Bible Archives

September 2, 2025September 1, 2025

Cana and the Wedding Feast

We read in John’s gospel that Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus turned six large stone jars of water into wine. But where exactly was Cana? We know it was in Galilee because John mentions it, but the exact location has long been disputed. An archaeologist believes he has found the site of Cana and the wedding feast.

Jesus was present at the wedding with His first disciples, who had been followers of John the Baptist just days before. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also there, so this wedding was likely for a close friend or family member. The reason for Jesus performing this miracle might have been sympathy for the embarrassment of the wedding host, but it could also have been to help His new disciples develop faith. (See John 2:1-11.)

Natural processes can turn rainwater into grape juice over time, but Jesus had the power to accelerate this without a grapevine. There was no reason for Him to ferment the grape juice to cause intoxication. When the master of the feast tasted it, he remarked, “You have kept the good wine until now.” That suggests the wine at this feast was not intoxicating.

Since the 18th century, the location of Cana and the wedding feast has generally been identified as Kafr Kanna, an Israeli town in Galilee. This is because, following the Crusades, the Franciscans chose it as a convenient place to establish a pilgrimage site, rather than based on historical evidence. Now, archaeologist and historian Tom McCollough suggests that Cana was actually located five miles north of Kafr Kanna, at a site called Khirbet Qana. This was a Jewish village from 323 B.C. to 324 A.D.

Excavations at Khirbet Qana have uncovered a veneration cave complex used by Christian pilgrims until the 12th-century Crusader period. Artifacts and inscriptions on the cave walls indicate this was the original location. McCollough also notes that rabbinic texts and the writings of first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus support this site. After Jesus faced resistance in Judea and ministered in Samaria, He returned to Cana, where He healed a nobleman’s son. (See John 4:43-54.)

The significance of identifying the location of Jesus’ first miracle is not for pilgrims to visit and venerate the site. Instead, it shows that the gospels describe real historical locations and events. Jesus is a real person, and Cana was a real place. Historian Tom McCollough believes that his excavations at Khirbet Qana strengthen the historical reliability of the Bible.

Reference: foxnews.com

August 29, 2025August 29, 2025

Prayer Changes Things

As Paul concluded his first epistle to the Thessalonians, he gave them a list of instructions (1 Thessalonians 5:14-22). Among these is the admonition to “Pray without ceasing” (verse 17). That does not mean to be constantly on your knees or even with your eyes closed. The idea is to maintain a constant attitude of prayer. Prayer changes things, starting with the person who prays.

In Acts 12:5, we read about what the early Church did when Peter was imprisoned for preaching the gospel. “Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church” (NKJV). They prayed without ceasing for Paul, and God answered their prayer with a miracle. God doesn’t always answer with miracles. Miracles, by their very definition, are extremely rare. However, that does not mean that prayer can’t change things.

Recently (August 27, 2025), a gender-confused person with wicked motives opened fire on children in a Minnesota Catholic school during mass, killing two and injuring 15, plus 2 adults. The deranged shooter apparently harbored major anger toward Christianity and a desire to kill children. This incident also prompted many politicians and media personalities to display their hostility toward prayer. They demonstrated that they can’t believe prayer changes things.

In a press conference, the mayor of Minneapolis criticized people who were calling for prayer in response to the shooting. “Don’t say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now. These kids were literally praying…they were in a church.” Other Democratic officials and liberal media figures also disparaged faith-based responses to the tragedy. Dana Bash on CNN repeated the mayor’s call to “forget about thoughts and prayers.”

Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary under President Biden, in a rant on X, stated, “Enough with the thoughts and prayers.” Then, on her MSNBC show, Psaki criticized President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance for calling for prayer for the families involved. Vance had defended prayer by writing on X, “We pray because our hearts are broken. We pray because we know God listens.”

As I said, prayer changes things. Living in an attitude of prayer will change your life. It will change your attitude toward others. It will make you concerned for their needs and their pains. It will ease your own burdens and lead you to demonstrate God’s love for others. Perhaps it will bring a miracle, and maybe that miracle is a change in your life. Pray without ceasing.

August 28, 2025August 27, 2025

Frequently Quoted “Scriptures” Not Found in the Bible

“God helps those who help themselves.” That was a favorite “scripture” of my father, and he quoted it many times. The problem is that it is merely one of the frequently quoted “scriptures” not found in the Bible. In fact, it contradicts a very important Bible message. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot be good enough to deserve a heavenly reward. Trying to do so only shows a lack of faith in what Jesus has already done for us. See Romans 3:23, 6:23, and Ephesians 2:8.

“Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Perhaps a parent may quote this “scripture’ to a child who needs to wash, but you won’t find this in the Bible either. In fact, the enemies of Jesus criticized his disciples because they did not ceremoniously wash their hands before eating. Jesus responded very directly about what real cleanliness is. Read it in Matthew 15:1-20.

Another of these frequently quoted “scriptures” not found in the Bible is, “God moves in mysterious ways.” You won’t find those words in the Bible, but in a hymn written by English poet William Cowper in 1773. It is based on Psalms 77:16-19. The first verse of the hymn says,

God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform.

He plants his footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in the dark and hidden mines,

With never-failing skill,

He fashions all his bright designs

And works his sov’reign will.

Yes, God’s ways are mysterious, but He created humans with curiosity and a desire to discover how God does things. Science has unlocked many of the mysteries of creation, but we have only scratched the surface. A leading American computational, physical, and theoretical chemist, Henry F. Shaefer III, once remarked, “The significance and joy in my science comes in the occasional moments of discovering something new and saying to myself, ‘So that’s how God did it!’ My goal is to understand a little corner of God’s
plan.” (U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 23, 1991, cited by Dr. John Oakes).

Frequently quoted “scriptures” not found in the Bible may not be truthful. What we need to realize is that the Bible tells us everything we need to know to be saved. However, it does not tell us everything that can satisfy our curiosity. That is where science fills the gap. The point is that true scientific facts and a correct understanding of the Bible must be in agreement because they both come from the same source—God.

August 15, 2025August 14, 2025

Not a Forced Religion

The teachings of Jesus Christ are radically different from those of other religions. Perhaps the most notable are the teachings about how to gain converts. In the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5–7), Jesus clearly states that those who follow Him do so voluntarily. Following Him is not a forced religion, and Christ’s disciples emphasized this as the Church rapidly grew.

In Acts 17:22-34, Paul describes the Christian faith and concludes in verses 29–30 that people should not think God’s nature is physical. In Acts 17:30, Paul writes, “God has looked with indulgence on the days of man’s ignorance, but now He is announcing to everyone everywhere the need to think differently.” Paul uses the word “repent,” meaning to think differently. Following Christ is a personal decision, not a forced religion or cult. This contrasts sharply with other religious belief systems.

Some individuals claiming to be Christians have violated Christ’s teachings by resorting to violence to force others to convert. The Crusades, the teachings of the Mormon Church, and various cult leaders all engaged in violence that directly contradicts Christ’s teachings. There is not a single statement by Christ or the Apostles advocating the use of force to gain converts.

An English translation of the Koran by N.J. Dawood, a Muslim, is available from Penguin Classics. Reading it reveals a stark contrast to Christ’s teachings. Mohammed 47:3-5 instructs Muslims to strike off the heads of unbelievers. The passages in 2:178 and 2:179 state that fighting and bloodshed are ordained for Muslims. Repentance 9:4-7 and 122-125 command Muslims to wage war. Claims that these are mistranslations are untrue; Muslims have followed these teachings for centuries, and fundamentalists still do today.

Hinduism also involves coercion. Since 2014, India’s Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party has been in power, arresting individuals they believe are proselytizing Hindus. Government violence against non-Hindus has led to the killing of Christians and Muslims and the confiscation of their property.

The teachings of Christ shine brightly in a world filled with violence. The word “gospel” means “good news,” and the good news is that Christianity is not a forced religion. Jesus Christ offers the freedom, peace, and hope that people desire to have in their lives.

July 28, 2025July 27, 2025

Intelligence and Wisdom Are Different

Some of the smartest people in history were not wise. Albert Einstein was very intelligent, but he struggled with simple tasks, such as tying his shoes. He would get lost on his way to his office and couldn’t remember birthdays. In 1952, the prime minister of Israel wanted him to become the country’s new president, but Einstein said he lacked the aptitude or experience to “deal properly with people and to exercise official function.” There is a clear distinction between intelligence and wisdom.

There are many kinds of intelligence, and my son Tim exemplifies this. Tim was mentally challenged based on tests involving normal daily functions. His school placed him in classes for the mentally impaired, but on a verbal test, he scored within the normal range. His ability to hold an intelligent conversation was fairly standard, but his capacity to care for himself was nonexistent.

Being wise is a gift from God and is described in James 3:17: “But the wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally and does not put conditions on what He gives, and it shall be given to him.”

Proverbs 14:32-35 tells us, “When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge. Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning, but in the heart of fools she is not known. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

We can’t deny the difference between intelligence and wisdom. Will America survive the leadership of intelligent people who lack biblical wisdom? As our nation drifts away from belief in God, we can find the answer in the lessons of history that we seem to forget.

July 25, 2025July 23, 2025

An Attack on Love

The famous Italian poet Dante Alighieri, writing around the year 1300, wrote that “all of the seven deadly sins are an attack on love. Pride, envy, and anger result from perverted love, sloth from insufficient love, and greed, gluttony, and lust from an excessive love of earthly goods.”

The Bible teaches us that God is love (1 John 4:8), and Jesus instructed that Christians should have a special kind of love, expressed in the Greek word “agape.” Christians should see every human being as worthy of love because they are created in the image of God. Dante’s observation that the things God hates are an attack on love resonates with the current state of the world, as many turn away from God.

The Bible uses various Greek words to describe how God wants us to love. The one Greek word that is NOT used is “eros,” from which our English word “erotic” is derived. Those who reject God often turn to a distorted form of love that is more than destructive. It results in frustration and prevents those involved from experiencing the true joy that God created in physical love.

Other religious systems promote what amounts to an attack on love. Practices such as polygamy, polyandry, incestuous relationships, and pedophilia all lead to abuse and frustration for everyone involved. In Matthew 19:8-9 and Mark 10:5-9, Jesus speaks of the hardness of men’s hearts, which results in women being treated as pawns and obstructs God’s plan for the nuclear family.

Hard-heartedness fosters greed, war, violence, and abuse. Ultimately, political systems that endorse such behavior will collapse. You either learn from history or repeat it. The question is, what will happen to America as atheism, naturalism, and secularism replace the teachings of Christ, and as the sins God hates bear their bitter fruit? Only time will tell.

Reference: Power for Today for September 12, 2025, by Andy Wall and Wikipedia.

June 27, 2025June 26, 2025

Magnificent Church Buildings

Many of us have been in some incredibly beautiful church buildings. Living in the South Bend, Indiana, area since 1952, I attended the University of Notre Dame on a National Science Foundation grant. When the family came to visit, I would take them on a tour of the beautiful church, including the grotto in the basement where Catholic heroes are entombed. When I gave lectures in London and visited France, I had the opportunity to see the magnificent church buildings in those countries. I have also seen the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. The human ability to build magnificent church buildings is without question, but is that what God called us to do?

Many years ago, we took a large group of Christians down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. On Sunday morning, we held a church service on a sandbar, complete with communion, a sermon, singing, and prayer. As we began our worship, the preacher held up his hands and said, “This is how the Lord’s church met for a long time before the first church building was erected.”

What is the justification for the expense of magnificent church buildings? If it is to glorify God, the Bible does not tell us that is what God desires. First Corinthians 3:16 tells us, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” In Acts 2:46, we see the first-century Church meeting in homes. In Acts 16:14-15, we see Lydia, a woman, converted to Christ, and in verse 40, we read that the Church was meeting in her home. In John 2:19-22, Jesus tells His adversaries, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” He was talking about His resurrection, not the physical building in Jerusalem.

The emphasis of Catholicism, Mormonism, and virtually all protestant denominations on constructing magnificent church buildings contradicts the focus of Christ and the Bible on building beautiful lives. The Church is not a building. If the construction of a building for the Church to meet in becomes the purpose of the Church, it is misguided. It is essential for the Church to meet together to worship, pray, and encourage one another. (See Matthew 18:20, Acts 2:46, and Hebrews 10:25.) However, a simple structure will meet that need.

Atheists and skeptics have a valid point when they criticize the wasted money. How many hungry children could we feed, and how many needy people could we help with that money? Following the example and teaching of Jesus, the Church’s emphasis should be on building lives, not constructing buildings.

June 23, 2025June 22, 2025

A Partial Solution for Invasive Species

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has suggested a partial solution for invasive species: eat ‘em. Erin Huggins of the CDFW wrote, “Eating invasive species can help protect native wildlife by reducing their numbers and limiting the damage they cause to ecosystems.”

