Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• Effects on humanity generally 3:17-19
  1. Adam would have to toil hard to obtain a living from the ground (vv. 17-18). Adam already had received the privilege of enjoying the garden (2:15), but this did not require strenuous toil."As for the man, his punishment co...
• The time intervals of sacrifices 22:26-33
  Seven additional laws specified the time periods that governed the offering of some sacrifices. The Israelites were not to offer oxen, sheep, and goats as sacrifices before these animals were eight days old (v. 27). It took t...
• 2. The population of Zion 87:4-6
  The English translators have rendered verse 4 as a quotation. Who is saying these words? Evidently these are the words of those who speak glorious things concerning Zion (v. 3). What are they saying? They appear to be ascribi...
• 3. The joy in Zion 87:7
  Zion will be a place of joy and singing in the future. All those who rejoice will trace the source of their joy to this city because it is the habitation of God. All joy comes ultimately from God, and all joy will come from Z...
• 4. Hope in God's ceaseless existence 102:23-28
  It seemed as though God was killing the psalmist prematurely. He prayed for a continuation of his life. This request led him to reflect further on the duration of God's existence. To picture God's ceaseless continuance he ref...
• The preservation of God's people within a world under divine judgment 24:1-20
  Isaiah revealed that the Lord's people are at the center of His plans for the world (cf. 14:2; 21:10). He will preserve them even though He will judge sinful humanity.227This passage contains many connections with the flood n...
• The coming King 24:21-23
  Isaiah hinted at the coming of a great future King in his oracles against Philistia and Edom (14:29-30, 32; 21:11-12). Now he revealed more.24:21 When Yahweh brings universal judgment on the world again, He will sovereignly p...
• The woe against destroyers of God's people ch. 33
  There is general correspondence between this sixth "woe"and the third one (29:15-24), but this one deals more with application and the third one more with principles. It is the most eschatological of the "woes,"though it cont...
• Yahweh's day of blessing ch. 35
  In contrast to the preceding chapter, this one is full of joy and rejoicing. There God turned the world into a desert; here He transforms that desert into a garden.339References to "be glad"and "gladness"begin and end the poe...
• The Lord's arm 51:9-16
  The Israelites cried out for God to act for them. He had done so in their past history, but they needed His help now. Probably the believing remnant was requesting help.51:9 Israel's call for God to awake assumes that He had ...
• The certainty of these benefits 62:1-9
  It seemed to Isaiah's audience that the promises in chapter 60 could hardly come to pass since the Babylonian exile was still ahead of them. The Lord assured them that He would surely fulfill these promises."Much of this chap...
• New heavens and a new earth 65:17-25
  God not only will be faithful to His promises in spite of Israel's unfaithfulness (63:1-65:16), but He will demonstrate His ability and desire to provide righteousness for sinful humankind by creating new heavens and a new ea...
• The results of Israel's return 36:33-38
  36:33-34 Future cleansing from sin and restoration of the Jews to the land and restoration of the land to fruitfulness would all occur at the same time. This shows that the Jews' present occupation of the Promised Land does n...
• A summary of God's blessing on Israel 39:25-29
  This message forms a fitting conclusion to the whole section of prophecies about Israel's restoration to the Promised Land (chs. 33-39) as well as to those about future invasion (chs. 38-39).39:25-26 The Lord promised to rest...
• C. Ezekiel's vision of the return of God's glory chs. 40-48
  The Book of Ezekiel begins with a vision of God's glory (ch. 1), records the departure of God's glory (chs. 8-11), and ends with another vision of God's glory (chs. 40-48). This is the longest vision outside the Book of Revel...
• 2. The millennial temple 40:5-42:20
  Earlier Ezekiel hinted that there would be a future temple in the restored Promised Land (20:40; 37:24-28). Now he described it in considerable detail. Some of the detail is here to help the reader understand what the writer ...
• Bibliography
  Ackroyd, Peter R. Exile and Restoration. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1968.Alexander, Ralph H. Ezekiel. Everyman's Bible Commentary series. Chicago: Moody Press, 1976._____. "Ezekiel."In Isaiah-Ezekiel. Vol. 6 of The Expo...
