In Genesis we encounter a concept that, when carefully studied, turns out to be a key concept. It is the Hebrew toledoth (H8435). The expression occurs 13 times and runs like a common thread through the first book of the… Lees verder
A few weeks ago I wrote a series of blogs about the first verses of Genesis. I want to pick that up again now, because there is much more to say about the creation story. For example, about the six… Lees verder
Yesterday I spoke in a study about Solomon’s judgment, in which Solomon judges between two whores and through his wisdom brings the truth to light. Solomon uses a sword for this, without actually using the sword. 1 Kings 324 Then… Lees verder
The fear of the Lord, literally: the fear of YAHWEH, is a concept that we encounter quite often in the Hebrew Bible and most believers will also be familiar with the term. The best-known text is probably: the fear of… Lees verder
In recent weeks I have written a series of blogs about the first verses of Genesis and related topics, because I had received questions about them. I have particularly discussed the so-called doctrine of restitution, which presupposes a judgment between… Lees verder
In the 2nd Peter letter, in the last chapter, Peter speaks about the then world, which has perished, being flooded with water. What world is he talking about? Some read in this that there must have been a world before… Lees verder
The Bible speaks ten times of the casting down (Greek: katabole) of the world. Does this downfall concern a judgment that has come upon a world that existed before ours, as is sometimes supposed? Or is it different? We already… Lees verder
Following my previous blogs about the beginning of Genesis 1, I have received questions from various sources, all of which concern the casting down of the world. What is that and what does it have to do with Genesis 1?… Lees verder
God has subordinated creation to vanity and corruption (Rom.8:20-21). It does not say: creation from Adam onwards. And neither: from a supposed fall of Satan. No, God designed creation this way and this world is transient by design. Genesis 12… Lees verder
In the previous blogs we looked at Genesis 1:1, the mighty words, that in (a) beginning God created the heavens and the earth. There is of course much more to say about this and we will do so when we… Lees verder
Scripture begins with this sober statement. But although simple, this statement is comprehensive. There is one God and He is the Maker of all. It literally says that this was “in beginning”. Not God’s beginning, because God has no beginning,… Lees verder
That Genesis is a special book hardly needs explanation. When we read it, it takes us to a primeval time, which we can hardly imagine. Consider the events in the Garden of Eden, where we find the beginning of humanity:… Lees verder
Christ suffered and died for our sins. He bore the suffering that came upon Him, because He knew the joy that was set before Him (Heb.12:2). Jesus Christ knew the glory He would receive and that He would receive it… Lees verder
It sometimes surprises me that in the secular world we hear truths that people would not expect there. Like in pop music. I could name many examples of that. Sometimes it is very obvious, such as with lyrics by U2:… Lees verder
In an earlier blog I wrote about seven temples. A temple in the sense of a holy place or a sacred place. That is the place where God lives and has attached His name to. The tabernacle is also included… Lees verder
In Judaism it is expected that the third temple will soon be built. There are several organizations that are involved in this, the best known of which is probably “The Temple Institute”. They indicate on their website that the ultimate… Lees verder
Knowing that Paul compares the ecclesia to the temple in his letters, we can find many treasures beneath the surface in the Old Testament histories. We can then assume that what we find described about the temple is ambiguous, that… Lees verder
In the Old Testament, God, who is invisible (1 Tim. 1:17), appeared in various ways. For example, we find it described many times that God spoke and appeared through an angel of the Lord, literally: a messenger of YAHWEH (Gen.22:11;… Lees verder
We know the custom of laying the foundation stone of a building or a house. Laying such a first stone is important and is often accompanied by a ceremony. But how do we come up with such a custom, does… Lees verder
The Hebrew word eben means stone. This word is a combination of two other words. The first part is ab, which means father (think of abba), the second part is ben, which means son. In Hebrew the stone is a… Lees verder