Random Articles
Was Paul a False Apostle?
(Copyright 09-17-2025) by David C. Grabbe (Charlotte, North Carolina) “Go, for [Paul] is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15). In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes a useful observation: The devil always sends errors into the world in pairs—pairs of opposites. And he always encourages us to spend a lot of time thinking which is the worse. You see why, of course? He relies on your extra dislike of the one error to draw you gradually into the opposite one. An unusual conversation reminded me of this quotation because the exchange involved an […]
Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?
(Copyright) by BibleStudy.org (Farmington Hills, Michigan) Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem when his parents, Mary and Joseph, lived in Nazareth (Luke 2:39)? The primary reason the birth of Jesus took place in Bethlehem was to fulfill the prophecy given by the minor prophet Micah. He stated the following: And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, you being least among the thousands of Judah, out of you He (Jesus) shall come forth (be born) to Me, that is to become Ruler in Israel . . . (Micah 5:2, HBFV throughout). One of the most fascinating facts about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is how God […]
Was Peter the First Pope?
(Copyright 07-26-2025) by Rod Reynolds (Wentzville, Missouri) Dear Friends and Brethren, Last Sabbath I posted a sermon that I had edited titled “Jesus and James.” However, after posting the sermon and sending it out, I realized I had neglected to include a link to the sermon in the newsletter. It’s not difficult to find any article or sermon posted on our website as we have a searchable index listing them, and also an archive page that includes a number of sermons from previous years, most of which have not been edited. As explained in a previous post I have been working […]
When the Bible was King in America
(Copyright 06-14-2025) by Eddie Hyatt (Grapevine, Texas) The Bible was the most cherished and the most quoted book in early America. America’s founding generation found in the pages of the Bible its moral compass, its guide for ethics, and the lens through which it viewed and interpreted all of life. It is, therefore, not surprising that the second most popular book in early America proposed a ceremony making the Bible America’s king. In January of 1776, Thomas Paine published his very popular book, Common Sense, in which he presented compelling arguments for independence from Great Britain. The book sold 500,000 copies, which would […]
Where Was the Passover Sacrificed?
(Copyright 03-13-2025) by Rod Reynolds (Wentzville, Missouri) Was the Temple in Jerusalem the only Jewish temple in ancient times? Was it acceptable to sacrifice the Passover lambs just anywhere? Was the Passover a “home sacrifice,” as some contend? Correct answers to these questions can help us have a more complete understanding of the history of the Passover institution and how it was administered under the Old Covenant. The Temple in SamariaDuring the latter days of Solomon’s reign, the kingdom of Israel was led into idolatry, as Solomon built “high places” (places of worship) for foreign gods of his wives, and his […]
Was Jesus Married?
(Copyright) by Mike Ford (Oxford, Georgia) “. . . and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons . . .” (Luke 8:2) The sad news came out not long ago. It happens in all too many marriages: yet another celebrity divorce, this time between Jesus and Mary Magdalene! Before you cry, “Blasphemy!” some explanation is required. For over four years, Dr. Karen L. King, a professor of early Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, proclaimed to the world that a tiny piece of papyrus proves Jesus Christ was married. She revealed this 1” x […]
Was Tom Homan Right to Rebuke the Pope?
(Copyright 02-13-2025) by Eddie Hyatt (Grapevine, Texas) In an open letter to the U.S. Catholic bishops, Pope Francis rebuked the Trump administration for its deportation of illegal immigrants. Francis insisted that assigning criminality to illegal status is contrary to Christianity and warned that such an approach will “end badly.” This is not the first time the pope has taken issue with Trump and his approach to immigration. In 2016 Francis held a mass near the Texas/Mexico border where Trump was planning the building of the border wall. He afterwards declared that anyone who builds a wall, rather than a bridge, to […]
Was Jesus Created?
(Copyright) by BibleStudy.org (Farmington, Michigan) Was Jesus Christ created by God the Father? Did the Lord have a beginning just like all the angels? On the other hand, has he always existed as a member of the Godhead? How is Jesus the firstborn among many brethren? Some believers think that Jesus, the Word of God, was created by the Father somewhere in the eternal past. One of the proof texts used to support this theory that Christ was made (and therefore did not always exist like the Father) is in Revelation 3. Revelation 3:14 states “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the […]
America’s Founding Prayer was Offered in the Name of Jesus
(Copyright) by Eddie Hyatt (Grapevine, Texas) The First Continental Congress opened with Bible reading and prayer on September 5, 1774, at Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, PA. Fifty-six Delegates were present from all 13 colonies except Georgia. Among those present were George Washington and Patrick Henry from Virginia and Samuel Adams and John Adams from Massachusetts. They met to discuss how to deal with Britain’s oppressive actions toward the colonies. Beginning with the Stamp Act of 1765, relations between the colonists and Great Britain had steadily deteriorated as King George continued to pile on tyrannical taxes and regulations about which they had […]
Was Our Savior Created?
by James Steinle (Swanville, Minnesota) This question is one that has different understandings by many in the various assemblies over the years. There are a number who believe Yayshua or Jesus did not exist until he was born of Mariam. I believe the Scriptures both old and new uphold and support that he was in existence before the existence of anything else. However, I do not believe he was eternal as the Father was until he was given life eternally after coming down from Heaven and sacrificing his life for ours. Here is my understanding about this often quietly talked […]
When Was Jesus Born?
