Latest Posts

Who were the Nephilim? The term literally means "the fallen ones." Some say they were a race of giants, the offspring of angels and women, to which Goliath and Lahmi… Read More

It would be great if Dr. Jacoby could recommend a book or commentary or two on each book in the Bible, plus some general dictionaries, etc. There are so many… Read More

The attached paper is devoted to a study of the most frequently used Hebrew words in the OT. A final chapter will be devoted to a critical appraisal of the… Read More

We know from 1 Peter 2 that all Christians have come into the light from the darkness. At what point does a child enter into darkness? If it is at… Read More

Can you recommend a book of the history of the Bible? I mean how it was decided which books and letters were the Bible? How do I know which scriptures (like… Read More

18-20th March 2005 The content of the recent teaching weekend was excellent. The congregation needed doctrinal clarity on the Holy Spirit, and how to apply and live out Spirit-filled lives… Read More

Available Download: Article (.pdf – 492k)

One time I stopped and was talking to a girl taking some philosophy and religion courses at the University of Calgary. She’s studying the first century church and doubts the… Read More

The purpose of this paper is to determine bona fide messianic movements of the first century. Many have written articles using the term “messianic” or “messianic movement,” but few seem… Read More

What are the specific reasons (e.g. scriptural contradictions) that we can cite from Scripture or other sources, that show that the Apocrypha is not inspired by the Holy Spirit? Again,… Read More

EASTER LESSON 2005: Easter commemorates the resurrection of Christ. It also tells us about our own resurrection. WHAT RESURRECTION ISN’T:(1) The afterlife. Many believe in an afterlife who deny the… Read More

What has always puzzled me is the salvation of the righteous under the old covenant. How were Moses Abraham David et al. forgiven? If through faith in Christ looking forward… Read More

THE SHEMA’: THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD AS THE GROUND FOR THE FAITHFULNESS OF MAN: AN EXEGETICAL EXPOSITION OF DEUTERONOMY 6:4-9 BY GLENN W. GILES March 3, 2005 To read the… Read More

How can I help my Hindu friend see the way Christianity builds on top of the foundational truths that most religions share? [Condensation of longer question] — Dave McKay (Bloomington,… Read More

Associate Professor Zeev Herzog (Tel-Aviv University, Department of Archaeology & Near Eastern Studies) wrote an article in the renowned Ha’aretz magazine on Oct 29, 1999. I would like to know… Read More

Can you suggest some good study material for events that happened in the first century that are not recorded in the Bible. i.e. Destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, Paul’s… Read More

What is the truth behind the 4th Commandment on the Sabbath? If Saturday is the 7th day, and the Sabbath, why do we not worship on Saturday? If we observe… Read More

When the New Testament talks about what happens and explains people’s heart and motives is it because that a disciple was there with them or what? For example take Matthew… Read More

I have always been troubled by Acts 8:14-19. One explanation I have been told is that the Holy Spirit discussed here means only the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, and… Read More

In Acts 15:9, in referring to Cornelius, Peter said that God "purified their hearts by faith." No one has ever used that scripture with me to justify forgiveness of sins… Read More

This books list is related to past challenges, healing, and spiritual formation. Baile, Gil, Violence Unveiled, New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1992. This landmark work on how conflict emerges in communities… Read More

You said on page 212 of The Spirit that Ananias laid his hands on Paul so that he would receive his sight, but Acts 9:17 also says "and be filled… Read More

Co-authoring a book like Golden Rule Leadership has been a daunting task. Which of us thinks we have perfected Jesus’ style of leading? Certainly not Wyndham or I. Our primary… Read More

Was Paul’s apostleship a special version? How did he get it? Paul was not one of the original 12 disciples of Christ, a fact his critics made much of. Yes,… Read More

Does the prophecy Joel spoke of indicate preaching, or an infallible doctrinal gift? The nature of the prophecy Joel spoke of (Joel 2:28-32) is neither. Certainly it seems to have… Read More

