Life's Inanities and Ironies

In a world that grows darker by the day—where biblical truth is mocked, families are under siege, and churches are tempted to soften their message—we return again and again to the unchanging Word of God. John 21 is not merely an epilogue to the greatest story ever told; it is a powerful, personal call to every conservative Christian who holds the Scriptures as the inerrant, authoritative Word of the living God. This chapter was written so that “you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). Let’s walk the shoreline with the disciples and hear the risen Lord speak directly to our hearts. The Empty Nets: When We Return to Old Patterns The disciples had witnessed the empty tomb. They had seen the risen Christ—twice! Yet here they are, back in their boats on the Sea of Galilee, doing the one thing they knew before Jesus called them: fishing. All night long? Nothing. Not one fish. How often does this happen in our...

Oh, can you feel it? That holy hush before the dawn… the moment when heaven itself held its breath. If you are a conservative Christian who still trembles at the King James Bible , who clings to the old rugged cross, the blood that cleanses, and the literal, bodily resurrection of our Lord, then come with me to John chapter 20 .   We have wept through “that last week,” stood trembling in “that last night,” listened with aching hearts to “that final discourse,” and fallen on our faces at “that hour on Calvary .” Now—glory to God!—we stand at **that glorious morning**, the morning that shattered the power of death forever. The tomb is empty. The Lord is risen. And your heart was meant to be set on fire all over again today. Let the Word of the living God break over you like sunrise. 1. The Empty Tomb – “He Is Not Here” (John 20:1-10) Mary Magdalene stumbles through the darkness, her heart still raw from Friday’s horror. The stone is rolled away. She runs, weeping, to Peter and...

The Mount of Olives (Hebrew: *Har ha-Zetim*; Arabic: *Jabal al-Tur*) is a limestone ridge rising east of Jerusalem’s Old City, separated from it by the Kidron Valley. At its highest point (around 2,694 feet / 820 meters on Mount Scopus to the north), it offers one of the most iconic panoramic views of the Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, and ancient walls. Its name derives from the olive groves that once blanketed its slopes—trees whose oil was used for anointing kings and priests in biblical times. This ridge has witnessed over 3,000 years of recorded history, serving as a place of prayer, prophecy, mourning, triumph, and divine encounter. It is sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with layers of biblical events, archaeological remains, and ongoing religious significance.   Old Testament Roots: A Place of Refuge, Idolatry, and Prophecy The Mount of Olives first appears in Scripture during King David’s flight from his rebellious son Absalom around 1000 BC. David ascended the ...

Grace, mercy, and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. If you are a conservative Christian who still holds the King James Bible as the final authority, who believes in the blood atonement , the virgin birth , the bodily resurrection , and the soon return of the Lord, then these two chapters are the very heart of our faith.   We have followed our Saviour through “that last week” (John 12), “that last night” in the Upper Room (John 13-17). Now we arrive at ** that hour on Calvary **—the hour for which He came into the world. John 18 and 19 record the arrest, the sham trials, the scourging, the crucifixion, and the triumphant cry “It is finished.” This is not religious sentiment; this is the gospel in its raw, blood-bought reality. Let us open the infallible Word of God. 1. The Arrest and Betrayal – “I Am He” (John 18:1-11) Jesus goes forth into the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples. Judas arrives with a band of soldier...