The Bible's Promise of Forgiveness

I happen to be at a place in life where I don't spend a lot of time doing laundry. But I know some folks who do. And those who spend a lot of time doing laundry will tell you that some substances are especially difficult to wash out of clothes -- especially white or lightly colored clothes. For example, fruit juices from pomegranates, cherries, and strawberries are difficult to clean. The same is true for grease stains and marks caused by many kinds of ink.

But there aren't many stains tougher than blood stains. In fact, for a lot of people who do laundry, attempting to clean something stained with blood is simply a problem not worth solving.

Better Bibles

Discussing Bible translations often elicits strongly-held and surprisingly diverse opinions. These range from the "KJV only" camp to "any version will do". Until recently I sat somewhat cautiously in the middle of these two extremes, but that changed when I found the NET Bible (New English Translation).

The Bible reading infographic I posted a few weeks ago received a number of comments regarding its representation of Bible versions. Here's the section that generated the comments:

Classifying versions on this scale is fairly common practise and is based on the reasonably scientific readability metrics (see bottom table) calculated for each version. This range of translation approaches becomes useful context for Bible students who have to balance both the literal (word-for-word) and conceptual (thought-for-thought) senses that translators have sought to render in their native tongue.

August 8th One Year Bible Readings

Old Testament - We have great readings in Ezra today!  It is very encouraging that King Artaxerxes wrote such a strong letter of endorsement for Ezra, the priest and scribe.  It made me think that government and religion can work together for good.   Below is a wonderful engraving from Gustave Dore of King Artaxerxes proclaiming freedom for the Israelites from Babylon:

I found chapter 7 verses 9 & 10 intriguing: "He had left Babylon on April 8 and came to Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the law of the LORD and to teach those laws and regulations to the people of Israel."  What I noticed here is that it says about Ezra - "the gracious hand of his God was on him."  And why was this?  "Because Ezra had determined to study and obey the law of the Lord AND to teach those laws and regulations to the people of Israel."  Ezra was living his life not just for himself. 

Oldest Bible To Online Bible

Last year, press releases from the religious and scholastic communities had been ripe with news of digitizing and making Codex Sinaiticus an online bible. To the uninitiated, this is considered the oldest known Bible, dating back 17 centuries ago. Published during the rift between the East and West Roman Empire, the Bible was said to have been commissioned by Emperor Constantine when he adopted Christianity. It also included the oldest version of the New Testament. The year 2005 had been the start of an ambitious project, but no new publicity had been announced regarding the manuscript's online bible version.

The online bible version was conceptualized with four phases: conservation, digitization, transcription, and academic commentary. The online Codex project aimed to reach a wider, and even worldwide audience through the internet. Tools developed for the manuscript's internet launch include a CD Rom, free website, and digital facsimile. The project is intended to be the standard of collaborative manuscript projects. However, the team behind the Codex project was reportedly having troubles with the first phase of the project and is not quite done yet. Conservation is essential to protect the Codex from damage during the project. Since the manuscript is old and very fragile, the conservation team faced the difficulty of restoring the manuscript to readable and presentable texts. Scot McKendrick, British Library's Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Department chair, commented that the manuscript is very distinct from other old manuscripts. Given the size of each parchment (37 cm) and the text layering (four columns of Greek texts), it is a considerable feat to finish the conservation of all 400 pages in a short time.

Probably eyeing a 2010 or 2011 launch date, the Codex still have to undergo a digitization process. This involves taking digital images of the texts and the whole manuscript. Transcription is an essential part of the process since not everyone can understand Greek symbols. Scholars contribute commentaries and discussion as an added feature of the online bible. The process necessitates long hours of study from language and the principles from the Codex, to its similarities and differences from the present Bible. The religious and academic block had expressed their interest and excitement about the manuscript's online release. Due to its sensitive nature, only four scholars -- apart from those involve in the online bible project -- have seen the document up close. McKendrick estimated the whole Codex project to be over in about four years. Incidentally named after Mt. Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments, Codex Sinaiticus studies are now considered as the peak of religious learning.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Oldest-Bible-To-Online-Bible&id=259511

Biblical Theology and Corporate Worship

What exactly are we doing when we gather as churches for worship? And how do we know what we should be doing in those weekly gatherings?

