You shall be a “crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God” (Is. 62:3). The prophet Isaiah spoke these wondrous words over Jerusalem, revealing the ultimate state of this eternal city i...
Believers are the temple of God in this New Testament era. In the previous Age of the Law, the Ark of the Covenant was enshrined in the innermost chamber of the temple of Solomon. In this present era, what the ark symbolized ...
God’s New Covenant people are a living temple for His indwelling. Isaiah 45:15 declares that God is a God who hides Himself—and one way He does that is in symbolism. Many facets of the Old Testament, including the seven prima...
Solomon’s Temple—What a powerful, mysterious, prophetic symbol from the Old Testament! Incomparable in architectural beauty and grandeur, that glorious structure awakened awe in the hearts of all who saw it. Wondrously, it al...
Born-again believers are just as beloved of the Father as Jesus, the firstborn Son, if their lives are sincerely surrendered to Him. Hard to believe? One statement Jesus made proves this amazing truth. When you realize the pe...
Who were the magi, the wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus? Where did they come from? When did they arrive? Were there only three? Were they kings? Why are they traditionally placed in that role? There are a lot of i...
Wise men from the East were led by a star to Bethlehem, to the home where Joseph, Mary, and the Messiah-child were living. Those who truly know God are called to fill a similar role, guiding others to the Savior of the world....
The disciples asked Jesus, “Increase our faith.” Instead of working a spectacular miracle, the Son of God responded by sharing two mini-parables. Surprisingly, one of them sounds even destructive to faith—until the deeper mea...
One of the most remarkable and recognizable characteristics of the family of God is the gift of faith that resides within us. This wondrous ability to believe creates an unbreakable bond—that binds us to God and to each other...
In the book of the Revelation, the seven churches of Asia are symbolized by seven menorah lampstands, like the ones that lit the holy place in the temple of God two thousand years ago. There are five facets to a seven-branche...
A steward is a trusted manager, an overseer over another person’s affairs or goods. Amazingly, those who are born again are named “stewards of the mysteries of God.” What a holy charge! What a weighty responsibility! What a b...
The solution for the fallen condition of the human race is not rehabilitation; it’s recreation! Only in Christianity is this offered. “If anyone is in Christ, he is A NEW CREATION” (2 Cor. 5:17). In the New Covenant, God give...
Martin Luther was a passionate, soul-searching, truth-seeking Catholic monk who could never feel right with God. Because of the rigors of monastic life, he confessed he went through, “such anguish as no pen can describe.” But...
The God of the Bible is a God of signs and wonders. He brought Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders and then they became a sign and a wonder in the earth. He birthed the church on Pentecost with signs and wonders, and t...
“The Circumcision” is a name given to God’s New Covenant offspring in Philippians 3:3. Are we the spiritual fulfillment of the natural, Old Covenant rite of circumcision given to Abraham. It was a sign of his covenant with Go...
In Acts 3:25 God’s people are called “children of the prophets and of the covenant.” Those two primary influences brought to birth the nation of Israel in the Old Testament period, as well as the Church in the New Covenant er...
The Bible declares that “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). Our heavenly Father creates new expressions of mercy every morning. Receiving His mercy is the key to triumphant living. Giving it away to others is one of ...
All believers are “vessels of mercy” who, according to Romans 9:23, have been “prepared beforehand for glory.” Did you get that? “Prepared beforehand”—that means before the foundation of the world, God chose you to be a recip...
Jesus compares His eternal bride to a “pearl of great price.” This is one of the great mysteries of the kingdom of God. A pearl is encased in an oyster shell, which frankly is one of the ugliest shells in the sea. Yet it cont...
Receiving an infilling of the magnificent mercy of God is one of the most powerful privileges and glorious gifts that the Creator could ever bestow. God delights in mercy, but there are certain key attitudes that open that do...
Jesus compares His eternal bride to a “pearl of great price.” This is one of the great mysteries of the kingdom of God. A pearl is encased in an oyster shell, which frankly is one of the ugliest shells in the sea. Yet it cont...
Heaven’s standard for “greatness” is much different than earth’s. In this world, the rich, the famous, the popular, the knowledgeable, the influential, the successful are often the ones labeled “the great.” Although these att...
God promises to “divide the spoil with the strong” in Isaiah 53:12. That name is bestowed on all who receive the benefits of the crucifixion and resurrection of the Son of God. Three biblically-revealed sources of strength ma...
God’s people are described as “sons of the mighty” in Psalm 89:6. Our Father is the Almighty (the all-powerful, all-sufficient God). The Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of might” who dwells within us, strengthening us with “might”...