What is the firmament in Genesis 1:6-8? The firmament is part of the account of creation (Genesis 1-2). Many people are interested in creation and how God created everything that we see. So first, let me briefly highlight how Genesis 1-2 shows creation. There are many different views on how…
Image by Devanath from Pixabay It may not look like it when you wake up every morning, but you are in the middle of a war zone. We don’t think of this world like that as Christians. But according to the Bible, there is an unseen war, a battle for…
What will the withdrawing of the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6 look like as you understand the process? The Restrainer is a very interesting, almost cryptic, passage tucked away in Paul’s teaching to the Thessalonians on the man of lawlessness. To understand who or what the Restrainer is, we need…
Before Christ, where do souls go? The Psalms talk a lot about a place called Sheol, sometimes translated “the pit” or “the grave.” It was the understanding of most of the Old Testament ancients that whether they were saints or not, everyone went to the same place. Sheol is a…
Who are the captives the Bible refers to that Jesus sets free? As Jesus began his ministry, he went into a synagogue and took the scroll from Isaiah and read from Isaiah 61 concerning himself (Luke 4:16-21). Then he said that this prophecy was fulfilled in their hearing that day.…
Jesus promised that he will return soon. But it has been 2000 years. What does he mean by soon? Just a few examples of this great promise from our Savior, here are some scriptures: Matthew 24:30-31; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 4:13-16; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 22:7,…
Image by Ben Kerckx from Pixabay If there’s anything you’ve noticed in the last couple of Holiness Matters blog posts, and perhaps in every one of them, we aren’t welcome in this world. It’s not that everyone we know treats us rudely us or is out to get us. It’s…
How do you explain Isaiah 53 to a Jewish person? Isaiah 53 is commonly held by Christians as a messianic prophecy about Jesus Christ. It is part of Isaiah’s Servant Songs about a messianic figure. It depends on the person you speak to, but the task at hand is to…
Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay What will the resurrection of the body look like? The resurrection of the body is talked about in several places throughout the New Testament. Paul mentions it at the end of his discussion on the resurrection of the body (1 Corinthians 15:50-58). He also…
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay What does the Bible say about cremation? The Bible does not speak to the issue of cremation. In general, passages like Genesis 3:19 and Job 30:19 speak of returning to dust in the earth. The phrase, “Ashes to ashes and dust to dust,” was…