Heidi McCandless - Procrastination.  Every one of us deals with this to some degree.  In some situations it doesn’t make much difference, in others, it can change the course of your life!  I almost missed the most important thing ever because I was too slow to realize how important it was.  I’m speaking of course of my own life – eternal life that is.

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Except Ye Repent

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Gary Sharp

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Printable Scale Model of Noah's Ark

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Printable Activity: 8 page mini coloring book and full-sized pictures to tell the story of Peter preaching the gospel for the first time to Gentiles - Cornelius and his family.

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What is the special significance of Joseph’s second dream (Genesis 37:9-10)" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 37:9-10)?

Both the dreams of Joseph look forward to the day when the One of whom he is so striking a picture, the Lord Jesus, “the man of sorrows,” “despised and rejected of men,” crucified, but now exalted, will be recognised and owned even by those who once refused him. The first dream, of course, had its literal fulfilment in Egypt, when Joseph’s brethren bowed at his feet. It will also have its further fulfilment “when He comes whose right it is,” and “they shall look on Him whom they pierced,” and shall “mourn because of Him.” Then the affecting scenes between Joseph and his brethren will be re-enacted in deeper measure between Christ and the saved remnant of Israel (Zechariah 12:10-12)," TARGET="_blank">Zechariah 12:10-12), which will form the nucleus of the nation, over which He will reign for ever.

“The Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32, 33)." TARGET="_blank">Luke 1:32, 33). This is the earthly kingdom—the sheaves speak of a harvest—”the field is the world.” The second dream has had no fulfilment yet. Rachel had already passed away. Jacob never bowed to Joseph, but he will to the greater than Joseph. If “the sheaves” point to an earthly sphere, the sun, moon, and stars point to another, the heavenly. This goes further and higher than the first. The earthly kingdom is everlasting, but not unlimited (see Psalm 72:8)." TARGET="_blank">Psalm 72:8). The second will be universal, as well as everlasting. It will include the other, but go beyond it. Of that kingdom, too, Christ will be the Crown, the Centre, and the Sum.

W.H.

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There are many verses in the Bible that teach about various kinds of baptism.  For a full explanation of the topic see the following 13 chapters of the online book Baptism by Harry Ironside .

Let’s examine the possible reasons why you may ask “should I be baptized again?”

1)    If your reason to be baptized again as an adult is to complete a spiritual requirement to be saved, then the answer is NO. You should not be baptized yet.  You need to be saved first before being baptized.  Baptism is for people who already are Christians.  You should not use baptism as a way to be saved or any other Christian activity such as participating in communion, joining a church, confirming your faith, getting married in the church or making a vow.  Your real need is to trust Christ to be your savior.  Baptism as a baby didn’t save you and neither will being baptized as an unbeliever make you saved.

2)    If your reason to be baptized again is because you have recently accepted Christ as Savior and are now a true Christian, then the answer is YES. You should be baptized even if you were baptized before - as a baby or an adult.

Baptism for believers

Baptism is for a person who has been saved, trusting in Christ alone for salvation.  If someone who was baptized before he/she became a Christian and then was saved, then being baptized again is the right thing to do.  

Babies are not believers in Christ.  The Bible does not teach that babies should be baptized.  The tradition of baptizing a baby is purely from a tradition of the church.  Baptism for babies gives a false security that “something” was done to help the child become a Christian.

Baptism by immersion

The symbolism of baptism is explained in Romans 6:1-5." TARGET="_blank">Romans 6:1-5.  The believer is saying that he has died with Christ.  He has died to sin.  Therefore he should be symbolically buried.  The word “baptize” means immersed or buried in water.  Immersion is the only way to illustrate the truth of being dead and buried.
 

Romans 6:1-5" TARGET="_blank">Romans 6:1-5  What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  (2)  By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?  (3)  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  (4)  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  (5)  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

There are many verses in the Bible that teach about various kinds of baptism.  For a full explanation of the topic see the following 13 chapters of the online book Baptism by Harry Ironside .

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THE ATONEMENT
It has been stated that Atonement is an Old Testament truth, which has no place in the New Testament, Is this so?

I am surprised that any Christian “apt to teach,” should make such a statement. Perhaps it is owing to the fact that in the one place in our King James Version, where the word “atonement” occurs, it ought to be “reconciliation”: “By Whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:11)." TARGET="_blank">Romans 5:11). This however, does not prove that the truth of atonement is not expressed in other passages of the New Testament, under a different form of words, for which “atone” or “atonement” might be correctly substituted.

The fact is that the atonement of the Old Testament is only a shadow of the truth, and that if we had not the substantial, divine thing in the New Testament, we could not have the shadow in the Old. The Hebrew word for atonement constantly occurring in the Old Testament, especially in Leviticus is the root, “Kaphar,” which primarily means “to cover,” then by a simple transition, it gets to mean that by which alone God can righteously cover sin—namely by full satisfaction being offered to His holy claims, or in other words, by atonement. The word, “atone,” has long since lost its philological, or derived, meaning of “at-one,” for that by which God and the sinner can be “at-one”—the atoning work of Calvary.

