The expectation of modern believers is the snatching away. In many circles, this event is referred to as the rapture of the church. Both terms require explanation. I personally prefer “the snatching away”, as it best approximates what Scripture itself says about… Lees verder
Every now and then, books are found attributed to apostles or other biblical figures. Examples include the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary (Magdalene), and the Gospel of Philip. There are also alternative writings on the Acts of the… Lees verder
There is considerable disagreement within the various groups within Christianity about the so-called spiritual gifts. Why is this? Is Scripture so unclear about what spiritual gifts are, why they are given, to whom, and (until) when? The spiritual gifts are… Lees verder
So far, we have looked at what Matthew, Mark, and Luke record about the crucifixion. Finally, if we compare John’s account with this, we are confirmed in the fact that there were three crosses on Golgotha. Interestingly, John does not… Lees verder
In the previous blog post, I mentioned the two main sources I know that claim there were five crosses on Golgotha. When I refer to “the article,” I refer to the first one, as it is more extensive than the… Lees verder
Were there three or five crosses on Golgotha? Most readers will never have asked themselves that question. After all, it is common knowledge that the Lord was crucified with two others. Yet, especially when something is rarely questioned, it’s good… Lees verder
The Book of Ruth is a short book of four chapters. In our Bibles, it is placed after the Book of Judges because it takes place in the same period (1:1). the redeemerA key theme in the book of Ruth… Lees verder
When Paul arrives in Athens, the center of philosophy, in Acts 17 (the word “wishers” in verse 18 literally means “philosophers“), he doesn’t bombard them with Bible texts, but appeals to their common sense, to wisdom. Philosophy means: love of… Lees verder
Peter, in his famous speech on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, demonstrates that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah and would rise from the dead. His listeners are Israelites (verses 22 and 36), and he therefore appeals to… Lees verder
Does hell exist? The short answer is: no. But in Christianity, the existence of hell is hardly ever questioned. Many other religions also talk about hell. Hell is the concept of a place where God sends unbelievers as punishment and… Lees verder
A well-known song in Christian Netherlands is: I can do all things, followed by: in Him who gives me strength (Revival songs 122). This phrase seems to be taken one by one from Philippians 4:13 of the NKJV translation. The… Lees verder
What is death in the Bible? Answering the question of what death is, should not be difficult. Death is nothing in itself, but it describes the absence of something: death is the absence of life. And with that, the question of… Lees verder
In the Bible we find many parables. Jesus begins speaking in parables in Matthew 13, in a series of eight parables. In addition, we find other information. For example, it is the only occasion where Jesus explains to His disciples… Lees verder
The stories about Elijah in the book of 1 Kings begin with Elijah telling King Ahab that it will no longer rain unless he says so. We know from other Scriptures that it did not rain for a period of… Lees verder
In the stories of Elijah and Elisha we find repeatedly told how something new comes to replace the old. This starts with the prophets themselves, Elisha succeeds Elijah. These two prophets, who even in their names are very similar, are… Lees verder
Elijah is one of the well-known prophets from the Old Testament. His name means: (my) God is YAHWEH. Elijah is often mentioned in the same breath as his successor Elisha, whose name means: God is salvation. Their names are similar… Lees verder
In Exodus 15, Israel has left Egypt. They have passed through the Red Sea and the hostile Egyptians have been swallowed up by the water. They arrive at Marah and the people are thirsty, but the water of Marah is… Lees verder
The principle that people are given different names is found many times in Scripture. Abram becomes Abraham (Gen. 17:5), Jacob becomes Israel (Gen. 32:28), Saul becomes Paul (Acts 13:9), etc. All these name changes have meaning and often the meaning… Lees verder
In the previous blog we saw that being filled in spirit is the same as letting the word of Christ dwell richly in us, because His words are spirit and life (John 6:63). In Ephesians 5, Paul gives three characteristics… Lees verder
In the previous blog we saw that Paul states in Ephesians 5 that the days in which we live are evil and that we should therefore redeem the time. It takes wisdom not to go along with the foolishness and… Lees verder