The Unknown Grave

There’s a curious note at the end of the book of Deuteronomy describing the death and burial of Moses. As you remember, God allowed him to see an overview of the Promised Land from a perch on top of Mount Nebo, then he passed away. “And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day.” (Deut.34:6) Continue reading

Jesus the Faithful Witness

The Book of Revelation gives us many names for Jesus Christ, all of them designed to teach us something about Him. In the first chapter He’s called “the faithful witness” (v4), and repeated in 3:14. A witness, in a legal setting, is someone who confirms the truth of something they have seen. In the New Testament, a witness is someone involved in preaching what he has seen and knows. The apostles were witnesses of the resurrected Jesus, and as Peter explained in Acts 10:41-42, they were ordered to preach and testify this truth. This was often difficult because apostolic preachers regularly faced violence, opposition, and threats of imprisonment and death if they continued to preach as witnesses. Therefore Jesus urged them to be faithful in their important work as witnesses, despite the dangers. Continue reading

A Dark Yet Magnificent Contrast

In one of Peter’s early sermons in Jerusalem, he spoke of the man they released from prison – Barabbas. (Acts 3:13-15). “You disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life.” Have you ever thought about the contrast between these two men?

Barabbas was a murderer; he had no regard for human life. He is the one the Jewish people liberated and welcomed back into society, but turned their backs on Jesus. Continue reading