There is a document that records God’s endless, dispiriting struggle with organized religion, known as the Bible.-Terry Eagleton, Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate, (Yale University Press, 2010), Kindle Edition, p.8. Not quite true, and that’s because the religion of the Bible, the religion that God has given humanity, has always been an … Continue reading –>
Seventh-day Adventists understand that at the center of the great controversy exists a crucial issue: What is the character of God? What is God really like? Is He the arbitrary tyrant that Satan makes Him out to be, or is He a loving and caring Father who wants only the best for us? These questions … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Jer. 2:13, Jer. 6:20, Jer. 7:1-10, Matt. 9:12, Deut. 6:5, Jer. 10:1-15, Jer. 23:1-8. Memory Text: ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth’ (Jeremiah 23:5, … Continue reading –>
Like many young people in Africa, Siyoka had migrated from his home village to a larger town in search of a job. He lived with relatives and sent every penny he could back to his widowed mother and two younger brothers. It was the music that first attracted him to meetings held by Pastor Mbena, … Continue reading –>
All through the book of Jeremiah, as through all the Bible, we are confronted with the question of good and evil. And as Christians we know good from evil, because God has defined these terms for us in many different ways. (See, for example, Rom. 7:7, Mic. 6:8, Josh. 24:15, Matt. 22:37-39, Deut. 12:8.) But … Continue reading –>
Read Jeremiah 44:1-10. What were the captives doing in Egypt? During the Egyptian captivity, Jeremiah had to face the same problem he had while he and his people had lived in Judah. At that time he had to talk to the leaders; now he had to talk to the common people, who in captivity were … Continue reading –>
Read Jeremiah 43:8-13. What did the Lord say through Jeremiah? Tahpanhes was a town at the northeastern border of Egypt, which had significant fortifications and where a great number of Jewish colonists lived. Here again, the Lord wants Jeremiah to act out a prophecy symbolically. Even though words are powerful, sometimes when things are done … Continue reading –>
If you haven’t read ahead, Jeremiah 42:1-22 could be very exciting. What will the people do? Would they reach out in faith, a faith that is revealed in obedience, and remain in Judah? Or would they make the same mistakes that were made in the past, and instead of following a clear thus saith the … Continue reading –>
Read Jeremiah 42:1-22. What powerful message is found there, not just for them, but for anyone who seeks guidance from the Lord in prayer? Fearful of the Babylonians, the people seek out Jeremiah and ask him to pray for them for divine guidance. They must have known by now that Jeremiah was indeed a prophet … Continue reading –>
One would think that with the destruction of the city and the total defeat by the Babylonians, all the people would have learned their lesson. Unfortunately, not all did, and the drama wasn’t over yet. Read Jeremiah 40:7-16. What message was given (again) to the people? What is the significance of the word remnantused in … Continue reading –>
