Replacing “Replacement theology”: Part 2
Pouring petrol on a fire you’re trying to put out causes the flames to leap up and spread, the heat becomes unbearable, and everyone has to step back. And it won’t cool down until the new flames are controlled. Similarly, acts of violence in the Middle East destroy the prospect of peace. (more…)
Share this:
Replacing “Replacement theology”: Part 1
Imagine a family vineyard that once thrived under careful tending—rich soil, strong vines, abundant harvests. Over many years the heirs grow careless and rebellious. They ignore the pruning, chase after other interests, let weeds choke the rows, and even sell off parts of the land or let strangers trample it. The vineyard falls into ruin: collapsed fences, broken trellises, barren ground, fruitless vines that look dead. Neighbors write it off. Outsiders say the owner should abandon it forever. Years pass in desolation. (more…)
Share this:
The land promise
God’s promises are not like New Year’s resolutions, made sincerely but forgotten when circumstances change. They are more like a deeply rooted tree—steady through heat, drought and storms.
According to the Bible, God made many promises to the Israelites (descendants of Abraham), including a people (that’s the nation of Israel), a land (in the Middle East), and blessing for the world (the Messiah) through Abraham’s descendants (Gen. 12:1-3). In this post we look at the promise of the land. (more…)
Share this:
Israel in scripture, anti-semitism and end times
By going through Israel’s place in scripture, we will see why anti-semitism doesn’t connect with what scripture says. (more…)
Share this:
Overview of the Bible
This overview of the Bible is based on a video from Christianity Engaged. It is a short walk through the entire Bible to help us understand the greatest story ever told.
The Bible is comprised of 66 different books, but it is a single, cohesive story about a God who made us to love us, and His eternal plan to save us.
The main story arc of the Bible goes like this: creation, the fall of mankind, the global flood, the Tower of Babel, the story of the nation of Israel (which comprises most of the Old Testament), Jesus Christ and the cross, who ushered in a new covenant, the current Church age we are in, and the final eternal state with a new heaven and a new earth. (more…)
Share this:
A great victory
The first cricket test against England finished recently after just two days of play! England batted first and scored 172 runs, which seemed too low. But then Australia only scored 132 runs, giving England a lead of 40 runs on the first innings. In the second innings, England was 1 for 65 (105 runs ahead, with 9 wickets in hand). They would have been feeling confident of winning the game. But then the Australian bowlers took 5 wickets for 23 runs and England scored only 164 in the second innings. This meant that Australia needed to score 205 runs to win, which was higher than all the previous innings. So the English would have still been confident of winning, especially after their fast bowlers had terrorised the Australian batters in the first innings and Khawaja (the Australian opening batter) was injured. So the barmy army of English supporters was in full swing while things were going England’s way. What happened next? Australia was rescued by Travis Head who hit 123 runs off 83 balls! It was an amazing effort. He was a hero and won the game for Australia. And the barmy army were silent. (more…)
Share this:
Archaeological evidence of the exodus
After the original creation and the resurrection, the exodus and the miracles surrounding it are the greatest miracles God performed. Indeed, before the incarnation of Jesus, God regularly identified himself as the God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt (Ex. 20:2; 29:46; Ps. 81:10; Jer. 11:4). (more…)
Share this:
Comprehensive outline of the book of Exodus
The second book of the Old Testament, Exodus, was written by Moses. The information in chapter 1:1-2:10 may have come from his parents or his sister, or some other source.
I like having titles on the paragraphs or sections of my Bible. This helps to indicate the context of a particular passage of scripture. A comprehensive outline (section headings) of the book of Exodus is given below. (more…)
Share this:
Has God finished with Israel?
Have you heard the media reports of genocide in Gaza? What are the facts? In the war between Israel and Hamas there have been about 32k people killed in Gaza. But these are not all civilians. About 13k were soldiers and 19k were civilians. This is a ratio of 1.5 civilians for each soldier, which for urban combat in the Middle East is a very normal ratio. The ratio of civilians to combatants is better than the American armies was when they got the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) out of Mosul. That was 10k civilians dead to kill 4k Isis (a ratio of 2.5). What’s unique about this war? Unlike every other war, the army of Hamas has perfected the art of embedding itself with civilians so that you cannot hit them without hitting the people around them. They locate their bases near mosques, schools, and hospitals in urban areas. (more…)
Share this:
The significance of places in the Bible
This is the index to a series of blog posts on places in the Bible. They are listed as places in Israel followed by places outside Israel.
