The word “apocrypha” comes from the Greek word meaning “hidden” or “secret.” Originally, the term was reserved for books with content considered too sacred and grand to make accessible to the general public. Over time, “apocrypha” took on a more negative connotation, due to the questionable origins and doubtful canonicity of these books. Those who don’t accept these books as canon call them the Apocrypha apocryphal. But those who do accept them call them the Deuterocanon or deuterocanonical books, meaning “belonging to the second canon.” History of the Apocrypha The Apocrypha in the Septuagint In the third century B.C., Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) into Greek, resulting in the Septuagint. Several books were included in ...

Jesus is at the right hand of God in heaven as well as everywhere else. But there is also a sense in which he is in the heart of each believer. So where is Jesus right now? He is seated in heaven, bodily. He is omnipresent as God. And he is especially present in believers. 1. Jesus is everywhere. As God, Jesus is omnipresent. He is everywhere. There is nowhere Jesus is not. That is the universal presence of Jesus as God – it is omnipresent. 2. Jesus is in heaven. But Jesus is not only full God, thus omnipresent, Jesus is also full human. Jesus, by being full human has a human body, and that body, we’re told, ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of God right now in heaven. 3. Jesus is with believers. While the physical presence of Jesus as a full-bodied human is seated at the right...

The Romans had many ways to kill people. Stabbing, stoning, burning, drowning, being torn apart by lions in the Coliseum for sport—these were all accepted means of execution. But Jesus was killed on the Cross, a tree stripped of roots and branches. As a Christian, I believe that nothing that happens in the Bible is by accident.  So why did God choose to have Jesus executed on a tree?  Below are four ways that trees are central to our understanding of Scripture and Holy Week. 1. Trees are mentioned in the Bible more than any living thing other than God and people. There’s a tree on the first page of Genesis, the first Psalm, the first page of the New Testament, and the last page of Revelation. Whether it is the fall, the flood, or the overthrow of the Pharaoh, every major event in...

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We know from Jesus’ statement to the thief that when one dies they enter the presence of God immediately. Luke 23:42 states, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” This statement also tells us that Jesus went to His Father upon death. Beyond this we know very little about where Jesus was for three days. One must be careful not to read too much detail into a parable or story. Did Jesus Go to Hell? Bible Verses for this Theory The passage of Scripture most referred to by those holding to the hell theory is 1 Peter 3:18-20. “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in priso...

As we dive into the details of what Jesus experienced on the cross, it’s natural to wonder why he would willing do such a painful thing. Let’s first look at three reasons from the Bible to remember why Jesus died on the cross and then take a look at what Jesus actually experienced during his crucifixion. Why Did Jesus Die on the Cross? 1. Because our sin required a payment but disqualified us from ever fulfilling it. Romans 3:23 is an important place to start: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Then later in Romans 6:23 we find that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” These two verses show that each person has sinned, and that sin comes with a high price. God understands this price better than we do, so in love, he c...

What is Good Friday and why do we call Good Friday “good,” when it is such a dark and bleak event commemorating a day of suffering and death for Jesus? For Christians, Good Friday is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world. Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation. Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all in accordance with what God had promised all along in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3). On Good Friday we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice...

Every year on Good Friday, Christians take time to meditate on the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice for us in suffering a humiliating, bloody death by crucifixion. It’s a time to dwell on what Jesus suffered for us, in all its pain and intensity, without rushing straight ahead to the good news of Easter, resurrection, and new life. The Last Words of Jesus One of the ways Christians have traditionally meditated on Good Friday is by reading and reflecting on the seven last words of Jesus from the cross. Luke records the final words of Jesus before he died on the cross: It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, ...