God is Sovereign, and uses Men and Nations.

June 19, 2016June 19, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Some folks have the notion that the Bible, and Christianity, is all about them, and getting saved by Jesus because He loves them soooooo much. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus does love those He has been given by the Father, but you know what He loves more than sinners saved? If you said anything other than the will of the Father, you might try again. That’s right, He loves the will of the Father. So much so, that He loved sinners, while they were yet sinners, so much that He died for them. So if Jesus loves the will of the Father, why do we seem to love our own wills so much? Why do we seem to put this inordinate value on our own volition and liberty? Why, when Christ our Savior, submitted His will to that of the Father, by dying on the cross, do we refuse to bear our cross?

I believe the answer is this man centered hermeneutic when reading the Bible. It seems to be intrinsic to a large part of American Christianity. So when we read a passage like this one, where God is using the Assyrians to punish the Israelites as judgment against them, we see it as mere history. We completely glaze over the obvious fact that God has used them like a weapon. Even the Assyrian king didn’t give God the glory. He wasn’t humble at all. In his impudence, he thought that he was the one who did all of those things to Israel. Just read the passage, and I’ll be there when you are done…

“Isaiah 10:12-15 NASB So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness.” (13) For he has said, “By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, For I have understanding; And I removed the boundaries of the peoples And plundered their treasures, And like a mighty man I brought down their inhabitants, (14) And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; And there was not one that flapped its wing or opened its beak or chirped.” (15) Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it? Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it? That would be like a club wielding those who lift it, Or like a rod lifting him who is not wood.”

Finished? If you’ll notice how arrogant and proud the king was, it is obvious that he suffered the same self-delusion that many Christians suffer from today. We think we are just the center of the Christian world. Oh sure, we give lip service to Jesus, just like some musician on an awards shows thanks Him, along with their entourage and momma. I encourage you to look at what God says about this arrogant man. Look at verse 15. In verses 12, and 13, God says He is going to punish the king after He is done using him. We then read why God has determined to do these things,

“Isaiah 10:16-22 NASB Therefore the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors; And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame. (17) And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day. (18) And He will destroy the glory of his forest and of his fruitful garden, both soul and body, And it will be as when a sick man wastes away. (19) And the rest of the trees of his forest will be so small in number That a child could write them down. (20) Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. (21) A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. (22) For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.”

God is the author, His glory is the point, His Holy One is who it is all about. God chose Israel to demonstrate this through, just like He chose us in Him before creation to demonstrate this through. Be honored to be used by God in your lowly state as a vessel of honor. Don’t think that there is something about you that warrants this utilization, not your works, not your choice, not your fallen faith, not your fallen repentance, no there is nothing about you that would make you appealing to God.

“1 Corinthians 1:22-31 NASB (22) For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; (23) but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, (24) but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (25) Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (26) For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; (27) but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, (28) and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, (29) so that no man may boast before God. (30) But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, (31) so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.””

It is all about Jesus. God grants the new birth, the saving faith, the saving repentance from dead works, to Christ, God is the author of our salvation, for His glory, amen.

Uncategorized

Isaiah 9 and Some Interesting Correlations.

June 18, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Isaiah 9:1-3 NASB
[1] But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
[2] The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.
[3] You shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness; They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

John 1:1-16 NASB
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[2] He was in the beginning with God.
[3] All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
[4] In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
[5] The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
[6] There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
[7] He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
[8] He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
[9] There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
[10] He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
[11] He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
[12] But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
[13] who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
[14] And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
[15] John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'”
[16] For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

Isaiah 9:4-5 NASB
[4] For You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
[5] For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

Matthew 11:25-30 NASB
[25] At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.
[26] “Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.
[27] “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
[28] “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
[29] “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.
[30] “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Isaiah 9:6-21 NASB
[6] For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
[7] There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
[8] The Lord sends a message against Jacob, And it falls on Israel.
[9] And all the people know it, That is, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, Asserting in pride and in arrogance of heart:
[10] “The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with smooth stones; The sycamores have been cut down, But we will replace them with cedars.”
[11] Therefore the LORD raises against them adversaries from Rezin And spurs their enemies on,
[12] The Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west; And they devour Israel with gaping jaws. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.
[13] Yet the people do not turn back to Him who struck them, Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts.
[14] So the LORD cuts off head and tail from Israel, Both palm branch and bulrush in a single day.
[15] The head is the elder and honorable man, And the prophet who teaches falsehood is the tail.
[16] For those who guide this people are leading them astray; And those who are guided by them are brought to confusion.
[17] Therefore the Lord does not take pleasure in their young men, Nor does He have pity on their orphans or their widows; For every one of them is godless and an evildoer, And every mouth is speaking foolishness. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.
[18] For wickedness burns like a fire; It consumes briars and thorns; It even sets the thickets of the forest aflame And they roll upward in a column of smoke.
[19] By the fury of the LORD of hosts the land is burned up, And the people are like fuel for the fire; No man spares his brother.
[20] They slice off what is on the right hand but still are hungry, And they eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied; Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm.
[21] Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, And together they are against Judah. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.

Ephesians 2:11-22 NASB
[11] Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands–
[12] remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
[13] But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
[14] For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,
[15] by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,
[16] and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
[17] AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR;
[18] for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
[19] So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
[20] having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
[21] in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
[22] in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

cultural · gospel · Uncategorized

Is Your Hope in Politics, or God’s Gospel?

June 18, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Years ago I was a Fox News Christian. My political ideology took precedence over my theology. In other words, I cared more about being conservative, than I did about Christ, and the will of God. I also saw conspiracies all over the place. It seemed to me that there was a world government that controlled all of the governments of the civilized world. I thought that the world government was comprised of the ultra-rich and influential. I haven’t really changed my mind about that. I do think that the enemy has his minions running a satanic plan. What has changed is that I no longer think it is possible to fix the problems via politics. I also think that the enemy can only do what sovereign God allows. I believe with all my heart, all that matters now, is to preach the gospel to the lost and perishing world. I read something from Isaiah today that brought this to mind.

Isa 8:11 — Isa 8:16
For thus the Lord spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying,
“You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’
In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,
And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
“It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear,
And He shall be your dread.
“Then He shall become a sanctuary;
But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over,
And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
“Many will stumble over them,
Then they will fall and be broken;
They will even be snared and caught.”
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

Of course, I’m not encouraging you to take this section out of context. It is obviously a prophecy from God to Israel, through Isaiah. I get that. The Israelites were suspicious of the true prophets of God. They didn’t like the warnings they gave them. They were relying on their allegiances with pagan nations, they were hoping on pragmatic security and not God. Relying on our own feeble abilities and righteousness keeps us from God the same way that it kept many of the Israelites from Jesus when he came. This also reminds me that living in fear of what could happen, and what the government will do to us, is not honoring to God. God is the one who we should fear. He is the one who we should concern ourselves with. We should seek his glory. The true hope of the world is not electing the right politicians, it is the wonderful gospel of Jesus. Only the transforming work of God can change the hearts of sinful men, and reform the reprobate heart. So we preach repentance of sins, and faith in the work of Christ on the cross, to justify men to God, and save their souls from the flames of Hell.

Bible Reviews · Uncategorized

A Review of the Thomas Nelson NKJV Study Bible, Personal Size, Paperback.

June 17, 2016June 17, 2016 Bob Snyder2 Comments

This Bible is the same in content as the NKJV Study Bible that I reviewed here.
The differences are a smaller font, and format size. It measures approximately 8.5″ by 5.5″ by 2″ The font is 7 pt. for the main text and 6 pt. for the notes. This is a red letter edition. It is arranged in a double column, paragraph format, with cross references in the center column. Notes are at the bottom, with different full color features dispersed throughout the Bible. There are very small margins. Note taking will not be done in the margins. The paper is sufficiently thick. Ghosting is minimal. The paper is pretty white and contrasts well against the uniformly printed text.

