In Matthew 24:23 Jesus forewarns His followers to be aware of deception and deceivers to come, saying, Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. This warning is also recorded in Mark 13. Why is He warning them? For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24) … Continue reading
In one of our all-time favorite films, Fiddler on the Roof, the Jewish citizens of the fictional Russian shtetl of Anatevka ask the rabbi if there is a prayer for the Czar. With a twinkle in his eye, he assures them there certainly is, and then goes on to cite the prayer for his listeners. “May God bless the Czar and keep him – far from us!” Living in Illinois, we sometimes think that might … Continue reading
In John 19:38 Pilate responds to Jesus when he quips, “What is truth?” It was more of a commentary on the problem of language in that day than on the claims of Jesus. The very definition of “truth” in Greco-Roman culture was elusive and contradictory. For the common people, all truth claims were regarded as equally true. For philosophers, all truth claims were equally false. For politicians, all truth claims were equally useful. When Jesus … Continue reading
This is a follow-up to the Angels Unawares and Demons ‘Ex Machina:’ What Are Demons? articles from The Crux, August 29, 2019 and October 3, 2019, and it will be followed by one regarding giants. These articles are succinct versions of otherwise very detailed elucidations from several books I have written.1 An online search for “Nephilim” just yielded “About 20,900,000 results” so the Bible must be saturated with references to them: here is every biblical … Continue reading
In 1 Timothy, after his opening salutation, the Apostle Paul immediately launches into warnings about false teachers, false doctrine, myths and genealogies. What is he referencing in the category of “myths and genealogies”? The Faithlife Study Bible comments: The Greek term used here, mythos, refers to legendary stories about the gods. It also could be used to describe stories generally understood to be false. Such tales distracted believers from the truth (i.e., the gospel message) … Continue reading
Over the years we have watched various dubious fads ripple throughout the church. They’re not all the same, but one trait these fads seem to have in common is the loss of God’s holiness. Of course, God has lost none of His holiness, even after all these centuries, but the new fads seem almost universally to downgrade the Christian’s view of God’s awesome holiness. The awe is missing. One example is the new “travel industry” … Continue reading