The practice of selling “indulgences” is a part of Catholicism’s sordid history. This week’s Penpoints deals with an amusing incident in the ministry of John Tetzel, one tragic character in this apostate movement.

Though this word is not found in most English translations of the New Testament, the thought is there in the Greek text. It is an anglicized form of the original term antitupos. The term is rendere...

The “Jehovah’s Witnesses” teach that only 144, 000 people will gain heaven. They base their doctrine upon passages that are found in the book of Revelation (chapters 7 & 14). Who are the 144, 000 mentioned in these texts? Is the number literal or figurative? Study this article.

Someone has said that you can tell something of the character of a person by the heroes he has. There may be something to that. Atheism extols hypocrisy.

What is your opinion of Christians who attend AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] meetings or treatment centers to stop drinking?

Why do people cry? The Bible mentions human tears more than 500 times.

There is a popular view that “heaven” will be on “earth,” after our planet has been purged by fire at the end of time. This theory is wholly without merit and results from a failure to understand the symbolic nature of several passages of scripture.

The correct interpretation of this passage depends on four things — the meaning of “law,” the significance of “faith,” and a consideration of these terms in both the immediate and remote contexts o...

The English word “atonement” derives from an Anglo-Saxon term that practically signifies “a making at one.” Though the English term “atonement” is common to the Old Testament, it is found only once...

What is “will-worship”? Why did Paul, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, condemn it? Study carefully this article.

The term “synoptic” derives from the Greek word sunoptikos, which means “seeing the whole together.” The word is used to describe the first three Gospel narratives — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — bec...

The prophet Hosea described ancient Israel’s goodness as like the morning dew. What did he mean by this strange analogy?

Apostasy is an English term based on the Greek apotasia. Originally, it meant to desert one’s post; it was used for political revolt.

In the Old Testament, the word implies a turning away from Go...

On the Sunday of his resurrection, Jesus said to certain disciples, “Receive ye the Spirit.” What is the meaning of this cryptic text?

Let’s address these questions one at a time.

What Is the First Beast Coming Up from the Sea in Revelation 13?As I noted in my book, Revelation: Christ’s Final Message of Hope, the first beast in R...

Sometimes Christians are intimidated by the massive propaganda campaign advanced by the followers of Charles Darwin. One indication of this is the common acceptance of evolutionary chronology, i.e., the idea that the Universe is billions of years old. Some, in an effort to find biblical support for the “long-ages” of history presupposition, have argued, on the basis of Hebrews 4:9, that the “days” of the creation week were vast ages. This week’s Penpoints examines this argument.

When we contemplate who God is, what he has done, and what we will be, we will know exactly for what we should praise.

The first recorded sermon of Paul occurred in Antioch of Pisidia (see picture of historical ruins). Some were converted, many were not.

There are several biblical passages which appear to indicate that the gospel was preached to the whole creation in the first century. How are these to be viewed? It is a problem that confuses many people. But there is a reasonable answer.