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God Creates the Universe

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Scripture Used in the Writing of “God Creates the Universe”

Genesis 1:1-2:4 (Hebrew Text analysis beginning with Genesis 1:1)

See this document for a list of additional supporting Scripture used.

 

English translation used: Berean Standard Bible

 

Colossians 1:15-17
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

1 In the beginning God created the 2 heavens and the earth. Now the earth was 3 formless and void, and darkness was over the 4 surface of the deep. And the 5 Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” 6 and there was light. And 7 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And 8 there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

And God said, “Let there be an 9 expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from 10 the waters above. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into 11 one place, so that the 12 dry land may appear.” And it was so. 13 God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was 14 good. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so. 15 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. God made 16 two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the  night. And He made the stars as well. God set these lights in the expanse of the sky 17 to shine upon the earth, to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” So God created the 18 great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God 19 blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the sea, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And then there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said, “20 Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth 21 according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “22 Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, 23 to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; 24 male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “25 Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—26 I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day 27 He rested from all His work. Then God 28 blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.

 

NOTES

 

1 In the beginning: Genesis 1:1. This is the very beginning of the Bible, as well as the universe. The Hebrew word for In the beginning is reshith and it means “first, beginning, time, order”. In order to have a beginning, you must have time. God exists both inside and outside of time and space. However, this universe only exists within time. Time, therefore, is the first thing mentioned in the creation account, but this is not proof that time was created at the same time as space and the earth. It’s important to understand that we have no idea how much “time” passed between the creation of space and the earth in Genesis 1:1 and the action that takes place in Genesis 1:2-5, where we have the creation of days and nights for the tracking of time. Because of this, we cannot accurately say how old the earth is or how old the universe is. It could be that the earth is 4 billion years old. It could be that the earth is 6000 years old. It could be that the earth and our universe are two ages at once, because they have existed within the tracking of days, months and years and have existed outside of those constraints. (Back)

 

2 heavens and the earth: The heavens in Hebrew (shamayim) is understood to have three parts to it: our sky, outer space and God’s heaven where He resides. God’s heaven has always been in existence— the heavens mentioned during creation would be the other two. (Back)

 

3 formless and void, and darkness: The Hebrew word used for formless is tohu and it means “formlessness, emptiness, worthless, desolation”. The Hebrew word used for void is bohu and it means “void, waste, empty”. The Hebrew word used for darkness is choshek and it means “darkness”, both literally and metaphorically. From these definitions we can know that the earth was a desolate wasteland that was completely dark. (Back)

 

4 surface of the deep: We know that the surface of the earth was water and that solid land was under the water because of Genesis 1:2, 6, 7, 9, 10 and Psalm 104:5-9. The Hebrew word used for deep in Genesis 1:2 is tehom and it means “abyss, depths”. From this definition we can understand the the water on the face of the earth was a deep, vast (and dark) sea. It’s possible that the waters were also chaotic at the time, because the word tehom is from a Hebrew word, huwm (or hum), and it means “to roar, to agitate”. (Back)

 

5 Spirit of God was hovering: The Greek word used in Genesis 1:2 for hovering is rachaph and means “hover, relax”. It can also mean “flutter”. The word itself gives the idea that the Holy Spirit was gently and calmly floating over the face of the earth’s water, which was not only vast, deep and dark but also (probably) chaotic, see Note 4. It is a fascinating juxtaposition: the light and calm of God against a dark and restless sea.  (Back)

 

6 and there was light: This light is apart from God’s glory; it is a natural light, instead of His supernatural light. In the New Jerusalem, there will be no need for the sun or the moon (natural light), because God’s supernatural light that emits from His glory will be the lumination for His city. See Revelation 21:23-25. (Back)

 

7 God saw that the light was good: The Hebrew word used for saw in Genesis 1:4 is raah and it means “see, perceive, to behold, approve”. It is a wide-reaching term, with literal and metaphorical uses.  It’s important to understand that God did not need to experiment with His creation and discover that it was good by seeing it with His eyes. The interpretation that we can apply to God “seeing” His creation as good is as a declaration. He was and still is the ultimate Witness to the goodness of what He has made. This makes the eventual fall into sin (Genesis 3) even more tragic (if that’s possible), due to the fact that His creation is now marred by sin and waits to be set free from the corruption of it (see Romans 8:19-23). (Back)

 

8 there was evening, and there was morning:  Today, we think of night as the close of the day, but God created the emergence into morning as the end of a day. This also makes morning the beginning of a new day.  (Back)

 

9 expanse: The Hebrew word for expanse used in Genesis 1:6 is towb and it means “expanse, firmament, arch of the sky”. There may have been those in the ancient world that thought that the earth was flat, but those with a true understanding of the Hebrew or the Greek in the Septuagint for Genesis 1:6 understood, at the very least, that this word mean that the sky had some degree of curvature. (Back)

 

10 the waters above: This water above the earth’s sky has some mysterious aspects. We don’t know if the water above the sky was above the exosphere or somewhere in between the layers of the atmosphere.  We don’t know how much water was separated from the earth and established above the sky. Many Bible scholars hold to the idea that the water above the sky was significant enough to create a dome of water surrounding the earth and that it was this dome of water that was used to flood the earth in Genesis 7:10-12. The language used in these verses does not specifically say that there was a dome of water above the earth used to flood it. However, the words used to describe the water, especially in Genesis 7:11 with the usage of the word tehom (the waters mentioned in Genesis 1:2), does strongly support the idea. (Back)

 

11 one place: If you look at the geography of the earth on a map or topographical application, it is easily seen that the land in its current pieces used to fit together, back in the day. We don’t know how or when the land separated into the pieces we have today, but it could have been because of the flood (Genesis 7) or maybe it happened when God scattered people around the earth in Genesis 11:8. The Bible is silent on the subject. (Back)

 

12 dry land may appear: Psalm 104:6-9 tells us that before this command of God’s, the mountains had been covered with the primordial water, and when God told the waters to gather into one place, the mountains rose up and the valleys sank. Because of verse 9, we know that the land of earth will never be overtaken by the water, nor will the water be overtaken by the land because God has set the boundaries. This is comforting, when thinking about our melting ice caps and glaciers, the rising sea levels, and the hurricanes that seem to be getting worse. But God has promised not to destroy the earth by water ever again (Genesis 9:11-16). The next time (and last time) God destroys the earth, it will be by fire (Isaiah 66:15-16; 2 Peter 3:5-13). (Back)

 

13 God called: When God names or “calls” something, He is proclaiming its name, with purpose. The Hebrew word used for called throughout Genesis 1 is qara and it means “to call, proclaim, to read, to name”. (Back)

 

14 good: The Hebrew word used for good throughout Genesis 1 is towb. It means “good” but it also means “beautiful, pleasing” and is associated with the goodness of God Himself, which is perfect goodness. Just like many overused or under-defined words in the English language, the word good lacks the color and depth needed for the declaration of God’s creation. (Back)

 

15 The earth produced vegetation: The growing of vegetation didn’t happen right away according to Genesis 2:5, but some time after its creation. Irrigation was accomplished by a mist or vapor that rose from the ground, before rain was introduced, see Genesis 2:6. (Back)

 

16 two great lights: The deliverance of sunlight from the sun in the day and the reflection of the same from the moon at night (also see Psalm 136:7-9). The Hebrew word used for great in Genesis 1:16 is gadol and this word has a range of application. It can mean great in magnitude, extent, number, intensity, age, and importance.  We can certainly apply the greatness of these lights to mean that they are great, in all the  application of the word, to us here on earth. (Back)

 

17 to shine upon the earth: Jeremiah 31:35 amplifies this statement. (Back)

 

18 great sea creatures: The Hebrew word used for sea creatures in Genesis 1:21 is tannin and it means “dragon, serpent, monster (both land and sea)”. Tannin has a very similar meaning to Livyathan, or Leviathan, which is used in Isaiah 27:1. The words do not originate from the same root, though. It is possible that tannin’s usage here is to be applied to whales, but we don’t know for sure. (Back)

 

19 blessed: The Hebrew word used for blessed in Genesis 1:22 and 28 is barak and it means “bless, kneel”. When God blesses someone, He pours His favor, love, protection and prosperity on them. (Back)

 

20 Let the earth bring forth: God spoke the land animals into existence, just like the fish and birds, but it seems that land animals emerged from the earth. The Hebrew word yatsa is used in Genesis 1:24, meaning “to bring forth, out of, to go out”. The earth’s dust is used in creating people, as explained in Genesis 2:7 and 3:19.(Back)

 

21 according to its kind: God made each species in its own kind and therefore one species cannot evolve from another. (Back)

 

22 Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: This statement tells us that God is more than one Person, due to the usage of plurals in the first-person identifiers of “Us” and “Our” in Genesis 1:26. To be made in God’s image is not to be made in a physical likeness of God, because He is spiritual and invisible (John 4:24; Colossians 1:15) and we are physical and visible. To be made in God’s image is not to know right from wrong because of Genesis 2:17. To be made in the likeness of God is to have His characteristics and attributes (in a limited capacity), such as love, forgiveness and kindness. It means to have the abilities that we have, such as creating. It also means to have the eternality of a soul— just as God is eternal (eternally past and future, see 2 Timothy 1:9 for a reference to the past), so are we. It is a comfort to know that even though our human body must die, we do live on, and will even have a new type of body someday (1 Corinthians 15:40-49; Philippians 3:20-21). Some Scripture that states the eternality of God and of those who love Him is found Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 40:28;  John 3:16, 36; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8; 1 Peter 5:10. Those who hate God are also eternal: Matthew 25:41-46; 1 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 14:9-11, 21:8. (Back)

 

23 to rule over: It is repulsive and disgraceful to use this verse as some excuse for disregarding the pain and suffering of animals or to defend the mistreatment of animals with “It’s just an animal”. Animals are a part of God’s creation and therefore were created “good” and should have consideration just on that point alone, as should all of creation. Speaking of the rest of creation, there are some pastors saying that it’s ok to pollute the earth because God will destroy it anyway.  This pompous statement is like saying that because your best friend will some day throw out her favorite dress when it becomes unwearable, you are allowed to destroy it now! Yes, there is coming the day when God will destroy  the current heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1), but He didn’t give any human the permission to destroy it in His place. God has given us the example on how to rule (Psalm 86:15), so choose to rule all of creation with kindness, compassion, dignity and gentleness, just as God rules over you. Proverbs 12:10. (Back)

 

24 male and female He created them: There are only two genders or sexes, as Genesis 1:27 tells us. There are some who feel that they are something different then male or female, but the facts are you are born either male or either female. There is a rare condition called hermaphroditism that does exist, but it is considered an anomaly by the medical field, not a gender assignment. (Back)

 

25 Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth: Genesis 1:28. It is important to understand that this is a blessing, as stated directly in Genesis 1:28. There are those who use this verse, as well as Genesis 38:9-10 as reasons for not using birth control. There is nothing in this blessing from God or in Genesis 38:9-10 or anywhere in the Bible forbidding a married couple from controlling their family size or even from choosing to remain childless. Genesis 38:9-10 was aimed at one specific person who was being spiteful, derelict in duty to his brother (Deuteronomy 25:5-10; Matthew 22:24), and was disobedient to his father. This is what God found displeasing. On a related note, it is stated in Psalm 127:3-5 that children are a blessing from the Lord. (Back)

 

26 I have given every green plant for food: All living things started out as vegetarians. Meat-eating didn’t begin until after the flood (Genesis 9:2-4). Eating as vegetarians continued even after the fall of man into sin, but it seems people were using animals in some capacity, such as for sacrifice to God (Genesis 4:2-4). They also possibly used the hides for clothing, tent-making, etc. God had demonstrated to Adam and Eve that the skins could be used for clothing in Genesis 3:21—the fig leaves probably didn’t hold up so well (Genesis 3:7). (Back)

 

27 He rested from all His work: The Hebrew word used for rest in Genesis 2:2 is shabath and it means “desist, cease, rest”. It can also mean “celebrate”, as in celebrating the Sabbath. God rested, not because He was tired (Isaiah 40:28), although Exodus 31:17 does state that God was “refreshed” during this seventh day. God rested because He was done with creation, and He wanted the day of rest to become the Sabbath which all of Israel was supposed to observe with rest, as well. It was so important to observe this day of rest, that it was included in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). The Sabbath was used as a sign of sanctification  between God and Israel (Exodus 31:12-17; Ezekiel 20:12). The Sabbath is supposed to be celebrated in an assembly (Leviticus 23:3), and dedicated to God, not one’s own pleasures (Isaiah 58:13). Jesus does remind us that we aren’t to be ridiculous in enforcing this day off (Mark 2:23-3:5). It is within ourselves where we prove our dedication to God, not in outward show that everyone else can see (1 Samuel 16:7; Jeremiah 17:10; Matthew 23:27). (Back)

 

28 blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: The seventh day is Saturday. To sanctify means to make it a holy day, a “set apart” day. If the Sabbath is on Saturday, why does the current church gather on Sundays? There is nothing Biblical about holding church services on Sundays, other than the fact that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). There is one mention of Luke and some other Christians meeting with Paul on the first day of the week (Sunday) and eating together. At that gathering, Paul taught all night, see Acts 20:7-12.  Some use 1 Corinthians 16:2 as the reason, but it doesn’t say anything about having “church”, just that each person was supposed to save (not give) their money each Sunday so Paul doesn’t have to arrange a collection when he visits them. Others also use Revelation 1:10 which is baffling, because there is no mention of John being with others and having “church”, and he doesn’t specify which day, Saturday or Sunday, is the Lord’s day. Regardless of when you dedicate a day to God, it is important that the dedication is true and not just some outward show, like the Pharisees (Matthew 23:27). (Back)

Jesus Walks on Water

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Walks on Water”

Matthew 14:22-33 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 14:22)

Mark 6:45-52 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Mark 6:45)

John 6:15-21 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with John 6:15)

Psalm 25:4
Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.

THE SPLICE

The disciples were collecting the fragments of food left over from the 1 feeding of the 5,000 men, plus the women and children.  And those who had witnessed this miracle of feeding so many people from five barley loaves and two fish, said, “This is truly 2 the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew back up to the mountain by Himself alone. Now when it was later in the evening, Jesus 3 made His disciples go down to the sea, get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to 4 Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. Now while Jesus was sending the crowds away, and after the disciples had gotten into the boat, they started to cross the sea towards 5 Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

After bidding the crowd farewell, 6 Jesus had sent the crowd away. He left for the mountain and went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and He was there alone on the land and the boat was in the middle of the sea, a long distance from the land. The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing and the wind was contrary and against them, so the boat was battered by the waves. 7 Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars and at about the 8 fourth watch of the night, when they had rowed about 9 three or four miles, Jesus came to them, walking out on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. The disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened/terrified because when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that 10 it was a ghost, and they cried out in fear, saying, “It is a ghost!”. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”  Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, Peter became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” The disciples were willing to receive Jesus into the boat when they realized it was Him and when Peter and Jesus got into the boat, the wind stopped and all those in the boat and the boat were immediately 11 at the land to which they were going. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, 12 “You are certainly God’s Son!”  They were utterly astonished by this, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their 13 heart was hardened.

An Old Boat

NOTES

1  feeding of the 5,000: Many Bible scholars have estimated that the crowd was more like 15,000 people, because the women and children weren’t included in the count, according to Matthew 14:21. To read about the feeding of the 5,000 men, see Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:33-44, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:1-14. To read the Splice about the feeding of the 5,000, click here. (Back)

2  the Prophet: In reference to Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18 and it is reinforced that the Prophet is the Christ in Acts 3:20-23. The Prophet is mentioned in Deuteronomy 18 because the Israelites are prohibited from participating in spiritism, such as using mediums, witchcraft, necromancy, spellcasting, divination, etc. and God promises a Prophet (and other prophets) that would speak to them, for Him. Today’s popular pastimes, such as using talking boards or tarot cards, are included in the prohibition of spiritism.  Believers in Christ should be waiting on God for answers (who doesn’t lie, see Hebrews 6:18), not demons (their leader is the father of all lies, see John 8:44). See Deuteronomy 18:9-22 for the information concerning spiritism and the announcement of the Prophet, and see Acts 16:16-18 about the slave-girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination. See Exodus 22:18 where God commands that those who practice sorcery (witchcraft) in Israel should be put to death. (Back)

3  made His disciples…: The Greek word used for made in Matthew 14:22 and Mark 6:45 is anagkazó and means “to force or compel” and has a flavor of urgency along with the command. (Back)

4  Bethsaida: Where historical Bethsaida was actually located is up for debate, but we can estimate it’s location to the NE shores of the Sea of Galilee. Bethsaida was the hometown of Peter, Andrew, and Phillip (John 1:44). It is a possibility that James and John were from Bethsaida, because James and John were fishing partners with Peter and Andrew (see Matthew 4:18-22 and Luke 5:10), but John does not mention himself or his brother in 1:44. He also doesn’t mention his own personal recruitment (nor his brother’s) into Jesus’s ministry in his Gospel. Although Jesus is sending them to the town of Bethsaida (Mark 6:45), they are already in a secluded spot (Matthew 14:13, Mark 6:32) associated with the town (Luke 9:10). Also, they are actually heading towards Capernaum once they are on the sea of Galilee (John 6:17), possibly because of the strong winds and inability to control the boat. Capernaum and Bethsaida are not that far apart, as best as we can judge two thousand years later. Unfortunately, Bethsaida no longer exists as a town, nor does Capernaum. However, there is a bus stop named Bethsaida Junction, along Israel’s Highway 87, about 4 1/2 miles northeast of the Capernaum ruins. (Back)

5  Capernaum: Capernaum is Jesus’s home base. He moved from Nazareth to Capernaum at the beginning of His ministry (Matthew 4:13). Peter and Andrew have a house there (Mark 1:21, 29) and it’s possible that Jesus recruited Matthew from Capernaum because of Matthew 9:1, 9 and  Mark 2:1, 14. Capernaum has been the site of extensive excavations and digs since the 1800’s, and there is a memorial built over what is supposed to be Peter’s house and some churches that were built there in the 4th and 5th centuries. The memorial has a partial glass floor so you can see the remains of these ancient ruins. Capernaum itself is now owned by the Franciscans and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy of Jerusalem. (Back)

6  Jesus had sent the crowd away: The Greek text for Matthew 14:23 says “And having dismissed the crowds”. The Greek word for dismissed is apoluó and means “let go, send away, divorce”.  (Back)

7  Jesus saw the disciples: See Mark 6:48. Understanding that the disciples are already far away from the land (Matthew 14:24; Mark 6:47) and it’s dark (John 6:17), this must be a miraculous sighting, using His power as God to see these details, where human eyes could not. The Greek word used here for see is horaó and can be used metaphorically or literally.  (Back)

8  fourth watch: The fourth watch, the last watch of the night, was between 3am and 6am. Roman guard duties were divided into four watches throughout the night. The first watch was from 6pm to 9pm, the second watch from 9pm to 12am, the third watch 12am to 3am, and then the fourth. (Back)

9  three or four miles: The Greek text for John 6:19 says “stadia twenty-five or thirty”. A stadia is a Greek measurement of distance and where we get our word “stadium” from. A stadia is about 1/8 of a mile or the distance of a Greek race course. (Back)

10  it was a ghost: This is not proof that ghosts exist. It is possible that due to their fear, the disciples were grasping at legend or superstition to explain the unexplainable. For those who belong to God, there is no possibility of ghostliness, as 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 gives us the clue that once our souls are absent from the body, we are together with the Lord. For those who reject God’s grace, we can only look at Jesus’s parable about Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) which says that Lazarus was taken by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (a place of comfort) and the rich man to Hades (hell). The parable doesn’t say “there is no such thing as ghosts” but it certainly does give the footing to say so. Ghosts or not, we know that God controls all things (Ephesians 1:11) for His purposes, even the demons (Job 1:6, 12, 2:6), and therefore it is God who should be feared, not ghosts (Matthew 10:28). (Back)

11  at the land: Matthew 14:34 says that they landed at Gennesaret, a town about 2-1/2 miles to the Southwest of Capernaum. This was an instantaneous landing at Gennesaret (John 6:21), and therefore a miracle, as the disciples had rowed out 3 or 4 miles out to sea when Jesus approached the boat (John 6:19).  They were ultimately going to be heading out to Bethsaida, as Mark 6:45 says, and they do finally get there in Mark 8:22. But as we are told in Mark 6:53-55 as well as Matthew 14:35-36, Jesus made this side trip and healed many people while He was there. (Back)

12  You are certainly God’s Son: The disciples had seen lots of miracles (Matthew 11:4-5, 20-21) performed by Jesus before He walked on water and facilitated an instant landing of their boat. The wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), healings (much of Matthew 9, Mark 5:21-42, Luke 7:1-10, John 5:1-9) casting demons out of people (Matthew 8:28-33, Mark 5:1-20) and they had JUST seen (and participated in) an NBA stadium’s worth of people (approximately) fed from 5 loaves and 2 fish (see Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:1-15). (Back)

13  heart was hardened: From Mark 6:52. The Greek word used for heart is kardia and means “the heart; mind, character, inner self”. The Greek word used for hardened is póroó and means “harden, petrify, callous”. The words together give the meaning that the collective minds of the disciples were unperceiving or dull to the miracle that they had witnessed in the feeding of the 5,000 men. (Back)

Jesus Feeds the 5000

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Feeds the 5000”

Matthew 14:13-21 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 14:13)

Mark 6:30-44 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 6:30)

Luke 9:10-17 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 9:10)

John 6:1-13 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 6:1)

 

Exodus 16:13-15
13 So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. 15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”

 

THE SPLICE

1 When the apostles returned and had gathered together with Jesus, they gave an account to Him and reported to Him of all that they had taught and all they had done. Jesus had also heard about what had been done to 2 John the Baptist. Now there had been many people coming and going, and the disciples were tired and did not even have time to eat. Because of John’s murder and because the disciples needed time for rest and food, Jesus said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” Taking the disciples with Him, He withdrew from there and they went away in a boat to a secluded place by themselves, to a city called 3 Bethsaida, on the other side of the Sea of Galilee 4(also called Tiberias). And when the large crowds of those that Jesus and the disciples had been healing, heard of this and were aware that Jesus and the disciples were going to leave and when the crowd saw them going, (many recognized them by sight) they ran there together, following Him on foot from all surrounding cities and the crowds got there ahead of Jesus and the disciples. They followed Him because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were 5 sick. When Jesus arrived, He went ashore and He saw the large crowd, and 6 He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  And Jesus went up onto the mountain and they were following; and 7 He welcomed them, and began to teach them many things, speaking to them about the kingdom of God and healing their sick, curing those who needed healing. 8 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.

The day was ending and it was already quite late into the evening. Jesus, lifting up His eyes, could see that this large crowd was approaching Him. His twelve disciples went to Him and said, “9 This is a desolate place/we are in a desolate place and the hour is already quite late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and 10 find lodging as well as 11 buy themselves something to eat/buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”  Jesus said directly to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” This He was saying to test Philip, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred 12 denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” And the other disciples said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” And Jesus said to the disciples, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” The disciple Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “This 13 little boy here has five 14 barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” And the other disciples agreed with Andrew by saying, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” Now there was much grass in the place. And ordering and commanding the people to sit down on the green grass, Jesus said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” The crowds sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties, directed by the disciples. Then Jesus told the disciples, “Bring them (the fish and loaves) here to Me.” Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking to heaven, He blessed the food and gave thanks, and breaking the loaves and dividing up the two fish, He distributed the food to the crowds by giving the food to the disciples, and the disciples delivered the food to the crowd. And Jesus kept giving food to the disciples to set before the people. Everyone ate as much as they wanted. They all ate and were satisfied. When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” So the disciples gathered the broken pieces, and filled twelve 15 baskets full with fragments from the five barley loaves and the fish which were left over by those who had eaten; all that was left over was picked up. There were about 16five thousand men who ate the loaves and fish, besides women and children . Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly 17 the Prophet who is come into the world.”

 

Sketches of bread and fish

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTES

 

1 When the apostles returned: Jesus had sent the Twelve out in pairs to cast demons out of people, to heal people of disease, to tell folks to repent and to proclaim the kingdom of God. See Matthew 10:1-8; Mark 6:7-13, Luke 9:1-6. There is a difference between the words apostle and disciple in the Greek, although many people use them interchangeably in English. It is important to understand that a person could be both at the same time. Mark demonstrates this in Mark 6:30 when the Twelve return from the mission they had been sent on by Jesus, and then in Mark 6:35, when the Twelve are back to being learners. (Back)

 

2 John the Baptist: Son of Zacharias and Elizabeth. John and Elizabeth are relatives of Jesus’s, because Elizabeth is a relative of Mary’s (Luke 1:36). John the Baptist had just been beheaded by Herod (Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29). To read about John the Baptist, see Matthew 3, 11:2-14,  Mark 1:1-9; Luke 1:5-25, 41, 57-80; 3:1-22; 7:18-33; John 1:6-36, 3:22-36. (Back)

 

3 Bethsaida: Today, the area where Bethsaida stood is completely desolate. The word “Bethsaida” is now only applied to a bus stop at a junction on Highway 87 in Israeli Golan Heights. (Back)

 

4 Tiberias: It is John (John 6:1) who wants to make sure his readers understand that the Sea of Galilee is also called Tiberias. It’s possible that at the time of John’s writing (later half of the 1st century), many people called the Sea of Galilee by the Tiberias moniker. John also mentions the Sea of Galilee as the “Sea of Tiberias” in John 21:1. He mentions the town of Tiberias, which is located at the southwestern side of the Sea of Galilee, in John 6:23. It should be noted that Luke 5:1 calls the Sea of Galilee “the lake of Gennesaret”. Gennesaret was a town on the northwestern side of the Sea of Galilee, approximately 2.5 miles from Capernaum. (Back)

 

5 sick: Jesus spent quite a bit of time healing the sick. See Matthew 4:24, 8:1-3; Mark 6:55-56; Luke 13:11-13; John 5:5-9 for a few examples. The reason why He healed the sick is explained in Matthew 8:17 and Isaiah 53:4. (Back)

 

6 He felt compassion for them: From Mark 6:34. If you have to sum up the ministry of Jesus in just a few words, this is the verse I would use. (Back)

 

7 He welcomed them: From Luke 9:11. Luke uses the Greek word apodechomai which means “to gladly accept, gladly welcome, to embrace, to entertain with hospitality”. (Back)

 

8 Now the Passover: From John 6:4. Since it is near the Passover, there were many people traveling about, making their way to Jerusalem for the celebration.  (Back)

 

9 This is a desolate place/we are in a desolate place: Matthew 14:15 and Mark 6:35 say “this is a desolate place” and Luke 9:12 says “for we are in a desolate place”. (Back)

 

10 find lodging: Luke 9:12 mentions that the people need lodging as well as food. I think that some or all of these people camped out on the green and grassy (Mark 6:39, John 6:10) mountain side, because of John 6:22, but we don’t really hear about the lodging situation and how it was solved. We do know that Jesus had dismissed the crowd, sending them away (away from Himself, but not necessarily the mountain’s side or its base), and He went up onto the mountain alone (See Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-47). Since it was near the Passover (John 6:4), we know from John 18:18 that it can get cold at night around Passover-time. If they did indeed camp out on the mountain’s side, we can only assume that people built fires or it was a comfortable spring evening, whether by miracle or nature, keeping people warm through the night. We do know that there was a strong wind over the Sea of Galilee between 3am and 6am, at any rate (Matthew 14:24, 30; Mark 6:48; John 6:18). (Back)

 

11 buy themselves something to eat: From Matthew 14:15; Mark 6:36; Luke 9:12. Everyone is in Bethsaida, in a desolate part of it, but it has some surrounding villages (Matthew 14:15; Mark 6:35; Luke 9:10, 12). Capernaum is also a couple of miles away (John 6:16-19). There were no large, “big-box” stores back then or any type of grocery store, to be sure. Also, people didn’t have an abundance of food in a pantry like people might have today, therefore going up to a house and asking to buy their food may not work out. This miracle seems to not only display the power of Jesus, but it also fills an immediate need. Who else could feed that many people at a time? (Back)

 

12 denarii: In Matthew 20:2, one denarius was agreed to as the day’s wages. We don’t know if this was a generous wage or a common wage, but from Matthew 20:13 it seems that this was the generally accepted wage for the day for a laborer in a vineyard. To read about the history of the denarius, click here. Some other mentions of the denarius in Scripture include Matthew 18:28; Mark 12:15; Luke 7:41; Revelation 6:6. (Back)

 

13 little boy: From John 6:9. We don’t know who this little boy is or if he is traveling with the disciples. We know that there were two boats that the disciples and Jesus had been traveling in (John 6:22-24), and it is possible that this boy could have been tucked in there with them. It would seem strange if Jesus is commanding the disciples “you feed” the crowd and to see how much food they have, but then use a stranger’s food, even if a child. This food (in my view) has to belong to the disciples and Jesus collectively, and by extension, the child belongs with them, too.  For the Greek on John 6:9, click here. (Back)

 

14 five barley loaves and two fish: Barley was considered  low quality for bread. Hulled barley seems to have at least some nutritional value though, all things being equal 2000 years later. Fish was preserved by salting way back then, and its preservation in this way enabled people to carry it around with them on long journeys. See this article for an interesting look at ancient fish preservation. (Back)

 

15 baskets: The Greek word, used in all of the accounts, for the word “basket” is kophinos which is a “hand-basket” or a basket that the Jews used specifically for carrying around their food. It could be large, it could be small; size seems subjective so we don’t know how much it held. It was probably made of wicker. (Back)

 

16 five thousand men: There are many current day estimates saying that approximately 15,000-20,000 people are on the mountainside, since only the men were counted (Matthew 14:21; Mark 6:44; Luke 9:14). We do not know the actual number of people fed through Jesus’s miracle. (Back)

 

17 the Prophet: John 6:14 tells us that people were proclaiming Jesus as the Prophet due to this miracle. The Prophet was promised by God to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. (Back)

The Resurrection of Jesus: Part Three

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “The Resurrection of Jesus”

Matthew 28:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 28:1)

 Mark 16:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 16:1)

Luke 24:1-53 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 24:1)

John 20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 20:1)

John 21 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 21:1)

Acts 1:1-14 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Acts 1:1)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “The Resurrection of Jesus: Part Two”, click here.

 

Ephesians 1:20-21
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

 

THE SPLICE

 

The 1 eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee to 2 the mountain which Jesus had designated. After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but 3 some were doubtful. And He manifested Himself in this way. Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee (James and John), and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, 4 “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; 5 yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish, do you?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.” So they cast, and then they were not able to haul the net in because of the great number of fish. Therefore the 6 disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish. So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.”
Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and the fish likewise. This is now the 7 third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.”  He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, 8 signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” Peter, turning around saw the disciple whom Jesus loved 9 following them; 10 the one who also had 11 leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and 12 we know that his testimony is true.

Gathering the disciples together, Jesus led them out as far as 13 Bethany and  they (the disciples) were asking Him, saying, “14 Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the 15 Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be 16 baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” And He said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. And make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;  He who has believed and has been 17 baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.  18 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name  they will cast out 19 demons, they will be speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. Go therefore and lo, I am with you always, even to the  end of the age.” And after He had said these things, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was 20 blessing them, He parted from them. Jesus was lifted up while they were looking on and was carried up and received into heaven; a 21 cloud received Him out of their sight and He sat down at the right hand of God. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” And they, after worshipping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the 22 upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers; and they were continually in the temple praising God. Recorded in the book The Acts of The Apostles, written by Luke, are the results of these things: they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed and Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.

And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, 23 John supposed in his Gospel account that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

We also know this happened after the Resurrection, but have no other information regarding this supernatural event:

Matthew 27:52-53

52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53and after His resurrection they entered the holy city and 24 appeared to many.

 

NOTES

 

1 eleven disciples: Eventually, the eleven will become twelve once again with the addition of Matthias, as described in Acts 1:23-26. Matthias and Justus/Joseph/Barsabbas are named as traveling with Jesus during His ministry in Acts 1:21-22, more proof that it wasn’t just the Twelve disciples that were involved with Jesus and following Him. (Back)

2 the mountain: We don’t know exactly which mountain in Galilee the disciples were directed to. There are websites that speculate, but the Bible does not name the mountain. (Back)

3 some were doubtful: We don’t know who was doubtful at Galilee (Matthew 28:16-17 ). It is likely that more than just the eleven disciples were in attendance at Galilee, as they had other people with them in Jerusalem, such as Mary Magdalene and Joanna (see Luke 24:9-10). We know Thomas had been doubtful of Jesus’s resurrection while the disciples were still in Jerusalem, but his doubt had been removed (John 20:24-29).  All of the other disciples seemed to believe Jesus while in Galilee and Jerusalem, except when they saw Him for the very first time, due to their joy and amazement (Luke 24:41). Jesus did rebuke the disciples, however, for doubting the people who had reported His resurrection to them before they saw Him for themselves (Mark 16:14). (Back)

4 I am going fishing: I’ve heard one pastor say that Peter went fishing because he lost faith in Jesus’s return to Galilee. It’s never ok to make the Bible say what it doesn’t say or to omit things that the Bible does say. I think it’s best to just take this sentence as it is presented. Peter went fishing, and six of the other disciples went with him. See John 21:3.  (Back)

5 yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus: Jesus manifested Himself in a form unrecognizable to the people that knew Him more than once (see John 20:14 and Luke 24:16). (Back)

6 disciple whom Jesus loved: This disciple would be John the apostle and writer of the gospel of John, the epistles 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John and the book Revelation. (Back)

7 third time that Jesus was manifested: John 21:14. The Greek word used here for manifest is phaneroó and it means “to make visible, make clear”. The first manifestation to the disciples was on Sunday night (John 20:19) when Cleopas and his traveling buddy saw Jesus and then went back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples about it (Luke 24:33-36). Jesus appeared to ten of the disciples that night, as Thomas had left at some point (John 20:24) and Judas was no longer apart of the fellowship. The second manifestation was talked about specifically in John 20:24-29, but also in Mark 16:14. That manifestation was 8 days later, when Thomas was present. The third manifestation was at the Sea of Galilee, which is also known as the Sea of Tiberias (see John 6:1). The third manifestation is talked about in Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-19, and John 21:1-14 . We don’t know how long after the second sighting of Jesus that the third happened. We only know that Jesus “presented Himself alive after His suffering” over a time span of 40 days (Acts 1:3). (Back)

8 signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God: From John 21:19. We don’t know for sure how Peter is martyred, just that he was martyred because of what Jesus had just said to him. Peter himself mentions his own death decades later saying that Jesus made his death known to him (see 2 Peter 1:14). It is possible that when John wrote his gospel account at the end of the 1st century, Peter had already been martyred; it does seem that John is writing on the other side of the event. As for the other apostles’ deaths, we know that James was murdered by the sword because of Acts 12:2. We don’t know anything about the other disciples’ deaths. There are many traditions floating around as to the “how, when and where”, but these cannot be proven and must be taken as possible events and not as facts. (Back)

9 following them: After breakfast, it seems that they were not sitting down around the fire anymore, but that they were walking. (Back)

10 the one: John the disciple. (Back)

11 leaned back on His bosom: This memory that John recalls is recorded in John 13:23-25. (Back)

12 we know that his testimony is true: This is a strangely worded phrase from John 21:24. It gives the feeling that John had written his book, and then others had circulated it or distributed it, and they themselves added this part, assuring the reader that John did write the book and they were sure of it to be true. It could be that John is reassuring the reader that his testimony is true, but if so, it is not written in standard first person singular. The Greek word for the phrase we know in John 21:24 is eidó, written in the first person plural, oidamen. (Back)

