Posted in encouragement, Uncategorized

“Communion with God ennobles the whole man”- The Transfiguration

I listened to S. Lewis Johnson preach on the Transfiguration of Christ last Saturday on Expositor.fm, the 24-hour expository preaching station. It was an astounding and convicting and beautiful sermon expounding on the moments when Jesus was transfigured into His glory on top of the mountain in front of Peter, John, and James, and was seen talking with Moses and Elijah. Johnson said that he was surprised to learn that though there are many sermons about Jesus’ life, including His birth, His Baptism, His Temptation, His crucifixion, and His Ascension, but not His Transfiguration. It is a greatly neglected moment in Jesus’ life, he said. Johnson opened his sermon, **The Transfiguration of Christ, this way

One of the most astonishing of our Lord’s experiences, the one occasion in which the bright beams of his glory blaze through the sack cloth covering of his humanity, is the transfiguration of Jesus Christ.

In this next portion of the sermon, Johnson stresses the change on the inward man when communing with Jesus.

Matthew’s account stresses the inward. For the word, metamorphoo, which is the word that is used here—we get the English word metamorphosis from it—is a word that refers to the transformation of the essential character or essential being of a person. And the text says, he was transfigured before them. So I think that what is involved here is a glorification of the Son in anticipation of the historical glorification of the Son. In other words, in the way he was transfigured, there is a transfiguration not only of the outward but also of the inward. And you’ll notice, too, that it says his face shone like the sun and his raiment was white as the light. Isn’t that striking? Even his garments took on a different look.

Now I think we all know that when a person is in the presence of God, transformation takes place in that person. Moses was in the mount receiving the law and when he came out his face so shone before the children of Israel that they feared to approach him. And you’ll remember that he had to put a veil on his face, which he took off when he went in again before the Lord. And after he finished speaking with the children of Israel giving the message, he put on the veil again. They were afraid to approach him.

Stephen, who was communing with the Lord even in his death when they were stoning him to death, had a face so they said that looked like the face of an angel. In other words, communion with the Lord Jesus transforms a man’s not only outward look but even his inward being. Paul puts its doctrinally when he says, we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image and from glory to glory. It is true that communion with the Lord Jesus ennobles the whole man, ennobles his soul, ennobles his appearance, ennobles his gestures, ennobles his habits.

My Prayer:

Lord let our eyes be be transfixed on Jesus always, reading Your word and praying diligently,

Lord, let our inward and outward man be transfigured into His likeness, which is beauty personified, holiness and goodness,

Then let us be translated into glory at Your timing,

Forever to transcend sin, death, and hell, to dwell in eternity with You and Your angels, the Spirit, and the Father.

**Note: the sermon to which I’ve linked is not the exact same sermon of which I had heard. That sermon was called The Son is Transfigured. However I was unable to find that exact sermon, which went into other details I enjoyed hearing about. I emailed and the reply was that sometimes the radio stations RefNet and Expositor.fm have access to some sermons that have not been made public and it’s likely that was one of the sermons I’d heard. For all intents and purposes though, the point remains the same- there are not many sermons on the subject of the Transfiguration, this is a good one, and I urge you to study it from a good and credible preacher and to read the passages yourself and enjoy the insights the Spirit will bring to mind. 🙂

Posted in discernment, Uncategorized

John Piper and his companions of fools

Who we choose to hang around with, learn from, and be yoked in fellowship with is important. You know that. But lest we attempt to diminish our personal and professional associations into mere “the verses are just a warming about possible temptation but I’m strong enough to handle it” territory, in fact, we have a biblical duty to separate from false teachers and from repeatedly disobedient brethren. (Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 16:22; Galatians 1:8-9; 2 John 7-11, 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15; 1 Corinthians 5:11- source). Here is a good verse and then a commentary on the subject.

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. (Proverbs 13:20)

Matthew Henry says of this Proverbs verse, Continue reading “John Piper and his companions of fools”

Posted in prophecy, Uncategorized

UN creates global gay watchdog post

The United Nations took action last week to protect global homosexual and transgender activity by appointing a “czar” to investigate discrimination and violence against them.

