Archives For Bible reading

When 2017 began, I had no intention of trying to read through the Bible more than once in English. After finishing the Bible in English for the first time this year on July 10, my plan was to try to finish reading through the Bible in Spanish, which I had begun in 2016.

In September, however, it was arranged that I would teach (through an interpreter) a 15-week Bible class in a Spanish Bible college in Spring 2018. To prepare for that class on what the Bible teaches about acceptable music for corporate worship, I decided that I needed to read through the Bible again in the last three months of this year.

I began that second reading on October 1. I praise God that He empowered me to finish that second reading today—87 days after I had started!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Luke wrote his Gospel to Theophilus for a very specific purpose:

Luk 1:3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

In Acts 1, Luke informs Theophilus what his Gospel comprised:

Act 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

By correlating these two statements, we learn that the Gospel of Luke was written to give Theophilus certainty about what he had been instructed about all that Jesus began both to do and to teach.

Applying this understanding to what we find in the Gospel of Luke reveals a striking truth when we examine it for information about what Jesus began to do and teach—Luke 2:41-52 is the first information about what Jesus did and taught! Based on this fact, we understand that the narrative of what Jesus did and said when He was a twelve-year old boy in the temple is foundational for our having the certainty that God wants us to have about all of Jesus’ acts and sayings about which we have been taught!

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Bible Picture

In heaven, we will see God face to face. Does that mean that we will not study the Bible anymore once we are in heaven?

Some Christians believe that the Bible will be irrelevant when we get to heaven because we will have direct access to God and learn everything directly from Him. For at least seven reasons, I disagree with that view.

1. Biblical Statements about the Eternal Permanence of God’s Word

Several statements in Scripture teach us that God’s Word is forever settled in heaven and it will endure forever:

Psa 119:89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

These statements imply that the Bible, which is the only inspired collection of God’s words, will forever be relevant.

2. Endless Future Teaching by God

God is going to show us forever the endless wealth of His gracious kindness toward us in Christ:

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Because Scripture is the word of His grace (Acts 20:32), it makes sense that God will continue to use His inspired eternal Word to bestow unending grace upon us throughout the ages to come.

3. Divine Use of Written Records in Heaven

Some argue against the need of the Bible in heaven because they think that direct fellowship with an omniscient God obviates the use of anything that is written. Scripture, however, shows that this is invalid reasoning by informing us that God will use what is written in certain books to judge human beings even though He has no need to resort to any written records of anything:

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Because God could just as readily cause each person being judged to view on a screen all their works in video form instead of basing their judgment on a written record of their works, yet He chooses not to do so, we understand that these written records will be vital in heaven. Since we know with certainty that there will be divine use of written records in heaven, arguing against the use of the Bible as a continuing source of information because it is in written form is untenable.

4. Many Saints Will Have Never Had Access to the Whole Bible in Their Lifetimes

Except for the many believers who have lived in the past two to three centuries in certain parts of the world, the vast majority of saints who have lived throughout history have never enjoyed access to the whole Bible in their lifetimes. It is unthinkable that God will not give them finally the blessedness of reading and studying the entire Word of God someday.

5. Correction of Wrong Interpretations of Scripture and Failures to Understand It

Believers in God have puzzled over how to understand and interpret many parts of Scripture throughout much of the history of their having that written divine revelation given to them (cf. 2 Pet. 3:16). Undoubtedly, we all have misunderstood and have misinterpreted Scripture in various ways.

God will surely correct all the failures of all His people to handle His word accurately and explain to them the truths that they have failed to understand (cf. Jesus’ dealing with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus [Luke 24:13-27]). His warning that all teachers of the Word will give a stricter accounting of themselves implies that God will especially show them where they have failed to handle His word accurately (James 3:1-2).

6. No Access to the Original Autographs in Our Day

For most of its history, the Church has not had access to the original inspired autographs of Scripture. Studying the original autographs in heaven will provide us with understanding that we are unable to have certainty about now, such as what was the original ending of the book of Mark.

Having access to the original autographs will also clear up many supposed contradictions in Scripture for which we can provide reasonable but not definitive explanations now. Such study of Scripture will heighten our eternal appreciation for the perfection of God’s eternal Word.

7. Further Illumination of the Perfect Book Authored by the Holy Spirit

Even the most devoted students of Scripture of all the ages have hardly scratched the surface of the infinite perfection of the work of the Holy Spirit in authoring His perfect Book (cf. Ps. 119:96). Holding that we will study our Bibles throughout all eternity is consistent with what fully understanding a perfect book authored by the Holy Spirit will entail.

Conclusion

For at least seven solid reasons, we can be confident that we will study the Bible in heaven. Let us devote ourselves to intensive careful study of our Bibles now in anticipation of the glorious future that we will have studying the eternal perfections of God’s eternal Word!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Scripture speaks to us of thousands of different people. Many of those people are named, but a sizable number are not.

Of the thousands that are named, only eight share the distinction of having Scripture explicitly speak of them as being men of God.

The following table presents the 78 times in Scripture that men are designated as being men of God.

