Joseph and Pregnant Mary Travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem Luke 2:1–5 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David. (Luke 2:4) As our journey toward Jesus’s birth unfolds, another complication arises. Caesar Augustus decrees that a census will take place for the entire Roman […]
Ezekiel Prophesies to Dry Bones and Breathes Life into Them One of the most evocative images in the book of Ezekiel is him speaking to dry bones scattered before him. It’s a valley of dry bones. The bones animate and reassemble. Tendons connect them. Flesh covers the skeletons. Breath enters these reconstituted bodies, mere corpses, […]
Isaiah’s Prophecy Isaiah 9:1–7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given. (Isaiah 9:6) This passage in Isaiah’s prophecy opens with the word nevertheless. To gain insight as to what this means we must consider the end of the prior chapter. There Isaiah writes of the time when the people […]
Daniel Foretells the Future Daniel 7:13–14 “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14) The prophet Daniel lived some five centuries before Mary. You may know the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, where God protected him overnight after […]
Prepare the Way, Part 1 Malachi 2:17–3:5 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.” (Malachi 3:1) The opening of Mark’s gospel quotes two Old Testament prophecies about John the Baptist. The first is from Malachi, the final book in the Old Testament. But Malachi isn’t speaking his own words. He […]
Several months later we have a chance for a return visit to this same church. The opportunity to experience a normal service with their regular pastor should provide the chance to experience what we missed the first time. I hope to experience a spirit-led service. Consider these seven discussion questions about Church 66. 1. The […]
40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation Gain insight into one of the most intriguing books of the Bible: Revelation The end times. The second coming. When Jesus returns. No matter how you refer to the last book of the Bible, Revelation is an epic battle between good and evil. Through evocative imagery that […]
God Does What It Takes to Get People’s Attention God speaks to the prophet Ezekiel and gives him a prophecy against Ammon, against Moab, against Philistia, and against Tyre. The prophecy against Tyre is the longest and most devastating, but all four carry the same rationale. God will inflict them with punishment for their past […]
May We Never Be Lax about Doing the Work of God The book of Jeremiah contains prophecies about many of the countries that surround God’s people, many countries that tormented them in the past or are tormenting them during Jeremiah’s time. One of these countries is Moab. Here’s the backstory. Lot’s oldest daughter has a […]
Despite God’s Longstanding Patience Giving Us Time to Shape Up, Judgement Will Eventually Come The book of Ezekiel is an interesting one, packed with evocative prophetic imagery that portrays God’s power, patience, and eventual judgement. As follows through much of the Old Testament the people disobey God. He warns them to turn things around and […]