Category: Bible Insights

Reflections and meditations about the Bible by Peter DeHaan, PhD.

Love Is All That Matters

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 13, 2015

Love God and Love Others

In the Old Testament God gives hundreds of commands for his people to follow. We call this the Law or the Law of Moses (since God gives it to Moses to tell to the people).

But over time the people add more rules to it, some 20,000 more. They call this the Law, too.

That’s a lot of God’s commands and man’s rules to keep straight. In fact, it’s impossible to follow them all. I think that’s the point. Since we can’t possibly keep all of the rules, we need a different way. That way is Jesus.

Jesus’s detractors want to embarrass him. They ask a question, one they feel no one should be able to answer. Of these thousands of laws, they ask, which one is the most important?

Jesus is ready: Love God fully. Yep, that’s it. The greatest commandment is to love God.

Then Jesus tells them the second most important one: Love others as much as you love yourself.

Love God and love others. These provide the foundation of the entire Old Testament law.

Of course if Jesus’s inquisitors thought things through a bit, they’d realize Moses already answered this question. After Moses shares the Ten Commandments, he concludes by giving the people a reminder to love God fully.

Yes, we need to fully and totally love God; we need to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. Love is the answer.

(Matthew 22:37-41, Deuteronomy 6:5)

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

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Bible Insights

All Things Are Possible With God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 6, 2015

Getting into Heaven is Impossible Without God

A rich man asks Jesus how to get to heaven. The man reels off a list of all he’s done, of all of God’s commands that he’s kept. He waits for Jesus to affirm him, but deep down he knows he still falls short. “What else must I do,” he asks?

Then Jesus hits him in the wallet. “Give all your money and possessions to the poor. Then follow me.”

The man walks away despondent. He’s not ready to put Jesus first in his life and follow him instead of relying on money.

Then Jesus explains to his disciples how hard it is for people who put their trust in money to make it into heaven. But it’s not just the rich people who are at risk.

Jesus adds more: getting into heaven is impossible if we try to do it on our own. The good news is that “with God, all things are possible.”

This is an indirect way to remind us that we can’t earn our salvation. It is a gift from God.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Matthew 17-19, and today’s post is on Matthew 19:26.]

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Tags follow Jesus, heaven, salvation

Bible Insights

Do Not Be Afraid

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 29, 2015

We Shouldn’t Be Scared When it Comes to God

Matthew writes about Jesus sending out his disciples to tell others about him. In the middle of his lengthy instructions, he simply reminds them, “Do not be afraid.”

That’s good to know. He is about to send them out by themselves to do something risky.

After all, people criticize Jesus; they will certainly criticize his followers, too.

The idea of not being afraid reoccurs often in the Bible, ninety three times. Seventy times the Bible says, “Do not be afraid,” and another twenty-three times it’s shortened to “Don’t be afraid.”

This occurs throughout the Old Testament, starting in Genesis. It continues in the New Testament in the Gospels and Acts, last popping up in Revelation.

Though sometimes this is God’s people telling others to not be afraid, usually it is God telling us. This may be during a supernatural encounter, before doing some hard task, or in the face of a humanly impossible assignment.

We need to not be afraid. And if we follow God, he is with us, and we have nothing to fear.

Of course, this is easier to think about than to actually do. But we can give our fears to God, trusting him to protect us, guide us, and keep us safe. God wants us to live by faith, not cower in fear.

Being bound by fear is only seeing today; being freed from fear is only seeing the eternal.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Matthew 8-10, and today’s post is on Matthew 10:31.]

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Tags faith, supernatural, trust

Bible Insights

Can an Actionless Faith Save You?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date September 8, 2015

Can an Actionless Faith Save You?

There are some people who try to earn their way into heaven. They do good and obey God’s commands—at least most of them anyway. They work hard their entire life to get God’s attention.

Surely when their time comes, God will throw open the doors to heaven.

With a wide smile and a gracious gesture he will say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” But he could say, “Go away, I don’t know you.” They’re really not sure. They hope they’ve been good enough, but doubt lingers.

Others laugh at this approach. They say you can’t earn your way into heaven. Eternal life is a gift, given in grace and received by faith. They say a little prayer and figure it’s all good. They have their get-out-of-hell card.

Since heaven is a present, they continue living a life unchanged. They set God aside and live for themselves.

Is faith alone enough to save them? Maybe it is and maybe it’s not. James writes that it’s through our actions—that is, our good deeds—that we confirm our faith.