Vitit Muntarbhorn Appointed First UN Investigator on LGBT Violence and Discrimination

UNITED NATIONS — The Human Rights Council (HRC) has appointed international human rights expert Vitit Muntarbhorn as the first U.N. independent expert charged with investigating violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. John Fisher, Geneva director of Human Rights Watch, said his appointment on Friday “made history” and “will bring much-needed attention to human rights violations against LGBT people in all regions of the world.”

The Washington Blade, which describes itself as “America’s Leading LGBT News Source”, reported similarly-

U.N. appoints first-ever LGBT rights watchdog

The U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) on Friday announced it has appointed the U.N.’s first-ever independent expert who will specifically investigate anti-LGBT discrimination and violence around the world. Vitit Muntarbhorn is an international law professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. … The vote is the first time the U.N. has approved a resolution that specifically deals with issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity. The U.N. Human Rights Council on June 30 approved a resolution that created Muntarbhorn’s position. The event was the highest-level meeting on LGBT rights that has ever taken place at the U.N.

Saudi Arabia, a nation in which homosexuals are murdered, other Muslim countries, and Russia were disapproving of the creation of a LBGT Investigator. The said they will not cooperate. The United Sttes, however, was effusive n its approval. US Secretary of State John Kerry, US Ambassador to the UN and the Director of Human Rights Global were approving of the measure.

The Bangkok Post reports on the reaction to the installation of a LGBT “Czar”

The appointment of renowned human rights expert and social commentator Vitit Muntarbhorn as the UN’s first independent expert to investigate violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity has won widespread approval around the world. … Ty Cobb, director of Human Rights Campaign Global, was quoted on washingtonblade.com as saying Mr Muntarbhorn’s appointment was “a huge step forward for LGBTI human rights worldwide”.

Mr Muntarbhorn’s duties will include

assess the state of LGBTQ human rights, liaise with LGBTQ advocates and allies around the world and engage with governments and civil society to make recommendations for combating violence and discrimination against LGBTQ people. In addition, the expert will serve as a bridge between the U.N. Human Rights Council and the organization’s General Assembly, and be empowered to issue private communications to governments, including in emergency situations.

One might imagine an “emergency situation” similar to the incident that occurred in Orlando Florida where a gunman had targeted homosexuals in the nightclub Pulse, and killed many attendees there. As a matter of fact, it was in reaction to that specific articular event that the United States called on the UN to

not only condemn the terrorism that resulted in the mass killing of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Florida over the weekend, [June 12, 2016] but also to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from such attacks. … Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. David Pressman, speaking at the election of Fiji Ambassador Peter Thomson to the post of 71st General Assembly president, said protecting the dignity of all human beings should be at the heart of the General Assembly’s work going forward. He said outrage at the killing should be directed at protecting members of the LGBT community “not just around condemning the terrorists who kill them.”

The matter was referred to the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations on July 1, the next day after the shooting, and after four hours of debate, the HRC voted to create the position. Muntarbhorn was tapped and his three-year term began September 1.

HRC member countries voting YES on the resolution to create a Gay Czar were-

Albania, Belgium, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Georgia, Germany, Latvia, Mexico, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, South Korea, Slovenia, Switzerland, Macedonia, the U.K., Venezuela and Vietnam. (23)

Countries voting NO on the resolution were-

Algeria, Bangladesh, Burundi, China, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Morocco, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Togo and the United Arab Emirates. (18)

Countries abstaining on voting the resolution were-

Botswana, Ghana, India, Namibia, the Philippines and South Africa. (6) Even though South Africa has strong constitutional protections for homosexuals, so strong that are dubbed “The Rainbow nation”, their abstention was on the basis that the HRC was moving “too fast”.

Countries which co-sponsored the resolution were-

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Uruguay.

The NY Times reported that the move was a “a bold step toward recognizing that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people fighting for equality are pursuing fundamental human rights.”

