life. Hospitals were an innovation of Christianity. Hence the healing symbol of a cross represents hospitals. The nursing profession was founded by Christians, such as Florence Nightingale, out of devotion to Christ. One of history’s greatest humanitarian movements, the International Red Cross, was founded by Christians in response to the Scriptural injunctions to care for the sick and the suffering. Christians such as Dr. Louis Pasteur has fuelled some of the greatest practical advances in medicine. Pasteur has probably saved more lives than any other individual in history through his inventions. The whole concept of charity was a Christian innovation. Benevolence to strangers was unknown before Christ.
The teachings and example of Jesus Christ have inspired the greatest acts of generosity, hospitality, self-sacrifice and service to the poor, sick and needy over two thousand years. Before the advent of Christianity cultures practised slavery and human sacrifice – even the highly esteemed Greek and Roman civilisations. Child sacrifice was common among the pagan religions. The Aztec Empire in Mexico and Inca Empire in Peru engaged in slavery, ritual rapes and mass human sacrifice. Suttee, the burning of widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands, was common practice in Hindu India before the missionary William Carey arrived. Slavery was eradicated as a result of tireless efforts of Christians such as William Wilberforce and David Livingstone. Respect for life and liberty is a fruit of Christianity. Those promoting abortion, euthanasia and pornography are not offering us progress, but only a return to pre-Christian paganism. The positive impact of Jesus Christ on the world cannot be overstated. Everything from education to human rights, from public health to economic liberty – the things we cherish most and many of the blessings we take for granted – can be traced to the spiritual and the cultural revolution begun by Jesus Christ. The irrefutable fact is that Christianity gave birth to modern science. The scientific revolution began with the Protestant Reformation and the Bible played a vital part in the development of scientific discovery. Every major branch of science was developed by a Bible believing Christian. The Bible essentially created science. When we get into a car, start the engine, turn on the lights, drive to a hospital, receive an anaesthetic before an operation, and have an effective operation performed in a germ-free environment, we need to remember that we owe it all to Jesus Christ. “Every school you see – public or private, religious or secular – is a visible reminder of the religion of Jesus Christ. So is every college and university.” Dr. James Kennedy. The phenomenon of education for the masses has its roots in Christianity. The pursuit of the knowledge of God in a systematic, philosophical and in-depth way gave rise to the phenomenon of universities all around the world. It was the Christian faith that gave rise to the idea of higher learning. Most of the languages of the world were first set to writing by Christian missionaries. The first book in most languages of the world has been the Bible. Christianity has been the greatest force for promoting literacy worldwide throughout history. The Christian missionary movement in the 19th Century pioneered tens of thousands of schools throughout Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands – providing education for countless millions, even in the remotest jungles, giving the gift of literacy to tribes which had never before had a written language. There is no doubt that Jesus Christ was the greatest Teacher the world has ever known. When He spoke, “They were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority…”
Jesus Christ Within Me Amen
Mark 1:22. The life, teachings and example of Jesus Christ have profoundly influenced the whole development of education worldwide. The Great Commission of our Lord Jesus was to “make disciples of all nations…teaching them…”
Matthew 28:19-20. From the very beginning Christians were establishing schools. Amongst the many innovations in Christian Education was that these Christian schools taught everybody, including girls and women. Formally educating both sexes was a Christian innovation. The Greeks and Romans before the birth of Christ did not formally educate girls. Only boys from the privileged classes obtained an education. Christianity revolutionised education by making it available to all classes and both genders. Saint Augustine observed that Christian women were better educated than the pagan male philosophers. Every branch and level of education was pioneered by Bible-believing Christians. The concept of graded levels of education was first introduced by a German Lutheran, Johan Sturm, in the 16th Century. Another Lutheran, Frederick Froebel, introduced kindergartens. Education for the deaf was also pioneered by Christians. Before Jesus Christ, human life in the Greek and Roman world was extremely cheap. Infants born with physical defects such as blindness, were commonly abandoned to die in the wilderness. In Greece, blind babies were cast into the sea. Those who survived their blind infancy, or became blind later in childhood, usually became galley slaves, and blind girls were commonly assigned to a life of prostitution. However, Jesus Christ showed particular compassion for the blind, healing many blind individuals during His ministry on earth. When the Roman persecution of the Church ended, in the 4th Century, Christians established asylums for the blind. In the 19th Century, Louis Braille, a dedicated Christian who lost his eyesight at age three, developed the world’s first alphabet that enabled blind people to read with their fingers. Sunday schools were begun by Robert Raikes in 1780 to provide boys and girls from the poorest homes with the gift of literacy and the riches of the Scriptures. The first universities grew out of the monastic missionary centres, which had discipled Europe. The first university lecturers were the missionary monks who had collected books, accumulated libraries, copied manuscripts and were uniquely equipped for advanced academic study. Most universities began as Christian schools, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge, Heidelberg and Basel. The greatest invention in the field of learning, the printing press, by Johannes Gutenberg, was also a fruit of the Christian faith. The first book to be printed was the Bible. The very name “university” testifies to its Christian origins. University means “One Truth”. Isn’t it time that teachers, lecturers and professors took an in-depth look at the greatest Teacher the world has ever known, the greatest Book ever produced and the Faith which inspired and pioneered every major branch of education and science?. Just consider some of the everyday things which have been inspired by the Bible. The word “breakfast” comes from the concept of breaking the fast. The word “restaurant” comes from Jesus’ promise in Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” The first restaurant founded in Paris in 1766 placed that verse from Matthew 11:28 in bold letters outside this first public establishment dedicated to providing meals in a pleasant atmosphere. The fact that our week consists of seven days is a testimony to the fact of God creating the world in six days, resting on the seventh. The practice of Sunday being a day of rest dates back to the Christian tradition of honouring the first day of the week as the Lord’s Day, a testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Every time a newspaper publishes the date, it is a testimony to the centrality of Christ. When we call this the year 2006, we are acknowledging that Jesus Christ is the central focus of history. This is the year 2006 AD, ‘in the year of our Lord’. The very word “goodbye” comes from a parting prayer: God be with ye. The word “holiday” comes from holy day. The Bible, particularly the Ten Commandments, laid the framework and legal foundations of Western civilisation. The very first statute, the first written restriction on the powers of government was the Magna Carta of 1215. It was written by a pastor and thoroughly saturated with Scriptural principles. The Bible has inspired the greatest literature, the greatest art, the greatest examples of architecture, the age of exploration, world missions, the rule of law, the separation of powers, checks and balances, representative government, the sanctity of life, and so much more that we take for granted. Christianity introduced a respect for life and liberty that was completely unknown before the coming of Jesus Christ. In the ancient world, the teachings of Jesus Christ halted infanticide, liberated women, abolished slavery, inspired the first charities and religious organisations, created hospitals, established orphanages and founded schools. In the medieval times, Christianity built libraries, invented colleges and universities, dignified labour and converted the barbarians. In the modern era, Christian teaching has advanced science, inspired political, social and economic freedom, promoted justice and provided the greatest inspiration for the most magnificent achievements in art, architecture, music and literature. Christianity has been the most powerful agent in transforming society for the better across 2000 years. No other religion, philosophy, teaching, nation or movement has changed the world for the better as Christianity has done. Jesus Christ is the greatest Man who has ever lived, and the Bible is the greatest Book ever written. The Bible is the number one best selling book in all of history. It is estimated that well over 30 million Bibles and 100 million New Testaments are printed every year. The Bible has also been translated into more languages than any other book in history.
