Today, I celebrate the Bible study milestone of Vol. 250 with many thanks to:
God – Our Lord Jesus Christ: He “writes” this study while my fingers do the clicking.
Townhall – The editors and managers who have published the study since Feb. 2020.
Readers – Your comments and emails keep me motivated and inspired to continue.
Husband David – He always reads the first draft and sometimes makes theological content tweaks or, more often, corrects my grammar.
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic Jewish rabbi and author of several No. 1 best-selling books, is a friend of our study. He contributed to volumes 50, 93, 94, 113, 114, 125, and 135. To help celebrate Vol. 250, Rabbi Cahn wrote:
“The Word of God is life, light, bread, revelation, truth, a rock, and the seed of God to give us revelation, guidance, fulfillment, and life. And so, I am blessed that my friend Myra Adams has faithfully ministered The Word to so many for so long.”
My sincere thanks to all the above and numerous contributors, especially Dr. Jerry Newcombe, Father David Caron, and Russ Breault.
For this celebratory study, I felt “called” to review five of my favorite Bible topics.
We begin with Melchizedek, a mysterious biblical character. I believe he is the prefiguration of Christ in the book of Genesis, as do millions of people with faith in Christ. Deservedly, Melchizedek has received the “star treatment” with four Bible studies, Volumes 1, 50, 227, and 228.
If you are thinking, “Melchiz-a-who?” that is understandable since Melchizedek appears out of nowhere without a family lineage. Moreover, the Genesis passage is only 56 words long:
“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.’ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:18-20).
Interestingly, Melchizedek, this “priest of God Most High,” is not mentioned again for 1000 years until the following Psalm verse:
“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” Psalm 110-4 – also a Messianic prophecy.
Fast forward approximately another 1000 years to the New Testament’s book of Hebrews. There, Melchizedek and Jesus, who is called a “high priest forever,” are connected and explained in detail starting in Hebrews 4:18 – 8:13. Here is an excerpt:
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19-20).
Speaking of “the inner sanctuary behind the curtain” brings us to the second topic I discussed in Vol. 2 – why the temple curtain was torn when Jesus died on the cross. Recently, I revisited this topic in Vol. 229.
What does it mean to you that after Christ died, the temple curtain separating God from Man was torn in two? Hebrews 6 states that Jesus went “behind the curtain,” and he “entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
The miraculous tearing of that thick curtain has significant meaning since, upon His death and subsequent Resurrection, Jesus Christ was with God; He is God. But Jesus also desires to have a relationship with you. The torn curtain means there is no barrier separating you from God.
The third topic concerns a seminal event known as the “Transfiguration.” This intriguing story happened shortly before the death of Jesus, covered in Vol. 26. If you click the link, notice the photo has since dropped off. It showed the altar ceiling mosaic at the Church of the Transfiguration, taken when I visited the Transfiguration mountaintop site.
Today, the photo is the headline image and is shown in Vol. 161: “What the New Testament Says About the Glory of Christ,” – where the Transfiguration is discussed and also mentioned in Vol. 241: “What the New Testament Says About How to Please God.”
Here is why the Transfiguration is important:
– Reveals and confirms Christ’s identity and Divinity
– Connects the Old and New Testaments
– Foreshadows Christ’s death and resurrection
– Satisfies any doubt that His disciples might have had about His identity as He prepares them for His death
– Describes the radiance of how Jesus would look in heaven as the “Light of the World.”
Fourth, we return to the Old Testament with Vol. 86: “Moses – His Disobedience, Death and Truth.” The study discussed why God prevented Moses from entering the Promised Land. Yes, Moses had been a great leader – and was obedient to God except for one critical incident. Here is what happened:
God said that Moses could obtain water from the rock to please his thirsty people. However, Moses disobeyed God’s specific instructions, which were “speak to that rock.” when instead, Moses “struck the rock” with his staff. The big difference is God had conveyed to Moses that His Word alone was sufficient, with no need for physical activity. Initially, when Moses asked, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of the rock?” Moses failed to show deference to the Lord. Thus, God was angry and said to Moses:
“‘Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them’” (Numbers 20:1-13). Our lesson: If the Lord gives you specific instructions, follow them word for word.
Fifth and finally, is Vol. 211: “Evidence for Resurrection Sunday,” my 2024 Easter study.
Regular readers know that I lead a ministry about the Shroud of Turin. Our goal is to build a permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C. I recognize that the Shroud is controversial, but a study that supposedly proved the Shroud dated from the Middle Ages due to a flawed 1988 Carbon-14 test has been disproved many times. Recent advanced testing points to the Shroud dating to Jesus’s time.
The Shroud of Turin is the world’s most studied artifact that science has yet to explain or replicate. Interest in the cloth has reached new heights of popularity because the mysteries are overwhelming, while the marks on the Shroud mirror the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s suffering and death. Most importantly, Jesus provides hope in this dark world.
Know that the Shroud as evidence for faith in Christ in not needed. However, was the Shroud left in the tomb and survived against all odds for people who struggle to believe? Does the Shroud exist for the growing number of “Doubting Thomases?” My answer is “yes.” If you are unsure, seek more information; see Volumes 55, 100, 109, and 160, as well as special Shroud-related articles here, here, here, and here.
Thanks for reading to the end and helping me celebrate this Vol. 250 milestone. Amen!
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. Her book, “Bible Study For Those Who Don’t Read The Bible,” reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. “Part 2,” with the same title, reprints Vols. 57-113. Order it here.
She is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit, dedicated to building a future permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C. In July, The National Shroud of Turin Exhibit hosted a four-day exhibit (with a VIP guest) at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN. Contact: <MyraAdams01@gmail.com>
Crossposted at Townhall and Substack.