Is "they" in Acts 2:1 referring to the twelve apostles, or the hundred and twenty? I believe the group are the apostles — all are Galileans, after all, according to… Read More

Hi Doug, could you tell me, What is your understanding of metaphysics, and how would you study the Bible with someone who believes in it? — Vicente Lopez(Washington DC) Metaphysics,… Read More

What was Paul referring to about the baptism for the dead? What are your thoughts and what do you know about it?–Thomas, as well as Ben (Hilo, Hawaii), and John… Read More

He oído que predicó acerca del fruto de Juan 15 que se refiere a la Gran y de los frutos del espíritu, el fruto de Juan 15 se refiere al… Read More

Sam Laing, The Guilty Soul’s Guide to Grace (Billerica, Mass.: DPI, 2005). Following is the review I recently wrote for DPI: Effective and masterful command of the English language make… Read More

On page 122 of [James, Peter, John, Jude], you said that angels are “never described as having wings,” and yet Isaiah 6:2 describes the seraphs as having six wings. Were… Read More

What is the explanation for Judas hanging himself (Matthew 27:5) to falling headfirst and his intestines falling out (Acts 1:18)? I suppose it might be decomposition for the guts part,… Read More

Matthew and Mark describe the calling of the first disciples in similar accounts. Would Luke be considered a more descriptive version of those accounts? Would John’s account be considered to… Read More

Who incited David to take the census? 2 Samuel says God incited David, and 1 Chronicles says Satan incited David. This question is related to 0022, as I read the… Read More

How are we to understand God’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart? I believe when you go back to Exodus you will see that in some passages it says God hardened his heart,… Read More

The Minneapolis/St.Paul Church of Christ enjoyed a weekend filled with inspirational teaching from Dr. Douglas Jacoby. The weekend saw extra encouragement as the brothers and sisters from Madison, WI joined… Read More

Deseo oír tu visión con respecto a lo que sucede cuando morimos. He estudiado algunos temas por mi propia cuenta y he concluido que entramos a un estado de sueño o… Read More

Who are the fundamentalists? What do they stand for? As far as I can judge, fundamentalists are Bible believers who: * Hold a high view of Christ and scripture, *… Read More

I would like to find out the explanation to the scripture in Peter where it mentions Jesus, after he was crucified, “preaching to the spirits in prison.” We understand that… Read More

Isn’t Psalm 137:9 a little harsh? This is the only verse in the bible that in my view, does not seem to describe God’s heart as I have known it…. Read More

How do you interpret John 1:48? My wife and I got a chance to see a fig tree in the Atlanta Botanical Gardens once. It is an interesting tree in… Read More

In Matthew 17:27, Jesus gives instructions to Peter to go fish for the temple tax, and give it so as “not to offend” the Pharisees. But Jesus was not one… Read More

Many theologians, from what I have heard, have gone as far to say that Melchizedek may have actually been Jesus. Can you shed any light on this subject for me?… Read More

January 2005 Douglas Jacoby’s visit to Manila was a breath of fresh air, a great start for the New Year. After his teaching time in Hong Kong, Doug flew a… Read More

Dr. Douglas Jacoby was in Accra, Ghana, from January 5th – January 10th [2004] to conduct a teaching workshop. This was his first trip to West Africa. The sessions were… Read More

Would you please explain what Jesus meant in Luke 7:28? Jesus says, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John, yet the one… Read More

In Matthew 17:10-12 Jesus alludes to the fact that John the Baptist was the Elijah to come, yet in John 1:21 John the Baptist denies it. Is this because in… Read More

Have you always been supportive of Christian women preaching? If you’re interested, here’s a paper I wrote in 1990. Yes, my views have shifted since that time. Today I see no problem with… Read More

The past two years [2003-2005] has ushered in a time of unsettledness, upheaval, re-examination and uncertainty within most churches of the ICOC movement. Some things connected with this time have… Read More