Naturally, evangelical Christians turn to Scripture for guidance on these questions, but where in Scripture do we look? There’s plenty about worship in the Old Testament—about prayers and sacrifices and choirs and cymbals and much else. But does all that material actually apply to new covenant gatherings of believers?

What we need in order to answer these questions is a biblical theology of worship.[1] Biblical theology is the discipline that helps us trace both the unity and diversity, the continuity and discontinuity, within the sprawling storyline of Scripture.

In this article I’m going to sketch, all too briefly, a biblical theology of corporate worship. Four steps will take us there: (1) gathered worship in the Old Testament; (2) fulfillment in Christ; (3) gathered worship in the New Testament; (4) reading the whole Bible for corporate worship.

1. GATHERED WORSHIP IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Ever since God’s people were banished from his presence after the fall in Genesis 3, God has been at work gathering them back to himself.[2] So when Israel suffered in chains in Egypt, God rescued them not just so that they would be free from oppression, but so that they would worship him in his presence (Ex. 3:12, 18). God led his people out of Egypt and brought them to his own dwelling place (Ex. 15:13, 17).

Where is that dwelling place? At first, it’s the tabernacle, the elaborate tent in which the priests would offer sacrifices for the people’s sins and impurities. We read in Exodus 29:44–46,

I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

The goal of the Exodus was that God would dwell among his people, and he does this by means of the holy place (tabernacle) and people (priesthood) he appointed for that purpose.

Updated Bible Study: The Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation is the only book of the Bible that promises a special blessing to the reader.¹ (Many verses in the Bible encourage reading God's Word--in general--but only one book has the "audacity" to claim, in effect, "Read me, I'm special.")
What is surprising is that, even for many avid Bible readers, this book is overlooked or neglected. One would expect just the opposite.
There are many reasons why this book invariably results in a special blessing to the diligent inquirer. Perhaps the most basic blessing accrues from the fact that in order to understand the back ground of the many idioms and allusions, one will have to trace back into virtually every book of the Bible.
The Book of Revelation consists of 404 verses which contain over 800 allusions to the Old Testament alone!² One reason the book appears so strange to the uninitiated is that most of us haven't developed enough familiarity with the Old Testament.
One of the keys to understanding the book is also to take it seriously,not to get distracted with fanciful allegories or speculations but to read it with care and diligence as part of the whole Word of God. The Bible consists of 66 books, penned by 40 authors over thousands of years, and yet we now discover that it is an integrated message: every detail, every word, every number, every place name is there by supernatural engineering. And no study makes this clearer than the study of the Book of Revelation.

Bible Study

Bible Study

Seventh-day Adventists strive daily to develop a closer relationship with Jesus Christ to become more like Him. The heart of our mission is to help others realize the hope found in experiencing a personal relationship with a living God and loving Saviour, and nurturing them in preparation for His soon return. Here is a list of links to various types and styles of Bible study – in the form of online Bible studies, a newsletter, online videos, and printed Bible study lessons or Bible study CD ROMs available by postal mail. May God bless you as you seek His Word.




 

Bible Study Resources
Different people have different learning styles and are at different stages in their knowledge of the Bible. Here, you can choose your preference. If you don't see what you need or are looking for, please contact us and we will try to find it for you.

In addition to the Bible study resources for adults, we also list below some for children and a daily devotional.




800HisWord.com – You can browse Bible topics, request free materials, send prayer requests, or connect with Bible counselors who are standing by to be your partner in finding the best way to continue to grow in your relationship with God. Helpful resources as you learn more about God and His love for you...through His Word. Lessons in Spanish also available.