• 1. The four beasts 7:1-8
  7:1 We have already read of two dreams that Nebuchadnezzar had (2:1; 4:5). Now God gave one to Daniel. It too was a vision from God that came to Daniel as he slept."In referring to the experience as a dream' (sing.) Daniel wa...
• A. Israel's spiritual renewal and deliverance 2:28-32
  2:28-29 After this, namely, after the deliverance from the northern invader just described, God promised to pour out His Spirit on all mankind without gender, age, class, or position distinction.29In Old Testament times God g...
• 3. Praise for forgiveness 7:18-20
  Micah had prayed, he received the Lord's answer, and this answer moved him to worship (cf. Exod. 34:6-7).447:18 The prophet praised Yahweh as a God who is unique in that He pardons the rebellious sins of the surviving remnant...
• Yahweh's ultimate blessing of Israel 2:10-13
  2:10-11 The Israelites in Jerusalem and elsewhere were to rejoice because the Lord promised to intervene for them and to dwell among them. His return to Jerusalem would prompt the nations to come there and acknowledge Him as ...
• D. Israel's restoration to God's favor 8:1-17
  Chapter 8 not only contains two major messages from the Lord (vv. 1-17, 18-23) but 10 minor messages, "a decalogueof divine words,"155that make up the two major ones. "Thus says the Lord"introduces each of these minor message...
• The worship of the sovereign King 14:16-21
  14:16 The remaining former enemies of Israel who would not die would bow to the sovereignty of Yahweh (cf. 8:20-23; Isa. 2:2-4; 45:21-24; 60:4-14; Ezek. 40-48; Phil. 2:10). They would be expected to make annual pilgrimages to...
• The question of fasting 9:14-17 (cf. Mark 2:18-22; Luke 5:33-39)
  The Pharisees criticized Jesus' conduct in the previous pericope. Now John's disciples criticized the conduct of Jesus' disciples and, by implication, Jesus.9:14 The people who questioned Jesus here were disciples of John the...
• The explanation of the parable of the weeds 13:36-43
  Matthew separated the explanation of this parable from its telling in the text (vv. 24-30). He evidently did this to separate more clearly for the reader the parables Jesus spoke to the multitudes from the parables He told Hi...
• The parable of the royal wedding banquet 22:1-14
  The three parables in this series are similar to three concentric circles in their scope. The scope of the parable of the two sons encompassed Israel's leaders (21:28-32). The parable of the wicked tenant farmers exposed the ...
• The parable of the talents 25:14-30
  The other important quality that will make a servant blessed when Jesus returns, in addition to prudence, is faithfulness (cf. 24:45-46). This parable explains what Jesus regards as faithfulness. Essentially it involves using...
• 6. The time of Jesus' return 13:28-32 (cf. Matt. 24:32-41; Luke 21:29-33)
  Jesus began this discourse with exhortation (vv. 4-13), and He ended it the same way (vv. 28-37).13:28-29 The parable of the fig tree appears in all the synoptic versions of the Olivet Discourse. Jesus had previously used a f...
• 5. The certainty of these events 21:29-33 (cf. Matt. 24:32-35; Mark 13:28-31)
  Jesus told the parable of the fig tree to illustrate the certainty of what He had prophesied. He then gave other assurances of fulfillment. Luke omitted Jesus' statement that no one would know the day or hour when He would re...
• The promise of a heavenly home 14:1-4
  14:1 Jesus was troubled because of what lay before Him, and the Eleven were troubled (Gr. tarassestho) because they did not understand what lay before them. Jesus had just told them that He was going to leave them (13:33), bu...
• The positive reality 15:20-28
  Paul turned next to show that the resurrection of Christ makes the resurrection of believers both necessary and inevitable. The consequences of this fact are as glorious as the effects of His not being raised are dismal. Thos...
• B. The Superiority of God's Son 1:5-14
  The writer proceeded to explain the exaltation of Jesus Christ to help his readers appreciate the fact that He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy concerning the Son of David. He did this so they would appreciate Him properly an...
• 2. Faith in the Patriarchal Era 11:8-22
  11:8-10 Like Abraham we should look forward to our inheritance in the coming world and should live as strangers and pilgrims in this world (1 Pet. 1:1).360"Abraham's faith accepted God's promises and acted on them even though...
