Studies

Absent From The Body

Clergy and laity alike have often stumbled over some of the writings of Paul the Apostle. Scattered among the letters which he addressed to the churches are a few verses that almost seem to contradict what he wrote in other epistles. At least they have been interpreted as contradictions. But did the great, spiritual, straight-thinking Paul write co...

Alone In The Crowd

Recently I discovered some very interesting things about a little sea creature that rates rather low on the Biblical scale. The unclean shrimp has a most marvelous manner of changing clothes six or eight times a year through a process called molting. Apparently a new suit begins to grow underneath the old skin. By scraping around on the rocks, the ...

Amazing Wonders of Creation

In spite of being marred by transgression, nature still bears an eloquent testimony to the love and power of a Divine Creator. After resting under the heavy curses of sin for almost 6,000 years, the incredible beauty of God''s handiwork continues to amaze and enthrall. When we thank God for our blessings, we should never forget to mention these inco...

Anything But Secret

In the early 1500s, the Aztec empire was one of the most powerful and sophisticated civilizations in the western hemisphere. However, within one year''s time this mighty nation of over 2 million people was conquered and enslaved by just 600 men. How did it happen? 

The Aztecs had a prophecy about Quetzalcoatl (kèt-säl´ko-ä-tal), a legendary feather...

Armageddon

The signing of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty on March 26, 1979, marked an emotional moment in the history of the Middle East. After years of bitter animosity punctuated by military conflict, an Arab nation and a Jewish nation embraced each other with promises of peace.

What did it signify for the little pocket of Zionism whose struggles for su...

Assurance: Justification Made Simple

'Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.'
—Romans 3:28 

An Amazing Fact: Abraham Lincoln didn’t live long enough to witness the official end of the Civil War, but he was able to give the famous Emancipation Proclamation—freeing every slave in America. 

One day, a former slave living in Wa...

Baptism - Is it Really Necessary?

Suppose you could survey the people who live in the hundred homes nearest to your own house on the subject of Christian baptism. What kind of answer would you get in response to this question: “How should a person be baptized in order to meet the Bible requirements of salvation?”

It is likely that you would get a dozen different answers, and possi...

Blood Behind the Veil

Although the book of Hebrews has been greatly ignored by Christian scholars and laymen alike, it contains some of the most important, basic doctrines in the Bible. Spiritual subjects that are scarcely mentioned by other writers have been fully explained by the author of Hebrews.

Perhaps the reason for its general neglect is twofold. First, it lean...

Can a Saved Man Choose to be Lost?

The power of choice is a wonderful gift from God. Yet there is one choice God never allowed man to exercise. No one can choose whether or not to be born with a sinful nature. The decision which affects our lives the most was made long, long ago by our forefathers. We have absolutely no choice about the kind of nature we possess at birth. It is a si...

Christ's Human Nature

The most dangerous counterfeit is the one that most nearly resembles the true. This is why religious counterfeits are so deadly and are often tolerated rather than identified and exposed. Christians in general are afraid that they will be misunderstood if they attack something that looks so much like the finest thing in religion. Since there is oft...

Colorful Cosmetics and Jewelry

One of the most frequent and mistaken complaints that people make against religion is that it is too restrictive. In this permissive age, when all the emphasis seems to be upon “doing your own thing,” an unreasonable attitude of self-will has developed. This attitude has even intruded into religion. Church members and non-members seem to be in ques...

Compromise Conformity and Courage

Because of its unusual growth habits, the tropical Banyan tree is known as a “strangler fig.” These large trees usually start life when their seed is deposited by a bird high in the foliage of another tree. The Banyan’s roots descend over the trunk of the host tree seeking out the soil below. Once they have rooted themselves, the roots of the stran...

Culture And The Christian

We hear a lot these days about vanishing species in the physical world of nature. Some creatures have almost become extinct as their breeding habitats have been invaded and destroyed by advancing “civilization.” 

I would like to suggest that there is a similar problem in the spiritual world also. A certain kind of historic faith and lifestyle is b...

Death in the Kitchen

Some years ago a survey was taken in a certain American city, and every inhabitant responded to 156 questions included in the survey. It was discovered that the prime interest of adults was that of health—not politics, history, or even the weather—but health, their health and the health of their families. What a paradoxical age is this one in which...

Determining the Will of God

“I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have ev...

Does God's Grace Blot Out the Law?

The devil, through sin, has just about wrecked this world of ours. We live in an age of rebellion against all restraint and law. Our nation stands aghast at the big-city gang defiance of social order and property rights, including the right to live. Murder, robbery, and personal assaults have become the trademark of both urban and suburban 20th-cen...

