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How to Tell What a Bible Passage Meant to the Original Recipients
Before we can figure out what a specific Scripture means for us today, we must figure out what it meant to the first people to read or hear its message. But how do we figure out what the intended meaning was for the original recipients? After all, we weren’t there. In this video, I outline…
Download: Notes on Philip Schaff’s History of the Christian Church Series
When you search for history of the church, it won’t be long before you read of a man named Philip Schaff. Schaff was an 19th century church historian and professor. His contributions, without the advantages of modern technology such as the Internet and air travel, are astonishing. Perhaps his greatest work was an eight-volume series…
5 Things I Didn’t Know about Martin Luther (Celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation)
You’ve probably heard that October 31, 2017, marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s protest of abuses surrounding the Roman Catholic Church’s practice of selling indulgences. Luther’s publication of his 95 theses on 10/31/1517, which included Luther’s public offer to debate the topic, is generally regarded as the start of the Reformation movement. Today, every…
Why Miraculous Spiritual Gifts Have Ceased (Taking a fresh look at a controversial topic)
8/16/2023 Note: I feel a distinction is needed between the scenario of GOD performing a miracle or giving a supernatural ability to someone with the scenario of the widespread miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit discussed in the New Testament. This article seeks to address the specific purpose of the widespread supernatural gifts of the…
Re-Thinking the Great Commission (What does and doesn’t apply to us)
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared multiple times to His disciples. During these interactions, Jesus gave the apostles some instructions regarding their mission following His ascension. Jesus charged them with what became known as “the great commission.” Matthew’s account describes the earliest of these recorded such conversations, from Galilee: 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee,…
What are ‘the evil days’ in Ecclesiastes 12:1?
What are “the evil days” mentioned in Ecclesiastes 12:1? … Welcome to the 42nd post in my series of rethinking Christian eschatology. Because these posts build upon each other, if you’ve not already done so, I invite you to read the previous posts in this series before continuing here. … Throughout this series I’ve sought…
What Does All of This Mean for Us? (Practical implications of rethinking eschatology)
What are the practical implications for you and me based on what we’ve studied so far? That’s the question we’ll answer in this post. … Welcome to the 41st post in my series on rethinking Christian eschatology. We’re nearing the end of our journey. If you haven’t read the previous posts, I invite you to…
Why the Bible Ends with the Beautiful Marriage Feast
Is there a more beautiful Scripture than Revelation 21-22? As incredible as it might sound, once I understood the truths I’ve explained in this series, when I read these verses again, their beauty increased ten-fold. Let me show you why. … Welcome to the 40th post in my series of rethinking Christian eschatology. Because these posts…
A Fresh Look at the Judgments in the Book of Revelation
We’ve been studying through the Book of Revelation. In recent posts, we’ve established that: In the conclusion of GOD’s revealed Word, the book of Revelation provides our final details regarding death, the judgment, the resurrection and what will follow (or has followed). These final chapters provide helpful insight. Let’s take a fresh look. … Welcome…
A Fresh Look at the Judgments in the Book of Revelation [part 2]
[Return to part 1 of this post.] The wedding feast began with war and judgments Before there could be a peaceful wedding celebration, Jesus had to first eliminate His evil opposition, the oppressors of His bride. Revelation continues: 11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is…
When was the Book of Revelation Written?
The timing of when the book of Revelation was written has long been the source of debate. There is general agreement that the letter was written during one of two time periods: Regarding the timing of Revelation, church historian Philip Schaff wrote: “The traditional date of composition at the end of Domitian’s reign (95 or…
Why Revelation Was Written in the 60s A.D.