• 3. The consequences of apostasy 12:25-29
  The writer shifted again from exposition to exhortation. The hook word "speak"(Gr. lalountiand lalounta) in verses 24 and 25 ties the two sections together.12:25 The One speaking probably refers to God. "Him who warned them o...
• C. End-time Events 3:7-10
  Next Peter outlined what will surely happen so his readers would understand what will take place.3:7 God has given orders that the present heavens and earth (vv. 5-6) will experience another judgment yet future. Then God will...
• D. Living in View of the Future 3:11-16
  Peter drew application for his readers and focused their attention on how they should live presently in view of the future.3:11 Peter believed that an understanding of the future should motivate the believer to live a holy li...
• The enticements of the world 2:15-17
  John next warned his readers of worldly dangers that face the Christian as he or she seeks to get to know God better. He did so to enable them to prepare for and to overcome these obstacles with God's help."As often in 1 John...
• Outline
  I. The preparation of the prophet ch. 1A. The prologue of the book 1:1-81. The preface 1:1-32. The address and doxology 1:4-63. The theme 1:7-8B. The commission of the prophet 1:9-201. The first commission to write 1:9-112. T...
• 1. The preface 1:1-3
  The Apostle John wrote these opening verses to introduce to his readers the main subject dealt with in this book and his purpose for writing it.1:1 "The revelation of Jesus Christ"is the subject of this book. "Revelation"mean...
• 3. The amplification of the commission 1:17-20
  John's response to this revelation was similar to Daniel's response to the vision God gave him (cf. Dan. 10:7-9). Jesus then proceeded to give John more information about what He wanted him to do.1:17 This revelation of Jesus...
• II THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES chs. 2--3
  Before analyzing each of the seven letters that follows we should note some of their features as a group. They are similar in that they are all brief, and each contains a unique description of the Lord Jesus drawn from 1:12-2...
• III. THE REVELATION OF THE FUTURE 4:1--22:5
  John recorded the rest of this book to reveal those aspects of the future that God wanted His people to know (cf. 1:19). He revealed the events in chapters 4-18 to enable the readers to understand events leading up to Jesus C...
• The worship of God 4:9-11
  4:9 Whenever it is appropriate and possible the four living creatures give praise to eternal God. They glorify and honor Him for His perfections, and they thank Him for His great works, especially His creation (v. 11).4:10 Th...
• 2. The salvation of the great multitude 7:9-17
  There are a number of contrasts between the 144,000 and this great multitude. The number of the first group is not only smaller but definite whereas the number of the second group is larger and indefinite. People from the 12 ...
• G. The seventh trumpet judgment 11:15-19
  John's revelation continued to unfold future events as God revealed these to him in his vision. The scene John saw next was in heaven. The seventh trumpet judgment did not begin immediately (cf. 8:1-5), but John received info...
• 1. Judgment at the end of the Great Tribulation ch. 14
  John recorded these scenes of his vision to assure his readers of the triumph of believers and the judgment of unbelievers at the end of the Tribulation."The two previous chapters have prepared Christians for the reality that...
• The triumph of the 144,000 14:1-5
  14:1 "And I looked"(Gr. kai eidon) introduces three scenes in chapter 14 (vv. 1, 6, 14), as this phrase did twice in chapter 13 (vv. 1, 11). "Behold"(Gr. idou, cf. v. 14) calls special attention to the greatness of the sight ...
• The blessedness of those who die in Christ 14:13
  This "voice"was probably the Lamb's (1:10-11, 19; cf. 10:4, 8; 11:12; 14:2; 18:4; 21:3). The voice told John to record that it would be a blessing for the believers who live during the Great Tribulation to die as martyrs. The...
• The announcement of the seven last judgments 15:1
  This verse serves as a superscription for chapters 15 and 16 and even, perhaps, for the rest of the book.499"And I saw"(Gr. kai idou) again introduces a new scene, this time in heaven (cf. 13:1, 11; 14:1, 6, 14; 15:2, 5). The...
