Over the years, I have written quite a bit about the various things that pertain to Christmas. Sometimes, it is about smashing myths. But mostly, they are about a deeper knowledge of the Scriptures. The Virgin Birth 1. Introduction 2. Miraculous Conception 3. Virginity 4. Silence of the Apostles 5. Some Questions Other Christmas Questions… Read More »
O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? (Daniel 6:12) It is one of the most familiar stories of the Old Testament. Daniel the Jew refuses to stop worshiping… Read More »
A couple of weeks ago, we started a series called “Is That Really What It Says?” at Bedford Road. The series is basically a romp through the Old Testament (and possibly the new) dealing with some of biblical narratives that have been popularized through retelling over the years. These pop versions of the stories generally… Read More »
On Sunday, I mentioned that one of the ways I read the first portion of Genesis is through something I called The Creation Cycles. Here is a basic summary of the structure: The Earth Cycle (1-4) Opening Summary (1:1) Earth as Creation: The Annals (toledeth) of the Earth (1:2-2:4) Earth as Creature: The Annals of Adam (2:5-5:2) The… Read More »
In a recent sermon, I mentioned the work of Francis of Assisi and referenced an episode in which he traveled to Egypt during the Fifth Crusade solely to share the gospel with the sultan, Al-Kamil. (His full name was al-Malik al-Kamil Naser ad-Din Abu al-Ma’ali Muhammad; and the crusaders just called him Meledin.) There is… Read More »
Recently, I saw a video of a supposed Messianic Jewish rabbi talking about Luke 2:12. After declaring Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem, the angelic host tells the shepherds: And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. This rabbi goes on to say… Read More »
Herod the Great It is important to understand that Herod was not just “a king.” He had been declared the “King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate, a title which had been confirmed by Octavius Caesar when he became the First Man of Rome. Herod was an Idumean convert to Judaism who had ruled over… Read More »
Why does the teacher of the Scriptures need to know history? Why should we invest the time to not just be acquainted with the languages and cultures of the biblical authors? In the post-Protestant Reformation era, the idea of using just the Bible (sola scriptura in Latin) has become the battle cry of many independent interpreters of the… Read More »
We have filled the last three weeks looking at the Church of the Resurrection (also known as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher). Hopefully, the story of this revered but often neglected site gives us a little bit of perspective on the difficulties faced by the Church in all its various manifestations. Constantine and the… Read More »
The fetters of the status quo account for the state of dirt and dilapidation which is characteristic of many parts of the building. (Archer Cust, The Status Quo in the Holy places, 1925) When the British conquered Jerusalem in 1917, the Turkish governor fled – taking with him over 400 years of documents concerning the… Read More »
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