The setting for Elijah's showdown is laid out in 1 Kings 17–18. Israel is deep into apostasy under the rule of King Ahab and his Sidonian wife, Jezebel, who promoted the worship of Baal and Asherah. 1 Kings 16:33 says, "And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did...
The book of Amos opens simply: "The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake." (Amos...
The first mention of Nimrod is found in Genesis 10:8-9, in the genealogy of Noah’s descendants after the Flood. The Scripture says, "Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said,...
The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. was a pivotal moment in history, both in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecies and as a turning point for the Jewish people. In Matthew 24:2, Jesus, looking at the temple, said, "Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall...
In the days when Israel had no king, the people did what was right in their own eyes. The nation drifted in cycles of sin, judgment, repentance, and deliverance. God would raise judges to rescue His people, not because they deserved it, but because He is merciful....
Easter, as it's commonly called today, is not a biblical term. The King James Version mentions the word “Easter” once in Acts 12:4, but it is a mistranslation of the Greek word Pascha, which always refers to the Passover. The correct reading, found in...
Jonathan was the firstborn son of King Saul (1 Samuel 14:49), which made him the legal heir to the throne of Israel. In the world's eyes, Jonathan was destined for kingship. But Jonathan's account is not one of political ambition; it is one of self-denial, courage,...
Bathsheba is often remembered for scandal, but Scripture gives us a broader and richer portrait of her life. She was a daughter, a wife, a mother, and eventually the queen mother of Solomon. Her name appears in critical moments in the lineage of Christ, and though...
The Canaanites trace their lineage back to Canaan, the son of Ham, who was one of Noah’s three sons. After the flood, in Genesis 10:6, we read: “The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.” Canaan's descendants became the inhabitants of...
Barnabas first appears in Acts 4:36–37: “ And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the...
