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By Joseph S. Exell · 1887 · 1,353 illustrations
The Biblical Illustrator is a 56-volume reference work compiled by Joseph S. Exell in the late 19th century. Each passage of Scripture is illuminated with historical anecdotes, biographical sketches, analogies from nature, and homiletical observations drawn from ancient and contemporary sources. These illustrations have been carefully restored from the original public-domain text and rewritten for clarity and accessibility — preserving the historical depth while removing Victorian OCR artifacts.
Some preach, "He has done all; therefore we do nothing." The Bible contradicts this sharply.
The wisest philosophers of antiquity constructed elaborate systems to reach God by understanding the thought underlying universal order.
Remarkably, no other pursuit in the world generates such universal hostility.
The apostles faced bitter antagonism from those who wielded power against the Gospel.
Yet the original context reveals something entirely different: this verse records a drunken sneer from mockers who despised the simplicity of Isaiah's prophetic message.
When Elohim grants what the wicked most desire, they perish in its very embrace.
Grace (*charis*) represents God's unmerited favor toward the elect through Christ alone (Romans 3:24), while peace encompasses multiple dimensions of restored harmony.
Being "in Christ" involves three dimensions of spiritual reality.
The vines of Palestine witnessed for centuries to the union of man with God, yet only Christ gathered these truths into one luminous discourse on the vine and branches.
Proverbs 13:22 reveals that human happiness depends far less upon external conditions than upon personal virtues.
As the Eternal Word took flesh from the Virgin Mary by the operation of the Holy Ghost, so are we born anew through grace.
Signs are external, visible things that declare a memorable matter otherwise imperceptible to human understanding.
The book of nature and providence lies open to all humanity, yet the heathen philosophers shamefully wandered from it, erring grossly in their pursuit of vile affections.
This transformation requires the destruction of idolatry—both literal and spiritual—which blinds humanity to Elohim's true character.
First, the *inevitably* natural: our bodies decay from birth.
These ministers functioned as pillars in four essential ways: founded upon Christ Himself, supporting believers through sympathy, prayer, and preaching; presenting an example of stability; and adorning the edifice of Elohim's Church.
Exell observes three dimensions of Elohim's redundant blessing: First, natural blessing exceeds mere utility.
Adonai alone possesses power to send forth laborers into His harvest—we rely too heavily upon our own agencies.
The first is the "great red dragon" of Revelation 12—Satan himself, bearing seven heads and ten horns, the ancient serpent who wars against heaven and hungers for the saints' blood.
Those who oppose us frequently cannot articulate their reasons; they search daily for justification yet find none, yet the dislike compels them forward with undeniable force.
First, its nature: mercy operates as a *diatheke* (covenant disposition)—a temper of the soul independent of written law, wherein the merciful person grieves not for injuries received but for the corrupted heart of the injurer.
Working and suffering constitute the way to glory and honour.
This interpretation reveals three essential truths about the Church's nature.
He demands *karpos* (fruit)—genuine spiritual productivity, not mere profession.