Arise

Have you ever peeked at the last chapter of a novel? Maybe you hoped to learn the identity of the culprit. Maybe you just wanted to be assured of a happy ending before committing yourself to reading. When it comes to “The Book” (the word Bible comes from the Ancient Greek for “book, paper, or scroll”), we have many good reasons to peek at the ending. The end of the New Testament is found at the Revelation of John. In…

One of the most well-known paintings of Leonardo da Vinci is “The Last Supper.” Though fraught with biblical contradictions, it stands as the classic representation of Jesus with His apostles on this momentous occasion. Legend says that when Leonardo first revealed the painting to friends, they noted the attention to detail the artist had given, particularly to the fringe of the tablecloth. Disgusted, da Vinci wiped away the ornate border and demanded, “Look at the Christ.” If you could paint…

We have repeatedly stated that the child of God is a controlled being. He, after all, once lived to his own will and pleasure, fulfilling all the desires of the flesh and mind (Eph. 2:3), but in coming obediently to the Christ he has denied self (Luke 9:23) and willingly subscribed to the Master’s will. He has then said that he will live a controlled and regimented life. As a child of God he is called a “disciple,” and thus…

In Galatians 5:11, we read of “the offense of the cross.” To some in Corinth, nothing was as distasteful as the preaching of the crucified Savior. In Athens, Paul was mocked for preaching the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 17:12). To be perfectly honest, Christ was a “rock of offense” and a “stone of stumbling” to many among His own people and in the Roman Empire (Rom. 9:33). Why did Jesus offend so many?  He was despised in the region of…