Dr Paul Allen

Tetramorph. Fresco, Meteora. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “ Son of man , take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus , and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” ( Ezekiel 28:12 ) This prophecy against the King of Tyre is very similar to the prophecy given over a century earlier against the King of Babylon ( Isaiah 14:3-28 ). Both are ostensibly addressed to earthly kings, yet both are impossible to apply to any mere human monarch. In both instances, it becomes obvious that an evil spirit—in fact, none other than Satan himself—had possessed the bodies of these kings. Thus God , through Ezekiel, is here speaking primarily to Satan. Satan had been “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty,” but he became proud instead of thankful. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground” ( Ezekiel 28:17 ). He had been “the anointed cheru...

John Piper (theologian) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A Commanding Invitation Psalm 119 stands as an invitation to us to approach God ’s word with our whole minds (Psalm 119:113) and our whole hearts (Psalm 119:2). It commands us to think rightly and feel deeply about God’s word. It leaves no room for a clean division of the intellect and emotions , but rather demands a response from both the mind and the heart. Whether we hear God’s word in a call to worship , a confession of sin , an assurance of pardon, an exposition, or in the benediction — every time we hear the words of Scripture, God is speaking to his people. There is no space for yawning when God is speaking. His word commands our attention, our affection, and our obedience. We see in the 176 verses of Psalm 119 an unbreakable chain of knowing and feeling. The psalmist has tasted the word of God, and has developed an unquenchable appetite for it. His passions have been fixed on knowing and experiencing God’s word. He has...

Wenceslas Hollar - Jesus before Pilate 2 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Government is one of the facts of life in this world. All of human history has shown that we need to be governed. Not surprisingly, the Bible speaks to government. Here are five things the Bible teaches us. Every government is put in place by God . Jesus answered [Pilate], “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” (John 19:11) There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13:1b)  God uses even sinful governments to do his will. Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts : Because you have not obeyed my words, behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the LORD, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon , my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an...