Month: April 2023

Apocalypse: book trailer

Reviews: A great study material on the writings of Apostle John when he was banished to the small island of Greece, off the coast of Asia Minor. A simple explanation of these books makes it a great study and meditation for all ages, J Sharmani, Goodreads, and Bookbub, 5 stars.

The author’s book is an enjoyable way to experience the Book of Revelation and understand its intricacies. A very good book, Rowan E Creech, Goodreads, 5 stars.

A timely book in everyday language that demystifies this daunting book of the Bible! Dr. Koh explains the instructions of St. John the Apostle to his seven churches on how they are to behave generally, and what they need to do to get ready for coming tribulation, Hilary Walker, Amazon, Goodreads, 5 stars.

A storyline that continues to keep individuals of all faiths and religions captivated. This novel closely follows the works of John, but the reader must form their own opinion on a story written nearly 2,000 years ago and reinterpreted. You will follow the story and draw your own storyline. PAR, Goodreads, 5 stars.

Futuristic! Revelation is a ‘no-go area’ because of its vast futuristic contents. Dr. Andrew C S Koh has tried his best to stick to the literal interpretation of this book, Moon Ng, Anglican Archbishop of SEA, Goodreads, 5 stars.

Thought-provoking! Dr. Andrew C S Koh’s insightful thoughts on practical prophetic insights will bless those who read and apply them. Reviewed by Beckey Benjamin from Malaysia, 5 stars, Goodreads.

Dr. Koh’s interpretation of the Bible is excellent. In this book, the book of Revelations is opened as Koh sheds light on a confusing but important book of the Word. Koh breaks down the book of Revelations with his customary lucidity. This book is a great addition to the Bible. T Townsend, Amazon, Apple, Goodreads, Bookbub, 5 stars.

Dr ANDREW C S KOH

bible study devotion

Faith: devotion

Post author By Dr ANDREW C S KOH
Post date 24th April 2023
4 Comments on Faith: devotion
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Prayer:

Dr. Andrew C S Koh

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for all that You have done for us in our lives. We acknowledge that You are the creator of the universe and God of the Bible. Thank You for speaking to us through the inspired, infallible, and inerrant words of the Holy Scripture, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Setting

A centurion is a Roman soldier who had 100 soldiers under his command. In the first-century world, masters treat their servants like a piece of furniture. They were not obligated to treat their servants with kindness. However, this centurion was very kind to his servant when he was on the verge of dying. Even though he was a Gentile, he loved the Jews and helped them build a synagogue. He sent Jewish elders to beg Jesus to come to his house and heal his servant.

Luke 7:6-10

6 Jesus went with them. When he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. 7 Therefore I didn’t even think myself worthy to come to you but say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude who followed him, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel.” 10 Those who were sent, returning to the house, found that the servant who had been sick was well.
Luke 7:6-10

Commentary

As Jesus was approaching the centurion’s house, the centurion had a sudden change of heart. He realized that he was not worthy to receive Jesus into his home. He sent his friends to Jesus asking him not to come to his house but to pray for healing from a distance.

His faith was incredible and amazing. He recognized Jesus’ authority. He knew that His word was as good as His presence. He believed that Jesus could cure his servant from a distance.

Jesus was amazed at the faith of the centurion. Even the Jews did not have such great faith. The centurion’s friends returned to the centurion’s house to find the servant recovered! Jesus was omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He healed the centurion’s servant through a private miracle from a distance. The public was not privy to the miracle. Only Jesus, the apostles, the centurion, his family, and his friends knew about the miracle.

Application

Faith moves mountains. Even a mustard seed faith is enough to start a miracle. How big is your faith? Do you pray with faith? Jesus will mountains for you if you pray with faith according to His will.

Faith is to know that you will get what you hoped for even when your physical eyes cannot see it coming.

You cannot please God if you do not have faith, Hebrews 11:6.

