Word Study

Nother way to study the Bible is to take one word and follow it up with the help of a concordance.

Or take just one word that runs through a book. Some time ago I was wonderfully blessed by taking the seven “Blesseds”’ of the Revelation. If God did not wish us to understand the book of Revelation, He would not have given it to us at all. A good many say it is so dark and mysterious that common readers cannot understand it. Let us only keep digging away at it, and it will unfold itself by and by. Some one says it is the only book in the Bible that tells about the devil being chained; and as the devil knows that, he goes up and down Christendom

-and says, “It is no use your reading Revelation,

you can not understand the book; it is too hard for you.” The fact is, he does not want you to understand about his own defeat. Just look at the dlessings the book contains:

1. ‘ Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

2. “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.,

jo. Yea,ssaith the Spirit|-that; they omayerest from their labors.”

3. “Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments.”

4. ‘’ Blessed are they which are called to the maryiage supper of the Lamb.”

5. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

6. ‘ Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”

7. ‘ Blessed are they that do His commandments,

that they may have right to the tree of life, and may

enter in through the gates into the city.”

Or you may take the eight “overcomes” in Revelation; and you will be wonderfully blessed by them, They take you right up to the throne of heaven; you climb by them to the throne of God.

I have been greatly blessed by going through the “dehievings” of John. Every chapter but two speaks of believing. As I said before, he wrote his gospel that we might believe. All through it is “Believe!

Believe!’ If you want to persuade a man that —

Christ is the Son of God, John’s gospel is the book for him.

Take the six “precious” things in Peter’s Epistles. And the seven “walks” of the Epistle to the Ephes-

ians. And the five “smzch mores” of Romans V. Or

the two “veceiveds” of John I. Or the seven

“hearts” in Proverbs XXIII, and especially an eighth. Or “the fear of the Lord” in Proverbs: —

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.

“The fear of the Lord prolongeth days.

“Tn the fear of the Lord is strong confidence

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of Life.

“Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.

“The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom.

“By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

“The fear of the Lord tendeth to life.

“By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.

“Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.”

KEY WORDS.

A friend gave me some key words recently. He said Peter wrote about Hope: ‘When the Chief Shepherd shall appear.” The keynote of Paul’s writings seemed to be fait, and that of John’s, Love. “Yaith, hope and charity,” these were the characteristics of the three men, the key-notes to the whole of their teachings. James wrote of Good Works, and Jude of Apostasy.

In the general epistles of Paul some one suggested the phrase “zn Christ.” In the book of Romans we find justification by faith 2 Christ. Corinthians presents sanctification zz Christ. The book of Galatians, adoption or liberty 7 Christ. Ephesians presents fulness zz Christ. Philippians, consolation zm Christ. In Colossians we have completeness zz Christ. Thessalonians gives us hope zw Crest.

Different systems of key words are published by Bible scholars, and it is a good thing for every one to know one system or other.