Month: March 2020

THE THEME of the book is the quality of Divine love. It is illustrated in God’s love for His people Israel, whom He describes elsewhere as His ‘bride’ (see for example Isaiah 54:5–6). And it looks ahead to the love of Christ for his bride—the community of believers—which is to be fully realised when he returns to earth. Christ’s Love for His Bride The book is in the form of speeches by various characters: a woman who is called the Shulamite, a shepherd and a king. It also involves groups of women, watchmen and other characters. Some editions of the Bible insert before each section the name of the speaker, although it’s not always possible to be certain who is speaking. The love of the bridegroom for his bride, and her response, is beautifully portrayed in this tender allegory, pointing forward to the love of Christ for his true followers

This is the fourth in a series in which we examine this fascinating Bible book. You can catch up with the previous articles at www.gladtidingsmagazine.org. IN THE FIRST part of Acts the narrative tends to follow the actions of the Apostle Peter. Peter had been one of the main disciples of Jesus, alongside James and John. After Jesus’ resurrection Peter was among the first to meet him alive, and he became an important figure in the early community of believers. The Acts of Peter In Acts chapter 2 Peter addressed a crowd in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost: the first recorded public presentation of the Gospel after Jesus’ resurrection was spoken by Peter. Peter continued to be active in preaching. Had anyone wished to find Peter in Jerusalem at this time the best strategy would have been to find the largest crowd in the city; Peter would have been