The nutria is an invasive species causing problems in 18 states, particularly in California. These rodents are native to South America but were initially introduced into the United States for the fur trade. Officials thought they had eradicated them from California in the 1970s, but they began to reappear in 2017. Nutrias cause significant problems for farmers and livestock owners, as they eat vegetation right down to the root. Nutrias are even more omnivorous than goats, so they are more destructive.

This is not the first time an invasive species has become an issue. In the 1970s, Asian Carp were introduced into ponds to control the growth of aquatic plants. Four East Asian species were introduced: silver carp, bighead carp, grass carp, and black carp. Some of these species would jump high out of the water when disturbed, creating a hazard for recreational boaters, and elaborate measures have been taken to keep them out of the Great Lakes.

Fish and wildlife officials are now advancing a partial solution for invasive species — making them a food source for humans. Even high-end restaurants now offer nutria and carp meat on their menu. Selling the public on this will take time. Consider that there was a time when Europeans shunned tomatoes, considering them to be poisonous.

The Bible has a good record of banning meat that would be hazardous for human consumption. A familiar prohibition of the Old Testament was against the eating of pork (Deuteronomy 14:8). The Israelites were also told not to eat anything that had already died or any bird or fish that could have eaten contaminated meat, such as vultures, owls, and falcons.

Strong evidence for the inspiration of the Bible is its accuracy in giving the ancient Israelites health guidelines that were far ahead of their time. We rely on science today to provide us with guidelines for healthy eating. A partial solution for invasive species might be to eat them, but a better solution is for humans to avoid upsetting the natural balance in God’s well-designed world.

Reference: “Rodent for Dinner” in The Guardian, March 6, 2025

June 18, 2025June 17, 2025

Animal Pathogen Transmission to Humans

The World Organization for Animal Health and the World Health Organization released data on the number of illnesses and deaths caused by pathogens transmitted to humans from animals worldwide each year. They gathered data from 183 member states, showing that a billion illnesses and millions of deaths occur worldwide due to animal pathogen transmission to humans.

The recent data was triggered by the outbreak of bird flu known as H5N1. That virus has sickened millions of birds, dozens of mammalian species, and people worldwide. This strain of avian influenza has threatened food supplies and pressured governments to take a serious look at food security and public health.

When God created life on Earth, He planned it to meet the needs of humans. Long before modern science, God gave dietary instructions to the ancient Israelites. Skeptics today may consider those instructions archaic; however, they were far ahead of their time, and many of them remain applicable today. We see the consequences of not following wise dietary and health instructions.

Animal pathogen transmission to humans is not the only problem we face today. Every time humans have discarded the Bible as a guide for life, the consequences have been dire. We are seeing that again in the tragedies of humans suffering because of the rejection of God’s design for healthful and moral living.

Reference: WHO and WOAH public health assessment, April 2025

June 16, 2025June 15, 2025

The Value of Fathers

Father’s Day brings to mind the value of fathers. Scientific research recently verified something that should not have been a surprise. The study involved scholars from the University of Virginia, Hampton University, and others. The conclusion was that children who have “actively involved fathers” do significantly better academically, emotionally, and behaviorally.

What is an actively engaged father? According to the study, those fathers manage parenting obligations “very well” and regularly share meals with their families at least four times a week. The study found no difference between fathers of different races. It is not the skin color that matters, but rather how actively the father is involved with his children. The educational level also did not affect the value of fathers.

What difference does marriage make? The study revealed that 51% of children with married parents had fathers who were highly engaged. That was the case in only 15% of children who had cohabiting parents.

What is the value of fathers who are actively engaged? The difference they make is in three areas: grades, behavior, and depression. Girls with fathers who are involved in their lives were 8% more likely to have better grades and only one-tenth as likely to be diagnosed with depression. In other words, a supportive father has a profound effect on a girl’s emotional well-being.

For boys, the value of fathers relates more closely to behavioral support. Boys with engaged fathers were 13% less likely to have behavioral issues in school compared to those with non-engaged fathers.

This study analyzed data on children in Virginia; however, the same findings are likely to hold true in other states and even different countries. The family is God’s design, and the greatest success in life results when a married father and mother are wholly committed to each other and work together to support their children. (See Ephesians 6:4.)

References: Fox News and The National Marriage Project