During the year of 2005 the writer believed the Lord showed him to produce bible study materials to help people to study the scriptures for themselves. By the grace of God, the writer has managed to complete putting together bible study material for all sixty-six books of the bible in January 2023.
Genesis means “beginning”. God is revealed as Creator with absolute power to speak things into existence. What God commanded came to pass as shown in Genesis 1:3: “And God said, let there be light, and there was light.”
The word “Exodus” means “going out”, “departure” or “way out”. This book is a continuation of the book of Genesis as seen in 1:15 and we are told Israel stayed in Egypt exactly 430 years (12:40-42). The dating of the book of Exodus has been dated back from the fourth year of Soloman’s reign to be 480 Years.
Leviticus is the third of five books that make up the Pentateuch which is the Law or Torah. Leviticus means “pertaining to Levites.” It is the book which reveals the affairs of the Levitical Law. Jews call this book the Law of the priests and the Law of offerings.
The English name, Numbers, the fourth book of Moses is a translation of the Latin “Numeri” which itself is a translation of the Greek Septuagint title “Arithma” because of the census in Chapters 1 & 26 and other numerical data in the book. The Hebrew title is “Bemidbar” meaning “In the wilderness” which is much more descriptive of the entire book.
This book is mainly a repetition of the history and laws contained in the three previous books Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. There is no further history added except to record the death of Moses in the last chapter. However, it should be said that Deuteronomy was a re-statement of the law and not merely a repetition. The new generation needed to know the law and to obey it.
Joshua leads his people Israel into the promised land by taking possession of the cities of the people in the land i.e. the Canaanites. God promised Joshua that he would be with him in defeating all men that oppose him provided he was strong and courageous (1:6,7,9) and obedient to the law of God by doing what is written in the book of the law and meditating on the law, day and night (1:8).
During the time of Joshua, the children of Israel had been blessed in seeing God at work. They had conquered much of the Promised Land in obedience to God and through trusting in his promises they had seen him move in power to defeat their enemies.
1Samuel: Overview: This book has recorded the transition from the rule of God through judges in Israel to His rule through the kings. There are three main characters that are shown in some detail.
David, King of Israel, 2Samuel 1-24; 1Kings 1:1-2:11 and 1Chronicles 11-29. After hearing of the death of Saul, David and his men settle in Hebron, where he became king of Judah for seven years and six months. The house of Israel (ten tribes of Israel) was ruled by Ish-bosheth, one of Saul’s surviving sons. He was made king by Abner, captain of Saul’s army (2Sam 2:8-10).
After the death of Soloman in about 933 BC, Rehoboam his son was made king of Israel at Shechem. As a result of Rehoboam taking unwise counsel to treat the people harshly, the Kingdom of Israel divided into two, the northern kingdom of Israel of ten tribes under the rule of Jeroboam son of Nebat; the southern kingdom of Judah of two tribes (Judah and Benjamin) under the rule of Rehoboam.
Introduction: The study of this little book has been shown in two sections. 1) Chapters 1-6: Fulfilling God’s call and work as shown by God stirring up his people, Israel, to rebuild the temple after the 70-year period of exile. 2) Chapters 7-10: Ezra, an example of service to God. Some notes have been produced to help you study each section followed by questions.
Nehemiah had been born as a Jew in exile. His name means “the Lord comforts” or “the comfort of God”. He proved to be a faithful servant of God and had an honourable and influential appointment in the Persian court being the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. This Persian king had been supportive of the Jews probably helped by his stepmother being Queen Esther who was Jewish.
It is helpful to read the entire book and try to write down the main events in a short summary for each chapter. A suggested format is given below. Chapter 1: King Ahasuerus deposed his wife for refusing to obey his command to show off her beauty. He issued a decree that every man must bear rule in his own house. Chapter
The P’shat. (The simple rendering).
Job was a righteous man that feared God (ch1:1) and highly regarded by God as his servant (ch1:8; ch2:3; ch42:7-8). He was a wealthy farmer who lived in the land of Uz (ch1:1 and see also Jeremiah ch25:20; Lamentations ch4:21) probably in the Mesopotamian basin around the region of the river Tigris and river Euphrates beyond Damascus. The book is believed to be one of the oldest dating back to Abraham’s time of about 2000BC or before, but after the time when men were scattered by the Lord over all the earth (Genesis ch11:1-9).
Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. Ps 2:8
The Psalms show us every facet of our human character, feelings and spirituality. In them we have a classic understanding of ‘there is nothing new under the sun’ within our thinking towards everyday life under God. For centuries men, women and children have found comfort and guidance by turning to God’s Word and in particular the Pslams.
A helpful list of Psalms to turn to when you are experiencing different situations.
His Sonship – Psalm 2:7 and 110:1.
His Manhood – Psalm 8:4-5.
and more...
This is the first of at least eight Psalms called didactic, which means to teach or instruct morally. In other words these are spiritual life application principles that are to be seen within the physical realm, this therefore being our walk before God.
This is our first Messianic Psalm and is one of at least ten, there are others that show the Messianic Age or Rule of our Redeemer, the blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
This is another Psalm of David who now pours out his heart and feelings to the Lord when he fled from the fury of his son Absalom (cf. 2 Samuel 15:14). In this chapter of Samuel we read of the sad story of family disunity and the resulting rebelliousness seen in David’s son Absalom and David’s resulting flight to safety with some close friends.
We may call this an ‘evening hymn’ being sung from the lips of David, for these eight verses show us David’s trust and plea before the Lord before retiring to sleep (see verse 8) in peace and safety before the Lord his God.
What a contrast we have here to Psalm 5. What a difference a day can make when we walk and do things in the flesh instead of the spirit.
Here is the cry of the oppressed recorded for us to learn from. It is the story of so many of God’s people as they are persecuted within this world. In David’s case we see it is against Cush, a Benjamite who was from the same tribe as Saul and probably one of his lieutenants.
This Psalm may in some ways be known as the Song of the Astronomer for there is much in the night sky to stand in awe of God’s creation within the universe. The first and last verses are a sweet song of admiration from the mouth of the psalmist as he meditates on the excellence of God’s holy name and His glory which is above the heavens – so we have yet to see God’s best in everything which is fully reserved for the age to come.
This Psalm of David is one of prayer and thanksgiving but it is also prophetic as it shows us the end times and our Messiah’s Millennium Kingdom.
Psalm 10 follows on from Psalm 9 with the same theme, that being the evil seen within the wicked of this world. So we move from the evil one and his influence upon the nations in Psalm 9 to the evil seen within men in Psalm 10.
This is a short psalm of only eight verses where David turns to the Lord to express his despair and then his feelings about evil men but once again turns to rest and put his hope in his God and ours by expressing his faith and trust in the Lord God Most High.
Along with another couple of the psalms we find that Psalm 13 is the fifth shortest out of the 150 Psalms with Psalm 117 being the shortest with just 2 verses! Then we have Psalm 131 and Psalm 134 being the second smallest with just 3 verses and Psalm 123 being third with 4 verses and Psalm 125 fourth with 5 verses.
This is a Psalm of David which shows us the whole plan of God towards Israel and the Nations of this world. There is a picture here of a courtroom drama as well as a type of the final judgement of all who reject God and find themselves standing before Him at the Great White Throne Judgement Seat at the end of the Millennium Age.
Just as in Psalm 14 we saw the ‘folly’ of men so then in Psalm 15 we shall see the ‘wisdom’ of men. Those that put their trust and hope in the Living God the Creator of all.
If there is one word that can best describe Psalm 16 it is satisfied. But there are also divine secrets that show us 6 (this being the number of man) blessed secrets that God has for each and everyone of us who love, follow and obey Him.
This prayer shows David’s confidence in finally seeing his salvation fully completed when he awakens in the likeness of His God and ours (see verse 15). In other words this will be when his spiritual body is given a physical resurrection body.
This song of David is one of thanksgiving and praise because the Lord had delivered him from all his enemies, in particular King Saul who had hounded him so much seeking his life.
Psalm 19 is similar to Psalm 9 in that it shows the glory of God within His creation but this Psalm goes further in teaching us how to apply the spiritual life application principles of God’s Word to ourselves and how to keep them as verses 12 and 13 show us.
This short Psalm of David’s shows his cry for help unto the Lord once again as he and his people have to go into battle against their enemies.
This Psalm of King David is connected to Psalm 20 when we compare and contrast verse 2 of Psalm 21 with verse 4 of Psalm 20. In it we can read of thanksgiving, rejoicing, joy, mercy, deliverance, assurance, trust and dependence. It is a beautiful poem of salvation in all its elements towards those who believe.
