NCarolinian

I will have you recall John 19:31-37 -  Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.   The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.   But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs .   Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.   The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.   These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"   and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced." This prophec...

"I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." - Matthew 24:34 Put another way...The generation that witnesses the things spoken of between Matthew 24:4-30 will not pass away before ALL those events transpire. All of the events foretold in verses 4-30 will occur within the time span of a generation, a certain generation. The main timing mechanism for the start of "The Generation" that will see all these things is reunified and nationalized Israel. The people of Israel were scattered throughout the nations of the world until May of 1948. Since then, they have been harassed by their neighbors and even threatened to be wiped off the face of the planet, but still remain by the grace and many promises of God.  Many believe the story of the Fig Tree to be a huge symbolic picture of Israel mentioned in Scripture. Matthew 21:18-22 speaks to Israel missing Christ's first visitation. "Early in the mor...

I would like to propose an interpretation, possible translation, but definitely study of Genesis 1:1-2. These verses I will be dissecting read like this in the New International Version -  Genesis 1:1-2 - " In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.   Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."   My translation is as follows... Back at the start of all that humans can observe in space and time there was God and He is responsible for creating the heavens and all that is in them and the earth and all that is on and in them.  However, at this time allow me to take you back to the time when the earth was not formed yet, all the plans for earth and heaven were still in God's mind.  Then there was a tangible darkness which covered the first layer of the abyss and God's presence hovered, rested, and meditated over the sewer-like liquid of the abyssal da...

The following thoughts are highly influenced by and sometimes taken directly from two devotionals that come from Sparkling Gems From the Greek by Rick Renner.   The two devotionals are:  "It's Time for You To Stop Acting Like You're A Victim!" (pp.74-76) and "The Holy Spirit Wants To Place A Razor-Sharp Sword in Your Hands" (pp.77-79).  Many of us, including myself, exhibit a knee-jerk reaction of fear, worry, or worse when problems, issues, or blatant attacks come our way.  Scripture says it does not have to be that way.  If I knew the Scripture like the back-of-my-hand, like I want to, I could use those Words of God that apply and speak it into the situation.  We all could apply God's Word if we would just stay in God's Word, The Bible, and really soak up His teachings and do our best to memorize verses.  What you cannot sink into your head-knowledge, I believe, God will quicken to your Spirit when you need it (assuming you have read it). ...

DON’T IGNORE THE LAST WORDS!   “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. – Ephesians 6:10 In order to understand and grasp the magnitude of the importance of this verse one must observe how important the word “finally” is here.   It is taken from the Greek phrase tou loipou meaning in conclusion or in summation .   It is also a phrase that “depicts something so extremely important that it is placed at the very end of the letter.   This way if the reader remembers nothing else in the letter, he will be more likely to remember this one thing.” (p.68, Sparkling Gems from the Greek)  The verses after Ephesians 6:10 describe the Armor of God.   However, it is everything that is mentioned prior to this in the book of Ephesians that makes you appreciate this passage more.   “The book of Ephesians contains some of the deepest theological teaching in the New Testament. §   The election of the saint...