Down From His Glory

Christ''s substitutionary death on the cross stands at the heart of all other sal vation truths revealed in the Bible. He took our place in suffering the penalty for sin. The demands of the law against the transgressor were fully satisfied by His voluntary acceptance of our punishment. To distort this great central fact about the plan of salvation w...

Feast Days and Sabbaths

How many commandments are contained in the Ten Commandments? Does that sound like a foolish question? Then consider the fact that thousands of religious people would give an answer like “94” or “110.” You see, there is a strange belief on the part of many that the great God-written law of the Ten Commandments was actually a part of the ceremonial l...

God's Role for Women in Ministry

After reviewing hundreds of applications, a Fortune 500 company’s search for a new marketing director had been narrowed to just three candidates. The first person called for the final interview was asked just one simple question: “What is two plus two?” Surprised by the inquiry, she wondered if it was a trick question—but in the end, she answered “...

Heaven: Is It for Real?

Millions of people are anticipating, although for different reasons, a time when they can leave this planet and migrate to another happier, less cluttered world in space. Many believe that time is running out for this overcrowded, polluted planet which has been so misused for 6,000 years. For survival purposes only, they hope to move into an orbiti...

Hell-Fire: A Twisted Truth Untangled

One of the most theologically confused subjects in the Bible is that of hell. It has been fumbled by the clergy and distorted by the laity until the word has become best known as a common vulgarism and expletive. Everywhere people are asking the same questions: What and where is hell? What is the fate of the wicked? Will a God of love torture peopl...

Hidden Eyes and Closed Ears

Some of the most astonishing prophecies in the Bible have to do with the proportion of people who will be saved at the coming of Christ. Jesus clearly taught that only a comparative few would be ready to inherit His kingdom. He said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many t...

Hogs And Other Hazards

During my 46 years of ministry, largely in public evangelism, I have observed some interesting methods of Bible study. For example, many people diligently search the Scriptures, not to find truth, but simply to gather support for their preconceived religious ideas. Their minds are not open to be taught by God''s Holy Spirit, and therefore they can m...

Holy Spirit - The Need

Every day approximately 44,000 lightning storms occur throughout the world, with lightning striking the earth 6,000 times a minute. The average lightning stroke is six miles long and travels about 30,000 times faster than a bullet. The temperature of lightning can reach 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the surface of the sun! In addition, lig...

How Evolution Flunked Science Test

Recently I talked to a man with a fantastic amount of faith. Not one shade of doubt crept into his animated description of man''s origin and destiny. He was an evolutionist I met on an airplane. With incredible confidence he bridged the eons of prehistoric time to explain the existence of modern plant and animal life. His detailed description of hum...

Is It a Sin to Be Tempted?

No growing Christian in the world can be unconcerned about the traumatic problem of temptation. There is no age level when moral choices and struggles of the spirit do not confront us. Temptation may attack at different points on different issues, but it will always be with us as long as we are in the flesh.

When I was a boy back in North Carolina...

Is It Easier to Be Saved or Lost?

It seems very appropriate that the word DYNAMITE is a transliteration of the Greek word DUNAMIS, which means power. The word is not a stranger to those who are students of the Scriptures. It is one of the colorful adjectives used in the Bible to describe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, 'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it i...

Is it Possible to Live Without Sinning?

Recently I read the amazing account of a man who submitted to a scientific hypnosis experiment. While under the influence of a light hypnotic trance the subject was ordered to pick up a glass from the table. Although he was a strong, athletic type, the man could not budge the glass from its position. His most strenuous exertions could not lift the ...

Is Sunday Really Sacred?

One of David’s most beautiful prayers is recorded in Psalm 43:3. “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.”

This same earnest petition to understand God’s Word should be in the heart of every sincere seeker for truth. A willingness to learn and to obey must characterize all...

Jewelry: How Much Is Too Much

I am intrigued by clever oxymorons. An oxymoron is a statement or pairing of two words that contradict each other, such as 'black light' or 'pretty ugly.' A few humorous, personal favorites are 'military intelligence,' 'criminal justice,' 'civil disorder,' and 'rap music' (the rap I''ve heard does not even slightly resemble music). Some oxymorons ar...

Life in the Spirit

The greatest need of the church today is for a genuine spiritual revival and reformation. This is what true Christians have been praying for through the years - in the family circle, alone in the closet, and with the church body on Sabbath. There is a deep sense of inadequacy when we sit in a home giving a Bible study or stand before an audience wh...

Man's Flicker or God's Flame

One of the clearest, last-day signs revealed in the Bible is the build-up of spiritual and demonic forces for a final all-out struggle which will settle the destiny of every living soul. God and Satan will meet in the climactic war of Armageddon, and the age long controversy between good and evil will be resolved for all eternity.

The Bible indica...