This is a paperback instead of a hardback. I found the font to be a bit too small for my liking and it runs into the gutter of the page. Trying to open this thick of a glued Bible enough to read the text in the gutter is a tedious chore. I don’t think Thomas Nelson considered this when they chose to use a glued binding. It should have been obvious that this would have required a sewn binding or pages with extra width to provide for the pages bending around each other. If the pages are sewn into signatures and then bound together, the spine will arch. This allows for less of a gutter, as the book will open more fully. The did use a hybrid glued binding which employs signatures glued into the spine. It is more flexible than a typical glued or “perfect binding.” Even with the hybrid binding process, this Bible is not as practical as it could have been in a truly sewn binding. I guess for $20 they figure who will care… I do, and so do thousands of other potential customers. Perhaps the people who only crack their Bible at Church won’t mind, because it won’t wear out being used once a week, but if you are going to use it, I suggest getting NKJV from Holman or one of the ones with a synthetic fake leather cover and sewn binding. Sure they cost more, but they will be more usable and last longer.

This Bible is ok. It could have been much better. The notes and aids were somewhat helpful for a general knowledge. I would recommend the Holman NKJV Study Bible for better notes. My personal favorite is the MacArthur Study Bible. If you can afford the ESV in Calfskin, that is the best made one you can currently get. My advice, don’t waste your time and money on this unless you need a mediocre, smallish, study Bible, to hand out or give away, but there are so many other better choices out there in the same price range that I would get them instead.

ISBN-13: 9780718081980

evolution · God · Uncategorized

The god called evolution.

June 15, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

screen-shot-2014-02-04-at-5-23-42-pm

John Q. Public: Hey Dr. Quasi Science, I’ve got some questions for you.

Dr. Quasi: Well, ask away.

John: If evolution is true, why are there still monkeys?

Dr. Quasi: Well, due to evolution the monkeys evolved along a different path than homospapiens.

John: Then why are the monkeys the same now as they appear in the fossil record?

Dr. Quasi: Evolution takes her time, and we just haven’t seen any changes since the time that evolution put monkeys and man on different paths.

John: If evolution is true, why are there two different sexes in many creatures and in some they are asexual or hermaphrodites?

Dr. Quasi: Oh silly man, that is simply because evolution did what was best for the survival of the species.

John: If that is true, did the desire to have sex evolve first, or the ability?

Dr. Quasi: Oh you poor ignorant man, they both evolved at the same time.

John: Hmm… that sounds very improbable especially considering all of the species that reproduce by having sex. They would have all had to evolve the ability, and the desire, and the sexes, along with all of the complex physiological and neurological modifications that went along with sex.

John: If we could observe evolution happening, that would help your cause, but we can’t.

Dr. Quasi: Well, just because you can’t see it, or observe it directly doesn’t mean it isn’t at work. You poor backwards soul.

John: Well doc, I think you have a god called Evolution, who requires nothing of you other than to just be a brute and reproduce at any cost. Your god has no morals, and doesn’t care about what you do. Your god neither loves you or hates you. Matter of fact, the god you’ve described doesn’t care about you at all. You choose to substitute a god that you’ve made up that you like better. You like your imaginary god because you hate the true and living God.

Dr. Quasi: There is no God. You are ignoring scientific fact! Evolution is true. You just won’t acknowledge all of the proof. You’d rather remain ignorant.

John: Wow, that sounds familiar…

“Romans 1:18-32 (NASB) ¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. ²¹ For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. ²⁵ For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
²⁶ For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, ²⁷ and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
²⁸ And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, ²⁹ being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; ³² and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

Cartoon is from Answers in Genesis, and the video is from Living Waters.

cultural · God · prophecy · Uncategorized

What does God’s Judgment Look Like America? Ask Jerusalem.

June 9, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

The judgment of God against Jerusalem and Judah for their idolatry and abandonment of God. Sound familiar?

Isaiah 3:4-6, 8,9,11,12, 16-26.

4And I will make mere lads their princes,
And capricious children will rule over them,

5And the people will be oppressed,
Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor;
The youth will storm against the elder
And the inferior against the honorable.

6When a man lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying,
“You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler,
And these ruins will be under your charge,”

4-6 looks like millennials influence on culture and the advancement of socialism. I’m not saying it is, or was back then. In our day it seems like a correlation.

8For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen,
Because their speech and their actions are against the LORD,
To rebel against His glorious presence.

9The expression of their faces bears witness against them,
And they display their sin like Sodom;
They do not even conceal it.
Woe to them!
For they have brought evil on themselves.

8-9 People are proud of their wickedness now. They flaunt their sexual immorality as if it is a badge of liberty.

11Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him,
For what he deserves will be done to him.

12O My people! Their oppressors are children,
And women rule over them.
O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray
And confuse the direction of your paths.

We complain about our leaders, but they are what we deserve as a nation of godless pagans. Sure there are some faithful people in the country, “But God is the Judge; He puts down one and exalts another.” Psalm 75:7 “21“It is He who changes the times and the epochs;
He removes kings and establishes kings;
He gives wisdom to wise men
And knowledge to men of understanding.” Daniel 2:21

16Moreover, the LORD said, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud
And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes,
And go along with mincing steps
And tinkle the bangles on their feet,

17Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs,
And the LORD will make their foreheads bare.”

18In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, 19dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 20headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, 21finger rings, nose rings, 22festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 23hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans and veils.

24Now it will come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction;
Instead of a belt, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp;
Instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth;
And branding instead of beauty.

25Your men will fall by the sword
And your mighty ones in battle.

26And her gates will lament and mourn,
And deserted she will sit on the ground.

When all of these things happen to us, will we repent?

Parables · Sovereign choice · Theology · Uncategorized

Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables?

June 4, 2016June 6, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Here is the setting and context,

Mat 13:1 That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.

Mat 13:2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

Mat 13:3 And He spoke many things to them in parables,

He was preaching to the Jews about salvation and what that would look like,

saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow;

Mat 13:4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.

Mat 13:5 “Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.

Mat 13:6 “But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

Mat 13:7 “Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.

Mat 13:8 “And others fell on the good soil and *yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

Mat 13:9 “He who has ears, let him hear.”

Then His disciple ask the question,

“Why do You speak to them in parables?”

His answer in context to what He was teaching seems pretty clear.

Mat 13:11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

It appears that He knows that they are not permitted to understand, and that the parables are part of that judgment from God against them. God has granted to them to hear and understand, but He has excluded the others as judgment against them. They don’t have the ability to hear or understand according to God incarnate. If we have Jesus we have the Father. He sovereignly willed that they not come to an understanding of salvation.

Jesus explains further that it is because they didn’t have him from the beginning and that what they have(not him, but self-righteousness) will be taken away.

Mat 13:12 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

Mat 13:13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Here Jesus recalls the prophecy He gave through Isaiah,

Mat 13:14 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE;

Mat 13:15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’

As judgment against them they would be blind until the land of Judea was destroyed by the Romans. So God determined to do this to them in His sovereign, just, and righteous will.

This in context to the earlier verses shows us the other side of the coin, that these people are the ones who will be given more.

Matthew 13:16-17 NASB

[16] “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

[17] “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Matthew 13:34-35 NASB

[34] All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable.

[35] This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL UTTER THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”

These truths are from the beginning, before anyone was created.

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Crossway · Uncategorized

Review of the Crossway ESV UltraThin in Black Top Grain Cowhide Leather.