This Psalm along with Psalm 69 are prophetic in that they show the sufferings of Christ and therefore give us an idea of the internal and external anguish and suffering of our Lord and Redeemer delivered into the hands of sinful men.
This psalm speaks of David’s later years as he mentions the sins of his youth – verse 7. Further to this, we can see the very heart of the man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14).
The three main themes of these 12 verses in Psalm 26 are: 1) Self examination, 2) Sanctification and 3)Salvation.
This Psalm came about through the evil words of Doeg the Edomite after speaking against David to Saul as recorded in 1 Samuel 22:6-23. The first verse proclaims David’ complete trust in the Lord for his salvation, spiritually, mentally, physically, socially and morally.
This is another Psalm where David is seeking his God and ours in prayer. He is asking once again for deliverance from his enemies. There are then a number of intercessory prayers from David where he cries out to the Lord because he is being pursued by one enemy or another who are jealous or envy and some who even hated him.
This Psalm speaks of God’s pre-eminence, power, and people. In using Midrashic principles we will be able to compare and contrast to illuminate and illustrate God’s plan and purposes that searching the Scriptures brings forth.
This psalm is a reflection of David’s life as a whole and so reflects ours as well. So much of what is written is a cameo or picture of what takes place in our own lives. There is much for us to learn from the life of David, not only is he a type of our Messiah but of ourselves.
Once again we see David relying on his God and ours in the ups and downs of life. We will all experience high and lows, mountains and valleys in our life and so we need to totally rely on the Lord in all things, in every season and in every circumstance.
Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 are known as two of the great penitential psalms. They both show confession of sin, and the resulting mercy and forgiveness from God.
This is a magnificent Psalm which shows the majesty and might of our God and King. He reigns and rules over His creation whether the nations wish to accept this or not.
The psalmist David is showing us that we all need the Lord’s deliverance in two different ways: 1) From those who attack you – verses 1 to 10 and (cf Psalm 59), and 2) From those who accuse you – verses 11 to 28. (cf Psalm 55).
David reflects on the difference between the sinner and the Saviour. The Lord sees everything and the wickedness of men has and is being recorded within books that shall be opened at the Great White Throne Judgement (Rev 20:11-15).
David the psalmist is now writing in his old age, he wants to give the reader the experience and wisdom that comes with age. David teaches us how to react when we become a victim of wickedness or malicious and venomous tongues.
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God – TEFILAH SHEL LEMOSHE ISH SHEL HAELOHI.
The hiding place of the saint: in times of tribulation, in times of terror, and in times of trials.
A marvellous Psalm – THE Messiah as Monarch over Israel and the nations.
7 precious possessions of the Lord. (Psalm 100 verses 3, 4 & 5).
This Psalm speaks of the Power of God in His Deliverance of Israel. To us then we can see the same pattern for New Testament saints, as our Lord is the same yesterday and today. We can therefore pick out the spiritual life application principles and learn the lessons.
The constant theme of this wonderful Psalm is its meditations on the excellences of God’s Word. It shows the saint and student of God’s Word what His word can do for you in this life if we allow it to by being submissive and having teachable hearts.
THE SERVICE OF THE LORD: 1. The Going of the Servant – ‘He that goeth forth’, 2. The Flowing of the Tears – ‘and weepeth’, 3. The Sowing of the Seed – ‘bearing precious seed’, 4. The Mowing of the Harvest – ‘bringing his sheaves with him’.
The Psalms and their Authorship:
73 Psalms are ascribed to David; 12 to Asaph; 10 to the sons of Korah; 2 to Solomon; 1 to Ethan; 1 to Heman and 1 to Moses.
The Proverbs is a book of wise sayings inspired by God to men who brought this book together. Chapters 1-29 were written by Soloman as indicated by Proverbs ch1:1; ch10:1 and ch25:1. Chapter 30 was written by Agur, son of Jakeh and the final chapter written by the mother of King Lemuel. We know little about these writers compared to Soloman, King of Israel. The Proverbs are part of the wisdom literature where there are short, sharp statements setting out what is right and wrong. The text shows many contrasts between righteousness (the right way to live) and wickedness (the evil way to live) as seen particularly in chapters 10-15.
