Is Abraham’s Son Ishmael in Heaven?
While Ishmael doesn’t receive much attention in the Bible as compared to his half-brother, Isaac, he does receive plenty. The name Ishmael occurs forty-eight times in the OT, though all the references outside Genesis refer to someone other than Abraham’s son by Hagar. In Genesis, Ishmael, the son of Abraham, is referred to seventeen times […]
Not Impressed (1 Kgs 16:21-28)
At first glance, many would be impressed with a king named Omri. He ruled over the northern Nation of Israel after the Jewish people had split into two nations. One could argue that Omri brought political stability to his nation. Three of the four kings preceding him were victims of assassinations. The king immediately before […]
Should We Rename the Months of the Year?
Most people don’t know the origins of our names for the months. Did you know that September, October, November, and December mean seven, eight, nine, and ten? Initially, there were ten months (initiated by Romulus around 738 BC); the last four were seven, eight, nine, and ten. March (Martius) was the first month, followed by […]
A Different Twist on James 2:19
A woman at the church I attend (I’ll call her Betty) recently told me about a conversation she had with a friend. It put a bit of an unusual spin on Jas 2:19, which says, “even the demons believe and tremble.” Most often, people erroneously use that verse to say that faith in Jesus alone […]
Should We Change the Names of the Days of the Week?
I’ve not given much thought to the names of the days of the week. Have you? Over the past few years, however, I’ve had a growing displeasure with the names we use. Do you know that most of these names honor various gods? Sunday is named after the Roman sun god (though in Spanish and […]
The Faithfulness of God (1 Kgs 15:1-8)
The books of 1 and 2 Kings give an instructive account of how obeying God results in blessings for His people, while disobedience brings discipline and wrath. About forty kings are discussed in these books. Most of them “do evil in the sight of the Lord,” and this brings great destruction upon they themselves as […]
Is Repentance in the Bible Always Directed to the Jewish People?
I wrote my dissertation at DTS on repentance in 1985. I recently wrote a book on repentance called Turn and Live. But I’ve never been asked the question that M. G. asked via email: “Is it accurate to say that the use of repent and repentance found in the Old and New Testaments always refers […]
What’s in a Name? (Phil 2:29)
All of us recognize certain names. We know them because they belong to famous people. They might be sports stars, celebrities, or movie actors. Sometimes, they are so famous they go by a single name. Such names include Oprah, Cher, Bono, and Pelé. When we hear names like Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Barak Obama, and […]
Why Do So Few Believe in the Judgment Seat of Christ?
Jack emailed me a great question: “Why does it seem like only dispensationalists believe in the Judgment Seat of Christ?” For those who are not theology nerds, a dispensationalist believes that at various times–or dispensations–in the world’s history, God has changed His commandments. For example, today God allows us to eat pork or shrimp. We […]
How Can We Respectfully Disagree in a Bible Study?
John asks a great question: I go to a church that doesn’t affirm Calvinism. However, in my small group, I detect subtle Calvinist catchphrases like “Salvation has nothing to do with us” and “Dead people can’t ask for help.” How would you counter this type of teaching without being outright disrespectful or rude? When I […]