Practical Insights

“There is no peculiar sacredness in any place now as there was in the temple of old. But the exercises of the worship of God are themselves sacred, and ought to be solemn, in whatever place performed.” Ralph Wardlaw (1822)

Read All of Our “Practical Insights” to Date with Sources

Scripture of the Day (Through Numbers)

The leaders offered the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed, so the leaders offered their offering before the altar. Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Let them present their offering, one leader each day, for the dedication of the altar….” Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim, so He spoke to him. Numbers 7:10-11, 89

“He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

Psalm 121:4

“I will give to you and to your seed after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Genesis 17:8

“He has remembered His covenant forever…the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.’ “

Psalm 105:8-11

The “sign of the fish” was an early Christian symbol during the persecutions under the Roman Empire. It was often used to distinguish friend from foe. A Christian might draw an arc in the dirt to represent a simple fish. If a stranger responded accordingly, both knew the other was a Christian.
Why was the fish chosen as the symbol? The Greek word for fish is ιχθυς. Christians created an acronym based on this word.
ι: 1st letter in Ιησους
Greek for “Jesus”
χ: 1st letter in Χριστος
Greek for “Christ”
θ: 1st letter in θεου
Greek for “God’s”
υ: 1st letter in υιος
Greek for “son”
σ: 1st letter in σωτηρ
Greek for “savior”
Thus: “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, our Savior.”

An Important New Post

Do you give much thought about how you dress when going to church? Is there any biblical reason for wearing your best? Or are jeans and T-shirts equally acceptable? This topic is sorely in need of preaching in virtually every Bible-believing Christian church today. Most congregations and even pastors now take casual dress for granted, which results in the loss of the proper preparation needed for coming into the presence of God for worship. There are biblical principles here, and this article is must reading: “Garments for Honor.” (March 13, 2017)

Latest Items Posted

  • Proverbs: Wardlaw’s commentary is great reading. Click here for our new page featuring some of his most helpful expositions. (4-9-2017)
  • Apologetics: See our new Apologetics page. (2-27-2017)

Why This Website?

We have long lamented the lack of depth in the preaching within Evangelical churches today. Many Christians possess only a shallow knowledge of both the Bible and theology. Check yourself with two questions that should be very simple to any Christian who attends a Bible-believing church.

We hope that the Bible study material posted at this Web site will both increase your knowledge of the Bible and theology and also encourage you to buy and read books by great Christian theologians and preachers. The full contents of this site can be seen at a glance on our Site Map; there are over 1000 items.

Our Sister Website:
Messiah Studies

We have another Web site, Messiah Studies, that is devoted to a detailed study of Messianic prophecy. However, it is a new Web site, and so far there are only a few papers posted. It is our goal, however, to develop a series of papers dealing with the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament in historical order. The site is designed for Jewish inquirers, but Christians can gain much from these studies as well. There is also some Jewish music you can listen to, including HaTikvah (Israeli National Anthem), Hava Nagila, Jerusalem of Gold, and the Yigdal (on which the Christian hymn, “The God of Abraham Praise,” is based). Please take a look and send us your suggestions.

What common belief forms the fundamental foundation of both Judaism and Christianity? For the answer, read this encouraging article by Orthodox Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, “Growing in Our Understanding of God.”

Jon Voight on Israel

Do You Love Israel?

Israel is God’s chosen people and covenant nation. How often does your church pray for the safety of Israel and the peace of Jerusalem? If it doesn’t, ask your pastor why not. God promised in the covenant he made with Abraham that he will bless those who bless Israel (Gen. 12:3). Please listen to legendary actor Jon Voight as he gives us an urgent message about Israel.

The “British Schindler”

Beginning in 1938, Nicholas Winton organized the rescue of over 600 Jewish children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia. Here is a very touching video from a BBC television program reuniting Sir Nicholas with many of these children, now adults. How cold our own hearts must be if we cannot thank Jesus for saving us from eternal death with the same emotion that Vera Gissing shows in this video when she meets Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved her as a young girl from the Nazi death camps.

NIV Translation Unreliable

In many ways, we are living in a dangerous age. Some dangers are where you would least expect them, as for example the degree to which feminism has infected on evangelism. What translation of the Bible are you using? The NIV has become an unreliable translation. Read “An Evaluation of Gender Language in the 2011 Edition of the NIV Bible” produced by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.


Replacement Theology and Amillennialism

Anyone at all familiar with this Web site knows that we are at the opposite end of the theological spectrum from replacement theology and amillennialism. At our sister Web site, Messiah Studies, we have posted a number of lectures from perhaps the best book on Messianic prophecy that I have read: The Messiahship of Jesus by Alexander McCaul (1852). He does argue that the Messianic prophecies point to fulfillment by Yeshua (Jesus), but in his discussions he gives considerable attention to the Jewish objections to Christian interpretations of these prophecies. However, the point I would like to emphasize here is that he also argues for a literal fulfillment of the prophecies dealing with the future of national Israel and forcefully critiques replacement theology and amillennialism, which sees no future for Israel in an ethnic and national sense. I suggest that those who hold to replacement theology and amillennialism should examine this book carefully. See the the McCaul page . The Messiah Studies site also has a short paper written by me “The Messiah: An Overview,” which summarizes what the prophets indeed predict for national Israel–God’s chosen, covenant people, the apple of his eye (Zech. 2:8) and the nation written on the palms of his hands (Isa. 49:15-16). You might also be interested in a short paper here on Rediscovering the Bible, “Does Eschatology Matter in Jewish Evangelism?”


Psalm 107

“He that cannot pray, let him go to sea, and there he will learn.”
John Trapp on Ps. 107:23-29, cited by Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David.