Although the writer of the short book is not named once in the text the evidence seems to point without question to Soloman, king of Israel. The main theme he is attempting to give to people is an answer to the question, “How do we find meaning to life”? Soloman became the richest and wisest king in Israel. God had appeared to him in a dream, 1Kings 3:5-14; 2Chronicles 1:7-12. Soloman had requested wisdom, knowledge and an understanding heart to judge Israel.
This little book is not easy to interpret. There seems to be a number of views taken and therefore difficulty in finding out what God is saying. Nevertheless, whatever the problems there are in understanding this book, God had a purpose in including this book in the scriptures. The name of God is not found in this book. The song has been written by king Soloman, writer of 1005 songs (1 Kings ch4:32).
Isaiah, son of Amoz, a great writing prophet, has written this important book that heads up “The Prophets” section of the Bible. The name, Isaiah, means “The Lord saves”; “Salvation of the LORD”; “God saves”; “Salvation of Jehovah”. He was a contemporary of the prophets Amos, Hosea and Micah.
Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the nations (1:10) when he was a young man in his early twenties. He heard the word of the Lord in the thirteenth year of Josiah, king of Judah (southern kingdom of Israel) in about 627 BC and he became a prophet to Judah until 586 BC when it fell to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Jerusalem was completely destroyed along with the temple and the golden vessels of the temple were all taken to Babylon (2Chronicles 36:7, 10, 18; Ezra 1:7-11; Daniel 5:3).
This little book has been written as a five-fold poem where chapters 1-4 are an acrostic starting with the letter of the Hebrew alphabet and ending with the last letter. The book has been called “an elegy written in a graveyard “. Much grief is shown. The Lamentations is one of the five rolls called the Megilloth. It is read at the anniversary of the destruction of Jerusalem (9th of Av). The other books are read at specific times: Song of Songs at Passover; Ruth at the feast of Weeks or Pentecost; Ecclesiastes at Tabernacles and Esther at Purim.
The name “Ezekiel” means “God will strengthen”. Ezekiel had been taken into exile at the time when king Jehoiachin of Judah had been taken into captivity in about 597 BC (Ezekiel 1:1-2). He was about 25 years old at the time. He was settled with other captives by the river Chebar, a canal to the east of Babylon. It was in his fifth year of exile (592 BC) when God called him to be a prophet at the age of 30. A brief summary of the Book of Ezekiel has been shown below.
Daniel was one of the intelligent young Jewish exiles in the first deportation of Jews to Babylon in 605 BC. There were two other exiles of Jews in 597 BC and finally in 586 BC when Jerusalem was taken and burnt by the Babylonians. Zedekiah, the last king of Judah was taken to Babylon. This Daniel is mentioned by name in Ezekiel 14:14 & 20 and in 28:3. His name means “God is my Judge” and he lived up to his name in character and behaviour continually throughout his life.
(RECKONED TIME) - BY SIR EDWARD DENNY (1796 – 1889).
Hosea, son of Beeri was from the northern kingdom of Israel. He was a prophet in the eighth century BC from possibly 760-720. The name Hosea means “salvation”. The other names are Hoshea, Joshua and Jesus from the same root where Hoshea means “salvation” and Joshua and Jesus mean “Saviour”. The word of the Lord had come to him in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah kings of Judah and in the time of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel. Apart from what is said in 1:1 nothing more is known of Hosea.
Nothing is known about the prophet Joel except being the son of Pethuel. The name, Joel, means “The LORD is God;” “Jehovah is God.” The evidence from the text could suggest Joel might have been a priest. His ministry could have been exercised in or near Jerusalem in view of mentioning Judah (3:1, 6, 8, 18, 19, 20), Zion (2:1, 15, 23, 32; 3:16, 17, 21) and Jerusalem (2:32; 3:1, 6, 16, 17, 21).
Amos had worked among the herdsmen of Tekoa in Judah (12 Miles south of Jerusalem) being the poorest kind of farmer. His name means “burden, burden-bearer, one with a burden”. He gathered sycomore fruit (7:14) which were figs that the poor ate. He had no religious training but seen by God to be just the right man to call. Amos responded in obedience to bring God’s word mainly to the northern kingdom of Israel.
Amos’s theme is one of national accountability for national sins towards God and so his message is without doubt for every nation on the earth today.