Pending - Your Case in Court

At the age of thirty, Jesus left the carpenter shop in Nazareth and made His way to the Jordan River where John the Baptist was preaching his stern message of repentance. This was probably the first time these cousins had ever met, but as soon as Jesus walked into the circle of listeners, John pointed at Him and said, 'Behold the Lamb of God, which...

Point of No Return

The most fateful words ever spoken by Jesus had to do with the fearful possibility of committing the unpardonable sin. He said, 'Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.' Matthew 12:31.

No one can misconstrue the clear message of t...

Remember Lot's Wife

'Remember Lot''s wife,' said Jesus. That is probably the most dramatic, potent illustration the Master ever used in a sermon. As we read the context, it is very obvious that the words were being applied to those living on this planet right now. 'In that day' refers to the 'day when the Son of man is revealed.' Here is what Jesus actually said:

'Li...

Rendezvous in Space

Redbook magazine made a survey of the eight leading seminaries in America and discovered that only one percent of the students believed in the second coming of Jesus. The reason for this astonishing skepticism may be revealed by the experience of D. L. Moody, the great lay evangelist. After explaining that he had been in the church for fifteen year...

Riches of Grace

I read recently about a business executive whose work was to continually conduct interviews of people who were seeking positions in his corporation. This man insisted on having a long office with his desk opposite the door where the applicants had to enter. As they would walk across the room to take their place in front of him, he would watch them ...

Satan in Chains

How would you like to be seated before a gigantic stage about 2,000 feet wide and actually watch the play-out of human history before your eyes? There you could see the final destiny of every man, woman, and child who has ever lived in this world. God, indeed, gives us such a panoramic preview in one of the most dramatic prophecies in the Bible.

S...

Satan's Confusing Counterfeits

Suppose you had to summarize the entire Bible in just two words. What words would you choose? I have thought about this, and I believe sin and salvation might be the most accurate answer. After all, Satan entered the picture very early to cause man to sin and to steal away his salvation. Incidentally, that was also the turning point for the human f...

Spirits of the Dead

Alexander Bogomoletz, a Russian scientist, once said that a man should live to be at least 150 years of age. He actually prepared a serum that was designed to retard the aging process of the connective tissues of the body. Unfortunately, the learned doctor died at the age of 64, just 86 years short of the goal he had set for himself and for all man...

Teach Us to Pray

During the Battle of Valley Forge, revolutionary troops were entrenched on the battlefield, freezing and starving. One day, a farmer who lived nearby brought much-needed provisions to the troops, and on his way back through the woods, he heard someone speaking. He tracked the voice until he came to a clearing, where he saw a man on his knees, prayi...

The Armor of God

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in t...

The Beast, The Dragon and The Woman

The most fearful warning of punishment found anywhere in the Bible is contained in Revelation 14:9, 10: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixt...

The Brook Dried Up

Some of the most dramatic and adventurous stories in the Bible revolve around the meteoric rise of Elijah the prophet. Like a shooting star he flashed out of obscurity and changed the character of a whole nation in a very short time.

Little is known about the background of this colorful reformer of Israel. Called of God from the rugged mountains o...

The Christian and Alcohol

Tests show that after drinking three bottles of beer, there is an average of 13 percent net memory loss. After taking only small quantities of alcohol, trained typists were tested and their errors increased 40 percent. Only one ounce of alcohol increases the time required to make a decision by nearly 10 percent; hinders muscular reaction by 17 perc...

The High Cost of the Cross

After his disastrous defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon, so the story goes, met with some of his leading generals to analyze the battle''s flawed strategies. In the course of their discussions, the little general pointed at England on the colored map before them and said bitterly, 'Except for that red spot I would be master of the world.' Satan could say ...

The Last Night On Earth

One of the most dramatic verses in the Bible has been translated by Dr. Moffett in these words: 'Evil on evil says the Lord, the Eternal ... it is coming, the hour is striking, and striking at you, the hour and the end. Your doom has come.' Ezekiel 7:5-7.

Based on this startling text, our attention is drawn to the most solemn message ever heard by...

The Name of God

An Amazing Fact: A man stopped at a bar in the Los Angeles airport to relax a few minutes before catching his plane. But realizing he had lost track of time, he raced out of the bar and hastily asked directions for the departing gate to Oakland. After hurrying through a maze of terminals, he handed the flight attendant his ticket and scurried onto ...

The Power of a Positive NO

As most Bible students understand, Peter and Paul did not always agree with each other over methods of communicating the gospel. At one point they had a public disagreement in which one verbally chastised the other for being hypocritical. Nevertheless, in terms of believing and living the message of their beloved Master, they were in perfect agreem...

The Scarlet Woman

Everywhere people are asking the same questions about the modern church. Why does it appear so weak and compromised? Where is the old-time fire and power that marked the church of a generation ago? These are questions which prey on the minds of many Christians as they witness the dwindling influence of religious institutions. Something seems t...