The world believes that L(esbian), G(ay), B(isexual), T(ransgender), I(ntersex), Q(uestioning) or whatever alphabet letter you want to include in the ever-growing list, is a basic right. As far as it is a basic right to sin, they are correct. Homosexuality is a sin, as the Bible makes clear. (Genesis 19:1-13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9). If homosexuals want to sin with impunity, that is their basic right, but there is a dire consequence individually (hell upon death) and collectively (judgement upon a nation, Romans 1:26-27). The Romans passages tell us that specifically that homosexuality is a result of denying and disobeying God. When a nation has been given over as the verses in Romans describe, widespread societal homosexuality or approval of it is the result. Once again,  What does it mean when the Bible says, God gave them over?”

God’s giving over sinful mankind has a dual sense. First, in an indirect sense God gave them over simply by withdrawing His restraining and protective hand, allowing the consequences of sin to take their inevitable, destructive course. Sin degrades man, debases the image of God in which he is made, and strips him of dignity, peace of mind, and a clear conscience. Sin destroys personal relationships, marriages, families, cities, and nations It also destroys churches. Thomas Watson said, “Sin … puts gravel in our bread [and] wormwood in our cup” (A Body of Divinity [Carlisle, Pa.: Banner of Truth, 1983 reprint], p. 136).

In a second, direct sense God gave … over rebellious mankind by specific acts of judgment. The Bible is replete with accounts of divine wrath being directly and supernaturally poured out on sinful men. The flood of Noah’s day and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, for example, were not indirect natural consequences of sin but were overt supernatural expressions of God’s judgment on gross and unrepented sin

We know that the time is coming when God will give over the world to its choice, sin, and then directly pour out His judgment. The Man of Sin (antichrist, 2 Thessalonians 2:3) will appear and promote and allow any and all manner of sin one can dream of. Man is inventive in ways to sin, (Romans 1:30) and thus it will be a horrific time. That future time will be a period when God sends down His direct judgment for sin. Until that Day, one can easily see the progress that global sin is making in the world.

Specifically, what does it mean that the reprobate mind has reached the highest levels of government? Subsequent to the US Supreme Court’s 2015 Ogberfell v. Hodges decision regarding approval homosexual marriage in all the land, John MacArthur preached a sermon called “We Will Not Bow“. In it, he remarked about what happens when such sin permeates the highest levels:

Get ready folks, the reprobate mind has now reached the highest levels. And that level will demand the reprobate mind everywhere else. And where that mind dominates—the end of Romans 1, where there is a depraved mind—then everything that’s improper begins to happen. “All unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossips, slanders, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventers of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful, and though they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but they give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

There is no higher level on earth than the United Nations … Praise God that the highest levels for the Christian has no limit because its upper reaches are Jesus Christ, in whom our minds are no longer darkened by sin but are illuminated by His righteousness, glory, and holiness.

Posted in encouragement, Uncategorized

Spurgeon on the difficult Hebrews verse

Though once we are saved, we are always saved, (John 10:28, Ephesians 1:13), the verse in Hebrews gives some people trouble.

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. (Hebrews 6:4-6).

Does that mean a saved person can fall away and never be able to be saved again?

Charles Spurgeon did the best job I’ve read on the clarity of the Hebrews verse. See if you agree (or don’t 😉

You know how many passages there are in which it is positively asserted that if a child of God did deliberately and totally apostatize, his restoration would be utterly impossible—not difficult, but impossible. This is one of the greatest proofs of the doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints, since there is no man in a condition in which it is impossible to save him, and yet any man would be in such a state if he apostatized. Therefore true believers shall not apostatize, but shall stand fast, and shall be kept even to the end. Yet, could they totally apostatize, they could never be restored again: the greatest remedy having already failed, there would remain no other. C.H. Spurgeon

Posted in discernment, Uncategorized

Sexual sin: it wants you

Sexual sin is a biggie crouching at the door, waiting to capture you. Do you believe you’re immune to it? Do you believe it won’t happen to you? Do you think it’s not possible because you’re so strong, or so wise, or so Godly?