David 2Ch 8:14 And he appointed, according to the order of David his father, the courses of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their charges, to praise and minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required: the porters also by their courses at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.
David Neh 12:24 And the chief of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise and to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward.
David  36 And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.
Elijah 1Ki 17:18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
Elijah  24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.
Elijah 2Ki 1:9 ¶ Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
Elijah  10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Elijah  11 ¶ Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
Elijah  12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Elijah  13 ¶ And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
Elisha 2Ki 4:7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
Elisha  9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
Elisha  16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
Elisha  21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.
Elisha  22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.
Elisha (2x)  25 ¶ So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:
Elisha (2x)  27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
Elisha  40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
Elisha  42 ¶ And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
Elisha 2Ki 5:8 ¶ And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
Elisha  14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Elisha  15 ¶ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
Elisha  20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
Elisha 2Ki 6:6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
Elisha  9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
Elisha  10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
Elisha  15 ¶ And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
Elisha 2Ki 7:2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
Elisha  17 And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.
Elisha  18 And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:
Elisha  19 And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
Elisha 2Ki 8:2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
Elisha  4 And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.
Elisha  7 ¶ And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.
Elisha  8 And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
Elisha  11 And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.
Elisha 2Ki 13:19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
Igdaliah Jer 35:4 And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door:
Moses Deu 33:1 ¶ And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
Moses Jos 14:6 ¶ Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.
Moses 1Ch 23:14 Now concerning Moses the man of God, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi.
Moses 2Ch 30:16 And they stood in their place after their manner, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood, which they received of the hand of the Levites.
Moses Ezr 3:2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.
Moses Psa 90:1 <A Prayer of Moses the man of God.> Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
Samuel 1Sa 9:6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.
Samuel  7 Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?
Samuel  8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.
Samuel  10 Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.
Shemaiah 1Ki 12:22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
Shemaiah 2Ch 11:2 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
Timothy 1Ti 6:11 ¶ But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Unnamed1 Jdg 13:6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:
Unnamed1  8 ¶ Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.
Unnamed2 1Sa 2:27 ¶ And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?
Unnamed3 1Ki 13:1 ¶ And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
Unnamed3  4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
Unnamed3  5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
Unnamed3 (2x)  6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
Unnamed3  7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
Unnamed3  8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
Unnamed3  11 ¶ Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
Unnamed3  12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
Unnamed3 (2x)  14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
Unnamed3  21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
Unnamed3  26 ¶ And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.
Unnamed3  29 And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.
Unnamed3  31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
Unnamed3 2Ki 23:16 And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.
Unnamed3  17 Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.
Unnamed4 1Ki 20:28 And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
Unnamed5 2Ch 25:7 But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.
Unnamed5 (2x)  9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The LORD is able to give thee much more than this.
Generic 2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

As can be plainly seen from the table, Elisha the prophet has the glory of being called a man of God far more times than any other man!

Elisha (29x)

Elijah (7x)

Moses (6x)

Samuel (4x)

David (3x)

Shemaiah (2x)

Igdaliah, Timothy (1x)

It is fascinating to ponder why the Holy Spirit inspired the Scripture writers to emphasize this designation for Elisha in this profound way. If you have any thoughts about why this might be, I would love to hear what you think.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

I began this year reading the Bible with an intense desire to read as much of the Bible as I could in preparation for teaching two combined Sunday school classes at my church. I praise God tonight that He has given me grace and perseverance to finish reading the Bible through for this year in 59 days!

Having read the Bible in English this year, my goal now is to try to read through the Bible in Spanish by the end of the year. Because I have not taught the second combined Sunday school class yet, I will also be studying many passages in the Bible in English intensely until I have taught that second class.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Getting closer!

February 21, 2016

1051 chapters read in the Bible this year; 138 to go!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Bible Reading Update 2.15.16

February 15, 2016

I have now read 915 chapters of the Bible this year, praise the Lord! To finish by the end of the month, I will need to read 274 chapters in the next 14 days.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

After studying for many weeks and reading 699 chapters in the Bible since January 1, I am eagerly looking forward to teaching Sunday school tomorrow, God willing, and profiting God’s people with what He has given me to teach about the ministry of God the Father as teacher!

Here are the books that I have read this year:

OT: Exodus, Deuteronomy, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel (439 chapters)

NT: All 27 books (260 chapters)

Praise the Lord!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In preparation for teaching two upcoming Sunday school lessons, I have read Deuteronomy, Job-Proverbs, Isaiah, Daniel, and the NT this year (595 of the 1189 chapters of the Bible)! I praise God for granting me grace to persevere in finishing reading the parts of the Bible that most directly pertain to my topic for the first lesson: the teaching ministry of the Father.

I’m eagerly anticipating teaching those classes, but I’ll have to wait another week to teach the first one because Sunday school is cancelled today

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

377 Done and 812 To Go

January 16, 2016

OT Chapters Read – Job (42); Psalms (150); Proverbs (31); Isaiah (66) = 289 chapters

NT Chapters Read – Matthew (28); Mark (16); Luke (24); 1 Cor. 1-7; 1 Thessalonians (5); 2 Thessalonians (3); James (5) = 88 chapters

Total chapters read in 2016 = 377

Total chapters left to read = 812

Praise the Lord!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.