This chapter contains the longest sermon recorded in the book of Acts. In these first eight verses Stephen gives the history of Abraham. The Jews greatly admired Abraham and prided themselves in being his “children.†Furthermore, they depended on their nation’s heritage rather than their …
Nehemiah called for a “Bible conference” and invited Ezra, to be the teacher. Ezra was a scribe and a priest who had come to Jerusalem 13 years prior to Nehemiah. If God is to work through His people, they must respond positively to His Word. In this chapter three …
Jesus turns from the subject of love to the subject of hate. It doesn’t seem logical that anyone would hate Jesus Christ and His followers, but that is exactly what happened in Jesus’ day, and is still happening today. Much of that hatred comes from religious people. Until the Lord comes back or …
Romans 11 is devoted to presenting proof that God is not through with Israel. Five witnesses are used to prove there is a future in God’s plan for the Jews …
Jesus decided to ask some of his disciples to go up on a mountain with Him and it was there that He chose 12 of his Apostles to go out with Him and preach (vv. 13-14). They were Simon Peter, James son of Zebedee, John, Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Al …
After Saul had turned back the Philistine attack, he returned to his pursuit of David with an army of three thousand. The king came to the sheep pens but found no one there. He decided to go to the bathroom in one of the caves nearby and actually walked right into the cave where …
The prophet Amos closes his book on a note of hope, describing a rebirth for the nation of Israel (vv. 11- 15). God had promised to judge His people, but He did not intend to destroy them. In the future He would “restore David’s fallen tent,†“repair its broken places,†“restore its ruins,†and …
Exactly who were “the sons of God” and “the daughters of men” (vv. 1-4)? Here are two common views: (1) The sons of God were the godly line of Seth, and the daughters of men were descendants of Cain. (2) The sons of God were rulers controlled by fallen angels who intermarried with wicked …
Babylon conquered Assyria and became the new world power. In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar marched against Jerusalem and surrounded it (vv. 1-3). After 18 months of siege the Babylonians broke through the wall and completely destroyed the city. Zedekiah and …
Governor Tattenai, Shethar Bozenai, and their advisors carefully obeyed King Darius (v. 13). With great success the Jewish leaders continued working on the temple, while Haggai and Zechariah encouraged them by their preaching (v. 14). And so, the temple was completed at the comma …