Faith is your third pair of eyes. Walk by faith with your spiritual eyes, 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen
Hebrews 11:1

Without faith, it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:16

for we walk by faith, not by sight
2 Corinthians 5:7

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the lesson on faith. Help us to walk by faith and not by sight. Open our spiritual eyes of faith to see into the spiritual dimension. Increase our faith. Help us with our unbelief, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Tags centurion, Christ, faith, God, gospel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Luke, New Testament

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Stones of Remembrance: podcast

Post author By Dr ANDREW C S KOH
Post date 18th April 2023
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Listen to the most recent episode of my podcast: Stones of Remembrance

https://anchor.fm/dr-andrew-c-s-koh/episodes/Stones-of-Remembrance-e22jek6

Dr ANDREW C S KOH

bible study devotion

Parable of the sower: devotion

Post author By Dr ANDREW C S KOH
Post date 17th April 2023
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Dr Andrew C S Koh

Prayer

Heavenly Father, bless us as we listen to Your word and be transformed. May the soil of our heart will be fruitful so that Your word will be able to take roots deeply and produce fruits. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Setting

Jesus taught by the Sea of Galilee. In the last chapter, Jesus’ mother and half-brothers thought He was mad. The Jews accused Him of being demon-possessed. Now He spoke to the multitude from a boat, as a floating pulpit, teaching them in parables. A parable or parabola in Greek is an earthly story, usually an agricultural story, to explain a spiritual truth. It is a worldly story with a heavenly meaning. One-third of Jesus’ teachings were in parables.

Mark 4:3-9

3 Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased, and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. 9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Commentary

A sower went out to sow seeds. Some seeds fell on the wayside, trodden by feet and eaten by birds. Some seeds fell on stony ground, and grew immediately but dried up just as quickly. Some seeds fell among thorns, grew but choked by thorns, and yielded no crop. Some seeds fell on good ground, grew healthily, and became fruitful.

The seed is the word of God, the gospel message. The sower could be Jesus, the disciples, or Christians,m. This is the sower of the seed of the gospel message. The soil is the human heart. The human heart is deceitful and unfruitful, Jeremiah 17:9.

Jeremiah 17:9, ‘’The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?’’ There are four types of human hearts.

Application

When you preached the gospel, it will land on four kinds of people, represented by the soil types:

1). Wayside, the indifferent heart, where seeds cannot penetrate and are eaten by birds or satan. They are not open to spiritual truth, stubborn, and will not listen.

2). Stony ground, the emotional heart, where there is no depth or roots. They had an initial shallow response but when hardship or suffering comes along, they fell out of faith and stop growing.

3). Thorny ground, the divided heart, a lukewarm Christian. They believed but could not dissociate with the world. The cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for material things made them too busy for God.

4). Good ground, the fruitful heart, who heard, believed, grew, and bear fruits, Psalm 1:3

Evangelism is very rewarding because the return of investment is so incredible. A 30-fold increase is 3000%, a 60-fold increase is 6000%, and a 100-fold increase is 10,000%. There is no earthly investment with such returns!

Psalm 1:3, He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the key to understanding the parable of the sower. Thank You for showing us that evangelism produces such an incredible return of investment. There is no investment in the world that is able to match a return of this magnitude. Help us to s

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Tags bible, Christ, Demon, God, gosepl, Jesus, Mark, New Testament, sabbath, synagogue

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He is not here, He has risen!: devotion

Post author By Dr ANDREW C S KOH
Post date 9th April 2023
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Dr. Andrew C S Koh

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Easter, John 20:4-10

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we come before You to learn, listen, worship, and fellowship with You. Speak to us and Your servants will listen, hear, and obey, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Setting

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb very early on Easter Sunday when it was still dark. She saw the tombstone rolled away and falsely concluded that tomb raiders had stolen the Lord’s body. She bumped into Peter and John, and told them what she saw. The duo raced to the tomb as fast as they could.

4 They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first. 5 Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying, yet he didn’t enter in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying, 7 and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they didn’t know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
John 20:4-10

Reflection

John outran Peter and reached the tomb first but did not go in. He saw the empty tomb from the outside. The Greek word for saw here is “blepo” which means to take a glance. John did not see anything significant.

Peter arrived at the scene, entered the tomb, and saw the linen cloths lying on the floor, undisturbed in two piles, one for the head and one for the rest of the body., from the neck to the toes. The Greek word for saw here is “theoreo”, which means to see like a detective investigating a crime scene. Peter saw the empty linen clothes but could not connect the dots.

