S.D. Smith

I'm the savior, I'm not nervous I'm as tough as a virgin birth is I split mountains, divide churches Should kick back cause my...

Before long, the time will come for our farmers to gather their crops. To everything there is a season, and the reaping of many vegetables comes in autumn. Jesus uses horticultural themes several times in his parables to convey God’s nature and plan. Likewise, Paul teaches that every person will reap what they sow. Farming is excellent imagery for understanding several spiritual concepts, but I have become quite confused regarding the idea of harvesting unbelievers. My curios

As a Bible teacher, I have been accused of creating more questions than I answer when teaching. To such accusations I say, “Thank you!” Pulpits are filled in America with motivational speakers trying to convince congregants to believe God’s words. They tell church-goers what the words of the Bible really mean and how to apply them to their lives. By this point you may think, “That’s their job Steve,” but I disagree. What believers need is to be taught critical thinking skills

Open any modern commentary on a Bible book and you will find what literary genre(s) might have been used by the biblical author. Among these genres is poetry, which is used most often to describe the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. However, we must be careful not to mistake the term poetry for unreal. Imagery is provided to aid readers in comprehending the message, but there is a very real message that needs to be understood and the nature of

INTRODUCTION The ministry of Zephaniah, a prophet of Judah, is believed to have occurred ca. 625 BC, approximately 40 years prior to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. Like his contemporary, Jeremiah, Zephaniah is chosen by God to pronounce His impending judgment for Judah’s continuous sin. 1:1 – CONTEXT OF ZEPHANIAH Following the same pattern as other prophetic books of the Old Testament, Zephaniah begins with, “The word of the Lord which came t

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10, NKJV). In my youth these words of Peter communicated plainly to me that this planet I live on will not last forever. This interpretation posed no doctrinal conflict in my mind because my church at that time taught very little regarding the d

As more and more of the Christian community accepts what the secular world already knows, that the universe and Earth are billions of...

If I were asked what I thought about the existence of extraterrestrial aliens, I would reply, “they are not real.” This conclusion is founded on the basis that nothing in my worldview leads me to believe that aliens are real . This does not determine whether they truly exist. My worldview alone does not constitute enough evidence to support an educated opinion on the matter. I would need to pursue academic research regarding the possibility of alien life in order to logically

When in the course of biblical events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the eschatological bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of reason, the separate and equal station to which the book of Revelation and the Olivet Discourse entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation from mainstream evangelical doctrine. We hold these truths t

Jonah is unlike any of the other eleven minor prophetic books. Instead of focusing on the prophecies, the author focuses on the prophet, Jonah. This odd nature makes scholars question its placement within the Minor Prophets as opposed to the historical books. Perhaps the canonical and historical context shed light on its place in Jewish literature. Jonah was a contemporary with Hosea, Amos, and Micah during the eighth century BC. His recorded ministry confirms this timeframe