Why in one Gospel it says that if you don’t love your brother you don’t love God and in another it says that if you don’t hate your family your brother your sister you cannot be my disciple… Thank you. (J.J.)
Translation [into a modern language] involves aiming at a moving target, which has accelerated over the centuries. English is developing more quickly today than at any time in its previous history. Some words have ceased to be used; others have changed their meanings. When a translation itself requires translation, it has ceased to serve its original purpose. [Alister McGrath, In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible (Hodder and Stoughton, 2001), 308, 309.]
Are you satisfied with the present condition of things? Don’t you have a longing for something more in your life, a longing for a true blessing? Introducing the greatest spiritual leader the world has ever known: we call Him the Desire of ages.
Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. (Luke 16:22-23)
To many people life is but a cycle of luck and misfortune. It takes faith to see God’s involvement in the events of our lives. To those who have faith, certain events take on a whole new meaning. Many faithful Christians would tell you that there were times when their theology failed them. Some would even confess occasional disappointment with God.
Raoul Dederen, Ph.D., was a professor emeritus of systematic theology and former dean of the Theological Seminary at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan (USA).
Raoul Dederen came to the Bible in the midst of humanity’s greatest crisis thus far, the Second World War (1942). “There was so much destruction, pain, and blood. I was often disturbed by the fact that my Catholic faith hardly answered my questions, especially about good and evil as well as about my future and that of Europe.”
One of the most relevant topics in those days was the doctrine of the millennium. Adolf Hitler, who reigned over most of Europe, had promised a thousand-year German Reich. “I refused to go along with Jean-Paul Sartre’s philosophy, very popular at the time. I refused to accept the view that man faces an absurd world with feelings of anguish and disgust.”
This led Raoul Dederen to study the end-time prophecies in Daniel and Revelation. He recalled meeting a peculiar people whose “grasp of the great controversy between Christ and Satan and their interpretation of biblical prophecies gave me some meaningful answers”.
The current pandemic has left me anxious and concerned for myself and my family as days turn into weeks and months with no end in sight. I’ve lost several friends to COVID-19; others have been furloughed from their jobs, and their families have been left vulnerable and without a sense of security. What can I do to get rid of the pervasive sense of unease and frequent panic attacks I’ve been experiencing? I know that as a person of faith I should be doing better, but I seem to be spiraling downward and would love to get your perspective.
Our world has experienced a crisis of pandemic proportions. A fast-moving virus has ravaged country after country at lightning speed. The coronavirus has changed life as we knew it.
The book of Daniel the prophet introduces a panorama of world empires. The prophecy in chapter 2 helps us see the big picture. We can even reach out and touch the kingdom of God. Let’s take a brief journey in the famous chapter 2 of this prophetic book.
Sharing books on the street brings together not only many beautiful and different people, but also some special moments and meaningful conversations. A ray of light touches a burdened heart, a heart that is searching for peace, and for hope… No matter who visits our stand, they are deeply cherished by God and us.
The truth will make you free.
