Random Articles
The Flood is Upon Us!
(Copyright) by John W. Ritenbaugh (Lancaster, South Carolina) As students of the Bible, we are all familiar with some of the details of the Noachian Flood recorded in Genesis 6-8. We remember the prelude to the Flood in which God describes the reasons why He considered it necessary to send it. We recall that it took Noah 120 years to build the ark. He loaded it with animals God sent to him, and then he and his family—eight people—stepped aboard and God shut them in. The rains soon fell, and the great underground water reservoirs exploded, and every life on earth, except for those […]
An Unpayable Debt and Obligation
(Copyright) by John W. Ritenbaugh (Lancaster, South Carolina) Radio personality Charles Osgood related a news item out of Miami in which a young man working as a valet parking attendant at a hotel was routinely handed a tip for fetching a man’s car. Later, after the man drove off, the attendant looked at the tip and was startled to discover the man had given him a thousand dollars! The tip-giver was unaware of his mistake until well on his way back to his home in West Virginia. He immediately turned around and drove back to the hotel. He found that the […]
Passover, Obligation, and Love
(Copyright) by John W. Ritenbaugh (Lancaster, South Carolina) Recently in Miami, Florida, a vacationing West Virginian pulled a few crumpled bills from his pocket to tip a valet-parking attendant, mistakenly giving him a thousand dollars! Driving off, he was well on his way back to West Virginia before he discovered what he had done. He returned to Miami to find that the attendant, knowing the man had made a mistake, had given the money to his supervisor to hold in case the man returned to claim it. The news report primarily focused its attention on the honest young man who returned […]
Respect or Respect of Persons?
by John W. Ritenbaugh (Lancaster, South Carolina) The Bible frequently cautions us against respect of persons, yet we are also instructed to show proper respect for leaders, the elderly, and others. What is the proper balance? Unlike the current parental teaching, people in previous generations were taught to practice different attitudes of respect for people and property than the public generally holds today. Deference was given freely to many. Men and boys were expected to give up their seats on crowded buses and street cars to women, the elderly or disabled. People commonly addressed strangers—both rich or poor—as “Sir,” “Ma’am,” “Mister” […]
Was the Sop Leavened or Unleavened? (John 13:26-27)
by John W. Ritenbaugh (Lancaster, South Carolina) A rule of Bible study is never to base a doctrine on the meaning of a Greek or Hebrew word, and this controversy is a prime example. It is true that artos, used in all of the gospel accounts for the bread eaten during the Last Supper, is the Greek word for “bread.” However, this word is a very general or generic term, much like the English word “bread” is. We use “bread” for everything from white to whole wheat to pumpernickel bread. We also use it for breads made of corn, barley, rye, spelt, rice, […]
After Pentecost, Then What?
by John W. Ritenbaugh (Lancaster, South Carolina) Moses writes the story of the Israelites making the Old Covenant with God in Exodus 19-24. Most of the text of those six chapters is devoted to listing the terms of their agreement. The way the ratification of the covenant is presented in Exodus 24:1-8 can give the impression that the Israelites’ acceptance of the terms was almost casual. Perhaps they felt overwhelmed by God’s presence, and under the circumstances, they could only agree to it. They would have been truly inhuman not to be impressed with God’s overpowering presence on the mount. Moses, however, shows that they were […]