Today, I read through the book of Revelation again, which makes twelve times that I have read the book since mid-April. I can testify to how greatly God has blessed me through my reading this book over and over again, just as He has promised to do for anyone who will read, hear, and do what is written in this phenomenal book!
Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
None of the many articles that I have read recently concerning biblical marriage has mentioned Genesis 6-9 as a relevant or important passage about the subject. An examination of several facets of the passage shows that Genesis 6-9 is a key passage that provides decisive information that corroborates what Genesis 1-2 teaches about biblical marriage.
Genesis 1:27 reveals that God created man as male and female and blessed them and instructed them to be fruitful and multiply. Genesis 2:18-25 corroborates that passage and states that God brought Adam and Eve together as the first humans and united them to be husband and wife. Their union was blessed of God, and there was no shame involved in their being united as one flesh.
Genesis 5:2 reiterates that God made man male and female and blessed them. This key statement shows that Genesis 1-2 records factual history concerning biblical marriage.
In Genesis 6, we learn that mankind had so completely corrupted itself that God decreed that He would annihilate all people and animals from the earth (Gen. 6:5-17). By the favor of God (cf. Gen. 6:8), only Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives would be spared from that worldwide destruction (Gen. 6:13, 18). God thus spared mankind only as pairs consisting of a male and a female who were married to each other.
In addition, God would spare certain numbers of animals from that destruction. God profoundly emphasized that he would spare these animals only as pairs that were specified to be male and female (Gen. 6:19; 7:3, 9, 16).1
He even speaks of these pairs of animals as being “a male and his female” (Gen. 7:2 [2x]; emphasis added). After the Flood, God instructed Noah to bring out all the animals “that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth” (Gen. 8:17), making clear that the animals that were spared were male and female animals that were spared as pairs.
Following the Flood, the whole earth was “overspread” by the children (and further descendants) who were born as the fruit of the marriages of each of Noah’s three sons with his own wife (Gen. 9:19). Although not directly stated, the same was the case with all the earth being filled with animals through the unions of each male animal and his female.
Based on all these statements in Genesis 6-9, we learn that God has profoundly emphasized that He had ordained for humans that their marriages were to be between a man and his wife because He only spared four pairs of humans, all of whom were married according to the pattern that He had established at Creation (Gen. 1-2). Furthermore, the profound emphasis in this passage on even the animals being pairs consisting of a male and his female shows that God’s pattern for all these living beings that He created, both humans and animals, was from the beginning to be the uniting of males and females into pairs that were comprised only of humans with humans and animals with animals respectively that were of opposite gender.
For Christians who believe fully that the entire Bible is the perfect Word of God, Genesis 1-2 is not the only key early passage that reveals to them what biblical marriage is. As discussed above, Genesis 6-9 profoundly confirms what Genesis 1-2 teaches such believers about biblical marriage.
1 Of the clean animals and birds, God instructed Noah to bring in a seventh animal, which was later offered in sacrifice to God (Gen. 7:2; 8:20).
Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Not a few believers today probably regard the book of Revelation as largely an obscure prophetic book filled with apocalyptic symbolism and a book that is not really of much contemporary importance for how we are to live our lives. A striking observation about the book shows that its relevance for our lives could hardly be overstated.
Through reading through the book of Revelation 11 times in the past four months, I have discovered many truths about the book that I had not seen before. Today, after reading through the book this morning, I examined how many times the word “worship” occurs in its various forms in the book compared to other books of the Bible.
In the OT, the seven books with the most occurrences of forms of the word “worship” are the following: Exodus – 7; Deuteronomy – 7; 2 Kings – 12; Psalms – 16; Isaiah – 10; Jeremiah – 9; and Daniel – 12. In the NT, 23 books have fewer than five occurrences of the forms; four books have 13 or more occurrences: Matthew – 14; John 13; Acts – 13; and Revelation – 24.
These figures show that the book of Revelation has far more occurrences of forms of the word “worship” in it than any other book of the Bible does! Based on this data, we learn that this book stresses the importance of worship in a profound way that is probably little appreciated by many believers today.
The book of Revelation is far more than just an obscure prophetic book filled with apocalyptic symbolism that has little relevance for how we live our lives. At least through its surpassing use of forms of the word “worship,” the book of Revelation challenges us more than any other book of the Bible does that we must worship God aright for who He is and what He has done and will yet do.
Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
If you live in the Greenville, SC, area and are interested in learning to play the guitar for use in Christian ministry, I am offering beginning on July 20 two sections of a six-week beginner’s class at a phenomenal price! Each class lasts for 45-minutes and includes thorough instruction in my original method that will help you get off to a great start!
