The Death of John the Baptist

John the Baptist was a relative of Jesus (Luke 1:36). He prepared the way for Jesus’ ministry (Matthew 3:1–3), proclaiming Him as the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, and the Savior who would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29-31). In the first year after Jesus’ baptism, He ministered in Judea and […]

The Baptism of John the Baptist

John the Baptist was a prophet who appeared 400 years after the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, was written. He was called “John the Baptist” because he preached a message of repentance and baptized people in the Jordan River. His father was a priest (Luke 1:8-13), but John lived in the wilderness, and […]

Justification by Faith

“Justification by faith” is the cornerstone and central doctrine of the Christian faith. “By faith” means “through trust,” and “justification” means “to be declared innocent by God and to have one’s rightful standing restored before Him.” Its core meaning is that a sinner is saved solely by God’s grace (a gift), by trusting in Jesus […]

New Wine and Wineskins

The Gospels of Matthew (Chapter 9) and Luke (Chapter 5) record Jesus using the relationship between new wine and wineskins as a metaphor for the difference between the Old and New Covenants. The Lord Jesus said, “…no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and […]

The Judean Desert

The Judean Desert is located between the Judean mountains and the Jordan Valley. Most of it is “a land of drought and waterless places” (Ezekiel 19:13, NASB), where little to no vegetation grows. It is described as “a desert, a land of deep gullies, a dry and barren land, a land where no one travels […]

The Small City of Nazareth

Nazareth is a city in the northern part of modern-day Israel, located in the historical region of Galilee. The name Nazareth comes from the Hebrew word “Netzer,” which means “branch” or “shoot.” The Book of Isaiah used the term “branch” to describe a descendant of the house of David. In ancient times, many different branches […]

Herod the Great

Herod (74 BC – 4 AD), also known as Herod the Great, was a client king of the Roman province of Judea. His name means “son of a hero.” Herod’s father, Antipater, was an Edomite who had saved the life of Julius Caesar, earning Caesar’s permission to rule all of ancient Israel. After Antipater was […]

The Shepherds in the Field

It was common for Israeli shepherds to lead their flocks out into the fields around the time of Passover and bring them back home before the first winter rain. During this time, shepherds would stay in the fields day and night to watch over their flocks. The Holy Spirit did not reveal Jesus’ birth date. […]

Mount Zion

Psalm 87:2-3 says, “The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, city of God.” Mount Zion is the name of a hill on the southern side of the Old City of Jerusalem. The word “Zion” appears over 150 times in the Bible. […]

The Baby

In Luke 2:6-7, “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a descendant of King David. Because […]