judgment

Jesus changed the names of several of His disciples. For example, Simon became Peter and Saul became Paul. On top of that, Jesus gave two of His disciples nicknames that…

Most people can distinguish between right and wrong. They form values based on laws, rules, or some kind of objective sense of morality. But not Bertrand Russell.

Nope, this atheist’s discernment of right and wrong was based on something far more fickle.

Theodosius had a plan. He wanted all the people of his empire to worship the one true God revealed in the Bible. A noble endeavor, for sure. But there was one fatal flaw in the emperor’s strategy:

Those he couldn’t lead to Jesus…he would send to Jesus!

“How’s the relationship with your father?” “What sort of dreams do you have?” “Is there any evidence of mental disorder in your family?” And of course, “How does that make you feel?” These are just a few of the questions psychologists use to help their troubled patients.

But when it comes to helping broken and troubled people, God asks the best questions of all.

Is Hell a literal place, and if so, what’s it like? Is it dark? Is it a place of torment? Does it last forever? Everyone from theologians to thespians to thugs has a theory on Hell. But if we want to move from assumptions to answers, maybe we should turn to the One who is responsible for it.

And famed writer Dorothy Sayers knows exactly who that is.

It troubles many Bible readers when they find the phrase “the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart” in the Exodus story. Throughout the incredible action, God promises to harden the heart of the Egyptian king, and that’s just what He does….even though most people don’t think it was very fair of God to do so.

Then we learn through modern archaeology that a hard heart was exactly what Pharaoh wanted.

So many people think that the prophets of the Old Testament had a bland and repetitive message. They accuse the seers of simply giving a one-size-fits-all “turn or burn” memo for ancient civilizations.

Then, they read Ezekiel’s prophecy against Tyre…and everything changes.

For many, reading books is a popular pastime…whether on an actual page or on a portable screen. For some, the allure is in the story’s plot; for others, the action is the attraction. Still others are enthralled by the characters.

And thanks to one charity event, a few lucky readers got the chance to actually become the characters in their favorite authors’ books.

Many of the nations mentioned in the Bible still exist today. For example, Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, and others can be found in the pages of the Bible and on a modern map. But not Assyria. Though it played a critical role in biblical history, Assyrian civilization simply ceased to exist around 600 B.C.

Just like God said it would.

Prisons in California were recently ordered to release a sizeable number of convicted criminals in order to reduce overpopulation at the state’s correctional facilities. In the process, over 10,000 law breakers were paroled. The early release was only intended to affect inmates deemed a “low risk” to society.

But something went terribly wrong.