(Copyright) by John O. Reid (Bolivar, Missouri) We are approaching the time of the year when the world celebrates the supposed birth of Jesus Christ. The jingles on the radio and television invade our sanity earlier every year, and the decorations now go up before Halloween! Anywhere we go, Christmas “cheer” is inescapable. For most of us, this is a season we struggle through, wishing it would rush by and be over. Yet it is also a season that requires us to be on our guard. Since we in the church of God do not celebrate Christmas, we often stick out in a crowd. Such a difference piques the […]
“I was born to run,” she said (so was I)
(Copyright) by Curtis Dahlgren (Stephenson, Michigan) NELLIE was her name, but she called me Bella. She was a little old lady from Pasadena who only drove me once a week to church. She bought me brand new for her 90th birthday. She put a gun rack in the back window for old times’ sake. She didn’t own a gun, just the gun rack. We got a lot of funny looks around town. I’m a pickup truck. Nellie had been a professional baseball player back in the fifties, one of the older members on the team, but she could still fly around […]
Was God’s Law Nailed to the Cross?
(Copyright) by Earl L. Henn (Charlotte, North Carolina) In their struggle to find a New Testament scripture that supports their misconception that God’s law is “done away,” many people point to Colossians 2:14 to “prove” that Christ nailed the law of God to the cross. In fact, this verse becomes a major linchpin in their fallacious argument that Christians are not required to keep God’s “harsh Old Testament law.” Proponents of such a teaching say that the “handwriting of requirements [ordinances, KJV]” refers to the law “that was against us.” They further claim that Christ “took it out of the way” or abolished the […]
Who was in Charge of the New Testament Temple? And Why Should You Care?
(Copyright) by Wily Elder (Ocala, Florida) The answer to the last question first: The reason you should care is because it will reveal the day on which Pentecost should be celebrated. How is that possible? “Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, when you come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave […]
What was WRONG with the Pharisees?
by Nathaniel Burson (Big Sandy, Texas) What was wrong with the Pharisees? Why did Christ condemn them? Was it for keeping the letter of the law? WHY would He condemn them for doing what HE, HIMSELF said? HE DIDN’T! He never condemned them for the righteous things they did! Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Notice He said that tithing of mint, anise, and […]
Who was Jesus Christ?
by Keith Slough (Kannapolis, North Carolina) The world does not understand. The billions of Earth’s population have not heard. Even many Americans simply don’t know the truth about who Jesus of Nazareth really was. Surprisingly, even some church goers do not know the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth. While most professing Christians do understand that Jesus is the promised Messiah whom we read about in the Old Testament (such as Daniel 9), there are those who cannot identify who Jesus actually was! It’s time you knew. More than One Person in the GodheadWe are told in the inspired scriptures of the New […]
As It Was in The Days of Noah
by Alfio La Spina (Victoria British Columbia) Genesis 6:5 (ESV)5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 2 Peter 2:5 (NIV)5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; Noah and his family were the only ones saved from the flood. The rest were wicked and would not repent. Noah likely preached […]
The House of God: Where it was Built?
by Samuel S. Martin (Israel) When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, at that time, God dwelled among the Israelites in a moveable tent which was called “the Tabernacle.” Moses constructed this tent according to a pattern that the LORD had shown him when he was on Mount Sinai. “And have them make me a sanctuary, so that I may dwell among them. In accordance with all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.” (Exodus 25:8,9 NRSV) This tabernacle existed for almost 500 years because from […]
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, […]
‘As It Was In the Days of Noah’
by Richard T. Ritenbaugh (Charlotte, North Carolina) Bahal was beginning to worry, since, as mayor, it was his job to worry for the rest of his remote, highland community. His wife, Chera, had remarked the day before that the rain was unusually heavy for this time of the year, but he had shrugged off her comment. Yet now, having endured three days of steady, heavy downpours, he felt the rain was something more than “unusual.” Earlier in the day, he had braved the pelting raindrops to check on his son’s livestock down the road. His son, Sair—off on his honeymoon with his […]
Who was Arsaces, First King of the Parthians?
by Cam Rea (Kendallville, Indiana) The year is 248 BCE. The event: the Aparni tribe from the north along the Oxus River invaded the region of northern Parthia under the leadership of a man by the name of Arsaces. The result of the invasion was the establishment of the Arsacid Dynasty which would be known in our history books as the Parthian Empire.[i] This was the first time Arsaces was mentioned. But who was this man named Arasces and where did he come from? What we know about Arsaces is limited and obscure, and we have as little to work with […]