Does Instrumental Music Matter?
The proposition stands: There is no biblical authority for instrumental music in Christian worship. Numerous have been the quibbles and excuses, but no authority for instruments has ever been shown. There is no principle, no command, no precedent, no logical implication that will show scriptural approval for the practice. However, as time has gone by, […]
The Babylonian Exile #10
In the interpretation given by Daniel of the four beasts which came up from the midst of the sea (Dan. 7), Daniel was told these four beasts were four kingdoms that would arise out of the earth (Dan. 7:17). Daniel wanted to know more of this fourth beast, which was diverse from the other three. […]
What Islam Wants
Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad vowed at his sentencing recently that “the defeat of [the] the U.S. is imminent.” In a 10-minute statement to the court that denounced the post-9/11 foreign policy as it threatened future American bloodshed, Faisal Shahzad warned: “Brace yourselves, because the war with Muslims has just begun. Consider me only a […]
Is Alcoholic Wine to Be Used in the Lord’s Supper?
We read of Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper in Matthew 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, and Luke 22:14-20 (cp. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The bread is unleavened (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12), representing Christ’s body. The cup containing “the fruit of the vine” (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18) represents Christ’s blood, shed “for the remission of sins” (Matthew […]
The Babylonian Exile #9
The book of Daniel does not arrange all of Daniel’s prophecies and his interpretation of dreams and visions of others in chronological order. In chapter 2 Daniel interpreted a dream of Nebuchadnezzar which spoke of four nations that would exercise their power over the people of the time they existed and of God setting up […]
Elements of Proper Baptism
Acts 16:13-15 is only one of the several examples in Acts of people believing the word and being baptized into Christ. True Christians have stood almost alone in the religious world on the subject of water baptism. We have insisted that immersion to a penitent believer is essential to salvation from past sins. Whereas the […]
The Babylonian Exile #8
Daniel’s revelation to Nebuchadnezzar of both the dream he dreamed and the meaning of it brought an astonishing reaction from the king. The monarch was so moved that he fell on his face and “worshiped Daniel and commanded that they should offer an oblation of sweet odors unto him.” To Daniel he said, “Of a […]
Careful Cutting
Paul wrote, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The subject of authority has been well-investigated over the years. The enormity of the issue demands careful scrutiny. But behind all the study of commands, examples, and inferences is […]
The Babylonian Exile #7
Faced with the threat of execution, Daniel and his companions went in prayer to Him who is the revealer of secrets and sees into the innermost recesses of the heart. How long God waited ere He responded to these men’s fervent pleas is not revealed; the important thing is that He did respond. “Then was […]
The Babylonian Exile #6
Daniel was among the first exiles taken by Nebuchadnezzar’s army to Babylon. He was perhaps a youth of 18 or so years and he lived through the complete 70 years of exile prophesied by Jeremiah. His prophecies ranged from warnings against Nebuchadnezzar personally (chapter 4) to the conflicts between the Medo-Persian and Grecian Empires; the […]