Nothing is known of Obadiah. His name means “servant or worshipper of the Lord.” The name was common in scripture (1 Kings 18:3-16; 1 Chronicles 3:21; 7:3; 8:38; 9:16; 12:9; 27:19; 2 Chronicles17:7: 34:12; Ezra 8:9; Nehemiah 10:5; 12:25). The prophet had a revelation from God regarding the nation of Edom which is the main theme of the book. The possible dating of the book could be shortly after the time of Babylon bringing Jerusalem to complete ruin in about 586 BC. The event seems to be referred to in verses 11 to 14 of this prophecy. There are different views regarding dating from even later than the exile of the Jews to being earlier from about 845 BC.
Of all the prophets Obadiah can be likened to John the Immerser as ‘a voice crying in the wilderness.’ Matthew 3:3. Obadiah’s was a major message for all to understand and heed just as with the forerunner of our blessed Messiah, being the only way of salvation.
This book does not identify the author although according to Jewish tradition the author is the author himself, Jonah son of Amittai; from Gath-hepher in Zebulun, Israel. The name Jonah means “dove” and Amittai means “true, my truth, truth of the Lord, truthful, my faithfulness.” Jonah’s ministry was in the time of king Jeroboam II of Israel (793-753BC). He had prophesied that the northern borders of Israel up to Hamath would be restored having foretold the victories of king Jeroboam II (2Kings 14:23-27). Internal troubles in Assyria had allowed king Jeroboam to restore Israel’s northern borders, but Assyria still remained a threat during this time.
Micah came from a country town called Moresheth-gath (1:1,14) near the south western border of Judah. His name means “Who is like unto Jehovah?” or “Who is like this?” He was a contemporary of Isaiah, but from a poorer background compared to Isaiah coming from a wealthy background living in Jerusalem. Micah had a deep concern for the ordinary people where many were being exploited. Isaiah may not have been so conscious of this but his influence can be seen in high places especially in his ministry to Hezekiah king of Judah.
Nahum was from Elkosh near the Sea of Galilee. His name means “comfort”. He was given a specific prophecy for Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria. The date of the prophecy was somewhere between the fall of Thebes, also known as No-Ammon a great city in Egypt (3:8), that fell to the Assyrians in 663 BC and the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC. Thebes was sacked by Ashurbanipal the last great ruler of Assyria, (669-627 BC). At that time Nineveh was one of the greatest cities in ancient times, built by Nimrod a mighty hunter (Genesis 10:8-11). This city was the capital of the flourishing Assyrian empire and the centre of trade and commerce of the world.
Little is known about the prophet, except his name Habakkuk, which means “embracing”. A possible date for this book being put together could be around 600 BC in view of the text mentioning the Chaldeans coming to invade Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel. The northern kingdom of Israel had already been conquered by Assyria over one hundred years earlier. The Assyrian Empire crumbled after the Chaldeans had destroyed Nineveh (Situated in Northern Iraq on the River Tigris) in 612 BC. The Chaldeans moved swiftly to take over other nations including Israel in its entirety.
The Book of Zephaniah is the ninth of twelve books of Hebrew prophetic literature. The name “Zephaniah” means “The Lord hides/protects” or “Hidden of the Lord”. The Name “Hizkiah” in KJV of the bible is Hebrew for “Hezekiah” found in more recent versions of the bible such as the NKJV. There is a distinct possibility of royal ascent being the great-great grandson of Hezekiah king of Judah.
The Book of Zephaniah starts with king Josiah, one of the few good kings and ends with the King of kings – Yeshua/Jesus, who will rule with equality and equity on this earth.
Haggai was a prophet who spoke the word of the Lord to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in about 520 BC after the seventy-year exile of the Jews (about 608-538 BC – see Jeremiah ch25:11-12; ch29:11-14; Daniel ch9:2). The name ‘Haggai’ means ‘festival of the Lord’. Haggai was known as a post-exilic prophet because his prophecies came after the exile. They were dated from the second year of Darius, king of Persia, over a four-month period (Haggai ch1:1,15; ch2:1,10,21).
The author begins this overview with William Macdonald (P1157 in his Believers’ Bible Commentary) having quoted from another writer called Merrill F. Unger: “The prophecy of Zechariah is profoundly precious to the Christian because of its unique Messianic emphasis and its panoramic unfolding of the events connected with the first and especially the second advent of Christ and the consequent millennial restoration of the nation Israel.” The author agrees very much with this view of Zechariah’s prophecy. This book out of the twelve short prophetical books is the most Christ centred.