Samson was the strongest man in the Bible, and he fell to sexual sin.

David was the Godliest man in the Bible, and he fell to sexual sin.

Solomon was the wisest man in the Bible, and he fell to sexual sin.

The Bible’s warnings about sexual sin are clear. What are the protections we should take?

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).

that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Ephesians 4:22-24).

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. (Luke 9:23-24).

It’s very clear. Sexual sin wants you. You don’t want it.

Posted in encouragement, Uncategorized

Fellowship without fear

It’s Fall here in Georgia. In honor of the (finally!) cooler temperatures, I scheduled a visit to the sunflower/pumpkin patch with my friend. It’s not too far from us, only about 40 minute drive. It’s free to get in, and the only thing you pay for are any pumpkins or sunflower cuttings you might want. It should be a fun morning. I’m envisioning us to grab a coffee, enjoy a nice drive out there, stroll in the crisp air, take LOTS of photos, and have a relaxing drive back.

The previous social engagement I scheduled was with this same friend … last December. Does it seem strange to you that I have social outings only twice per year, or ten months apart? Not to me. It’s normal, and the pace is perfect.

I’m autistic and most weekends and evenings I spend recovering from the day and the week alone at home. In the silence. The bewildering aspects of sociability, the noise of being among people, the nasty surprises like a bell going off or a car alarm blaring, wear on me like I’m cheese on a cheese grater. By the end of the day every last nerve is whittled down, my body is actually throbbing in pain, and I’m near tears.

Not that I don’t enjoy people, I do. Most times I enjoy a witty remark, a pleasant exchange, or just seeing what people wear or what they brought for lunch. I like the people I work with and I love the children. It’s just that by the end of the day it’s sensory overload. I need time to recuperate.

It’s also that I don’t really want to have lengths of time with people. Though it’s true that sometimes I really don’t, other times I think it might be nice to do so. Whether that flickering desire stems from a genuine level of empathy or friendliness, or I’m just succumbing to a social pressure to do something most people enjoy, I don’t know. Being a typical Aspergers person I don’t care. The thought is fleeting and then I’m on to more serious pursuits.

But then…I read things like this in the Bible:

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, (Acts 2:46)

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. (John 2:1-2)

And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. (Mark 2:15).

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. So they hosted a dinner for Jesus there. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with Him. (John 12:1-2)

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. (Acts 2:44)

The Bible shows us that there were gatherings in the Lord’s name and friendships and dinners and parties and weddings and banquets. The Bible is strong on gathering together, fellowship with like-minded believers, koinonia, service, hospitality and building each other up. So avoiding any and all gatherings is not an option. Church going and small talk afterward, being a member of a small group study, and joining the occasional all-church gathering is important. I do so because it’s commanded and I seek to honor the Lord. I just wish it wasn’t so painful.

Well, someday it won’t be!

In heaven the fellowship will be without limits, without fears, without any negatives at all. I can’t imagine how it will be to be freed from the distress of social interaction. Talking will be full of meaning because it will center on Jesus without reservation and without error. The sweetness of being together will be fully realized as we visibly see our selves as His body and visibly see Him as the Head.

I suppose I will still have the same autistic brain since He made me this way in the first place. I am guessing that even in heaven there will be those people there who are more gregarious and those who are more shy. We will retain our personality after all, but without the underlying cause being fear, or distress, or anxiety. I’m looking forward to visiting with martyrs, Apostles, heroes, and all the rest of the laypeople who comprise His redeemed church in a sweet fellowship devoid of anything negative and wholly saturated with glory, goodness, and joy.

Posted in prophecy, Uncategorized

The apostasy and hatred of the Pharisees made them plot to kill Lazarus

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. (John 12:9-11)

This man [Nicodemus] came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2)

Imagine a religion so apostate that the leaders and adherents of it plot to kill the person upon whom had been given the greatest supernatural blessing and sign directly from God- resurrection. And it’s not that the Pharisees didn’t know that Jesus was from God, Nicodemus tells us they did.

