Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Mt. 10.28 NIV). Jesus, in Mt. 10.28, gives the function of hell (Gehenna) as the destruction of the human wicked. This, obviously, is eternal punishment, annihilation. Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT) it seems is predicated upon … Continue reading Destroying Soul and Body in Hell
Leen (pronounced Lane) Ritmeyer has a fascinating history of how he got into architectural reconstruction at various digs in Israel. 50 years visualising the Bible — Ritmeyer Archaeological Design Continue reading Leen Ritmeyer’s 50 Year History of Archaeological Reconstruction
Here is an article by Craig Carter that I agree with according to his main point. Carter cites the “specific” reason for the incarnation as human redemption: “God decreed that he would take on flesh for a specific reason. The reason was that without taking on human flesh the eternal, impassible God could not suffer and die for our sins.” According to Eph. 1.7-10, the … Continue reading Redemption as a Sideshow
For many years now, I never resolve at a periodic point in time, such as New Year, to change for the better. Repentance should happen when we become aware of the problem. Under the New Covenant, His people know Him intimately, and therefore, they can adjust their heart in response to His promptings. Christians still face many challenges despite the New Covenant’s advantages. Sometimes our … Continue reading Finishing Last Year’s Resolutions Well
You Shall Call His Name Joshua – Theopolis Institute Continue reading You Shall Call His Name Joshua
Christmas Under the Sun — The Gospel Coalition Continue reading Christmas Under the Sun
The Hanukkah story is no fairytale. The evils Antiochus IV and his rule of terror are a matter of historical fact, as archaeology is now able to verify. The news has just broken that a treasure trove of coins has been discovered earlier this year in the Judean desert, near the Dead Sea. Coins are… Hanukkah Treasures Found By the Dead Sea — ONE FOR ISRAEL … Continue reading Hanukkah Treasures Found By the Dead Sea
When Nietzsche famously declared, “God is dead,” we often assume the atheist philosopher said it triumphally. Yet Nietzsche didn’t really pronounce the death of God—by which he meant the idea of God and religion had died following the triumph of reason and science—as a wholesale victory. While on the one hand, it was a triumph… How Comfort Culture and Hustle Ideology Fill the Meaning Gap — … Continue reading How Comfort Culture and Hustle Ideology Fill the Meaning Gap
Although most discussions about the development of the canon focus on the patristic period (second century and later), there is much canonical gold yet to mine from the pages of the New Testament itself. Unfortunately, this step is often skipped. There are a number of possible reasons for why it is skipped. But perhaps most… A Curious Clue about the Origins of the New Testament Canon … Continue reading Origins of the New Testament Canon
The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught” (Is. 29.13 NIV) The Christian life is not about finding out God’s requirements during this age and doing it. Rather, it results from the transformation by … Continue reading When Apparent Obedience to God is Actual Rebellion
Summary: After a decade of research, the first-of-its-kind “monumental” inscription about King Hezekiah has been deciphered, giving further credibility to the Bible and its historical accounts. Hezekiah “Monumental” Inscription Finally Deciphered — Patterns of Evidence Continue reading Hezekiah “Monumental” Inscription Finally Deciphered
Marshal your troops now, city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel’s ruler on the cheek with a rod. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Therefore Israel will be abandoned … Continue reading Was Jesus Born in a Grotto or a Stable?
