The anointing of Jesus points to His ability to mediate where men failed. The program for God's kingdom, including Israel, will be brought to fruition by Christ.

~ Second of three blogs on theocratic annointing ~ Through His Holy Spirit, Yahweh provided theocratic anointing to specific people to enable them to engage in theocratic tasks, primarily as His human representatives for the leadership of Israel. After Joshua passed away, Yahweh raised up judges in the Promised Land ( Judges 2:16 ). In all, twelve ruled until the time of the monarchy through theocratic anointing. Four judges are recorded as receiving the anointing, but it is

Reflecting on God’s design for marriage, we can never imagine the beauty that was displayed in the Garden of Eden before man’s fall.

In a post-Garden of Eden world, it is difficult to fully comprehend that the environment we now live in is an "all-out struggle." Humankind has become used to post-Fall conditions.

As challenging as it is to render the perfect world of Eden in our minds, it is more difficult to understand God’s love for His fallen image-bearers.

While we can’t characterize Christians who promote old-earth theories as being false converts, their position weakens their testimony to an already cynical secular society. For those who take the minority position, may we stand firm. As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 16:3, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

Beyond the Theistic Evolution Theory, which was covered in my previous blog, many evangelicals engage in other assumptions that are contrary to the word of God and His creation narrative.

Even though secular scientists have not validated the premise through anything that is remotely observable or measurable, many evangelicals have succumbed to the world’s pressure to accept the notion that creation has occurred over billions of years.

Like the fabric of all Scripture, the Psalms call out Christ in God’s redemptive plan!

The Church Fathers comprehended the role of Christ’s Apostles. They understood Christ gave the Church the Apostles to complete God’s will.

Yahweh’s writers engaged multiple literary styles to convey God’s message.

Audiences of all times must seek His meaning by understanding historical environments.

Authorial Intention: Meaning is determined by the intention of the author.

The faithful have the very words of God which were dictated in a manner that only He could conceive and supervise.

As such, the word few, as presented by Jesus in Matthew 17:13, carries heavy implications.

Hence, Yahweh is not a genie who gives us what our heart desires, for man’s heart cannot be trusted (Jeremiah 17:9). 

Christ has given us an example of how to honor Him. We should be encouraged and never dismayed by the act of prayer!

In our everyday conversations, our words should be solid; we do not have to install oaths in our speech.

Do we count others better than ourselves? Within the house of the Lord, are we willing to mend fences at any cost?

In this third blog in a series on the Beatitudes, I am reflecting on blessedness connected to mercy, purity, and peacemaking.