Take a Chronological Journey through the Lives of 200 Intriguing Bible Characters Step back in time and dive into the intriguing lives of 200 Old Testament Sinners and Saints in this captivating exploration by Peter DeHaan. From the well-known figures of Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, and Daniel, to the lesser-known characters that shaped biblical history, […]
Rebekah agrees to leave her family to travel to a distant land to marry her cousin Isaac. Her family sends her off, along with her nurse. This suggests Rebekah may be quite young at the time and still in need of adult care. It’s interesting to note that although Rebekah decides to leave her family […]
Elizabeth’s Unborn Child Leaps for Joy at the Sound of Mary’s Voice Luke 1:39–45 “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:45) Not only will Mary have a baby, but her much older relative Elizabeth will have one too. Mary sets off to visit Elizabeth. This […]
Focus on Words that Tie Two Passages Together There’s an old quip, “Whenever you see the word therefore in the Bible, you need to look to see what it’s there for.” Though we may groan at this clever word play, there’s truth behind it. Therefore is one of four linking words in the Bible. Whenever […]
Everyone Today’s passage: Revelation 7:9–12 Focus verse: Before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9) Immediately after John details how many people from the tribes of Israel receive the seal of God, he describes a great […]
What Is Versus What Should Be As I read and study the Bible, one common thread I’m always looking for is passages that will inform how the church should function. I want to align what we do at church with what Scripture teaches. Too often, however, our church practice isn’t all that biblical. Instead, we […]
The Two Wives of Esau Judith and Basemath only show up in one passage in the Bible. They are co-wives of Esau. First Esau marries Judith. She’s the daughter of a Hittite man named Beeri. Then Esau marries Basemath. She’s the daughter of another Hittite man, Elon. These marriages are a source of grief to […]
The Angel Gabriel Has Some Shocking News for Young Mary Luke 1:26–30 “Greetings, you who are highly favored!” (Luke 1:28) Back to Luke’s narrative, our story switches from foretelling the birth of John the Baptist to foretelling the birth of Jesus. Just as the angel Gabriel gave exciting news to Zechariah and Elizabeth, the angel […]
Apphia the Unknown In the second verse of the letter to Philemon, Paul mentions two obscure people, Apphia and Archippus. Some people speculate that because they are listed together they are marriage partners or ministry partners. While we don’t know for sure, what is clear is that Apphia is listed first. It would have been counter-cultural […]
The Mark of God Today’s passage: Revelation 7:1–8 Focus verse: “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” (Revelation 7:3) Many people are familiar with the mark of the beast as revealed later in the book of Revelation, […]