The story is told from the perspective of Winston Smith, a diligent mid-level worker at the Ministry of Truth whose job is to revise news and historical accounts to make them conform to the Party's propaganda of the day. Eventually he secretly comes to hate his job, the Party, and Big Brother, and dreams of thinking and living as a free man.
In 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and captured it. Among the captives he took with him back to Babylon was Daniel, part of the nobility of the Kingdom of Judah. Daniel was a young man when he was taken captive to Babylon.
What we see now will not and cannot last. The suffering, pain, disappointments, and tragedies we face are all temporary. Keep the bigger picture in mind. The Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is forever. Let us invite as many as we can into that eternal reality, where it will be good and stay good.
The motley fleet of “just people” utterly defeated Palpatine’s armada, which led to a general revolt against his rule across the galaxy that resulted in the restoration of freedom.
Because Satan and all who serve him face a sure and permanent defeat, we should not be dismayed into inaction or lulled into complacency by his temporary power. We are gifted and empowered by God with talents to be salt and light wherever He has placed us (Matthew 25:14-30).
A little more than 20 years ago we moved to a new area and started attending a church that my wife and I had scouted out beforehand and deemed to be a good place to worship the Lord, hear sound Biblical preaching, and enjoy Christian fellowship.
Knowing that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God through Jesus Christ gives us the divinely granted courage to leave false religion with all its worldly advantages for the gospel, suffer persecution with patience and hope, and even face death with calm assurance.
One of my favorite things to do during the weekend is to sit on the deck of our home and enjoy the night sky. Despite living in a suburban area, a cloudless night reveals a multitude of stars that can be seen with the naked eye. It always amazes me that many of the very same stars that I view from my deck were seen by people thousands of years ago.
Several years ago, my wife and I were flying home from a vacation in Florida. Because advanced seat assignments were not available, we could not sit together. She ended up in a seat near the back of the plane, while I was able to get an aisle seat next to a middle-aged wife and her husband close to the middle of the plane.
Many of us, whether we live in the United States or one of many other countries around the world, have heard of the board game called Monopoly or have enjoyed playing it with family and friends. This is a game I have played and enjoyed since my years in college.
Flash cards are cards containing information on both sides that are intended to be used as aids in memorization. The Lord Jesus, Creator of all things, made the numbers we all use. Like flash cards, they can act as illustrations of God’s grace -- His love for humanity and the redemption He provides for all who trust in Him.
Though the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested, supposed latter-day “prophets” act as infallible interpreters of Scripture. It is like a table determining the length of the measuring tape instead of the other way around.
V for Vendetta, a dystopian political action film that debuted in 2005, portrays an England of the near future ruled by a fascist and authoritarian regime which maintains control over the people through constant propaganda, and imprisonment or execution of dissidents.
During the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games, it is customary for the athletes of the many participating nations to march into the stadium under their own nations’ flags. This is in preparation for the national teams to compete against each other to gain glory for their respective countries.
The apostle John wrote this so that we may know in our hearts and minds that eternal life is ours now since we have accepted Jesus Christ by faith. Such an assurance supplies the basis for joyful prayer and fellowship with one another and provides us with the knowledge that God loves us -- a knowledge that tells us we do not have to work so that God can save us.
Just as Jesus came into the world at the right place at the right time to save sinners doomed to eternal separation from God, so He has placed us here at the right place at the right time to work out all our circumstances for our good, for our salvation, for the blessing of others with whom we travel on the road of life, and for His glory.
This world with its oppression, war, disease, brutality, genocide, and death is not all there is, even though it may seem like it sometimes (2 Peter 3:9-12). But there is something much better and everlasting coming.
When President Donald Trump nominated federal judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United States on September 26, 2020, to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, many Christians and pro-life conservatives expressed hope that the new prospective Justice would be like a modern-day Esther...
Do not give way to even intense pressure or throw in the towel. Bend not the knee to Baal or Molech, or receive thirty pieces of silver, or drop the pinch of incense to Caesar. Do not cast aside the approval of God for the approval of men (John 9:42-43).
During his rise to fame, Cassius Clay became involved with a religious sect called the Nation of Islam, a separatist group of Black American Muslims whose beliefs ran far-afield of orthodox Islam. The adherents of this religious group told him that his ancestors were Muslims and that he would do them honor by abandoning the slave name handed down to him and adopting an Islamic one.
Cicero came from a wealthy family in the town of Arpinum, located in central Italy. His extensive philosophical and political writings provide ample insight into his life and times, which included political corruption and instability in Rome, the end of the republic, civil war, and the establishment of dictatorship.
We may not know what challenges we will face tomorrow, or the details of how end times events will unfold, but we know based on His infallible word that Jesus is coming back for His children. Whether He takes us home through death or catches us up when He returns, Jesus will always be with us through our journey on earth.
