Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
John the Evangelist (6 AD – 100 AD), one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, received a vision while exiled on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. That vision resulted in the only apocalyptic book in the New Testament canon — The Revelation to John (or Book of Revelation). This last book of …
Paul’s Second Epistle to Timothy is believed by some scholars to be the last letter written before his death in Rome.1 Paul encouraged Timothy by saying “hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13, NRSV).2 Our study …
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 …
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 …
If you have ever attended a church Sunday school (or synagogue Hebrew school) as a child, you probably already know the story of David and Goliath. This tale is the chronicle of a young Hebrew shepherd boy, who killed a Philistine giant on the battlefield, some three thousand years ago. This Bible story is told …
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 …