Psalms 22’s author is generally accepted to be David, the shepherd who became king of Israel. Although David is described as “a man after God’s own heart’ (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22), David was not perfect. He experienced many difficult circumstances in his life [...]
During his ministry on earth, Jesus sought those who, like him, were prepared to completely dedicate, or consecrate, their hearts and minds to God. Jesus understood that this type of commitment, which would come at the expense of worldly goals, approvals and rewards, would [...]
Genesis chapters 1-2 outline God’s creation of the universe. As the scope of the chapters narrow, the creation of the earth takes focus, including the separation of the land from the water, the creation of plants, followed by the animal creation. Although these few [...]
Revelation 7:9-17 describes a picture of the spiritual classes, of which the "great multitude" is a piece of this puzzle. The setting of the picture is heaven, a spiritual plane of existence.The first participant in the picture is God Himself.The second participant in the [...]
The Bible speaks of three different types of death:· Adamic death, passed onto the entire race by Adam for his original disobedience to God· Christ’s sacrificial death for the benefit of all mankind, paying the ransom price for Adamic death · Second death, which will [...]
Joel 2:28: (KJV) “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”A key indication that Joel [...]
The Book of Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke. Luke ends the Gospel of Luke and starts the book of Acts with the conversation Jesus and the disciples had on the walk to Bethany (Mount of Olives). Luke finishes Acts with [...]
The “flesh” and the “old man” are synonymous.During his ministry, Jesus told his apostles that in order to follow him, one needed to “deny oneself” and “take up his cross” (Matthew 16:24). He further tells them that any who lose their lives for his [...]
Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,4:2 with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in4:3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond [...]
1 Corinthians 12:14: Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be a burden to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but [...]
2 Corinthians 2:14 NASB1995: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”The Apostle Paul offers the words of 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 as an encouragement [...]
When Paul was converted to Christianity, he was given the commission by Jesus to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). To fulfill this calling, Paul journeyed to many areas of Asia Minor and Greece, including through the Roman province of Galatia in [...]
Understanding that the proper time had arrived in God’s plan, Matthew chapter 21 chronicles how Jesus arranged his entry into Jerusalem in a manner which identified him as the Messiah prophesied in Scripture (Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-9). Once in the city, Jesus began publicly [...]
Shortly after his resurrection, Jesus was elevated to a new, glorified level of existence. After he had disappeared from their sight, the apostles who had witnessed Jesus’ elevation were told by two angels that Jesus was “taken up…into heaven” (Acts 1:8-11). Later, Stephen, a [...]
Paul was aware that some members of the early Christian church had begun to regard him, the other Apostles, and other early Christians such as Apollos and Cephas as “spectacles” (“spectacle…to men” in 1 Corinthians 4:9), but unlike the angels, they had begun to [...]
These were lowly shepherds being rewarded for their humility with this incredible message. The humble shepherds out tending their sheep were given the gift of being able to observe and participate in this world-changing event. Luke 2:8: (NASB) “In the same region there were some [...]
The Apostle Paul uses the illustration of an athlete’s training to illustrate the lifestyle of a faithful Christian. Several Bible commentaries make reference to the Isthmain games, named because they took place in the isthmus where Corinth stood. For example, Ellicott’s Commentary for English [...]
1 Thessalonians consists of a letter from the Apostle Paul to the early Christian church at Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 1:1). In chapter 1, Paul issues greetings to the church members. Chapters 2 and 3 continue his greetings and also offer an explanation for his [...]
The phrase born again is found in John 3:3: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. A more accurate translation for born again here is "begotten from above.” It does not describe a second birth; rather, it refers to the changed [...]
Ruth chapter 1 describes how a Jewish man named Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons travel to the country of Moab. While there, the two sons marry two women of Moab, one of which is Ruth. Sometime after that, Elimelech and his [...]
