2013 – Volume 24
The Ordinances of the Altar
“And he said unto me, Son of man, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt-offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon” (Ezekiel 43:18). Ezekiel’s Temple is a glorious structure found in Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48. It is primarily a picture of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, conveying various aspects [...]
Put to Death Flesh, Raised Spirit
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). All Christians rejoice in the truth of the resurrection of our Lord. But the details of what that resurrection entails, as viewed by most of Christianity, diverges significantly from [...]
Harmonizing Acts 7:16 with the Old Testament
“Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulcher that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem (Acts 7:15,16). It would seem that a part of Stephen’s account of the Old Testament is faulty. But we know that he gave an accurate [...]
Balaam’s Talking Donkey
“And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” (Numbers 22:28). Balaam’s ass is famous for refusing to carry Balaam forward as he wished, and then speaking to Balaam to defend himself against the beating that Balaam gave her. The verbal interchange between Balaam and his [...]
Redemption as Shown in the Tabernacle
The ransom is the foundation of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind. It contains the fundamental idea of a corresponding price — Jesus for Adam, that is, substitutionary atonement. As explained in Tabernacle Shadows, pages 51-52: “The bullock represented Jesus at the age of thirty years — the perfect man who gave himself and died on our behalf. The High Priest, as we [...]
Papias
We happened upon an interesting comment in Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History regarding a certain Papias. He wrote: “In these he (Papias) says there would be a certain millennium after the resurrection, and that there would be a corporeal reign of Christ on this very earth; which things he appears to have imagined, as if they were authorized by the apostolic narration, not understanding correctly those [...]
Pergamos, a “Mixed Marriage”
“To the angel of the church of Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges” (Revelation 2:12). When we look at our brethren’s trials throughout the Gospel Age it truly is a cause for reflection, encouragement, and thanksgiving for their faithfulness. While the golden candlestick representing the church is beaten from one piece of solid gold, Revelation consistently [...]
Six Lambs
“And the burnt offering that the prince shall offer unto the LORD in the sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish” (Ezekiel 46:4). This text is part of the nine chapters that constitute the vision of Ezekiel’s Temple (Ezekiel 40-48). The vision is about the Millennial Kingdom, and the blessings of life that will flow to the world as they approach God during [...]
A Bloody Husband
“It came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because [...]
The Color Blue
“Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens” (Psalms 89:2). The color blue is a symbol of faithfulness. The very heavens cast this beautiful color into the eyes of all observers, while they reflect on the importance of their faithful law giver. “Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens” (Psalms 89:2), “To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy [...]
Matthew 5:32
A Usually-Misunderstood Text. What Does the Divorcer Cause? The common translation of Matthew 5:32 is: “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery” (KJV). However, the Greek word translated “to commit adultery” (moicheuthenai,1 from the verb moicheuo) is in [...]
The Specialness of the Tribe of Levi
“Thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony ... and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle” (Numbers 1:50). Background — Following the Exodus from Egypt, Numbers chapters 13 and 14 recount that twelve spies, one selected from each tribe, were sent out to reconnoiter the Promised Land. Ten of the twelve spies brought back a bad [...]
Between the Lines
Unbelievers constantly seek to find fault with the Bible. One of their criticisms is when the Bible reports different versions of the same event. These critics overlook the fact that different witnesses see events from different perspectives. That can be seen when multiple witnesses give their version of a particular event. The differences are sometimes considerable! But they all saw the same event! For [...]
The Oldest Text
What would you say is the oldest archeological find of a scripture text? In 1979, Hungarian born Israeli archeologist Gabriel Barkay, along with a group of 12 and 13 year olds, was excavating in an area outside of Jerusalem in the backyard of St. Andrews Church, an area known as Ketef Hinnom. One of the boys, wielding a hammer under a burial bench, unexpectedly [...]
Sources of Abraham’s Faith
Abraham was a wonderfully faithful man. He is referred to as the father of the faithful. “They which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). But one might ask, where did Abraham get this wonderful faith? There are at least three possible sources. (1) FROM PROMISES TO HIS FOREFATHERS Paul defines faith as, “the substance of things hoped for, [...]
Locusts and John the Baptist
“John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his meat was locusts and wild honey” (Matthew 3:4). From time to time there are friendly discussions as to whether John the Baptist ate locust insects or locust bean (Matthew 3:4, Mark 1:6). One approach to resolving the question is to see how the Greek word for locust(s) is [...]