The Bible is unique when compared to other “holy” books because it is constituted in history. This means that the Bible is not merely the philosophical thoughts of a human being (like Confucius or Buddha), but it records God’s acts in history as they progress toward a specific goal. In the case of the Bible, … Continue reading –>
The Bible is unique among other known religious works because up to 30 percent of its content is comprised of prophecies and prophetic literature. The integration of prophecy and its fulfillment in time is central to the biblical worldview, for the God who acts in history also knows the future and has revealed it to … Continue reading –>
The variety of authors, their locations, and backgrounds provide a unique testimony that God works to communicate history and His message to people as culturally diverse as its intended audience. What do the following texts tell us about the biblical writers and their backgrounds? (Exod. 2:10, Amos 7:14, Jer. 1:1-6, Dan. 6:1-5, Matt. 9:9, Phil. 3:3-6, Rev. 1:9). The Bible was written by … Continue reading –>
The most important words spoken are often the last words a person utters. Moses, the writer of the first five foundational books of the Bible, sings a song to the people just before his death (Deut. 31:30-32:43). Read Deuteronomy 32:45-47. How does Moses describe the Word of God and its power in the lives of the Hebrews … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Deut. 32:45-47; Gen. 49:8-12; Isa. 53:3-7; 1 Cor. 15:3-5, 1 Cor. 15:51-55; Rom. 12:2. Memory Text: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV). Composed of 66 books, and written over 1,500 years on three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe) by over forty authors, the Bible is … Continue reading –>
How to Interpret Scripture As Seventh-day Adventists, we are Protestants, which means that we believe in sola Scriptura, the Bible alone as the sole authoritative foundation of our faith and doctrines. This is especially relevant in the last days, when, as Ellen G. White said, God will have “a people upon the earth to maintain … Continue reading –>
‘Crying Happy Tears’ By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Larissa Madeline Van Bommel, a university student from Canada, was having a bad day in Germany. First, she got lost. Wandering around for a while, she entered an empty church outside Frankfurt. She had struggled with her faith since her mother had died, and she hadn’t prayed … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: “The prophecies present a succession of events leading down to the opening of the judgment. This is especially true of the book of Daniel. But that part of his prophecy which related to the last days, Daniel was bidden to close up and seal ‘to the time of the end’. Not till we … Continue reading –>
Read Daniel 12:5-13. How does the book conclude? Interestingly, this final scene takes place at the “river”, or the Tigris, the place of Daniel’s last major vision (Dan. 10:4). However, the word used here is not the common Hebrew word for “river”, but the term ye’or, which usually designates “the Nile River”. This reminds us of the Exodus and … Continue reading –>
Read Daniel 12:4 and John 14:29. Why is the book of Daniel to be sealed until the time of the end? At the conclusion of the last major section of the book (Dan. 10:1-12:4), the prophet receives the command to seal the scroll until the time of the end. In the same breath, the angel predicts that “ ‘many … Continue reading –>