PLACES INSIDE ISRAEL
Bethlehem, God’s solution to our crises
At Bethlehem God provided a solution to a family crisis, and a national crisis and a global crisis. What about our personal crisis? (more…)
Share this:
Darkness and light in Galilee
Light is defined as the electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths between 380 and 750 nm, which is visible to the human eye. This light is a source of illumination. And sunlight provides the energy that green plants use to create sugars mostly in the form of starches, which release energy into the living things that digest them. This process of photosynthesis provides virtually all the energy used by living things. Darkness is the absence of visible light. (more…)
Share this:
Enemies and ungodliness at Gaza
In October 2023 Hamas terrorists from Gaza attacked Israel killing about 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostage, including babies, children, women and the elderly. Since then in an attempt to destroy Hamas, Israel has attacked Gaza and killed thousands of people. So there is war between Israel and Hamas at Gaza. (more…)
Share this:
King Saul’s hills and valleys
Saul was the first king over Israel. He lived in the 11th century BC. There is an account of his life in 1 Samuel 9-31 of the Bible. The main hills and valleys in his life are shown in the graph – the lower graph follows the upper one. (more…)
Share this:
Good times and bad times at Shechem
What can we learn from history? The Bible says that it was written for our instruction (Rom. 15:4; 1 Tim. 3:16). It gives us examples to follow and examples to avoid (1 Cor. 10:6, 11). And it can give us confidence from God.
The city of Shechem was in a valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim in central Israel, 55 km (35 miles) north of Jerusalem and 11 km (7 miles) southeast of Samaria. It was strategically located on the main road through the central hill country of Palestine “(the way of the Patriarchs”, or “the Ridge route”). But it had no natural defenses and required extensive fortification. Shechem was a very ancient commercial center due to its position in the middle of vital trade routes through the region. (more…)
Share this:
Living for the Lord
An overview of Ephesians
In about 1445 BC during the exodus from Egypt, at Mount Sinai Aaron made a golden calf and the people said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt” (Ex. 32:4, 8NIV). The calf may have been a pagan god or a symbol of strength. But the first commandment said, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). And the second said not to worship an idol. As they were disregarding or subtracting these commands from their Bible, about 3,000 people died. (more…)
Share this:
Tyre reminds us that God keeps His promises
Tyre was an island 800m (0.5 miles) off the coast north of Israel with two harbors, which was part of Phoenicia, an ancient civilization of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. It was noted for its wealth, pleasant environment and security (Ezek. 27:3-25; Hos. 9:13). Tyre was wealthy because it was a great trading center (Isa. 23:8; Ezek. 27:12-14; 28:4-5). In Semitic languages, the name of the city means “rock” after the rocky formation on which the city was originally built. (more…)
Share this:
Genocide of the Midianites?
Does the Bible support genocide, violence and war? In the Bible God tells the Israelites to destroy the Midianite nation. I have received a comment about the military threat of the Midianite nation, “Why couldn’t they (the Israelites) spare any (Amalekite) captives? At least those who wouldn’t be a military threat in the future like the Midianites?”
After the death of Sarah, Abraham married Keturah, and Midian was one of their sons (Gen. 25:1-4; 1 Chron. 1:32-33). Midian’s descendants were called Midianites or Ishmaelites (Gen. 37:27-28; Jud. 8:24-26). They settled in “the land of the east (of Canaan)” (Gen. 25:6NIV). And they are thought to have worshipped many gods, including Baal-peor and the Queen of Heaven, Ashteroth. (more…)
Share this:
Many battles at Megiddo
During the Bronze Age, Megiddo was an important Canaanite city-state and during the Iron Age, a royal city in the kingdom of Israel. The city was located about 26 km (15 miles) east of the Mediterranean Ocean and about 40 km (25 miles) southwest of the Sea of Galilee.
The ancient city of Megiddo had a strategic location. It was at the intersection of two main roads and near a pass (Wadi Ara) through the Carmel mountain range. It was on the main route (the Via Maris) between Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) and Egypt. (more…)
Share this:
Memory loss
Do you ever forget where you put your keys, phone or glasses? Have you ever gone into another room at home and wondered what you went in there for? We all forget some things and forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging. We get memory lapses. Our brain doesn’t function as well as it used to.
