This clear explication by Mark Jones shows the bigger picture of the purpose of God in Christ. For me, it has resolved some outstanding issues of the Trinity. The Triunity of God has always been revealed from the first pages of scripture (Gen. 1.2 – the Spirit, Ge. 2.4-Yahweh God). It is on the basis of Christ that God will judge the world: Moreover, the … Continue reading The Revelation of God in Christ-Mark Jones
Here is a nice write up of historical evidence of Daniel and his text (the book of “Daniel” in the bible). I firmly support the 6th c. BCE timeframe of both the miraculous history and prophecies of the book. In addition to the following reblogged post, I add two of my own lines of evidence for Daniel’s authenticity. 1. Jesus would not have referenced Daniel … Continue reading Top Ten Discoveries Related to the Book of Daniel
Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit (NIV) This statement of Jesus comes on the heals of the Parable of the Tenants of the Vineyard. The parable is recorded in Mt. 21.33-45, Mk. 12.1-12, and Lk. 20.9-19. Mark and Luke use the term others instead of people … Continue reading Contra Replacement Theology: Who are the “People” in Mt. 21.43?
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment (2Pet. 2.4 ESV) The Separation of Two Peoples Simon Peter, in warning his readers of false teachers, writes about some who were judged for their wickedness, all to encourage the letter’s recipients to stay true to the … Continue reading The Angelic Fall
This is a previously published post substantially revised and retitled. Also, since these brief thoughts have been brewing in my theological history for many years, I place them at the top of my site. Angel Definition Angels can be thought of as God’s assistants: Who makes his angels spirits, His ministers a fire (Ps. 104.4 Sept.). The popular conception of angels, chubby infants with wings, … Continue reading In Search of Meaning: The Doctrine of Angelic Replacement
John the Apostle, the brother of James, ministered in Ephesus during his later years and was exiled to the isle of Patmos, not far from Ephesus. Of the seven letters of Revelation 2&3, Jesus wrote to Ephesus first, mediated through John. Rev. 2.1-7 is the only letter to the Ephesians. It is fairly clear that the Apostle John was the younger brother of James and … Continue reading How Ephesus causes problems for Skeptics
Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep (1Cor. 11.28-30 NIV). The bible can be hard to understand sometimes. Even the Apostle Peter … Continue reading The Body Of Christ in 1Cor. 11.29: Who or What?
From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave … Continue reading The Two Leavened Loaves at Pentecost-Lev. 23.15-17
The old saying holds true: “One is not ready to live life until they are prepared to die.” We all know death is inevitable. Christ’s promise of life (immortality) is the antidote for the second death, To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God (Rev. 2.7b NIV). Those … Continue reading Death for a Christian
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles (stoichea) of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! (Gal.4.9-10 ESV). Many people have told me that all the religions of the world have the … Continue reading The Stoichea: “Constituent Parts”
A World God Could Admire: Recovering His Pleasure in Creation — Desiring God Continue reading Recovering His Pleasure in Creation
It is probably worth mentioning that Paul’s command in Col. 4.16 to have his letter read in neighboring churches was somewhat different than a pure personal correspondence between individuals. The Colossian and Laodicean churches were located on a major trade route (an extension of the Silk Road), and were wealthy (see Rev. 3.17). I think it unusual for them to have circulated the original document … Continue reading How Did the N.T. Books Get Their Titles?
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Ex. 3.14 ESV). Yeshua (Yeah shooa) is probably how people pronounced Jesus’ name in the first century. It was a common name, and the same as “Joshua” whom Moses named (see Num. 13.16). The name means “Jah saves.” The name “Yahveh,” … Continue reading Yeshua in the Bush
The bible is, of course, for everyone, especially for progressives it seems. Progressives and the Bible in the Gilded Age — Ad Fontes Continue reading The Bible is for Progressives
Medicating the Masses | Adrian Gaty | First Things Continue reading Conformity-or Else
Who Was St. Patrick? | Kevin DeYoung Continue reading The Evangelist-St. Patrick
In the O.T. the ‘to be’ verb is the same as the Name God revealed Himself to Abram (Gen. 12.1). The idea seems to be “the self-existing One”, or, “the always existing One,” or, the extended idea that Yahweh is the author of life. In the Book of John, Jesus referred to Himself as “ego eimi:” (“I Am”). He explicitly used the expression to connect … Continue reading The Divine Name is the Existential Verb: “I Am”
Don’t give up when darkness assails. There have been so many times when I didn’t think God could rescue but prayed anyway in hope of a miracle, and God delivered. Trust Him, seek Him, He will show you how great He is if you seek Him with all your heart. The Shadow We Cannot Shake: What to Do When Darkness Remains — Desiring God Continue reading Seek Deliverance Though Yet Ungiven
Losing Christ in Christianity — Desiring God Continue reading The Golden Ruler
What Will Man Be Like for Countless Future Ages? | Desiring God Continue reading Experiential Knowledge
Wise advice from ‘Pastor John.’ Are Christians Obligated to Vote? — Desiring God Continue reading “We the People”
Sit at the Feet of Loss: What Endings Teach the Living | Desiring God Continue reading Wisdom Can Be Counterintuitive
God is a Unity. This is why Jesus could say: “I and the Father are one” (Jn. 10.30). Continue reading Jewish Trinitarians?
