An exhaustive concordance is an essential reference for thoroughly researching the individual words of the Bible. Since God inspired the very words of Scripture, it follows that as Christians we should take each word seriously as we strive to understand what God has said. An exhaustive concordance is a great…

You may have heard that there are different accounts of creation in some ancient Near Eastern sources. While there are similarities between these accounts and what we find in Genesis 1–2, many significant differences remain. These leads some to view the biblical account of creation as a polemic against the…

Let’s take a deeper look at the Jewish New Year, Rosh-HaShanah, with some notes and articles from three passages in the Complete Jewish Study Bible. We’ll look at the historical background, the traditional observance, and the anticipated prophetic fulfillment associated with this Holy Day of the Jewish calendar. Leviticus 23:23–25…

The interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2 reveals the sequence of kingdoms from Babylon to Rome. The significance of this sequence comes at the end when the God of heaven sets up a kingdom unlike all the others. This eternal kingdom breaks all the other kingdoms into pieces and…

What makes a faithful church? That’s a question many have attempted to answer through the centuries, but perhaps the best answer we have is in Colossians 2:1–7. While this text is probably not the first text that comes to mind in attempting to answer that question, William Barclay shows us…

Would you be angry if God saved your fiercest enemies? Would it displease you if God showed mercy to them? As astonishing as that response would seem, that’s exactly how Jonah responded when God spared the Ninevites from imminent judgment. This didn’t take Jonah by surprise though as he seems…