Bible stories come to life

Jan 21

Harmony of Bible records of Jesus’ Prophecy on the Mount of Olives

Jesus’ prophecy on the Mount of Olives

There were only two days left before Jesus was to be betrayed and crucified when his disciples commented on the glorious construction of the temple in Jerusalem.

Jesus surprised them by telling them that the temple they were admiring would be completely destroyed.

Naturally, the disciples wanted to know when this disaster would take place, and asked if it was linked to his return and the end of the age.

Jesus’ answer gave details of events that would take place in years that stretched far beyond their lifetimes – in fact we are still waiting today for some of this prophecy to come to pass. These prophecies give details of Jesus’ return from heaven to earth, so they are vitally important to all followers of Jesus.

The Bible passages which record the prophecies are as follows:

Matthew 24:1-51 [and probably the parables of Matthew 25:1-46]
Mark 13:1-37
Luke 21:5-36

Jun 02

Follow Me!

By Mark Morgan | Jesus

Have you ever done anything completely unexpected, unplanned, sudden, extreme? Something that others would think crazy or irrational – and perhaps your husband, your wife or your parents might agree with those others! Let’s look at some people who did that sort of thing because Jesus called them to follow him.

Jun 02

Harmony of Bible records of appearances of the resurrected Jesus

By Mark Morgan | Harmonies , Jesus

The Stone Grave by logoscambodia (https://openclipart.org/detail/216711/the-stone-grave)

Several books and letters in the Bible report Jesus’ interaction with many different people after his resurrection. However, since no one record includes all of the information, we need a harmony of Bible records of appearances of the resurrected Jesus.

The Bible passages which record events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus, the subsequent 40 days during which he met with his disciples and his ascension are as follows:

Matthew 28:1-20
Mark 16:1-20
Luke 24:1-53
John 20:1-21:25
Acts 1:1-12
1 Corinthians 15:4-7

Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection are discussed in another article (Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection), but the current article tries to put the records of the appearances before Jesus ascension in chronological order.

Jun 02

Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection

By Mark Morgan | Jesus

Empty Tomb by aaronforjesus (Aaron Johnson) (https://openclipart.org/detail/23576/empty-tomb). Licence: public domain

Early on the Sunday morning following his crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead – to the dismay of his enemies and the complete surprise of his friends! Each of the four gospels records different details of that morning and the forty days that followed, leading finally to his ascension. Putting those records together into one coherent narrative is not easy, but I hope to present a harmony of the gospels for this time in another newsletter. For the time being, we’ll just look at the appearances of Jesus after his resurrection.

Jan 28

Washing in Bible times

By Mark Morgan | Jeremiah , Jesus

In the last two years we have all become familiar with calls to wash our hands frequently. With COVID-19 leaving its mark all over the world, we are all encouraged to be vaccinated, but also to use soap, hand sanitiser and disinfectants. How does our response to COVID-19 compare with cleansing and washing in Bible times?

Many people have observed that the Law of Moses concentrates heavily on cleanliness and frequently mentions washing – yet it is not the only part of the Bible where this is true.
Continue reading

May 27

Harmony of Bible records of the Roman trial and subsequent crucifixion of Jesus

By Admin | Harmonies , Jesus

Harmony of Jesus' trial and crucifixion:

The need for a harmony

In many of the events recorded in the Bible, details are written in more than one place. For example, details of the reign of many kings are recorded in both Kings and Chronicles and sometimes in one or more prophets also.

When we are writing Bible-based fiction, we always want to make sure that our stories match the details given in the Bible and sometimes that requires the harmonisation of more than one record. Continue reading

Nov 15

A parable and “A lamb set aside”

By Mark Morgan | Jesus , Miscellaneous

A Bible Tales post with a difference! A parable about preparation and a then poem, “A lamb set aside”, to remind us of what Jesus did for us as the lamb of God.

A parable…

The return of Jesus will be like when a husband has worked all night and is very tired. After telling his wife that he will get up sometime for lunch, he is finally free to sleep.

And when he rises from sleep, his wife smiles happily and welcomes him gladly. He sees that his lunch is already cooked and sits bubbling on the stove. The table is laid ready, with utensils and a plate in each place. Beside his plate, a glass with a cool drink awaits him. Husband and wife sit down together and share a joyful meal.

I tell you the truth, that man will treasure his wife forever!

In the same way, make sure that you have everything ready for Jesus before he returns.

Jul 06

Events around the birth of Jesus

By Mark Morgan | Harmonies , Jesus

Birth of Jesus (http://freebibleimages.org/illustrations/christmas-jesus-birth/ Slide 15)

Events around the birth of Jesus

We are given quite a bit of detail surrounding the birth of Jesus and his early life in the gospels of Matthew (Matthew 1:18-2:23) and Luke (Luke 2:1-52), but there is little overlap in the details given. Putting the two together as a parallel record can help us understand when various events took place.Continue reading

Category Archives for "Jesus"

Jesus’ prophecy on the Mount of Olives

The need for a harmony

A parable…

Events around the birth of Jesus