I would like to know what happened to Job’s wife. I know what kind of woman she was, but I don’t know whatever happened to her. Thank you, Kartinia Morton, Washington, D.C. The Bible does not address what became of Job’s wife. In the conclusion of the Book of Job (chapter 42), Job was wonderfully blessed by God, which offset Job’s former losses. Job’s physical wealth doubled. Also, Job was blessed with seven sons and three daughters. The mother of a godly man’s children is the man’s wife. Since there is no indication that Job, for whatever reason, married a different wife than the one mentioned earlier in the Book of Job, apparently she enjoyed the same blessings Job did, especially the ten children. Otherwise, respecting details we wish we knew that the Bible does not address, we must take Deuteronomy 29:29 to heart, which says: “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Do you remember the first wedding you ever attended? It was probably one that your parents made you go to when you were so young you did not even understand what was really happening to the people involved. Do you remember the first time you gave serious consideration to the vows in a marriage ceremony? One of the first things that impressed me was the encouragement for the husband to cherish “manly affection” for his new bride. That phrase is a challenge to any husband through the course of the years of marriage. With the various problems facing our society, it is difficult for a husband to know how to demonstrate his “manly affection” for his wife. The text of Ephesians 5:23-31 teaches every husband about the love he should foster and maintain for his wife. Our study will center on six things every husband’s love should include in cherishing a “manly affection” for his wife. (1) Love of administration. Verse 23 teaches the husband is to be the head of the wife. He is to lead his family so that every member can reach the fullest potential. He is to oversee the education of the family members, he is to lead each member to develop his spiritual potential, he is to keep close watch on the financial situation, and he is to provide for the emotional well-being for his wife and children. He may delegate responsibilities to others, but he is always aware of what is going on and of …

Take your Bible and turn through it slowly. Do you notice anything? You should notice at first that it is made up of chapters and verses and that these chapters make up different books. You should also notice that all of these sixty-six books are grouped in two sections. These sections are commonly referred to as the Old Testament and the New Testament. However, what is the difference between them? Why are they divided into two different sections? Which one do we live by today? The Bible is divided into two different sections because there are two different covenants that man has lived under over time. The Old Testament is a record of the Old Covenant that God made with the people of Israel until “the fullness of the time was come” (Galatians 4:4). The New Testament is the New Covenant that God made with the world to bring man to salvation. Then, why have two covenants?  What are the differences, and how do we know which covenant man is under today? A covenant is “a compact or agreement between two parties.”1 In our particular discussion, it is an agreement between God and man. The Old Covenant is the Law of Moses under which Israel existed and lived. The New Covenant is that by which Christians live and fellowship with God. The New Covenant is an agreement between Christ and individuals this side of the cross throughout the Christian dispensation. The covenant relationship is part of God’s great scheme of redemption …

A valuable lesson to communicate to youngsters is that actions have consequences. Sinful conduct has serious negative consequences, but moral conduct produces positive results. That is what Paul was getting at when he wrote, “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). It is generally believed that it is impossible to live an exciting, joyous and fulfilled life while at the same time serving Christ. That’s simply not true. I would argue that it is impossible to live a full and meaningful life unless one is a Christian. Jesus saith that he had come that we “might have life” and that life in him is “abundant” (John 10:10). To live life fully, we must live it as Christians. Many today do not know, but Jesus knew that God’s laws were given to enrich life. When the Word of God prescribes a certain type of conduct, we can be confident that life will be more rewarding if we listen. When the Bible prohibits something, it is because it is in our best interest to avoid it. If we don’t, we should be prepared to face the consequences. Adam and Eve were driven from the garden because they did not listen to God. With their transgression, sin entered the world. As a result of sin, they were separated from God. Life became difficult. Death — eternal separation from God — became a reality. What God had pronounced as very …

Having fallen from grace, Judas soon thereafter fell headlong a corpse and a reminder of the depths to which sin will take an individual (Acts 1:17-20). Though he had a part in the ministry of God the Son, he chose a commission as henchman in the army of perdition. His death, as an apostle, left a void in the ranks of the handpicked, special followers of Jesus (Acts 1:20). By divine guidance (Acts 1:24, 26), the apostles chose a man among men to pick up the armor vacated by the deserter. The man chosen, Matthias, was a great man. This is obvious, for his appointment was based on his spiritual character (Acts 1:21). However, what of the man Barsabas, about whom very little is spoken? Was he not also a great man? He was faithful to Christ (Acts 1:22). Swete explains faithfulness to Christ (as in Revelation 2:10) as proving “…thyself loyal and true, to the extent of being ready to die [for Christ’s sake”] (The Apocalypse of St. John). Faithful suggests reliability and trustworthiness, as well as submissiveness. All of this describes Barsabas. From the ministry of the Baptizer to the ascension of the Savior, Barsabas was numbered among the disciples. Apparently, he withstood even the difficult teachings of Christ (see John 6:66-69). He did not turn away, even after the seeming defeat of Calvary (Acts 1:22). Faithfulness is, in God’s eyes, a sign of greatness. He was recognized as a spiritual leader (Acts 1:23). This is very subjective. The author …

