1 Kings 12:6-8

As for the Rabbis, the leaders of public opinion, their position towards the kingdom was quite different. Although in the rising of Bar Cochab the great Rabbi Akiba acted as the religious standard-bearer, he may be looked upon as almost an exception. His character was that of an enthusiast, his hist... Read More

"What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all peoples and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such and be he god or Devil we will receive him". That was the view of Henri Spaak former Secretary General of NATO, expressed at a time in ... Read More

There is a great need in the body of Christ for consistent reading of the Holy Scriptures in their entirety, book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. In this case we are encouraging a chronological reading of the Scriptures. Most of the confusion is created when certain teachers, groups, or... Read More

"The Pastor And Revival" Edited & Compiled by David Smithers The following material represents the godly wisdom born out of the day to day experiences of pastors who actually witnessed years of revival. To them revival was not a philosophy, a fad, or just an old story, it was something they lived. T... Read More

Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. This psalm was perhaps composed on the occasion of Absalom's rebellion, 2 Sam. 15; or of the revolt of the ten tribes, from their subjection to the family of David, 1 Kings 12; or it relates to the Chaldean oppression and captivity, 2 Kings 24-25. In the first, and joy... Read More

These must surely be among the most moving words ever penned, for they are the words of an innocent old man in a Roman dungeon awaiting his execution. They come in the last and very important letter written by Paul, written to his faithful friend and fellow-worker, Timothy.He writes of fighting the ... Read More

Deserted (forsake, abandon, leave, left) (1459) (egkataleipo from en = in + kataleipo = forsake, desert) means literally to leave down in. It conveys the sense of deserting someone in a set of circumstances that are against them. The idea is to let one down, to desert, abandon, leave in the lurch, l... Read More

Bondservant (1401) (doulos from deo = to bind) (Click additional notes on doulos) was an individual bound to another in servitude and conveys the idea of the slave's close, binding ties with his master, belonging to him, obligated to and desiring to do his will and in a permanent relation of servitu... Read More

Elders (4245) (presbuteros the comparative form of présbus = an old man or an ambassador) (Click Vine's discussion) referred to men who were older or more senior with no negative connotations but rather a sense of venerability. Presbuteros is transliterated into English as “presbyter” (a leader in o... Read More

Living (2198) (zao) refers literally to natural physical life (opposite of death, Acts 22:22, 25:24, 28:4, Ro 7:1-3, 1Cor 7:39, of Adam = 1Cor 15:45; 2Cor 4:11 = refers to natural lives of believers; Php 1:22 - "to live on in the [physical] flesh"; 1Th 4:15,17 = believers physically alive at time of... Read More