Redemption “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about that everyone whois bitten, when he looks at it, he will live” (Numbers 21:8). — Russel Marten After enduring Egyptian slavery and the plagues, the Israelites continued to murmur on their journey to and at Mount Sinai. Their complaints were evident even forty years later and required a plague of their own, a plague of venomous snakes. The incidents described in the 20th chapter of Numbers […]
Our Foundation “The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner” (Psalm 118:22 RVIC). — Brett Blackwell Old Testament prophecies provide a basis for our faith and belief in Jesus Christ. No one knew this better than Jesus, as Luke 24:27 (NASB) explains for us: “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He [Jesus] explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” One such prophecy of Jesus Christ is that of the cornerstone, […]
Three Galileans “Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet” (John 7:52). — Carl Hagensick (Adapted from a 1997 Herald article) Scribes and Pharisees, the religious hierarchy of Jesus’ day, looked down with great scorn on the people of Galilee. Many Galileans were not Hebrews. From the days of Joshua, many Canaanites continued to live there (Judges 1:30-33), and the people spoke with a distinct accent (Matthew 26:69, 73). The area was popularly known as “Galilee of the nations” (Isaiah […]
My Righteous Servant “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). — David Stein Many details of the Messiah’s life were prophetically foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures. An interesting question is, what did Jesus know about his sacrificial death ahead of time? His perfect knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures suggests that he learned much of what would befall him. This […]
Late Spring “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2) — Dan Wesol There are different and progressive stages of growth in every form of life. For example, with human beings, a child is born about nine months after conception. Solomon, as a wiser, older king, uses […]