Several months ago, I wrote an article entitled, “Motivation: Guilt or Grace” In that article, I made the case that our primary spiritual motivation as disciples should be grounded in… Read More

How can we as Bible students tell the difference between characters in the Bible with the same first name? For example, James the brother of Jesus and James the brother… Read More

What was the Leviathan, and is it significant? (Some say crocodile, I’m not so sure.)—Ric (Boston) Right, Ric, croc it is! Or, better said, the crocodile is a sort of… Read More

May I offer all readers some general advice on finding answers to your Bible questions: * Try to figure out the difficulty or question yourself using whatever Bible tools you… Read More

In Daniel 12:11-12, it says: “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is… Read More

In Luke 24:46, Jesus tells the disciples that it is written that ‘The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.’ The only OT scripture I… Read More

Can you recommend reading material about ‘Trinity’ theology? — Joel Hughes, Triangle, North Carolina Many works – thousands of pages! – have been written about the Trinity. Because this is… Read More

What evidence proves the falseness of the Muslim faith? — Mitchell, Boston, Massachusetts Rather than aim to demonstrate the error of other religions, denominations, or sects, Christians are called to… Read More

I have always had some questions about Acts 2:42. The question I have is whether “devoting themselves to the breaking of the bread” is referring to eating meals with each… Read More

On the one hand, the Bible urges Christians to be fully confident that we are saved, and on the other, to work out our salvation with “fear and trembling.” Yet… Read More

I was taught that in Luke 14:26 the Greek word for hate means “love less,” and that is what I have taught others. To my surprise, when I looked it… Read More

I am concerned with the question of veiling. Why are Christian sisters today not veiled per 1 Corinthians 11:6? — Troy Hannon (Philadelphia) and Stephanie Collins (Cincinnati) Most Christians interpret… Read More

Unos años atras, usted escribió en su serie del antiguo testamento en el nuevo testamento (“la Biblia bajo prueba”, en www.acesonline.org (un sitio antiguo) ” … recuerdo que a menudo… Read More

A few years ago, you wrote in your online series about the use of the OT in the NT (“The Bible on Trial,” at www.Acesonline.org [old website]) “… remember that… Read More

December 9, 2004 In the last article entitled “One of the Unique Elements of True Christianity”, I outlined the Biblical concept of relational/experiential knowing (yada’) as a foundation for one’s… Read More

2004For many years I have been contemplating the special-ness of our movement in the area of the heart. When I came to our movement I found very special relational aspect… Read More

Through the years, the BIBLICAL STUDY TOUR has focused on a number of remarkable cities: London, Jerusalem, Paris, Berlin, Athens, Chicago, Rome. In 2004 over 150 persons converged on Rome–the… Read More

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions… Read More

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled… Read More

37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and… Read More

1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer — at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth… Read More

1 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly… Read More

1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money… Read More

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily… Read More

1 Then the high priest asked him, “Are these charges true?” 2 To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father… Read More

1 And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered… Read More

1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus,… Read More

1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he… Read More

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and… Read More

1 The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers… Read More

1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to… Read More

1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul…. Read More

13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On… Read More

1 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed. 2 But the… Read More

1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2… Read More

1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2… Read More

1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and… Read More

1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his… Read More

1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the… Read More

1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-bye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He travelled through that area, speaking many… Read More

1 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to… Read More

1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defence.” 2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: 3 “I am a… Read More

1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 At this the high… Read More

1 Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before… Read More

1 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges… Read More

1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defence: It 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself… Read More

1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment…. Read More

1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because… Read More

October, 2004 These days there is a lot of talk about good and evil, and a great tendency to label and categorise people who act in particularly antisocial ways as… Read More

Mick Porter, Brisbane AustraliaNovember 8, 2004Email: mickporter@hotmail.com "And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is… Read More

