Life's Inanities and Ironies

The Old Testament priesthood is one of the most beautiful and instructive institutions in all of Scripture. God did not establish it as an afterthought or mere ritual. He designed it with great care as part of the Mosaic covenant to reveal His holiness, provide a way for sinful people to approach Him, and — most importantly — to serve as a living shadow that points forward to the Lord Jesus Christ, our perfect and eternal High Priest. As those who believe the Bible is the inerrant, inspired Word of God and that the Old Testament is filled with types and shadows of the coming Messiah (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1), we study these roles with reverence and expectation. Understanding the Old Testament priests helps us appreciate the surpassing glory of Christ and strengthens our faith as we live as a “royal priesthood” under the new covenant (1 Peter 2:9).   The Divine Institution of the Priesthood The priesthood began with God’s direct command to Moses. In Exodus 28–29 and Leviticus ...

The book of Hebrews is one of the richest treasures in all of God’s Word. It unveils the absolute supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King of the new and better covenant. In chapters 4 and 5 the Holy Spirit presents our Savior as the Great High Priest who perfectly meets every need of His people. To fully appreciate the glory of Christ’s priesthood, we must first understand the qualifications and limitations of the Old Testament high priests. These men were living shadows, divinely appointed pictures that pointed forward to the substance—the sinless, eternal, and all-sufficient High Priest, Jesus Christ. As conservative Christians who hold without apology to the verbal, plenary inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, we approach Hebrews 5:1-4 with reverence and expectation. Every word is God-breathed and profitable. Let us examine this passage carefully, verse by verse, and see how it exalts our Lord and instructs us in faith and practice. Verse 1 – Taken from Am...

A Biblical Exposition of Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33 In the closing days of His earthly ministry, as the shadow of the cross loomed large, our Lord Jesus Christ gathered His disciples on the Mount of Olives and unfolded a breathtaking panorama of future events. Amid wars, famines, earthquakes, persecutions, cosmic upheaval, and the glorious return of the Son of Man, He anchored every promise and every warning with one of the most majestic declarations ever uttered: > “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”   > — Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33 This statement, recorded with near-identical wording in all three Synoptic Gospels, is far more than a comforting aside. It is a divine guarantee that the very words of Christ possess an eternality that outlasts the created universe itself.T The Setting: The Olivet Discourse The context is critical. As Jesus and His disciples departed the Temple area, the disciples pointed out the g...

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence this July 4th, gratitude fills our hearts for the freedoms we enjoy in this blessed nation. Our founders declared liberty from tyranny, and generations since have defended the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness under God. We thank the Lord for the religious liberty that still allows us to open our Bibles, gather in His name, and proclaim the Gospel without fear of the sword. Yet as blood-bought children of God, we know there is a freedom far greater than any nation can grant or take away. The liberty that truly sets a soul free is the freedom from sin, death, and eternal condemnation that only Jesus Christ can give. The Apostle Paul declares in **Galatians 5:1** (KJV):   “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” What a glorious truth! Christ has set us free. Free from the penalty of sin. Free from its dominating p...