Dr Paul Allen

English: The Prophet Isaiah (Is. 1:1-7,16-31) Русский: Пророк Исайя (Ис. 1:1-7,16-31) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) This is a highly complex question, and an answer less than book length barely scratches the surface. There has been more discussion of the unity of Isaiah by both defenders and critics than any other prophetic book of the Old Testament .  It is the unanimous opinion of the critical school of thought that the Book of Isaiah is not a unity. Chapters 40–66 are supposedly written by an unknown author or authors living at the end of the Babylonian captivity (after 540 B.C.) and are designated as Deutero-Isaiah or Second Isaiah.  Many overlapping and equally unfounded lines of argument are used to support this contention. The critics contend that chapters 40–66 presuppose the exile. The city of Jerusalem is portrayed as ruined and deserted (44:26; 58:12), and the people are portrayed as suffering at the hands of the Chaldeans (42:22, 25; 47:6).  Those who...

Wait a minute. The Bible needed an upgrade ? Those sound like fighting words to anyone with a high view of Scripture. An upgrade implies that something needed updating, but the Bible is timeless! That’s true, but in this case I would have to excuse myself from the ring. I wouldn’t want to tangle with those responsible for the improvements: the biblical writers and, well, the Spirit of God. Believe it or not, there is evidence that the Bible was updated.1 That may sound strange, but if you read closely, it’s undeniable. Take Genesis 14:14 as an illustration: When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men … and went in pursuit as far as Dan . Did you notice the problem ? This is the time of Abram, a time before Moses and Joshua—before there was a promised land divided among the tribes of Israel . There wasn’t even an Israel yet. So what’s up with the reference to the land that belonged to the tribe of Dan ? If we plotted out the battle bet...

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” ( John 4:24 ) Mankind has always struggled with this aspect of God. The Second Commandment prohibited any attempt to represent God by any physical shape ( Exodus 20:4-5 ). The triune God cannot be contained by finite attributes. “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” ( 1 Timothy 1:17 ) “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” ( 1 Timothy 6:16 ) Were it not for the Second Person of the Godhead, He whom the apostle John identifies as “the Word,” we would have no possibility of knowing God ( John 1:1-14 ). Philip asked to see the Father , and the Lord Jesus replied: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” ( John 14:9 ). But how can this be? Paul explained to the Philippian church that Jesus Christ ...

Psalm 21, Initial D. In: Albani-Psalter (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts : all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.” ( Psalm 42:7-8 ) There are times in the life of a believer when he seems about to sink under great avalanches of trouble and sorrow. But then “I call to remembrance my song in the night” ( Psalm 77:6 ), and God answers once again. In the book of Psalms , the theme of conflict and suffering is prominent, but always there is also the note of hope and ultimate triumph. The very first psalm, for example, notes the conflict of the righteous with the ungodly, but promises that “the way of the ungodly shall perish” (v. 6). The second psalm foretells the final rebellion of the heathen against God and His anointed, but assures us that God will “vex them in his sore displeasur...

English: An image of Psalm 23 (King James' Version), frontispiece to the 1880 omnibus printing of The Sunday at Home. Scanned at 800 dpi. Français : Illustration du Psaume 23 (version autorisée par le roi Jacques), en frontispice de l'édition omnibus du Sunday at home. Version numérisée à 800 dpi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Joy is the emotion of salvation. We rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory ( 1 Peter 1:8). If you’re a Christian, the Spirit gives you soaring delight in Christ . His beauty and greatness thrill your soul. But quite a few believers struggle to experience joy. Why is that? Some people by nature tend to be sad, and joy is an ongoing challenge. When I read Martyn Lloyd-Jones ’s classic, Spiritual Depression , I was surprised that he mentions temperament or personality as “the first and foremost cause.” He may be right. But there are other reasons. Young moms are often surprised at how tired they are — sleepless and exhausted — and th...

English: Jeroboam's idolatry, 1 Kings 12:25-33, illustration from a Bible card published 1904 by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing.” ( Exodus 20:4 )   There are several reasons why idolatry is forbidden. The most obvious it that the triune Creator is too great to attempt to visualize ( Exodus 34:5-7 ). There is no thing or experience in human existence that can represent the immortal and invisible Creator ( 1 Timothy 6:16 ).   Thus, God sees any effort to “picture” Him (idolatry) as rebellion ( Jeremiah 5:19-25 ). It does not matter how we may attempt to “see” God. “Any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” ( Exodus 20:4 ) are all totally incapable of expressing God’s person.   Romans 1:18-32 reveals the heart of an idolater. Those who hold the truth in unrighteousness (v...

Etty William Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The evangelists give circumstantial accounts of the facts connected with that event, and the apostles, also, in their public teaching largely insist upon it.  Ten different appearances of our risen Lord are recorded in the New Testament . They may be arranged as follows: (1.) To Mary Magdalene at the sepulchre alone. This is recorded at length only by John (20:11–18), and alluded to by Mark (16:9–11). (2.) To certain women, “the other Mary,” Salome, Joanna, and others, as they returned from the sepulchre. Matthew (28:1–10) alone gives an account of this. (Comp. Mark 16:1–8, and Luke 24:1–11.) (3.) To Simon Peter alone on the day of the resurrection. (See Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5.) (4.) To the two disciples on the way to Emmaus on the day of the resurrection, recorded fully only by Luke (24:13–35. Comp. Mark 16:12, 13). (5.) To the ten disciples (Thomas being absent) and ...

"Son of man" appears 25 times in Luke, a copy (c. 800) shown here. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” ( Matthew 21:4-5 ) When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an unbroken donkey colt on that momentous first day of the week, just a week before His resurrection, the multitudes quickly recognized that He was fulfilling an ancient prophecy and thereby specifically claiming to be their long-awaited Messiah . The prophecy was that of Zechariah 9:9, and the people in turn began to fulfill David’s even more ancient prophecy, laying palm branches in His path, and crying out: “Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD ” ( Psalm 118:26 ). This is one of the few events in the life of Christ that are recorded in all four gospels, though only Matthew notes it as the fulfi...

Rembrandt's Timothy and his grandmother, 1648. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) It was an elder meeting I’ll never forget. I’d just returned from a leadership conference where the pastor of one of America ’s largest churches had waxed eloquent about the unique challenges and hardships that come with pastoral ministry. He claimed that leading a ministry is the toughest of jobs. The stakes are eternal. Our enemy is the epitome of evil. He’s cagey, fierce, and the ultimate deceiver. We’re prone to be misunderstood. Our message is unpopular. Most of our rewards come later. And we’re asked to give more than we get. Since I was in the middle of a particularly dark season of ministry, his words resonated with me. Like Asaph in Psalm 73 , I was beginning to wonder if ministry was worth it all. At our next elder meeting, I began to share what he’d said. I couched it as a request for prayer. But in reality, I just wanted some empathy and understanding. But before I could get into my ...