The Last Discourse is written by James Greig of Oxford, England. It is a thorough analysis of John 13:31-17:26. Attached is the Word document. Available Downloads: Article (.doc – 230k)

10th Annual International Teacher’s Seminar & Inaugural Biblical Study Tour ROME, ITALY – Report by Steve Staten November 2004 Rome is called both the eternal city and the city of… Read More

Honest to God—Revolution through repentance and freedom in Christ February 2, 2003 How the Lord has covered the Daughter of Zion with the cloud of his anger! He has hurled… Read More

1Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being… Read More

2004 INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Douglas Jacoby (Athens, Georgia) I’ve just returned from the 2004 International Leadership Conference in Chicago. Since the decentralization of the International Churches of Christ in 2002,… Read More

My Vision for the Church – Glenn Giles by GLENN GILES, September, 9, 2004 Available Downloads: Church (.doc – 50k)

Download: article (.doc – 97k)

To Forgive or Not to Forgive: The Heart Choiceby Aziz SarahSpring 1990 at 5 am: Israeli soldiers break into my home and invade the room I share with four brothers…. Read More

Like so many recent conferences taking place around the world, the Orlando get-together was superb for several reasons. First, those who attended truly wanted to be there. I was present… Read More

Introduction In Christianity, motivation is everything! If this statement is an example of hyperbole (an overstatement to make a point), it is only slightly so. God is not nearly as… Read More

Tom Jones, elder in the Boston Church of Christ, has published a new book, Strong in the Grace. I have read it and highly recommend it. Go to www.dpibooks.org to… Read More

Many people are asking this question, and have been doing so throughout all of 2004. The following paper, written by Ron Sawhill, covers the issues of Eldership requirements very well…. Read More

Introduction This article is a written form of a spoken message delivered on March 28, 2004 to the Phoenix Valley Church of Christ. As with the previous sermon, “What Do… Read More

This article, by Gordon Ferguson, is based on a message delivered at church in Phoenix, Arizona in February 2004. He calls ICOC members (former/present) to understand how some things in… Read More

“An Aid to Discerning the Scriptures” was written by Douglas Jacoby. Jeff Chacon refined Douglas’ article and used it in his congregation. This illustrates how a group of disciples who… Read More

The challenge of evangelism is to make the faith real to those who are just coming to faith. We all know that spiritual things become real as one reads the… Read More

THE RELIGION OF POWER, by Cheryl Forbes (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983) will make you think. I bought it in connection with my purchse of Francine Rivers’ AND THE SHOFAR BLEW…. Read More

Recently I have had the opportunity to view Mel Gibson’s blockbuster THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. As many have asked me what I thought of the film, I would like… Read More

Many of my readers will be as enthralled in this 2003 release as I was. Rivers’ latest book is a study in character and leadership, and how spiritual power can… Read More

A Conversation Between the Churches of Christ and the International Churches of Christ Note: Although I was not present at the Abilene lectureship, I believe a good few of my… Read More

February 13th-16th I was in Stockholm, the snowy city where our family lived 1989-1992. As always, the return visit was a joyous reunion, and it was heartening to see so… Read More

On Wednesday 18th February 2004, I met Middle East leaders from a dozen nations in a conference headed up by Andy Fleming. Though Arabic was language of choice, I spoke… Read More

Douglas Jacoby just returned from a teaching tour in Tokyo, Japan. Here are some responses from Christians there who attended: * “Thank you for your great lessons and insights. I… Read More

For those who would like some guidance to be able to read through the Bible in a year’s pdf of a Bible reading plan is attached. It was crafted by… Read More

http://www.douglasjacoby.com/wp-content/uploads/ThroughtheBible.pdf This is a plan I have recommended ever since 1995.  Many have followed it and accomplished the victory of reading through the entire Bible in a year. If this… Read More

PERSPECTIVES ON DATING AND MARRIAGE TOKYO CHURCH OF CHRIST SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 11 JANUARY 2004 Perspectives on dating 1. The Bible does not talk about dating; nevertheless, there are many… Read More

Perhaps the key differentiator Christianity has in the field of world religions is the concept of grace. In a world driven by competitiveness, performance measurement and the relentless march for… Read More

This article is from Fred Faller. It appears in a series that can be found at www.immerland.com. “Money to Burn” Herm Foley drummed the fingers of his left hand on the table top. Before him on the Formica surface lay a single… Read More

Where do we go from here, now that all of the children have grown up? — Alan Parsons Project But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have… Read More

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Introduction: A. God has provided the church with “everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2… Read More

There has been much speculation about who these “sons of God” mentioned in the sixth chapter of Genesis were. Three basic interpretations of this passage have been advanced. The first,… Read More

REPORT: Discerning the Times International Teachers’ Seminar Chicago, 7-11 November 2003 The International Teachers’ Seminar, since 1995, has been a fellowship/teaching time for persons around the world who are involved… Read More

REPORT FROM AN OUTSIDER Last weekend, 31 October-2 November, hundreds of Christians converged on Gainesville, Florida, for a very large family reunion. This was the 30th anniversary of the founding… Read More

A biblical study for those who feel they have been treated unfairly and want to keep a pure heart in God’s sight. In five parts. See the attached pdf file:… Read More

This 3 tape series is now available. Go to the product page and learn in detail about this audio series from Douglas Jacoby.

Summer 1991 by Douglas Jacoby Introduction In my view hell doesn’t last infinitely, but instead destroys the individual after an appropriate length of time. Hell is eternal in its consequences,… Read More

In September [2003] I was honored to make a tour of 4 European cities, initially at the invitation of the Geneva church. One reason I was eager to return to… Read More

I. Introduction to 3 John Written (apparently) by the same "’elder" as the one who wrote 2 John. A personal letter written from one friend (the elder) another (Gaius). A… Read More

COMMENTS General: The short epistle was written by Jude (Judas), one of the four brothers of Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:55-56), and warns against the godlessness of false teachers espousing libertinism…. Read More

This article discusses indepth what the Bible says about women. It was written by Douglas Jacoby (with Patricia Gempel) in 1990. To read it, click on the pdf attachment below. Available… Read More

“Instrumental Music: A Live Issue’ was written by Douglas Jacoby in 1993. It discusses what the Bible says about the use of instrumental music — an issue for the Restoration… Read More

  Introduction John, author of 5 books Gospel of John 1-3 John Revelation of John (the Apocalypse) 2 John was written in later part of 1st century AD Gnosticism (central… Read More

THE 5 SHORT BOOKS OF THE BIBLE: LESSON II I. Introduction to Obadiah Many Obadiahs in the Bible. Obadiah = ‘servant of God’ = Abdullah in Arabic Written shortly after… Read More

Introduction to the series * 2 Tim 3:16-17 — we all need training and teaching. This passage says all scripture is inspired and useful. Includes every book of the Bible,… Read More

THE GENEALOGIES IN MATTHEW AND LUKE (Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23b-38) From THE NIV HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS By Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry Download the attached pdf for… Read More

I studied out Lamentations recently, prompted first by Henry Kriete’s book Worship the King, in which he wrote about the ‘Rivers of Fire’ and the searing wrath of God. It… Read More

The purpose of this paper is to urge caution and care in moving forward in the present climate of change. It challenges everyone to think biblically. It recognises that not… Read More

The Bible Unearthed: An Introduction to Biblical Archaeology for the Disciple in the United Kingdom. It is written by Jon Yorke. Click here to open the pdf file.

Here is a paper on the life and ministry of Martin Luther. It is written by James Greig: pdf file.

