Thoughts on Theology (Page 2)

Read Part I Read Part II As the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, God made a promise to them he would surely go before them into the Promised Land. He would always care for them, come to defeat their enemies, and they would live securely. They would finally enter into their rest in the Promised Land. He also said to them that after they had settled into the Promised Land, they must observe the Sabbath. They must keep it holy,…

We know that the commandment to remember the Sabbath day and to keep it holy came to the Israelites in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Before this, there was no commandment to the Israelites anywhere in the Bible to remember the Sabbath day, and to keep it holy. But I don’t want you to think that God introduced the concept of rest for the first time in Genesis, and he didn’t bring up the concept of rest, or more…

The Ten Commandments is one of the most recognizable sections in the Bible. I first heard about them when I was still a little boy. Hollywood even made a movie with the same title in 1956. But what if I were to tell you the words, “Ten Commandments” are not found anywhere in the Bible? It’s true. That is because in the three places where “Ten Commandments” appear in the Bible, it does not say, “Ten Commandments”, but “Ten Words”…

In the opening chapter in the Book of Hebrews, the author wasted no time firing off on his agenda. He set out to begin to talk about angels right out of the gate. But he didn’t just begin to give a systematic theology on angels. His purpose was more specific than that. His main thesis was on how Christ is superior than the angels. Of the many directions he could have gone, it is remarkable to me the first thing…

Do you know what is prosperity theology? You may not know the term, but you may already know the theology. Prosperity theology is sometimes also called the prosperity gospel, the health and wealth gospel, or the gospel of success. It is an unbiblical theology that says if a person becomes a Christian, it is God’s will for him to receive financial blessing, physical well-being, among other “prosperous” things. For the past two weeks, I was in Taiwan visiting my parents…

The Lord taught the Israelites to observe the Passover once they entered into the Promised Land so they would always remember how the Lord killed every Egyptian firstborn to deliver them. Year after year, the Israelites observed the Passover, and they became more and more familiar with the Lord’s teachings on the firstborn—the firstborn belongs to the Lord, the firstborn must be redeemed, and redemption always required blood. Then came one day many years later, a Passover unlike any other.…

After refusing nine times to let the Israelites go, it is remarkable that on the tenth time, Pharaoh told them to get out, and that in the middle of the night. He couldn’t even stand to wait until daylight. It took the murder of all the Egyptian firstborns to bring Pharaoh to his knees and to let the Israelites go. The tenth plague was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Every one of the nine plague struck the Egyptians,…

How many of you are the eldest among your brothers or sisters? Are you a firstborn in your family? According to some studies, the oldest in the family are usually high achievers, excellent problem solvers, born leaders, independent thinkers, and the brains in the family! If you are a firstborn, have I just described you? How many of those things I listed are true of you? On the flip side, as with many things in life, being the firstborn comes…

Let’s be honest. No one likes mourning. Mourning that is, not morning (many don’t like that too). None of us looks forward to something that gives us a reason to mourn. Just hearing the word makes us feel sick. To mourn assumes one is already experiencing some kind of a deep grief, and he or she is expressing that deep grief outwardly. Genesis 23:2 Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in…

Do you know in which country was the technology developed for the original cellular phone? Where was voicemail technology invented? How about the first ingestible video camera? Which country has the highest annual production of scientific papers per capita? Which country has the world’s highest rate of university degrees per capita? The answer: Israel. Surprised? In addition, 13 Israeli minds have won the Nobel Prize in the fields of chemistry, economics, literature and peace. That’s more per capita than our…