Scripture Revealed

A Revelation of Jesus Christ – Revelation 1:1

Year: 2015

Many Mansions

John of Patmos watches the descent of the New Jerusalem from God in a 14th-century tapestry.
John of Patmos watches the descent of the New Jerusalem from God in a 14th-century tapestry.

John 14:1-2 is an often quoted but many times misunderstood Bible verse. Jesus said that He would go to prepare a “mansion” for those who believe in Him. Many believe that these “mansions” are literal buildings in heaven where they will dwell. Most people consider a “mansion” as a giant home, having everything we ever want or need. Ideally, it would be a place of ultimate contentment and fulfillment. If the “mansions” of which Jesus spoke are physical structures, then it might seem, to some, that all the believers who have died are dwelling in them right now in heaven.

John 14:1-2 (KJV)- “ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

Where is the Monē?

I don’t know about you, but I’m very interested in finding out more about these “many mansions” that Jesus is preparing for us. Now please keep in mind that the English word “mansions” appears but once in (...)

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

(...)

The True Israel of God

300px-Jews-pray-in-the-Western-Wall-1
Jews Pray At the Western Wall in Jerusalem

God’s Chosen People

You might have heard the term “God’s Chosen People”. Ever wondered who “God’s Chosen People” are? Some say “God’s Chosen People” are the Jews. But who are the Jews? Is God a respecter of persons? Does God favor one ethnic group over another? Does the Bible teach that there is unconditional salvation based on someone’s race? These are all questions that I’d like to explore in this article. Let’s see what the scriptures reveal on this important subject.

Romans 9:6-7 (KJV) “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.”

Here in Romans chapter 9, Paul, the Apostle contrasts and compares the identity of Old Israel with the true Israel of God. In the New Testament, Paul contrasts two different women, two sons, two covenants, two mountains, two cities and two Israel’s. These comparisons are designed to show how the Old Testament promises had been fulfilled by the New Testament.

The scriptures reveal how Old Jerusalem has (...)

“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 Kingdom of God

330px-Christ_Handing_the_Keys_to_St._Peter_by_Pietro_Perugino
Jesus giving Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven”, (Matthew 16:18), painting by Perugino, 1492.

Jesus of Nazareth is the central figure of Christianity. While his followers claimed that He was the Jewish Messiah, He would be put to death as a criminal. Think about that for a moment. Did Jesus fail as the Messiah?  Did He fail in His mission to usher in the Kingdom of God?

Messiah as the King

From the time that the first Roman legionnaires marched into Judea, there was tension throughout Jewish society. People prayed for God’s deliverance from the yoke of Roman rule. The Jews prayed that God would send the promised Messiah during their lifetime.

According to prophets – Messiah, or the “Anointed One”, was to serve as the King of Israel. This Messiah would arrive in Jerusalem with the very power of God. Old Testament prophets told how this “Anointed One” would conquer the enemies of Israel. God would restore the Israelites to their status as God’s chosen people. All nations would come under His rule, and His Kingdom would never end.

Jesus In the Synagogue

On one particular day, a quiet peace settled over the city of Nazareth. (...)

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 (...)

The Last Days – of What?

siege of jerusalem
Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by Francesco Hayez. Depicts the destruction of the Second Temple by Roman soldiers. Oil on canvas, 1867.

Ever since I’ve been a Christian, I’ve heard about how we are living “in the last days”. The belief is that we are living in the “last days” just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. While this certainly may be the case, a close reading of the scriptures indicates that the writers of the New Testament believed that they were living in the “last days”. Or that the “last days” had arrived for them. The Apostles referred to the “last days” and the “last times” in such a tone that reveals the writer’s beliefs. When the New Testament writers used the terms “last days” and “last times” were they referring to the end of the world? Or something entirely different?

1 John 2:18 (KJV) – “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” (John the Apostle, 1 John 2:18, First Century)

In the above scripture, John was linking the arrival of (...)

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:

(...)

Mark of the Beast

medical_verichip-apha-101105
Medical Verichip

Revelation 13:16-18 (KJV) – “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

There’s been much speculation on the meaning of Revelation chapter 13. Many teach that this scripture refers to a cashless society where all will be required to submit to a computer chip implanted under the skin of the forehead or right hand.  (Why not the left hand?)  And, of course, the technology for this cashless society is already here. But the question is not whether we might soon have a computer chip implanted in our flesh but whether or not Revelation chapter 13 prophesied this.

Christian Book Publishing

Within the last thirty plus years, there have been many books written by the Christian book publishing industry. A recent search for (...)

Let There Be Light

galaxy-67712_640
Sombrero – A Spiral Galaxy

Science and Religion

Today science and religion seem to remain at odds with one another. We hear the cry that you can’t believe in science and still hold onto your religion. Well, I want to explore that thought in this article. I happen to love both science and religion. Both science and theology probe the nature of reality. Both seek to find an order in the workings of the world.  The word “science” is found in the King James Version Bible in two scriptures, Daniel 14 and I Timothy 6:20-21. The “science” referred to in Daniel extended chiefly to music, architecture, natural history, agriculture, morals, theology, war, and the knowledge of future events.

Daniel 1:4 (KJV) – “Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science , and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.”

I Timothy 6:20-21 (KJV) – “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing

(...)
Back to top