Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. //Revelation begins with John experiencing a vision of the Son of Man in all his glory. When John saw him, he fell at his feet, as if dead. But Jesus touched John, and gave him…
Category: Bible Commentary
Thought-provoking commentary on various Bible verses
Psalm 53:1, There Is No God
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” //Please forgive me for taking a break from commentary to climb on my soapbox a moment. It’s important to me to be tolerant of various religious beliefs, including atheism, so, naturally, this is not a verse I much appreciate. But I…
John 21:11, 153 Fish
Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. //Jesus, newly-resurrected, appears to his disciples as they are fishing in Galilee. He tells them to draw in the nets and cast them over…
John 19:30, Jesus Hands Over a Spirit
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. //I’ve quoted the NIV translation of this verse, but a more accurate translation is Jesus “handed over” his spirit. This is a very different picture than the other…
Revelation 13:18, The Number of the Beast, Part II
This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is a man’s number. His number is 616. //No, this isn’t a repeat. No, this isn’t a typo. Two days ago, I introduced the beastly number 666, and why first-century Christians immediately…
Revelation 13:18, The Number of the Beast
This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666. //Most learned scholars of Revelation today recognize that, at least on some level, John names first-century Roman Emperor Nero Caesar as the Beast of Revelation….
II Samuel 21:17, Who Killed Goliath?
And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew [the brother of] Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. //Thus was the brother of Goliath slain. Or was he? In the original Hebrew,…
Jude 1:9, The Body of Moses
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” //What on earth is this verse all about? Michael and Satan squabbling over the body of Moses? According…
Genesis 2:18, Man’s Helper
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” //So God made Eve, right? Nope, read your Bible. God made animals. Lots of them, and paraded them before Adam, so Adam could choose one for a “helper.”…
Acts 10:38, A Good Man
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, for God was with him. //Today’s verse is a call for Christians to unite. Whether you see Jesus as a wandering first-century…