Scripture Revealed

A Revelation of Jesus Christ – Revelation 1:1

Category: Bible Studies

Salvation – The Gospel

Scripture imagesSalvation – The Gospel

This is the first in a four part series on “The Gospel”. What is the Gospel? Well, the English word gospel means “good news” or “good message”. And as such it is a correct translation of the original Greek word euangelion (Strong’s #2098). The basic biblical definition of the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJV) – “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Here Paul, the Apostle, outlines the doctrinal significance of the Gospel as part of the historical account of the early Church. But to convey what is good about the “good news” we need to explain the meaning of these historical (...)

Are We in the Laodicean Church Age?

Seven Churches of Asia
The seven churches of Asia in stained glass in York Minster by John Thornton

For many years, I believed and taught that the seven churches mentioned in the second and third chapters of Revelation were sort of time clock of the church age in progress. I believed that God purposely selected them for a definite and distinct purpose: to give a complete picture of church history from the beginning to end. The last church the Lord Jesus Christ addressed was the church at Laodicea. The Laodicean church was the “lukewarm” church. Revelation 3:15 says it this way: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot”. This teaching regarding the “church ages” is part of dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is a Christian, Biblical interpretation that believes that God has related to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants in a series of “dispensations,” or periods in history. As a system, dispensationalism is expounded in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800–82) and the Plymouth Brethren movement and propagated through works such as Cyrus Scofield’s Reference Bible.

I believed that the seven churches John writes to in the second and third chapters of Revelation are not just churches (...)

Tongues – Sign of the Infilling of God’s Spirit?

Image of the Pentecost. Duccio di Buoninsegna (1308).
Image of the Pentecost. Duccio di Buoninsegna (1308).

I can still remember the first time I heard about “tongues”. A high school friend of mine was relating how his mother, and some of her friends had spoken in “tongues.” I can vividly remember thinking “what in the world is that all about”! I was very curious to learn more about this speaking in “tongues” stuff. My friend related how his mother and her friends had spoken in “tongues” after receiving the Holy Spirit. Wow! The idea of “tongues” is weird I thought. I was about 16 years old at that time. It would be another 15 years before I understood what “tongues” were all about.

Acts 2:1-4 (KJV) – “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit

(...)

“There Should Be Time No Longer”

meltingclock
Salvador Dali’s painting ‘The Persistence of Memory”

Revelation 10:6 (KJV) – “And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.“

A close friend of mine asked me to consider what Revelation 10:6 means in regards to the statement that “there should be time no longer”. Her thinking was that this verse is prophesying that in our future, we will get to the end of time. Time would cease to exist. The implication was that this earthly realm and our existence would end. My response to her was “Let me study the scriptures”.

My first task was to look up this scripture in other Bible translations besides the King James Version. Then I would consult Bible commentaries to see how noted Bible scholars interpreted Revelation 10:6 in regards to”time being no more”. First let’s look at some other popular translations:

Searching Other Bible Translations

American Standard Version (ASV): Revelation 10:6 – “And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven (...)

The Case for a Restored Nation of Israel – Scriptural Evidence for a Prophesied Return?

Tissot_The_Flight_of_the_Prisoners
An artist’s depiction of the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple.

Proof Texts?

Some suggest that the Bible prophesies of a “last days” regathering of the Jewish people to Israel. Various “proof texts” are cited to support this belief. In examining these “proofs”, we find that these scriptures were either already fulfilled during one of the Old Testament exiles or that they foretold of the coming promises of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. Remember, Jesus’ focus was not on a physical land, but on a spiritual existence in His people!

The 1st Return Of The Jews
The Jews were living as exiles in Egypt when Moses brought the 12 tribes back to the land of Canaan in 1445 BC.

The 2nd Return Of The Jews

The Jews were living as exiles throughout the vast Babylonian Empire which Isaiah perceived as the four corners of the world when Ezra brought only 3 tribes back to the land of Israel in 536 BC. These were the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. The other tribes were lost forever. Just prior to 70 AD, Herod destroyed (...)