Space in both classes is limited, so please take the class only if you are serious about using the guitar for ministry. Completing this class is required in order to take the intermediate and advanced classes that I plan to offer later this year.
See how much you can learn in just six weeks! For more information, please contact me personally or by sending an e-mail to me at [email protected].
You can learn more about my guitar playing by watching this guitar-cello video.
Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Because I am teaching an 8-week Sunday school series from the book of Revelation this June and July, I have been repeatedly reading through the book. Since April 16, I have read the book through nine times!
So far, I have made it through the whole book in one day three times (4/16, 4/20, 6/6), including reading the whole book in one sitting on June 6. My goal is to keep reading the book through once a week throughout June and July.
Praise God for giving us this incomparable book!
Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Many people have written recently about the situation involving the aftermath of the immoral acts that Josh Duggar committed when he was a young teenager. Some have asserted that the only people who need to forgive him for what he has done are his victims. An examination of Pauline teaching in First and Second Corinthians does not support this assertion.
Paul sternly challenged the Corinthians about their failure to discipline a man in their church who had committed incest with his father’s wife (1 Cor. 5). Using his apostolic authority, Paul judged this immoral man (1 Cor. 5:3-5) and instructed the Corinthians to judge him as well by removing him from among themselves (1 Cor. 5:7, 12, 13).
Based on what Paul later wrote to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 2:1-11), we learn that the Corinthians at some point after receiving Paul’s challenge corrected their initial mishandling of the case involving this immoral man by properly punishing him (“this punishment, which was inflicted of many,” 2 Cor. 2:6). We also learn, however, that they subsequently mishandled this case by not properly forgiving and comforting him (2 Cor. 2:7) after he repented.
Using again his apostolic authority, Paul exhorted the Corinthians to correct their subsequent mishandling of this case by confirming their love toward him (2 Cor. 2:8). Paul explained that their obedience to this directive about their forgiving him was directly tied to his forgiving him for their sakes “in the person of Christ” (2 Cor. 9-10).
Paul’s teaching to the Corinthians about their dealings with this horrible case of incest among themselves shows that it was not true that the only people who needed to forgive this immoral man for what he had done was the one with whom he had committed immorality. According to this divine revelation, the entire church at Corinth needed to forgive this man, as also Paul did.
Applying this teaching to the current situation with Josh Duggar, we understand that other believers besides his victims must also forgive and comfort Josh Duggar. They must also confirm their love toward him.
A failure to do so puts him at risk of being “swallowed up with overmuch sorrow” (2 Cor. 2:7). It also puts all believers at risk of Satan’s gaining an advantage of us (2 Cor. 2:11).
Certainly, what Josh Duggar did when he was a young teenager was reprehensible, and we must not condone his actions in any way. Applying Pauline teaching about forgiveness in First and Second Corinthians to his case does not lessen the need for proper care of those whom he victimized.
Having said that, based on what I have read being said by some people concerning forgiving Josh Duggar, it is vital that we do heed what Scripture teaches about forgiveness and how that teaching applies to the issue of who should forgive him. It is not true that the only people who need to forgive him are the ones whom he victimized—other believers must also forgive him, comfort him, and confirm their love toward him.
Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Padre celestial, gracias por la gracia de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que siendo rico, sin embargo por amor a nosotros se hizo pobre, para que nosotros por medio de su pobreza llegáramos a ser ricos. ¡Cómo te alabamos, oh Padre, por tu don inefable! Concédenos que nosotros te sigamos plenamente a ti, oh Señor nuestro Dios. Gracias por esta ofrenda. Te rogamos que bendigas esta ofrenda y la uses para tu gloria. En el maravilloso nombre de Jesús. Amén.
Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Some fundamentalists who rightly insist on the importance of biblical separation have allowed certain aspects of that teaching to govern their thinking in a way that causes them not to be fully God-like in their perspectives about and dealings with those from whom they separate. Second Kings 10:29-33 provides vital instruction to all believers that reveals what their perspectives and actions should be in such situations.
God anointed Jehu to be king over Israel and commanded him to execute God’s vengeance on the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:6-10). The author of Second Kings chronicles at length how Jehu faithfully rendered that judgment on Ahab (2 Kings 9:11-10:17).
Jehu then “destroyed Baal out of Israel” (2 Kings 10:18-28). He displayed incredible zeal for God in eradicating the worship of Baal in this manner.
Remarkably, however, Scripture then records that Jehu did not depart from the sins of Jereboam (2 Kings 10:29, 31)! The biblical record of the life of King Jehu thus is a mixed record detailing the life of one who was very zealous for God in certain respects but also very sinful in other respects.
