Dr Paul Allen

Auschwitz concentration camp, arrival of Hungarian Jews, Summer 1944 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) If anyone wishes to know whether or not the God of the Bible exists, one of the strongest reasons he can examine is the Jewish people . An honest inquiry into this question will provide more than an adequate answer to the truthfulness of the Christian faith.  About 4,000 years ago, God called a man named Abram out of the country where he was living and gave him these promises, “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those that bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2, 3, NASB).  “And the Lord said to Abram…  Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants fo...

“Hear, O Israel : The LORD our God is one LORD.” ( Deuteronomy 6:4 ) This great verse has been recited countless times by Israelites down through the centuries, setting forth their distinctive belief in one great Creator God. The Jews had retained their original belief in creation, handed down from Noah, while the other nations had all allowed their original monotheistic creationism to degenerate into a wide variety of religions, all basically equivalent to the polytheistic evolutionism of the early Sumerians at Babel. But along with its strong assertion of monotheism, there is also a very real suggestion that this declaration, with its thrice-named subject, is also setting forth the triune God. The name “LORD,” of course, is Yahweh, or Jehovah , the self-existing One who reveals Himself, while “God” is Elohim , the powerful Creator/Ruler. “Jehovah our Elohim is one Jehovah” is the proclamation. A number of respected Jewish commentators have acknowledged that the verse spoke of ...

English: Asa destroys the idols and forbids worship in local shrines (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing he who chooses you is an abomination” (Isa. 41:24). The passage before us condemns those who are foolish enough to worship idols. It exposes the futility of putting something in the place of God , for if we think rationally about it, nothing created can be the cause of our existence. Nothing created can know itself perfectly from beginning to end. Nothing created has any power over itself, much less power over those things it does not understand. Isaiah knew that when the Jews were taken into exile they would be mocked by the Babylonians and Persians for their devotion to Jehovah . They would be ridiculed as being simple-minded and naive. To help prepare the Jews, Isaiah reminded them through this prophecy that those who worship idols are the foolish ones. Did idols foretell the fall of the Assyrians?  Did idols foretell th...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) John 10:22-39 22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem ; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon . 24 The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ , tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26 But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father ’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; ...

Duccio di Buoninsegna - Christ Accused by the Pharisees (detail) - WGA06802 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) When Christians default to sinful assaults on other believers, the glory of Christ is diminished, the gospel message is muted and fellowship is destroyed. Hugh Hewitt recently challenged a room full of leaders to “expect to get hit from behind.” Anticipate that your most scathing, personal assaults will often come from those you partner with in ministry. Those you learn from, recruit, hire, mentor, lead, and serve. It’s not the attacks from unbelievers in the community or even from believers on the periphery of the ministry. It is assaults from those who have direct access to your heart, who for whatever reason, use their access and knowledge to launch accusations, spread gossip and advance slander. Similar to the volley of war, it is anything but friendly. Seminary can prepare a man for ministry in many ways, but classroom lectures do not warn aspiring pastors to expect false...

MOSES. The great leader and lawgiver through whom God brought the Hebrews out of Egypt , constituted them a nation for his service, and brought them within reach of the land promised to their forefathers. I. Name In Ex. 2:10 it is said that ‘she called his name Mōšeh: and she said, Because I drew him (mešîṯī-hû) out of the water’. Most interpreters identify the ‘she’ as Pharaoh ’s daughter, and this has led many to assume an Egyp . origin for the name Mōšeh, Egyp. ms, ‘child’ or ‘(one) born’ being the best possibility. However, the antecedent of ‘she’ could as easily be ‘the woman’, i.e. Moses ’ own mother and nurse, who ‘had called his name … ‘(so W. J. Martin). Ex. 2:10 clearly links the name of Mōšeh with his being taken from the waterside (māšâ, ‘to draw forth’). This pun would come naturally to a Hebrew speaker but not to an Egyptian: which fact would favour the view just mentioned that it was Moses’ own mother who first named him, rather than Pharaoh’s daughter. Mōš...