Audacious claims have been made concerning the authority of the Pope. In this message some of these claims, based in part on the idea that the Pope is the successor to Peter as the first “Pope,” are examined in light of Scripture.
“Was Peter the First Pope?” COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Because of the faith of their forefathers God chose Israel. But not only for the sake of Israel. Through them the world was to have an example, and be blessed as well. Israel failed to be the example God desired, but God will ultimately bring salvation to the peoples of Israel and all nations as Scripture explains.
“Why-Did-God-Choose-Israel-part-2” COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
When Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President of the United States on March 4, 1861, seven states in the South had already declared their secession from the Union. Despite what you may have heard or read to the contrary, the reason for secession was the question of slavery. Lincoln stated it in his inaugural address: “One section of our country believes slavery is right, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong, and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial dispute.”
While whether slavery should be extended or not was the immediate political issue of the moment, the contention actually went deeper. There were many abolitionists who felt that slavery such as it existed in the United States at the time was a moral wrong, an evil that should be not just limited but abolished. Many abolitionists had in fact supported the proposition in the 1840’s that states favoring the abolition of slavery should separate from the South (en.wikipedia.org, “Secession in the United States,” retrieved July 17, 2020).
There were two starkly different views, as Lincoln said, of right and wrong. Who is to decide what is right and wrong?
Continue readingScripture prophesies that Jesus Christ, who is God, is coming soon as this age draws to a close to administer his government over the entire world.
Note the following prophecy concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” (Revelation 11:15).
And in the book of Daniel: “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).
Among the qualities of that government to rule all nations, we are assured, is justice.
A prophetic psalm proclaims: “The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad! Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne” (Psalms 97:1-2).
“… the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18).
Let’s examine what the Bible tells us about God as the “God of Justice.”
Continue readingWas Jesus the first to be “born from the dead”? If so, in what way, and what are we to learn about Jesus Christ and our own destiny in regard to what many may consider a surprising answer to this question?
English 
Français