Sending Thank-Yous
by Dan ElmoreDuring this past Christmas season a discussion on the radio station that we listen to during the drive to work each morning focused on sending thank-you cards for Christmas presents. ...
16-Nov-12
Every Slave and Free Man
by Charles WhitakerIn the essay two weeks ago, we considered the spiritual state of the people dwelling in caves in the apostle John’s vision recorded in Revelation 6:15-17: "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, ...
09-Nov-12
Past the Tipping Point
by Richard T. RitenbaughEvery four years here in the United States, we hold a national election that is billed by many as “the most important election in the history of this country.” It is often framed in black-and-white terms ...
02-Nov-12
End-Time Cavemen
by Charles WhitakerAmong the visions given to the apostle John on the isle of Patmos, he witnesses an assortment of people from “the kings of the earth” to “every slave and every free man” hiding themselves under the mountains, saying: “Fall on us and hide us ...
26-Oct-12
Recovering Civility
by Richard T. RitenbaughA session of the British Parliament, particularly the House of Commons, can be almost hilarious. Speakers there are frequently interrupted with hissing, booing, and other forms of caustic disagreement ...
12-Oct-12
What Is Truth?
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe goings-on in this world constantly remind me why a certain quotation from the late novelist Michael Crichton, author of The Andromeda Strain, Timeline, The Great Train Robbery, State of Fear, and many other bestselling books, resonates so much. ...
28-Sep-12
Sins in the Balance (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeEven though our sins are forgiven when we come under Christ’s blood, a stipulation of that forgiveness is that we also forgive others. ...
21-Sep-12
Sins in the Balance (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeUnder the Old Covenant, the Day of Atonement was the only day during the year when the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies. On that day, he sprinkled the blood of a sin offering ...
14-Sep-12
Interesting Times
by Richard T. RitenbaughA purported ancient Chinese curse says, “May you live in interesting times,” and so we do. Important events seem to occur about once a week these days ...
07-Sep-12
The False Morality of Compassion
by Richard T. RitenbaughFlipping channels on Wednesday night during a commercial break in the Giants-Cowboys football game, I landed on the local PBS station that was airing the speeches from the Democratic National Convention here in Charlotte. ...
31-Aug-12
Leaders With Character
by Richard T. Ritenbaugh“When little men cast long shadows,” said Walter Savage Landor, an English author of the turn of the nineteenth century, “it is a sign that the sun is setting." Mr. Landor was not speaking of short-statured men ...
24-Aug-12
A Warning from Jude (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeKorah and his ilk make common cause with their fellowman as a means to achieve their own ends. Theirs was a message of equality and populism, but all they were really concerned about was their own positions. ...
17-Aug-12
A Warning from Jude (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeJude wrote his epistle to urge his readers to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed . . . who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 3-4). ...
10-Aug-12
A Warning from Jude (Part One)
by David C. Grabbe...The book's purpose appears in verses 3-4, where Jude states that he is writing to exhort his readers to fight for "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints," because of "certain men," as the apostle calls them, who had slipped in among the brethren, and were using the grace of God as license for evil. ...
03-Aug-12
Benaiah
by John ReissThe Bible contains the story of a man whom history has not quite lost but does not remember too well. His name certainly must have been the “John” of his day ...
27-Jul-12
Facing Persecution
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs America continues to shed its Christian values and heritage, the incidence of persecution of Christians is bound to increase. ...
20-Jul-12
The Relationship Deficit (Part Three)
by David C. GrabbeIn examining the letter to Laodicea, we can easily see to what extent a relationship deficit stands at its core. Beginning with the name, Laodicea means "the people judge." ...
13-Jul-12
The Relationship Deficit (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeThe letter to Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-21), the Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servants (Luke 12:35-40), and the fifth chapter of the Song of Songs all picture Jesus Christ standing behind a door, waiting for His people to respond. ...