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Good News of Great Joy Luke 2:8-11 (KJV®) There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
One of my favorite Christmas movies is A Charlie Brown Christmas. Charlie is confused when his friends are obsessed with getting the presents they want and finding a perfect tree for their Christmas play. In frustration, he raises his hands and asks, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” “Sure, Charlie Brown,” Linus replies. “I can tell you what Christmas is all about.” Linus takes the stage and recites Luke 2:8-14. Linus was wise beyond his years and gave us one of the cornerstones of a biblical worldview: The birth of Jesus is good news of great joy, and it’s a message for everyone.
THINK ABOUT IT Find a way to keep the true meaning of Christmas alive all season, even amid busy holiday preparations. You will be enriched, along with all those around you.
PRAYER Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to dwell among us, reveal Your character, and offer Himself as a sacrifice for our redemption to You. May the reality of the Living Christ be made more greatly known in our midst—a reality more powerful than any opposition. Let Jesus be alive within us in a brand-new way. In His name, amen.
Israel, a Middle Eastern country on the Mediterranean Sea, is regarded by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the biblical Holy Land. Its most sacred sites are in Jerusalem. Within its Old City, the Temple Mount complex includes the Dome of the Rock shrine, the historic Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Israel’s financial hub, Tel Aviv, is known for its Bauhaus architecture and beaches.
My heart is grieved by the recent violence and suffering in Israel. I hope you’ll stand with me in support of God’s people in these dark times.
As Christians, we know that what’s happening in Israel is not a human struggle; it is a spiritual struggle against the forces of darkness.
God has promised that His chosen people will endure forever.
Join me today by signing the pledge to commit to praying for Israel. -Pray that the Lord would do a mighty work and protect the innocent. -Pray that the Lord will bring strength and wisdom to those who need it greatly. -Pray that the Lord would bring comfort to hurting and fearful hearts.
Thank you for committing to praying for Israel.
Dear friend and supporter,
The ongoing war in Israel has precipitated an economic crisis of unprecedented scale, with a disturbing trend emerging in its wake: a thriving black market. As businesses struggle amidst the turmoil, many are resorting to under-the-table transactions and income underreporting, a symptom of the dire financial straits the nation finds itself in. Doron Arbely, the former director of the Tax Authority, underscores this alarming growth, revealing a shadow economy that now encompasses a staggering 20% of Israel’s GDP.
The war’s impact on the economy has led to desperate financial maneuvers across various sectors. Particularly noteworthy is the plight of divorced men, many of whom, grappling with reduced incomes, are seeking to lower their alimony payments. These individual stories paint a broader picture of the socio-economic challenges faced by countless Israelis during this crisis.
In response to these challenges, the Tax Authority is ramping up its efforts against tax evasion. However, regulatory measures alone cannot fully address the deep-seated issues stemming from this economic downturn. This is where the role of Feed Israel becomes crucial. Amidst the economic chaos and the distress of war, our mission is to provide not just sustenance but also stability and support to those most affected.
Feed Israel stands as a pillar of hope and aid in these tumultuous times. We are committed to offering a sense of normalcy and compassion to those displaced by the conflict and those struggling with the war’s economic fallout. Our efforts extend beyond meal distribution; we provide essential support that helps rebuild lives and communities shattered by the war
Israel, country in the Middle East, located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, to the northeast by Syria, to the east and southeast by Jordan, to the southwest by Egypt, and to the west by the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem is the seat of government and the proclaimed capital, although the latter status has not received wide international recognition.
Israel is a small country with a relatively diverse topography, consisting of a lengthy coastal plain, highlands in the north and central regions, and the Negev desert in the south. Running the length of the country from north to south along its eastern border is the northern terminus of the Great Rift Valley.
Israel Home Geography & Travel Countries of the World Geography & Travel Israel Also known as: Isrāʾīl, Medinat Yisraʾel, State of Israel Written by , , See All Fact-checked by Last Updated: Dec 15, 2023 • Article History Recent News Dec. 15, 2023, 10:49 AM ET (AP) Live updates | As fighting rages in Gaza, a US envoy is set to meet with the Palestinian president Dec. 15, 2023, 9:04 AM ET (AP) US and Israel discuss when to scale back Gaza combat but agree fight will take months, envoy says Summary Read a brief summary of this topic Israel, country in the Middle East, located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, to the northeast by Syria, to the east and southeast by Jordan, to the southwest by Egypt, and to the west by the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem is the seat of government and the proclaimed capital, although the latter status has not received wide international recognition.