13 Bethany: The story may have made a bit of a jump in time. Either Jesus had walked back with the disciples towards Jerusalem from Galilee, which was far away but something they had done before, or they had already been back to Jerusalem and walked out to Bethany, which was not far away (John 11:18). (Back)

14 Lord, is it at this time: There are many portions of the Old Testament talking about the establishment of the kingdom that will be eternal, granted by God, such as Daniel 2:44, and also the return and restoration of the kingdom of Israel being referred to, such as Ezekiel 36. The disciples were living during the Roman occupation of Israel, and they were probably anxious, like many Jews, to have Rome out of their land. This is probably why they brought up the subject. (Back)

15 Holy Spirit: This gift was fully manifested during Pentecost. To read about Jesus’s promise concerning the Holy Spirit, see John 14:16-18, 16:5-14, 20:22. See Acts 2:1-13 to read about the day of Pentecost and the fulfillment of this promise. (Back)

16 baptized with the Holy Spirit: This baptism occurred on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13), also known as the Feast of Weeks, which occurs on the fiftieth day after Passover. The word “Pentecost” or pentékosté in the Greek, means “fiftieth”.
To see a list in timeline form of the Jewish feasts, click here. (Back)

17 baptized shall be saved: Jesus is speaking of baptism by the Holy Spirit, which each and every believer is gifted with, and not a water baptism. He just spoke about baptism by the Holy Spirit…He is continuing the thought. Scripture is very clear that no ritual, work, or action, such as a water baptism, can save you from eternal destruction.  Only the grace of God in giving you the gift of faith in Jesus, and the gift of recognizing and repenting from sin, trusting that Jesus can forgive and remove the sin and reconcile you to God, equals salvation (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, among other verses). This is done through the work of the Holy Spirit, and this is His baptism (for examples, see Ezekiel 36:27; John 16:8-13; Romans 5:5; Titus 3:5-7). The fruit, or result, of this baptism by the Holy Spirit is listed in Galatians 5:22-23. (Back)

18 These signs: The signs listed here were manifested in order to give people the proof that God was present and that the things talked about by the apostles were from Him (2 Corinthians 12:12). These signs were starting to phase out when Timothy was sick (see 1 Timothy 5:23) Otherwise, wouldn’t he most certainly have been miraculously healed? Wouldn’t have Paul’s ailment of the eyes been taken care of, as well (Galatians 4:13-15)? Or (a common argument) were Timothy and Paul “in sin” or was it that they “didn’t have enough faith”? God does not perform miracles based on our sinfulness or faith (see Jesus’s many healing miracles). Otherwise, our works make a difference and clearly our “works” are not even a factor in our salvation (see Romans 3:21-28). We do not need these signs or miracles anymore, because we have the Bible; the Holy Spirit is our proof (John 16:8-13). This is not to say that a miracle could not happen, just that they are most certainly not common, aren’t used as proof of God’s presence and not widely visible.  (Back)

19 demons: There seems to be confusion about what demons actually are. They are fallen angels that were holy angels. Angels were created by God (Colossians 1:16), just like all things. The Bible is silent on angel creation timelines and how God created them. Some angels, for reasons unknown, decided to believe in and side with Satan (who is a fallen angel himself) instead of God and consequently were removed from Heaven, along with Satan (Revelation 12:7-9). Demons and Satan are nothing to fear for those of us held by Christ. God has all power and control over all things, every second of every day, from and to eternity infinity, even for those people who choose to defy Him. If someone has been possessed by demons (no actual elect of God can be possessed by demons because the Holy Spirit dwells within them, see Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16), God allowed that (1 Samuel 16:14-15). It is God, not Satan, demons or any human being, that is to be feared (Matthew 10:28). (Back)

20 blessing them: What does it mean to “bless” someone? The Greek word for bless is eulogeó and it means “ to speak well of, praise”. When used to describe blessing from God, it is to “to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers” and “to cause to prosper, to make happy, to bestow blessings on”. (Back)

21 cloud: The Bible does not describe the appearance of the cloud. Jesus Himself mentions the clouds in Matthew 24:30, referencing Daniel 7:13, saying that He will return with or on (Greek word epi has several words that could be used here) the clouds of the sky/heaven. Although Jesus doesn’t say that the clouds of the sky ushering in His return are different in any way, it is possible that the cloud/clouds are supernatural in structure and design, the same way that the cloud recorded in Exodus 13:21-22 is supernatural. (Back)

22 upper room: Was this upper room the same one from the Thursday night where the Last Supper was held? It is very possible, because that one was large (Luke 22:12) and it needed to hold 11 people, at the very least. Could this also be the upper room mentioned in Acts 1:13 ? That, too, could be from the Last Supper. We can’t know for sure. If it is the same, it seems that the owner might have been a believer in Jesus because of the wording of Matthew 26:18, Mark 14:14, Luke 22:11; but again, we can’t know for sure.  If the owner of the house was a believer in Jesus, it would make sense that the apostles and crew would keep staying there, rather than just because of its spaciousness. In any case, by the end of the 50 days, there were about 120 people gathering in that upper room (Acts 1:12-15). (Back)

23 John supposed: See John 21:25. (Back)

24 appeared to many: Paul gives us more information on those whom Jesus appeared to in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8.(back)