The Bible in 3D

Who is the great prostitute riding the scarlet beast? In the final part of the series, Andrew follows one of Revelation's most shifting symbols to its end, then steps back to the great white throne, the new creation, and what Jesus Himself told His disciples about His return.

**The great prostitute and the scarlet beast.** In Revelation 17–18 the woman is first a great prostitute, then Babylon the Great, then the one who sits on seven hills, the familiar description of Rome. Yet when she falls in chapter 18, she looks like a great port city, and everyone weeping ov...

Seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls. Are there 21 separate judgments in Revelation, or seven judgments told three times? In Part 3, Andrew turns from how we read Revelation to the shape of the narrative itself.

The cycle of threes. Semitic writers often say the same thing three times, adding or stripping away detail with each pass. In Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar make their case in three rounds, each shorter and weaker until Zophar doesn't speak at all, showing that their argument collapses. Peter's vision of the sheet comes three times before he goes to the house of...

What you get out of Revelation depends on which school of interpretation you follow, and once you buy into one, it colors every symbol you read. In Part 2, Andrew lays out the four recognized schools and then turns to sequencing: where the millennium, the tribulation, and the rapture fall.

The idealist school. Revelation as allegory, a moral story about persecution and God's final victory, much like Aesop's fables. Andrew reads Revelation 20:1–6 and asks whether the thousand years is real or symbolic. He also notes that the final battle with Gog and Magog comes after the millennium, not at...

There is no shortage of material on Revelation, and most of it offers to tell you the timing, the world players, and the geopolitics of the end. It's often entertaining and it always leaves us unsatisfied — Jesus himself said no one knows the timing of his return. So this four-part series takes a different approach: Revelation as great literature, and the literary challenges of studying it.

Foreword and Introduction. Revelation means to unveil or disclose; the Greek behind it gives us "apocalypse," which we have since narrowed to mean the end of the world. John received the vi...

Apocrypha Deuterocanonical books

The Apocrypha originated as highly esteemed books that weren’t Scripture. There were 12 (or 15, depending on how they are divided): Tobit, Judith, Wisdom (of Solomon), Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, 1 Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees

Septuagint and were formally affirmed as canonical by the Council of Trent in 1546. Protestant traditions generally exclude them from the biblical canon, viewing them as useful for edification but not divinely authoritative.

5-Reasons to Reject the Apocrypha Books

1. Lack of Hebrew Originals and Jewish Canon: The reformers, adhering to the principle of sola scriptura (Scripture alone), argued th...

The book of Jeremiah exists in two primary versions: the Masoretic Text, the standard Hebrew text behind our Old Testament, and the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation made from a different Hebrew source. They differ significantly in length and arrangement — and the Dead Sea Scrolls contain both. Andrew walks through the problem and offers a straightforward explanation.

Length. The Septuagint version runs roughly an eighth shorter than the Masoretic Text — about 2,700 fewer words. Nothing in the shorter version conflicts with the longer one, and nothing in the additional material touches doctrine.

Arrangement. Both versions begin and...

Some passages in your Bible carry a footnote: the earliest manuscripts do not include these verses. Andrew opens a new three-part sub-series on Difficulties in the Bible by walking through the three most famous examples — what they say, how they got there, and why none of it should shake your confidence in Scripture.

The three passages

John 7:53–8:11 — The woman caught in adultery. "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." Absent from the earliest Alexandrian manuscripts, yet almost certainly a true account the early church knew so well that a copyist preserved it.

J...

External and Internal Evidence for the Bible

You might also like our other podcast The Psalms. we release 1 chapter per week on the psalms, how do the psalms tell us how to pray.

Do human beings have free will?

When we talk about free will, we are usually concerned with the matter of salvation. https://www.gotquestions.org/is-God-sovereign.html

Sovereignty of God – Romans 8:29-39, Ephesians 1:4, 2:8-9

Free Will – John 3:16 https://www.gotquestions.org/arminianism.html https://www.gotquestions.org/calvinism.html https://www.gotquestions.org/semi-Pelagianism.html

Perhaps the more important question for the Followers-of-Jesus is this: what is the extent and limit of our free will?

