In this section the promise that the Servant would be a “light to the Gentiles” is elaborated and given substance. The One despised would become the object of worship of kings and princes because of Yahweh’s faithfulness. In the day of his need, the Servant’s prayer would be heard and he…
Isaiah 49, Servant Prophecies Read More »
Our late Brother Allan Archer gave the following exhortation on the Saturday evening of the Adelaide Ecclesial Combined Weekend last year. The evening programme was one of praise as all lifted their voices in hymns and anthems or listened to the brethren and sisters in the choir, accompanied by the …
“God My Exceeding Joy” Read More »
A reader seeks comment concerning those passages where God is spoken of as hardening the heart. Did Pharaoh, and do we truly have freewill in such circumstances?
When God had brought Moses from the deserts of Midian back to the land of Egypt he declared: “When thou goest to return into Egypt,…
“And Yahweh said unto Moses … I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.” Exodus 7:1–3 Read More »
In the remainder of Isaiah 45 we see the outcomes of the restoration of Judah at the behest of Cyrus. It is always clear that the Power behind the scene is Yahweh.In this chapter He predicted the course of events, and history has seen its fulfilment to the letter. In the opening verses Yahweh re…
59:9–15 Confession of sins: the cause of calamities acknowledged
59:9–10 “Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity [rsv ‘darkness’]; for brightness, but we walk in darkness [rsv ‘gloom’]. We grope for the wall…
Isaiah 59: 9–15 “Truth is Fallen in the Street” Read More »
A reader quotes Exodus 34:7: “…visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation”, and observes, I have always thought this seemed unfair, as sometimes there are members of a family who worship God and othe…
No, God is not “unfair” Read More »
Paul Defends His Apostleship And His Gospel (1:11–2:21)
Having staked out his position, Paul devotes the first third of the letter to a vigorous defence of his apostleship and his gospel. Positively, he asserts that they had been received from Jesus Christ (1:11–12). Negatively, …
The Validity of Paul’s Apostleship, and the Veracity of his Gospel Read More »
Introductory notes
1 Isaiah’s sustained prayer in which he passionately pleads for his people has concluded (63:7–64:12).
2 Chapter 65 records Yahweh’s response, His answer, in which He ‘sets the record straight’.
3 Yahweh points out that it was through no fault of His that Israel (…
Isaiah 65:1–10 “I am sought of them that asked not for me” Read More »
Philippians 2:5–11 is taken by Trinitarians as a key proof that Christ was God and that he preexisted before his birth of Mary. How do we answer this assertion and what do these verses really teach?
The Trinitarian teaching on these verses suggests that Jesus as ‘God the Son’, being origi…
Does Philippians 2:5-11 Prove the Doctrine of the Trinity? Read More »
This article is the first in a series by Brother Michael Edgecombe which will explore the background and the serious issues that the Apostle Paul had to answer that had arisen among the ecclesias in Galatia, recently established by him and Silas
Shocked. Angry. Amazed and indignant. Anxious a…
Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians Part I Read More »
