Who was Semiramis? Semiramis was a legendary Assyrian queen who is mentioned in the Bible. She was the wife of King Nimrod and mother of King Ninus. Here is a 9000 word overview of what the Bible says about Semiramis: Semiramis lived during the time of the building of the tower of Babel. After the confusion of languages at Babel, Nimrod and Semiramis moved to Assyria and built the city of Nineveh. Nimrod was the founder of the kingdom of Assyria. He is described in Genesis 10:8-12 as a mighty hunter and king before the Lord. The name Semiramis is…
Author: Kerry Baysinger
The Unity Church, also known as the Unity School of Christianity, is a New Thought Christian organization that was founded in 1889 by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. It is one of the major denominations in the New Thought movement along with Religious Science and the Church of Divine Science. The Fillmores had been studying various metaphysical teachings when they came across the teachings of New Thought pioneer Emma Curtis Hopkins. They felt deeply inspired by her message that our thoughts and beliefs create our reality. Charles had been struggling with a chronic illness but after applying Hopkins’ principles, he experienced…
A spiritual journey is the process of growth and development in one’s relationship with God. It involves seeking after God, drawing near to Him, and becoming more like Christ. The Bible describes the Christian life as a journey of faith, sanctification, and discipleship. While each person’s spiritual journey is unique, there are some common elements that characterize the pursuit of spiritual maturity. Elements of a Spiritual Journey Conversion The starting point of the spiritual journey is conversion. This is when a person places their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation (John 3:16). It involves recognizing one’s sinfulness, repenting, and accepting…
The noetic effects of sin refer to the impacts that sin has on the mind and thinking. When sin entered the world through the fall of man (Genesis 3), it corrupted not only our hearts and actions, but also our minds and ability to properly think and reason. Some key noetic effects of sin include: Darkened Understanding One major noetic effect of sin is that it darkens our understanding and ability to comprehend truth. Romans 1:21 says that when people turned from God to idols, “their foolish hearts were darkened.” Sin distorts our thinking and prevents us from reasoning correctly…
The Bible has a lot to say about deliverance, which is the act of God rescuing His people from danger, enemies, oppression, or other threats against them. Here is an overview of some of the major themes around deliverance in Scripture: God delivers His people Throughout the Bible, God demonstrates that He is a God who delivers and rescues His people. For example: God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through the Exodus (Exodus 12:51). God delivered David from Saul and his other enemies (2 Samuel 22:1-2). God promised to deliver those who trust in Him (Psalm 34:17, 22).…
Contributing to world evangelism is an important calling for all Christians. Here are some key ways to get involved: Pray Prayer is the foundation for all evangelism efforts. Pray for open doors and open hearts, for wisdom and boldness for yourself and other evangelists, and for the Holy Spirit to draw people to Jesus. “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). Give Consider giving financially to support missionary work and evangelistic ministries around the world. Your gifts help provide tools and training for indigenous evangelists, literature and media production, networking of ministries, and sending missionaries.…
The New Age movement is a spiritual and philosophical movement that developed in Western nations during the 1970s. It draws inspiration from Eastern religions, mysticism, and indigenous beliefs, as well as alternative medicine and the occult. New Age ideas have become mainstream and can be seen in areas such as books, films, seminars, retreats, and stores. Some key elements of New Age spirituality are: Spiritual But Not Religious New Age followers consider themselves spiritual rather than religious. They seek direct spiritual experience over religious dogma and often mix together practices from different religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and paganism. There…
Sheshbazzar was an important figure in the Old Testament book of Ezra. He is mentioned in Ezra 1:8, 5:14, and 5:16. Here is a summary of what the Bible tells us about Sheshbazzar: Sheshbazzar was appointed by King Cyrus of Persia to be the governor of Judah after the Babylonian exile. When King Cyrus allowed the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, he appointed Sheshbazzar to lead them. Sheshbazzar brought the articles from the first temple that had been carried off to Babylon back to Jerusalem. This is described in Ezra 1:7-11: 7 Cyrus the king…
Who was Gamaliel in the Bible? Gamaliel was an important teacher of the law and member of the Sanhedrin in the New Testament. He is mentioned in Acts 5:34-39 and Acts 22:3. Gamaliel’s Identity Gamaliel is first mentioned in Acts 5:34, where he is identified as a Pharisee and “a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people.” This means he was an expert in the Mosaic law and likely part of the minority party of the Pharisees within the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish high court. In Acts 22:3, Paul mentions that he studied under Gamaliel…
The capstone is mentioned several times in the Bible, both literally and symbolically. Here is an overview of the biblical significance of capstones: Literal mentions of capstones In Zechariah 4:7, the capstone is mentioned as part of Zerubbabel’s rebuilding of the temple: “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” The “top stone” here refers to the capstone which would be put in place during the temple dedication. Psalm 118:22 also refers to a literal capstone: “The stone that the…