Dr Paul Allen

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace, you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:6) We can all recall a time when we had a seating assignment. Perhaps in schooling, at work, or around the dinner table, a particular chair may come to be known as your seat. We tend to size up the quality of our assigned seats by factors such as visibility, ambiance, and, above all, the surrounding company.  If we’re off to a concert or sporting event, our first question may well be “Do we have good seats?” We intuitively recognize that where we sit and (more importantly) whom it is that we sit next to play no small role in our experience. Thus, as Christians, we do well to pause and ask the question, “Do we have good seats?” Christians possess the most awesome of all assigned seats. How so? In this pa...

When Barack Obama took office as president in 2009 he converted the White House tennis court into a basketball court for private pick-up games, to de-stress and stay fit. Games were strict “invitation only.” Instantly, this became the most sought-after invitation in Washington. Congressmen, senators, legislators, celebrities, donors, dignitaries, and diplomats of all stripes would contact the White House, the chief-of-staff, the press secretary, the communications director, and any other highly placed official to try beg, bribe, or bargain their way into a game with the President. None of these requests succeeded. What the powerless power brokers didn’t know was that there was only one person that arranged players for these games. There was only one man who could get you into the inner circle, and that person was a 20-something intern named Reggie Love, the President’s body man. “Body man” is jargon for “special assistant and personal aide to the President.” His job is to get whatever ...

English: High priest offering a sacrifice of a goat, as on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur; from Henry Davenport Northrop, "Treasures of the Bible," published 1894 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Book of Leviticus is the heart and center of the Pentateuch. The theological heart of Leviticus—and, therefore, also of the Five Books of Moses —is the Day of Atonement (Lev 16). On this most sacred day, the high priest of Israel would bring the blood of sacrifice into the holy of holies to cleanse both the tabernacle dwelling of God and the camp of Israel . Ultimately, every other sacrifice and ritual in Israel's cult derived its meaning and significance from this annual entrance into the earthly throne room of God. Worship in ancient Israel was through the chosen and anointed mediator, the high priest. Significantly, then, in the Pentateuch "messiah" refers exclusively to Aaron the high priest—he is the one anointed with oil, whose mediation allows God...

English: The Sin of Nadab and Abihu, illustration from a Bible card published in 1907 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Leviticus 16 is the central passage describing and explaining the Day of Atonement ritual. Following the death of Aaron ’s sons Nadab and Abihu , (Lev 10), the text focuses on issues of cleanness and uncleanness of the sacred space. Chapter 16 deals with purification of the sanctuary, the high priest (16:1–4), and the people. After the high priest had achieved atonement through sacrificing a bull, he was qualified to serve in the sanctuary. The Day of Atonement ritual required two goats which were used to bring atonement for the people’s sins. The high priest would cast lots to determine which would go to God and which would go to “ Azazel .” He would then sacrifice the goat assigned as God’s goat as a sin offering . Azazel’s goat is sent off into the wilderness to make purification. The exact meaning of the term “Azazel” is unknown; it may refer to a wilderness de...