Die Once, Face Judgment
“People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Hebrews 9:27. When most people read this text, they just take it to mean that the present life of every human is some kind of test that each of us undergoes, at the end of which we die and then face God to be sentenced with reward or punishment based on our performance. Is this understanding scriptural? What is judgment according to the Scriptures?
Revelation 20:5 – A Maliciously Inserted Delay
Scriptures state that Christ’s kingdom that is to come on the Earth has a specific purpose. Christ and his proven followers will reign over the rest of the resurrected mankind for those thousand years and teach them righteousness. But one verse in Revelation (20:5) seems to contradict all the other Scriptures in claiming that the rest of mankind does not wake up during that time. What’s the story there?
Shared Meals
Jesus encouraged the Manna Principle among his followers and demonstrated it during the feeding of the multitude. How did his disciples put it in action in the church communities of the first century?
A Clash of Empires
In first century Israel, Jesus was tortured and executed brutally by the Roman Empire. What was the reason? Did the Empire accomplish its goal in killing him?
Like Father, Like Son!
Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament is usually portrayed as an angry, vengeful god who somehow became benevolent in the New Testament with the arrival of his son. Is this an accurate depiction?
A Different Emperor
Jesus preaches the Empire of God that he will bring to the Earth and rule it as its Emperor. What kind of an Emperor would he be? What taste does he give us of his upcoming rule in his teachings, parables and miracles?
Sermon on the Sabbath – A Forecast of God’s Empire
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus delivers his inaugural sermon at a Nazareth synagogue on a Sabbath day. How does his message relate to the Sabbath and how does it forecast the Kingdom of God that is to come on the Earth?
Healing on the Sabbath
When he heals people on the Sabbath, the relgio-political leaders of Israel accuse Jesus of breaking the law. Jesus’ response to them brings out the spirit of the law. What exactly is that spirit?
The Lord of the Sabbath
When the disciples pick grain on a Sabbath day, the Pharisees accuse them of breaking the Law. In his response, Jesus says the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath. What does he mean by that?
The Power of Sharing – A Forecast of God’s Empire
When Jesus asks his disciples to share their meagre food with the thousands of people in the wilderness, what lesson is he teaching them? And what is he forecasting about the nature of food security in the Kingdom of God?
What does it mean to worship Yahweh?
What does it actually mean to worship the God of the Bible? And how are the two greatest commandments according to Jesus intricately linked with each other?
Jesus Feeds the Multitude
Jesus feeds thousands of people in the wilderness. How does he manage that feat? Does he turn stones into bread? Or does he demand his followers do something for such a miracle to happen?
The Trial of Jesus in the Wilderness
Before Jesus commences his ministry, he is taken to the wilderness and tested. What is the significance of his first trial? How is it connected to the history of Israel and the Empires that oppressed the people?
Jesus in the Roman Empire
When Jesus enters the scene, what was the state of the society in Israel under the Roman Empire? And why was the title ‘son of god’ so controversial in those times? Who was its original owner?
The Jubilee Year Liberty
Yahweh’s Jubilee Year Liberty laws cover those who fall under harsh times and end up mortgaging off their agricultural land, property or themselves to someone. How do these revolutionary laws weave a safety net for everyone in society?
The Sabbath Year Release
Yahweh’s Sabbath extends far beyond the week, as he decrees a Sabbath Year of rest every seven years. A Sabbatical year every seven years. No food cultivation that year. Then what are people supposed to eat? Also, most types of debts are expected to be canceled that year. What is the intended purpose of that?
The Sabbath Rest
“The seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.” Exodus 20:8-10. Whenever this law is discussed nowadays, debates rage on which day it’s supposed to be and the mechanics of how one is expected to observe it. But all these controversies distract us from the main point of the law, which has been deemed as unprecedented, groundbreaking and revolutionary in the ancient world.
The Manna Principle
When Yahweh rains down food from heaven for the Israelites in the wilderness, he gives them specific directions regarding how the Manna should be collected and consumed. Those instructions go against the very fabric of imperial societies, and together they form the tenets of what can be defined as the Manna Principle. What are those tenets?
