2017

John the Baptist was a metaphorical civil engineer. Isaiah had predicted his construction of a divinely ordained highway. He would cry out “in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (Isa. 40:3; Matt. 3:3). The Baptist prepared the…

Revelation’s bookend time stamps raise important questions. If we interpret them as literal truth statements, what profound event(s) happened soon after John saw these visions? What fulfilled his about-to-be prophecies? The answer depends on another important question: When did John see these visions? Most conservative scholars limit the possible date…

My Webster’s Third World International Dictionary weighs a whopping 13 pounds. It requires strong bookends to keep it upright. Supports too weak would allow this large volume to fall, with the potential of knocking other books off the shelf, not to mention the possibility of doing bodily harm. John’s book…

Background information lends texture to many biblical statements. Rarely does that information determine orthodoxy or even how we should apply the lessons of Scripture to our lives. Still, knowing the context in which a writer sends forth his sentences sometimes helps us appreciate the nuances of divine inspiration. Let’s consider…

“You blew it up!” So concludes the Planet of the Apes (1968). After years of space travel at near the speed of light, Astronaut George Taylor has crash-landed on an unknown planet in the distant future. He discovers a shocking truth: the earlier inhabitants had blown their civilization to oblivion.…

The visiting Christian brother did not suffer from dementia, but his 90 years had removed many inhibitions. We learned this in a somewhat humorous way. Our small congregation sometimes sang Samuel J. Stone’s hymn, The Church’s One Foundation. On the day of his visit, when we sang the verse Yet…

The words from the flight attendant always filled me with joy and happiness: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Memphis International Airport.” My job required me to  travel out of town a few times each year. While I was away, I experienced the words first penned in Francis Davison’s Poetical Rhapsody…

“I know that’s what it says, but that is not what it means,” said my red-faced father to my maternal grandfather. Grandpa Smith had a second-grade education but loved God. I often saw him read the Bible and pray with tears streaming down his cheeks. He was also a died-in-the-wool…

Many of us consider Hebrews 11 to be one of our favorite scriptural passages. This “Hall of Faith” inspires us to imitate the heroes of the faith in past ages. This is as it should be. God’s word is timeless and its lessons apply to God’s people in every age.…

Paul uses the same basic arrangement in many of his letters. He first lays a doctrinal foundation, then gives practical exhortations based on that foundation. Hebrews conforms to this pattern. We have seen the doctrine: Christ surpasses angels (Heb. 1:4 – 2:18), Moses (Heb. 3:1 – 4:13), and Aaron (Heb.…