06-Jul-12
The Relationship Deficit (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeIn the unsettling letter to the church of Laodicea, Jesus Christ paints a picture of Himself in relation to the end-time church. Notice the figure He uses in Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. ...
29-Jun-12
Peter, a Sketch
by Richard T. RitenbaughOf all the disciples of Jesus Christ, the one that we usually consider to have the most personality is Simon Peter. This opinion may merely be the result of the fact that no other disciple’s words and actions are so often recorded in Scripture ...
22-Jun-12
Recent Finds
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe insular world of biblical archaeology always seems to be waiting with the proverbial “bated breath” for the next big find that will stun the world. More than a hundred years ago, the great archaeologists of the day ...
15-Jun-12
The Overlooked Work (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeWaiting is a foundational aspect of faith, hope, and love, and is sometimes one of the hardest works of all. ...
08-Jun-12
The Overlooked Work (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeFor nearly all of us, waiting is uncomfortable. Because of life’s frantic pace, we get frustrated if it takes thirty seconds for a traffic light to turn green. Our stress levels rise just thinking about going to the DMV, because we know it will mean waiting in line for an interminable amount of time in a roomful of other irritated people. ...
01-Jun-12
Vain Repetitions
by Richard T. RitenbaughLast night, my family attended our nephew’s preschool graduation ceremony from a school sponsored by a local church. The five-year-olds were adorable in their blue or red graduation caps and gowns, ...
25-May-12
The Faith of Joseph (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeLast time, we saw that the pinnacle of Joseph’s faith, recorded in Hebrews 11:22, involved his confidence in the promises passed down from Abraham regarding the children of Israel’s return to the Promised Land. ...
18-May-12
The Faith of Joseph (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeIf we were to do character sketches of all the people in the Bible, it is doubtful that we would find any with such a record as Joseph—with the obvious exception of Jesus Christ, of whom Joseph is a type. ...
11-May-12
Christ as Redeemer
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs we count down the fifty days to the Feast of Pentecost, we have been considering the book of Ruth’s Boaz as a type of Christ, first as a provider and then as a righteous judge. ...
04-May-12
Christ as Righteous Judge
by Richard T. RitenbaughFor the past few weeks, we have been looking at the book of Ruth from the standpoint of the countdown to Pentecost, and in the last essay, from the standpoint of Boaz being a type of Christ. ...
27-Apr-12
Christ as Provider
by Richard T. RitenbaughLast week, we considered the period of the count to Pentecost as representing the years of our conversion as Christians, and we focused on the work that was required of the Israelites to grow and harvest the grain used in the offering of the wave loaves. ...
20-Apr-12
The Work of the Firstfruits
by Richard T. RitenbaughLeviticus 23:9-21 covers God’s instructions concerning making the wavesheaf offering, the counting of the seven weeks, and the observance of the Feast of Weeks, called Pentecost in the New Testament. ...
13-Apr-12
Count for Yourselves
by Pat HigginsDeuteronomy overflows with admonitions to be careful to observe God’s words. As an example, notice Deuteronomy 12:32: "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." ...
06-Apr-12
Christ, the Way
by Richard T. RitenbaughDuring the Passover service, we always read John 14 in its entirety. It is chock-full of insight and instruction that we, as Christ’s disciples, need to live fully as Christians ...
30-Mar-12
We Are the Enemy
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe trend has been noticeable over the past few years, particularly in popular books, television shows, and movies, but also in the culture at large. It runs something like this: ...
23-Mar-12
Rehearsing God's Plan
by Richard T. RitenbaughThis weekend marks the beginning of a new sacred year; in fact, this Sabbath is the first day of the year on the Hebrew calendar. God tells Moses in Exodus 12:2, “This month shall ...
16-Mar-12
Christianity's 'War on Women'?
by Richard T. RitenbaughKathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, announced on January 20, 2012, that, as part of preventive health services for women, all health plans must provide no-cost coverage—including deductibles and co-payments—for all contraceptives ...
