Many Americans associate the House of David with its bearded barnstorming baseball teams of the 1920s and '30s. Others may recall the sex scandal associated with the group, a scandal that gave newspapers during the first years after World War I some added spice. Still, others may know it as a religious communal society founded in 1903, which has a few adherents today. What is this strange group and how can these diverse images be reconciled? In the first in-depth study of the House of David, originally published in 1981, Robert S. Fogarty places the sect in the Anglo-Israelite millennial tradition that goes back to seventeenthcentury England, which produced prophets like the mystic Joanna Southcott and from which arose sects in England, Australia, and theUnited States. Their reading of the Book of Revelation promised the saving of a "righteous remnant" of humanity who would gather in one place to await the millennium. Evangelist Benjamin Purnell became the seventh prophet in the line of this tradition and, with his bigamous wife, Mary, established a community for its followers in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The House of David was a celibate communal society controlled by the Purnells, and it attracted members who exchanged their worldly goods for the security of salvation. At its height, the community had more than 700 members and prospered by running farms, a canning company, and an amusement park and hosting popular touring bands and the traveling baseball teams. But there were defectors, and from them emerged rumors of oppressive conditions, sexual misconduct on the part of the prophet himself, hastily arranged group marriages, and financial wrongdoing that led to a series of civil suits. The allegations drove Purnell into hiding, and the State of Michigan launched an elaborate trial againstthe colony. The Righteous Remnant is more than the story of the rise and fall of a religious community. By examining its religious roots, the staunch testimony of its members in the face of demonstrated charges, and the social relations within the colony itself, we can begin to understand the attraction that such "social contracts" can exert. The House of David is now a remnant itself, but other religious groups continue to grow and bind members to them in the same ways.

Did Jesus claim to be the "bridegroom"? If so, what did he mean by this claim? When Jesus says that the wedding guests should not fast "while the bridegroom is with them" (Mark 2:19), he is claiming to be a bridegroom by intentionally alluding to a rich tradition from the Hebrew Bible. By eating and drinking with "tax collectors and other sinners," Jesus was inviting people to join him in celebrating the eschatological banquet. While there is no single text in the Hebrew Bible or the literature of the Second Temple Period which states the "messiah is like a bridegroom," the elements for such a claim are present in several texts in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea. By claiming that his ministry was an ongoing wedding celebration he signaled the end of the Exile and the restoration of Israel to her position as the Lord's beloved wife. This book argues that Jesus combined the tradition of an eschatological banquet with a marriage metaphor in order to describe the end of the Exile as a wedding banquet.

Galatians is one of the earliest of the Pauline letters and is therefore among the first documents written by Christians in the first century. Paul’s letter to the Galatians deals with the first real controversy in the early church: the status of Jews and gentiles in this present age and the application of the Law of Moses to gentiles. Paul argues passionately that gentiles are not “converting” to Judaism and therefore should not be expected to keep the Law. Gentiles who accept Jesus as Savior are “free in Christ,” not under the bondage of the Law. Galatians also deals with an important pastoral issue in the early church as well. If gentiles are not “under the Law,” are they free to behave any way they like? Does Paul’s gospel mean that gentiles can continue to live like pagans and still be right with God? For Paul, the believer’s status as an adopted child of God enables them to serve God freely as dearly loved children. Galatians: Freedom through God's Grace is commentary for laypeople, Bible teachers, and pastors who want to grasp how the original readers of Galatians would have understood Paul’s letter and how this important ancient letter speaks to Christians living in similar situations in the twenty-first century.