The Search for the True Church

Is there a true church in the world today? And if so, how can it be identified? Of all the religious questions facing the modern truth-seeker, this is certainly the most demanding and also the most frustrating. Conflicting voices from every quarter declare that they have the answer. Denominations, sects, and cults make strident claims based upon em...

The Secret Rapture

There is a theological question that has disturbed millions of Christians and has lent untold doctrinal confusion to the modem religious world. That question revolves around the manner of Christ''s coming back to this earth at the end of the world. Multitudes have been led to believe that Christ will return secretly. What about the so-called se...

The Sign of Jonah

It has been estimated that 10 billion birds engage in migratory flights every year. For example, one species of shrike wings its way 3,500 miles from Central Asia to the Equator of Africa. The longest recorded flight made by a homing pigeon took place in 1931, when the resolute bird flew from Arras, France, to its home in Saigon, Vietnam. When rele...

The Surrender of Self

Would you look into your heart right now and respond to a very personal and important question? Do you judge yourself to be stronger in the things of God than you have ever been before? I hope so; that is exactly the way it is supposed to be. Every day with Jesus should be sweeter than the day before. Each moment should find us moving up in ou...

The Trinity

Science tells us that light is constituted of three primary rays, or groups of wavelengths. Clearly distinct from each other, none of them without the others could be light. Each ray has its own separate function. The first originates, the second illuminates, and the third consummates. The first ray, often called invisible light, is neither se...

The Two Witnesses

The brightest man-made light on earth emanates from the top of the Luxor hotel, a giant pyramid structure, in Las Vegas, Nevada. A total of 45 xenon lights, each one as big as a washing machine and with the brightest bulb available, shoots a powerful blast of radiant light straight up into the sky. The light beaming from the top of this artificial ...

The Ultimate Resource

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” —2 Timothy 3:16, 17...

Thieves in the Church

Do you know about the sin nobody admits? It''s a sin we''re afraid to mention. We must be afraid to mention it, because nobody ever mentions it about himself, anyway. Now people have confessed to me that they''ve committed some terrible, dark sins. I can recall people who have admitted being drunkards, who confessed to stealing, breaking up anoth...

Three Days and Three Nights

Some of the strongest and most controversial opinions have built up around the statement of Jesus concerning Jonah and the whale. Strangely enough, the chief issue has nothing at all to do with the oft-challenged fact of a man being swallowed by a sea monster. The decisive point for many revolves around the length of time Jonah spent in the st...

Three Steps to Heaven

If there could be a highway to the moon, it would take 20 months of constant driving at the rate of 400 miles per day to reach the land of the moon. If there could be a railroad stretching up to the sun, a streamlined train traveling 90 mph non-stop, day after day and year after year, would require 116 years to reach sunny land. An airplane fl...

Tips For Resisting Temptation

A teenager in Virginia was shocked to find a two-headed turtle behind her home. She caught the poor creature and watched as the two freakish heads did a tug-of-war over a piece of food she gave them—or it! According to scientists, two-headedness can occur in all animals, but the lifespan is typically short. The reason is that each head tends to wor...

Understanding Tongues

Legend has it that when the Greeks were unable to capture the city of Troy even after imposing a 10-year siege, they finally resorted to a clever stratagem. The Greek army pretended to sail away and left on the shore a huge, hollow wooden horse as an apparent victory gift. However, the gift was actually filled with several armed warriors! Sino...

Who Is Michael The Archangel?

When King Humbert of Italy inherited the throne, Naples teetered on the verge of insurrection against the monarchy. Politicians urged violent measures to force the people into submission, but the king did not allow this. Then cholera suddenly broke out in the city, and the dreaded disease raged with fury. The young king, ignoring the warnings of hi...

Who Will Sing the Song? The 144000 of Revelation 14

During the Gulf War, a small team of U.S. Navy SEALS created a diversion so convincing that it completely fooled the Iraqi army. About a dozen SEALS stormed the beaches of Kuwait and created such havoc that Iraqi generals believed the U.S.-led attack was coming from the sea. Iraq sent the majority of their army to repel this fake attack—only t...

Why God Said Remember

Numerous surveys and questionnaires have confirmed that the most popular form of modern skepticism is to deny the creation story. Seventy-two percent of ministers interviewed expressed varying degrees of doubt that God actually spoke the world into existence according to the biblical account. This fundamental disbelief has led to the rejection...

Why the Old Covenant Failed

Some time ago I stepped off the platform at the close of an evangelistic message and hurried toward the front door to greet the people. Suddenly my path was blocked by three young men, one of whom addressed me in quite a loud voice. He said, 'Brother Joe, we were disappointed with the way you put us back under the Old Covenant tonight by preac...