This root,”Kaphar,” also occurs in the substantival form,”Kapporeth” (mercy-seat)—the place where the blood of atonement was sprinkled, therefore, one would suggest, better translated the “atonement-seat.” The verb is sometimes translated in our version—”make reconciliation” (e.g. Ezekiel 45: 15, 17;" TARGET="_blank">Ezekiel 45: 15, 17; Daniel 9: 24)," TARGET="_blank">Daniel 9: 24), “purge” (Psalm  79:9), “pacify” (Proverbs 16: 14)," TARGET="_blank">Proverbs 16: 14), “appease”—”I will appease him (Esau) with the present” (Genesis 32:20)," TARGET="_blank">Genesis 32:20), but in the vast majority of occurrences “atone” or “make atonement.” What then, we may enquire, is the Hellenistic Greek equivalent used in the Septuagint? In nearly every case, “exilaskomai,” or in a few cases simply, “hilaskomai”—which is, we see, the same verb without the preposition “ek”—denoting here “entirely,” “perfectly”—though we need not press this, as “hilaskomai” means practically the same thing, for atonement, if of any value, must be complete. Turning to the New Testament, we find this same root (hilaskomai) employed (and N.T. Greek is much the same as found in the Septuagint) in six passages: In the publican’s prayer we read, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18: 13," TARGET="_blank">Luke 18: 13, lit, be propitiated). As the publican was standing in the temple area—”afar off,” i.e., probably outside and in full view of the altar of burnt offering, we can see no reason to assert, as Alford does, that the publican could not have had any idea of the ground of his acceptance—though he would naturally not know what the lamb prefigured.

Then in Romans 3" TARGET="_blank">Romans 3: 25 and Hebrews 9" TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 9: 5 there occurs the substantival form—”mercy-seat.” In Hebrews 2" TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 2: 17 we have, “A merciful and faithful high priest.. . to make reconciliation for the sins of the people”; and finally in 1 John 2" TARGET="_blank">1 John 2: 2 and 1 John 4:10" TARGET="_blank">1 John 4:10  the translation is, “propitiation for our sins.” I think it is clear and reasonable that we have in these passages the sense of atonement, applied, except in the case of Hebrews 9" TARGET="_blank">Hebrews 9: 5 and Luke 18: 13," TARGET="_blank">Luke 18: 13, directly to the work of Christ, as the ground on which God can come out to man in grace and the gospel be preached to every creature.

W.H.

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Romans 3:9-23" TARGET="_blank">Romans 3:9-23  What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,  (10)  as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;  (11)  no one understands; no one seeks for God.  (12)  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." (19)  Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.  (20)  For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin… For there is no distinction:  (23)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

1 John 5:9-13" TARGET="_blank">1 John 5:9-13  If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.  (10)  Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.  (11)  And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  (12)  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.  (13)  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

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“ONE SHALL BE TAKEN”
What is the meaning of Matthew 24:40" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 24:40?

When our Lord uttered His great prophetic discourse as recorded in Mark 13," TARGET="_blank">Mark 13, Luke 21" TARGET="_blank">Luke 21 and here in Matthew 24," TARGET="_blank">Matthew 24, He was addressing the disciples, not as members of the church, which did not then exist, but as representing the godly remnant of Israel, “the people made ready prepared for the Lord” by John the Baptist. The disciples had not ceased to be Jews by receiving Christ; that would have been a strange result of receiving the National Messiah. They were better Jews than ever, in fact, the only true Jews. Now, the first coming of Messiah, in humiliation and the second in glory—”the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow”—formed the staple theme of the Old Testament prophets (see Isaiah 10;" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 10; Isaiah 11;" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 11; Isaiah 25" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 25 and Isaiah 25:9;" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 25:9; Daniel 7:9-14;" TARGET="_blank">Daniel 7:9-14; Zechariah 14:1-8)." TARGET="_blank">Zechariah 14:1-8). In all these places, except Isaiah 53," TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 53, it is the coming in power and great glory of the Son of Man to the earth in connection with the deliverance of Israel that is in view, not His coming to take them away from this scene, but to set up His Kingdom for their blessing under His own beneficent sway. In 1 Thessalonians 4" TARGET="_blank">1 Thessalonians 4 quite another character of deliverance is in view—a preliminary stage of the Second Coming—not revealed in the Old Testament, but a mystery displayed in the New, which provides for a deliverance of a large number of saints by resurrection, transformation and translation from this scene, in view of the judgment and tribulation about to occur on the earth. These will be “caught up to meet the Lord in the air” (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)." TARGET="_blank">1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). To anyone who will carefully read the synoptic chapters referred to above, with the Old Testament passages quoted there and also i Thess, 4, there ought not to be much difficulty in settling to which stage of His Second Coming our Lord was referring in His prophetic discourse. There it is the “Son of Man” (6 times repeated) Who is coming, as in Daniel; it will be a coming in an evil day, as in the days of Noah, see Isaiah 10" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 10 and 11; in connection with Israel, as in Zechariah 14." TARGET="_blank">Zechariah 14. The answers to the three questions asked seem very clear. The two will be in the field at the coming of the Son of Man in glory; one shall be taken away from this world in judgment, the other left in this scene for Millennial blessing.

