In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 Paul talks about people who have ‘fallen asleep’. This means people who have died but, since they will be resurrected in the future, this is described as being a sleep. His words were a message of support and consolation to Christians whose friends and loved ones had died, and so […]
Is the church the same as the kingdom of God?
What is the church? ‘Church’ is a word used to describe a group of people that are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is frequently used in the Bible to describe specific groups of people that met together due to their geographic locality: “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those […]
Will people be saved after the rapture of the church?
The Bible describes Christians being called away when Jesus returns. Two particularly favorite verses are in Matt 24:40-41 and 1Thess 4:16-17. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. (Matt 24:40-41) For the […]
What is the significance or purpose of the rods in Genesis 30:37-41?
As he has done in the past (see, e.g., Gen. 27), in Gen. 30:37ff Jacob is trying to achieve success by using questionable methods. The process he attempts to use to make the sheep give birth to lambs that will enlarge his flock has no scientific basis1, was, at best, a folk belief2 or, at […]
Under the Old Covenant what would happen to someone who didn’t offer an animal sacrifice?
The first animal sacrifice recorded in Moses’ time was at The Passover. Each Israelite family was required to kill a lamb and put its blood on the doorframe; to save the firstborn of the family from death: “For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn […]
How many times is the term “self-esteem” in the Bible?
The term “self-esteem” does not occur in the Bible. However, some of the ideas behind self-esteem are found in the Bible. For example, the Bible teaches that humans — including ourselves — are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ (Ps. 139:14) and, not only that, we are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27): because of this we […]
What does the Hebrew word ‘Yom’ mean?
According to Robert Young’s ‘Analytical Concordance to the Bible’ (First Published 1879) Yom is the Hebrew word for ‘day’. Young’s index-lexicon to the Old Testament reveals that in the King James Version, Yom is predominantly translated as ‘day’ (1167 occurrences), followed by ‘time’ (65 occurrences). The word was also infrequently translated as ‘weather’, ‘daily’, ‘remain’ […]
Do we have a responsibility for injured workers?
What does the Bible say the responsibility is of the church for a man doing volunteer work on a new church and falls, experiences a traumatic injury, and will probably never be able to work again? There are two main considerations to take into account. One is the responsibility of the church to the man […]
What is the “abomination that causes desolation” spoken of by Daniel and Jesus?
Reference to the ‘abomination of desolation’ occurs in Daniel 8:13; 9:27, Matthew 24:15, and Mark 13:14. In the two New Testament texts, the reader is advised to refer to Daniel’s reference to the ‘abomination’, in order to understand its meaning. Due to this advice, many people believe that the ‘abomination of desolation’ has the same […]
What are the name of the ten kingdoms that shall rise during the tribulation period?
This question assumes that ten kingdoms shall rise in a future ‘tribulation period’. Specific reference to a ‘tribulation period’ occurs in Matthew 24:21, 29, and Revelation 7:14. Neither of these passages say anything about ten kingdoms rising during the tribulation. Reference to ten kings appears in Daniel 7:24. Since these kings are represented by the […]