June 2, 2016June 2, 2016 Bob Snyder2 Comments

I purchased this Bible on sale from Christianbook.com I was curious because it was listed as having a top grain leather cover. I was glad I ordered it. It turns out that it is now out of print. So if you can find one, I suggest you purchase it. I was pleasantly surprised by this less than a half inch thick little gem. This UltraThin came in a clamshell retail box with a clear plastic window. I retained the box for storage purposes. Once you open the box up you smell the leather and not glue or dye. The leather was very supple and soft to the touch. The grain appears to be natural. There is a nice perimeter groove and spine hubs.

The hubs add to the ornamentation along with the gold letters stamped into it. From the top of the spine down it reads, “Holy Bible, ESV, the ESV logo, English Standard Version, Then the Crossway logo.”

The spine is sewn affording this very thin Bible with great flexibility for a paste down, case bound Bible. In my opinion the cover offers a perfect compromise of flexibility, and structure.

The head and tail bands are gold and black, complementing the color of the cover, and the gold page edge gilt. There are two ribbon markers, even though the retail site only lists one. The ribbon markers are narrow, but thicker than most employed in Bibles under $100.

In the front of the Bible there is a presentation, marriages, births/adoptions, and deaths pages. They are printed on a thicker matte finish paper that takes ink well. Unlike higher gloss papers, these won’t crack or tear as easily.

Then there is the copyright/publishers page. Before Genesis begins the Old Testament we have the table of contents, preface, and explanation of features.

The text of this Bible is double column, paragraph format. This is a red letter edition. The red lettering is not too red or too light. It contrasts well against the white paper and surrounding black text. The main text is a 7.5 pt. lexicon font. Line matching is employed to aid in reduction of, “ghosting” or the appearance of the text from the opposite side of the page showing through the paper due to the opacity allowing it.

The paper’s opacity is pretty good considering how thin this Bible is. At just under a half inch, it is one of the thinnest UltraThins I’ve seen. I had assumed that they used a thinner paper. That was not the case. The paper is 31 g.s.m. 20# Thincoat Max. This is not a thin or lightweight paper. It looks like they made up for the thickness of the paper by not having any cross references. There are some footnotes at the bottom of the pages. This way they could fit the entire text into this UltraThin.

So we have a nice, legible, well printed, and bound Bible in this truly UltraThin format. It is also so soft and flexible due to the quality binding and cover, that I can fold it over itself. It is almost as flexible as an edge-lined Bible.

At the end there is a weights and measures page, and an abbreviations page. A three column concise concordance follows. Finished off with eight maps in color.

Make sure to check out the pictures I took of this Bible on my Flickr page here. You can still purchase these on Amazon until they run out. Then you’ll have to get them used. ISBN-13: 9781433538834

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Crossway · Uncategorized

Review of the Crossway E.S.V. TruTone Single Column Heritage Edition Bible.

May 21, 2016May 21, 2016 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

I purchased this Bible because it was on sale for 80% off. I figured I could write a review, and then gift it to someone. After receiving it, I might just keep it for a rebind project. It arrived undamaged. It was in a cardboard box with two other ESV Bibles, I ordered at the same time. This one has a clamshell retail box. If you need to store your Bible, it is always a good idea to keep the retail box.

This Bible is the soft leather-look, TruTone brown/burgundy, with band design. TruTone is a synthetic cover material that simulates leather. It is one of the better synthetic covers on the market.

The inside liner is paper as this is a case bound Bible.

The cover around the spine is ornamented with, “Holy Bible, ESV, the ESV logo, English Standard Version, and the Crossway logo” in gold.

There are brown head and tail bands, as well as one brown ribbon marker. The spine, and corners are rounded. The page edges are gold gilt.

There is a presentation page up front, along with the typical copyright/publisher’s information page.

I really like the size of this little text edition. It isn’t too big, or small. It measures about 5.5”x7.5” It is pretty portable, though not as much as a true compact, pocket size, thinline, or ultrathin.

