Dr Paul Allen

Can you imagine what Ezekiel went through when he heard the words God uttered to him in Ezekiel 3:7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. Can you imagine? Here is a man who was simply minding his own business when God intervenes. He is one of the few to interact with God, he survives the encounter, and God raises him up as one of His prophets. But then after tasking him with the job of being a preacher to his own people, the people of Israel, he leaves him with a bomb. By the way, they’re not going to listen to you! What in the world? Then why bother? Ok, then send me somewhere else! Those are some of the statements I’d be tempted to make if I were in Mr. Ezekiel's shoes.  Can you imagine telling a believer this?  If someone had told you, as you made plans to go to UK or France or Italy, that you would spend 50 years preaching but no one ...

We are prone to make assumptions about God and His favor when life has us down due to sin, mistakes, or incomprehensible circumstances. Of all the Scripture passages we might turn to during these times, the bizarre vision that opens the book of Ezekiel would not register high on our list. However, reading this passage with its original ancient context in mind reveals a powerful message for its original recipients and for every believer. https://hopecollege.com The Babylonian Context Ezekiel had his vision in Babylon as one of the captive exiles (Ezek 1:1–3). Comparing his vision to Babylonian iconography reveals that Ezekiel saw a divine “throne-chariot” of the heavens—widely described in the ancient biblical world. Just as human kings had chariots, so did deities. A deity would traverse the heavens in his chariot throne, inspecting his domain and exercising authority over it. In Ezekiel’s vision, this throne sits atop the “expanse” (רקיע, raqiaʾ, 1:26)—the same word used in Gene...

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. — Galatians 3:13 Great hymns have the ability to unite the family of God , throughout history and the world, in the truths about God that matter most. But when voices from within the church begin to question or deny what the church holds most dear, great hymns become flashpoint of controversy. Such is the case with “In Christ Alone.” Some say they find it offensive enough to change one uncomfortable line, or abandon the song altogether. But I want you to see that the original line is deeply biblical and profoundly good news. The second verse says, Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied Some find this line so troubling they have changed it to “the love of God was magnified.” Love Magnified It’s certainly true that the love of God was magnified at the cross. Romans 5:8 says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners , Christ died for us.” And in Galatians 2:2...

The baptism of the eunuch by Rembrandt, 1626, depicting Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Philip was told to ‘Go south.’ The person who gave him this instruction is called an angel of the Lord , although in later stages of the story, it is ‘the Spirit’ who directed him to the Ethiopian and ‘the Spirit of the Lord’ who then took him away again.  Philip was sent to (and along) the desert road that goes down about sixty miles from Jerusalem to Gaza , which was the most southerly of the five Philistine cities, and near the Mediterranean coast . Whether the Gaza in question was ‘old Gaza’ which had been destroyed in 93 BC, or ‘new Gaza’ which had been built further south some thirty-five years later, we are not told. In either case, the road was well used, for it continued past Gaza to Egypt and so to the African continent. Philip meets the Ethiopian (Acts 8:27–29) The ‘Ethiopia’ of those days corresponded to what we call ‘the Upper Nile’, reaching app...

Moab Is My Washpot (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) STEPHEN FRY AND CANCER Stephen Fry  was  asked  what he would say if he were "confronted by  God ."   Fry replied,  "I'd say, bone cancer in children? What's that about?  How dare you create a world to which there is such misery that is not our fault. It's not right, it's utterly, utterly evil.  Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain. That's what I would say." Interviewer:  "And you think you are going to get into heaven, like that?"  Fry replied:  "I wouldn't want to. I wouldn't want to get in on his terms. They are wrong. Now, if I died and it was Pluto,  Hades , and if it was the 12  Greek gods , then I would have more truck with it, because the Greeks didn't pretend to not be human in their appetites, in their capriciousness, and in their unreasonableness.  They didn't pr...

English: Solomon Dedicates the Temple at Jerusalem, c. 1896-1902, by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902) or followers, gouache on board, 10 5/16 x 7 1/2 in. (26.2 x 19.2 cm), at the Jewish Museum, New York (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel , and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city… . There was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway” (vv. 2–3).- Ezekiel 40 Let us take a moment to put ourselves in the shoes of the exiles to whom Ezekiel first addressed his prophecy. These people knew their ancestral history, how God saved them from Egypt and dwelt with them in a beautiful tabernacle ( Ex. 26 ; 40 ). Moreover, they remembered the glorious temple in Jerusalem , a structure so impressive and important that the Bible devotes eighteen chapters to its layout, construction, and dedication, and the appointm...

English: Scan of a Gustave Doré engraving "The Vision of The Valley of The Dry Bones" - 1866 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne , in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance” (v. 26).- Ezekiel 1:4–28 Immediately after describing the historical circumstances of his prophetic call, Ezekiel describes his first vision of the Lord. This incredible vision has perplexed many people in the modern world, for the imagery is indeed strange to us. More sensational readings of Ezekiel 1:4–28 have even suggested that the passage describes an encounter that the prophet had with extraterrestrials. Such theories impress upon us the importance of paying attention to the historical and literary context of the Bible so that we might escape ludicrous speculation, for Ezekiel’s vision makes perfect sense in his own setting. The prophet’s vision concerns “ four li...

Tetramorph. Fresco, Meteora. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “ Son of man , take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus , and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” ( Ezekiel 28:12 ) This prophecy against the King of Tyre is very similar to the prophecy given over a century earlier against the King of Babylon ( Isaiah 14:3-28 ). Both are ostensibly addressed to earthly kings, yet both are impossible to apply to any mere human monarch. In both instances, it becomes obvious that an evil spirit—in fact, none other than Satan himself—had possessed the bodies of these kings. Thus God , through Ezekiel, is here speaking primarily to Satan. Satan had been “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty,” but he became proud instead of thankful. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground” ( Ezekiel 28:17 ). He had been “the anointed cheru...

John Piper (theologian) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) A Commanding Invitation Psalm 119 stands as an invitation to us to approach God ’s word with our whole minds (Psalm 119:113) and our whole hearts (Psalm 119:2). It commands us to think rightly and feel deeply about God’s word. It leaves no room for a clean division of the intellect and emotions , but rather demands a response from both the mind and the heart. Whether we hear God’s word in a call to worship , a confession of sin , an assurance of pardon, an exposition, or in the benediction — every time we hear the words of Scripture, God is speaking to his people. There is no space for yawning when God is speaking. His word commands our attention, our affection, and our obedience. We see in the 176 verses of Psalm 119 an unbreakable chain of knowing and feeling. The psalmist has tasted the word of God, and has developed an unquenchable appetite for it. His passions have been fixed on knowing and experiencing God’s word. He has...

Jan Brueghel the Elder, John the Baptist preaching (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Worship that is pure ascription—focused not on us, but solely on God —gets our eyes off ourselves and onto the Lord . It is a biblical way to worship! Psalm 115:1 says, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory.” Worship is not about us, as though it is an opportunity for us to show how zealous and spiritual we are. It’s entirely about the Lord. Like John the Baptist , we must come to each worship service with a mindset that says, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). In Ezekiel 44:16, God instructs the priests to “enter my sanctuary … to minister to me.” Worship, therefore, is something we offer God. It’s not a show the church puts on to make us feel good or to motivate us. Worship is something we do to honor God. Related articles How much of a priority should worship be in the church? (altruistico.wordpress.com) The Kingdom, the church, and worship (wrob77.wor...