The late and esteemed Foy Smith preached a moving sermon entitled, “Have You Been to Calvary?” The word “Calvary” (Luke 23:33, KJV) or “Golgotha” (Mark 15:22) means “the place of a skull,” referring to the site of Jesus’ crucifixion. Where was Calvary? Jesus died in 30 A.D., but in 70 A.D., when General Titus’ soldiers had demolished Jerusalem, “It was so thoroughly laid even with the ground . . . that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited” (Josephus, WARS 7, 1, 1). Not a stone was left on top of another (Matthew 24:2). Where was Calvary? A rebuilt Jerusalem again rebelled against Rome under Bar Kochba in 135 A.D., but again Jerusalem was destroyed, this time by Emperor Hadrian (117-138 A.D.). Where was Calvary? On the old site, Hadrian built a pagan city, naming it “Aleia Capitolina,” and erected there a temple to Jupiter Capitolinus. Under pain of death, no Jew was allowed in the city, nor even to stand at a distance to view the place of old Jerusalem (Albert Henry Newman, A Manual of Church History, I, 154). Where was Calvary? Constantine, the first emperor to be converted to Christianity, determined in 325 A.D. to find the site of Calvary, ordering Bishop Macarius of Aelia to locate both Jesus’ death site and his burial place. Macarius prayed, and allegedly the exact locations were miraculously revealed. Constantine’s mother, the Empress Helena, on sending a large number of workmen to the …

Women who have abortions can be forgiven, and our merciful and loving God will forgive them when they do what he requires for pardon. Spiritually strong people should have compassion for those who get caught up in the frustrations of their sins that cause abortions. But, spiritually strong people should also let their love and compassion work by trying to get people not to do the things that lead to abortion. Child Abuse The reports in the mass media on child abuse in the United States are appalling. It is hard to believe that there are some people in our enlightened and educated society that have done the cruel things that they have been doing to children. One of the worst forms of child abuse is abortion. Maybe it is the worst form because evidently in most cases of abortion the child does not even have a chance to cry in objection to his death! Horrifying Facts In the Kennedy-Falwell debate at the National Religious Broadcasting Convention in Washington, D.C., on February 5, 1985, I heard Dr. Jerry Falwell say there are 4,000 abortions per day in the United States. Only about one percent of these babies being killed were conceived as the result of incest and rape. So, the argument for abortion based on the fact that some aborted babies were conceived as a result of the sins of incest and rape is not a strong case for abortion. Even if abortion were justified in cases of incest and …

In addition to possessing a divine nature, Jesus Christ was also flesh and blood (John 1:14), a human being. He thus shared with us the full range of human emotions. He could be happy or sad. What circumstances of life made our Lord weep? What made him joyful? A study of this theme is both thrilling and rewarding. The book of Isaiah prophetically speaks of the Lord Jesus as “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (53:3). Three times in the New Testament, there is the record of Jesus weeping. Let us consider each of these. 1. John 11:35 poignantly states: “Jesus wept.” The Greek term for “wept” is dakruo, used only in this New Testament passage. It literally means, “to shed tears.” It suggests a silent, tender weeping. The occasion of this touching scene is in connection with the death of Lazarus. What precipitated the Master’s tears at this time? It was surely not the grief of hopelessness (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13), for Lazarus was in a better state of being. Nor was it a weeping of loneliness, for the Lord knew that his friend would be with his family and associates presently. Some have suggested that Jesus wept because he recognized that he would be bringing Lazarus back to a life of hardship (cf. John 12:10). More likely, however, is the view which suggests that Christ wept out of pure sympathy for those whose hearts were breaking at this time. John writes: “When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, …

In Ephesians 2:19-22, the grand old Apostle Paul spoke of Christians being fellow citizens with the saints and members of the family of God. Then changing the figures of speech that he was using to that of a building, or a Temple, he said that we are built on the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. He went on to say that the whole building fitly joined together grows into a holy temple in Christ, and that it is in him that the Christian is being (notice the present tense) built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit. There are many things in this periphrastic rendering of these verses that would be profitable for study, but today we wish to look at the fact that Christians are built together for a “habitation of God in the Spirit.” During the dispensation of Moses, the people in whom God dwelt, by dwelling in the Temple which they had built for him, were the people of Israel. For many generations these people were the “chosen” of God and held the unique position of having a very special relationship with him because of who they were. In the dispensation of grace, God no longer dwells among a physical people such as he did in the days of the Law of Moses, but he dwells in a spiritual Temple which is made of living stones. This spiritual Temple is also known as “a chosen …