Israel flag of Israel Audio File: National anthem of Israel See all media Category: Geography & Travel Arabic: Isrāʾīl Officially: State of Israel or Hebrew: Medinat Yisraʾel Head Of Government: Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu Capital (Proclaimed): Jerusalem; international recognition of its capital status has largely been withheld. Population: (2023 est.) 9,153,0001 Currency Exchange Rate: 1 USD equals 3.834 Israeli shekel Head Of State: President: Isaac Herzog Israel Israel Israel is a small country with a relatively diverse topography, consisting of a lengthy coastal plain, highlands in the north and central regions, and the Negev desert in the south. Running the length of the country from north to south along its eastern border is the northern terminus of the Great Rift Valley.
The State of Israel is the only Jewish nation in the modern period, and the region that now falls within its borders has a lengthy and rich history that dates from prebiblical times. The area was a part of the Roman Empire and, later, the Byzantine Empire before falling under the control of the fledgling Islamic caliphate in the 7th century CE. Although the object of dispute during the Crusades, the region, then generally known as Palestine, remained under the sway of successive Islamic dynasties until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, when it was placed under British mandate from the League of Nations.
Even before the mandate, the desire for a Jewish homeland prompted a small number of Jews to immigrate to Palestine, a migration that grew dramatically during the second quarter of the 20th century with the increased persecution of Jews worldwide and subsequent Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany. This vast influx of Jewish immigrants into the region, however, caused tension with the native Palestinian Arabs, and violence flared between the two groups leading up to the United Nations plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors and Israel’s ensuing declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948.
Israel fought a series of wars against neighbouring Arab states during the next 35 years, which have resulted in ongoing disputes over territory and the status of refugees. Despite continuing tensions, however, Israel concluded peace treaties with several neighbouring Arab states during the final quarter of the 20th century.
Despite its small size, about 290 miles (470 km) north-to-south and 85 miles (135 km) east-to-west at its widest point, Israel has four geographic regions—the Mediterranean coastal plain, the hill regions of northern and central Israel, the Great Rift Valley, and the Negev—and a wide range of unique physical features and microclimates.
The coastal plain is a narrow strip about 115 miles (185 km) long that widens to about 25 miles (40 km) in the south. A sandy shoreline with many beaches borders the Mediterranean coast. Inland to the east, fertile farmland is giving way to growing agricultural settlements and the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa and their suburbs.
In the north of the country, the mountains of Galilee constitute the highest part of Israel, reaching an elevation of 3,963 feet (1,208 metres) at Mount Meron (Arabic: Jebel Jarmaq). These mountains terminate to the east in an escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley. The mountains of Galilee are separated from the hills of the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the south by the fertile Plain of Esdraelon (Hebrew: ʿEmeq Yizreʿel), which, running approximately northwest to southeast, connects the coastal plain with the Great Rift Valley. The Mount Carmel range, which culminates in a peak 1,791 feet (546 metres) high, forms a spur reaching northwest from the highlands of the West Bank, cutting almost to the coast of Haifa.
The Great Rift Valley, a long fissure in Earth’s crust, begins beyond the northern frontier of Israel and forms a series of valleys running generally south, the length of the country, to the Gulf of Aqaba. The Jordan River, which marks part of the frontier between Israel and Jordan, flows southward through the rift from Dan on Israel’s northern frontier, where it is 500 feet (152 metres) above sea level, first into the Ḥula Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaḤula), then into the freshwater Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee (Hebrew: Yam Kinneret), which lies 686 feet (209 metres) below sea level. The Jordan continues south along the eastern edge of the West Bank—now through the Jordan Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaYarden)—and finally into the highly saline Dead Sea, which, at 1,312 feet (400 metres) below sea level, is the lowest point of a natural landscape feature on the Earth’s surface. South of the Dead Sea, the Jordan continues through the rift, where it now forms the ʿArava Valley (Hebrew: “savannah”), an arid plain that extends to the Red Sea port of Eilat.
The sparsely populated Negev comprises the southern half of Israel. Arrow-shaped, this flat, sandy desert region narrows toward the south, where it becomes increasingly arid and breaks into sandstone hills cut by wadis, canyons, and cliffs before finally coming to a point where the ʿArava reaches Eilat.
The principal drainage system comprises Lake Tiberias and the Jordan River. Other rivers in Israel are the Yarqon, which empties into the Mediterranean near Tel Aviv; the Qishon, which runs through the western part of the Plain of Esdraelon to drain into the Mediterranean at Haifa; and a small section of the Yarmūk, a tributary of the Jordan that flows west along the Syria-Jordan border. Most of the country’s remaining streams are ephemeral and flow seasonally as wadis. The rivers are supplemented by a spring-fed underground water table that is tapped by wells. Israel has a chronic water shortage, and its hydraulic resources are fully utilized: about three-fourths for irrigation and the remainder for industrial and household water use.
Soils The coastal plain is covered mainly by alluvial soils. Parts of the arid northern Negev, where soil development would not be expected, have windblown loess soils because of proximity to the coastal plain. The soils of Galilee change from calcareous rock in the coastal plain, to Cenomanian and Turonian limestone (deposited from about 99 to 89 million years ago) in Upper Galilee, and to Eocene formations (those dating from about 55 to 35 million years ago) in the lower part of the region. Rock salt and gypsum are abundant in the Great Rift Valley. The southern Negev is mainly sandstone rock with veins of granite.
Encyclopedia Britannica HomeGames & QuizzesHistory & SocietyScience & TechBiographiesAnimals & NatureGeography & TravelArts & CultureMoneyVideos Israel Home Geography & Travel Countries of the World Geography & Travel Israel Also known as: Isrāʾīl, Medinat Yisraʾel, State of Israel Written by , , See All Fact-checked by Last Updated: Dec 15, 2023 • Article History Recent News Dec. 15, 2023, 10:49 AM ET (AP) Live updates | As fighting rages in Gaza, a US envoy is set to meet with the Palestinian president Dec. 15, 2023, 9:04 AM ET (AP) US and Israel discuss when to scale back Gaza combat but agree fight will take months, envoy says Summary Read a brief summary of this topic Israel, country in the Middle East, located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, to the northeast by Syria, to the east and southeast by Jordan, to the southwest by Egypt, and to the west by the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem is the seat of government and the proclaimed capital, although the latter status has not received wide international recognition.