Zekar-yah means ‘Yahweh Remembers’ or Yahweh Has Remembered’. This key theme dominates the whole book of Zechariah and so Yisrael will be blessed because Yahweh remembers His Covenant He made with their fathers, the patriarchs, Avraham, Yitzhak and Ya’aqov.
Little is known of Malachi except the word from the Lord which was the last word for God’s people, Israel for about 400 years. The prophecy could date from about 400 BC. Out of fifty five verses forty seven of them are words directly spoken by the Lord. The name “Malachi” means “messenger of the Lord”. Despite all the reforms made by Nehemiah especially to maintain a faithful priesthood (Nehemiah 13:1-31), within a few years after Nehemiah’s time the children of Israel had backslidden being disobedient to the word of the Lord. They had stopped bothering about God and hence God gave them up.
This first gospel has not mentioned its author but evidence seems to show that Matthew (also called Levi) wrote this book. His name means “gift of God”. He was an eyewitness to the entire ministry of Jesus Christ being called to be one of his twelve disciples leaving behind his job as a tax-collector for the Romans.
It is believed this gospel of Mark was the first of the four gospels to be written in about 60-70 AD although opinions vary over the date from as early as 40 to 75 AD at the latest. The writer had a Jewish name called John whilst his other name Mark was his Latin name.
Luke has written his gospel to Theophilus (meaning “friend of God, lover of God or loved of God) a Roman citizen possibly of high rank because Luke addressed him as “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3).
The possible dating of this gospel is most likely between 85 and 95 AD. It is believed, certainly by Irenaeus, one of the early church fathers that John wrote this gospel in Ephesus. His name is not mentioned once in the gospel but there are good reasons to believe John was the writer.
Although the Book of Acts does not mention the writer, the evidence from this book shows that it is the second one of a two volume set written by Luke the physician, the former treatise being the Gospel of Luke.
The letter of Paul to the Christians in Rome was written in Corinth in about 57AD. Paul had a great desire to go to Rome to preach the gospel there before continuing on a journey into Spain (Romans 15:23-24). He believed the work in Greece, Galatia and Asia Minor had now finished and Paul needed to move on elsewhere.
This letter was written by Paul from Ephesus (16:8) during his third missionary journey in about 54 to 56AD. His second letter followed about 12 to 15 months later when he was in Philippi a city of Macedonia in about 55 to 57AD.
This letter was written by Paul in about 55 AD when Paul was in Macedonia (2:13; 7:5). It was addressed to the Church in Corinth and to the Christians throughout the province of Achaia the territory of Greece south of Macedonia (1:1). Three matters seem to dominate this letter.
Paul had visited Galatia, a Roman province which included the region of Lycaonia and Pisidia (part of Turkey today) where Paul had had a successful first missionary journey preaching the gospel to the Galatians in cities such as Antioch (Acts 13:14-52), Iconium, Lystra and Derbe (Acts 14:1-23).
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was one of five letters written whilst Paul was in prison in Rome from about 60-64AD. In the versions of the Bible that we are familiar with the letter was addressed to the congregation in Ephesus, but there is a textual problem in Ephesians 1:1 where the words “at Ephesus” were absent from early manuscripts.
The Ephesian church dates from about AD 53. Later, Paul spent over two years teaching them. The letter was sent while Paul was a prisoner in Rome – about AD 60. AS distinct from letters like the letter to the Galatians and the first letter to the Corinthians, this is not written to deal with problems in the church, but is rather a letter of encouragement.
Q What did our spiritual state used to be? Q. What was God’s motive in reaching out to us?
Q> How did the knowledge of God’s grace to the gentiles come to Paul (v3)? Q. In v5 Paul Paul talks about the mystery “Now revealed by the Holy Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets’. When did this occur?
While Ephesians does not seek to address any fault existing at the time, v1-3 have Paul urging the saints to Christlike behaviour. Q. What does it mean in v3 to “Keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”?
Koine Greek has four words translated ‘love’ in English. Eros = sexual love between a man and a woman. Philios = brotherly love, such as between David and Jonathon. Storge = familial love; as a parent has for a child. Agape = Totally sacrificial love; God’s love for us.
Q1. What are bondservants [5-8]? How are they directed to serve their masters? Q. What did Paul mean when he described himself as a bondservant of Jesus (v6) – see also Romans 1.1, Philippians 1.1 . Q2. How should masters behave [v9]? What reason is given for this?
