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Unity and Division: The Blessing and the Curse (Part Five)
'Ready Answer' by Charles WhitakerJesus desires our total commitment to the truth and to Him. Hypocrites will find themselves among those to whom Christ will say, 'I never knew you.'
Unity and Division: The Blessing and the Curse (Part Three)
'Ready Answer' by Charles WhitakerGod instructed the Israelites to divide themselves by tribes on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal to pronounce blessings and curses, providing lessons for us.
Spiritual Blindness: Choosing a Curse
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeGod proclaims a cause-effect relationship between sin and madness, blindness, and confusion of heart. Sin causes blindness, and blindness begets more sin.
Liberty and Justice for All
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsGod has freed us from the bondage of sin, the breaking of His law. Liberty comes only from obeying God and accepting the positive yoke of Jesus Christ.
Unity and Division: The Blessing and the Curse (Part Four)
'Ready Answer' by Charles WhitakerGod commanded the Israelites to utter blessings from Mount Gerazim and curses from Mount Ebal, most of which deal with hidden sins that give rise to hypocrisy.
The Cursed Redeemer
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughHanging on a tree was designated the punishment for the worst kind of sin. Jesus was hung on a tree, having fulfilled the curse of the law for us.
Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsPhysical hunger and thirst provide important types of the desire one must cultivate for spiritual resources, realizing that man cannot live by bread alone.
Spiritual Blindness (Part Three): Choosing a Curse
'Prophecy Watch' by David C. GrabbePeople choose the curse of spiritual blindness through habitually practicing the evils God commands us to avoid. We all have areas of spiritual blindness.
The Curse
Sermonette by Ronny H. GrahamMalachi 4:4-6 warns of a a coming Elijah and of a curse if the hearts of the children are not turned back to the fathers and vice versa. Are we seeing this?
A Search for Identity
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod gave His approval for the destruction of the Worldwide Church of God into numerous groups, allowing heresies so He could see who really loves Him.
The 'Exceptional' 2007 Drought
'WorldWatch' by Richard T. RitenbaughWe tend to consider droughts like the current one to be merely extremes of the meteorological cycle. Yet, God is still at work among His people.
If You Do Not Obey My Voice
Commentary by Martin G. CollinsAmerica's infrastructure, educational standards, and economy, etc. are beginning to flag, largely from disobedience to God's laws and squandering blessings.
Is Education the Answer? (Part 4)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Because the secular progressives control the media, entertainment, and education, Americans have no inkling about how sin destroys the quality of life.
Grass of the Field
Sermonette by Ronny H. GrahamIf physical life (symbolized by the grass of the earth) withers away, we who have been given the Word of the Lord will endure and thrive forever.
A Time For Thanksgiving
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Our annual Thanksgiving was derived from the harvest festivals, patterned after the Holy Days such as Pentecost and Tabernacles. We must not forget God.
Israel: Future
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughWhat is in store for the nations of Israel? Is their future promising or bleak—or both? This article concludes a three-part series on the people of Israel.
Does God Cause Pandemics?
'Prophecy Watch' by David C. GrabbeToday, disasters are rarely attributed to God's wrath, but Scripture contains many instances of God sending calamities on sinful people, even pandemics.
'Until Right Now, This Very Day'
Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)If modern Israel disobeys the terms of the covenant, the fact that God made a covenant with them will not deflect the full impact of God's judgment.
Economics in Prophecy
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughMany doubters think that the Bible is not sophisticated enough to comment on modern ideas, but God's Word factors economics into the end-time prophecies.
Our Moral Bearings Lost
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)America's leaders have lost their moral compass. God has replaced wise adults with foolish children mocking and scoffing at wisdom and moral standards.
Doing Righteousness
Sermon by Kim MyersGod's church, because it co-exists with the unrighteousness of the world, is in danger of becoming corrupted or leavened by the world's example.
Lamentations (Part Three)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughPersonified Jerusalem, whom God depicts as a grieving widow, blames others for her troubles while overlooking her own sins as the real cause of her sorrow.
The Handwriting Is on the Wall (1995)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. RitenbaughBecause restraints that once held human nature in check have been removed, the US has grown increasingly more corrupt, approaching conditions before the Flood.
A Drop to Drink
'WorldWatch' by Joseph B. BaityThe American West is once again under severe drought conditions, and now a first-ever federal water-shortage declaration on the Colorado River will be announced.
Are We Already In Captivity?
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Major curses, including economic oppression, famine, pestilence, mental illness, alien invasion, the scattering of modern Israel are yet to occur.
Sky Like Iron, Earth Like Bronze
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughJust about half of the continental United States suffers under severe drought conditions. And lack of water is not the only thing we need to worry about.
'. . . And Not a Drop to Drink'
'Prophecy Watch' by Martin G. CollinsThe scarcity of water will become a factor as the end nears. World consumption of water is setting us up for major conflict over this precious resource.
Lamentations (Part Three; 1989)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughAs Lamentations opens, Jerusalem is personified as a widow who has had to endure the destruction of her family as well as the mocking scorn from the captors.
Privilege, Responsibility, and Judgment
Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Our welfare programs have scriptural principles as their general inspiration, but they have been abused, encouraging dependency which God never intended.
Lamentations (Part Five)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe expressions of sorrow in the Psalms far outnumber expressions of praise, indicating that the Hebrew culture has almost made the lamentation an art form.
Lamentations (Part Two)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Lamentations show poignant before-and-after vignettes of formerly happy times contrasted with the horror of the present as God punishes Judah.
The Handwriting is on the Wall (2008)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)We must allow God to change our lives. The blessings and cursing principle of Deuteronomy 28 remains unchanged, applying to all who have made the covenant.
Amos (Part Five)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughModern Israel cannot see the connection between its own faithlessness to the covenant and the violence of society that mirrors her spiritual condition.
A Cause of Terrorism
Commentary by Richard T. RitenbaughGod is allowing these increasing acts of terrorism as punishment for our peoples' forsaking the Covenant with Him and despising His holy law.
A Dry and Weary Land
Commentary by Martin G. CollinsDrought has perennially been evidence of God's displeasure toward people who have blatantly forsaken Him for false gods.
Prosperity
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. ReidWe still suffer the consequences of Israel's request to have a king like other nations and to adopt political and economic systems like every other nation.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Thirteen): Jacob's Trouble
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughDuring Jacob's Trouble, a confederacy of gentile peoples (particularly the offspring of Ishmael and Esau) will destroy the nations of modern-day Israel.
COVID-19 and Returning to Normal
Commentary by David C. GrabbeWhile we naturally desire to 'get back to normal,' what the United States experienced before COVID-19 was hardly normal when viewed from God's perspective.
Fast or Famine
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod has used famine as one of the tools to get the Israelites' attention when they violated the terms of the Covenant with Him, forsaking His holy law.
Elisha, the Young Men, and the She-Bears
Sermonette by Ted E. BowlingSome Bible commentaries call Elisha short-tempered for causing two female bears to maul 42 youths for making fun of him. There is more to the story.
Lessons From Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim
Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)If God's Law has not been written in our hearts, the corporate entity in which we find ourselves will not save us from the wrong side of the judgmental cut.
Lamentations (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe book's five acrostic songs (chapters) answer the question, 'Why did this happen?' God brought the punishment on Judah because of gross and sustained sin.
Scattering and Gathering: Images of History and Prophecy (Part One)
'Prophecy Watch' by Charles WhitakerGathering and scattering cannot be done at the same time, but can be accomplished at different times. God gathers to reverse the effects of calamity.
Meet the Minor Prophets (Part Three)
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughAs witnesses to the decline and fall of Israel and Judah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Haggai report the conditions that led to their defeat and captivity.
Prophecy's Place
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughStudying prophecy is good, but doctrine and Christian living are far more necessary and helpful to our practicing and growing in God's way of life now.
Famine (Part Three): The Abundance of God's Salvation
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsAfter Christ's return, famine will be the penalty for not keeping His Feast of Tabernacles. God will establish conditions in which famine will never occur again.
Warning of Judgment, Urgency to Prepare!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe need to prepare physically and mentally for God's expected judgment—a terrible thing for those not aligned to His divine purpose for humanity.
Where Are the Children?
Sermon by Ronny H. GrahamMalachi 4:5-6 predicts a horrible curse if the hearts of the fathers are not turned to the children and the hearts of the children turned to their fathers.
Tisha b'Av
Sermonette by Clyde FinkleaThe 9th of Av commemorates major historical tragedies. When it occurs on a Sabbath during a Shemitah (year of release), horrible things occur.
Job and Self-Evaluation (Part Two): Perspective
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughJob's three 'friends,' exemplars of all men, made critical assumptions and judgments about Job on the basis of biased religious and cultural tradition.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Three): A Cycle of Rebellion
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIsrael consistently cycles through God's deliverance, apostasy through idolatry and immorality, God's chastening, national repentance, then deliverance again.
Lamentations (Part Eight)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAs we approach the coming self-examination prior to Passover, we can apply six significant lessons taught to ancient Israel through the book of Lamentations.