Here is a good illustration of Mt. 13.44. The realization of true worth of God’s calling is a treasure that compels forsaking everything else. I Sing My Way Through Pain: Three Lessons in Resilient Joy — Desiring God Continue reading The Treasure Hidden in a Field
Our last couple of posts have dealt with Pharaoh Tirhakah, the Cushite (Ethiopian) king of Egypt’s 25th dynasty, and mentioned by name in 2 Kings 19:9, in correction with Judah’s good King Hezekiah, and the Assyrian King Sennacherib. We noted, “In some translations (i.e., NKJV) Tirhakah is said to be king of Ethiopia. “Ethiopia” here refers to […] “I Am Nubian” — Leon’s Message Board Continue reading Ancient Cush
The Life of God in the Soul of Man: A Reader’s Guide to a Christian Classic — Desiring God Continue reading “If There be So Much Sweetness in a Drop, There Must be Infinitely More in the Fountain”
Here is a post by Craig Carter I believe is helpful. It’s not that I completely ‘buy in’ to all that the Credo guys are saying, because I do have differences with them. I am preparing a post that, I hope, will show addition instead of an either/or formulation that is demanded by some. Nevertheless, this article is agreeable. Methodological Naturalism and Divine Inspiration – … Continue reading Methodological Naturalism and Divine Inspiration
I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me (ESV). It seems some Evangelicals have found a verse to use as a key: John 17.23. They believe that if Christians work for unity (in all cases, I observe only external tactics to achieve … Continue reading Internal or External Unity: John 17.23
Jesus was clear as to who builds His Church: Himself. What is “radically wrong” with the church is no different than what is wrong with all believers throughout history, including Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After Abram tried his own devices, God told him to walk with Him and be perfect (implying that he was not perfect previously; see Gen.17.1). This is the process of sanctification … Continue reading You Can’t Fix the Church
Stephen Wellum continues his labors of bringing precision to the understanding of the Biblical Covenants. He doesn’t claim that his formulation is the “end of the discussion,” but rather interacts with scripture to note variances in the two competing synthetic theological systems. I think he identifies crucial problems in both inorganic systems and brings scriptural alternatives. Dispensational or Covenantal? | Desiring God Continue reading Dispensational or Covenantal?
In our present post we further consider Tirhakah, the Cushite (Ethiopian) Pharaoh mentioned in 2 Kings 19:9: “Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king of Egypt, was marching out to fight against him. It is fascinating (and illuminating) when there are other historical records, inscriptions, and artifacts which coincide with biblical persons […] Pharaoh Tirhakah, cont’d — Leon’s Message Board Continue reading Pharaoh Tirhakah-2Kings 19.9
Have You Renounced Satan? The Lost Second Vow of Baptism — Desiring God Continue reading Historical Baptism
Since God made us in His own image, humans can register feelings like betrayal, being slighted, and hated, and more. How Could God Be Jealous? — Desiring God Continue reading How Could God Be Jealous?
Man-centeredness is idolatry. True worship is deserved only for the Creator. The God-Centeredness of God Unlocks the Gospel | Desiring God Continue reading The Creator / Creature Distinction
The Curse on The Serpent signaled his doom having his head crushed by the Promised Seed. Yet this Promised One would also suffer a deadly wound from the strike of the Serpent (the same Hebrew term I translated as “crush” by an action of the heel, I translate “strike” by a viper since injection of venom is a different action although the outcome is shared). … Continue reading The Seed of the Woman-Gen. 3.15
Is a Christian a saint or sinner? Piper does a good job of analyzing scripture to show, by nature, that Christians are holy. On the basis of who we are then, we progressively reject acting differently. Sinners or Saints — How Should We Speak of Christians? — Desiring God Continue reading The Christian’s Paradox
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