W.H.

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Can we approach the Lord Jesus to worship Him apart from the Father?

We are on holy ground when considering any aspect of divine truth, but especially do we need to approach “with unshod feet,” when it is a question of the Being of God! We can only know what He is pleased to reveal, and even then it is “as in a glass darkly,” and “in part.” There is one God—that is, one Divine Essence; but in that unity there are three Divine Persons or Subsistencies, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; co-equal, co-eternal, and co-substantial: that is, each of the three possesses the whole Divine substance. We must neither divide the substance, nor confound the persons.

These three Persons are in necessary relations to one another, and it is important not to confound these relations. Each possesses the Personal properties essential to Himself, and which cannot be predicated of or communicated to the others. Thus it belongs to the Father to “beget:” His are the eternal counsels; the Son is the Only-begotten, the Incarnate One; He alone suffered for sin. The Spirit proceedeth from the Father and the Son. The Spirit reveals the Son, by whom the Father is declared or interpreted. Now, it is not derogating from one Divine Person to refrain from attributing to Him what the Holy Scriptures assign to Another.

Thus we never read of worship being offered to the Holy Spirit, though He is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, eternal, divine as the Father and the Son. But we do read, even in the days of His humiliation, of worship being rendered to the Lord Jesus, and He accepted it. And in Revelation 5:8-13" TARGET="_blank">Revelation 5:8-13 Divine worship is paid to the Lamb in heaven. Nevertheless, the Lord proclaims in John 4:23, 24," TARGET="_blank">John 4:23, 24, that the true Worshippers will worship the Father, and that it is the “Father who is seeking worshippers”—”God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” The apostle Paul indicates, too, in that pregnant verse (Eph. ii. 18), the true Divine order. “Through Him (Christ Jesus) we both (believers from Jew and Gentile) have access by the Spirit unto the Father.” The Lord is the way to the Father and the substance of worship; the Spirit the power; the Father the recipient of the worship of the people.”

W.H.

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Severl programs for Bible puzzles that you can printout are listed below.

or

Choose one of the 350 Sunday school worksheets that you can printout so student have several types of Bible puzzles including word find and crossword puzzles.  You can printout the PDF files on 8.5x 11 paper.

Create and printout one of the following Bible puzzle programs. 

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“THY KINGDOM COME”

Why did our Lord teach His disciples to pray “Thy Kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10)," TARGET="_blank">Matthew 6:10), yet later say to Pilate in John 18:36, “My Kingdom is not of this world”?

How can I reconcile these statements?

It may be said on the face of it that, if we take the expression, “Thy Kingdom come,” by itself, there is nothing to affirm that the Kingdom referred to is of this world. The expression is often used to-day of what would be termed “God’s cause”—”not meat or drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” When we speak of the Kingdom of God coming, why, it may be asked, should we not be referring to the spiritual Kingdom? However, I am not advocating this use of the term, as we ought to take the words in their context. Such a question as this shews how important it is “rightly to divide the word of truth,” and to recognise the dispensational change, which occurred even in the brief space of our Lord’s ministry.

The kingdom that John, and subsequently our Lord and His apostles, proclaimed, was the Kingdom for which the disciples were taught to pray. This Kingdom, as we have shewn more than once lately, was the fifth Kingdom foretold by the prophet Daniel (chap. 2. ). Babylon, Medo-Persja and Greece had lost their power, and for nearly a century Jerusalem had been subject to Rome. The Lord Jesus was born King of the Jews. Born of the seed of David according to the flesh, He was the rightful heir to the Throne. He offered Himself as such. His miraculous works were His credentials, but these were in Matthew 9" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 9 and 12 imputed by His foes to Satan, and His rejection on the day of His entry into Jerusalem became a foregone conclusion.

This in no way set on one side the necessity of atonement, but that is kept in the back-ground till Matthew 16:21" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 16:21: “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples how that He must suffer and be killed and be raised again the third day.” The Lord could not reign over an unrepentant people, and only, if repentant, on the ground of atonement. The setting up of the Messianic earthly kingdom was then postponed, so that the Lord’s words to Pilate fit into their place: His Kingdom had then for the time being lost its earthly character. When once more He claims the Kingdom, it will be as the Son of Man, coming in glory, and then it will be established by force. It will be said in that day, “The kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.” The Millennial Kingdom will be the vestibule of the “Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

W.H.

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