Mary couldn’t find her car keys. She looked on the hook just inside the front door. They weren’t there. She searched in her purse. No luck. Finally, she found them on her desk. Yesterday, she forgot her neighbor’s name. She decided to see her doctor. After a complete check-up, her doctor said that Mary was fine. Her forgetfulness was just a normal part of getting older. The doctor suggested that Mary take a class, play cards with friends, or help out at the local school to help her memory. (more…)
Share this:
Une nouvelle chronologie biblique
Comment lire la Bible dans l’ordre chronologique
Le gouvernement chinois a l’intention de réécrire la Bible pour «refléter les valeurs socialistes». Cette ordonnance a été proposée en novembre 2019, lors d’une réunion tenue par le Comité des affaires ethniques et religieuses du Comité national de la Conférence consultative politique du peuple chinois, qui supervise les questions ethniques et religieuses en Chine. Les nouvelles éditions de textes religieux ne doivent pas aller à l’encontre des croyances du Parti communiste. Toute partie jugée erronée ou contestée par les censeurs sera réécrite pour correspondre aux valeurs communistes. Ils affirment que cela empêchera les «pensées extrêmes» et les «idées hérétiques» d’éroder le pays. Dans cet article, nous examinons le contenu de ce livre «hérétique». (more…)
Share this:
A new Bible timeline
How to read the Bible in chronological order
The Chinese government intends to rewrite the Bible to ‘reflect socialist values’. This order was proposed in November, 2019, during a meeting held by the Committee for Ethnic and Religious Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which oversees ethnic and religious matters in China. New editions of religious texts must not go against the beliefs of the Communist Party. Any parts deemed wrong or challenging by the censors will be rewritten to match communist values. They claim that this will prevent ‘extreme thoughts’ and ‘heretical ideas’ from eroding the country. In this post we look at the contents of this ‘heretical’ book.
The Bible describes events that occurred over a period of about 5,000 years. But the 66 books in the Bible are arranged according to categories like history, poetry, prophecy, gospel (good news about Jesus Christ) and letters. (more…)
Share this:
Worshipping God and idols at Bethel
Good start, but bad finish
John Akhwari had a good start in the 1968 Olympic marathon race, but he also had a bad finish. He fell during the race and dislocated his knee but kept on going to finish last over one hour behind the winner. Likewise, the town of Bethel in Israel had a good start but a bad finish.
Geography
Bethel was 20 km (12 miles) north of Jerusalem; west of Ai (Gen. 12:8) and south of Shiloh (Jud. 21:19). It has been identified with modern Beitin (or Benin) or with el-Bireh. Bethel was on the ancient north-south ridge road that has been referred to as the Road of the Patriarchs. This road went through Shechem, Shiloh, Bethel, Jerusalem, Hebron and Beersheba.
Bethel was on the northern border of the land allocated to the tribe of Benjamin and Jerusalem was on the southern border. Bethel was assigned to the Benjamites, but they did not possess it, as the Ephraimites captured it from the Canaanites (Josh. 18:21-22; Jud. 1:22-26). So Bethel was an Ephraimite town (1 Chron. 7:28). (more…)
Share this:
God’s greatest promise
In Sydney we can expect lots of promises over the next few months, with a State election in March and a national election in May. Between Genesis and Revelation, the Bible is full of God’s promises. There are thousands of them. This post contains a survey of God’s promises in the Bible in order to determine which one is the greatest. We will see that the promise given to Abraham to bless all nations is the greatest because it was fulfilled in Jesus Christ and it leads to God’s other promises.
Promises in the Old Testament
The best known promises from God in the Old Testament are called covenants. We will summarize five of these that were given to Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jeremiah. (more…)
Share this:
Rebellion and deception at Samaria
The Trojan Horse is a story by Homer about the deception that the Greeks used to enter the city of Troy and win the Trojan War. After a 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside. The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night. The Greeks entered and destroyed the city of Troy, ending the war.
In this post we look at an older example of deception.
A promise and warning
After king Solomon had finished building the temple, God promised that if he was obedient his dynasty would always rule over Israel (1 Ki. 9:1-9; 2 Chron. 7:17-22). But if his descendants turned to follow other gods there would be disaster and they would be cut off from their land and the temple would be destroyed. (more…)
RECENT COMMENTS