The evil of the religion as it had become when Jesus arrived is something we often forget to look upon in horror and disgust. Jesus certainly did. Wolves bring leaven.

Yet to tolerate spiritual leaven is to invite apostasy. Christians seem more interested in following the super gentle, easy-to-follow, blonde haired, blue eyed, Caucasian surfer Jesus instead of the one that beckons us to pick up our crosses, follow him, and seek the lost (Matt. 10:38) (CARM)

The Pharisees had piled hundreds of laws onto the Jews over time, a total of 614 had been invented by them by the time Jesus came. The People were staggering under the weight of Law and worse, the Pharisees displayed no grace to help alleviate their burden. Only hypocrisy. Therefore, Jesus was incensed at what was done in His name.

After Lazarus’ resurrection, the people continued to bear witness of Jesus’ sign.

The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” (John 12:17-19)

The leaven the false ones bring always includes self-satisfaction. The Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes were in it for themselves, not the glory of God. It’s the same today.

To tolerate this spiritual leaven means to invite apostasy.  Like leaven, error gradually creeps into the church and spreads to all parts, causing the whole to elevate itself with pride and do what is right in one’s own eyes instead of that which is right in God’s.  2 Thess. 2:3 speaks about the great apostasy that is coming.  However, it cannot occur without a host of lesser apostasies within the Church that will ultimately deceive Christians and prepare the ground for the arrival of Antichrist. (CARM)

Apostasy is evil and its deepening never stops. It only progresses. It winds up to a point where the leaders of it want to kill the very man, Lazarus, who could bear witness to the power and grace of a holy God just by the fact that he could draw breath. The apostate wants no such Good News however. He seeks to stop it and silence it in any way possible. Death, that’s what apostasy brings. Praise God that He sent His Son to witness to the grace and mercy of His Holy Name. Rather than seeking to kill, we seek to love, build up, and we remain in His hand until the day He returns or brings us home.

Posted in encouragement, Uncategorized

The beauty of creation at the microscopic level

I love photos and videos that show the microscopic. It’s all God’s creation and to be able to see the smaller things unusually not observed by the unaided eye just gives me a thrill to peek into His smaller creations that are just as magnificent as the Alps or the change of seasons or the constellations. Here is a short clip of things crystallizing. It’s fascinating. Continue reading “The beauty of creation at the microscopic level”

Posted in Uncategorized

Have you ever been snubbed?

a snub is defined as-

an act of showing disdain or a lack of cordiality by rebuffing or ignoring someone or something.

Did you ever go into a store or pass someone walking or anywhere, and you know they saw you but they refuse to acknowledge you? That’s a snub.

I’m on the spectrum and I accidentally snub people all the time. Sorry. I tend to focus more on inanimate objects than I do on people and I literally don’t see you. Children are an exception. I always see them.

A hilarious quote I read from Kin Hubbard says that “some people are so sensitive they feel snubbed if an epidemic overlooks them.”

Remember the angst in High School when we walked down the hall and saw the boy (or the girl) and desperately hoped for eye contact, acknowledgement, or best of all, personal affirmation. Would he stop, look, chat? Oh, no, he didn’t look! She didn’t see! They rejected me!

It felt horrible and as adults if we care to admit it, it still does. Snubbing and his big brother Rejection are wounds that hurt. We’ve been snubbed when a friend is angry with us, We’ve been rejected by a spouse through adultery. We have been passed over for promotion. We crave affirmation and recognition, but when we’re being ignored through a snub or rejected through anger or hate, it hurts and the hurt takes a long time to heal.

Now bundle all the times you’ve been snubbed, overlooked, and rejected, and magnify that a billion times. Imagine how you might feel at the universe’s worst snub, its highest rejection.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32).

In the first case, the person being rejected thought he was a Christian. He labored, he preached, he rebuked demons. And he was rejected. In a stunning turn of events, the person will receive an eternal rejection to his face, and be banished from glory and the presence of Jesus forever.

In order to ensure that you, dear reader, are not one of those rejected and snubbed, having no place card at the Banquet, test yourself to see if you are in the faith. Is It Real: 11 Biblical Tests of Genuine Salvation can be read here.

In the second case, the person was an outright Christ rejecter. Whether they were a ‘spiritual person’ of another religion, or an atheist, agnostic, or other flavor of rejecter, in turn they will be rejected on the Day. Forever.

This is a hurt and a wound from which one does not ever recover. Make sure you are not rejected on the Day, and repent of your sins. Today is the day of your salvation. Don’t wait, don’t procrastinate. If you’re feeling feel drawn, investigate and examine yourself to see if you pass the test.

 

wise-man

Posted in Uncategorized

Reader Question: What are some good commentaries and sermons on Old Testament prophetic texts?

A reader wanted to know who I’d recommend as trustworthy expositors of the Old Testament texts, particularly the prophetic texts and especially Daniel.

Admittedly, Daniel is a difficult text to understand in parts, though with the Holy Spirit’s help in illuminating it and because scripture interprets scripture, it’s not impossible to understand.
OT sermons and commentaries are definitely hard to find. Or rather, they are easy to find but you wouldn’t want to read some of them because they twist the scripture so badly!

So who solidly exposits the Old Testament texts?

I love James Montgomery Boice. He preached through OT prophets in his day and the sermons are online for free. He is currently on rotation in Expositor.fm (24-hour expository preaching on internet radio channel founded by John MacArthur) in a Daniel series. The sermons archived on sermon audio and other places, but are not transcribed, to my knowledge. He does have an expositional commentary for purchase at Amazon, only $15. Daniel Expositional Commentary

On my own bookshelves as regards Daniel Commentaries, is a commentary by Oliver B. Greene which I enjoy. He is old timey, from the 1930s-1970s. Greene’s commentary on Daniel can be purchased at Amazon for between $7-15. Greene also has a commentary on Revelation, which I do not own. As always, use your discernment and compare to scripture to test and see.

Wikipedia says that Green’s “The Gospel Hour, which began on one station in Georgia and gradually became syndicated until the point it spanned the nation is currently on over 80 stations, including international stations and the Internet. Taped copies of the program are still aired today on the Fundamental Broadcasting Network and other Christian radio stations.”

John MacArthur preached thru Daniel. As a matter of fact, at GTY they have a new series where employees choose some of their favorite, stellar sermons from JMac which may not be as well known or older. Last Friday’s pick was a sermon from the Daniel series, called “An Uncompromising Life.” The Daniel series can be found at that link, and the sermons are transcribed, they can be adapted for small group study.

One man who has done something unique and wonderful but for some reason is fairly unknown and overlooked, is Roy Gingrich. He made what are called outlines of all the OT prophetic books, most of the other OT books, and NT books as well, including Revelation. These are wonderfully succinct treatments suited for individual study or small group! These are available for $2.99 on Amazon, kindle only.

I’ve attached two screen shots of Gingrich’s outlines so you can see what they look like

As for the credible expositors on Revelation: My favorite book on Revelation is MacArthur’s “Because The Time Is Near”. It brings out both the wrath and the grace & love of Christ during that most horrendous future time. When I read it, the book shook me. It is an easy read, based on the sermon series.

On my shelves for other Revelation Commentaries, I also have HA Ironside’s commentary, John R. Rice and Oliver B Greene as well as MacArthur’s Commentary on Revelation, plus and an unknown Baptist from the 1800s, lol. I found that one on sale in a second hand store.

Preachers I trust to handle scripture correctly, including the more complicated Old Testament Prophets, are S. Lewis Johnson and Dan Duncan, both of Believers Chapel-Dallas, Johnson preached there for many years, and Duncan is currently Johnson’s successor. They have preached through Daniel as well as other end time books of prophecy. Their sermons are accompanied by notes.

I hoe my few recommendations are helpful. Of course there are many other good preachers and commentaries not mentioned here. Feel free to offer some recommendations of your own!