"This is America. That can't happen here." It's a popular phrase among Christians who have been warned about the rapidly deteriorating protections in this country and the possibility of oncoming persecution. In Jeremiah's time, the Israelites chanted a similar mantra: "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord."

During the past several years I have been frequently asked to provide some personal perspectives and general comments regarding the study and teaching of God's Word in a Home Bible Study setting.  I have always been convinced that Home Bible Studies are where the "real action" is for committed Christians.

It may come as a surprise to many that there are ciphers encrypted in the Bible.  Some are hidden; some, when revealed, are a key part of the narrative.

As we come to an end in our series on renewing our minds, it's very important that we spend a few articles on the practical application of this message. How do we renew our minds daily? What are the Biblical steps to doing this?

There has been a flurry of interest in "Bible Codes." Many sensationalistic books have been published making extravagant claims;1 there have also been skeptical detractors with their erudite guffaws.

While quite a few new scientific discoveries make the evening news, Time or Newsweek, or merit an hour program on the Discovery Channel, other important finds are neglected. Perhaps some things are too hard to fit into the prevailing secular scientific world view or have consequences that don't seem to mesh with evidence from other sources.

"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32) What does this really mean?

As of January 1, 1998 over 350,000 Americans will be dead; another 200,000 will be in terminal stages and an additional six hundred thousand to a million more will be HIV infected. Barring the possibility that protease inhibitors can permanently block HIV-induced immunosuppression, almost all those currently infected will progress to terminal stage illness and death.

Merry Christmas to all! This is not really a Christmas article, but it's one that, nevertheless, conveys the incredible "gift of freedom" that we all receive when Christ becomes our life. "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:11-12)

Recent research into the structure and workings of genes and DNA has revealed incredible evidence of God's wonderful design. Dr. Jerry Bergman, professor of science at Northwest College, Archibold (Ohio) has recently published an excellent technical paper in the Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal, 1 detailing how genes manufacture plants and animals.

I recently received a precious letter with this comment: "The comparison of the human personality with Solomon's Temple has made a tremendous impact on me. ...This has been one of the most fascinating and life changing studies that I've done.

The most recent 1997 Los Angeles Times Poll finds that a wide majority of Americans believes that TV language, sex and violence is getting worse. Four of every five parents think popular culture such as music, television and movies negatively affects children.

The early settlers of America, who braved the privations of those incredibly difficult years, were a fabulous lot, indeed. We can hardly imagine the burdens they endured to make a new life for themselves in a new land. Their turning point began one Friday in the middle of March,1621.

The influence of population control advocates can be seen in the Tuskegee Study, a scientific research program in which 400 syphilis-infected black men were recruited by the U.S. Public Health Service in 1932. The participants were told that they would be treated for their infections but instead had all effective medicine withheld.

This is always a difficult time for Christians, especially those with children. It has been suggested that for a Christian to be asked to celebrate Halloween is like asking a Holocaust survivor to celebrate Hitler's birthday!

In the last article, we continued our exploration of the architecture of Solomon's Temple. Using the Scripture, "...ye are the Temple of God" (1 Corinthians 3:16), we compared each of the rooms and features of Solomon's Temple to our own internal design - our spirit, heart, will, soul and body.

Born into this world with two eyes, two ears, two arms, two legs and a wonderful data-crunching computer system in both halves of our brains, we humans develop a perception of space as small infants.

In 1 Corinthians 3:16 Paul says, "Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" What is Paul really saying here?

All of us talk about seeking spiritual growth. But are we really serious? How serious are you?

Planned population control including genocide is a difficult concept for Americans to accept. Even though the U.S. government helps finance the Red Chinese program of forced abortion, sterilization and infanticide, and helps finance the United Nations "family planning program," most people find it impossible to believe that such programs are really part of a larger plan to kill off large segments of the world's population.