• 9. The seventh bowl 16:17-21
  16:17 This final judgment has the greatest impact of all since the air into which the angel pours his bowl is what humans breathe.535The loud voice is probably once again God's since it comes from the throne in the heavenly t...
• The invitation of the angel 17:1-2
  17:1 The fact that this chapter describes the judgment of Babylon referred to in 14:8 and 16:19 seems clear. It was one of the angels who poured out the bowl judgments who served as John's guide as he viewed these events in h...
• 1. The praise of God in heaven 19:1-10
  This pericope has strong ties to what precedes (16:17-18:24). It is the concluding revelation concerning the fall of Babylon, the latter-day Egypt and Tyre, and Antichrist, the ultimate Pharaoh of the Exodus and King of Tyre....
• 1. The binding of Satan 20:1-3
  20:1 The first word, "And,"supports the idea of chronological sequence. It implies a continuation from what John just revealed (cf. 19:11, 17, 19; 20:4, 11, 12; 21:1, 2, 22). Amillennial interpreters disagree."John says nothi...
• 4. The judgment of the wicked 20:11-15
  20:11 This "And I saw"introduces something else John saw in this vision (cf. 19:11, 17, 19; 20:1, 4, 12; 21:1, 2). The continuation of chronological progression seems clear from the continued use of "And"to introduce new info...
• N. The eternal state 21:1-22:5
  The next scenes in John's visions proved to be of conditions that will exist after the Millennium. He recorded this insight to reveal the final home of believers. There are many allusions to Isaiah 60 and 65 and Ezekiel 40-48...
• 1. The vision of the new heaven and earth 21:1
  John now saw a new scene that elaborated on the passing away of the present earth and heaven to which he had just referred briefly (20:11). The new earth and heaven will come into existence after the Millennium and the great ...
• 2. John's first vision of the New Jerusalem 21:2-8
  21:2 In the same vision, John next saw a city descending out of heaven from God (cf. v. 10; 3:12; Heb. 11:13-16). It was holy in contrast to the former Jerusalem (cf. 11:8; Isa. 52:1; Matt. 4:5; 27:53). As the old Jerusalem w...
• 3. John's second vision of the New Jerusalem 21:9-22:5
  God now provided John with more information about the New Jerusalem (v. 2).734The chronological progression of the revelation in 19:11-22:5 locates the New Jerusalem in the new creation, not in the Millennium....
• John's guide to the city 21:9-10
  21:9 One of the angels with the seven bowls of judgment served as John's guide in this part of his vision (cf. 17:1). The fact that one of these particular angels helped John understand both the mystery of Babylon and that of...
• The restoration of Paradise 22:1-5
  Essentially what John saw next was Paradise regained (cf. 2:7; Gen. 2; Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:2). Having viewed the splendor of the New Jerusalem he now saw what will nourish and enrich the lives of God's people there."Up to t...
• A. The testimony of the angel 22:6-7
  22:6 The angel who had been revealing the new creation to John, one of the angels who had the seven bowls (21:9), continued to speak to him.782He assured John that the things prophesied to happen soon (4:1-22:5), which John h...
• Appendix
  Symbols Used in the Book of Revelation That the Book Itself Interprets1. The seven lampstands (1:12) are seven churches (1:20).2. The seven stars (1:16) are seven angels or messengers (1:20).3. The morning star (2:28; 22:16),...
• Bibliography
  Abbott-Smith, George. A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1950.Aldrich, Roy L. "The Divisions of the First Resurrection."Bibliotheca Sacra128:510 (April-June 1971):117-19.Alford, Henry. ...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

• Brave Encouragements
  In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, 2. Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, ...
• The New Jerusalem On The New Earth
  "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away: and there was no more sea. 2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a ...
• II. The Vision Is Supplemented By Words Explanatory To The Seer Of What He Beheld,
  (Rev. 21:3-4), and all turns on two great thoughts--the blessed closeness of union now perfected and made eternal between God and men, and the consequent dawning of a new, unsetting day in which all human ills shall be swept ...
• No More Sea
  "And there was no more sea"--Rev. 21:1.I John,' says the Apocalypse at its commencement, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the testimony of Jesus.' In this, the one prophetic book of the New Testament, we find the sa...