Dr Paul Allen

If you were a Jew, you understood that it doesn’t get any better than Moses. It’s all downhill after Moses. No one will outstrip Moses and what he has given to God’s people. What came before is always better because what came before is Moses. So what is Jesus saying through this sign? He’s not just performing some cheap parlour trick to impress his disciples. Nor is he simply showing them that he has power to do what he wants. No, this whole miracle is a parable of a deeper truth about who Jesus is and about how Jesus is going to defy Jewish expectation. They thought that the pinnacle was Moses. But Jesus is saying, “No, my Father has saved the very best for last, and it’s me. It’s me.” Do you remember what John the Apostle wrote in the Prologue? John 1:16-18, “16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace in place of grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who...

  Ecclesiastes 12:7 There is great confusion about the meaning of Ecclesiastes 12:7 because many readers do not understand that the book of Ecclesiastes is written from the perspective of a man without God. So,  statements in the book are often inaccurate for a believer. For example, Ecclesiastes 2:24 says, There is nothing better for a man than to eat, drink and tell himself that his labour is good. Ecclesiastes 2:24 (NASB) That is an accurate statement for the unbeliever because life on this earth is their heaven. After the unbeliever dies, he or she is going to hell (Romans 6:23). For in 1 Corinthians 15:32, the apostle Paul tells us that if there is no resurrection for believers, then we should give ourselves to eating and drinking. We believe that when King Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, he did not fully love God with all his heart (1 Kings 11:6-10). Eventually, he repented and loved the Lord with all his heart near the end of his life (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). So, we must un...

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” ( Philippians 1:21 ) Although the glorious resurrection bodies that have been promised all believers must await the return of Christ, even the spirit-existence after death is better than this present life for the believer. Paul himself expressed “a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better” (v. 23)—“to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” ( 2 Corinthians 5:8 ). Thus, it is “gain” when a Christian dies! Since Christ, in His resurrection body, is in heaven at the right hand of the Father, the spirits of “sleeping” Christians are also there. The intermediate state is somewhat analogous to the dreaming state, in which the consciousness travels to various places and experiences while the body is asleep. In fact, death is called “sleep” for the Christian ( 1 Thessalonians 4:13 ). However, in some amazing way, these conscious spirits of believers are still distinct and recognizable. Moses and Elijah...