Esther 5:9-14

All my dear friends and brethren, who are of the royal seed of God!—Patience obtains the victory that runs the race and obtains the crown [1 Cor 9:24f/Heb 12:1]; be married and joined to the seed Christ the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world [Heb 13:8]; from its foundation, I say. For as y... Read More

Before we proceed to consider more definitely the nature of that ‘new cruse’ of which we have been speaking, a few further words on the relative aspect of this vessel are needed. In the Scriptures, as we have pointed out, it is clearly seen that all the reactionary instruments of God are of a relati... Read More

A. FACT OF DIVINE GUIDANCE 1. What is meant by “divine guidance?” The leading of God in the personal life and experience of man 2. Concerning the possibility of knowing the will of God, what may be seen from: (1) Col. 1:9? That we should know the will of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding... 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

Rejoice (2165) (euphraino from eu = well, good + phren = mind, intellect, disposition) means in active sense to make someone glad, to cheer someone up, to make them joyful in mind, to cause them to be glad (2Cor 2:2, Lxx = Ps 19:8, Pr 23:15). In the middle voice or passive voice euphraino means to b... Read More

Cross (3586) (xulon/xylon from xuo = to scrape) is literally wood and refers to anything made of wood, including a tree or other wooden article or substance. In Ac 5:30, 10:39, 13:29, 1Pe 2:24 and Gal 3:13 xulon refers to the old rugged Cross. The NT idea of xulon/xylon as a cross is related to Dt 2... Read More

Friend (5384) (philos) means loved (loved one), dear, befriended, friendly, kind. Philos can mean kindly disposed or devoted (Acts 19:31). Philos describes one having special interest in someone else. One who is on intimate terms or in close association with someone else Philos can describe a love w... Read More

Jews (2453)(Ioudaios ultimately derived from Hebrew Yehudi = a member of the tribe of Judah) is an adjective refers to one who belongs to the Jewish race with focus on adherence to Mosaic tradition (Acts 10:28, 22:3, 21:39). A Jew in respect to race or religion (as opposed to Gentiles). In the plura... Read More

Kingdom (932) (basileia from basileus = a sovereign, king, monarch) denotes sovereignty, royal power, dominion. Basileia can also refer to the territory or people over whom a king rules (See "Three Basic Meanings" below). At the outset it should be noted that the Kingdom of Heaven/God is both simple... Read More

Malice (2550) (kakoetheia from kakós = bad, evil + ethos = disposition) is used only here in the NT and refers to the person who has an ill-nature, taking everything with an evil connotation and giving a malicious interpretation to the actions of others, a nature which is evil and makes one suspect ... Read More