Articles | Limestone Church of Christ

March 28, 2021December 18, 2024

Nahum: The Complete Destruction Of Nineveh – Bible Overview

Two of God’s prophets were commissioned to address the Assyrian capital of Nineveh directly. Jonah was sent to proclaim a message of judgment and to provoke repentance (approx. 760 BC). God would then employ the Assyrians to judge Israel for her sins, resulting in the eventual destruction of the northern kingdom in 721 BC. Approximately 100-150 years later, Nahum proclaimed “the burden against Nineveh” (1:1). Unlike the former prophet, Nahum’s message was not to provoke repentance. Nineveh had returned to her old ways, and so the prophet pronounced judgment upon them. There are two details which help us know the timing of the book; the prophet mentions the destruction of the Egyptian city No Amon (3:8, better known as Thebes) which took place in 663 BC, and Nahum foretold Nineveh’s fall, which happened in 612 BC. Thus, the book was written sometime between these two dates.

March 21, 2021December 17, 2024

The Christian’s Duty to God and Government: A Biblical Perspective

Over the past year, we’ve faced many Covid-19 related restrictions from all levels of government; federal, provincial, and regional. Non-essential travel has been restricted with closed land borders. Those who travel must submit to a mandatory test, costly hotel stay, and forced quarantine upon their return. The economy has been shut down, stay-at-home orders and curfews have been issued, social gatherings have been limited, masks are compulsory in almost every indoor setting (and some outdoor settings), etc..

March 14, 2021December 17, 2024

Micah: A Message for Samaria and Jerusalem – Bible Overview

Micah was contemporary with Hosea and Isaiah, prophesying during the reigns of the Judean kings, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (1:1). His message is identified as what “he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem” (1:1), which are the respective capitals of Israel (the northern tribes) and Judah (the southern tribes). His message to Samaria is limited to the first chapter; in fact, he foretold their fall to Shalmaneser of Assyria which took place in 722 BC (1:6).

March 7, 2021December 17, 2024

A Famine of God’s Word in the Land

According to the 2017 Legatum Prosperity Index, Canada was listed among the top 10 most prosperous nations in the world. When we hear the word “famine,” it is about other nations, not our own. Yet, there is a serious famine in our country, and most are oblivious to it.

Amos 8:11 reads, “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.”

November 16, 2020September 17, 2025

Is Gambling A Sin? A Biblical Perspective

It is a common thing to see advertising for a variety of gambling options on TV, on billboards, and online. They have been some exceptionally witty and amusing ads put together to entice people to take a chance on the lottery. Scratch tickets and dropping numbered balls are not for everyone, so maybe a game of bingo might appeal. There are even church groups that conduct bingos. The bright lights and piercing chimes of a casino catch the fancy of some. There have even been government-operated casinos popping
up throughout Ontario with a host of games to entertain. Not interested in the lottery, bingo, or casino games? You can legally bet on the outcome of sporting events through the gaming commissions that regulate lotteries and casinos. No bookie required. If you want to gamble, but don’t want to leave the house, you can do so! You can participate in all the above via the internet.

October 11, 2020December 17, 2024

Jonah: God’s Warning And Nineveh’s Call To Repent – Bible Overview

We know very little about Jonah. He is identified as the son of Amittai (1:1). 2 Kings 14:25 says Jonah was from Gath Hepher, which is in Zebulun. We do not know if he simply lived there or was of the tribe. In the same text, Jonah is credited with foretelling the restoration of a piece of land to Israel in the days of Jeroboam, which no doubt was a more popular prophecy than the doom and gloom and judgment spoken by his contemporaries (Amos & Hosea).

October 4, 2020December 17, 2024

Obadiah: Edom’s Judgment & The Triumph of Israel – Bible Overview

The name Obadiah means “servant of the LORD.” It is a fairly common name in the Bible with eight distinct men by that name in the Old Testament (1 Chronicles 7:3; 8:38; 9:16; 12:9; 27:19; 2 Chronicles 17:7; 1 Kings 18:3; Obadiah 1:1). We know very little about any of them men, the prophet included, but from what we do know, the name is an apt description for most of them.

September 27, 2020December 17, 2024

Amos: A Shepherd turned Prophet in Israel – Bible Overview

Amos said of himself, “I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a sheepbreeder and a tender of sycamore fruit” (7:14). He was from the village of Tekoa (1:1) just south of Jerusalem. Though he was from the southern kingdom, God called him to prophesy to Israel in the north. He began to prophesy two years before an earthquake (also mentioned in Zechariah 14:5), in the reign of Uzziah king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel.

September 20, 2020December 17, 2024

Joel: Focused on Zion and Her People – Bible Overview

We know very little about the prophet Joel. He is identified as the son of Pethuel (1:1), but there is no mention of this man elsewhere in Scripture. Joel’s name is from the Hebrew lawy (Yow’el), combining the prefix of both Jehovah and Elohim and simply means “Jehovah is God.”

September 6, 2020December 17, 2024

Hosea: Imparting the Knowledge of God – Bible Overview

Hosea was a contemporary of Isaiah and Micah, prophesying from about 750-725 BC. His messages was primarily for the northern tribes who would be destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 BC. The people of Israel had demonstrated they were beyond turning back to the Lord, they were a nation ready to be eradicated. Though the northern kingdom was his initial audience, he also spent time speaking to Judah.