Acts 25:23 NIV

"The next day Agrippa and Bernice arrived at the auditorium with great pomp." Acts 25:23. That is, with great phantasy or vain show. All the honor, pomp, and accolade of this world is but a phantasy. Worldly honor is but a great nothing—a glorious illusion, a shadow, a dream. Great swelling titles a... Read More

Front page news on the Sunday paper (Sunday Tribune – South Africa) this week was that a prominent South African politician was made a pastor by a group of independent Charismatic churches this past Saturday. Most of the readers would respond with “so what”. Well, this man was never trained for the ... Read More

Acts XXV. 23 "And on the morrow, when Agrippa had come, and Bernice with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul was brought forth. See what an audience is gathered together for Paul. Having collected ... Read More

From Thomas Boston's "Human Nature in its Fourfold State" Section I. MAN'S LIFE IS VANITY "For I know that you will bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living." Job 30:23. I come now to discourse of man's eternal state, into which he enters by death. Of this entrance, Job takes a s... 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

Deities (1140)(daimonion from daímon = demon) most often describes demons or evil spirits who have supernatural powers and are neither human nor divine (Mt 7:22). Acts 17:18 refers specifically to to heathen gods. In the context of a Jewish use it more often refers to a demon, evil spirit, devil, or... 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

Power (1411) (dunamis from dunamai = to be able, to have power) power especially achieving power. It refers to intrinsic power or inherent ability, the power or ability to carry out some function, the potential for functioning in some way (power, might, strength, ability, capability), the power resi... Read More

Witnesses (3144) (martus/martys) basically describes one who remembers something and testifies concerning what they remember. Notice that martus has a two fold meaning of (1) describing one who has seen and/or experienced something or someone and (2) one who testifies to what he or she saw. The test... Read More

James 5: 11. "Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face" May surely be said, upon the reading of this deeply affecting story. Said, too, with peculiar fitness and fulness of truth, as though the thought of the Christian poet had been suggested by the tale of the inspired historian. The fr... Read More