2005 – Volume 16
Love Your Enemies
Probably no admonition of Jesus has been more difficult to follow than the command to "love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44). Some men have sincerely felt that its actual practice is not possible. "It is easy," they say, "to love those who love you, but how can one love those who openly and insidiously seek to defeat you?" Others contend that Jesus' exhortation to love [...]
The Salutations of John
With the exception of the three epistles of John and, debatably, Hebrews and Revelation, the non-historical books of the New Testament begin with the author's name. The Apostle John appears to be the lone exception to this rule. The question naturally arises as to why this is so and if there is any importance to this detail. We will first examine the two debatable [...]
The Miracle at Shiloh
CASTING LOTS AT SHILOH "And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance. And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, 'How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?' And Joshua said, 'Give out from among you three men for each tribe, and [...]
Amos, Weaving the Web
''And the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Now therefore hear thou the word of the Lord" (Amos 7:15-16). THE ARRAIGNMENT OF ISRAEL Amos the Prophet resided in a small village south of Jerusalem in what is known as the wilderness of Judea. His ministry was during the reign of [...]
Elijah’s Letter
Question: In 2 Chronicles 21:12-15 Elijah writes a letter to the king of Judah condemning him for apostasy. Since Elijah was dead, how could he write such a letter? Answer: 2 Chronicles 21:12 reads, ''And there came a writing to [King Jehoram] from Elijah the prophet, saying..." The phrase "there came" should be rendered "was brought." Why assume that Elijah then sent it? It [...]
Jezebel’s Death
"And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay" (1 Kings 19:17). Revelation names only four historical persons: faithful Moses, faithful David, iniquitous Balaam and but one woman - iniquitous Jezebel. In itself, the name "Jezebel" holds the promise of noble character and one [...]
The Law and the Gospel
But what does it mean when Christ says: "The poor have good tidings preached to them?" Is it not preached also to the rich and to the whole world? Again, why is the Gospel so great a thing, so great a blessing as Christ teaches, seeing that so many people despise and oppose it? Here we must know what Gospel really is, otherwise we [...]
Myrtle Trees in the Bottom
"I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. Then said I, 0 my Lord, what are these?" (Zechariah 1:8-9). Previously the significance of the horses in this wonderful prophetic picture were considered, but what about the "myrtle [...]
Twenty-One Days
"The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia" (Daniel 10:13). This text has captivated our interest from our earliest years. Gabriel, one of the highest of God's angelic host, evidently second only to Michael, was withstood on an [...]
This is My Blood which Ratifies the Agreement
Matthew 26:28 reads: "For this is my blood of the new testament" (King James). [However] the word "new" (kaines) is absent in the best and oldest manuscripts (Aleph, B, L, Z, Theta, 33, etc.) and in most modem editions (Tischendorf, Westcott and Hort, Nestle, Souter) - as well as in the parallel, Mark 14:24. It stood in the medieval text and the Latin Vulgate [...]
The Samaritan Woman
The account of Jesus and the woman of Samaria who came to draw water, and was offered a taste of the "living waters," is recorded inJohn4:l-29. Samaria was the name of a stretch of country located between Judea and Galilee, and while the Jews dealt with the Samaritans on a commercial basis, they had no intercourse with them socially or religiously but, rather, treated [...]
Israel’s Cloud
God's providence on behalf of the children of Israel in their wilderness wanderings through the Sinai desert, the land of Moab, and that of the Ammonites, was manifested by a miraculous cloud formation, which became to them a visible token of His constant care and of His presence in their midst. ''And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a [...]
Rejoice Evermore
In his retirement, President John Adams (second president of the United States) turned his attention back to Biblical studies and in 1805 challenged the idea of the "perfect ability of man" as expounded by the eighteenth-century philosophers. "I consider the perfectability of man as used by modern philosophers to be mere words without meaning, that is mere nonsense," he wrote. Then he added, "[but] [...]
Scape Goat and Lord’s Goat
When we consider Leviticus 16:8, ''And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scape-goat," we ask, "How was this done?" Jewish tradition states that there were two lots made either of wood, stone, or any kind of metal. On one was written Lassem, for the sacred name (Jehovah), and on the other [...]