Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
The Book of Revelation, also known as The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John or the Book of the Apocalypse, is basically a letter which discloses important information for John the Apostle to communicate to our Lord’s servants in various churches in the old Roman empire of Asia. It prophesies what must take place in …
I believe everyone has seen at least one cartoon depicting a city street corner with a straggly-haired person in a monk’s habit, holding a sign stating, “Repent, the End is Near.” They are usually portrayed as a kind of crazy person publicly announcing what no one else accepts as true. They get no respect and …
My thoughts about the future of life on earth change over time, as I learn more and find deeper meaning in scripture. I also consider the changing political, geographical, and astronomical events upon and surrounding our world as I connect the pieces of the puzzle. But in this turbulent current time, it is important to …
Many authors, including myself, believe that God has dealt with humankind differently through several dispensations or ages. These progressive ages are historical time periods in which God dispensed various methods of social organization and management to his people. The ages were not separate ways of salvation, but ways in which humans are reconciled to God …
After Moses guided God’s people out of Egypt, and after his successor, Joshua, led them in the conquest of Canaan, the Israelites seemed to exist comfortably from their victories. But, this peace was short lived as the Israelite people — once again — began to abandon God’s commandments and partook of pagan practices. The more …
“Do you believe aliens are among us?” For a Christian minister, that question arises more often than you might imagine. We are not considering foreign nationals illegally breaching our country’s borders; we are discussing intelligent beings other than human, originating outside of the earth’s boundaries. Or, maybe, they are coming from another dimension or realm …
Ever since the Israel-Hamas war recently broke out in the middle east, there have been inquiries about the situation and questions about what will God do to save Israel. I admit it is hard to wrap our minds around what is going on, but these questions are coming from Christians who are really concerned about …
According to widespread Christian preaching, God took two people to heaven without them first dying. Why and how this was done is not answered in scripture, just that they were here one moment and not the next. There is, however, a Greek term for this event; it is said that God ‘translated’ them to his …
As usual, around holiday events I get questions concerning its celebration. So, I was not surprised when a few inquiries arose around our last Thanksgiving Day. The first question asked was “Is Thanksgiving Day a religious holiday?” The second question was “Do other countries celebrate Thanksgiving Day?” The third was “What does Black Friday mean?” …
The story about Jezebel is recorded in 1 Kings and 2 Kings of the Old Testament, but for those who do not know much about this character, here is an overview. According to Hebrew scripture, Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Tyre in Phoenicia during the 9th-century BC. Phoenicia was a coastal …