“The voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings
lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook” (Psalm 77:18).

Fortunately dad was a builder, for with a family of ten, and missionaries and Bible teachers so often entertained as guests, it took a large home to accommodate us all.

Not only did we have a large home; it was also the highest house in the city of Paterson, New Jersey, with its rear, second-floor porch affording a commanding view of the city and its surroundings.

This porch came into its most memorable use during thunderstorms.  Often when such storms gathered dad would say to mother and us children:

“Let’s go out and hear Father speak.”

Never will we forget those impressive occasions! From our “grandstand” seats we watched many a dramatic electrical storm and were thrilled to “hear Father speak” in the rolling thunder as His clouds poured out their rain on the city below.

By taking us out to see such “shows” — God’s shows — dad accomplished two purposes. He helped to rid us of the excessive fear of electrical storms that unnerve so many people, and he gave us a small glimpse of the infinite greatness of our great God.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.

As a young man appeared in court, the judge thundered at him, “What’s the reason your father is not here? He should have been here two weeks ago.”

The young man responded: “Your Honor, there are seventeen reasons why my father is not here.”

“What are they?” roared the judge.

The lad replied: “The first is that my father died a little more than two weeks ago.”

“Well,” conceded the judge, “I don’t think we’ll need to hear the other sixteen reasons!”

This brief interchange may well illustrate a principle involving the twelve apostles and Paul.

There has been much debate over whether or not Paul was God’s choice for Judas’ place as one of the twelve. Many hold that the eleven acted in the flesh and were out of the will of God in appointing Matthias as one of their number to replace Judas. Paul, they say, was obviously God’s choice for this position. But many unanswerable arguments have been advanced from Scripture to prove that this is not so and that, indeed Paul could not have qualified as one of the twelve.

Some of these argument are: The twelfth apostle had to be chosen before the kingdom could be offered at Pentecost; the eleven acted only after many days of united prayer; the candidate had to be one who had followed with Christ all through His earthly ministry (Matt.19:28); Paul did not even see Christ until after His ascension; he was not even saved at the time; he persecuted the Pentecostal Church and laid it waste considerably after the choice of Judas’ successor had become necessary. Finally, Acts 1:26 says that Matthias “was numbered with the eleven,” and Acts 2:4 adds: “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.”

Any one of the above arguments would suffice to vindicate the action of the eleven and silence their critics. But this is particularly so of the last one. What further discussion need there be when God’s Word says that Matthias “was numbered with the eleven…and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost?”

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.

The administration has been launching a counter-attack against what it calls “the rising mood of national frustration” over the contest with the Soviet Union.  This “mood of national frustration” is reflected daily in the press and over radio and TV. So much of the news, lately, is disheartening; so little encouraging. But this national frustration is not basically the result of Soviet saber-rattling; it is the result of our own moral and spiritual decadence, for the same newspapers that carry so much bad news about communism, are filled with reports of drunkenness, rape, murder, corruption in business and government, and all kinds of immorality, vice and crime. And what is the reason for all this wickedness?  America is getting farther and farther away from the Bible and its message about Christ  and His redeeming work. While proclaiming man’s inherent goodness, men are  demonstrating their inherent badness and their need of salvation.

True Christians are not frustrated by the present circumstances, however. Acknowledging  that they are unworthy in themselves and confessing Christ as the One who “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (I Pet. 2:24), they rejoice that they stand before God “accepted in the Beloved [One]” (Eph. 1:6). “Therefore, being justified by faith, [they] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1) and claim His help in all they do.  Far from being frustrated, the true believer in Christ exclaims with Paul: “Thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ” (II Cor. 2:14).

Do men consider him the loser because he is despised and sometimes persecuted by those who do not share his concern about sin and salvation? He replies: “Nay, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS, through Him that loved us” (Rom. 8:37). Is he afraid? Not at all. Enjoying a personal relationship with God, he says:“HE HATH SAID: I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE, SO THAT WE MAY BOLDLY SAY:… I WILL NOT FEAR WHAT MAN SHALL DO UNTO ME” (Heb. 13:5,6).

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.

How many people, even Christian people, live in fear these days! They consider how we have gone from atom bombs to hydrogen bombs to nitrogen bombs, with megatons of explosive power. They read about all the deadly weapons being perfected by countries all over the world, and they fear that frightful destruction may at any time overtake them.

It does indeed appear that this world is headed toward the prophesied destruction, but true believers should understand that God has clearly predicted that He will recall His ambassadors before giving the world up in judgment.  Paul, the apostle of grace, made it clear that no one can tell how long the dispensation of grace will last, but he did declare that this age would close with the coming of our Lord for His own.

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (I Thes. 4:16-18).

In the next chapter, we have the prediction of the pouring out of God’s wrath on the world but the believer in Christ will escape this.

