Acts 7 – I can vividly remember the old seat belt PSA that was shown on TV all the time when I was a kid. Vince and Larry, the Crash Test Dummies, would facetiously admit that they …
angels
56 posts
Acts 4 – As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and …
Revelation 16 – The continuity of the seals and the trumpets is broken up with the bowls as they move seamlessly through all seven with no interlude between the 6th and 7th as we have traditionally seen. …
Revelation 15 – The divine judgment which was revealed by the seals and proclaimed by the trumpets will now be poured out by the seven bowls. From a literary standpoint, the seventh seal was unleashed by the …
Revelation 14 – First question I asked myself… who is Babylon? John, again, is writing symbolically here. Literal Babylon was a mere fraction of what it had been in years past. But, the wording certainly plays into …
Revelation 13 – The First Beast At the end of Revelation 12, we read of Satan’s rage. He sets out to destroy the people of God. Now, in Revelation 13, we are introduced to the two henchmen …
Revelation 12 – The Woman It is out of Israel that the Messiah will come, therefore, it makes sense that the woman would represent not only Israel but also the Messianic community. We can marry these two …
Revelation 10 – This vision differs from the others for the simple fact that John is engaged in the action firsthand. The angel that appears before John is hidden in a cloud and his legs were pillars …
Revelation 9 – The 5th Trumpet The 5th trumpet releases a key to open the abyss. Many scholars believe this is the same abyss that the demons begged Jesus not to throw them in. It may be …
Revelation 8 – Continuing on the theme from Chapter 7, John either heard or saw something with every seal that was opened. Here in Revelation 8, the seventh seal is broken and he hears and sees nothing …
Revelation 7 – God’s primary motive in our hearts has always been this: transformation. I think it’s important to understand Revelation in terms of the overall picture instead of as individual narratives. We see a great transformation …
Revelation 5 – The Scroll In ancient times, the Romans would seal their wills seven times. Each wax seal usually contained an engraved emblem and sealed the letter for security or to designate ownership. Marriage contracts, leases, …
Revelation 1 – The comparison game. We all do it. When life throws us unpredictable storms, (and especially when we wrestle with why God would allow such things) we feel sorry for ourselves. We ask ourselves questions …
Ephesians 6 – It all begins with Psalm 82:1. God presides in the heavenly council; in the assembly of the gods he gives his decision: Psalms 82:1 GNB That word gods is translated from the Hebrew word …
Exodus 25 – The ark, and later the tabernacle, would be constructed from the wood of the acacia tree. It was a hard-grained wood that was a natural insect repellent and dark orange in color. Because of …
Job 40 – Consider Job’s humility in this chapter. Consider that he takes up none of the words with God that he had planned. The entire book culminates to this point; Job is given permission to speak …
Job 33 – As I read Elihu speak, I feel the tension of two different angles. On one hand, Elihu is young and a little bit cocky. He says things like, “Keep silent, and I will teach …
Job 19 – The most magnificent phrase in this chapter shines in verses 25-26. It is so surprising and unexpected. Job has lamented for many chapters now, and wished death upon himself. In this chapter, he concludes …
Job 2 – There are a few differing thoughts that we naturally progress through as we read the story unfold in Chapter 2. The first is compassion. We empathize with Job. What a horrible situation to be …
Matthew 24 – There is a break between verses 2 and 3 that separate the thoughts of Jesus. He starts by describing the ransacking of Jerusalem which eventually happened in 70 AD. Legend has it that future …
Matthew 16 – The Pharisees and Sadducees (who demanded signs in this chapter) were two of the five major political parties during the time of Jesus. There were also the Herodians, the Zealots, and the Essenes. The …
1 Timothy 3 – Paul moves from congregational conduct to leadership. There are two offices he addresses: the overseer and the deacon. Today, we would call an overseer a pastor and a deacon an elder. The difference …
Romans 12 – Starting in verse 9 of Romans 12, Paul rattles off a disjointed list of Christian principles. On the surface, it may seem haphazard. In reality, Paul is most likely using a style known as …
1 Kings 6 – It’s amazing to me that the Lord spoke these same words over and over to Solomon. “If you obey all my laws and commands, I will do for you what I promised your …
Genesis 32 – There are three points that really stick out to me in this chapter. Separation from the world will often allow us to become aware of God’s greater revelation. In Genesis 31, we learn that …
Genesis 28 – Promises, promises. Jacob was a slick wheeler and dealer as we will find out later. He certainly didn’t deserve Isaac’s blessing or a divine dream, but God was faithful despite. This fact alone is …
Genesis 21 – In previous chapters, we may have been tempted to wonder, “Why has God stuck with Abraham for so long?” Commentators and scholars have wondered why the Bible is so brutally honest about the struggles …
