Having completed our investigation of Scriptural allusions to pre-existence, we now turn our attention to the beliefs of the people in the ancient world. First of all, and quite naturally so, we must look at what the Jewish people believed. [Read more…]

First of all, let’s have a look at certain well-known Scriptures, quoted from the Authorised Version.

Romans 8:29 “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be firstborn among many brethren.” [Read more…]

Hebrews 12:15 “Looking diligently . . . . lest any root of bitterness springing up disturb you, and thereby many be defiled.”

This verse may seem on the surface to have nothing to do with our subject. But a brother writing to me from the United States, has made a very interesting comment, which I would like to share, because I’d previously seen no connection. He writes as follows – [Read more…]

The career of Judas Iscariot is compassed about with perplexities, at least by traditional exegesis. But let’s have a look at the texts concerning him. [Read more…]

Evangelists have always used the following words when preaching Christ. REDEEM, RECONCILE, RANSOM,  SAVE, RESTORE, DELIVER. When pursuing the subject of pre-existence, it suddenly becomes noticeable that these words contain a hidden meaning that is usually overlooked. [Read more…]

Our next job is to study the text of Proverbs chapter 8, where we find Wisdom speaking. It is a passage that has evoked considerable interest amongst Bible students through the years, and is well known for its beauty. [Read more…]

In part 3 of this series we tackled the subject of “The Feast of Trumpets”, so-called, and found that it was to remember the creation of the world. Strictly speaking, it should have been translated “A Remembrance of Shouting (for joy)” The Lord wanted His people to enter into the joy they had once known, but had its memory pushed into the deep sub-conscious. [Read more…]

Another angle on this theme comes from an analysis of Psalm 33:14-15  which in the A.V. reads as follows – “The Lord looks from heaven; He beholds all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation He looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashions their hearts alike; He considers all their works.” [Read more…]

Isaiah 41:4  “Who has planned and performed this, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first and the last; I am He.”

The generations are all there from the beginning. It is the Lord who calls them forth into their human existence. [Read more…]

It really is surprising what can be found using lexicons, concordances, and interlinear texts of the Scriptures. I don’t want to keep moaning about the work of translators, who have worked tirelessly to bring us the Word of God, but sometimes I just wish they could have put a few more gems from the original in the margin! [Read more…]