The Anti-Imperial Yahweh
Yahweh, the God of the Bible, emerges on the world scene by subduing the imperial masters and liberating the Israelites from under the yoke of the Egyptian Empire. He brings them out into the wilderness, where he starts teaching them his ways. In these teachings and commandments we find the true nature of Yahweh, and what he personally deems as a just and fair society. What are some of Yahweh’s flagship teachings that reflect the themes of his thought process on how a model society should function?
Joseph in the Egyptian Empire
Joseph’s planning likely kept Egypt from collapsing into mass starvation, which is why many retellings present him as the wise hero of the crisis. But Genesis also invites a closer look at how that survival was secured. As the famine deepens, the text traces a clear sequence: money, livestock, land, and finally the people themselves shifting control into Pharaoh’s house and reshaping ordinary life for generations. So the real question is not only whether the nation lived through the drought, but what kind of society emerged on the other side: a temporary emergency response, or a permanent system that made families dependent on the palace.
Empires of Men
When societies stop loving their neighbor as themselves, daily life begins to fracture in ways that go far beyond money. Trust thins out. Families and communities grow estranged. “Us vs. them” becomes normal, and fear becomes easy to manipulate. The consequences show up everywhere: delayed justice and mass incarceration, discrimination and exploitation, homelessness and anxiety, wars and displacement, abuse of human and animal life, and even a wounded earth of disasters, droughts, and hostile climes. What does this breakdown of neighbor-love do to the everyday lives of ordinary people?
Your Higher Calling – Things to Do
Do you understand the original good news of the ransom price Jesus paid on the cross for Adam? Are you excited about the glorious Kingdom of God that is to come upon the Earth when all of mankind shall come back alive and be taught righteouness under the reign of Christ? Do you want to reign with him then? Are you aware of the biblical foundations of original Christianity? Do you want to follow God and Jesus Christ? So what do you need to do now?
The Body of Christ
How do we know whether someone belongs to the Body of Christ? Well, anyone who has dedicated his/her life to follow Christ’s footsteps after understanding the Bible’s foundational doctrines of the gospel of the kingdom of God belongs to the Body of Christ. But the Bible is huge. Can we really identify the essential foundations of the biblical Christian gospel? And if someone differs in those foundational doctrines, could they still be part of the Body of Christ?
Studying, Fishing & Becoming Christ-like
We want to study the Scriptures more diligently and grow in our knowledge about God and Christ. How does the gospel race help us with that? Jesus promises his followers that he sends them out as fishers of people. How does that relate to our gospel race? Everyone wants to become Christ-like, don’t we? Does the Bible explicitly mention anywhere a way to achieve that?
The Greatest Commandments of Love
When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied – “Love (Greek: agape) the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love (agape) your neighbor as yourself” Matt 22:37-39. Greek has many words for love. Here Matthew uses agape. How is it unique? How can we show agape to God and humanity?
Doing Good & Preaching Truth
Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves and continue to do good.1Pet 4:19. The Petrine epistle says we need to do good. But the Bible deems all the so-called good things of this world as meaningless (Eccl 1:14, 2:1). So what good can we truly do to someone? Also some ask the question – Why do we need to tell the gospel to the world now? Won’t they just hear it in the Kingdom? Many just reject it in present times, don’t they?
Share Christ’s Sufferings
Paul writes – Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17. That sounds fair. Only if we participate in the sufferings of Christ would we get a share in his glory. What kind of sufferings did Jesus face? Is suffering like Christ only meant for the Apostles?
Faith and Holiness
One uber-crucial thing we achieve by running the gospel race – We prove our faith! According to Paul’s letters, it’s a basic requirement for a believer to announce the gospel. It’s a test of faith. And another important purpose of our gospel work would be to discharge our priestly duty. Yes, the Bible declares every true Christian a priest. And performing this priestly duty is the way to attain holiness.
The Purpose of the Gospel Race
Biblically, there’s no room for any ambiguity that the Higher Calling of Christ’s followers is to dedicate our lives to proclaim his gospel of the Kingdom to all of mankind. Looking at it superficially, it might seem like a trivial thing. But when we read the Scriptures, we understand why God asks us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to run this gospel race. His purpose is multi-fold. Let us dig deeper.
The Spirit vs The Flesh
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” Rom 8:5-6. Many think that a mind governed by the flesh refers to sin. But are acts of the flesh just sin alone? No, everything we do is an act of the flesh.
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