Inspired by the Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland in 1998, U2 wrote a song called "Peace on Earth". The song challenged the very premise of its title. In the bombing's aftermath, the Irish-native and lead singer confessed, "the whole 'peace on earth, goodwill to all men' struck a sour note. It was hard to [more]

God's plan for a savior is fundamental to His plan of salvation. Messiah, or "lit. 'the anointed one,' is a saviour or liberator of a group of people". We can read about the life of this Messiah, Jesus Christ, in the four Gospels. However, looking at God's plan for a savior is another dimension all [more]

The idea of Jesus' kingdom comes from Jesus Himself, but was Jesus' kingdom established when He walked on earth in the first century? The question of "When?" regarding Jesus' kingdom is debated.  Some even say that Jesus came to establish His kingdom but he failed. What will Scripture tell us? [more]

The concept that God was fully human is a difficult one for mere mortals to grasp. Even the phrase "God incarnate" does not give the full impact. According to Dictionary.com the word incarnate means "embodied in flesh; given a bodily, especially a human, form". The idea of "God fully human" definitely takes embodiment a few [more]

Many believe that Jesus will reign 1000 years when He returns (the doctrine of "millennialism"). In fact, the Bible says that, "they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him [Jesus] for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6) However, it's just one verse. Could it be a figurative way to [more]

With the popularity of the "social gospel" that exists today, it's often assumed that Jesus performed miracles purely as an act of compassion. Of course, He was compassionate! But is that Jesus performed miracles when on earth? Miracles (or "signs and wonders") were directed by God1,4 and performed through the [more]

Where Jesus is today is a simple enough question.  However, levelsetting on the answer can be foundational in understanding other aspects of the Godhead.  It can also be the first step in understanding other characteristics and responsibilities for the Son of God. Jesus is in heaven, seated at the [more]

What Christian's believe and how they have come to understand what the Bible teaches isn't always shaped purely by scripture. The Ancient Greek influence of Gnosticism has had a profound and enduring effect on Christian thought. Indeed, that may be the case in needing to ask the question, "For whom did Christ die?" This question [more]

A literal return of King David is a tenant of much of the modern religious thought today. Purveyors of premillennial doctrine, such as David Jeremiah, teach that King David will return in the flesh to rule alongside Jesus during the thousand year reign on earth. The prophets have much to say about David's reign. However, [more]

Helping the needy was a central activity of Jesus during His short public ministry. Whether He was healing the sick, feeding the poor, even raising the dead, we see Jesus helping the needy in various ways. In fact, his reputation for helping the needy spread and great crowds would come to be healed or [more]

Understanding the kingdom of God and its characteristics is fundamental to understanding much of God's revealed word. How and what one understands the kingdom of God to be will impact their understanding of such monumental events as Jesus coming to earth, His promised return and the final judgment! First published in 1896, Leo Tolstoy [more]

Jesus will return to earth...this is the unchallenged position of many Christians today. It's part of and foundational to a much broader belief around Jesus' second coming - also known as end times doctrine or eschatology. In addition to Jesus’ return to earth, other popularly believed aspects of His second coming include an establishment [more]

A literal one thousand year reign of Jesus on His throne. There are many that believe Jesus' return is for just that - a one thousand year reign (millennium) on earth. It is widely taught and even passed down as "church doctrine." It is a teaching that comes from primarily one verse - Revelation [more]

Someone hearing the gospel is certainly one way for an individual to come to know about God's word and His will. When somebody hears the "good news" they learn about Jesus, His mission on earth and God's plan for mankind's salvation. While hearing the gospel is one way, is it the only way [more]

Jesus' mission is something that can be confused with His actions. What Jesus came to this world to do (Jesus' mission) and what he did (Jesus' activities) are not necessarily the same thing. For example, one of the things He did was feed the hungry. But was that Jesus' mission on earth? He also [more]

"It's a miracle!" That's an exclamation we hear often and have probably uttered ourselves. It might be used to describe passing a test you didn't study for or to sum up a great, come-from-behind victory. For example, the great Olympic victory by the U.S. Men's Hockey team is known as the "Miracle on Ice." [more]

Must an apostle see Jesus? This question gets raised when attempting to justify the appointment of apostles today. The word "apostle" in the Greek (apóstolos) literally means "one who is sent" or "to send off" or simply "messenger". Therefore, while the word could be applied to any missionary or emissary, the question about requiring that [more]

Christ's church goes by many, many different names in this day and time. The signs in front of Christian churches testify to the countless denominations that exist as well as thousands of independent or non-denominational groups. Christ's church may indeed be hard to identify with a sign. Wikipedia defines a Christian denomination as a [more]

A parable as defined by Dictionary.com is "a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson" or "a statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy, or the like." If we were to just take this definition into account, we might [more]

You've probably seen the red letter Bible -- in fact, you probably own one. These Bibles place all of Jesus' words in prominent red letters in order to stand out from all the other recorded words in Scripture. This is obviously a man-made introduction to Scripture, along with the chapter/verse breaks and chapter/paragraph [more]