Isaiah 19: A New Script for the Future
After reading and re-reading Isaiah 19:18-25 several times, the words that initially came to mind were “wishful thinking” and “impossible.” This may be the most unusual and surprising passage in the entire Old Testament. “On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the …
Numbers 16: The Destroying Angel and Korah’s Rebellion
One of the most troubling stories in the Old Testament is Korah's rebellion where the earth opened up to swallow those who rebelled against God (Numbers 16:31, 32). The Bible says that after this a fire came out “from the Lord” (vs. 35) and destroyed 250 men. There are many who can’t …
The King Jesus Gospel
In Western Christianity, the message of Jesus has often been condensed to this: “Jesus died for my sins so that I can go to heaven.” It is surprising to learn, however, that this was not the primary message of the early disciples as recorded in the book of Acts. In Acts 17:7, for example, Paul …
The Crucifixion: Who was really on trial?
Who was really on trial in the crucifixion of Jesus? John 12:31 says that “Now is the judgment of this world…” or “Now is the critical moment of this world, now the ruler of this world will be exposed.” The Cross of Jesus is not only the clearest revelation about …
John 13-17: The 5 most radical chapters in the Bible
Having re-read John chapters 13-17 several times this week, there is little doubt in my mind that, next to the Cross, this is the pinnacle revelation of God in the entire Bible. These chapters describe the words and actions of Jesus in the Upper Room the night before he died. …
John 3: “This is how the judgment works…”
The Gospel of John has more to say about the judgment than any other book in the Bible. In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus makes a bold declaration, “This is how the judgment works: light has come into the world, but people prefer the darkness…” How does this fit our …
John 1: Jesus as the “Lamb of God”
John the Baptist introduces Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). What does this mean? We have become so conditioned to understand this in a legal sense, where Jesus came to make a payment to the Father to legally set us right …
John 1: Jesus as God’s one true self-portrait
More than any other book in the Bible, the Gospel of John highlights Jesus as none other than God in human form. John points to Jesus as the Creator, the “Logos”, the “I AM” of the Old Testament, and repeatedly quotes Jesus as saying “if you have seen me, you …
Jesus: Lord, liar, lunatic or legend?
In “Mere Christianity” C.S. Lewis said that the words of Jesus are so bold that he could either be the Son or God, a lunatic, or a liar, but that there is no way he can merely be seen a “good moral teacher.” Considering Jesus’ radical claim that “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen …