Leviticus 23 – There are several of these celebrations that were brought into modern-day by Christianity. Passover = Good Friday. Unleavened Bread = Easter. And finally, the Festival of the Weeks = Pentecost. Most of us know …
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Leviticus 12 – After bearing a child, a woman was considered contagiously unclean for one to two weeks. One day 8, when a boy would be circumcised, the childbearing mother was no longer contagious but still had …
Leviticus 4 – While the peace offering in Leviticus 3 was optional, the sin offering was mandatory. The sin offering, or, purification offering, had many layers which will span Leviticus 4 and 5. The reason for the …
Leviticus 1 – The book of Leviticus picks up right where Exodus left off. The opening verse begins with “Then the Lord called to Moses…” ‘Then’ signals us to look back at the end of Exodus which …
Revelation 22 – Tree of Life The final chapter of the Bible bookends the story that God started in the Garden of Eden. There, we saw a glimpse of the plan He had for mankind which was …
Revelation 21 – There is a lot of crossover between what Isaiah writes in chapter 65 and the 21st chapter of Revelation. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will …
Revelation 19 – After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for his judgments are …
Revelation 18 – Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. Romans 12:19 NASB Paul’s words ring true …
Revelation 17 – We have already reiterated it over many chapters, but Rome stood proudly as a pagan symbol against Christ and His church. Here in Revelation 17, she is personified as a notorious prostitute. She represents …
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 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 6 – I grew up in Berne, Indiana which sits directly on top of the continental divide. If you are not familiar with the continental divide, it is an area of raised terrain that …
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 4 – The Throne We just recently studied the book of Ezekiel and Leviticus which have some strong ties to the language here in Revelation. Before God’s throne, John sees brilliant and vivid imagery that is …
Isaiah 60 – Isaiah 60 begins a new section that looks ahead Christ’s Kingdom and rule. Remember, Isaiah was a prophet in the southern kingdom of Judah during the time when the northern kingdom, Israel, had already …
Isaiah 53 – The opening verse grabs my attention. “Who has believed our message?” It’s a rhetorical question but one that was referenced twice in the New Testament. But though He had performed so many signs before …
Isaiah 25 – Following a chapter on the destruction and judgment of God, we read a deeply personal appeal to His faithfulness. It almost reads like a prayer, and this is significant. When we face trials, struggles, …
Exodus 12 – The Passover is a powerful event in both Jewish tradition as well as Christianity. One major difference, obviously, is that the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah. It’s tradition when the Jews celebrate the …
Matthew 22 – The Sadducees and Pharisees were always playing games with Jesus. They, like some today, thought they could outsmart God. Here in Matthew 22, we find some intense back-and-forth debating from the teachers of the …
Matthew 21 – During the Passover festival, scores of Jews came from all over Israel and the Roman Empire to worship and celebrate. Since many traveled long distances, it was cumbersome to carry with them their animal …
1 Peter 3 – It’s in this chapter that Peter makes a strange statement about Jesus going to hell after his death and preaching to the evil spirits there. “For Christ also suffered for sins once for …
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 …
Genesis 11 – Josephus wrote of how the Tower of Babel originated from the heart and mind of Nimrod. “Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. …
John 19 – One of the unique aspects of John’s Gospel is the theme of Jesus as the Lamb of God. All the way back in John 1, we read about John the Baptist declaring “Look! The …
Hebrews 5 – First, let’s just point out that this chapter is deep! Here in Hebrews 5, we see two distinctive attributes of Christ’s character. It was by humility He was given (by God) the title of …
Zechariah 12 – Zechariah’s name means “The Lord Remembers” and in this chapter, we get a striking image of God remembering His Jewish people. Theology is not the most important thing here, but it does determine what …
Nahum 1 – The book of Jonah was God’s grace to Ninevah, and Nahum is His truth. God would judge Nineveh. For some, the thought of His judgment invokes imagery of an all-powerful Being looking down on …
Psalm 150 – The number 10 is used 242 times in Scripture. The title of “10th” is found 79 times. Though it doesn’t get as much airtime as 3 and 7, the number 10 is categorized in …
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 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 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 45 – Psalms 45:3-5 describes our Savior Jesus Christ returning as a Warrior Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty! 4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the …
Psalm 23 – Psalm 23 is known as the shepherd’s psalm. Composed by David as a youth, he was keeping sheep when Samuel came to his father’s house to find the king which God had chosen to …
Mark 15 – More than 1/3 of Mark’s narrative is focused on passion week. He includes many details that other Gospel accounts do not. For instance, Matthew’s Gospel reveals that Barabbas is a “notorious” criminal but Mark …
Mark 14 – In Mark 14, Jesus sat down with his disciples during the Last Supper and broke the bread saying “This is my body.” He poured the wine saying “This is my blood.” Essentially, He was …
Deuteronomy 16 – Favoritism. Bribes. Bias. Corruption. Does this not describe our current political climate? God gave specific laws regarding the judges that He Himself would appoint for Israel. First, there would be impartiality. Everyone would be …
Numbers 28 – God was teaching the Israelites what it meant to have a heart full of love for Him. This fact has not changed today. Following and loving God means we bring a sacrificial heart of …
Numbers 8 – The cleansing of the Levites was an important step in helping the people understand and respond accordingly to God’s holiness. The acts described were symbols of spiritual cleansing. For example, shaving their bodies would …
Numbers 3 – We understand the substitutionary atonement of Jesus very well. He died so that we could live. Here in Numbers 3, we find that God was consistent with this theme of substitution dating back to …
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 22 Commentary by Brad Boyles A hotly debated topic from Luke 22 is the notorious “two swords” passage. A brief study of the passage will give you many differing perspectives. Let’s look at the verses, and then the overall …
Luke 14 Commentary by Brad Boyles In Luke 14, Jesus visits a house of a chief Pharisee on the Sabbath. The text tells us that there is bread served. This could have meant there was actual bread there to be …
Ezekiel 47 – If we read this chapter as a future prophecy of the end times, we get a picture of the amazing geographical changes that will occur in the middle east. The water becomes a source …
Ezekiel 43 – In chapters 8-11 of Ezekiel, we find the presence of the Lord leaving the temple. This was symbolic of what was about to happen to the people as their protection was removed and they …