This entry is part 3 of 6 in the series Biblical LanguagesThe Greek language is beautiful, rich, and harmonious as an instrument of communication. It is a fitting tool both for vigorous thought and for religious devotion. During its classic period, Greek was the language of one of the world’s greatest civilizations. In that cultural period, language, literature, and art flourished more than war. The Greek mind was preoccupied with ideals of beauty. The Greek language reflected artistry in its philosophical dialogues, its poetry, and its stately orations. Greek was also characterized by...

An unanswered questions for those that believe the law to still be in full effect: How do you know what parts of the law to keep and what parts to not keep? Who decides? For example, the law says the following about the Sabbath: It was to be kept from sunset to sunset (Lev. 23:32) No burden was to be carried (Jer. 17:21) No fire kindled (Ex. 35:3) No cooking done (Ex. 16:23) The penalty for doing any of these things during the Sabbath was death (Numbers 15) When was the last time your “church” killed a congregant for doing any of the above? It has to be quite often. Responses wou...

This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series Biblical LanguagesA secondary OT language is Aramaic, found in sections of Daniel (2:4b-7:28) and Ezra (4:8-6:18; 7:12-26). Aramaic phrases and expressions also appear in Genesis (31:47, Jeremiah (10:11), and the NT. OT Use Genesis 31:47 reflects usage of Hebrew and Aramaic by two individuals who were contemporaries: Jacob, the father of the Israelites, referred to a certain memorial or “witness heap” by the Hebrew term; his father-in law, Laban, called it by its Aramaic counterpart. Aramaic is linguistically very close to Hebrew. Aramaic tex...

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14) Success has become a modern fetish, it seems–from selfhelp seminars, to multi-level marketing schemes, to the yuppie mentality. A motivational and success-oriented mindset has even spilled over into the church. Instead of employing such worldly methods, however, we should emulate the lives and methods o...

This entry is part 4 of 14 in the series SDA Propaganda RefutedI was alerted about a new post that our SDA friend, Glenn, posted today. At first I was happy because it would give me another opportunity to show how ridiculous their beliefs are but then I was sad because it really highlights how blindly devoted this man is to his church’s teachings. Scholarship, logic, reason, and Scripture don’t matter. As long as the conclusion is what he agrees with, he’ll believe it. No matter how that conclusion was reached. As the title of this post makes clear, the verse in question is R...