Below is a series of lessons on Eternity by Andrew Kitchen. View The Full Series on Eternity Listed below is the Contents. Lesson 1: From Here to Eternity Setting the… Read More

Attached below is an article by Tom Jones, teacher in the Nashville Church of Christ. He examines what the scriptures teach about hell. PDF File (296 KB)

Download .pdf file

Attached below is an overview of Revelation (Seven lessons) by James Greig. Revelations-Overview

Attached is a file which examines the significance of Armageddon in the book of Revelation. Written by James Greig. Revelation-Armageddon

Attached below is an exposition of Revelation chapter 10. Revelations-Little-Scroll

Attached below is an introduction and background to the book of Revelation. It is written by James Greig. Revelation-Introduction

Attached is a paper by James Greig on the background and theme of the book of Joshua: Joshua.pdf.

Moses was raised in the learning and wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). Traditionally the Pentateuch (the first five books, or rolls, of the Bible) are attributed to him. Whether… Read More

Muslims commonly claim that the Bible has been "changed," and that there are over 100,000 "errors" which occurred through the transmission process. What can the disciple of Jesus Christ respond… Read More

Introduction Probably all religious people have questions about what happens when we die. Many of them believe that we cease to exist at death until the resurrection at the end… Read More

Our Teaching About John 15 For many years in our movement we have heard that the fruit Jesus describes in John 15 is the making of other disciples. Often we… Read More

Having seen that biblical prophecy (type a) can be prophetic without necessarily being predictive, we are now ready to examine type (b), or predictive, prophecy. Biblical predictive prophecy was not… Read More

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In the Old Testament capital punishment was mandated for many offenses: 1. Adultery (Leviticus 20:11) 2. Attacking parents (Exodus 21:15) 3. Bestiality (Exodus 22:19, Leviticus 20:15) 4. Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16)… Read More

The following are excerpts from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (published Ambassador, complete), first published Basle 1559. John Foxe studied at Oxford and was ordained by Nicholas Ridley in 1550. He… Read More

Biblical prophecy falls into two categories:* Speaking for another, as in someone’s speaking the truth of God to his fellows* Foretelling what will take place in future. In English the… Read More

BOOKS FOR PARENTS OF YOUNGER CHILDREN The Five Love Languages of Children, by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell. Very well written, easy to read. Makes you think about each individual… Read More

This is a list (possibly incomplete) of sources cited in the O.T. books. The list omits references to actual O.T. books. These works are “extrabiblical” — outside (extra, Latin) the… Read More

(c) 2003, Douglas Jacoby Scriptural Study: BIASTAI (“forceful men”) For years we have heard of the need for “forceful men” and women in positions of spiritual leadership. Certainly now more… Read More

This is a list (possibly incomplete) of pagan sources cited or alluded to in the N.T. books. The list omits references to other New Testament books. These works are “extrabiblical”… Read More

Like Bethlehem, Bethsaida was a town with a long history before the light of Jesus shone in its streets. Unlike Bethlehem, it is an uninhabited ruin today. In fact, it… Read More

Don’t be LAZY! You need to read the bible deeply to build your faith. Basic1. Don’t dig at random; have a plan.2. Assemble lists of verses on common themes.3. Finish… Read More

This article first appeared in A Light to London, the bulletin of the London Church of Christ, May-June 1987. Christians must observe the Sabbath! Such at any rate is the… Read More

Prejudice against the Word Very soon we will enter into a new millennium. This should be a time of hope, progress, greater openness to truth and to change. And yet… Read More

One of the most dreaded diseases on earth is Hansen’s Disease, or leprosy. Ever since my first visit to India, some 30 years ago, I have been familiar at first hand… Read More

The Recordp52 is by no means the only ancient manuscript of the New Testament which has survived. There are literally thousands of Greek manuscripts, as well as tens of thousands… Read More

While the Bible is certainly not a science book, occasionally it does touch on matters scientific. While I am not a trained scientist, I have always loved science, and make… Read More

