Festus [FÔöÇ├▓s’tus]……joyful, festal, prosperous.…Porcius Festus was a Roman governor of Judea in the reign of Nero (Acts 24:272526:24, 32). The Man Who Called Paul Mad Felix, seeking to court the favor of the Jews, left Paul in prison, thinking that the Jews would compensate him for such a favor. This act was an investment in […]
Ezekiel [ÔöÇ├ÂzÔöÇ├┤kÔöÇ┬íel] god is strong or the man god strengthens.…The son of Buzi, a priest who prophesied to the exiles by the river Chebar, and fourth of "The Greater Prophets" (Ezek. 1:324:24). “What should we learn from the life of Ezekiel?”……For the first-time reader of the Bible, the book of Ezekiel is mostly a perplexing […]
Felix [FÔöÇ├┤’lÔöÇ┬íx]…happy, prosperous. ……A cruel Roman governor of Judea, appointed by the Emperor Claudius, whose freedman he was (Acts 23:24, 2624:2-2725:14). Felix is described by Tacitus as a bad and cruel governor, even though the title of "most excellent" was given to him. The Man Who Procrastinated As a true preacher, Paul pressed home the […]
Goliath [GÔö╝├¼lÔöÇ┬¢’ath]-THE EXILE or SOOTHSAYER. The famous giant of Gath, who defied the armies of Israel 1 Sam. 17:4, 23; 21:9; 22:10; 2 Sam. 21:19. The Man a Pebble Killed The story of David and Goliath has thrilled our hearts from childhood days. How spectacular it must have been to see a stripling like David […]
Gog [GÔö╝├àg] –a roof or a mountain. A Reubenite, and grandson of Joel (1 Chron. 5:4). A prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and not the mystic character of Revelation 20:8-15. Who is this dominant figure Ezekiel pictures as leading a great host of Northern nations against Israel? Ezekiel 38:2, 3, 14, 16, 1839:1, 11 […]
Gideon His name means: “Hewer, Slasher, Hacker” His work: A farmer called to bring Israel back to the Lord (a task in which he partially succeeded) and to deliver God’s people from their Midianite oppressors. His character: A fearful man, living in a time when Israel had plenty to fear, Gideon questioned the Lord, demanding […]
“Who was Flavius Josephus?”……Answer: Since their release in the first century A.D., the writings of Flavius Josephus have become a primary source of Judeo-Christian history. According to The Life of Flavius Josephus, Josephus 'was born to Matthias in the first year of the reign of Caius Caesar' (1:5), being 37 A.D. At 'fourteen years of […]