In an effort to attract larger crowds, some churches are now encouraging animal-lovers to bring their pets to worship services. In this week’s Penpoints, Wayne Jackson lampoons this ludicrous practice.

The book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Pentateuch. The title signifies “second law.” 

Moses penned this document near the end of the era of wilderness wandering. Its design is to rehears...

Peter’s second letter is a caustic warning regarding false teachers who are promoting “destructive heresies” (2:1). The false teaching concerns the nature of Christ, sensual indulgence, the coming ...

Before we obey the gospel, we are dead in sin (Eph. 2:1). But the question is, to what does this refer: the physical body or a spiritual condition?

It refers, of course, to our spiritual conditio...

The term atheism derives from two Greek roots, a (meaning “no”) and theos (“God”). It is a word that depicts the irrational ideology of the person who dogmatically says: “There is no God” (cf. Psa....

A “redeemer” is one who is qualified to effect “redemption” on behalf of one in need of the same. The term “redeem” means “to buy out of,” (Grk. exagorazo — ek “out of” and agorazo, “buy”), as in ...

Have you considered the significance of “small things” — both good and evil?

Borrowing from the legal terminology of the first century, the New Testament writers used the figure of a “last will and testament” to characterize that body of doctrine to which mankind is obligated in the Christian age, i.e., that era of time from the day of Pentecost until the Lord’s return. In this article, we examine several important features of a “last will and testament.”

The book of Ezra documents Israel’s first two returns from Babylonian captivity. The narrative covers approximately eighty years, from Cyrus’s edict to Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem. 

Zerubbabel led...

All loving parents want their children to be saved. But is infant baptism helping our children reach that goal? Or is it a dangerous and unscriptural practice that should be abandoned?

Certain religionists, especially those who subscribe to the dogma of DISPENSATIONALISM (see), maintain that the “signs” of Matthew 24:1-34 indicate that the return of Christ is very near; they cons...

Does Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree in Mark 11 reveal a “dark side” to the Savior? Not at all. Wayne Jackson explains this curious passage.

The church in Thessalonica was established on Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 17:1ff). After he left the region, he received a report regarding the congregation in Thessalonica, containing b...

The original words that are rendered by the English “tempt” are employed in two broad senses in the Scriptures, depending upon the context in which they are found. First, the concept may be that of...

If you could plan a message to be delivered at your own funeral, of what would it consist? You might want to give some thought to this question.

Unquestionably, there are things we cannot change. We can, however, learn to survive by immersing ourselves in a deep and sustained biblical faith.

During the period between the first and second Jewish returns from Babylonian captivity (536 and 457 B.C.), many Hebrews remained in Persia. At that time, a dreadful plot to exterminate the Jews wa...

Did Jesus of Nazareth ever live? Is the New Testament data regarding him reliable? This is a crucial issue.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul stated that the Scriptures are “inspired of God” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Greek is one word, theopneustos, literally “God breathed.” It is an affirmation that God...

In times of great crisis, people cry out to God in prayer. While this is understandable, prayers for the dead are both futile, and contrary to biblical truth.