A Closer Look Archives - As It Is in Heaven

April 12, 2022April 12, 2022

A Closer Look: The Prophet Jonah

“Hello, Jonah here. You’re probably wondering how I got here in the belly of a great fish. Well, it all started when I tried to run from God…”

When you think about the Old Testament prophet, Jonah, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? It’s probably how he was swallowed up by a fish, right? But have you ever wondered why that happened? Jonah is known as the “angry prophet” because he was told to preach to Nineveh and make them repent. They did, and Jonah was angry at God’s mercy. Jonah’s story is an important one for us as Christians to read and learn from. Let’s find out what it means for us today.

September 23, 2021October 10, 2021

A Closer Look: Ruth, the Gentile Blessed By God

In the Bible, the book of Ruth is one that’s often overlooked by many people. If you have read it, you know it’s not very long – having only four chapters and less than 90 verses. Yet it’s a story that is very significant for us today. Ruth was a woman of love, faithfulness, and obedience. Let’s take a closer look at her story and how we can still learn from it today.

September 6, 2021September 27, 2021

A Closer Look: The Lesser-Known Truth of John the Baptist

The famous John the Baptist. Many of us have heard of or learned about him before. On the surface, it looks like he was one of the first to believe in and follow Jesus. But there is more to his story that many often miss.

July 5, 2021July 5, 2021

A Closer Look: Daniel, the Faithful Prophet

Daniel, prophet, faithful, obedient, prophecy

Let’s set the scene. It’s approximately 600 B.C. and Babylon has attacked Judah and taken over, taking the Jewish people into Babylon as exiles. A command comes for the best among the nobility and royal family to be taken. The healthy, handsome, skillful, educated, quick learners. They were to be taken to serve in the King Nebuchadnezzar’s palace (Daniel 1:3-5). At this time, Daniel was one of those who was taken to the palace under this order. Besides fulfilling the above specifications, Daniel was also a prophet who could interpret dreams and is now well known for being faithful to God.

June 24, 2021June 25, 2021

A Closer Look: Solomon, the King Who Broke God’s Covenant

King Solomon, Solomon, Covenant, Israelites, God, Promise

Perhaps many of us might have heard of the wealthiest and the wisest king of Israel: Solomon. But what else do we know about him besides these renowned qualities? Let’s take a closer look at who King Solomon really was, and why he played such an important role in the history of Israel, God’s chosen nation.

June 17, 2021June 16, 2021

A Closer Look: Moses, the Promised Savior of the Israelites

Moses – What does his name make you think of? Maybe movies such as, “The Ten Commandments” or “The Prince of Egypt” come to mind. Moses is definitely one of the most famous Biblical figures from the Old Testament. He grew up in Pharaoh’s palace, only to come back later and free God’s people. He penned the first five books of the Bible: Genesis through Deuteronomy. God chose him to give His Law and Commandments to the Israelites.

June 10, 2021June 10, 2021

A Closer Look: Abraham, the Father of Faith

Abraham, faith, obedience, God, covenant

For a long time growing up, I had very little connection to the Bible. Since the only real Bible we had was a King James version, as a child my reading plan always fell apart by the time I got to the Tower of Babel. And a children’s picture book of Old Testament stories could only take me so far. My knowledge was…vague at best. I could maybe recite a few key points regarding events of the Old Testament– often confusing Jonah with Noah. Regarding Abraham, I knew he had a son named Isaac…or was it Jacob? Or was he the one with twelve sons?