Of course you would lose the font size and paper quality to drop down to those sizes. I think this is a pleasing compromise in Bible design. Since it is a single column text edition, it can afford to be smaller than a reference Bible. It also utilizes a 9 point Lexicon font, which is a great choice for a Bible of this size. Crossway also employed line matching, which greatly reduces ghosting. (being able to see the text from the opposite side of the paper) The paper is 31 g.s.m. Thincoat Max, 1720ppi.

Between the great paper, clear uniformly printed text, and line matching, this Bible is very legible.

The spine is smyth sewn.

This in conjunction with the soft cover, make this a very flexible Bible.

I can fold it over on itself. Then, hold it like a magazine in one hand. This is my prefered way to read. It also opens fairly flat. I don’t think it is suited well to pulpit duty as it is a paragraph format Bible. It lends itself to devotional, and daily reading. It would be perfect for that with one more ribbon marker. There is not a concordance or any other helps or features except for some colored maps in the back.

My overall impression of this Bible is favorable. I think it fulfills the purpose for which it was designed in an exemplary manner. It is a great value, legible, portable, durable, and flexible. It is not so nice, that I’m afraid of hurting it. It is a good value and should provide you with years of service.

You can pick up your copy at Christianbook. Amazon also sells them.

Make sure to check out all of the pictures of this Bible on my Flickr page.
ISBN 9781433537370

Bible Reviews · Bibles · Uncategorized

Review of the Trinitarian Bible Society’s (T.B.S.) Hebrew/Greek Bible.

May 17, 2016 Bob Snyder4 Comments

This Bible was well packaged in a heavy duty clamshell type paper covered cardboard box, with packing foam inside. TBS does an excellent job of packaging their Bibles. I have never received one damaged in the least.

This edition is a vinyl covered hardback, with the Hebrew Old Testament starting where the back of the book would be, and the Greek New Testament starting where the front would be. This might seem backwards to you if you are unfamiliar with Hebrew, but you wouldn’t be buying this book if you were… would you?

I was very impressed with the apparent quality of this book considering the low cost. Those two things alone make this a great value. Other original language Bibles go for three times this price to start and climb up from there. I assume that the low price can be attributed to the fact that TBS is a ministry not a for profit corporation. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the copyright/publisher information page, and found that this volume was printed and bound by Jongbloed.

They are the premier printer and binder of premium Bibles. I don’t think any company in the world does a better job at this point in time. This fact explains the excellent print job. All of the masoretic vowel marks are printed sharply and uniformly, along with all of the 9 pt. Greek and Hebrew text.

This makes them supremely legible compared to other lesser print shops work. All of the text is printed in black. The notes at the bottom of the Hebrew section are so small they are difficult to read.

The Greek is text only. The pages are a smooth Bible paper, comparable to the paper of the Cambridge Clarion, but perhaps a bit whiter. I found it to be opaque with limited ghosting.

The page edges are white. The spine is rounded and smyth sewn. The corners are not rounded. There are two round ribbon markers, that are silver. The head and tail bands match the markers in color.

This Bible is close to the same size as the Cambridge Clarion. The specific texts used in this Bible are, the Ginsburg/Bomberg edition of the Hebrew Masoretic Text, and the Textus Receptus of F.H.A. Scrivener for the New Testament. I imagine if you are thinking of purchasing this Bible it is because of the source texts. I am not a KJV onlyist. I don’t agree with their assertions. However, I do understand people who prefer the KJV. Some prefer it because of the source texts, some prefer the way early modern English sounds. While I can appreciate those preferences, I oppose those who make it a matter of salvation. There are groups out there that say, “If you haven’t heard the gospel preached to you in KJV English, then you are not saved.” I don’t believe that is what T.B.S. is about. From what I’ve read on their site, they use the KJV because they believe it has the best source text. I use the NASB primarily, but still enjoy reading from the KJV and 1599 Geneva from time to time.

Make sure to check out all the pictures I took on my Flickr page here.

You can purchase it from TBS on their site here.

You can also purchase it on Amazon

ISBN 9781862281165

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