When studying this letter, it is recommended that you take time to read the Book of Acts chapter 16 to give you some background to how the church was planted in Philippi. Philippi was a Roman colony and chief city of that region called Macedonia (part of Greece today). It was a stopping place for traders going from the east or west.
In Derbe and Lystra, Paul first meets Timothy and persuades him to be part of his missionary team. WE see him later in Berea (Acts 17.14) and it is likely that he was with Paul and Silas in Philippi.
This letter of Paul to the Colossians was written in about 61AD from prison most likely in Rome. It was passed on by Epaphras from Colosse who had become a Christian through the ministry of Paul whilst he was in Ephesus for three years (Acts 19:1-41). There is no record known of how the church began in this small town of Colosse situated in the Lycus valley about 100 miles east of Ephesus.
Paul sent this letter and another letter a few months later to strengthen the believers in Thessalonica whilst Paul was in Corinth (Acts 18:1-12) in about 50-51AD not long after the church had been established there. These letters had been written after Timothy’s return from a visit to Thessalonica. They could be the first two letters of the New Testament.
Paul sent this letter and another letter a few months later to strengthen the believers in Thessalonica whilst Paul was in Corinth in about 50-51AD not long after the church had been established there. These letters had been written after Timothy’s return from a visit to Thessalonica. They could be the first two letters of the New Testament.
Timothy was a native of Lystra in the Roman Province of Galatia (part of present day Turkey). He was the son of a mixed marriage. His father was a Greek and his mother being Jewish. His mother Eunice and grandmother Lois were believers in Jesus Christ. They must have taught him the scriptures, 2Timothy 1:5; 3:15.
Timothy was a native of Lystra in the Roman Province of Galatia (part of present day Turkey). He was the son of a mixed marriage, his father was a Greek and his mother being Jewish. His mother Eunice and grandmother Lois were believers in Jesus Christ.
Why give thanks? A study of 1 Timothy 4:1-4.
Paul’s God given commandments and instructions (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:37.)
1) To a true faith – forsaking all I trust in Him.
2) To hold the faith with a good conscience.
3) To hold the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience...
Here we see and learn how Paul as an Apostle writes to Timothy a young pastor on how to teach the church regarding the fundamentals of the faith. Within the two letters written to Timothy we can once again see 8 points of sound doctrine taught within the early church and for every season of the church age.
Here are 5 ‘faithful sayings’ from the Apostle Paul in his pastoral epistles to the Church.
Teaching and key thought – Good works before God unto all.
1) We have a Treasure to guard 2) We have a Teaching to commit to others 3) We have a Truth to handle...
VESSELS TO HONOUR AND VESSELS TO DISHONOUR.
Titus was a Greek (Galatians 2:3) who could have been converted through Paul’s ministry (1:4). He had accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem (Galatians 2:1) where he may have met dogmatic Jewish Brethren that insisted on him being circumcised. Paul stood firm in not allowing it because circumcision was not a requirement for any Gentile to be saved.
Titus was a Greek who could have been converted through Paul’s ministry. He had accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem where he may have met dogmatic Jewish Brethren that insisted on him being circumcised. Paul stood firm in not allowing it because circumcision was not a requirement for any Gentile to be saved.
This letter is an exception from all others in the New Testament because the author is not known and there are no greetings mentioned at the start of the letter. There are various views on who could have written this letter including an argument for Paul being the author. For reasons known to God, He has not chosen to reveal the author. What matters is that this letter is the word of God.
The letter has been written to the twelve of the tribes of the Jewish diaspora, that is Jewish believers in Jesus Christ living outside Israel. It has not been sent to any particular person or local church and therefore a circular letter. It is believed by most Christian writers including this author that James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ was the writer of this letter.
This letter has been recognised as being written by Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ. It could be that he had some help from Silvanus (5:12) in writing this letter to ensure that it was written in a good literacy style in the Greek language. The letter can be dated to about the early 60s as shown in the content of the letter. At that time Christians were experiencing increasing persecution during the time of the Roman Emperor Nero.
This letter was written by Peter shortly before his death in about 67AD (1:14-15). He wrote this letter to remind believers to be grounded in the knowledge of the saving truth in Jesus Christ; and to warn them of the counterfeit teaching at that time.
