Elders

The position of “elder” is an ancient office. In the time of Moses, elders were important figures in Israelite (Exodus 3:16) and Egyptian (Genesis 50:7) society. God appointed seventy elders in the wilderness to help Moses (Numbers 11:16-17). In the Kingdom Age, elders were close friends of prophets (2 Kings 6:32), advisors to kings (1 […]

Philippi

During his second missionary journey, Paul had a vision at night of a man from Macedonia calling for help. Following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he sailed from Troas and arrived in Philippi for the first time. Philippi, founded in the 4th century BCE, was an ancient city in eastern Macedonia, located in northeastern […]

The Unqualified Nazirite

Samson was a famous judge of Israel from the book of Judges. He was born a Nazirite (a person set apart, one of a group of ancient Hebrews consecrated to God). A Nazirite was forbidden to cut their hair, drink wine or any product of the grapevine, or touch a corpse. However, Samson was a […]

Derbe

Derbe was a city in the Lycaonian region of Asia Minor, part of the province of Galatia (Acts 14:6). After Lystra was discovered, Bible scholars searched for Derbe, knowing from the book of Acts that it was a day’s journey away. In 1956, near Karaman in southern Turkey, scholars discovered a new inscription mentioning the […]

Samson

“You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” — Judges 13:5 Samson, whose name means “like the sun,” […]

The Proud Tribe of Ephraim

Ephraim was the second son of Joseph, but Israel established him as the firstborn. Ephraim later became a synonym for the northern kingdom of Israel. The tribe of Ephraim was given the best land in the central hill country of Canaan, where they rarely faced foreign invasions. They also possessed places of great spiritual significance, […]

The Fleeing Mark

Mark was a figure in the Bible who lived during the formation of the early Christian church. His name is generally translated as John Mark or Mark, and he is traditionally believed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Mark once traveled with Barnabas and the Apostle Paul on their missionary work, but […]

Antioch

Antioch (modern-day Antakya) was the capital of the Roman province of Syria, the third-largest city in the Roman Empire (after Rome and Alexandria), with a population of about 500,000. Located in the southeastern corner of modern Turkey, where the Lebanon and Taurus mountain ranges meet, it was a crucial land route. Antioch was founded by […]

Jephthah

Jephthah is a figure from the Old Testament book of Judges. He served as a judge for Israel for six years (Judges 12:7), and his name means “he opens the way.” Jephthah lived in Gilead and was a member of the half-tribe of Manasseh. His father was also named Gilead, but his mother was a […]

Gideon’s Son: Abimelech

The story of Gideon’s son, Abimelech, is recorded in Judges Chapter 9. “Gideon had seventy sons, his direct descendants, for he had many wives. His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.” (Judges 8:30-31). After Gideon rescued the Israelites, the people wanted to make him their king, […]