Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
I’ve heard many secular statements explaining ‘evil’, but I will use a biblical source for the Christian definition. A Bible dictionary states that evil is “the presence of corruption, malevolence and depravity in the world, opposed to God’s nature and will. Scripture stresses that evil is a force in its own right, rather than the …
It is impossible, in our world today, not to observe that evil is increasing. We see violence, resistance, and disagreement everywhere — on television, in newspapers, in towns and neighborhoods, and even within families. Evil is everywhere on planet earth; we see evil people and situations all around us and most have actually experienced it …
Everyone has a guardian angel, right? You know, an invisible heavenly spirit being from God that shadows us throughout this human existence and runs interference during the rough times in our lives. If true, I imagine some of them must have a boring existence, while others (like mine) have a very rough time, trying to …
Jesus’ disciples ask him, in Matthew, chapter 24, what are the signs of the end of the age and of his second coming. After explaining those things, our Lord proceeds, in chapter 25, by presenting three great parables about the last judgement, one of which is an allegory about ten virgins or bridesmaids. This is …
Many churches speak of the bride of Christ. For new Christians, this is a bit unsettling because, despite what some novels and motion pictures depict, they are also taught that Jesus never married. So what does ‘bride of Christ’ actually mean? Evangelical denominations — those that believe the New Testament teaches the doctrine of salvation …
We hear Christian preachers talk about the Last Days a lot. Generally, many modern Christian denominations teach that the ‘last days’ are a short period of time prior to the end of the world. At that time, Jesus makes his promised return to rapture the righteous into heaven as angels where they join previous believers …
As a younger man, Moses left Egypt to avoid being arrested for killing an Egyptian overseer of the Hebrew slaves. Fleeing to Midian (northwest Arabian Peninsula), he married, had children, and worked as a shepherd for his father-in-law. After a new Pharaoh comes to power back in Egypt, God commands Moses to return to lead …
The phrase, “something wicked this way comes,” is from Shakespeare’s play Macbeth.1 It is spoken by one of the three witches in Act 4, Scene 1, when she speaks of the war hero, Macbeth. By enticement and his own doing, he has become a monster of a man, because of his political ambition. These witches …
Not long ago, I received an email letter from a visitor to The Outlaw Bible Student website; it was from a lifelong research scientist, university professor, and author. This letter wasn’t positive or negative directly toward me, but from the tone of it, I knew it was unquestionably from an atheist.1 I have found that …
In ancient cultures, most practitioners of supernatural skills were men. They were the religious officials of various pagan cults, who were considered ritual specialists in the magical arts. It wasn’t until later, during medieval times, that a witch was considered a person who performed harmful supernatural acts against others. And, the introduction of demonic forces …