The Book of Acts “If none of those things is true whereof these accuse me, no man can give me up unto them. I appeal unto Caesar” (Acts 25:11 RVIC). by Jim Parkinson Each book of the Bible was written with a purpose. The Gospel of Matthew shows Jesus Christ as the Messiah of prophecy.1 Mark emphasizes Jesus as servant of both God and man. John combats the much later Gnostic (salvation is by knowledge) apostasy.2 Luke writes to a Roman court […]
Interpreting, with Eyes Open “These things happened unto them typically, and they were written for our admonition,upon whom the ends of the ages are come” (1 Corinthians 10:11 RVIC). by James Parkinson We may be confident when the Bible identifies a notable event as a type/foreshadow of something later to come. When the Bible is not specific, we should allow some uncertainty but may consider whether an event might have a typical significance. Greater confidence may be gained in those interpretations which […]
Sound and Motion “As I prophesied, there was a noise, and, behold, an earthquake; and the bones came together, bone to its bone” (Ezekiel 37:7 RVIC). by James Parkinson Until the 19th century, the Jewish population in Palestine was small. Intermittently, a few dozen Jews in the Diaspora would be allowed to immigrate to the Promised Land, but persecution, plague, and famine kept the numbers only in the thousands (with a peak of possibly ten thousand in 1741). In the mid-19th century […]
35 Centuries Ahead “The awe of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalms 111:10 RVIC2016). by James Parkinson Moses’ birth and upbringing in the royal family of Egypt are recorded in Exodus 2:1-10. Paul, educated by Gamaliel, says that Moses was opposed by Jannes and Jambres (Egyptian Seuserenre Khyan, reigned ca. 39 years, and Maybre Sheshi, 3 years; Greek Iannas and [Iambres] Assis), two pharaohs of the 15th Dynasty of Egypt (Hyksos). Jewish writings say the alphabet was invented by Moses. […]
Matthew 24:45-51 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom his lord hath set over his household, to give them their food in due season?” (Matthew 24:45 RV). by James Parkinson Listen to audio The question of whether “the faithful and wise servant” is an individual Christian or a group of Christians is not easily answered from Matthew 24 alone, but Luke 12 elaborates. We might expect Jesus to repeat important teachings several times in his ministry. Luke might give us […]