Hastings’ five-volume Bible Dictionary declares that the only reference in the whole Bible that even suggests the pre-existence of human souls is John 9:1-3. Therefore it is reasonable we should begin this series by taking a look at this reference. [Read more…]

Job 38:3-7  “Where were you when I laid earth’s foundation? Declare if you know and understand. Who fixed its measurements? (For presumably you know!) Who set upon it the measuring line? On what were its foundations sunk? Who laid its cornerstone? when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” [Read more…]

Leviticus 23:24  “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.'” [Read more…]

Isaiah 48:8  “. . . for I know that you dealt very treacherously, and were called a transgressor from the womb.” [Read more…]

In part 4 we saw that some people were said by God to be wicked from the womb. In this part we shall look at the opposite state, being born to election by God. [Read more…]

The parables of Matthew 13 all come with a formula, “The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to . . .” To understand them (which is not always an easy task) one should start by realising that they have nothing whatever to do with evangelism, “getting people saved”, and so on. They were intended to portray conditions of entry in the Kingdom of God. Having said that, let’s have an in-depth look at the parable of the Wheat and Tares. [Read more…]

Here is a typical example of the teaching our Lord gave in the parable of the wheat and the tares. Let’s have a look at the situation regarding the birth of the twins, Jacob and Esau. [Read more…]

In the 12th and last chapter of Ecclesiastes, Solomon finalises his thesis about the vanity of life. He advises his reader to “remember your Creator in the days of your youth, while the days of misfortune come not, and before the years draw nigh when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.'”(Verses 1-2) [Read more…]

What is life like in the heavenly dimension? What goes on there day by day? To ask a hundred people for an answer might very well produce a cross-section of information, based mainly on imagination, some of which might seem ludicrous, whilst others appear plausible. [Read more…]

Sometimes we can read what look like perfectly ordinary statements in the Scriptures, and think we have grasped the truth, only to find that we have overlooked something important. [Read more…]