The Philippian epistle is one of great positiveness and while Paul appears to be dealing with an element of discord in the ecclesia as well as the challenges from without, he undoubtedly seeks to inspire and elevate his readers to a greater interaction with their God and His Son Jesus Christ. Devel…
Some Encouraging Thoughts from the Epistle to Philippi (1) Read More »
Would the last one to leave please turn out the lights!
Or so it might have seemed to some when Malachi lay down his pen. The period between then and the birth of Jesus Christ is sometimes described as a time of darkness for the ecclesia of God. As promised, they had returned from Babylon after …
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi – the Prophets (3) Read More »
Previously we have considered the faith of Caleb, his different spirit, and the fact he wholly followed the Lord his God. Caleb is portrayed as a consistent example within the Word of God because he had a different spirit—surely an example for us. He was also an example to the nation of…
Caleb (3) – “He Had Another Spirit” Read More »
The final part of First John concludes John’s amazing little epistle of encouragement for the faithful that were holding on to the Truth, whilst also refuting the false teachings of the Gnostics that were leaving the Truth.
First John (9) – This is the True God and Eternal Life Read More »
It was Zechariah’s turn. He was probably a much younger man than Haggai, chosen perhaps to appeal to a younger demographic. Remember, the people had divided along age lines when the work first stopped 15 years earlier. A week or so after Haggai had silenced the ageing grumblers, Zechariah stepped in to encourage the younger generation. He was a priest whose grandfather, Iddo, had travelled back from Babylon 15 years earlier. Zechariah was perhaps in his early 30s. He was also a prophet with a completely different approach to Haggai: Haggai was brief and blunt. Zechariah, on the other hand, would have loved PowerPoint! He presented many of the greatest word-pictures in the Bible, but he started with a very simple message, just like Haggai had. His first words were:
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi – The Prophets (2) Read More »
We have considered how the 12 spies were chosen and gathered. Yet it is odd that they would even need a spying mission, since God would give them the land. The land had been promised, that was a surety, but still the spies were sent to see it. The parallel account in Deuteronomy 1 is again helpful:
Caleb – “He Had Another Spirit” (2) Read More »
As it will be recalled, First John was written to counter the false doctrines of the Gnostics, who arrogantly considered they had a superior knowledge and relationship with God to that of other brothers and sisters. They considered sin to be acceptable, based on the theory that as long as the mind …
First John (8) – This is the Victory that Overcometh the World Read More »
606BCNebuchadnezzar invades Judah and takes first captives to Babylon600BC?Birth of Haggai?586BCNebuchadnezzar completes destruction of JerusalemFinal captives taken to Babylon555BC?Birth of Zechariah?536BCDecree of CyrusFirst return under ZerubbabelIddo, Zechariah’s grandfather, returns with exi…
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi – The Prophets (1) Read More »
It will be recalled that at the time of 1 John there had been an ecclesial split over the teaching of the Gnostics. The Gnostics claimed to possess a profound knowledge (Gk: gnosis) of God and to have an intimate relationship with God that was far superior to that of other, lesser, brothers and sist…
First John (7) – God Is Love Read More »
From time to time, we come across some scriptural gems—nuggets of gold—which we have not seen before. Recent discussion about sin entering the world brought our thoughts to that amazing phrase, “the foundation of the world”. It is a New Testament phrase, occurring 10 times in the record, but…
The Foundation of the World Read More »
