Paul’s apostolic call to unity, combined with his reference to the universe, is one way God reveals His glory to His children. The one Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all, is reflected in the universe.
Read MoreIn Scripture, dreams are sources of divine revelation that indicate what someone should do, reveal what is going to happen, or explain current events
Read MoreScripture’s mention of stars has a variety of meanings and interpretations. Sometimes it means the literal collection of plasma in the sky (Gen. 1:16), and other times it may be a reference to spiritual beings, or even Jesus Himself. This article will take a look at what Scripture means when it speaks of stars.
Read MorePsalm 127 is a wisdom psalm written by King Solomon. Though it is a pilgrimage song, its wisdom undoubtedly speaks of the family unit, as Biblically the word house also refers to a family. To let the Lord build the house means to allow Him to arrange the union of husband and wife and their offspring.
Read MoreA mandrake is a plant that was used in ancient times as an aphrodisiac and fertility drug. It has dark leaves, dark purple flowers, and orange, tomato-like fruit. Because of its fragrance, mandrakes are placed with pomegranates, another fruit believed in antiquity to enhance fertility. Greeks refer to mandrakes as “love apples.” Its roots resemble the human lower torso, which is likely why the ancients perceived it as sensual.
Read MoreLighting is caused when two electrically charged regions temporarily neutralize themselves and cause an instantaneous release of energy. This work produces electromagnetic radiation. It generally occurs in three ways: inside a single thundercloud, between two different clouds, or between a cloud and the ground (also called heat lighting, summer lightning, or dry lightning). Lightning is described in the Bible as fire from heaven. Lightings (lightning bolts) are God’s arrows (Ps. 18:14, 77:17, 144:6; Job 36:32; Hab. 3:11).
Read MoreGod promised to make Abraham the father of many nations. Though the Bible text focuses on Israel, the sons he bore through Hagar and Keturah also became nations. They were blessed, as God promised, because they too were children of Abraham.
Read MoreIsrael was God’s chosen nation—not because of anything spectacular they had done, but because they were the descendants of Abraham, a man God honored with many descendants because of his faith. But Israel being God’s chosen nation never meant that He completely despised and wanted absolutely nothing to do with the people of other nations. His grace for non-Israelites is evident throughout the Old Testament.
Read MoreGenesis 10 tells us that after the flood Noah’s sons repopulated Earth. From these three men came 70 groups of people (nations), known as the Table of Nations. It identifies who they were, where they settled, the languages they spoke, and their political units. The table is very specific, but in general Shem’s descendants went to Mesopotamia and northern Arabia, Ham’s descendants went to Africa and southern Arabia, and Japheth’s descendants went to Asia Minor and Europe.
Read MoreIsrael was God’s chosen nation. However, before God chose Israel, He chose the world. That’s everyone, across all nations, all races, all tribes, all families. From the beginning, God has loved and cared for the human family, and has desired close fellowship with them.
Read MoreThe urinary bladder is a hollow organ that stores urine (waste, a byproduct of metabolism) before it is released from the body. It is held in place by folds in the peritoneum (abdominal lining). In the Tabernacle of the human body, the urinary bladder is the washbasin and the folds holding it in place are the washbasin’s stand.
Read MoreSpiritual food is the content that nourishes the inner self (mind, heart, will, and spirit [emotions]). It enters the inner self via the spiritual organs (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin). Therefore whatever is put before the eyes, flows into the ears, inhaled through the nostrils, tasted with the tongue, and comes in contact with the skin is food. It teaches in one way or another and affects the inner self that is connected to the innermost eternal spirit that goes before the Lord after death to be judged.
Read MoreThe apostolic gift for the Church (New Covenant body of believers) is a continuation of God’s redemptive call to restore humanity to fellowship with Him as they did before the fall (Gen. 3). Since God’s desire is for all of mankind to be saved, He sends human messengers as His representatives to deliver messages of repentance and salvation. In this way, Moses (Ex. 3:10, 12, 14-16), Jonah (Jonah 1:2; 3:2), Jeremiah (Jer. 1:7, 17), and the rest of the Old Testament prophets who traveled to deliver God’s messages were all apostles.
Read MoreThe responsibilities of the Mosaic priesthood included specific duties for service in the Holy Place (the inner portion of the Tabernacle). Each duty symbolized fellowship with the divine Family, represented by the furniture pieces of the Holy Place. Jesus’ resurrection instituted The New Covenant, which extended the Mosaic priesthood to all believers and allows them to enjoy this same fellowship with the divine Family (1 Pet. 2:5).
Read MoreHumility is “a virtue that involves a modest self-perception. In this sense, it is the opposite of pride and arrogance” (Gleaves, 2014) and is one of the key requirements for worship. Since worship is not limited to one specific form, the posture of worship is not, either. However, the importance of posture is evident throughout the Bible text, most notably bowing, kneeling, and prostration.
Read MoreIn the spiritual anatomy of the body, bile is the equivalent of emotions, created by God as a part of His design for mankind and an essential part of spiritual digestion, (i.e. the learning required for spiritual growth). As a part of worship, emotions must be poured out to Him as an offering through prayer. Scripture refers to this as pouring out one’s heart (1 Sam. 1:15; Job 16:20; Ps. 62:8; 142:2; Lam. 2:19), and it is one of the ways emotions remain balanced to maintain godliness.
Read MoreThe Holy Place held three specific pieces of furniture: the lampstand, the incense altar, and the table for the bread of the presence. The lampstand represents the Father, the incense altar represents Holy Spirit Mother, and the Table for the Bread of the Presence represents Jesus Christ the Son.
Read MoreThe Tabernacle was the central place of worship for the Israelites before the Temple was built. As such, all of the items used for worship in the Tabernacle were holy, including all of the furniture and their corresponding pieces. Each was created by the design of God, and each served a specific function in worship.
Read MoreGold is a naturally occurring chemical element and a precious metal. It is highly resistant to corrosion and other chemical reactions and is found in soil, caves, and rocks. When it was time to build the Tabernacle, gold was among the materials collected from the community via free-will offerings (Ex. 35:5, 20-22).
Read MoreThe skin is the external surface of the body and its largest organ in weight. It has two layers, the epidermis and the dermis. The epidermis is the outer layer of the skin and the dermis is its connected inner layer. In the anatomy of marriage, the epidermis layer represents the husband and the dermis layer represents the wife.
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