“Those on the rock are  the ones who, when they hear, receive the Word with joy. And these have no root, who for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” (Luke 8:13)   This is part of the passage where Jesus is explaining to the apostles the different hearts that will, cannot or will not receive the Word of God. This particular heart is on the rocks, a hard place where there is no nourishment, no consolation and no hope. This heart has been disillusioned over an

“...but this shall be  the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, says Jehovah, I will put My Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)   Jeremiah prophesied about the New Covenant. It was not to be like the covenant that God had made with them when they left the slavery of Egypt. They broke that covenant with their idolatry so it’s no longer in force. “...not

“Therefore, be humbled under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your anxiety onto Him, for He cares for you.” (1Peter 5:6-7)   Cast (literally throw) all, any and every care on Him. In this section of his letter Peter is writing to the “elders” or leaders of the early church. He exhorts them to diligently look after those whom they have charge of as a shepherd would take charge over sheep, willingly by being examples and a pattern for th

“So says Jehovah, in a favorable time I replied to You, and in a day of salvation I have helped You; and I will preserve You, and give You for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause them to inherit the wasted inheritances;” (Isaiah 49:8)   Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah. In a favorable time means in a time of mercy which is the dispensation of God’s grace and mercy because the Messiah, Who is Jesus has entered the world as a man, yet all God, to be th

“And in the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” (John 7:37)   This was the feast of the Tabernacles which is also known as Sukkot. It begins on the fifteenth day of Tishri which may fall on September or October depending on the count of the days of the Jewish calendar. It comes five days after the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur which is 10 days after Rosh Hashanah. It celebrates the journey of the Isr

“And Samuel took a stone and set it  between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Jehovah has helped us until now.”(1Samuel 7:12)   Mizpeh is where Jacob came and dwelt with Laban his uncle, caring for his sheep. It’s the place where Jacob labored for Rachel and Laban gave him Leah. Jacob was required to work another seven years for Rachel. This was where Jacob and Laban made an agreement about the sheep that would become Jacob’s. Each time Jacob agree

“And so it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul," the last Adam was a life-giving Spirit.” (1Corinthians 15:45)   The first Adam is the Adam that God made out of the dust of the earth. He is the one the Lord breathed life into and he became a living soul. “And Jehovah God formed man of the  dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) From the very beginning we see the difference between

“Do not fear; for I am  with you; be not dismayed; for I am  your God. I will make you strong; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)   This is part of the prophecy that the Lord told Isaiah with which to comfort the people. It was over a hundred years before the invasion of the Babylonian invasion. Three big events are encompassed in this prophecy. The coming invasion. In Isaiah chapter 39 we learn of God’s punis

“The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing of it is  from Jehovah.” (Proverbs 16:33) The Jews of ancient times knew that the Lord God had ways of making His Will known to them. They had their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) whom God spoke to and gave them the Law. They had their judges then kings and prophets who spoke on God’s behalf for the tribes. But in ordinary situations, they were not sure what was God’s Will, so they drew lots of different sorts

“Yes, tear your heart and not your robes, and turn to Jehovah your God: for He is  gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He pities because of the evil.” (Joel 2:13)   It was a custom for the Jews when in grief and to show remorse, contrition, sorrow or self-reproach to tear at their clothes. Joel prophesies about the Day of the Lord when the Lord comes to judge the land. This is actually speaking about the Second Coming of Christ, when Jesus comes t

“Come to Me all you  who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)   This is Jesus speaking to all. It wasn’t just for those who followed Him or those of His time, but those who were not even born yet. How do we know this? Listen to His prayer. “And I do not pray for these alone, but for those also who shall believe on Me through their word,” (John 17:20) The Messiah was not only for the Jews, but for all in the world. We often quote John 3:16 with

“He stood and measured the earth; He looked and shook nations, and the everlasting mountains were shattered; the eternal hills bowed down. His ways are  everlasting.” (Habakkuk 3:6)   This is part of Habakkuk’s prayer in which he exalts the Lord for His works. This is prophetic in part which describes what will happen when Jesus returns to earth in His Second Coming. “And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give he

“You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments. And they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.” (Revelation 3:4)   In His message to the seven churches in Asia, Jesus points out the defects of each church except for the church of Philadelphia. He declares that the church in Sardis is dead. They think they are alive but they are dead. That means it has no spiritual life in it, no connection to God and not in His Will. “And to the angel of t

“Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)   These are words that Jesus spoke. These words are alive and have power to accomplish what Jesus said. Later on, when Jesus cursed the fig tree and His disciples were amazed that it had withered from the roots up, He said, “And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22) Here are the qualifiers. First, we must ask. T

“And the Lord spoke to Paul in the  night by a vision, Do not be afraid, but speak, and be not silent. For I am with you, and no one shall set on you to hurt you, for I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9-10)   Paul had been preaching every Saturday in the synagogue in Corinth to both Jews and Greeks. (Acts 18:4) The Corinthians were Greek since Corinth is in Greece. The Bible mentions that Paul was pressed or preoccupied with preaching the Gospel, but they were resist

“Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.” (Psalms 74:17)   God placed His marvelous creation, man, on the earth He created. He made all the landmarks; the mountains, gorges, rivers, valley and deserts and established them just where He wanted. It was His creation and He placed everything in its place according to how it pleased Him. If you arrange furniture in your home, it’s much like that. In your home, you move furniture here and there

“And He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.” (Zechariah 3:1)   This was a vision Zechariah had. The Joshua he sees in the vision is not the Joshua that brought the children of Israel to the Promised Land. This is Joshua the high priest, son of Johozadak who was in the first group to return to Israel after the captivity.  He presided during the building of the second temple. Zechariah the pr

“And He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.” (Zechariah 3:1)   This was a vision Zechariah had. The Joshua he sees in the vision is not the Joshua that brought the children of Israel to the Promised Land. This is Joshua the high priest, son of Johozadak who was in the first group to return to Israel after the captivity.  He presided during the building of the second temple and was in the fi

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it  with all your might; for there is  no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave where you go.” (Ecclesiastes 9:10)   Many are waiting to serve God in some capacity according to their gifts and talents, but nothing has opened up and so they do nothing, waiting for that special “ministry.” But Solomen in the wisdom that God gave him, instructs us to do whatever. We can stop at that word, whatever. How could the Lord entrust

"The Spirit of the  Lord is  on Me; because of this He has anointed Me...to proclaim deliverance to the captives...” (Luke 4:18)   This is only a portion of the verse. In its entirety it is: “The Spirit of the  Lord is  on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Gospel to the  poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been crushed,” (Luke 4:18) To proclaim