The kingdom of heaven is not the same as the kingdom of God, as some preachers and commentators erronously assert. The kingdom of heaven is that kingdom on God’s earth in which heaven is interested, which heaven promotes, with Christ as its King. It is that spiritual kingdom on earth which acts as the portal …
Category: Bible Exegesis
Questions and answers in church and congregational life
In his first epistle to the Corinthians Paul deals with some congregational issues and in 1Cor 14:35 he says about wives: "if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home, because it is a shame for women to speak in the church." This strongly suggests that husbands were asking questions in congregations …
Continue reading Questions and answers in church and congregational life
Thee and Thou – You and Yous
If you want an accurate English translation of the Bible, you need a version which distinguishes the singular of 'you' by the use of thee/thou. Almost all languages have this distinction between the singular and plural, but English has lost it in common speech. Indeed, a new plural 'yous' is beginning to emerge in slang …
Lying to the Holy Ghost
There is a difference between the sin against the Holy Ghost and lying to the Holy Ghost. The former has no forgiveness Mat 12:31, but the latter is also very serious. Peter mentions it in Acts 5:3,9 and solemn consequences followed. When ministers take ordination vows they are making promises to the Lord as well …
Conception is not fertilisation
When does human life begin? by Dr John R. Ling, June 2011, The Christian Institute. 45 pp booklet. The blurb states: “When does human life begin? It is a fundamental and decisive question because your answer reveals your understanding of the nature and status of the human embryo. It also shapes your stance on the …
Worshipping God in spirit
In Psalm 50 God complains about formality in worship vv8-13 and says that if worshippers were more spiritually-minded v14 then they would discover His deliverance even in the day of trouble v15. They would then learn to glorify Him v15 and offer Him proper praise v23. It is interesting that the Lord uses Asaph, a …
The point of no return
Jeremiah 19 teaches that there is a point of no return for the church. In Jer 18 Judah was soft clay in the Potter's hand which could be re-formed, but by Jer 19 Judah is compared to a hardened earthen vessel which is beyond the point of re-formation. The Lord breaks it Jer 19:10 because …
Judd Trump trumps Donald Trump
A new star is born. Just when we thought that we would never see the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan's natural snooker talent again, and that Donald Trump was the only Trump on the circuit, up steps Judd Trump to the podium to wrestle the Trump card from the American Trump. Young Judd Trump in his …
Contained in the Scriptures
Following the 18th-century sceptical attacks on the Bible by Scottish Enlightenment figures claiming that it was not the Word of God, and the 19th-century higher critical attacks upon biblical inspiration by unbelieving scholars, during the past one hundred years the opinion has grown up that the Word of God is found in the Scriptures of …
My righteous Servant
It is common for the Jews to interpret the Lord's Servant in the prophecy of Isaiah as either king Hezekiah or the Jewish nation itself. It is just as common for Christian expositors to use the term "the suffering Servant" in Isa 52:13-53:12. The latter term has arisen because Isa 53 is about suffering, but …
Donald's Thoughts 