This letter was written by Peter shortly before his death in about 67AD (1:14-15). He wrote this letter to remind believers to be grounded in the knowledge of the saving truth in Jesus Christ; and to warn them of the counterfeit teaching at that time.
The writer of this letter is John, son of Zebedee, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. It was written about 85-95 AD. John was an eyewitness to the word of God through Jesus Christ. John wrote this letter to give believers the assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. He stressed the divinity of Christ and the humanity of Christ.
This letter was written by John, one of Jesus Christ’s twelve disciples. He wrote to an elect lady and her children giving greetings and making some specific points. He shows the practical aspect of love towards the Christian brethren and warns people to take care over supporting travelling teachers because of the danger of false teaching.
The writer of this letter is John, one of Jesus Christ’s twelve disciples. John has written this letter to a named person called Gaius (A very common name in the Roman world, just like John Smith in the British Isles today). It means “I am glad” or “on earth”.
Jude, identified as the brother of James and half brother of Jesus Christ (Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3), had intended to write a letter to Christians about the common salvation that they shared in. However, Jude had discovered that he needed to write a completely different letter urging believers to preserve the true faith.
Key verse: Revelation 1:19 gives us 3 Time Frames.
The name Revelation means ‘the disclosing or revealing of knowledge’ but He who gave us the book can now be seen as ‘The Great Unveiling’ as our Lord Yeshua/Jesus lays out (reveals/unveils) what is to come.
The word Apocalypse which is used so often when The Book of Revelation is referred to actually means ‘unveiling’. It is an apt word for it indeed unveils the glory of the Lord Jesus in all His majestic, mighty, magnificent and marvellous power in overseeing the affairs of men and His creation, plan and purposes.
The name Revelation means ‘the disclosing or revealing of knowledge’ but He who gave us the book can now be seen as ‘The Great Unveiling’ as our Lord Yeshua/Jesus lays out (reveals/unveils) what is to come.
While there were more than 10 Roman Emperors only 10 are recorded as having persecuted the early Church. This is then seen to be symbolic of the 10 days of tribulation in Revelation chapter 2 verse 10 where the church saints were tried in the crucible of fiery trials, tests and persecution from 96AD through to 305AD.
A study of Revelation chapters 6 & 7.
A study of Revelation chapters 8 to 11.
A study of Revelation chapter 12.
A study of Revelation chapter 13.
A study of Revelation chapters 14 to 16.
A study of Revelation chapter 17.
A study of Revelation chapter 18.
A study of Revelation chapter 19.
A study of Revelation chapter 20.
A study of Revelation chapters 21 & 22.
This writer believes the Book of Revelation is essential reading for all true disciples of Jesus Christ in view of the blessing in reading, hearing and keeping what is written. Whilst there are different views held on this book, a willingness to study this book should show that God has revealed things which have been seen, things that are at the present time and things to come.
With Personal, Practical, Perennial and Prophetical teachings.
This church is representative of the Apostolic period from 30AD to around 100AD the time of the last Apostle John who wrote the Book Of Revelation probably in 96AD.
This church is representative of the Roman Empires persecution from 100AD to 312AD. We can see this in the number 10 where the Lord warns of 10 days of prison and tribulation.
This church is representative of the Age of Constantine 313-600AD in that it represents any church denomination that is married to the state, as the name Pergamum means ‘thoroughly married.’
This church and age is representative of the Dark Ages which was in the clutches and domain of the now long established Roman Catholic Church. The name Thyatira literally means ‘continual’ or ‘perpetual sacrifice’.
This church depicts for us the Reformation Period from 1517-1648 A.D. The name Sardis means ‘those escaping’. Escaping from what? The answer is easy it was the Roman Catholic Church that held sway as we saw in the Thyatira age of the Dark Ages and its dogma of rules and regulations and false doctrine.
This church is representative of the great missionary movement of history as the Lord Jesus built His Church, the Household of God which the gates of Hell could not prevail against.
This is the 7th and final letter from our Lord and represents the Church of the Apostasy starting from around 1900AD to the present day. It is a church entirely ruled by men as the Holy Spirit is not guiding leaders nor the people as the name Laodicea means, the people ruling or the rules of the people.
The name Laodecia – means the people ruling! God isn’t so there is a head but not a heart acknowledgment, they do not understand God’s righteousness of holiness and obedience.
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