We don’t live in vacuums. Our choices influence not just ourselves, but others as well. In the same way, the lives of many of God’s ancient people have had a great impact on the future of others besides themselves. In Hebrews 11, that well-known “faith” chapter, we see in summary the influence of many of … Continue reading –>
Read Matthew 26:57-67, John 11:45-53, and John 18:29-31. Who was Caiaphas, and what was his role in the death of Christ? Who was Pontius Pilate, and how was his decision most important for the Sanhedrin to accomplish its goals? Caiaphas was high priest and instigated the plot to seek the death of Jesus. His existence is recorded also … Continue reading –>
In July 2007, a scholar from the University of Vienna was working on a project in the British Museum when he found a tablet from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. On the tablet, he found the name “Nebusarsekim”, the name of a Babylonian official mentioned in Jeremiah 39:3. Nebusarsekim is one of many individuals, … Continue reading –>
Read Isaiah 36:1-3 and Isaiah 37:14-38. In this account of a massive Assyrian campaign against Judah, how does God deliver His people? In 701 B.C., Sennacherib campaigns against Judah. The account is recorded in Scripture. It is also recorded by Sennacherib himself in several ways. In his historical annals, discovered in the capital city of Nineveh, he boasts, … Continue reading –>
The monarchy of David and Solomon represents the golden age in Israel’s history. But what if David and Solomon did not exist, as some have claimed? What if their kingdom was not as extensive as the Bible describes, as some also have claimed? Without David there would be no Jerusalem, the capital of the nation (2 … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Samuel 17:1-58; Isa. 36:1-3, Isa. 37:14-38; Daniel 1:1-21, Daniel 5:1-30; Matt. 26:57-67; Heb. 11:1-40. Memory Text: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Exod. 20:2 [also Deut. 5:6], NKJV). The Bible is constituted in history. Biblical history moves in a linear direction from an absolute beginning, when God … Continue reading –>
Missionary Asks, “Why?” By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Leif Hongisto couldn’t understand why he was heading home to Finland after serving for nine years as president of Middle East University in Beirut, Lebanon. He loved the Seventh-day Adventist university, the Mediterranean climate, and freshly made hummus. Most important, he felt that he hadn’t realized his … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Gerald A. Klingbeil, editor, The Genesis Creation Account and Its Reverberations in the Old Testament (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2015). “The Bible is the most comprehensive and the most instructive history which men possess. It came fresh from the fountain of eternal truth, and a divine hand has preserved its purity through … Continue reading –>
Creation in Scripture Read the following scriptural passages and write down how each of these writers referenced Genesis chapters 1-11: Matt. 19:4-5 Mark 10:6-9 Luke 11:50-51 John 1:1-3 Acts 14:15 Rom. 1:20 2 Cor. 4:6 Eph. 3:9 1 Tim. 2:12-15 James 3:9 1 Pet. 3:20 Jude 11, Jude 14 Rev. 2:7; Rev. 3:14; Rev. 22:2-3 Jesus and all of the … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 5:1-32 and Genesis 11:1-32 . How does the Bible trace the history of humanity from Adam to Noah, and from Noah to Abraham? There is one element that makes these genealogies unique in the Bible: they contain the element of time, causing some scholars to correctly call them “chronogenealogies”. They contain an interlocking … Continue reading –>
