Related: Pharisees; Sadducees   The Sanhedrin (the Council, Acts 23:1) was made up of both Pharisees and Sadducees. The word sanhedrin or sanhedrim means ‘a sitting together’, and is most often translated “the council”. The word comes up an number of times in scripture; e.g. Matt. 5:22; Matt. 26:59; Mark 14:55; Mark 15:1. The Sanhedrin was […]

Ages. The following references give us the bible’s definition of ages, this age, the conclusion of this age, and the age to come. It should be noticed that ages (or, eons) have to do with this world, or a display to this world of some kind. As no longer Jews and Gentiles, but part of […]

Death in scripture is always connected with separation: Physical death – the body separate from Spirit (Jam. 2:26). For the believer who dies, scripture says they are “fallen asleep through Jesus” or “put to sleep by Jesus” (1 Thess. 4:14). Physical death is a temporary state of the body without the soul and spirit. Hades (the intermediate […]

Related: The Kingdom of Heaven; The Gospel of the Kingdom   The Kingdom of God is a moral kingdom that God has in this world, where His authority is recognized and His character is reflected. We are not told of it’s beginning, although it is never spoken of as being present until Jesus was here on earth. […]

Related: Cleansing or Washing; Sanctification; New Birth   Regeneration. The word “regenerate” means “to give a new and more vigorous life to something”. It doesn’t mean “to give a new life when there was none before”, but “to give a new lifestyle”. It is the same word from which we get the English word “Renaissance” or “re-birth”. In […]

This generation. Twelve times over in Matthew’s gospel the term “this generation” is used.  Matt. 3:7; 11:16; 12:34, 39, 41, 42, 45; 16:4; 17:17; 23:33, 36; 24:34. Half of those are found in ch.11-12. It refers to the moral class of individuals among the nations of Israel that have been the rejecters of God’s testimony […]

Main article: The Prophetic Week Related: The Beginning of Sorrows   The Great Tribulation. The last 3 1/2 years of Daniel’s seventieth week is called “the Great Tribulation” (Matt. 24:21, Rev. 7:14). During this period the 7th seal, the Seven Trumpets, and the Seven Vials/Bowl are unfolded. It begins when the “abomination of desolations” is set […]

Related: Pharisees; Herodians; Sanhedrin; Essenes; Leaven    Sadducees. This name comes from ‘Zadok’, or ‘Sadoc’, the promised line of priests in Israel who descended through Phinehas. In the gospel narratives, the Sadducees are more closely connected with the chief priests (Acts 5:17), although the office of High Priest moved between the Pharisees and Sadducees at times. During the […]

Main article: The Sufferings of Christ   Christ’s Sympathetic Sufferings are what Christ felt as He sympathized with others in their circumstances. There are at least two reasons for these sufferings: (1) His deep compassion for others, and (2) that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest.    With joy we meditate the […]

Related: Gabriel; Michael   Angels are mentioned in three ways in scripture: Conventional angels are created intelligences with great power who serve God, Heb. 1:13 A disembodied spirit, as in Matt. 18:10, Acts 12:15, Heb. 12:23 Men set in a place of authority and responsibility on earth, as in Ecc. 5:6, Mal. 2:7, Rev. 1-3. Conventional Angels. […]

What is a disciple? A disciple is a follower. It comes from the same root word as ‘discipline’, or training. To be someone’s disciple is to be trained by that person. The “following” is a theological and ideological following; it is not a simple as “becoming a fan of Jesus”.   How do we become a […]

Related: The Resurrection of Christ   The resurrection. There is a progression of understanding through scripture with regard to the resurrection. Old Testament saints knew of a resurrection from the dead in a general way, that is all (John 11:24). The resurrection was spoken of in the Old Testament, but not in great detail (see […]

Main article: Key Players and Terms in Prophecy Related: The King of the North; Daniel 11   The King of the South is a future world leader that will come into play at the end of Daniel’s seventieth week. He will have a confederacy, consisting of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia (Dan. 11:43; Ezek. 30:4-5), as […]

Main article: The Prophetic Week Related: The Great Tribulation   Events that take place in the Middle of the Week. The middle of Daniel’s seventieth week is an important milestone in prophecy. It is referred to as “the midst of the week” in Daniel 9:27.  War in heaven, and Satan cast down to the earth (Rev. […]

Related: Pharisees; Sadducees; Leaven   Herodians. This was a faction of the Jews in the first century that was sympathetic to Rome. They were a highly political group, hence their name. Naturally, they aligned more with the Sadducees (ruling class) than the Pharisees, but they were seen joined with the Pharisees to temp the Lord […]

Main article: The Sufferings of Christ   Christ’s Official Sufferings are connected not so much with the Person of our Lord, but with His Messianic offices. When the Lord came into this world according to the seed of David, He had a people (Israel). He had certain rights with respect to Israel that were denied Him. […]

Main article: Key Players and Terms in Prophecy Related: The Personal Beast; Revived Roman Empire   The Antichrist is a reference to a future world leader that will play a remarkable role in the fulfillment of Daniel’s seventieth week. Like the Personal Beast, he will come to power in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, and he […]

Related: Development of God’s Dispensations; Dispensational Truth   Dispensations or administrations are the various ordered dealings of God with men on the earth at different times. The Children of Israel in the Old Testament were in a different dispensation than we are in today. In the Millennium, inhabitants of the earth will live in a […]

Main article: Key Players and Terms in Prophecy Related: The Assyrian; The King of the South; Daniel 11   The King of the North is a future world leader that will come into play at the end of Daniel’s seventieth week. He will have a huge confederacy of Arab nations that will be allied with him; ten nations, to be […]