Many Christians dismiss the Book of Jonah as a cute children’s story involving a whale, or as the account of a second-rate prophet. However, Jesus saw it differently. In Matthew 12, He said that the only sign that would be given to that generation would be “the sign of Jonah”. Jesus went on to state […]
In His teaching and parables, Jesus had much to say about wealth: exposing its deception, limitations, and how His followers should understand and use it. But these were not new teachings! In Psalm 49, the psalmist cries out with a riddle regarding wealth. This psalm's wisdom and vivid imagery exposes wealth's folly, helping us use […]
We have come to the powerful core of the message Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. Here Peter ties the resurrection of Jesus to four kingdom prophecies connected to an ancient promise made to David. Since these prophecies are alluded to (rather than directly quoted), most Christians miss the significance of Peter’s words. In […]
Four Prophecies Fulfilled: the Resurrected Christ and Eternal King (Acts 2:30-32) View Lesson
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends in fire on the apostles, a crowd gathers, and Peter preaches the resurrection of Jesus. He begins by explaining how Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 16: “You will not leave my soul in Hades...." Using related passages and insights from early Christians, we learn about […]
Pentecost: Peter Proclaims Jesus' Resurrection from the Dead (Acts 2:1-29) View Lesson
There is great treasure to be found in Psalm 3, especially when we understand its background: a heart-breaking tragedy in David's life. Here we see that even after God forgives our sins, the destructive consequences can follow for the rest of our lives. We also dig into remarkable similarities in details of David's story and […]
Peter concludes his letter speaking of "a new heavens and a new earth." He then describes how we should live, "looking forward to these things." In this lesson we examine the stark warnings of coming judgment and destruction of this world by fire, as well as the promise of new heavens and a new earth […]
The entire Christian faith is based on the resurrection of Jesus from the grave on the third day. Either it happened or it did not. From the beginning, there were two competing explanations for the empty tomb, with each claiming a conspiracy by the other side. In evaluating the competing claims, we consider the powerful, logical argument made by early Christian writer Eusebius. We close by looking at implications of the resurrection: our hope of victory over death, and a demonstration of the incredible power of the Spirit.
In the Law of Moses, all men are required each year to "appear before the Lord" during three annual Feasts: Unleavened Bread (or Passover), Harvest (or Pentecost), and Ingathering (or Tabernacles). All three play a significant role in the New Testament ministry of Jesus and the apostles. Remarkably, these feasts, which God commands the Israelites […]
The Jews, Christians and Romans all agreed that Jesus died on a cross, was buried, and His body went missing. After that, the stories change dramatically. Who was telling the truth? Who was lying? The resurrection of Jesus either happened, or it did not. This lesson examines the evidence of the eyewitness testimony of the […]
At the Last Supper, Jesus identifies his betrayer by dipping a piece of bread and then giving it to Judas Iscariot. This followed Jesus' statement, "He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against me," where He quotes a line from Psalm 41. In this lesson we explore the significance of that […]