(Glad Tidings of Good Things, Vol. 6/Nov. 15, 2001) Sometimes students of the Bible are shocked and confused to read in the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit at times describes the thoughts and actions of God as “evil.” For example, in the Book of Jeremiah alone we read that Jehovah “brought” evil (Jeremiah 4:6), he “thought to do” evil (18:8), he “framed” evil (18:11), he “pronounced” evil (26:13, 19), he “purposed to do” evil (36:3), and he “did” evil (42:10). In each of these passages, both the King James Version and American Standard Version of 1901 speak of the “evil” that the Lord planned and/or carried out. First, there are a number of words used in the Bible that have more than one meaning. Their meaning in a particular instance in the Scriptures must be determined by the context in which they appear. So it is with the word “evil.” When we read the word “evil,” perhaps our first thought is that this signifies wickedness, sinful action, that which is wrong or evil from a moral point of view. The word “evil” does carry such a meaning in many biblical passages. For instance, in the days of Noah the thoughts of man’s heart were only “evil” continually (Genesis 6:5). Is the Lord God guilty of thinking and doing that which is “evil” in a moral sense — does he do that which is wrong? Consider three biblical statements that show that God could never think or act in an evil …

In 1984, leaders of thirteen denominational churches in Florida signed a joint-declaration condemning the death penalty. This document characterized capital punishment as being inconsistent with God’s love. They did not and could not say, however, that it is inconsistent with God’s Word. Nor could they charge Scripture with inciting the evils that they lodged against capital punishment. Consider for a moment the title of this article. It isn’t, “Is Capital Punishment Political?” It is. Newsweek reports that “…capital punishment in Texas is in the cross hairs this political season” (June 12, 2000, p. 26). It isn’t, “Is Capital Punishment Popular?” According to a recent Newsweek poll, it is supported by 73% of Americans (Newsweek, June 12, 2000, p. 27). This statistic is in all probability higher since “People who work in the news media are overwhelmingly opposed to the death penalty…” (John Leo, U.S. News & World Report, July 3, 2000, p. 14). It isn’t, “Is Capital Punishment Controversial?” It is and always has been controversial. The question is, “Is Capital Punishment Scriptural and Therefore Right?” By scriptural, I mean that the Bible furnishes us with the objective standard by which to determine the legitimacy of this very controversial question (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Capital punishment comes from a Latin expression meaning punishment that takes the head, and hence, the life of a person. It means that life, for what is regarded justifiable reason, is legally taken by the existing form of government under which one lives. Executions in this country are relatively rare compared to …

To the faithful child of God there are many precious promises of Scripture, the fulfillment of which are eagerly awaited. The one promise that will open the door to the fulfillment of all remaining promises is that of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. That the Word of God clearly assures this fact cannot be successfully denied. Yet, there are those who scoff at the promise. There are those who falsely teach that his Second Coming has already occurred. There are those who in error teach that his Second Coming will be followed by a third coming, at which time he is to establish a physical, earthly kingdom over which he will rule from the city of Jerusalem. These errant suggestions have no place in Scripture, but are rooted in the fanciful traditions and doctrines of men (Matthew 15:9-13). We can know that Christ has not yet come, because the Bible teaches that “He is coming with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, even they who pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7). It is the true case that our eyes have not yet seen him. Certainly there has been no news coverage by television and radio of such an event. Since none have seen him come, it is evident that he has not yet come. As well, we can know that Christ is not coming the second time in order to establish his kingdom, because his kingdom has already been established. It was successfully established on the day of Pentecost during …

Some religious people feel that as long as one has a sincere heart, the “little” details do not make much difference. Yet, we don’t think this way about other matters which are not of eternal consequences. Consider: If 99.9 percent is good enough, then … Two million documents will be lost by the IRS this year. 811,000 faulty rolls of 35 mm film will be sold this year. 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes. 1,314 phone calls will be misplaced by telecommunication services every minute. 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each day. 268,500 defective tires and 14,208 defective personal computers will be shipped this year. 403,260 tax returns will be returned incorrectly this year. 2,488,200 books will go out every 12 months with the wrong cover. 5,517,200 cases of soft drinks produced in the next 12 months will be flatter than a bad tire. Two plane landings daily at O’Hare Airport will be unsafe. 3,056 copies of tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal will be missing one of three sections. 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled next hour.  880,000 credit cards in circulation will turn out to have incorrect cardholder information on their magnetic strips. $9,690 will be spent today, next Thursday, and every day in the future on defective, often unsafe sporting equipment. 55 malfunctioning automatic teller machines will be installed in the next 12 months. 20,000 incorrect prescriptions will be written this year. 114,500 mismatched shoes will be …