Obvious Limits - Our free will is limited by our genes, our time and our...

Imitating Christ in Our Ministry

The question is what was our Lord's approach to his earthly ministry? See Corinthians 11:1

What are Not Acceptable Ministry Practices? Let us at ways and methods our Lord specifically rejected when it came to ministry. See Luke 4:1-13

1. Bribes - Jesus rejected the first temptation, to turn stones into bread. On a ministry level, Jesus rejected the temptation to give people "stuff," that is to bribe them into following him. Bribes include: bread, rice, money, and so on. This means that Jesus rejected ministries such as the Prosperity...

The Emotional Problem of Evil – How to comfort those going through intense suffering? Sympathy, not explanation, is the key. It is not necessarily a questioning of God. This page further explores the Emotional Problem of Evil.

Is there a purpose for suffering?

For Followers-of-Jesus, the New Testament teaches the following four-fold reason or purpose for suffering:

There is an internal purpose for suffering. All suffering and trials of any kind strengthen and mature the Christian’s faith. From the Book of James we know that if a Christian responds to the suffering brought on b...

How can the All-Powerful, Loving, and Just God allow evil and human suffering?  

The conclusion in the modern mind is that God either does not exist or if he does, he is neither all-powerful nor all-good. This results in a Theodicy, an effort to defend the existence of God (and his power and goodness) in the face of evil in the world. 

The Intellectual Problem of Evil – How do you make a rational argument for the coexistence of an all-good, all-powerful God with evil and human suffering? (This is the subject of the apologists.)  

The...

How can the All-Powerful, Loving, and Just God allow evil and human suffering?  

The conclusion in the modern mind is that God either does not exist or if he does, he is neither all-powerful nor all-good. This results in a Theodicy, an effort to defend the existence of God (and his power and goodness) in the face of evil in the world. 

The Intellectual Problem of Evil – How do you make a rational argument for the coexistence of an all-good, all-powerful God with evil and human suffering? (This is the subject of the apologists.)  

The...

Does the Bible require a saved, born-again Christian to give 10% of their gross income to the local church?  No.

In the Old Testament, a "tithe" is usually thought of as giving 10%, of the produce of your land: crops, fruits, herds and flocks, but not your actual land

The Old Testament:

All of whi...

Key Words:  Hypocrisy, False Teaching, Doing the Will of God

Matthew 5:2-11, Luke 6:20-26 – Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake and on account of their testimony about Jesus. 

Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 

Matthew 11:6 - And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.

Matthew 18:7, Luke 17:1 - Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to...

Key Words:  Doing/Keeping God’s Word 

Matthew 4:4 - Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. 

Matthew 7:26-27, Luke 6:46-49 - And everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a man who builds his house on a solid foundation. 

Matthew 11:25-30 - 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light 

Matthew 12:48-50, Luke 8:21 - For whoever does the wil...

Key Words:  Worship, Love, Do not Test, Give it All

Matthew 4:7 - You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.

Matthew 4:10 - You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.

Matthew 5:33-37 – You shall not swear falsely.  Do not take an oath.  Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.

Matthew 12:32 - Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the a...

Key Words:  Beware, Careless Speech, Hypocrisy, Coveting, Dissipation

Matthew 7:15-16 - Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will recognize them by their fruits. 

Matthew 12:36 - On the day of judgment, you will give account for every careless word you speak.

Matthew 15:10-11, Mark 7:14-23 - It is what comes out of the mouth; this is what defiles a person.  For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, prid...

Key Words:  Do not be anxious about the things of this life, rather seek the Kingdom of God, and God will give you what you need.

Matthew 6:19-21 -  Do not lay up for yourself riches on earth, which perish, but lay up for yourself riches in heaven that are eternal.  Where your treasure is, there is your heart also.