Yes, we are saved by God’s grace through our faith, but then we prove it by showing his love to others through our actions.

We need to have faith and then we need to do good deeds. Both are required.

[Matthew 25:19-23, Matthew 25:12, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 6:1-2, James 2:14-17]

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Tags doubt, faith, grace, heaven, hell

Bible Insights

What is “The Abomination That Causes Desolation?”

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date August 11, 2015
2 Comments on What is “The Abomination That Causes Desolation?”

The phrase “the abomination that causes desolation” occurs five times in the Bible. Daniel mentions it three times in his prophecies of future events (Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31, and Daniel 12:11).

People speculate what he means—such as the destruction of the temple or something foreshadowing the end of the world—but whatever the interpretation, the important thing to realize is that it’s something bad, something evil.

Jesus also mentions the abomination that causes desolation (Matthew 24:15). So at the time of Jesus, this part of Daniel’s prophecy has not yet come true or else Jesus wouldn’t reference it as a future event.

It is still forthcoming. Also, the fact that Jesus mentions it gives added credence to Daniel’s prophecy.

In Mark’s record of Jesus’s mention of this curious phrase, he includes a warning for those in Judea to run to a safe place in the mountains (Mark 13:14). This is not a time to stay and fight; resistance is ill advised.

When confronted with something evil, sometimes we need to oppose it and sometimes we must run from it.

May God grant us the discernment to know the difference.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Daniel 7-9 and today’s post is on Daniel 9:27.]

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Bible Insights

Who Did Jesus Come to Help?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 30, 2015

Consider What Jesus Modeled

Religious leaders in the Bible often criticize Jesus. It’s understandable. He and his teaching confront the comfortable sacred niche they enjoy in their society.

They have a good thing going, and they want to hang on to it. Jesus threatens their status quo, so they attack him.

In one instance they censure Jesus for his choice in dinner companions. It seems quite closed-minded to us today, but to them it is a big deal. Jesus is eating with sinners (aren’t we all) and tax collectors—gasp.

While Jesus models acceptance, his detractors advocate moral segregation. (They also insist on ethnic separation.)

Jesus defends his actions, declaring he is there to help the sick, not those who are healthy, not the righteous. Certainly the religious acting Pharisees are the most righteous (morally upright, right living) people around.

Is Jesus allowing the Pharisees to remain in the old covenant, the Law of Moses, as the means for their salvation, while offering a different way for everyone else?

It could be, but I don’t think so. I see clarity in the New Living Testament (NLT) in the way it renders this passage, where Jesus says, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Mark 2:17, emphasis added).

Jesus comes only to help those people who know they have a need. The self-righteous are not ready for his help; there is nothing Jesus can give them.

There’s an old saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” The same is true with spiritual matters; we have nothing to give people who don’t feel a need for what we have to offer.

[Read more in Mark 2:13-17, Matthew 9:8-13, and Luke 5:27-32.]

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Bible Insights

What is the Book of Life?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 23, 2015

In the post “What is the Second Death?” we saw that the people whose names are listed in the book of life will escape the second death. That raises the question, what is the book of life?

The phrase the book of Life is found once in the Old Testament and seven times in the New Testament, mostly in the book of Revelation

Find the Book of Live in Psalm 69:28, Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 17:8, Revelation 20:12, Revelation 20:15, and Revelation 21:27.

Two verses talk about names being removed from the book of life and one verse talks about names being found in the book.

Some verses talk about names written in the book of life, but it’s hard to tell if this is an action, as in names being added, or a status, as in names that are already written, that is, found in it.

We could infer that everyone’s names start out in the book of life, but some are removed or “blotted out.”

Two verses clarify that the book of life is the Lamb’s book, that is Jesus’ book (Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 21:27).

If our names are in Jesus’ book of life, we will escape the second death, the lake of fire, to enter the new Heaven and new earth.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Revelation 20-22 and today’s post is on Revelation 21:27.]

Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

What is the Second Death?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 16, 2015

The curious phrase the “second death” only occurs in John’s prophetic vision as recorded in the book of Revelation, with just four verses that mention it. But what is the second death?