Rules for Understanding the Bible

booksHave you ever wondered why there are so many different interpretations of the word of God? Differing interpretations ultimately result in different denominations. The Holy Scriptures will reveal themselves to those who “study to show themselves approved” by “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim.2:15). This article will discuss eight rules that should be at the center of all biblical interpretation. These rules did not originate with this writer. But they have been accepted and used by scholars from Socrates to our present day. Not only can these rules be applied to the Bible but also to any legal or historical document. Break these time tested rules and you will find yourself lost and off into left field and possibly even in a religious cult.

A Sure Word

2 Peter 1:19-21 (KJV) – “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:

(...)

Blood Moons – Apocalypse Now?

blood moonSigns in the Heavens

The subject of “blood moons” has certainly been in the news lately. Many well-known ministers have gone on record with predictions related to the four “blood moons”. Books have been recently published on the subject.  In fact a movie has even been made.

Most proponents of the “blood moon” lunar eclipses  claim that the four blood moons that have appeared and will soon appear in the skies over America are evidence of a future “world-shaking event.” Some tie these lunar “tetrad” events to biblical prophecies found in Ezekiel chapter 38.  Some declare that Russia and Iran will be totally destroyed during this coming Ezekiel 38 battle.

What’s a Blood Moon?

The blood moons are part of a tetrad, a set of complete and consecutive lunar eclipses that will begin on April 15 and continue at roughly six-month intervals until October 2015. According to NASA, seeing four complete lunar eclipses in a row is very rare. The skies were tetrad-free from 1600 to 1900. But in the 21st century, there will be many.   However, total lunar eclipse tetrads occurred on Passover and Tabernacle festival dates in AD 162–63, 795–96, 841–43, and 860–61, during which no outstanding (...)

Finding the “Church” In the Old Testament

tabernacle
The Tabernacle in the Wilderness (illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible)

What is a “Church”

When the word church comes to mind, many think in terms of a building where believers in Jesus Christ assemble. That’s certainly part of the dictionary definition of the word church, but it’s not the complete definition. The important part of the definition is that it’s the whole body of believers in Jesus Christ. In the King James Version Bible, the English word church appears in the New Testament but not the Old Testament. This simple word church has an interesting background and far reaching meaning. The focus here is how the word church was used prior to the New Testament.

Septuagint

One unique source that will help us in our quest is a Greek translation of the Old Testament called The Septuagint (sometimes abbreviated LXX). The Septuagint was written in the 3rd century BC, in Alexandria, Egypt by a group of 72 scholars. It was widely used among Hellenistic Jews. Many Jews, spread throughout the Roman empire, were beginning to lose their Hebrew language. The process of translating the Hebrew to Greek also gave many non-Jews a glimpse into Judaism. It has also been (...)

The Godhead – Part 4

creationhandThe Right Hand of God

There are only two ways to interpret the phrase “The Right Hand of God”,  literally or figuratively. Many have fallen into the error of taking the phrase “The Right Hand of God” literally.  When they hear the phrase, they picture in their mind, Jesus Christ seated on the right side of God. The question becomes is that the correct way to view this phrase. Does it mean that one divine person is on the right side of another divine person? Was the phrase “right hand” used in other places in the Bible? The answer is yes. One good example is when the children of Israel were crossing the Red Sea being pursued by Pharaoh’s army. A song was begun by all which we find in Exodus chapter fifteen.

“Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy” (Exodus 15:6 KJV).

What did the children of Israel see? Did they see the literally right hand of the Lord? The answer is no. They saw the waters rushing over their enemies. They called this manifestation of God’s power His Right Hand. So it’s (...)

The Godhead – Part 3

Holy BibleOne God

If there is one message that resonates throughout the Bible it is that there is one God.

Deuteronomy 6:4 (KJV) – “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord.”

 

Galatians 3:20 (KJV) – “Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.”

 

James 2:19 – “Thou believest that there is one God: thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

All must believe in one God. Why even the devils believe and tremble. The Godhead can be understood when we rightly divide the word of God.

1 Timothy 3:16 – “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”

This “Mystery of Godliness” that Paul was speaking to Timothy about was not a mystery concerning how three persons of a supposed trinity could be one. Rather it was a mystery concerning how the great God of heaven robed Himself in flesh and dwelt upon mankind.

Christ’s Two Natures

Jesus Christ was both human and divine. As a man he was touched by out (...)

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