By: Obed Pineda Upon reading Ezekiel 7:26, there is a very important disappearance mentioned by God. The Bible reads, “Destruction comes; they will seek peace, but there shall be none. Disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet;…
By: Obed Pineda There are certain trains of thought that are detrimental to one’s spiritual growth. For example, consider the lazy man’s slogan: “Not today, maybe tomorrow.” This expression, unfortunately, is much too common among Christians concerning the study of God’s Word. This lackadaisical approach to spiritual affairs not only…
By: Obed Pineda In the summer of 64 A.D., a great disaster sparked one of history’s most vicious crimes against humanity; the Neronian Persecution. Roman historians believe that the raging fire that lasted several days and devoured a great portion of the ancient city begun at the Circus Maximus. Although…
By: Obed Pineda When studying history, there is always someone who questions the purpose of knowing about the past. A common response to this query is that in certain situations ignoring the past can doom an entire society to repeat it. It should also be noted that many of the…
By: Obed Pineda “The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked, overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness” (Proverbs 21:12). Upon reading this godly proverb, two thoughts quickly appear in this author’s subconsciousness. First, I am reminded of Jehovah God’s explanation to His friend as to what mission His…
By: Obed Pineda If it is true that the names of Saul, David, and Solomon brought forth blissful memories of an Israel that relished in an abundance of prosperity and fame, then the opposite must be true of Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. Although the first group of kings ruled over…
By: Obed Pineda It is undeniable that one of Israel’s darkest periods in history ran from 606 B.C. to 536 B.C. This obsidian mark on Israel’s timeline is remembered as the years of captivity, or the period of exile. During this time frame of uncertainty and sorrow, the questions haunting…
By: Obed Pineda Upon returning home from a successful campaign against a rival nation, it was customary in the ancient east for the victors to place the treasures looted from the sacked temple into theirs. For the conquerors, this was a display of the dominance exuded by their patron god…
By: Obed Pineda After answering the Macedonian’s plea for help, the apostle Paul arrived in Athens due to the relentless efforts of his adversaries that were persecuting him (cf. Acts 16:6-10, 17:1-16). The inspired Luke recounts that “while Paul waited for them [Silas and Timothy] at Athens, his spirit was…
By: Obed Pineda Four hundred years… from the day that king Solomon dedicated the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem (cf. 2nd Kings 8), to the arrival of Babylon’s captain of the guard Nebuzaradan who burned it all down (cf. 2nd Kings 25:8-10), four hundred years had transpired. The journals…