DID YOUR NATIVITY COME WITH A DRAGON? When the apostle John was exiled on the Isle of Patmos, the Lord pulled back the curtain between heaven and earth and invited old John to see things from a heavenly perspective. Among the events he saw, John saw the cosmic warfare surrounding Christ’s birth. In order to
BE STRONG. GET TO WORK. DON’T BE AFRAID. The Lord gave the prophet Haggai three instructions for the Israelites who had returned from Babylonian captivity. These instructions were to be strong in the Lord, get to work on rebuilding the Temple and don’t be afraid. The Lord had Haggai address this instruction to two Hebrew
GOD’S FAITHFULNESS THROUGHOUT THE GENERATIONS Do you know your great, great grandfather’s name? Zephaniah did. Some believe he gave such an extensive lineage in his introduction to establish that he was a descendent of King Hezekiah. However, it does seem odd that he didn’t refer to him as “King Hezekiah” if that were truly the
SUREFOOTED STRENGTH Even though trials and suffering may come our way, we can depend on the “surefooted strength” of our God. After a long list of “even though” situations, Habakkuk declared his trust and dependence on God to help him not only take the next step, but to “tread upon the heights!” Surefooted strength is
ARCHEOLOGY AND THE BIBLE Believers can trust the reliability of the Bible. Regardless of the opinions of its detractors, it continues to be supported by archeology and the facts of history. In this first verse from the prophet Nahum, we see reference to two places, “Nineveh” and “Elkosh.” Elkosh was the home of Nahum and
GOD WILL WIPE AWAY EVERY TEAR There was a pause after the opening of the 6th seal. And John saw a great multitude join with the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders in worshiping the Lord. One of the elders asked John whether he knew who the multitude was and from where they had
BRING YOUR WORSHIP WITH YOU! Psalm 134 is the last of the 15 “Psalms of Ascent,” which were written to be sung by pilgrims as they climbed up Mount Zion to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. Singing these worship songs made the journey more joyful and encouraged them to begin worshiping before they arrived.
THAT TIME GOD CAUGHT A MAN WITH A FISH Many think the book of Jonah is about a fish. It’s not. It’s really not even about Jonah. It’s about God. The fish is only mentioned 4 times. Jonah is mentioned 18 times. But God is named 38 times. God is the hero in the book
DON’T TAKE PLEASURE AT ANOTHER’S FALL The prophet Obadiah, whose Hebrew name means “Servant of the LORD,” delivered a prophecy against Edom for gloating over Israel’s fall. The land of Edom was founded by Jacob’s (“Israel’s”) twin brother, Esau (Also known as “Edom”). Edom was situated south of Judah and difficult to overthrow in its
IS CHRIST KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR? Jesus instructed the apostle John to send a letter to the church of Laodicea, rebuking them for their lukewarm commitment. He reminded them that He disciplines those that He loves and called them to repentance and renewed zeal. Yet after His stern words of discipline, He humbly described Himself