Matthew 6:25-27 – Do not be anxious about your life, you cannot add a single hour to your life.  God knows what you need, and he will provide it.

Matthew 6:34 -  Do not be anxious...

Key Words:  Pay taxes, honor authorities

Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 12:17, Luke 20:21-26

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"  But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hy...

Key Words:  Anonymous, Service, Denial, Renounce

Matthew 6:2-8 – Do not let anyone know about your giving or your praying.

Matthew 6:16-18 – Fast in secret.

Matthew 18:4 - Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 10:42-45, Luke 22:24-27 - Whoever would be great among you must be a servant to all.

Mark 10:45 - For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Luke 9:23-27 - And he sa...

Key Words:    Forgive, Mercy, Humility, Reconciliation.

Matthew 5:1-32 – Blessed are the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers.

Matthew 5:38-48, Luke 6:27-37  – Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.

Matthew 6:14 – Forgive others their trespasses against you.

Matthew 7:1-2 - Judge not, that you be not judged. 

Matthew 7:12 – Do unto others what you would have them do to you.

Matthew 15:4 – Honor your father and mother.

Matthew 18:4 – Turn and humble yourself like a child. 

Mathew 18:22 - Forgive your brother 70 x 7 times, as in always forgive.<...

Matthew 28:18-20 -  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 

Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17 - And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Matthew 9:37 - "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

Matthew 10:16 - Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

...

Matthew 4:17 –   Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mark 1:15 –         Repent and believe in the gospel.

Luke 7:50 –         Your faith has saved you, go in peace.

Luke 13:5 –         Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish 

Luke 13:22-30 – Strive to enter through the narrow door.  Many will seek but will not be able.

John 1:1-12 –     But to all who received him and believed, he gave the right to be children of God.

John 3:1-21 –     You must be born again.

John 4:1-15 –     Whoever drinks of the water that I give will never thirst and...

An introductory episode to the Commands of Jesus

This is episode 9, and the last episode, of our first series.  Last time examined the lives of several slaves of God. They did not obey God because they "felt" like it or because they had the "heart" for it. Instead they obeyed God simply because God commanded it. Indeed in most cases, if they had followed their hearts, they would not have acted at all. 

Know whose slave you are and whose slave you are not. Submit to those in authority, but do not be their slaves. 

Remember whose slave you are and whose slave you...

This is episode 8 of our first series. Last time we saw that Biblical worship is very different from contemporary 21st Century Church worship. Biblical worship involved offering your body as a living sacrifice, as a slave to God.

Today we are going to look as some Biblical examples of the Slaves of God. I have to warn you, it’s not pretty.

The slaves of God in Scripture did not act because they "felt" like it or because they had the "heart" for it. Instead they acted simply because God commanded it. Indeed in most ca...

This is episode 7 of our first series.  Last time we saw that the only way to show our love for Jesus was to obey his commands, and if we did not obey his commands, we were demonstrating that we did not love him.

Perhaps we are not always obeying the commands of Jesus, but what about worship? Do we not show our love for God through our worship? Some have said that God wants our worship more than our obedience. But is that true?  Let’s start by asking what it means to “worship.”

The word wor...

This is episode 6 of our first series. Last time we talked about how important it is to obey the commands of Jesus.

Now you may say: “Well, I don’t always obey Jesus as well as I should, but I “love” Jesus.” But can we love Jesus if we do not obey his commands?

On that subject Jesus was very clear, If you love me, you will obey what I command. John 14:15. Whoever has my commands an obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, an...

This is episode 5 of our first series. Last time we saw how the Followers-of-Jesus have very specific commands that they must follow. That was certainly not a complete list, but it was a short list of what the Apostles who wrote the New Testament Epistles emphasized to the early Christian churches. Today we are going to look at Jesus teaching on who is a good and faithful slave and who is a lazy and wicked slave. Again I remind us, that we are all slaves, the question is simply whose slave are you.

Our Lord Jesus Christ...