2015 – Volume 26
The Highway of Holiness
“And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10). Isaiah 35:1-10 contains a richness of promises for mankind in the Kingdom. All the promises of our Heavenly Father are sure, and here we are assured, that [...]
The Third Epistle of John
“The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth” (3 John 1). This third epistle of John was written to a private individual as opposed to a church. It was probable that the family kept the epistle private until the death of Gaius. Only after that did it likely come to light as a product of the Apostle John. It [...]
The Dedication of Solomon’s Temple and Its Relationship to the Seven Last Plagues
“And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of Jehovah, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of Jehovah had filled the house of Jehovah” (1 Kings 8:10,11). Solomon’s temple was completed in the 8th month of Solomon’s 11th year as king [...]
Mary, the Mother of Jesus
“When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). We all know the emotional connection we have with our mothers. They have more influence in our lives than our fathers for we all imprint on our mother’s voice and chemical signature from the time late in the first trimester [...]
In the Beginning God Created the Heavens
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “Thus saith the LORD, who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the breath of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1). The Bible asserts the universe had a “beginning” and that it was subsequently “stretched.” The scientific community would not have supported the assertion that the universe [...]
Pictures of Jesus’ Sacrifice
“All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44). There are so many prophecies that were fulfilled in the final days and hours of Jesus life. What is interesting to consider is the question: What did Jesus know about his sacrificial death ahead of time? We suggest that [...]
Two Pillars
“He cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about” (1 Kings 7:15). The Temple of Solomon evidently is a picture for us of the Church class, which, when completed and glorified, will be God’s agent for drawing mankind back to Himself. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of [...]
The Return of Judah and Ephraim
The following is from Charles Burton (minister of All- Saints, Manchester), “Lectures on the Millennium, the New Heavens and New Earth,” London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1841, pages 61-62. As to the historic fact of the return of some of the Ten Tribes, along with some of Judah and Benjamin, there is very scanty information. It was unnecessary that any particular mention should be [...]
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” (moi cheuthenai,1 from the verb moicheuo) is in a past [...]
Queen Esther (continued)
“Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her” (Esther 2:15) (Continued from the September, 2014 issue). The first part of this article suggested that Queen Esther, renowned for her beauty, is a picture of the Church class, which will be renown for beauty of character. That Xerxes, the king, was a picture of our Lord Jesus. That the 127 [...]
Coverings of the Ark of the Covenant
When the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the testimony with it, and shall put thereon a covering of sealskin, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof” (Numbers 4:5,6 ASV). Among the many details given [...]
Out of the Tomb(s)
“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many” (Matthew 27:52, 53). The expressions “out of the graves [tombs]” and “out of the tomb” are used occasionally in the New Testament, but apparently with a different shade of meaning. The [...]
Locusts and John the Baptist
“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 used in the rest of the Bible. If that is not sufficient to resolve the [...]
God’s Spirit Upon All Flesh
“I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh” (Joel 2:28). After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, on Pentecost the Apostle Peter quoted Joel 2:28-32 to open up the Gospel Age for the church. However, in Acts 2:17 he reverses the sequence of two clauses, implying the sequence is not important. (Perhaps to draw more attention to clauses that introduce the new state of affairs.) [...]
The Eleventh Hour Worker
“When he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour ... and said ... Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. ... Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he [...]
King James Version
King James Translators on the King James Version The preface to the original 1611 King James Version (KJV) says: “Some peradventure would have no variety of senses to be set in the margin, lest the authority of the Scriptures for deciding of controversies by that show of uncertainty, should somewhat be shaken. But we hold their judgment not to be sound in this point.” [...]
Memorial, Thursday, April 2, 2015
“This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Our Lord inaugurated the Memorial in the upper room with his apostles on Thursday, April 2, 33 AD (by the Roman Julian calendar).1 The coming Memorial is unusual in that the Nisan 14 observance will also begin after Sunset on Thursday, April 2. This brings together the Nisan 14 remembrance with the actual correct solar calendar [...]
Revised Version 1881
From the Preface of the Revised Version New Testament (1881) “We know full well that defects must have their place in a work so long and so arduous as this which has now come to an end. Blemishes and imperfections there are in the noble Translation (KJV) which we have been called upon to revise; blemishes and imperfections will assuredly be found in our [...]