Sermons and Biblical Studies

“Flee to the mountains” (Gn 19:17) was what the angels told Lot and his family. This is a view of the region where the Monastery of Lot’s Cave is located. At the southeastern corner of the Dead Sea, the mountains of Moab and Edom loom to the east of the Cities of the Plain. The … Continue reading “JORDAN”

Gary A. Byers The Byzantines were prolific builders throughout Palestine. They preserved the names and identities of many significant Biblical sites, providing an important line of evidence for modem archaeological investigation. The Byzantine period (AD 324–640) represented Palestine’s greatest population density prior to the 19th century. This The site of Peter’s house at Capernaum is … Continue reading “THOSE
INDEFATIGABLE BYZANTINES!”

Bryant G. Wood The names Sodom and Gomorrah are by-words in our modern society. An especially wicked place is described as a “Sodom and Gomorrah.” Pastors are sometimes said to be preaching “fire and brimstone.” And we have the legal term sodomy for unnatural sex acts. These allusions, of course, stem from the Biblical account … Continue reading “THE
DISCOVERY OF THE SIN CITIES OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH1”

“He is not here”—but was He ever? The Church of the Holy Sepulcher The most recent and comprehensive study of the Constantinian, Crusader and modern Churches of the Holy Sepulcher has just been completed. Findings offer no great revelations, but clarify what scholars have been piecing together over the past century. In the spirit of … Continue reading “RECENT
DISCOVERIES IN BIBLE LANDS”

Austin Robbins View of the rising Earth as seen by the crew of Apollo 8 as they came from behind the moon after the lunar orbit insertion burn. The charge is frequently leveled at creationists that, while they may be good at tearing down evolutionary theory, they are weak in presenting their own theory of … Continue reading “EVIDENCES
OF CREATION”

Brian Janeway Gymnasiarchal Law. This important document was discovered in Berea, one of the Macedonian cities visited by the Apostle Paul (Acts 17:10–14). One of the earliest references to politarchs, the early date (167 BC) of the Gymnasiarchal Law attests to the existence of this institution before the Roman conquest of Macedonia in the second … Continue reading “THE
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES AND THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS”

Gordon Franz Emperor Domitian, the self-proclaimed “Lord and God” and ruthless dictator, reigned from AD 81 to 96. He was the son of Emperor Vespasian and the brother of Titus, the conquerors of Jerusalem in AD 70. Late in life, Domitian become very superstitious. In fact, on the day before he was murdered, he consulted … Continue reading “THE
KING AND I: THE APOSTLE JOHN AND EMPEROR DOMITIAN”

Gary A. Byers Herod’s palace complex on the north bank of the Wadi Qelt. Known today as Tulul Abu el-ʿAlayiq, it was Herod’s winter palace and the heart of New Testament Jericho. In the same region, but not in the same location as Jericho of the Old Testament. New Testament Jericho was also associated with … Continue reading “ON
THE JERICHO ROAD”

Bryant G. Wood When one hears the name “Jericho,” one naturally thinks of Israelites marching, trumpets sounding and walls falling. It is a wonderful story of faith and victory that we enjoy reading and telling in Sunday School class, but did it really happen? The skeptic would say no, it is merely a folk tale … Continue reading “THE
WALLS OF JERICHO”

Bryant G. Wood The author atop the stone retaining wall at Jericho. He is pointing to the remnants of the mud brick wall that collapsed when the Israelites attached the city. On the front cover the author is seen standing in front of the stone retaining wall. The Israelites marched around this wall when they … Continue reading “AN
EDITORIAL COMMENT”