Israel flag of Israel Audio File: National anthem of Israel See all media Category: Geography & Travel Arabic: Isrāʾīl Officially: State of Israel or Hebrew: Medinat Yisraʾel Head Of Government: Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu Capital (Proclaimed): Jerusalem; international recognition of its capital status has largely been withheld. Population: (2023 est.) 9,153,0001 Currency Exchange Rate: 1 USD equals 3.834 Israeli shekel Head Of State: President: Isaac Herzog Israel Israel Israel is a small country with a relatively diverse topography, consisting of a lengthy coastal plain, highlands in the north and central regions, and the Negev desert in the south. Running the length of the country from north to south along its eastern border is the northern terminus of the Great Rift Valley.
The State of Israel is the only Jewish nation in the modern period, and the region that now falls within its borders has a lengthy and rich history that dates from prebiblical times. The area was a part of the Roman Empire and, later, the Byzantine Empire before falling under the control of the fledgling Islamic caliphate in the 7th century CE. Although the object of dispute during the Crusades, the region, then generally known as Palestine, remained under the sway of successive Islamic dynasties until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, when it was placed under British mandate from the League of Nations.
Even before the mandate, the desire for a Jewish homeland prompted a small number of Jews to immigrate to Palestine, a migration that grew dramatically during the second quarter of the 20th century with the increased persecution of Jews worldwide and subsequent Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany. This vast influx of Jewish immigrants into the region, however, caused tension with the native Palestinian Arabs, and violence flared between the two groups leading up to the United Nations plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors and Israel’s ensuing declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948.
Flags of all countries of the world. Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery Britannica Quiz The Country Quiz Israel fought a series of wars against neighbouring Arab states during the next 35 years, which have resulted in ongoing disputes over territory and the status of refugees. Despite continuing tensions, however, Israel concluded peace treaties with several neighbouring Arab states during the final quarter of the 20th century.
Land Relief Physical features of Israel Physical features of Israel Israel: Ḥula Valley Israel: Ḥula Valley Crops and fish farms in the Ḥula Valley, Israel.
Despite its small size, about 290 miles (470 km) north-to-south and 85 miles (135 km) east-to-west at its widest point, Israel has four geographic regions—the Mediterranean coastal plain, the hill regions of northern and central Israel, the Great Rift Valley, and the Negev—and a wide range of unique physical features and microclimates.
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The coastal plain is a narrow strip about 115 miles (185 km) long that widens to about 25 miles (40 km) in the south. A sandy shoreline with many beaches borders the Mediterranean coast. Inland to the east, fertile farmland is giving way to growing agricultural settlements and the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa and their suburbs.
In the north of the country, the mountains of Galilee constitute the highest part of Israel, reaching an elevation of 3,963 feet (1,208 metres) at Mount Meron (Arabic: Jebel Jarmaq). These mountains terminate to the east in an escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley. The mountains of Galilee are separated from the hills of the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the south by the fertile Plain of Esdraelon (Hebrew: ʿEmeq Yizreʿel), which, running approximately northwest to southeast, connects the coastal plain with the Great Rift Valley. The Mount Carmel range, which culminates in a peak 1,791 feet (546 metres) high, forms a spur reaching northwest from the highlands of the West Bank, cutting almost to the coast of Haifa.
Dead Sea Dead Sea Columns of salt rising from the extremely saline waters of the Dead Sea.
The Great Rift Valley, a long fissure in Earth’s crust, begins beyond the northern frontier of Israel and forms a series of valleys running generally south, the length of the country, to the Gulf of Aqaba. The Jordan River, which marks part of the frontier between Israel and Jordan, flows southward through the rift from Dan on Israel’s northern frontier, where it is 500 feet (152 metres) above sea level, first into the Ḥula Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaḤula), then into the freshwater Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee (Hebrew: Yam Kinneret), which lies 686 feet (209 metres) below sea level. The Jordan continues south along the eastern edge of the West Bank—now through the Jordan Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaYarden)—and finally into the highly saline Dead Sea, which, at 1,312 feet (400 metres) below sea level, is the lowest point of a natural landscape feature on the Earth’s surface. South of the Dead Sea, the Jordan continues through the rift, where it now forms the ʿArava Valley (Hebrew: “savannah”), an arid plain that extends to the Red Sea port of Eilat.
The sparsely populated Negev comprises the southern half of Israel. Arrow-shaped, this flat, sandy desert region narrows toward the south, where it becomes increasingly arid and breaks into sandstone hills cut by wadis, canyons, and cliffs before finally coming to a point where the ʿArava reaches Eilat.
Drainage The principal drainage system comprises Lake Tiberias and the Jordan River. Other rivers in Israel are the Yarqon, which empties into the Mediterranean near Tel Aviv; the Qishon, which runs through the western part of the Plain of Esdraelon to drain into the Mediterranean at Haifa; and a small section of the Yarmūk, a tributary of the Jordan that flows west along the Syria-Jordan border. Most of the country’s remaining streams are ephemeral and flow seasonally as wadis. The rivers are supplemented by a spring-fed underground water table that is tapped by wells. Israel has a chronic water shortage, and its hydraulic resources are fully utilized: about three-fourths for irrigation and the remainder for industrial and household water use.
Soils The coastal plain is covered mainly by alluvial soils. Parts of the arid northern Negev, where soil development would not be expected, have windblown loess soils because of proximity to the coastal plain. The soils of Galilee change from calcareous rock in the coastal plain, to Cenomanian and Turonian limestone (deposited from about 99 to 89 million years ago) in Upper Galilee, and to Eocene formations (those dating from about 55 to 35 million years ago) in the lower part of the region. Rock salt and gypsum are abundant in the Great Rift Valley. The southern Negev is mainly sandstone rock with veins of granite.
Climate of Israel Israel has a wide variety of climatic conditions, caused mainly by the country’s diverse topography. There are two distinct seasons: a cool, rainy winter (October–April) and a dry, hot summer (May–September). Along the coast, sea breezes have a moderating influence in summer, and the Mediterranean beaches are popular. Precipitation is light in the south, amounting to about 1 inch (25 mm) per year in the ʿArava Valley south of the Dead Sea, while in the north it is relatively heavy, up to 44 inches (1,120 mm) a year in the Upper Galilee region. In the large cities, along the coastal plain, annual rainfall averages about 20 inches (508 mm) per year. Precipitation occurs on about 60 days during the year, spread over the rainy season. Severe summer water shortages ensue in years when the rains come late or rainfall totals are less than normal.
Average annual temperatures vary throughout Israel based on elevation and location, with the coastal areas adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea having milder temperatures—ranging from about 84 °F (29 °C) in August to about 61 °F (16 °C) in January—and higher rates of humidity than areas inland, especially during the winter. Likewise, higher elevations, such as Upper Galilee, have cool nights, even in summer, and occasional snows in the winter. However, the coastal city of Eilat, in the south, despite its proximity to the Red Sea, is closer to the climate of the Jordan and ʿArava valleys and the Negev, which are hotter and drier than the northern coast; there, daytime temperatures reach about 70 °F (21 °C) in January and may rise as high as 114 °F (46 °C) in August, when the average high is 104 °F (40 °C).
Encyclopedia Britannica HomeGames & QuizzesHistory & SocietyScience & TechBiographiesAnimals & NatureGeography & TravelArts & CultureMoneyVideos Israel Home Geography & Travel Countries of the World Geography & Travel Israel Also known as: Isrāʾīl, Medinat Yisraʾel, State of Israel Written by , , See All Fact-checked by Last Updated: Dec 15, 2023 • Article History Recent News Dec. 15, 2023, 10:49 AM ET (AP) Live updates | As fighting rages in Gaza, a US envoy is set to meet with the Palestinian president Dec. 15, 2023, 9:04 AM ET (AP) US and Israel discuss when to scale back Gaza combat but agree fight will take months, envoy says Summary Read a brief summary of this topic Israel, country in the Middle East, located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bounded to the north by Lebanon, to the northeast by Syria, to the east and southeast by Jordan, to the southwest by Egypt, and to the west by the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem is the seat of government and the proclaimed capital, although the latter status has not received wide international recognition.
Israel flag of Israel Audio File: National anthem of Israel See all media Category: Geography & Travel Arabic: Isrāʾīl Officially: State of Israel or Hebrew: Medinat Yisraʾel Head Of Government: Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu Capital (Proclaimed): Jerusalem; international recognition of its capital status has largely been withheld. Population: (2023 est.) 9,153,0001 Currency Exchange Rate: 1 USD equals 3.834 Israeli shekel Head Of State: President: Isaac Herzog Israel Israel Israel is a small country with a relatively diverse topography, consisting of a lengthy coastal plain, highlands in the north and central regions, and the Negev desert in the south. Running the length of the country from north to south along its eastern border is the northern terminus of the Great Rift Valley.
The State of Israel is the only Jewish nation in the modern period, and the region that now falls within its borders has a lengthy and rich history that dates from prebiblical times. The area was a part of the Roman Empire and, later, the Byzantine Empire before falling under the control of the fledgling Islamic caliphate in the 7th century CE. Although the object of dispute during the Crusades, the region, then generally known as Palestine, remained under the sway of successive Islamic dynasties until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, when it was placed under British mandate from the League of Nations.
Even before the mandate, the desire for a Jewish homeland prompted a small number of Jews to immigrate to Palestine, a migration that grew dramatically during the second quarter of the 20th century with the increased persecution of Jews worldwide and subsequent Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany. This vast influx of Jewish immigrants into the region, however, caused tension with the native Palestinian Arabs, and violence flared between the two groups leading up to the United Nations plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors and Israel’s ensuing declaration of statehood on May 14, 1948.
Flags of all countries of the world. Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery Britannica Quiz The Country Quiz Israel fought a series of wars against neighbouring Arab states during the next 35 years, which have resulted in ongoing disputes over territory and the status of refugees. Despite continuing tensions, however, Israel concluded peace treaties with several neighbouring Arab states during the final quarter of the 20th century.
Land Relief Physical features of Israel Physical features of Israel Israel: Ḥula Valley Israel: Ḥula Valley Crops and fish farms in the Ḥula Valley, Israel.
Despite its small size, about 290 miles (470 km) north-to-south and 85 miles (135 km) east-to-west at its widest point, Israel has four geographic regions—the Mediterranean coastal plain, the hill regions of northern and central Israel, the Great Rift Valley, and the Negev—and a wide range of unique physical features and microclimates.
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The coastal plain is a narrow strip about 115 miles (185 km) long that widens to about 25 miles (40 km) in the south. A sandy shoreline with many beaches borders the Mediterranean coast. Inland to the east, fertile farmland is giving way to growing agricultural settlements and the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa and their suburbs.
In the north of the country, the mountains of Galilee constitute the highest part of Israel, reaching an elevation of 3,963 feet (1,208 metres) at Mount Meron (Arabic: Jebel Jarmaq). These mountains terminate to the east in an escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley. The mountains of Galilee are separated from the hills of the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the south by the fertile Plain of Esdraelon (Hebrew: ʿEmeq Yizreʿel), which, running approximately northwest to southeast, connects the coastal plain with the Great Rift Valley. The Mount Carmel range, which culminates in a peak 1,791 feet (546 metres) high, forms a spur reaching northwest from the highlands of the West Bank, cutting almost to the coast of Haifa.
Dead Sea Dead Sea Columns of salt rising from the extremely saline waters of the Dead Sea.
The Great Rift Valley, a long fissure in Earth’s crust, begins beyond the northern frontier of Israel and forms a series of valleys running generally south, the length of the country, to the Gulf of Aqaba. The Jordan River, which marks part of the frontier between Israel and Jordan, flows southward through the rift from Dan on Israel’s northern frontier, where it is 500 feet (152 metres) above sea level, first into the Ḥula Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaḤula), then into the freshwater Lake Tiberias, also known as the Sea of Galilee (Hebrew: Yam Kinneret), which lies 686 feet (209 metres) below sea level. The Jordan continues south along the eastern edge of the West Bank—now through the Jordan Valley (Hebrew: ʿEmeq HaYarden)—and finally into the highly saline Dead Sea, which, at 1,312 feet (400 metres) below sea level, is the lowest point of a natural landscape feature on the Earth’s surface. South of the Dead Sea, the Jordan continues through the rift, where it now forms the ʿArava Valley (Hebrew: “savannah”), an arid plain that extends to the Red Sea port of Eilat.
The sparsely populated Negev comprises the southern half of Israel. Arrow-shaped, this flat, sandy desert region narrows toward the south, where it becomes increasingly arid and breaks into sandstone hills cut by wadis, canyons, and cliffs before finally coming to a point where the ʿArava reaches Eilat.
Drainage The principal drainage system comprises Lake Tiberias and the Jordan River. Other rivers in Israel are the Yarqon, which empties into the Mediterranean near Tel Aviv; the Qishon, which runs through the western part of the Plain of Esdraelon to drain into the Mediterranean at Haifa; and a small section of the Yarmūk, a tributary of the Jordan that flows west along the Syria-Jordan border. Most of the country’s remaining streams are ephemeral and flow seasonally as wadis. The rivers are supplemented by a spring-fed underground water table that is tapped by wells. Israel has a chronic water shortage, and its hydraulic resources are fully utilized: about three-fourths for irrigation and the remainder for industrial and household water use.
Soils The coastal plain is covered mainly by alluvial soils. Parts of the arid northern Negev, where soil development would not be expected, have windblown loess soils because of proximity to the coastal plain. The soils of Galilee change from calcareous rock in the coastal plain, to Cenomanian and Turonian limestone (deposited from about 99 to 89 million years ago) in Upper Galilee, and to Eocene formations (those dating from about 55 to 35 million years ago) in the lower part of the region. Rock salt and gypsum are abundant in the Great Rift Valley. The southern Negev is mainly sandstone rock with veins of granite.
Climate of Israel Israel has a wide variety of climatic conditions, caused mainly by the country’s diverse topography. There are two distinct seasons: a cool, rainy winter (October–April) and a dry, hot summer (May–September). Along the coast, sea breezes have a moderating influence in summer, and the Mediterranean beaches are popular. Precipitation is light in the south, amounting to about 1 inch (25 mm) per year in the ʿArava Valley south of the Dead Sea, while in the north it is relatively heavy, up to 44 inches (1,120 mm) a year in the Upper Galilee region. In the large cities, along the coastal plain, annual rainfall averages about 20 inches (508 mm) per year. Precipitation occurs on about 60 days during the year, spread over the rainy season. Severe summer water shortages ensue in years when the rains come late or rainfall totals are less than normal.
Average annual temperatures vary throughout Israel based on elevation and location, with the coastal areas adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea having milder temperatures—ranging from about 84 °F (29 °C) in August to about 61 °F (16 °C) in January—and higher rates of humidity than areas inland, especially during the winter. Likewise, higher elevations, such as Upper Galilee, have cool nights, even in summer, and occasional snows in the winter. However, the coastal city of Eilat, in the south, despite its proximity to the Red Sea, is closer to the climate of the Jordan and ʿArava valleys and the Negev, which are hotter and drier than the northern coast; there, daytime temperatures reach about 70 °F (21 °C) in January and may rise as high as 114 °F (46 °C) in August, when the average high is 104 °F (40 °C).
Plant and animal life
Natural vegetation is highly varied, and more than 2,800 plant species have been identified. The original evergreen forests, the legendary “cedars of Lebanon,” have largely disappeared after many centuries of timber cutting for shipbuilding and to clear land for cultivation and goat herding; they have been replaced by second-growth oak and smaller evergreen conifers. The hills are mostly covered by maquis, and wildflowers bloom profusely in the rainy season. Only wild desert scrub grows in the Negev and on the sand dunes of the coastal plain. North of Beersheba, most of the country is under cultivation or is used for hill grazing. Where irrigation is available, citrus groves, orchards of subtropical fruit, and food crops flourish. Millions of trees have been planted through a government reforestation program.
Animal life is also diverse. Mammals include wildcats, wild boars, gazelles, ibex, jackals, hyenas, hares, coneys, badgers, and tiger weasels. Notable among the reptiles are geckos and lizards of the genus Agama and vipers such as the carpet, or saw-scaled, viper (Echis carinatus). More than 400 species of birds have been identified in the region, including the partridge, tropical cuckoo, bustard, sand grouse, and desert lark. There are many kinds of fish and insects, and locusts from the desert sometimes invade settled areas. Several regions have been set aside as nature reserves, notably parts of the ʿArava in the south and Mount Carmel, Mount Meron, and the remains of the Ḥula Lake and marshes in the north. The Mediterranean coast and the Jordan and ʿArava valleys are important routes for migratory birds.
Jewish immigration in the 20th century greatly altered the settlement pattern of the country. The first modern-day Jewish settlers established themselves on the coastal plain in the 1880s. Later they also moved into the valleys of the interior and into parts of the hill districts, as well as into the Negev. Small cities such as Haifa and Jerusalem grew in size, and the port of Jaffa (Yafo) sprouted a suburb, Tel Aviv, which grew into one of the largest cities in Israel. Jewish immigrants also settled those areas of the coastal plain, the Judaean foothills, and the Jordan and ʿArava valleys evacuated by Palestinians during the war of 1948, thereby becoming the majority in many areas previously inhabited by Arabs. Although the majority of the Bedouin of the Negev left the region when Israel incorporated the territory, the desert has continued to be largely the domain of the Arab nomads who remained or returned following the end of fighting.
Is it loving to condone sin or participate in it? It’s amazing how often people say that we need to be like Jesus in accepting the behavior of sinners, even though Jesus himself called everyone to repent and to accept the Kingdom. Jesus clearly did not come to leave people in sin, although we hear […]
Isaiah 9:6 – For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’” (Luke 1:26-28).
In one moment of time, young Mary’s life was forever changed. As the angel of the Lord spoke about her future, Mary went from an obscure Jewish teenager to the hand-selected mother of the long-awaited Messiah. Everything changed when she understood her destiny.
Mary didn’t know power or popularity, wealth or fame; we don’t even know her last name. Yet she was chosen above all the women throughout time to bring the greatness of God’s salvation and healing into this world.
