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William Stewart

The Golden Calf: Israel’s Great Sin at Mount Sinai

golden calf
via Menno de Jong | Pixabay

Three months after leaving Egypt, the Hebrews came to Mount Sinai,  where God would give His law to them. He spoke to all the people from the top of Mount Sinai, revealing His covenant with Israel. Then, He called Moses to come up Sinai, so He might give him the tablets of stone on which the law would be written (Exodus 24:12). The next several chapters reveal details of the law of Moses.

Moses would be with the Lord on the top of Sinai for 40 days. No sooner had God finished revealing & recording His law (Exodus 31:18) than trouble began in the camp. The Lord commanded Moses,

Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ (Exodus 32:7-8)

I See Four Men in the Fire: Finding God’s Presence

fire
via ChatGPT

Nebuchadnezzar, king of  Babylon, had a huge gold statue of himself.  Throughout the land, a proclamation was made, that all people should fall down and worship the image when they heard the symphony of music – under threat of being cast into a furnace of fire. The warning was given,

…whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:6)

And so it was, when the horn, flute, harp and lyre sounded, the people would bow down and worship the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, all but a few of the Jews who had been set in authority by the king. Three men were accused of not giving the king honour, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Daniel 3:12). They would not bow to the golden image, nor would they serve the Babylonian gods.

Obadiah: A Small Book with a Big Warning

Obadiah
via Markus Kammermann | Pixabay

Obadiah is the shortest Old Testament book, and was written about  five centuries before the coming of Jesus Christ. It reveals God’s anger with Edom, foretells the destruction of Edom, and the coming of God’s kingdom.

Background of Obadiah

The nation Edom were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob. Friction between the brothers and their respective nations began from the womb (Genesis 25:22-26). As Esau had little regard for that which ha value (his birthright, Genesis 25:29-34; Hebrews 12:16), so his offspring lacked moral and spiritual focus.

Is Hitler in Heaven? The Truth About Universalism

Universalism
via Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H1216-0500-002 / CC-BY-SA

Last week, while in a Bible chat room on the internet, another person in the same chat room was affirming Universalism, defined as

a theological doctrine that all human beings will eventually be saved; the principles & practices of a liberal Christian denomination founded in the 18th century originally to uphold the belief in universal salvation and now united with Unitarianism.

(Merriam-Webster.com)

According to Universalism doctrine, all people, no matter what they have done will be redeemed and go to heaven. While in the chat room, I asked the proponent of the doctrine if Adolf Hitler will also be in heaven, to which he earnestly replied “Yes.”

Health and Wealth Gospel: Faith or Finances?

health and wealth
via JoelOsteen.com

Joel Osteen, health and wealth gospel advocate, assures his followers that

God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us.

Osteen is perhaps the most popular prosperity preacher in North America today. He preaches a “name it and claim it” gospel; turning Christianity into a religion about temporal happiness rather than devoted service to the God of heaven in hope of eternal life. He tells us that

God wants to increase you financially, by giving you promotions, fresh ideas and creativity.