Volume 106, Number 1

In the Beginning

Leaven is used as a symbol of corruption throughout the Bible. Several cautions for the Christian are taught by its use in both Old Testament and New…read more

Beware the Leaven of the Sadducees – Ritualism, Riches, and Error

The Sadducees were part of the wealthy, influential class in Jewish society. They were, in essence, the ruling class, the aristocracy in Israel, although under the pur­view of successive foreign powers whose domin­ion extended through the Middle East. They held the chief positions. For hundreds of years, the high priest of Israel was a Sadducee. Even their name — Sadducees — was derived from the name of the high priest during the reigns of Kings David and Solomon — Zadok. The Sadducees held a majority of the seats in the Sanhedrin. …read more

The Leaven of the Pharisees – Hypocritical Holiness

Jesus warned us also against the leavens of the Sadducees (Zadokites) and Herodians (Matthew 16:6‑12, Mark 8:15) but each time emphasized the leaven of the Pharisees. While ritualism and playing politics are dangerous, spiritual pride is yet a greater danger. Jesus taught, “that except your righteousness shall ex­ceed the righteousness of the scribes and Phari­sees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). …read more

Beware the Leaven of Herod – Politics and the Church

The leaven of Herod is not a common phrase compared to the more familiar leaven of the Pharisees and Saddu­cees. In Matthew 16, our Lord warns to be­ware of the leaven of both the Pharisees and Sadducees. Only in the Mark account does he also specify to beware of the leaven of Herod. This is to be found in Mark 8:15 (NAS). “And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of Herod.” …read more

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

The “Feast of Unleavened Bread” is in­timately associated with the Passover. In the ancient custom, the Passover lamb was selected on the 10th of Abib/Aviv (Babylonian Nisan), and the lamb sacrificed between the evenings (~3 pm) on the 14th and the Passover meal eaten the evening of the 15th, beginning the 7-day Feast of Unleav­ened Bread. This joyous feast is still celebrated worldwide by religious Jews recalling the de­liverance from Egyptian bondage. During the Christian age, Christians viewed this feast vari­ously. …read more

News and Views Current Events

Today in Prophecy – Decline of the Work Ethic?

The U.S. labor force participation rate — the proportion of working-age citizens either work­ing or actively looking for work — has de­clined from a high of 67.5% at the turn of the century to 62.3%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A 2022 article published in Forbes noted that America once had one of the strongest work eth­ics in the world. …read more

Seven Parables – Matthew 13

Jesus spoke seven parables to the multi­tudes, in Matthew 13. It is reasonable to ask whether these seven parables are par­allel to the seven stages of the church during the Gospel Age. Some think, Yes, and others think, No. How might we proceed to discover whether it is reasonable?  …read more

Unleavened Offerings – How We Are to Offer

The first mention of unleavened bread is in Genesis when two angels came to Lot in Sodom. Lot offered them the opportunity to stay in his house rather than in the town square. “Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate” (Gen­esis 19:3). There appears to be no spiritual sig­nificance to Lot baking unleavened bread here, only that it could be made and baked quickly. …read more

An Unleavened Character – Towards Incorruption

Given that throughout scripture, leaven is used as a symbol of sin, the concept of a Christian having an unleavened char­acter would seem to suggest that the Christian leads a life free of sin. This, of course, is not the case. 1 John 1:8 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” A Christian having an unleavened character rather speaks to a cleansing from sin through the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7), and thereafter, the con­tinual effort to live a righteous life. This means not merely abstaining from sin but overcoming the inherent sinful propensities from within and the sinful influences from without. …read more

The Cleansing Stream