Dr Paul Allen

Zechariah's vision of the four horsemen (Zechariah 6:1-8), engraving by Gustave Doré. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua ; upon one stone shall be seven eyes....his seven lamps....those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.” ( Zechariah 3:9 ; 4:2, 10) All of the visions among the myrtle trees promise a future in which the Lord rules the world from Jerusalem . Each of the visions also speak of angelic and God-ordained agencies that are used throughout history to accomplish His will. Those insights also bring serious questions about the nature of God ’s sovereignty. What is the need for horsemen that walk “to and fro”? What about the “eyes of the LORD”? Assuming that the lamps and the candlestick and the olive trees are pictures of God-ordained human involvement (as other Bible passages would confirm), what roles would they play? There is obviously much that we do not know about the hea...

Disaster that forces shipwrecked men to rely on the kindness of strangers. Earthquakes that free convicts from jail. Power that heals the sick. Epic speeches that convince thousands. I'm not talking about a Hollywood blockbuster —I'm referring to the New Testament book of Acts . The thrilling events recorded in Acts make it a great read. But what is most exciting is the power of the preached Word of God as seen in Acts. Each time the Apostles preach the gospel in Acts, they do so boldly and accurately. And each time, people are converted to Christ . The overarching message of Acts is that when the power of God's Word is faithfully preached, God uses it to save sinners and to build up believers. Acts tells us only about the beginning of God's work through His people in this new covenant . By His amazing grace, he continues to work powerfully through people like you and me. Related articles Passages from the New Testament in which the Son is acknowledged to be ...

English: Lucas Cranach the Elder: Law and Grace, Gotha version, 1529, Stiftung Schloss Friedenstein, Gotha, Germany (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness .’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God’s work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness. When God’s warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, “I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get me the victory,” defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength. He who reckons on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for “ Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. ” They who go forth to fight, boasting of their prowess, shall return ...

Isaiah 6:1–3 “Above him stood the seraphim . …And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts ; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” (vv. 2–3). Matthew 12 includes several instances of our Lord’s encounter with demons and His teaching about these wicked spirits (vv. 22, 43–45). The forces of evil, however, are not the only supernatural agents at work during the ministry of Jesus . Matthew also writes of the role of angels in the life of Christ (for example, 1:18–21; 4:11). It would be hard to discount the role of angels in the history of redemption. As an indication of their importance, note that the Greek word for angel, angelos, occurs more frequently in the New Testament than hamartia, the term for sin, and agape, one of the words we translate as “love.” Although angels are frequently mentioned, we must also admit that there is not as much information about them as there is on other topics like salvation and ethic...

English: Gideon and His Three Hundred; as in Judges 7:9-23; illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, ‘A sword for the Lord and for Gideon !’” Judges 7:20 Gideon ordered his men to do two things: covering up a torch in an earthen pitcher, he bade them, at an appointed signal, break the pitcher and let the light shine, and then sound with the trumpet, crying, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon! A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” This is precisely what all Christians must do. First, you must shine; break the pitcher which conceals your light; throw aside the bushel which has been hiding your candle, and shine. Let your light shine before men; let your good works be such, that when men look upon you, they shall know that you have been with Jes...

Song of the Angels by William Bouguereau, 1881. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Isaiah 6:1–3 “Above him stood the seraphim . …And one called to another and said: ‘ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts ; the whole earth is full of his glory!’” ( vv. 2–3 ). It would be hard to discount the role of angels in the history of redemption. As an indication of their importance, note that the Greek word for angel, angelos, occurs more frequently in the New Testament than hamartia, the term for sin, and agape, one of the words we translate as “love.” Although angels are frequently mentioned, we must also admit that there is not as much information about them as there is on other topics like salvation and ethics. Angels are mentioned frequently, but the focus is often more on the messages they bring than the nature of the angels themselves. Nevertheless, we can learn much from the descriptions of angelic activity found in Scripture. Isaiah 6 illustrates that at least some of the angels are t...

English: Peresopnytsia Gospels. 1556-1561. Miniature of Saint Matthew. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts , if I will not open you the windows of heaven , and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." ( Malachi 3:10 )   Today there is much talk of financial security . The biblical formula in today’s verse, given to Israel , but applied to all, begins with a scathing indictment. "Will a man rob God ? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings" ( v. 8 ). What a terrible thing, to rob God. The result of their thievery, in God’s eyes: "Ye are cursed with a curse" ( v. 9 ), such that their financial state was much worse than it would have been had they been obedient. This teaching and promise has not been rescinded ( Luke 6:38 ;  1 Corinthians 16:2 ...

Wenceslas Hollar - Jesus before Pilate 2 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Government is one of the facts of life in this world. All of human history has shown that we need to be governed. Not surprisingly, the Bible speaks to government. Here are five things the Bible teaches us. Every government is put in place by God . Jesus answered [Pilate], “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” (John 19:11) There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13:1b)  God uses even sinful governments to do his will. Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts : Because you have not obeyed my words, behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the LORD, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon , my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an...

The King Uzziah Stricken with Leprosy, by Rembrandt, 1635. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) It was “in the year that King  Uzziah  died” ( Isaiah 6:1) that Isaiah had his first vision . It was a time of great discouragement and dark forebodings and Isaiah shrank from the task before him, for it seemed so utterly hopeless. Judah was fast following in the footsteps of Israel , and who could stop them? If Hosea and Amos had not been able to hold Israel in check, how could anything be done to save Judah? What Judah needed was a prophet that would stir the conscience of the people and rouse them from their lethargy, preparing them for the crisis before them. And Isaiah was very doubtful that he was the man. In fact, he felt that he was not. He was “undone.” Isaiah 6:5. He had evidently gone up to worship, when suddenly the vision rose before him. The Lord was seen sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. The seraphim, a high order ...