It’s the kind of salvation needed by both paupers and presidents, rich and poor, black, white, known and obscure. And such healing would become the spark of life in the darkness of dead men’s souls, and bridge the great divide between lost humanity and a loving God.
Yet her journey was not without difficulty as she had to deal with practical facts: not fully understanding God’s plan, judgmental people speaking lies about her, her own doubts and fears, and trusting God to vindicate and protect her. Mary’s story was a trial of faith. Yet she made it through and so can we.
Because like Mary, we are all, in our own God-ordained way, called to bring something extraordinary into the world.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
But to do so, we must learn from Mary’s experience.
1. Commit to Personal Righteousness “Personal righteousness” refers to a commitment by believers to live consistent with God’s high calling to carry His light into a lost world. We must commit to display integrity, purity, honor, respect and holiness. Our lives should be examples for others to emulate – not perfect lives without fault, failure or messiness, but lives that are consistent with being on a mission for God Himself.
We must hold grace, not as an excuse to sin, but as a motivating force to live honorably before God. We should neither become judgmental nor a stumbling block to those who desperately need Christ’s forgiveness. Personal righteousness is a battle that we commit to fight in order to be examples of God’s love that helps lead people to salvation.
And I believe “personal righteousness” was a factor in Mary’s selection to bear the Messiah for mankind:
“…to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary” (Luke 1:27).
“Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’” (Luke 1:34).
These verses imply that Mary, who was divinely chosen for this extraordinary task, was chosen partly because of her commitment to personal righteousness. In fact, the Word makes it clear that there is a connection between personal righteousness and God’s decision to entrust great responsibilities to people. This also implies lackluster personal righteousness limits the effectiveness of the individual in their success.
“…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT).
Anything less than focused commitment to personal righteousness will become a weight that stands in the way of our God-given assignment. And I’m convinced that if we would fight as vehemently for personal righteousness as we do for social righteousness, or pointing out the sins of the world, we would impact the world in much more profound ways!
2. Be Available “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Translation – you don’t have to be great to do great things for God! The Message Bible has a good contemporary paraphrase highlighting this concept:
“Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of ‘the brightest and the best’ among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these ‘nobodies’ to expose the hollow pretensions of the ‘somebodies’? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have — right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start — comes from God by way of Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 MSG).
Notice here what Mary says of herself:
“For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).
“Low estate” means someone who is low in rank, considered vile, or who is humiliated. It describes a person who is down and out, rejected, despised, overlooked or simply not popular!
Although it can’t be proven, some people believe Mary was the least in her father’s house, as if she were under some particular contempt and disgrace among her family – like the Cinderella of ancient Israel. Regardless, it is clear that Mary felt there was nothing extraordinary about Mary! Yet, God chose her.
I remember a ceramic nativity scene my mother would place on a table in our living room every year. As a kid, I wanted to move the wise men across the room somewhere, recalling that Matthew says they arrived when Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were living in a house, which, I reasoned, must have been sometime after the birth of Jesus. The star wouldn’t yet be above the stable, since it moved along before the Magi. And I had heard at church that the stable was probably a cave, since barns, as we think of them today, were rare in ancient Judea. I may have been an odd child, but the details of the story are important to me. Jesus is real, so we ought to get His birthday right, I concluded.
I began to critique my mother’s creche, I had begun to memorize Bible verses at school, the first being 2 Timothy 3:16 – (All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness,) Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. If God breathed out every Word of Scripture, then every word is important. We’re missing out if we gloss over certain points or ignore how God himself tells the story. No matter how comfortable and familiar our nativity scenes may be, we’re only cheating ourselves if we hold on to tradition at the cost of truth.
Shepherds and Wise Men, Egypt and Nazareth! When I was a sophomore in school, my best friend and I were driving back to school from a semester break when we got caught in a terrible snowstorm on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Very quickly the roads turned treacherous, and the visibility grew poor. By the time the weather got really bad, we were too far from home to turn around. At that point the fear of being stopped we thought we might get stuck. At the moment, it made more sense for us to continue on our trip, even if we were moving at a snail’s pace. Before long, I could see the limits of the road only by the guardrails on either side of the highway, and I was doing my best to keep my car’s tires in the tracks left by the 18-wheeler in front of us. Eventually, though, the weather won. My small Chryler TLDR slid, spun, and then went off the road in one of the few places for miles without a guardrail. Actually, we made our unplanned stop in a small ditch just in front of a rest stop – the only one for an hour in either direction, given our limited traveling speed. We had to wait until the next morning for a tow truck to help us get back on our way, but my friend and I were both thankful to be out of the storm, safe and warm. I share this story to illustrate the grace of God-given guardrails. They can help us stay on the road, not only by providing us with visual markers as guides but also by giving us a gentle nudge if we begin to skid into danger. Without them. we might end up stranded on the side of the road and waiting for a tow truck. The nativity narratives in Matthew and Luke are like guardrails
As the sun sets on this daymay we pray to rememberthe good that surrounds us,the good that can be. Help us to find our wayto a kinder world.May each of uscontemplate sameness. Our sameness. Our humanity.May leaders from all countriesall religions, all ethnicities,strive for gentle caring. May we look in the mirroreyes and hearts open,and […]
What book are you reading right now? The Name: by Franklin Graham
Blasting The Name!
“Christianity is a religion for losers,” said one famous American billionaire.
“Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers,” said a famous politician. It makes no sense! What drives two such otherwise intelligent, motivated, and successful men to publicly slam the followers of the greatest Name in history?
Today in the Word logo FULL ISSUE • RESOURCES • GIVE Come Let Us Rebuild. A Study of Nehemiah. Called to Be Holy Saturday, November 18 | 1 Corinthians 1:1–9 On the Go? Listen Now!
Is this person “the one”? Should I pursue this job or that one? Is now the time to move or invest or retire? Whenever we are confused or concerned about more specific questions of calling, God’s general call anchors us.
When we don’t know what to do, we ask God for wisdom, walk in faith, and pursue what He asks of all His followers all the time. While we may not even know how to pray, the Spirit utters groanings (Rom. 8:26).
In today’s passage, Paul introduced himself to the church at Corinth—one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire, strategically located on a major trade route. Paul had spent many months in Corinth during his second missionary journey, establishing this church. Corinth, however, was also full of sin: immorality, idolatry, greed.
Three years later, Paul learned that the Corinthian church was struggling. He begins his letter by reasserting his own credibility: “Paul, called [kletos] to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (v. 1). God had given Paul this position and bestowed on him the authority to speak on His behalf.
He reminded the Corinthians of God’s call on them to be “holy” (v. 2). They were to be set apart and pure. This expectation was not unique to them! Paul explained that it was for “all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 2).
Ancient letters typically included a word of thanks after the greeting, and Paul follows that convention (vv. 4–9). Despite the corruptness in Corinth, Paul expressed gratitude for God’s grace to them—in the form of teaching and spiritual gifts. Paul’s hope was in God who is faithful, and who had called (kaleo) the Corinthian church into fellowship with Christ.
>> When we are confused about a difficult decision, we can be anchored by our faith in Christ and God’s call for us to be “holy” (v. 2). How does Paul’s challenge for believers to be set apart for God’s purpose affect your choices?
Pray with Us Father, from sinful temptations to worldly pressures, the Enemy has many tactics to distract and misdirect us. Help us pursue You with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength (Deut. 6:5).
Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met? The historicity of Jesus is the question of whether or not Jesus of Nazareth historically existed (as opposed to being a purely mythical figure). The mainstream scholarly consensus is that a Jewish man called Jesus of Nazareth did exist in Palestine in the 1st century CE.[1][note 1] The contrary perspective, that Jesus was mythical, is regarded as a fringe theory.[note 2]
Only two key events of Jesus’s life are widely accepted as historical, namely his baptism and crucifixion.[2][3][4][5] There is no scholarly consensus concerning other elements of Jesus’s life (including his purported miracles or resurrection).[note 3] Standard historical criteria are used in evaluating the historicity of the gospel narratives.[6] Academic efforts to determine facts of Jesus’s life are part of the quest for the historical Jesus.
Besides the gospels and the letters of Paul, sources for the historicity of Jesus include the works of Jewish historian Josephus and Roman historian Tacitus, who both lived shortly after the time of Jesus and wrote in reference to him and his followers.
JESUS TOUR QUESTIONS ARTICLES SERMONS SUBSCRIPTIONS ABOUT Who Is Jesus? The Historical Jesus False Christs and the True The Pre-Incarnate Christ Born to Rule The ‘Lost’ Years Jesus’ Ministry Begins The Gospel Jesus Preached The Sermon ‘I Will Open My Mouth in Parables’ The Prophet Signs and Wonders In the Presence of Enemies The Ultimate Sacrifice The Centrality of the Resurrection Jesus and Paul At the Father’s Right Hand Printer-Friendly | Share This Who Is Jesus Christ? At the heart of Christianity is a central question, “Just who is Jesus Christ?” It may be astounding to some that such a question is still relevant after nearly two millennia of Christian activity, but as strange as it may seem, even Christians do not agree about the nature of the Founder of their religion. This fact says a great deal about those who profess to be “Christian,” which at its most basic means “follower of Christ.” If Christians display such profound disagreement about Jesus Christ Himself, can they all really be following the same Person?
This subject becomes all the more important since, in its most common form, Christianity is proclaimed as a message about Jesus. What a person believes about Jesus, then, informs his understanding of the religion itself. We can see the result of this process in the thousands of Christian denominations in all parts of the world. While they all proclaim to be Christian, the individual sects emphasize different aspects of Jesus in their teaching. For instance:
» A major denominational group derives its name from Jesus’ practice of baptizing converts and the belief that it should be done by full immersion. The denomination’s churches traditionally stress conformity to certain rules of Christian conduct. Jesus, to them, is a great moral Teacher.
» Another large group of denominations takes its name from Jesus’ promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which was fulfilled on the Feast of Pentecost after Jesus’ death and resurrection. They are known for their great desire to express the gifts of the Spirit, particularly to speak in tongues. In other words, they see Jesus as a Miracle Worker.
» Seventh-day Adventists take their name from the seventh-day Sabbath, which the gospels show Jesus kept, as well as from His promise to come again. They promote Jesus as the bringer of the soon-coming rest of God.
» Methodists are so called because John Wesley emphasized a structured, methodical approach to Bible study and Christian living, teaching that believers must exercise their free will to come to Christ (as opposed to being absolutely predestined to salvation). Thus, they highlight Jesus’ many commands for the individual to be actively involved in his own salvation and Christian growth.
» The Reformed Churches, descendants of the teaching of John Calvin, underscore the necessity of grace through faith in Christ, a reaction to abuses of the medieval Catholic Church’s doctrine of works. In this way, they see Jesus as a gracious Redeemer.
Most denominations can be characterized by identifying their core understanding about Jesus Himself. He is Christianity’s central figure, so how an individual views Christ determines what he believes and the religion he follows.
This confusion about Him actually began during His own life—even among those who had known Him all His life:
When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” So they were offended at Him. (Matthew 13:54-57)
There was general disagreement in Judea over just who He was:
» When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:13-14)
» And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:10-11)
» Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.” (John 7:25-27)
Of course, His enemies had questions about Him too:
» And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:21)
» And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (Luke 7:49)
» Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. (John 9:16)
However, Matthew 16:15-17 provides us with the best starting point, confirmed by Christ Himself, in answering the question, “Who is Jesus?”
He said to [His disciples], “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
The God-revealed answer is that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the literal Son of the Supreme Being of all the universe. Of course, He is a great deal more than this, but these two facts are the most foundational to our spiritual understanding of this wonderful Being. They give us the basis of His relationship to us and our future, as well as His relationship to Deity, fixing Him as the bridge between man and God. From this foundation, we can begin a deeper consideration of the biblical Jesus.
Just to follow up on the ASPA aka public/private pool deal the City Council just rubber stamped the deal that was on the table from staff which, financially, is fine. What was not addressed and shows the weakness of this set of Council people (Malia Vella had left the dais at this point because it […]
Human Trafficking Survivor; God and Country, Without God There is No Country/ Judeo-Christian / America Belongs to God 