Abraham, Isaac, Jacob “By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah … I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore … and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves” (Genesis22:16-18, RVIC). by David Rice Four thousand years ago, God chose Abraham, a man of faith, through whom God would fulfill His intention to bless “all the nations of the earth.” Three ages of God’s Plan […]
The Middle Passovers “There was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (John 5:1). “The pass‑over, a feast of the Jews, was nigh” (John 6:4). by David Rice All four Gospels narrate the experiences of Jesus in a generally sequential fashion, but not entirely. Matthew sometimes aggregates subjects by topic. For instance, his account of our Lord’s Great Prophecy in Matthew 24 joins things together that apparently were said on three separate occasions, as reflected in Luke chapters […]
Church Four “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first” (Revelation 2:19). by David Rice Thyatira was a bleak period of church history, from 1157 to 1517. It was not bleak in warm Christian discipleship but bleak with burdens and trials of faith upon the followers of Jesus. This was the period of greatest dominance by the papacy, represented by Jezebel, the wicked queen who […]
Seven Periods “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20). by David Rice The view is widely held among our fellowship that the seven churches of Revelation chapters 1-3 have prophetic meaning to seven successive periods of time during the Gospel Age. Not that this is the only meaning. […]
Acts 16-18 “Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek” (Acts 16:1). by David Rice The beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey is summarized in Acts 15:41, the last verse of that chapter, “He went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.” Paul’s companion on this occasion was Silas. After the council at Jerusalem convened to […]