Genesis 19 – I find it interesting that there were two angels sent to Lot’s house to save four people. There was a hand for each person God desired to save. In other words, there is nothing …
Genesis 6 – What does the text mean when it says the “sons of God” saw the “daughters of men” were beautiful and took wives for themselves? The phrase “sons of God” is used in other places …
Genesis 1 – In his book, The Good Book, author Deron Spoo gives us perspective on what we should treasure about Genesis 1. In his opinion, the primary purpose of this first chapter is to affirm that …
Hebrews 13 – Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. 3 Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as …
Hebrews 1 – We do not know the writer of Hebrews and honestly, it doesn’t matter. The book is absolutely beautiful. Written with a unique elegance, this Holy Spirit-inspired author had mastered the principles of rhetoric and …
Zechariah 6 – The scene here is connected, though it might not seem like it on the surface. In the Bible, divine warfare follows a pattern that was common in the Near East: War-Victory-Kingship-Building-Celebration. Zechariah 6 shows …
Zephaniah 1 – The twelve minor prophets are divided into two categories based on the time period of their ministry. Either they came before the Babylonian exile (pre-exilic) or after it (post-exilic). “Zephaniah is the last of …
Daniel 12 – The prophetic events that Daniel witnesses are most likely referring to the end times. Here is what we know so far over the past several chapters… There will be a ruler who is over …
Daniel 11 – Daniel 11 contains some of the most specifically accurate prophecies in the entire Bible. Critics have often wondered if this chapter was written after the historical events took place because it is so deadly …
2 Corinthians 11 – “A story is told about a dinner party where the guests were expected to stand after the meal and recite something for the group. A famous actor was present, and he recited the …
2 Corinthians 4 – Why jars of clay? “The Greek word means “baked clay,” and refers to clay pots. They were cheap, breakable, and replaceable, but they served necessary household functions. Sometimes they were used as a …
Psalm 148 – It is a word that has become obsolete in many Christian circles. Sin. The rebellion of man that separates us from God is our primary issue in life. The Bible opens in Genesis with …
Psalm 110 – Psalm 110 might be quoted more frequently in the NT than any other Psalm. The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet’? Matthew …
Psalm 98 – Do we actually praise and worship God for His judgment? Let the sea and all that fills it, the world and those who live in it, resound. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; …
Psalm 97 – When we look back at Scripture, we see just how holy God really is. Anyone who came into the fullness of God (or Jesus in His heavenly form) were overwhelmed beyond comprehension. Wrestling With …
Psalm 87 – “I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me; Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.'” Psalms 87:4 NASB A relationship with Jesus is not based on genetics …
Psalm 69 – Unto You be all the glory, Lord. Have we ever stopped to consider what this really means? Creation itself is a testimony that points to the flawless and undeniable glory of God. The last …
Psalm 64 – “One of the most pressing theological questions today is “why do the evil ones prosper?” If one looks around, it certainly seems as if the bad ones are winning, be that on the streets …
Psalm 8 – “Have you never read…” The words pierced like a dagger. It was a direct challenge to the authority and comprehension of these so-called representatives of God. The Pharisees hated Jesus. They made it their …
Mark 13 – No one knows the day or hour. This is a familiar passage, yet, there is one question that I’ve always wondered. If Jesus was both God and man, then why didn’t He know the …
Deuteronomy 13 – When did self-appointed titles become a “thing” in the church? When did “a word” become more important than action? When did the thoughts inside people’s heads become full-blown prophecies directly from the mouth of …
Deuteronomy 3 – They told Moses, “We explored the land and found it to be rich and fertile; and here is some of its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and their cities …
Luke 24 Commentary by Brad Boyles Then he said to them, “These are the very things I told you about while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the prophets, …
Luke 23 Commentary by Brad Boyles He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He …
Luke 21 – Some speculate Jesus’ warnings were to be interpreted for the people of that time and others speculate they are future events. We know that the apostles would suffer incredible persecution after Jesus resurrected and …
Ezekiel 13 – Wow! What a relevant topic! For years, false prophets have been stirring up dissension in order to dismantle what God is building among His people. To make a clear point, God compares a false …
Ezekiel 1 – Ezekiel was 25 years old when he was taken into captivity and was 30 when he was called into ministry. Outside of the book named after him, there is no other reference to Ezekiel …