The most significant biblical find of the century is undoubtedly the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), discovered in the 1940s by the Dead Sea, not far from Jerusalem. The scrolls contain… Read More

Silver BibleThe Bible was translated into many languages other than the original Hebrew and Greek. Latin was the major secondary translation language as the official language of the Roman Empire…. Read More

1. How many DSS are there? 870 manuscripts, from 15,000 scraps. 2. When were they discovered? Initial discovery of seven scrolls in 1947. Last one (cave 11) in 1956. 3…. Read More

Jesus Papyrus Review Emily and I moved to Oxford to start the new millennium, and one thing I was eager to see was the controversial “Jesus Papyrus” a.k.a. P64, a… Read More

I. Canonical Old Testament (all dates approximate) 1000-400 B.C. II. Catholic Apocrypha (non-Catholic apocrypha in italics) A. Pre-165 1. Tobit (400-200) 2. Sirach (190) B. Hasmonean (165-63) 1. Greek additions… Read More

The following are very helpful manuals for ministers of the gospel, authored by Perry H. Biddle, Jr. A must for your ministerial library! * A Funeral Manual. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976,… Read More

The word “gnosticism” comes from gnosis, Greek for “knowledge.” Esoteric or secret knowledge is meant. The Gnostics believed that only an elite few enjoyed special enlightenment. The Gnostic view of… Read More

Introduction In the twelve years I have been a Christian I have had the privilege of studying the Bible with five men who were active Freemasons. I know that throughout… Read More

(1) “In essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, in all things, charity.” (Rupertus Meldenius) (2) “It would be strange indeed the Church should require more than Christ himself did, or make… Read More

Introduction In 1976 after I my “conversion experience “1 I began attending charismatic prayer meetings. I continued to go because there were lots of food nice girls and a high… Read More

Campbell Study MILLENNIAL HARBINGER, NEW SERIES. VOLUME III.—–NUMBER I. ================================================================= B E T H A N Y, VA. JANUARY, 1839. ================================================================= BIBLE READING NOTHING is more talked about amongst professors, and nothing… Read More

Religion and Faith Theology is only thought applied to religion.—“The Groups of the City,” The New Jerusalem Atheism is indeed the most daring of all dogmas . . . for… Read More

A SERIES OF FOUR LESSONS GENERAL STUDY HABITS by Doug Jacoby, 1997 Lesson A We all want to be effective as students. At the same time, nearly every student is… Read More

Adapted from the May/June 1998 issue of Biblical Archaeological Review. An Egyptian Record of the Plagues? The Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage, commonly known as the Papyrus Ipuwer, set forth… Read More

Dr. Douglas Jacoby (1997, Revised 2001) If you have an appetite for something “meaty,”1 I believe you will enjoy the following study, which investigates the Red Heifer sacrifice – a… Read More

In our study of biblical prophecy, we have seen that Jesus Christ richly fulfilled the words of the Prophets, and in fact the words of the Law and the Writings… Read More

Accuracy in a prophecy is closely related to the specificity of the prophecy (the subject we covered in the last unit). Details of purported prophecies often claim to be accurate… Read More

One bulwark against disease was circumcision, or the removal of the foreskin from the male sexual organ. The command to practice circumcision (Genesis 17) was far from a barbaric practice… Read More

Greek, anyone?What were your favorite subjects in school? I have always loved languages, both "living" and "dead." The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew (with a few chapters in… Read More

Selected and adapted from a compilation by Lady Kofo Ademola appearing in a Bookcraft Ltd. publication (Ibadan, Nigeria). Here arranged by country of origin. Ghana * An empty sack will… Read More

D. Jacoby, Jan. 2002 Polity 1538. [–L. politia – Gr. politeia ] 1. Civil order. b. Administration of a state; civil government 1715. 2.a A particular form of political organization… Read More

Note: The following paper was a group effort. It does not claim to speak for a single church or even an association of congregations, but represents the opinion of a… Read More

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy… Read More