09-Mar-12
The Specter of Transhumanism
by Richard T. Ritenbaugh"Maximum Ride" is a popular science-fiction/action-adventure series, ultimately to be eight books, written by novelist James Patterson. These books, aimed at teens, are loosely based ...
02-Mar-12
'Potential Persons' and 'After-birth Abortion'
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe latest abomination to come down the medical-ethics pike is the February 23, 2012, publication of “After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?” in the Journal of Medical Ethics. ...
12-Aug-11
Which Flock?
by Pat HigginsA recent Forerunner article pointed out that division has been the rule in true-church history almost from the beginning. The unity experienced during Herbert Armstrong's leadership ...
05-Aug-11
Be Content in All Things (Part Two)
by Geoff PrestonDiscontentment began with Satan the Devil and that he broadcasts his continual unhappiness to humanity. We have to control our minds and not allow his attitude to affect us. ...
29-Jul-11
Be Content in All Things (Part One)
by Geoff PrestonOurs is a discontented world, and current events indicate that more unsettled times are just ahead, creating more anxiety and dissatisfaction. God's Word tells us, however, ...
22-Jul-11
Greece, America—Whatever
by Richard T. RitenbaughWhen we think of Greece—and frankly, most of us do not think of the small Mediterranean nation very often—we are more likely to think about My Big, Fat Greek Wedding; Troy; or 300 before we consider the ins and outs of international finance. ...
15-Jul-11
How Can We Measure Our Faith?
by Pat HigginsII Corinthians 13:5 instructs us, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." How do we obey this call to test ourselves, to know whether we are in the faith? ...
08-Jul-11
Paul's 'Politically Incorrect' Advice to Titus (Part Two)
by Mike FordLast time, we saw that the apostle Paul spoke plainly in his letter to Titus, the pastor of the churches on the island of Crete. ...
01-Jul-11
Paul's 'Politically Incorrect' Advice to Titus (Part One)
by Mike FordWe all know that words can wound, but lately, we seem to have become too sensitive in this politically correct world of ours. For instance, a while back, The Global Language Monitor ran the following items: ...
24-Jun-11
Should We 'Sweat the Small Stuff'? (Part Two)
by Bill OnisickSong of Songs 2:15 contains an intriguing metaphor: “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes." What are the “little foxes” in our lives?...
17-Jun-11
Should We 'Sweat the Small Stuff'? (Part One)
by Bill Onisick“Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff—and it’s all small stuff." Certainly, there is wisdom in this simple statement, which is also the title of a popular book by Richard Carlson, Ph.D. ...
10-Jun-11
Which Sabbath Begins the Count?
by Pat HigginsFor many years, the counting of Pentecost has been source of controversy ...
03-Jun-11
Cain's Assumption (Part Two)
by David C. GrabbeAbel brought an offering that was acceptable to God, while Cain—who must have been given the same instructions—did not. One possible explanation for Cain's inappropriate offering can be inferred from Genesis 3:13-15 ...
27-May-11
Cain's Assumption (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeThe late newscaster and radio legend, Paul Harvey, was famous for his radio program entitled, “The Rest of the Story” in which he investigated the forgotten or little-known facts behind stories of famous people and events, so that he might give his listeners a more complete perspective and understanding. ...
20-May-11
Criticism: The Foolish Habit
by Clyde FinkleaJesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For by the standard you judge you will be judged, ...
13-May-11
Responsibility Equals Accountability
by Martin G. CollinsOpen a newspaper or magazine, listen to the lyrics of modern music, or watch a television talk show, and we are very likely to see or hear an accusation against parents of irresponsibility, absenteeism, or physical and psychological abuse made by their grown children. ...
06-May-11
Bin Laden's Death and Our Reaction
by Richard T. RitenbaughThis week has seen the announcement of the death of terrorist mastermind and al-Qaida head Osama bin Laden at the hand of American commandos at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. ...