Passage: 1 Corinthians 2:6-8
1 Corinthians 2:1–10 is one of the most relevant passages in relation to the mindset of the world in which we live during the first half of the twenty-first century. The Corinthians of Greece in Paul’s day were similar to those who live in San Francisco or similar cultural environments in our day. Yet, the gospel had taken root there and Paul was writing to a group of people who were genuine believers in Christ.
Passage: 1 Corinthians 4:1
The next use of the word “mystery” is found in 1 Corinthians 4:1, just a couple of chapters after Paul’s previous reference in 2:6. There is a connection between the two passages in that Paul was speaking about God’s revelation of His plan was revealed in a mystery in 2:6. In 4:1ff Paul is speaking about being a trustworthy steward of the mysteries of God...
Passage: 1 Corinthians 13:2 & 1 Corinthians 14:2
Paul uses the word “mystery” in the plural twice in the section of 1 Corinthians where he deals with spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12–14). This is a different context than any of the previous uses we have seen up to this point in our study. However, at first glance it appears the use of “mystery” in these passages is similar to the previous uses of the term.
A while back I was talking to a friend of mine about the modern state of Israel. This friend, born and raise in Damascus, Syria, is a Muslim. He is a well-educated man, who has lived in our country for about 40 years. As our conversation developed, I was taken back when he told me that the Jewish people of today had no claim to the land of Israel because the church has replaced Israel. He then cited Galatians 6:16. I was amazed that a Muslim has such a grasp of the Christian false teaching called replacement theology...
May 17, 1999 Israel had a major national election in which Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu was defeated by Labor’s Ehud Barak. Barak will be forming a coalition government that is due to assume governance around the first of July. The other story in the Israeli elections that most do not realize is that while the more conservative Netanyahu lost the top spot to the more left-leaning Barak, the religious parties made significant gains in the number of seats they control in the Knesset. This makes for an interesting coalition mix since Barak has to include some of the conservatives and orthodox parties to form a government of at least the 61 seats required for the thinnest majority. How are these recent developments fitting into God’s prophetic plan?