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Israel Research Trip, Post #9
Magdala For myself personally, Magdala provided a new opportunity to visit a site I had not previously visited. I was enthralled with the archaeological finds at this location and enjoyed walking through the excavations.
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Israel Research Trip, Post #7
Nazareth Most of my posts in this series up to this point have involved sites more related to the Old Testament than to the New Testament. The New Testament alone specifically mentions the town of Nazareth. The town sits about 20 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea and about 15 miles west of the Sea
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #9
This particular research trip set as one of its goals the evaluation of three lines of evidence with regard to identifying the locations of Sodom and Gomorrah and attempting to establish chronological timelines: (1) Biblical evidence within the text of Scripture itself as the prima facie evidence;…
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #8
Petra Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time. — John William Burgon Biblical Connections Preparing for a tour of Petra provides an opportunity to think about its biblical connections.
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #7
Aroer and the Arnon Gorge Most references in the Old Testament to Aroer occur with reference to a fortress on the edge of the Arnon Gorge known also as Wadi Mujib. Such a location fits “crest of a mountain” as the possible meaning of the name Aroer — another possible meaning would be “juniper,” a
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Jordan Research Trip, Post #6
Peor Geographical details in the account regarding Balaam in Numbers 22–24 provide information identifying the area where Israel camped east of the Jordan River before entering Canaan.
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Shalom Living for God’s People
In 2014, as part of my participation in the ministries of Abraham Lincoln Foundation of Albania (ALFA), Robb Provost (ministry director) asked me to prepare and present a study about “shalom living” from the Old Testament.
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Uncommon Wisdom: Old Testament Wisdom Books
Introduction Overall, Old Testament (OT) wisdom books are fairly anthropocentric (man-centered) since they address the issues of everyday living faced by God’s people. That does not mean that they are not also theocentric (God-centered).
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Peace-Loving Believers in an Age of Violence, Part 1
Scripture disallows seeking peace at any price. Some apologists argue that even believers must draw the line somewhere to stand up to the forces of evil. Wherever one stands, Christians need to be pro-active. As Friesen, Langan, and Stassen observe in their introduction to Just P
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The Self-Existence of God: What does it mean? Why does it matter?
When someone uses words like “the self-existence of” anything, it sounds like something philosophical and esoteric.
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Hebrew Whiteboard Update, Psalm 104:1-12
Completing the first third of Psalm 104, our analysis takes another distinct turn in its point of reference: the topic becomes the ongoing natural order of the earth as determined by its Creator.
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Messianic Hope and the Gentiles–Thinking Through Romans 15:8-13
Romans 15:8-13 provides us with the apostle Paul’s theology of Messianic hope as founded upon the scriptures of the Hebrew Bible. In this significant text he builds upon the revelation of hope about which he speaks in Romans 15:4.
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Messianic Hope and the Gentiles
Even before the creation of the world (1 Peter 1:17–21), God appointed Christ and His perfect sacrifice as the basis for showing mercy to the Gentiles. Through Christ they could experience hope in spite of being strangers to Israel and not being recipients of God’s covenants with
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Blessing–Even in Affliction
Sometimes our lives seem as fragile as a bluebell clinging to its perch on an ancient chapel’s stone wall. The prophet Jeremiah caught the deep emotional pain disobedient Jerusalem must endure as the Lord brings upon her the covenant curses as discipline.
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Hebrew Whiteboard
Structural or logical line diagramming serves as one of the chief means by which the exegete can identify verse structure in the Hebrew Bible.
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The Resurrection of Christ and Missions
Share From the start of our Christian faith, we all have received the testimony of Matthew’s Gospel regarding the resurrected Lord’s appearance to His disciples in Galilee where they met with Him on the mountain to which He had instructed them to go (Matthew 28:16). At that time
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Blow the Shophar! It’s a New Year!
Share Are you thinking about making any New Year’s resolutions? You know what folk wisdom says about that: “New Year’s resolutions go in one year and out the other.” We all know that most of the leaves we turn over in January have already started to fall by the end of the month.
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What Books Do You Recommend Most Highly?
Everyone who loves books, selects certain books as their favorites. Through 54 years of Christian faith and over 50 years of ministry and study, I have come to appreciate a large number of authors and titles. A full listing remains outside the purpose of this post.
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New Parkingspace23 Blog Post
Royal Priests–Similarity, Not Identity If you have ever wondered about the identification and nature of the Christian’s priesthood, this brief study should be of interest.
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Royal Priests—Similarity, Not Identity
How is the Church’s priesthood like that exercised by Melchizedek or by believing Israelites? Melchizedek’s functional role joined together kingship and priesthood—his was the first royal priesthood (Genesis 14:18). An echo of Melchizedek’s priesthood occurs when God appoints Isr
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Creation–Peripheral Doctrine?
Is the doctrine of creation a peripheral or secondary (or even tertiary) biblical doctrine? Some scholars opine that instantaneous, miraculous, divine creation as a doctrine should be exchanged for natural evolution.
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Psalm Inscriptions: Inspired?
Good detectives build a solid case for indictment by gathering all necessary evidence from a variety of sources. Paying careful attention to details can resolve some of the most difficult problems.
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Prophetic Studies Series
In September of 2015 I presented a series of studies on prophecy at Word of Grace Church in Battle Ground, WA. The series title is “Prophets in the Life of a Believer.” The series was also translated into Russian.
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Brazilian Creation Conference PowerPoints and Notes–in Portuguese
In June 2015 I had the great privilege of participating in teaching and preaching in Fortaleza, Brazil. The organizers translated my PowerPoint presentations and conference notes into Portuguese. The topic for the conference was Creation.
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Another Off-Site Blog Worth Reading
In an effort to expand my contributions in the blogosphere, I accepted an invitation to submit an essay to another great biblical and theological website: “Parking Space 23.” My first contribution is “Continuity: Old Testament Truth in New Testament Clothing.” The continuity that exists between the…
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Continuity: Old Testament Truth in New Testament Clothing
Share One of the benefits of getting older consists of gaining perspective, being able to put the past into its proper place in order to better understand the present. Fifty-four years of studying the Bible also has its benefits—primarily in more clearly understanding the continu
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Salvation in the Old Testament
In the week prior to Resurrection Sunday, the minds and hearts of all born-again believers turn to the marvelous redemptive work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in His sacrificial death.
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Resources for DMin OT Seminars
The following links provide resources that will aid DMin students at The Master’s Seminary in their preparation of some of the assignments required in the OT seminars in January.
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Penal Substitution in the Old Testament
Theologically and biblically speaking, penal substitution refers to God’s gift of His Son to undergo the penalty of death as a substitute for fallen humanity, recent efforts to deny that teaching notwithstanding.
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The Light of Christmas
This message was delivered at the Masters College Chapel on December 9, 1998 from Isaiah 9:1-7