New Testament Texts

Many Seventh-day Adventists tell the story of the change of the Sabbath to Sunday by simply citing the famous decree of Constantine in AD 321. This book makes it clear that one needs to pay careful attention to this early history of the transition from Sabbath sacredness to Sunday sacredness beca...

The Gospel of Matthew heads the New Testament canon. This prominent placement, rather than being merely a historical accident, witnesses to its foundational significance for Christians. Just as the book of Genesis introduces us to our God and the Creator of all, so this first Gospel introduces us...

Recently, while traveling to Europe, my wife found an interesting article in a magazine, describing the behavior of modern women. Fortunately, a lady wrote the article. She illustrated her point by describing the breaking apart of a marriage. A former gold medalist and world recorder holder, who ...

If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you , take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to t...

The term “millennium” has become quite popular, as have other terms used in John’s Apocalypse. Maybe there is a kind of global sense that the end may come—and even may be near—and that a redeemer is needed to control that which seems to have become uncontrollable. A number of novels, movies, musi...

The New Testament contains a number of texts that directly or indirectly address the issue of same-sex sexual behavior, a topic widely and controversially discussed today. Among these New Testament texts, the most important ones are Jesus’ discussion of heterosexual marriage in Matthew 19 and Mar...

Last messages or last warnings are very important. If one does not take them seriously, one has to count on unpleasant consequences. On the other hand, if they are followed, one can enjoy wonderful benefits. The Bible presents a last message in Rev 14:6-12. I. The Context 1. The Larger Context Re...

Worship is a crucial issue in the Book of Revelation. The theme occurs in various places culminating in the Apocalypse’s center vision, the vision of the satanic trinity that is engaged in war against God’s people (Rev 12-14). There the conflict is about worshiping God or worshiping the dragon, t...

I. The Terms Used in Heb 9:12-13 In Heb 9:12 two types of animal sacrifices are mentioned. The author states that oude di' haimatos tragôn kai moschôn ("not through the blood of goats and calves") Christ entered the Holy Place. The next two verses compare the effectiveness of the blood of certain...

Normally, people fear, hate, and try to avoid suffering. One form of suffering is religious persecution which in some cases may even lead to martyrdom. However, believers that live in countries with strong legal protection and religious liberty tend to forget that suffering for Jesus’ sake is par...