Introduction When one reads the gospels and learns of Jesus’ ministry (which includes healing people), we sometimes assume that Jesus healed everyone. But that isn’t true. Here’s what gospel preacher, J.D. Tant had to say about this subject— It should be obvious to all that the main purpose of gifts was not to heal the sick in the world or give sight to all the blind, etc. If that was the purpose, then there was a great failure. Christ could have spoken one word, and every malady in the whole world would have been eliminated. Christ’s purpose in performing miracles was to establish his credentials and identity as the Messiah, the Son of God, not to heal all the ills in the world. J.D. Tant, Miracles, Signs, and Wonders Let’s look at some examples in scripture to know, for sure, if He did or did not heal everyone.   The Multitudes of Matthew 12:15 At the start of Matthew 12, we see the Pharisees challenging Jesus concerning His disciples and the “unlaw...

    Introduction After Jesus was resurrected, He revealed himself to His disciples, twice, and John the concludes chapter 20 with this statement, And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.   (John 20:30-31) If the miracles, signs, and wonders that Jesus performed were so important, why didn’t John list the others? In this article, we look at the real purpose of the miracles.   To Confirm the Identity of The Christ It’s easy for someone, anyone, to claim that they are The Messiah. We see a lot of that here in the 21 st Century with zero proof to back it up. Even after the church was established there were some claiming to be The Christ. In Acts 5:34 and following; Gamaliel, a pharisee, speaks of two men; Theudas and a Judas of Galilee, both claiming to be some...

Bound for Eternity, Part 6   Introduction To view the title of this article, you might assume that I’m asking a rather pointless question. To others, though, you might conclude that there is a genuine reason for the question and an interesting answer to go with it. Simply put, there are some out there in the religious world who firmly believe that eternity is NOT forever; as far as Hell goes. They do not believe that there is an eternal punishment just as there is an eternal reward. Jesus said in Matthew 25:46, “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” There are some that disagree with the clear statement siting that it’s only Satan and his angels that will suffer. The rest, will burn for a short time then cease to exist; also known as annihilation.   Dictionary Definition Annihilation —1. The act of reducing to nothing or non-existence; or the act of destroying the form or combination of parts under which a thi...

    Introduction You may have heard at one time or another someone say, “God has a plan for you!”. Of course, what they mean is that God has something special in mind for your life that He doesn’t have for another person’s life. But that’s okay because God has a plan for all kinds of people; a unique plan just for them. Unfortunately, this is contrary to scripture. In Acts 10:34, the apostle Peter states, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality .” The apostle Paul confirms this in Galatians 2:6, But from those who seemed to be something--whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man --for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. The good news, however, is that God indeed has a plan and it’s for everyone! As it is written in 1 Timothy 2:4, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.   God’s Plan for Saving Man Even before Genesis 1:1, God had a plan ready for a...

    Introduction The following story is most likely an Urban Legend…   This upstate New York man was rich in almost every way. His estate was worth millions. He owned houses, land, antiques and cattle. But though on the outside he had it all, he was very unhappy on the inside. His wife was growing old, and the couple was childless. He had always wanted a little boy to carry on the family legacy.  Miraculously, his wife became pregnant, and gave birth to a little boy. The boy was severely handicapped, but the man loved him with his whole heart. When the boy was 5, his mom died. The dad grew closer to his special son. At the age of 13, the boy's birth defects cost him his life, and the father died soon after, of a broken heart. The estate was to be auctioned before hundreds of bidders. The first item offered was a painting of the boy. No one bid. They waited like vultures for the riches. Finally, the poor housemaid, who had helped raise the boy, bid $5 for th...

  That’s in the Bible? Part 3   Introduction To grow up as an only child can be rough as the child has no one to relate to for brothers and sisters. Sometimes parents will over-compensate this singleness by showering the child with more material gifts than is necessary. Children grow up with friends and extended family; but to have siblings, who live in the same house as you, are a priceless treasure. Jesus had brothers and sisters that he grew up with in his household contrary to what certain religious beliefs say on the subject.   Born of a Virgin It’s no secret that Jesus was born of a virgin woman. Both OT and NT confirm this. In Isaiah 7:14, Then he said, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Some, incorrectly, interpret ‘virgin’ as ‘young girl’. There is no proof that Mary was a young girl so we have to conclude that it means, ‘she didn’t know a man’; know...

  That’s in the Bible? Part 1   Introduction In the continuation of this series, “Is it Scripture?” we’re going to look at things that are actually found in the bible that people may not have realized is in there. In Matthew 28:18-20 just before He ascended into Heaven Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” What does ‘all authority’ mean? We’ll discuss that in this article.   The Son of God We know from scripture that Jesus is the Son of God (Mt. 16:16); that He walked the Earth (Jn. 1:14) for about 3 ½ years; teaching, healing, leaving us an example. We also know that He purposefully went to the cross (1 Jn. 3:16) to die for our sins. Then He was raised from the dead (Lk...

  Things NOT found in the Bible, part 5   Introduction There are many things in the bible which are straight-forward and clear in regards to what must be done. I’m sure you know that Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” This states that belief in him in not enough. There is something you must do to show your love. Even those people who say, “All you have to do to be save is believe” will also agree that you have to repent of your sins. If that is true (and it is) then there is more to salvation that believing. I’m sure you’ve heard someone say, “Baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace.” Meaning, you don’t have to be baptized to be saved, but can do it later on to show you have been saved. Although they’ll agree that repentance is necessary, as stated above, they don’t want to comply with the notion of baptism. Confused? In this article, I hope to clear up that matter.   Mark 16:16 In Mark 16:16 Jesus said, “He who beli...

  Little Things, part 6   Introduction In 2020, planet Earth experienced one of the most devastating pandemics in its history. One of the governments’ solutions to this was for everyone to be in lockdown, or quarantine, for a period of 30 or more days. To be inside the same four walls day-in and day-out for any length of time can be tasking on the mind, body, and spirit. Imagine in the days of the bible; those who had leprosy. They were quarantined indefinitely, and with other lepers, as a cure was not available; aside from a miracle. Our “little thing” focuses on Jesus and a certain leper in Mark 1.   Lepers according to the Old Law I’ll spare the details of describing leprosy and those who had it. Rather, let’s turn to the Old Testament and see what The Law had to say. Leviticus 13 and 14 gives a detailed breakdown of the disease and what was to be done with the individuals. Let’s look specifically at Leviticus 13:46, "He shall be unclean. All the days he ...