Paul’s second missionary journey (click for larger map)
From Access Foundation Bible Atlas
THE BALANCE between grace and Law is the focus of this week’s New Testament study. We discuss the Council of Jerusalem, a gathering of the apostles in A.D. 49 to settle the question of whether Gentile converts were required to be circumcised and keep the Law to be saved.
Filed under Bible Study, New Testament
Camel in front of the “needle gate” at Nazareth
MARRIAGE AND divorce can be sensitive topics, so it’s no wonder the scribes and Pharisees tried to use them to trip up Jesus. As with every encounter between them, however, Jesus turned the tables and discredited his antagonists.
We discuss the request by James and John to sit at Jesus’ right hand in his kingdom, the cursing of the fig tree, Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and several well-known parables, including the rich young ruler, the laborers in the vineyard, and the parable of the tenants.
Filed under Bible Study, New Testament
JESUS TAKES command of the enemy’s holy mountain, demonstrating his authority through the Transfiguration on Mount Hermon–the place where the Watchers descended and initiated their plan to corrupt humanity in the days of Noah’s great-great-grandfather Jared.
We also explore several import aspects of Bible doctrine: The hierarchy of the entities in the supernatural realm, the long war between Yahweh and Ba’al (which continues today), and scriptural support for the concept of guardian angels.
Filed under Bible Study, New Testament
OUR NEW TESTAMENT study this week clearly illustrates the viewpoints of the gospel writers with parallel accounts of the disciples eating grain plucked from the stalk (on the Sabbath–oh, no!) and the healing of a man with a withered hand (also on the Sabbath–oh, no!). Matthew draws on the Torah to validate Jesus’ claims of divinity, Mark offers a condensed, almost bullet-point account, and Luke, the careful historian, is the only one to mention that it was the man’s right hand Jesus healed.
We also cover the calling of the twelve apostles, the only unforgivable sin, Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, and we discuss the favorite Bible verse of people who don’t know anything about the Bible.
Filed under Bible Study, New Testament