Thus Paul reminded the Thessalonians how they had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven…” (I Thes. 1:9,10). Thus too he reminded the Philippians: “Our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). And thus, finally, he  instructed Titus to be looking for that blessed hope, and the appearing in glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13).

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.

When natural disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis take their toll in death and destruction, many preachers insist these calamities are the result of the wrath of God on sin, pointing to such verses as Ephesians 5:6, where speaking of the sins of Verses 3-5, Paul says:

“…for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”

Since the Greek word for “cometh” here is in the present tense, we believe Paul is saying that while God’s wrath is coming, it hasn’t yet arrived. Consider: after the Lord announced that His betrayer was “at hand,” we read that “immediately… cometh Judas” (Mark 14:42,43). However, we know that Judas had not yet arrived, for Verse 45 tells us what happened “as soon as he was come.” You see, the word “cometh” means that something is presently on its way, but the word must be in the past tense for us to understand that whatever is coming has arrived.

While many preachers declared that Hurricane Katrina was God’s wrath on New Orleans for the debauchery of Mardi Gras, others surmised the catastrophe was rather an example of God’s mercy, for thousands more would have died had the levies broken during the storm rather than after. Herein lies the problem in determining what God is doing or not doing by trying to interpret circumstances, which are always subjective and open to speculation.  The only sure way of knowing what God is doing is from the Word of God, and God’s Word tells us that even when God was judging men for their sins, the presence of even ten believers in Sodom would have prevented God from destroying it (Gen. 18:23-33).  Surely there were more than ten believers in New Orleans, so when catastrophe struck the city, I don’t know how we can conclude that it was the judgment of God, even if we apply the standard God used in Sodom, which God is not using today under grace.  And so while even insurance companies call tornadoes and earthquakes “acts of God,” the Bible asserts that we are living in the dispensation of grace (Eph. 3:2), an age in which God is dispensing grace, not wrath, an age in which mankind is experiencing a respite from His judgment.

But if the reader of this page is not saved, please don’t think you will get away with sin forever. Romans 2:5 describes you as one who “treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath.” You may not have an account with any bank, but you have a sin account with God. His wrath on your sin is not being revealed today, but the day of the “revelation of the righteous judgment of God” is coming. Why not “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.

In Eph. 3:1-3 “the dispensation of the grace of God” is specifically called “the mystery” (i.e., secret). It is thus designated for two reasons:

1.  It had been “kept secret since the world began, but now,” through Paul, had been “made manifest” (Rom. 16:25). “In other ages” it was “not made known” (Eph. 3:5). Rather, “from the beginning of the world” it had been “hid in God” (Ver. 9), “hid from ages and from generations, but now… made manifest to His saints” (Col. 1:26).

2.  It was at the same time the explanation, the key, to all God’s good news, including that which had been proclaimed in ages past. It explained how it was that Abel could be declared righteous by bringing an animal sacrifice, “God testifying of his gifts” (Heb. 11:4), how Noah could become “an heir of… righteousness” by building an ark (Heb. 11:7), how anyone could be saved under the dispensation of the Law, and how it is that we can be saved today by grace through faith alone.

Thus we have in Paul’s epistles, not only the gospel [good news] of “the secret” (Eph. 3:1-3), but at the same time, “the secret of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19,20).

This great secret, revealed to and through Paul, has rightly been called the capstone of divine revelation, for it concerns God’s eternal purpose in Christ. Through Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace, God has now made this glorious secret known to us (Eph. 1:9) that we, in turn, might make it known to others (Eph. 3:9).

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.

Back on the shelf she placed the book with a sigh. It was too dull and uninteresting to wade through. She didn’t feel like reading anyway; in fact, she was utterly bored, and didn’t feel like doing anything.

The next night was different — very different. At a party she had met the kind of man she could really go for. He seemed interested in her too, and in the weeks that followed they saw more and more of each other, until she was sure she loved him.

One night he mentioned something about a book he had written, and somehow the title rang a bell with her. Where had she seen it? It bothered her that she couldn’t remember. When she reached home, however, it dawned on her all of a sudden. This was the book she had found so boring. She hadn’t even noticed the name of the author.

Taking the book down from the shelf again, she began reading. As she read page after page, she asked herself:  “Why did I think this book was dry? Say, this is some book! I had no idea he could write — and so well!” And thus, avidly, she continued reading far into the night.

Yes, it makes a great deal of difference if you know the Author — and especially if you love him! How many believers in Christ there are whose most precious hours are spent in reading and studying the Bible — a Book which once seemed dull and uninteresting to them!  The reason? They have come to know and love the Author!

Our Lord said: “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3). But how do we obtain the “life eternal” with which this knowledge is bound up? Our Lord said: “He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). Salvation is, after all, a love story to be believed, and by which we come to know Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.