Mr. Hildreth’s first book, Isaiah Saw the Glory of Jesus, is also available in softcover through www.amazon.com and http://www.bn.com (Barnes & Noble).

This study in Isaiah is ideal for individual or group Bible study.  It examines the numerous ways the prophet Isaiah saw Jesus and His glory.  Many “code words” used to identify Yeshua – Jesus — are explained.  Once Isaiah’s use of these code words is learned, Isaiah will come alive to the reader as never before.  These lessons will:

Provide an in-depth view of Isaiah’s prophecies and their implications for us, for the Church, for Israel, the Middle East and the world at large

Reveal the danger of disconnecting modern Israel and its people from prophetic promises made to them centuries ago

Allow Scripture to interpret and explain Scripture, underscoring the inerrancy and infallibility of God’s Word

Examine the unity of Scripture and the fulfillment of prophetic events — past, present and future

Students will come away with a new sense of urgency to apply what they have learned and to share it with others.

ALSO AVAILABLE:  Our Eyes Have Seen, Our Hands Have Touched – A Study in John  (© 2011 Lewis E. Hildreth.  All rights reserved).  This book is an in-depth study of the Gospel of John (see the Table of Contents and Foreword below).  This book is available directly from the author. The book comes in an 8-1/2 x 11 spiral-bound format that allows for easy reading/marking/notations. It is an excellent individual or group study. Please contact the author at convergenceoftruth@embarqmail.com for more details on pricing and shipping.

OUR EYES HAVE SEEN, OUR HANDS HAVE TOUCHED – A STUDY IN JOHN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

Lesson 1:  Ways of Interpreting Scripture

Premillennialism

Amillennialism

Lesson 2:  The Roots of False Teaching

Gnosticism

Docetism

A Man Named Cerinthus

The Council of Nicea: The Nicene Creed

Lesson 3:  Standing Against False Teaching

John the Man

Lesson 4:  John, the Prologue, Part 1

Lesson 5:  John, the Prologue, Part 2

Lesson 6:  Who Are You?

“Are You Elijah?”

“Are You the Prophet?”

“Are You the Christ?”

Jesus Begins Calling His Disciples

Lesson 7:  Turning Water Into Wine

The Temple is Cleansed

Lesson 8:  Unless a Man is Born Again

Lesson 9:  The Samaritans

Lesson 10:  More Than One Kind of Healing

The Best Kind of Healing

Trusting in the Wrong Things

Lesson 11:  The Father’s Will

Lesson 12:  When Everyone Turns Against You

Lesson 13:  “I Am”

Lesson 14:  The Miracles

Lesson 15:  The Good Shepherd

Lesson 16:  The Home Stretch Begins

Lesson 17:  Jesus Will Come Again

Lesson 18:  The Promised Holy Spirit

Things We Should Know About the Holy Spirit

Lesson 19:  Jesus Prays For You

Lesson 20:  Beaten Beyond Recognition

Lesson 21:  Starting Over With God

Epilogue

FOREWORD

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.” (1 John 1:1-4)

This is the Apostle John.  What is he saying to the first century Believers, and why is he saying it?  What is he saying to us today?  What was John’s motivation to write?  What did he know that ordinary Christians, then and now, do not know?  Did he write to counter false teachings about Jesus?  Did he write to defend what he knew to be true?  Did he write to give a solid foundation to his flock, so that by reading his eyewitness account, they and all generations to follow would believe in Jesus Christ and find life in His Name?  Yes, all of this, and so much more.

In today’s world, much of the first century cultural understandings, lifestyles, word meanings, historical background and relevance to our generation have been lost. If we are to truly understand John’s writings, what he was saying and why he wrote it, we must lay the groundwork of information.  This information will include what people outside of the faith were saying and writing about Jesus during the first and second centuries, as well as today.  It will also include what some who claimed to be inside the faith were saying and writing about Jesus during the early centuries, as well as what many are claiming about Him today.  We need to examine the different ways Scripture began to be interpreted and how that came about —   what the early church fathers believed, and how it’s been handed down to us.  Only when we understand what compelled John to write what he did will the meaning of what he wrote and why he wrote it become clearer to us.

The first part of this study of the Gospel of John will begin with a brief discussion of various ways of interpreting Scripture. We will define and explain terms such as Gnosticism and Docetism, which incorporate entire belief systems about Jesus in their definition.  Many of these “ism’s” were taught and written during John’s watch, and are in stark contrast to what he had written.  Our job then becomes to determine which ancient manuscript accurately reflects the truth.  Which manuscript represents the inspired, inerrant and infallible heart and mind of God, given to man in written form?  Patience and understanding of the need to establish this kind of knowledge base will greatly reward the reader with a deeper understanding and meaning of the Gospel of John, the Epistle Letters of First, Second and Third John, as well as the Bible as a whole.

Everybody has their favorite translation of the Bible.  No matter which one is used and quoted in this study, there will be some who would have preferred another translation.  It is recommended that you follow along with your favorite translation of the Bible as we study the Gospel of John.

In this study we will allow Scripture to interpret Scripture wherever possible.  We will be comparing Old Testament Scripture to New Testament Scripture in our endeavor to seek the truth and draw closer to God.  This process will also show the consistency, constancy, completeness and the relevance of Scripture given to a myriad of writers over more than 1300 years.  This sameness of message could not have occurred by chance, but only through Divine revelation.  It’s important to know what you believe and why you believe it.  This study will help you in that endeavor.