The Hebrew word “Elohim” (e-lo-HEEM) is used in the context of His creative power and rule of the universe. It is the most commonly used name for God throughout the Old Testament. When an artist creates something, he often leaves his mark so that others will know he made it. An artist signs his painting;…
1 John 3:13 would read in today’s vernacular, “Therefore, brothers and sisters if and let us assume that it is true for the sake of argument that the world does at any time hate any one of you and we agree that they do hate all of you, then each one of you must continue…
1 Thessalonians 3:5 reads, “So when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter somehow tempted you and our toil had proven useless. The thought expressed in verse five is that Paul was afraid that somehow or perhaps something bad might happen as a…
“Stop being afraid (so the emphasis in the Greek text), I am the first and the last, and the living one; I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, and I have the keys of death and Hades” (Rev.1:17-18). Consider that the expression “Alpha and Omega” is applied to the Father in…
We often focus on the things people do that infuriate us and disturb us, wishing that some justice would be met and all the wrongs are corrected. I have seen thieves who continue to steal without any evidence of a bothered conscience but only look for another opportunity. When it angers me to see some…
When someone shares an experience, I can neither exegete it, nor deny their sincerity. Too many factors exist to explain it, but this should not be something we feel obligated to do. We can agree that all have hunches, impressions, inklings, premonitions, intuitions, and strong urgings within us. Even unbelievers experience these feelings. Thoughts enter…
It is common for people to say that God told them something, showed them something, or laid it on their heart. Using that language can be confusing to the hearer if you have no intention to describe personal revelation. The intention is often giving God the credit for any enlightenment or improving result. Rather than…
It has been argued by some “Christians” that every time they get a hunch, God is warning us to pay attention to something important. One might easily confuse hunches and intuition as the “voice of God” communicating to us, especially after spending much time in prayer. A premonition is another word to describe this common…
The view taken that we can not be certain that we are doing God’s will without having personal guidance and revelation from God is a most comfortable belief. But, many are paralyzed by fear that they may not be hearing God accurately, whether they believe that he speaks only through the Word or through personal…
There can be no proper application without an accurate understanding of a passage in its context. We must realize that there is an intended meaning when the author wrote. His intended meaning doesn’t change with the culture or the reader, nor can a passage ever mean what it has never meant in the past. The…