Caesar Augustus, founder of the Roman Empire, famously boasted, “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.” The Carrara marble quarries on the north coast of Italy had opened just before he came to power, and he set himself to beautify his capital. But the glory of Rome has […]
“We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14). The word forgiveness in its primary sense means to send away or to abandon. Forgiveness is agreeing to pay the damages done by another, and then never bringing up the account again—sending them away, much like the scapegoat, the azazel. As far as […]
CHRIST the BEGINNING and the END: “I am…the Beginning and the End” (Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13). In Gen 1:1, the heavens and the earth were created; in Rev 21:1, they pass away, to be replaced. In Gen 1:5, the bounds of night are established; in Rev 22:5, we see there will be no night there. […]
“The children of Israel cried out to the Lord” (Ex 14:10). There may have been close to 2,500,000 Israelites. This describes their spontaneous prayer meeting as the Egyptian army approached! I don’t imagine it sounded to God the way I hear it when my little grandchildren all clamor for my attention at once, but this […]
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Mt 6:6). It’s getting harder all the time to find a quiet place and time to pray. Part […]
Job shifts the topic from external influences to internal ones. What happens when hope dies? Job describes a series of scenarios involving hope. For example, “a servant who earnestly desires the shade” hopes for a break now and again (Job 7:1-2). “And like a hired man…eagerly looks for his wages,” is it too much to hope for his pay […]
CHRIST OUR POSSESSION: “Be content with such things as you have” (Heb 13:5). What does this mean? To be content with a dilapidated house or an old car, slowly corroding with rust? Although being thankful for everything is an evidence of our belief that the Lord looks after His people, I don’t think that was […]
“…the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins…” (Acts 26:17-18). Thus reads the commission to Saul of Tarsus. John Birch (unfortunately linked in most minds with a […]
“All power is given to Me in heaven and earth” (Mt 28:18). The word power (exousia) is also translated authority, right, liberty, jurisdiction, and strength. It includes the ideas of the liberty of doing as one pleases; physical and mental power; influence and privilege; the power of government, of judicial decisions and the authority to […]