Biblical Last Words: Joseph Promises. “And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Soon I am going to die; and God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you to the land He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob… God will visit you, and …
Biblical Last Words: Jacob Worships. “It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.” (Hebrews 11:21). It’s easy to picture this poignant scene as Jacob was close to death. He gathered all his sons around him, and wanted to …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (7): Daniel Around 600 BC, Nebuchadnezzar and his huge Babylonian army laid siege to Jerusalem. They surrounded the capital city of Judah and had a stranglehold on everything in Jerusalem… no food, no transportation, no military help. God’s punishment to His Chosen People for their unfaithfulness was to have …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (6): Elijah and Isaiah. The mysterious Angel of Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible would appear numerous times from out of nowhere and in unexpected settings. This unique Angel would appear as a divine visitor to Abraham, a welcome comfort to Hagar, and a wrestling opponent to Jacob. This heavenly …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (5): Judges. The Angel of Yahweh, that mysterious heavenly Messenger that appears and then disappears in many stories in the Hebrew Bible, has long been considered by many scholars to be none other than Jesus Christ. Early Church theologians, and many others since then, have recognized that this unique …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (4): Balaam and Joshua. In the Orthodox tradition, and in cases of numerous other Biblical scholars as well, when God appeared in visible form as a man in the Hebrew Bible, that Man was the eternal Jesus Christ. And when the Angel of the Lord, the Angel of Yahweh, …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (3): Moses. Starting with the Early Church, many biblical scholars have agreed that the mysterious Angel of the Lord, the Messenger of Yahweh, has been an earthly appearance of the pre-incarnate Jesus. No one can see the Lord face-to-face because of His intense purity and glory-fire. And no one can …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (2): The Patriarchs. The pre-incarnate Jesus made appearances at momentous times in the lives of the three Patriarchs in the Hebrew Bible. Christ made personal, life-saving interventions with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their lives were changed forever. When God shows up in the form of a man, or …
Appearances of Christ in the O.T. (1): Adam and Hagar. There were many times in the Hebrew Bible when God appeared in bodily form as a man. But can Yahweh be seen that way? Can one visibly witness a sighting of God face-to-face? There are a couple of reason why this contradicts Scripture: God is …
Jesus and Sinners: The Lost Coin. “Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him teach. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So Jesus spoke these parables to them…” (Luke 15:1-2). In response to the Pharisees’ grumbling and muttering about Jesus …
Jesus and Sinners: The Lost Sheep. “Many dishonest tax collectors and other notorious sinners often gathered around to listen as Jesus taught the people. This raised concerns with the Jewish religious leaders and experts of the law. Indignant, they grumbled and complained, saying, ‘Look at how this man associates with all these notorious sinners, eats …
Jesus and Sinners: The Two Thieves. Please read this story in Luke 23:39-43. When Jesus was raised on the cross, he found Himself hanging between two thieves on their crosses, one thief on the right and the other thief on His left. The two thieves might have been similar in their criminal behavior, but it appears …