In the Greek, the word used here for the wise men is magos or Magi. The term originally referred to the great scholars among the Medes and Persians who counseled the king and who studied astrology, medicine, astronomy and natural science. At the time of [...]
Matthew 24:8-9 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name.” (NASB) The word “then” in the [...]
God’s command to give tithes (ten percent) started with the Israelites in Leviticus 27:30-34, Numbers 18:26-29, Deuteronomy 12:17. Deuteronomy 14:22 seems to say that you are to tithe of all of the produce. This was all part of the law given to the Israelites. The [...]
Summary: Jesus is the only begotten Son of God; the first and the last direct creation of God; God’s agent of all creation; mankind’s Savior from sin and death; the Head of the body of Christ; the life-giver to resurrected mankind; the Holy Son [...]
Summary: Jesus said obedient Christians will “receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life,” Luke 18:30. But “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James [...]
Summary: Some Christians believe that Daniel 9:27 refers to a future 7 years of tribulation. This is a misinterpretation of prophetic scripture. Instead, Daniel 9:27 refers to the end of meaningful sacrifices under the Jewish law and the desolation of Israel and Jerusalem after [...]
Imagine all the emotions going through Mary’s heart and mind after being told by the angel Gabriel that she would be carrying and giving birth to God’s son! Then realize that, instead of worrying about being unmarried and the resulting stigma, she praised God, [...]
The transfiguration can be found in Matthew 17:1-8 and Mark 9:2-8. To summarize, Jesus took his three closest disciples with him to a high mountain. He was transfigured before them: this means that his appearance changed. His face and clothes were shining brightly, and [...]
Jesus explained the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:37-43. Our Lord is the sower and he sowed the gospel message in the “field” of the world. The soil represents men’s hearts into which good or bad seed may take root. [...]
Genesis 19 tells the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot and his family were saved by the angel of the Lord and pulled out of the city before its impending punishment. They were instructed to flee to the mountains and not [...]
Mark 3:28-30 finds a parallel reference in Matthew 12:31-32 which says, “And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the holy spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither [...]
Matthew 8:16, 17 (ESV): “That evening they brought to him (Jesus) many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘He [...]
The Bible teaches what Jesus Christ’s blood and ransom sacrifice has done and will do for mankind: Guarantees for Adam, and all of his children a resurrection from the dead. John 5:28, “…the hour is coming when all that are in their graves will come [...]
When asked by John’s disciples as to why Jesus’ disciples did not fast, our Lord relates fasting to mourning and states that his disciples will “fast” after he has been “taken from them.” But then he goes on to speak of patching an old garment [...]
The requirements, prohibitions, sacrifices of the Old Testament Law were not addressed to the whole world, but only to the unique nation of Israel. God made a covenant with them and required them to obey him. On the other hand, the teachings of the [...]
In Luke 17:20-37, Jesus answers the Pharisees’ question on “when the kingdom of God should come.” Rather than addressing the time feature, Jesus chooses to focus his response on the manner of his second coming.The Scriptures seem to present the topic of the second [...]
Daniel 11:31, “And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.” Jesus refers to this in Matthew 24:15-16, “When you see the [...]
A child of God is righteous and is part of God’s holy family. First consider different examples of sons of God. Angels are sons of God. Job 1:6, “Now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the LORD, [...]
Jesus teaches the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:3-23. In this parable, soil quality represents heart condition. If the good seed (gospel /Kingdom message) falls on good ground (an honest, humble heart), it will bear much fruit (a Christ-like character). “…the fruit of [...]
In John 18:37, Jesus says: “To this end was I born and for this cause came I unto the world that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth hears my voice.” Jesus bore witness of the Father’s character [...]