Regarding the church in Smyrna, John writes that those who persevere in persecution, who are victorious, will avoid harm by the second death.
Later, John notes that martyrs will be resurrected and reign with Jesus for a thousand years. They, too, will escape the power of the second death.
A few verses later, John says that the lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name isn’t recorded in the “book of life” will be tossed into the lake of fire, that is, they will encounter the second death.
Last, John lists some people who will experience the second death: cowards, unbelievers, vile people, murderers, sexually immoral persons, practitioners of magic arts, idol worshipers, and all liars.

That’s a sweeping list and a cause for trepidation, if not for the prior section that says those listed in the book of life will escape the second death.

Perhaps this implies that when we follow Jesus and have our names recorded, that the power of these other traits is diminished.

None of these, however, explains what the second death is. What we can learn is that it’s something that can occur after physical death (the first death), and it may be a synonym of hell or a reference to eternal suffering or punishment.

What’s important to realize is that martyrs and those who withstand persecution will sidestep the second death, as well as all those who follow Jesus. And if we know how to avoid the second death, understanding what it means isn’t important.

[See Revelation 2:8-11, Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 20:14-15, Revelation 21:8.]

Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags death, follow Jesus, hell

Bible Insights

What Does it Mean to Have Fallen Asleep?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 9, 2015

The Bible sometimes uses the quaint phrase fallen asleep. It’s a polite way to say that someone died. I smile at this ambiguous language and wonder why Bible writers used a euphemism instead of being direct.

But I think there might be more to it. To say fallen asleep is not merely an understated way to communicate that someone’s life is over. It’s a hint that there is another life awaiting us after death, that we will awake to a new kind of existence.

Just as natural sleep is a respite between one day and the next, so too figurative sleep is a transition from one form of life to another.

While our body ceases to function, our spirit moves on to a new dimension. And we must first fall asleep to make that transition.

When the Bible talks about those who have fallen asleep, it’s more than a gracious way to say someone died, it’s the suggestion there is even more to look forward to as we move into the spiritual realm. But first we must sleep; we must die.

Read more those who have fallen asleep in Matthew 9:24, Mark 5:39, Luke 8:32, John 11:11, Acts 7:60, Acts 13:36, 1 Corinthians 11:30, 1 Corinthians 15:6, 18, 20, and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-15.

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Tags death, eternal life, heaven, hope

Bible Insights

The Book of Revelation

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 2, 2015

John’s Epic Vision

The book of Revelation is a curious one; there is none other like it in the Bible. It is perhaps the most scrutinized and misunderstood section.

While I will not make any attempt to explain it, I will offer some context as a guide:

This book is written by John, but it is not his revelation; it is Jesus’ revelation (Revelation 1:1).
John confirms the book is a prophecy, and we are blessed merely by reading it, hearing it, and taking it to heart (Revelation 1:3). But he doesn’t say we need to understand it!
This book is a letter to the seven churches in Asia. Just as Paul, Peter, and John write letters to various people and different churches, this is another one of John’s letters (Revelation 1:4).
The contents of the letter are supernaturally given to John in a vision when he is communing with God in the spiritual realm (Revelation 1:10).
The purpose of the book may be found in Revelation 19:10: to worship God and celebrate Jesus.

We can consider Revelation in three sections:

Revelation 1 is the Introduction

In addition to setting the basis for the rest of the book, chapter 1 is awesome in that is hints at what our relationship with God can be like when we connect with him in the spiritual realm.

We should not consider this unique to John, and we should embrace it as available to us—if we are willing to pursue it.

Revelation 2 and 3 Give Specific Messages to the Seven Churches

The letters to the seven churches are written to them.

While we can receive encouragement from their successes and learn from their failures, we need to remember they are the primary audience and we are the secondary one, just like all the other letters in the Bible.

We need to remind ourselves of their context and not make them into more than what they are intended to be.

Revelation 4 through 22 is a Future Prophecy

From the final nineteen chapters of Revelation, the intend is not for us to decode when these events will happen. After all, Jesus says, no one knows the time and date of when the end will occur.

There is no secret plan for us to decode.

Instead I see three key things as I read the words in Revelation: God is awesome and worthy of our worship, Jesus is powerful, and for those whose names are written in the book of life (Revelation 20:15), the ending is a happy one.

If you don’t believe me, read the last two chapters (Revelation 21 and 22) and be in awe—even if we can’t comprehend the details.

Read more in Peter’s devotional Bible study, A New Heaven and a New Earth: 40 Practical Insights from John’s Book of Revelation.

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Tags Apostle John, awesome, Jesus, Paul, Peter, prophecy, supernatural