In the previous post, I showed from evidence within the text that Revelation was written in the late 60s A.D. If the book of Revelation was indeed written in the late 60s A.D., why was it written at that time? That is the focus of this post. … Welcome to the 38th post in my series of…
Taking a Fresh Look at Paul’s Teaching on the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15
In 1 Corinthians 15, doesn’t Paul teach that our bodies will be transformed when Jesus returns? If so, how could the mass judgment and resurrection of the dead have already occurred? These are questions I had when I was studying through these things for myself a few years ago. In previous posts, we studied afresh…
Is the Earth Going to Burn Up? (A fresh look at 2 Peter 3)
In 2 Peter 3, doesn’t the Bible say that the universe is going to burn up when Jesus returns? If the perspective I am presenting is accurate, it has to harmonize with all Scripture. (Such is the case for any perspective about the Scriptures, mind you.) If all Scripture doesn’t agree, either: For me, the passage that…
A Fresh Look at Jesus’ Second Coming from Second Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians are two key texts about Jesus’ second coming. Last post, we looked at what Paul, Silas and Timothy wrote to the Thessalonians in the first letter regarding Jesus’ second coming. It is widely believed that 1 Thess. 4-5 describes what will transpire in the future on the last day of…
Did You Miss This from First Thessalonians? (Rethinking what Paul wrote about Jesus’ second coming)
Someone asks: “What about First Thessalonians? How can what you’ve written in this series possibly harmonize with what 1 Thessalonians says about Jesus’ second coming?” Years ago, when I first heard that there were people who believed Jesus’ second coming had already occurred, I immediately dismissed the possibility as foolishness. “There’s no way,” I said, emphatically. “What…
The Two Salvations of the New Testament (Recognizing the second salvation and why it matters today)
Did you know that there are not one, but two salvations discussed in the New Testament Scriptures? Yep, that’s right. I’m going to show you. And seeing this should raise important questions for us, which I’ll explain. … Welcome to the 32nd post in my series of rethinking Christian eschatology. Because these posts build upon…
The Great Conflict for the First Century Christians (And how it relates to the Bible’s big picture)
Who were the biggest persecutors of Christians during the first century? I imagine most people would say it was the Romans. After all, it is widely known that the Roman Empire often persecuted Christians prior to Constantine. But that would be incorrect. The primary persecutors of Christians during the first century were Jews. In this…
Why the New Testament Writings Express Such Urgency (And how this fueled the spread of Christianity)
What were the first Christians taught regarding Jesus’ second coming, death, the judgment and resurrection from the dead? Why do the New Testament writings express such a sense of urgency and how did that urgency fuel the spread of Christianity in the first century? These are the questions we’ll tackle in this post. … Welcome…
Baptism: GOD’s Beautiful Bridge from the Old to the New
Now that we’ve established how Jesus’ church is the promised second gathering foretold by the Prophets, let’s look at how baptism fits within the context of this series. Hopefully this will deepen your appreciation for how GOD has chosen to use baptism. … Welcome to the 29th post in my series of rethinking Christian eschatology. Because these…
The Important Connection Between Jesus’ Church and the Prophesied Second Gathering of Israel
8/12/2023 Update: Since I originally published this article in 2017, I have grown in my understanding of these topics. While I maintain the directional accuracy of the points here, I now better understand that the point of Jesus’ ekklesia in this world was never the second gathering of Israel itself, but rather a temporary gathering…
Re-Thinking ‘the Harvest’ (One of the Bible’s Most Misunderstood Metaphors)
Are you sowing the seed of the kingdom, brother,In the morning bright and fair?Are you sowing the seed of the kingdom, brother,In the heat of the noon-day’s glare? For the harvest time is coming on (coming on),And the reapers’ work will soon be done (soon be done);Will your sheaves be many? Will you garner anyFor…
What Jesus Taught about ‘the Last Day’ (And How it Relates to the Judgment and Resurrection)
What did Jesus teach about “the last day?” That’s the question we’ll answer in this post. … Welcome to the 26th post in my series on rethinking Christian eschatology. Because these posts build upon each other, if you’ve not already done so, I invite you to read the previous posts in this series before continuing here.…
Jesus on the Resurrection: The Time Now Has Come
Have you ever looked into a mirror and felt surprised that you looked like that? I have. Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and suddenly realized you had been inconsistent about what it taught? I have. You get that knot in your stomach like when you lied to your mom at five years old.…