Illustration by Jordan Daniel SingerMany Christians today read the Bible through revisions of original translations. We read the Revised Standard Version (RSV), the first major revision of the King James Version; English Standard Version, a revision of the RSV; the New King James Version, another revision of the King James and on and on. Translation… The Legacy of the First Revised Bible Translations — Text & … Continue reading The Legacy of the First Revised Bible Translations
In Hebrews 1, the writer cites various OT passages in which God speaks to his exalted Son in a way in which he has never spoken to angels.A number of these passages find partial fulfilments in OT Messianic figures. For instance, consider YHWH’s statement to David about his son, ‘I will be to him a… Hebrews 1 and its Use of Scripture — Thoughts on Scripture Continue reading Multiplicity of Divine Persons in O.T. and Hebrews
Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them (Mk. 7.14-15 NIV) Here is an article, bolstered by strong evidence, of how the “War on Drugs” kills and imprisons. Cops Practicing Medicine | Cato Institute Continue reading The One Fact Jesus Wanted Everyone to Understand
What’s the point of suffering? Is there a purpose, a design? John Piper explains, from the bible, the meaning of why pain exists. The Purposes of God in the Pain of the World | Desiring God Continue reading The Providence Of Pain
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (1Cor. 13.13 NIV) Love Stronger Than Death: | Peter J. Leithart | First Things Continue reading Jesus Isn’t Content to Live One Life of Love
Those so-called Christians who try to enforce righteousness on unbelievers is the main reason I wrote my recent post about the Two Kingdoms. The Law (Mosaic Old Covenant) wasn’t effective in itself to produce godliness. God’s Law was a spotlight to expose unrighteousness so that the conscious-stricken petitioner would make use of the remedy of sacrifice. The book of Hebrews makes the same case: The … Continue reading Failing the New Covenant
I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours (Jn.17.9 NIV). Ever since the promise of redemption contained in the sentence, or curse, upon the devil (Gen. 3.15), two kingdoms have existed: The seed of woman and the seed of the serpent. It is not the case, however, that God only rules … Continue reading “I Am Not Praying for the World”-Jn. 17.9b
In the book of Acts, Luke records the words of the mob at Thessalonica claiming that the new Christian Movement was upsetting the world order: These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus (17.6b-7 NIV). Therefore, it … Continue reading Ancient Secular References to Jesus and His Followers
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God (Phil. 1.9-11 NIV). A half truth is usually a … Continue reading Discerning What is Best
ABSTRACT: “And the Rock was Christ.” Some have interpreted Paul’s claim in 1 Corinthians 10:4 as a departure from grammatical-historical exegesis, or even as evidence that Paul gave credence to unhistorical Jewish myths. A close reading of his words against the backdrop of the canon, however, shows that Paul was reading Moses the way Moses… The Rock Was Christ: How Paul Read the Pentateuch — Desiring … Continue reading James Hamilton: Christ as Rock
Recently, various press outlets have run stories about a stone artifact with a very fragmentary Old Hebrew Inscription on it (e.g., https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/bibles-reliability-further-affirmed-as-king-hezekiah-inscription-deciphered/ , citing the proposed restorations and interpretations of Gershon Galil and Eli Shukron), discovered ca. 15+ years ago on an excavation. I would like to make some brief comments on this inscription and… Restorations are *not* a Good Foundation for Dramatic Proposals: Reflections on … Continue reading Overly Speculative Reconstructions Lack Credibility
The Abolitionist Hero You’ve Never Heard Of Continue reading Happy Birthday Granville Sharp
Merneptah, son of Rameses II, ruled Egypt 1213-1203 B.C., in the 19th Dynasty. The Merneptah Stele, made of granit, is an inscription of great archaeological and biblical importance. It contains the first mention of Israel in a source besides the Bible. On our recent tour of Egypt, this is one of the main artifacts I […] The Merneptah Stele — Leon’s Message Board Continue reading The Merneptah Stele
On Tuesday, Nov. 8 a Lunar Eclipse occurs. More impressive and important is a total Solar Eclipse. A Solar Eclipse, at least to me, indicates design. The difference in mass between the Sun and Moon is enormous, yet, in their relative placement to each other from the vantage of a person on Earth, total Solar Eclipses sometimes occur. This phenomenon impels curiosity to find out … Continue reading Evidence that God Wants Us to be Scientific
Summary: New dating technology uses the Earth’s magnetic field to verify the biblical accounts of Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian and Babylonian military campaigns against the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And he [Nebuchadnezzar] burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. –… Earth’s Magnetic Field Used to Verify Biblical Battles — Patterns of … Continue reading A Remarkable New Dating Tool for Israeli Archeology
4 Questions about Headship and Head Coverings — Crossway Articles: Questions and Answers Continue reading The Head of the Wife is Her Husband-1Cor. 11.3
God demonstrated His love in Christ’s crucifixion (Rom. 5.8). However, the members of the Trinity did not suffer since Christ, only in His humanity, paid sin’s penalty for us. The incarnation and earthly ministry of Jesus was the start of an advance into a new realm: materiality. God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must do so in spirit and truth (Jn. 4.24). Modern, … Continue reading Did the Godhead Suffer at the Cross of Christ?
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