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE WONDERS OF THE EARLY EARTH! Packed with action, adventure, and heartbreak, the second installment of the Remnant Trilogy continues the imaginative and respectful look at the life of this hero of the faith as God shapes him into the man who eventually saves humanity’s future. As wickedness increases across the land, Noah and his loved ones endure painful consequences of a world bent on evil. King Lamech expands his rule through deception and force, but does his kindness toward Noah hint that things may change? Noah and Emzara explore their world and their eyes are opened anew to the creative genius of the Most High, yet mankind’s wretchedness threatens to upend their peaceful corner of the world. While tracking down the perpetrator of a malicious crime, they are tested by tragedy and must decide if they will sacrifice everything for truth and justice. After years of serving God, Noah reaches a crisis of faith due to his mounting frustrations with the proliferation of sin and the apparent silence from the Creator. Thrust into a series of perilous situations, Noah’s deepest convictions are challenged. His response will direct his course and change the world forever. More than just a novel, Noah: Man of Resolve features non-fiction sections in the back of the book that provide answers to popular questions about the time in which Noah lived and explain where certain characters and events from the book can be seen at the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An urgent argument that America and other democracies are in peril because they have lost the will to defend the values and institutions that sustain freedom and prosperity. Now updated with a new preface! “Epic and debate-shifting.”—David Brooks, New York Times Only once in the last 250,000 years have humans stumbled upon a way to lift ourselves out of the endless cycle of poverty, hunger, and war that defines most of history. If democracy, individualism, and the free market were humankind’s destiny, they should have appeared and taken hold a bit earlier in the evolutionary record. The emergence of freedom and prosperity was nothing short of a miracle. As Americans we are doubly blessed, because the radical ideas that made the miracle possible were written not just into the Constitution but in our hearts, laying the groundwork for our uniquely prosperous society. Those ideas are: • Our rights come from God, not from the government. • The government belongs to us; we do not belong to it. • The individual is sovereign. We are all captains of our own souls, not bound by the circumstances of our birth. • The fruits of our labors belong to us. In the last few decades, these political virtues have been turned into vices. As we are increasingly taught to view our traditions as a system of oppression, exploitation, and privilege, the principles of liberty and the rule of law are under attack from left and right. For the West to survive, we must renew our sense of gratitude for what our civilization has given us and rediscover the ideals and habits of the heart that led us out of the bloody muck of the past—or back to the muck we will go.

"CALLING FORTH THE REMNANT, By Way of the Cross, by Stella Paterson, is addressed to the Body of Christ; both those who attend church and those who do not. Much heartache and sadness have gone into relating the error which has robbed the Lords Bride of her beauty and purity. The "error" is rooted in the greatest deception of all time, and its disastrous influence has been embraced. Error has been allowed to run rampant and has resulted in widespread, unrecognized apostasy. Following many years of in-depth Bible study, the author presents monumental truths that fly in the face of many accepted teachings. It raises a multitude of questions then gives answers, including references for further research: "Why did Jesus REALLY have to die? What is the new birth, as examined through Scripture? Will we yield to Gods way or continue on our own way? What about topics like 'tithing', 'the Rapture', 'tribulation' and 'Antichrist'? Will we ultimately choose to go the way of the Cross and become a part of the Church triumphant? Are we truly born again or have we been deceived by an 'easy' gospel about an 'easy' Jesus who will take as His Bride those who are yet flesh?"

First paper reprint of the respected 1981 edition. A study of the American communal society best known for its baseball teams and Sunday supplement scandals. Fogarty (history, Antioch College) places the House of David in the two centuries long tradition of its particular brand of millennialism. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Scott Burgess has crafted a most intriguing commentary on Revelation's Old Testament counterpart. Readers will treasure The Stand: Jesus in the Book of Daniel for its educational and devotional value. It not only aids in deciphering mysteries and symbols but also encourages and promotes complete dedication to our Lord and Savior as it highlights the central theme of standing unsullied in the end-time judgment. The author upholds the traditional Adventist methodology of allowing Scripture to interpret itself, and looking to history to confirm fulfilled prophecy. With that said, he also introduces a number of fresh insights. He highlights fascinating linguistic and conceptual connections with other portions of Scripture that many of us have not identified before. Those who pore over this tome will find a number of areas they readily agree with, and other areas that will require prayerful reflection before forming a decision, but nearly all will acknowledge Burgess' skillful manner of provoking prayerful thought and contemplation. What makes any book like this truly worthwhile is the presence of Christ. Burgess stresses the ubiquity of His manifestation throughout the book—as the One who rules the universe, past, present, and future; and as the One who empowers His people to withstand the fiercest opposition for the sake of faithfulness to Him and His commandments. Jesus offers the same empowerment to us, especially as imminent events parallel what the four Hebrews experienced. This 2,500-plus-year-old document speaks to us today.

In 4QInstruction: Divisions and Hierarchies, Benjamin Wold challenges the interpretation of 4QInstruction as a deterministic and dualistic composition. In a re-examination of key fragments he offers new reconstructions and translations that indicate 4QInstruction envisaged wisdom available to all humanity, divisions among humankind and communities as the result of individual adherence to wisdom, and a hierarchy of authority as a result of individual merit.