Life's Inanities and Ironies

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...

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are a conservative Christian who still believes the old Book from cover to cover, who holds fast to the King James Bible , the blood of the Lamb, and the narrow way that leads to life, then these chapters are for you. We have walked with our Lord through “that last week” (John 12) and “that last night” in the Upper Room (John 13-14). Now we come to the final words of the Upper Room Discourse —John 15, 16, and 17—the sacred farewell of the Savior before He stepped into Gethsemane. This is holy ground. Jesus has just comforted troubled hearts with the promise of mansions and the way, the truth, and the life. Now He opens His heart even deeper: the True Vine , the coming Comforter , and the High Priestly Prayer that still echoes for every believer today. These are not suggestions for comfortable Christianity. These are marching orders for those who would abide in Christ in a hostile world. Let us hear the Word o...

In our study of John 13 and 14 —the sacred record of **that last night**—we stand with the Lord Jesus and His eleven faithful disciples in the Upper Room . This was no random location. It was a divinely appointed place where the King of kings washed feet, gave the new commandment of love, and poured out the promises of John 14 that have comforted every blood-bought fundamentalist believer for two thousand years. But what was the real-world setting of this holy ground? Let us examine the historical context with the same reverence we bring to the King James Bible itself. The Biblical Setting: A 1st-Century Jewish Upper Chamber in Jerusalem The Gospels describe the Upper Room (Greek *anagaion* or *hyperōion*—literally “upper room”) as a large, furnished guest chamber prepared for the Passover (Mark 14:14-15; Luke 22:11-12). In first-century Jerusalem, especially in the Upper City on the southwestern hill known as Mount Zion , many homes of wealthier Jewish families featured such second-...