After this, John entered the tomb and saw what Peter had just seen. The Greek word for saw here is “aido”, which means to see with insight and understanding. John saw the “cocoon” and correctly concluded that Jesus had resurrected from the dead. He understood that Christ’s resurrection body body had passed out from the linen cloths like a butterfly exiting a cocoon. John was the first disciple to believe in the Resurrection of Christ.

On Good Friday, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrapped up Jesus’ body with linen strips from the head to the toes. The linen strips were interlaced with myrrh and aloes. Over time, when the spices dried up, the linen strips hardened and solidified into a cocoon-like structure.

Application

On Easter, three people came out from Easter with different conclusions. Mary Magdalene saw the opened tomb and falsely concluded that tomb raiders came to steal the body. Peter saw the linen cloths but could not connect the dots. John saw the linen cloths and believed that Christ had Risen. What about you? What did you ‘see’ from the Easter narrative? Did you ‘see’ the Risen Christ and believed?

Today, you can visit the garden tomb in Jerusalem as a pilgrim and relive the experience of Peter and John when you walk into the empty tomb. The Bible is about real people, real places, real history, and real geography. It is not a figment of someone’s imagination. The Bible is the inspired Word of God.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Thank You that You have conquered sin and death on Good Friday and rose from the dead on Easter. Thank You for the gift of salvation and eternal life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Tags Christ, Easter, Empty tomb, gospel, Jesus, John, Mary Magdalene, New Testament, Pter

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Your sins are forgiven: devotion

Post author By Dr ANDREW C S KOH
Post date 4th April 2023
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Dr. Andrew C S Koh

Setting

When Jesus taught the people, Pharisees and teachers of the laws came from Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem to spy on Him. Four men carried their paralytic friend on a stretcher to Jesus. Mark informed us that there were four men, Mark 2:3. When they could not come near to Jesus, they went up the roof, broke the tiles, lowered the stretcher from the ceiling, and presented the man to Jesus.

And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
Mark 2;3

Luke 5:20-26

20 Seeing their faith, he said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” 22 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, answered them, “Why are you reasoning so in your hearts? 23 Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you;’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk?’ 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (he said to the paralyzed man), “I tell you, arise, take up your cot, and go to your house.” 25 Immediately he rose up before them, and took up that which he was laying on, and departed to his house, glorifying God. 26 Amazement took hold on all, and they glorified God. They were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”
Luke 5:20-26

Commentary

The four friends of the paralyzed man had tremendous faith, determination, perseverance, and persistence. The massive crowd did not hinder their effort. They overcame the crowd by thinking out of the box. Acknowledging the faith of his friends, Jesus told the paralyzed man that He forgave him of his sins. The scribes and teachers of the law thought in their hearts that Jesus was a blasphemer. With omniscient power, Jesus knew what they were thinking and said that He had the power to forgive sins because He was the Christ, the Son of Man. He told the paralyzed man to take up his mat and walk and he walked! Jesus had authority over nature, sin, sicknesses, evil spirits, and death. The man got up, left the room, and walked home glorifying God all the way! The people were afraid, astonished, and amazed at the miraculous healing.

Application

The man’s friends had faith. Nothing could stop them from bringing the paralyzed man to Jesus. Do you have faith in Jesus? Do you believe that He can do all things, even the impossible things?

Jesus can forgive sins because He is God. Jesus is fully man and fully God. He is the second person of the Trinity.

Jesus is omniscient. He knows everything about you and me. Nothing is hidden from Him, Hebrews 4:13. He knows your thoughts, and He knows your past, present, and future. He even knows the number of hairs on your head, Matthew 10:30.

Jesus is the Son of Man, which means that He is the Messiah (Christ), Jesus is the fulfillment of the Son of Man described in Daniel l7:13.

Jesus spoke the word and the man was healed instantly.

There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account
Hebrews 4:13

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Matthew 10:30

I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him
Daniel 7:13

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the Messiah, the Son of Man. Thank You that You came to seek and save those who are lost. Thank You for justification and salvation by grace through faith in Christ, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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