Dr Paul Allen

The resurrection of the dead by Michelangelo Buonarroti (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “ Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” ( Isaiah 26:19 ) Some have argued that the doctrine of a bodily resurrection was unknown to the Israelites of the Old Testament . In fact, this denial was a cardinal doctrine of the sect of the Sadducees at the time of Christ ( Matthew 22:23 ). Our text, however, makes it clear that this promise has always been known to the people of God. Long before Isaiah’s time, Job had said: “I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And . . . in my flesh shall I see God” ( Job 19:25-26 ). After the time of Isaiah, the promise was still known. “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” ( ...

The Reformed Church of France, Paris, France (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come; from the rising of the sun he shall call on My name; and he shall come against princes as though mortar, as the potter treads clay” (Isa. 41:25). Isaiah here returns to his former argument that only God is all-powerful and only He can determine the future. When God says that He “raised up one from the north,” some see this as relating to Cyrus and others as relating to Jesus Christ . But John Calvin maintains that Isaiah denotes two different things, for when he says “from the north” he means die Babylonians , and when he says “from the rising of the sun,” he means the Medes and Persians. It is as if the Lord had said, “Two changes shall happen that are worthy of remembrance; for I will raise up the Babylonians, whose empire I will exalt on high, and next shall come the Persians, who shall become their masters.” God was displaying His power befor...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows a vertical section focusing on Jesus. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” M...

An ad campaign for a credit card pounds away at consumers with the relentless tagline, “What’s in your wallet?” A far more important question arises for those embracing the Shema with its Great Commandment of Deuteronomy 6:5 . The next verse prescribes the starting place for an all-consuming love for God : “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart.” A lot rides on how we answer the question, “What’s on your heart?” A heart in love with God will be saturated with Scripture. What does on-your- heart Scripture saturation look like? Deuteronomy 11:18 says, “Lay up these words of mine in your heart.” Deuteronomy 32:46 counsels, “Take to heart all the words.” Psalm 119:11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart.” Proverbs 3:3 pictures it this way: “Write them [God’s words] on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 7:1 puts it, “Treasure up my commandments with you.” Luke 8:15 says, “Hold it fast in an honest and good heart.” Colossians 3:16 directs, “Let the w...

Saint Timothy (ortodox icon) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience , and of faith unfeigned." ( 1 Timothy 1:5 ) The Greek noun parangelia and its corresponding verb paranello appear six times in the book of 1 Timothy, translated as either " charge " or "commandment." Paul was quite concerned for his young disciple Timothy and went to great effort to remind him of the truth and charge him to keep it and encourage its keeping in the lives of those in his care. Let us briefly look at these charges. First, Paul wanted to charge Timothy to remain strong in his personal faith. "Thischarge I commit unto thee . . . that thou . . . mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience" ( 1:18-19 ). "I give thee charge in the sight of God . . . . That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ ...