1. If you want to get all the post resurrection appearances of Jesus in chronological order and to get a true and clear picture of what happened in each case you really need to look at all the gospels. Some gospels give more detail than others. Also, 1 Corinthians 15:5-7 is also helpful, as it actually give us the order of some of them.
2. In the first two appearances to Mary Magdalene and to the other two women, it is difficult to tell who Jesus appeared to first. But here is the way I see that it happened: 1) all three women got to the tomb together and were told by an angel that Jesus had risen and to go and give the news to His disciples (Mark 16:6-7). 2) I think Mary M. out ran the other two women. She gave the message to Peter and John, returned…
The Antichrist is a prominent figure and the leader of all the evil that goes on in the Tribulation. Our information about him comes from three different biblical books: Daniel, 2 Thessalonians, and Revelation. (In part 1 you can read about his origin and evil character.)
His evil works
We will note his evil works in the following points:
He will always be working to build up his military might.He will use most of his money and resources for military weapons and equipment, and he will give great honor and authority to all who acknowledge him (Dan. 11:38-39).
He will war against any and all countries that are against him.Here are four examples:
1. At the beginning of the Tribulation, the first seal reveals to us a white horse; and its rider carried a bow without arrows. This tells us that the Antichrist went out to conquer by…
I am continuing to share with you my reading notes from Dinesh D’Souza’s book, the Big Lie. Click here to see the previous post on this subject.
Notes from pages 5-14
The left has managed to transfer the blame for racism (slavery, the Klu Klux Klan, etc.) from the Dem. Party to the Rep. Party. How was it done? They told lies. Lies were taught in classrooms; lies were made into movies and TV shows; lies were reported in the media as truth.
These lies were revealed in the book Hillary’s America—and the left was outraged. Dinesh D’Souza noted that in 1860, the year before the Civil War, no republican owned any slaves; they were all owned by Democrats (p. 5).
It has come to be in this present culture that whenever someone doesn’t like what you believe in, he will call you Hitler or a Nazi. So…
The nation of Israel and the Israelite people are probably the most important of all in our list of personalities; for the seventh week (the Tribulation) has been decreed for the people of Israel (Dan. 9:24), to prepare them for their Messiah by Tribulation. I will present this topic in seven points, two parts.
1. The regathering of Israel. In Ezekiel 37:1-28, the Lord gives three promises to Israel: 1) “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land” (v. 21); 2) “they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms” (v. 22); and 3) “they will all have one shepherd” (v. 24).
The first two of these promises are being fulfilled right now; and the third promise will happen at the second advent when all Israel will…
According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, this Greek word “[comes] from a verb which means to ‘stretch out the hand,’ thus it means to be stretched out.” In prayer, it conveys the idea of praying fervently, without ceasing and not relaxing in effort. This kind of prayer is a continuous prayer of straining and stretching to gain the answer.
Ektenos is found only twice in the New Testament. In Acts 12:5, it is used to describe the kind of prayer the church prayed for Peter, who was kept in prison. In this verse ektenos has been translated at least four different ways. The NIV and the RSV translate it as “earnestly praying” and “earnest prayer for him was made.” The KJV translates ektenos as prayer “without ceasing,” the NKJV as “constant prayer,” and the NASB as prayer being made “fervently.” I’m not sure which one of the translations is the…
In Matthew 7:12, we first encounter the word, “therefore.”
Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. NASB
As a rule, that word “therefore” tells us that what is to come is a summary, or a conclusion of what has previously been said. At first glance, it may be difficult to see it. But it is there. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his commentary, points it out quite well. Let me explain as he does.
Verses one through twelve are tied together in two groups, and verse twelve is a concluding statement.
Verses 1-6 deals with judging others wisely.
Verses 7-11 is a reminder to us that we need His grace in order to correctly deal with and judge others. We need to know how to pray for wisdom.
Verse 12 is a concluding verse for the entire section (verses 1-11). It is how we are to deal with others. We are to treat them in the same way we would want them to treat us.
Analyzing Matthew 7:12
So, verse 12 is not a detracted statement. Some bible versions have it as such; but because of the word “therefore” we know it is not. As Lloyd-Jones points out, our Lord all along in this entire section (verses 1-12) is dealing with the subject of our judging others, and in this last verse (12) He shows us more specifically how.
This passage is popularly known as the “golden rule.” We are to treat others in the same way we would want them to treat us. It is similar to the teaching: Love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 19:19).
Also, Jesus adds that this teaching is contained in all the law and the prophets (of the Old Testament). For example, that we would take care of our neighbor’s ox in the same way that we would want our ox to be cared for (Deut. 22:4).
Why do so many of us renounce the Golden Rule?
The simple reason why so many forsake this rule is because of sin and because of self—because we are thinking only of self and not others. This is the problem for both the Christian as well as the non-Christian.
For the Christian, he has an obvious solution. He must confess his sin and get right with God. Then he will be able to see things from a new, godly perspective. He will be able to see things as Jesus sees them.
For the non-Christian, there is really no hope for him at all apart from Christ. He will always be totally for himself, always thinking of self. And you need to know that this sermon was not for the non-Christian. It was directed toward His disciples. Nonetheless, if one is convicted of his sin and gives his life to God and accepts Christ as his savior, he too can become a Christian. Then all things will become new, and he will receive new unselfish desires—so much so that he will be able to obey this golden rule: to do unto others as we would want them to do unto us.
Daniel 9:24Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.
NASB
Seventy weeks. This term literally means seventy sevens, which equals 490. It has the potential to mean either 490 days or 490 years. Here it is clear that the Lord intends it to mean years; for this number, in years, is the exact duration that Israel had been rebellious by violating the Sabbath—and so God is using the same number of years for determining Israel’s future (most of which is now in the past). Let me explain this further…
The Sabbath year was every seven years; and so we are saying that Israel was disobedient not only for that Sabbath year…
The following article is an excerpt from this book.
Since David prayed, “May my prayers be counted as incense before Thee” (Ps. 141:2, NASB), one thing we may conclude is that not all prayers are as incense. Some in fact may be offensive to God. Such are those prayers that are offered with wrong motives, which come from a heart with impure desires (Ja. 4:1-4).
Christ is the sweet aroma of our prayers. If our prayers are not sweet before God it is because we have not allowed Christ to dwell in us and change us. But if He is our reason for living, if He is loved by us and if we have let Him be Lord over us, to teach us and guide us and help us, and if we have let Him renew our mind, thus, if we have received from Him such precious graces of faith…
In Matthews Gospel, chapter 5, verses 39-44, Jesus shows us what the Christian character should be: to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile, to give to the one who has needs, and to love your enemies and bless those who curse you. But how do we do it?
Some would say, just do it. No matter how you feel about it, just do it. Well, I suggest that it is important to first put yourself in the right frame of mind. To be selfless, like Christ was. To be poor in spirit. That is one of the first things He taught His disciples. If we are to act with Christian character, we must do it with a genuine heart, with a Christ-filled heart. And it all starts with denying self and looking to Christ. How do we do that? I’ll start with Paul’s example and teaching…
I’m not sure what the technical name is but I’ve always called this flower a Honeysuckle. The actual size of this flower is about one-half inch in diameter. There is so much going on here. It is so complex for such a little flower. The wild Lupine.Linum.
Stephen Nielsen 