One of the Church’s recurring themes has been our expectation of Christ’s return as Lord and King. Jesus and His apostles warned of the proximity of that event and of the need to prepare and be alert (Luke 21:34-36; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3; James 5:7-9; 2 Peter 3:10-12).
As a teenager in the 1940s, I attended a Salem branch of the Church of God (Seventh Day). At that time the Church was preaching the imminent return of Jesus and the third angel’s message as a warning of impending judgment upon worshippers of the beast (Revelation 14:9, 10).
The word glory is common in Christian circles. When worship leaders invite the congregation to “give God the glory,” they substitute glory for praise. Glory can be a synonym for boast: “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). Theologians use a form of this word […]
More than mere songs of worship, the Psalms offer multilayered insight, promise, and prophecy to those who discern them. The 91st psalm, for example, is filled with promises for threatening situations. Many a soldier has drawn strength from these powerful lines while preparing for battle:
