Volume 14, No.3, Aug. 2003
The Breastplate’s Jewels
“Thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel ... And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a memorial ... Thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment [...]
Priests and Levites
“And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 66:21). The context of the above verse places it in the time when all nations “shall come, and see my glory” (Isaiah 66:18). It describes the aftermath of the battle commonly called “Jacob’s Trouble” which is detailed in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Here we find the saga of [...]
The Letter to the Church in Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13)
Philadelphia stood about 28 miles southeast from Sardis in the plains of Hermus, and about midway between the river of that name and the termination of Mount Smolus. It was a city of commercial importance conveniently located as the gateway to the high central plateau of Asia in Asia Minor. The name means “brotherly love” and commemorated the loyalty and devotion of Attalus II [...]
It Came to Pass
Once at a testimony meeting the leader asked each one to quote a favorite Bible verse. One brother simply quoted the words, “And it came to pass.” This surprised everybody because it is not even a verse. Yet he insisted that the phrase “and it came to pass” was the one most meaningful to him. “Why?” asked the leader. The brother explained that in [...]
Psalm 119
This psalm is all about the Word of God. It is unique in several ways. It is the longest of all the psalms; in fact it is the longest chapter in the Bible, with 176 verses. These verses are not the divisions of an editor — they are inherent in the original. There are precisely 22 parts to this psalm, each containing 8 verses. [...]