Despite Jehu’s great sinfulness in continuing in the sins of Jereboam, Scripture records that God yet commended (and rewarded) him for the right things that he had done:
2Ki 10:30 And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
This remarkable commendation from God is especially noteworthy because it is sandwiched between two statements of the great sinfulness of Jehu (2 Kings 10:29, 31) and is followed by the record of how God judged Israel for its continuing sinfulness (2 Kings 10:32-33).
The biblical record of the mixed nature of Jehu’s life provides vital instruction to believers in at least two important ways. On the one hand, although Jehu had done well in serving God in certain respects, God yet recorded how Jehu was very sinful in other respects.
God also chastened him and his nation for their sinfulness. Fundamentalists should thus learn that it is God-like to point out the sinfulness of those from whom they separate—even if those from whom they separate are greatly serving God in some respects.
On the other hand, however, even though Jehu was horrifically sinful in following in the sins of Jeroboam, God still commended Jehu for what he had done well and even rewarded him for his faithfulness in doing what God had commissioned him to do concerning the house of Ahab. Fundamentalists should learn from this facet of the record of Jehu’s life that being God-like in our dealings with those we separate from also includes properly commending them for the right things that they have done in their service for God.
In separating from other believers, fundamentalist must be God-like by pointing out the great sinfulness of those believers and by properly commending them for whatever true good they have done for the cause of Christ. Doing so, fundamentalists will be God-like, just as the record of God’s dealings with Jehu teaches.1
1 They will also be like Christ, who both called attention to the sinfulness of those who were in His churches and commended them for whatever good aspects there were to their lives (Rev. 2-3).
Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Northland International University has announced that it will soon be closing.1 How should fundamentalists, especially those of us who have strongly disapproved of the direction that the recent leadership of Northland has taken the school, respond to this development?
Like many other fundamentalists, I regarded it as a great tragedy when the recent leadership of Northland adopted the use of non-conservative music on the campus. Many fundamental churches who have given sacrificially for years to support Northland likely believe that the leadership has betrayed them.
Given what has taken place at Northland in these recent years, it would be natural for some to think that Northland is getting what it deserves for its departure from its conservative roots. Some of us who might be inclined to think that way might think that responding to the upcoming closing of Northland by lamenting that closing would be a strange response.
My recent reading of 2 Samuel 1:17-27, however, makes me think that lamenting the closing of Northland is a right response to its tragic downfall.
In spite of David’s having been very good to Saul throughout the years that they had known each other, Saul, prior to his death, fiercely persecuted David for years and sought many times to kill him. David, therefore, would seem to have had great justification for hating Saul and for rejoicing that Saul would no longer be around to afflict David.
After learning of the death of Saul and Jonathan, however, David remarkably chanted a lament over the death of Saul:
2Sa 1:17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
In this lament, David does not say anything about any of the evil actions of Saul! Rather, David only speaks positively of Saul and remarks of how Saul was “lovely and pleasant” in his life (2 Sam. 1:23; see also 2 Samuel 1:19).
He also extols him for his swiftness and strength (2 Sam. 1:23) and exclaims how Saul was a man of mighty exploits (2 Sam. 1:19, 21, 22, 25, 27). David then directs Israelites to weep over the demise of Saul because of his goodness to them (2 Sam. 1:24).
I believe that it is not coincidental that God directed my attention to 2 Samuel 1:17-27 just a relatively short time before I recently heard about the likelihood that Northland International University would be closing. God has used this passage to instruct and challenge me about how I should respond to the tragic downfall of Northland.
Northland has produced many choice servants of Christ during its years of operation. Their excellent Christian character and living has commended the gospel to many lost people.
God has used Northland greatly for good in this country and the world for many years. The brethren at Northland have mightily served to advance the cause of Christ for many decades.
The upcoming closing of Northland International University will be a great loss for the people of God around the world. I believe that those of us who are fundamentalists should lament the closing of Northland, even as Scripture records that David lamented the tragic demise of Saul.
1 See this statement on the university’s website.
Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Padre celestial, gracias por tu salvación y tu palabra.
‘Exaltado seas sobre los cielos, oh Dios; sobre todo la tierra sea tu gloria.’ [Sal. 57:11]
Padre celestial, te ruego que nos bendigas y nos guardes.
Hagas resplandecer tu rostro sobre nosotros, y tengas de nosotros misericordia.
Te suplico que alces sobre nosotros tu rostro, y nos des paz. [Num. 6]
Gracias por esta ofrenda.
Te ruego que bendigas esta ofrenda y la uses para tu gloria.
En el nombre de Jesucristo. Amén.
Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Rajesh Gandhi holds a Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation from Bob Jones Seminary; he's a long-time member of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, SC.
