After a person has been forgiven, they need to forgive. In one of his most devastating parables, Jesus taught that forgiveness can be forfeited and cancelled! It is often called ‘The Unmerciful Servant’ (Matthew 18:21-35). The King who reimposed his courtier’s debt and prison sentence after learning that he refused to exercise the same leniency … Continue reading The Unmerciful or Unforgiving Servant Matthew 18:21-35
I have a devotional book called declaring God’s Word by Derek Prince which has page for each day of the year. Over the last couple of days the subject has been forgiveness. Derek explains that there are so many benefits to forgiving people and being forgiven. One benefit is actual physical healing which he uses … Continue reading Forgivess is Powerful and can Lead to Physical Healing
The New Testament speaks of the coming age—the time when God’s redemptive plan reaches its climax—in a variety of rich and interconnected terms. While each highlights a different aspect, they all point toward the same hope: the visible, physical, and glorious reign of the Messiah, the resurrection of the dead, the restoration of all things, … Continue reading Names and Descriptions of the Age to Come in the New Testament
It is important to always take into account the context of the scriptures when trying to understand what was meant to be understood (exegesis) and not read into the scriptures that which was not meant (eisegesis). Context and how the disciples would have understood what Jesus said is very important. They knew their own scriptures … Continue reading Did Jesus Go to Heaven to Prepare Mansions for Us?
Victorinus of Pettau (c. 270 AD), an early Latin commentator on the Book of Revelation, has sometimes been cited by modern pre-tribulation rapture advocates as an early witness to their position. But when we look closely at his writings, the picture is more complicated. Victorinus’s Commentary on Revelation In his Commentary on the Apocalypse, Victorinus … Continue reading Victorinus and the Rapture: Did He Teach a PreTrib View?
Many Christians today read the New Testament’s use of the Old Testament as though each citation marks the final and exhaustive fulfillment of that prophecy. When Matthew writes, “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet”(Matthew 2:15), or when Peter declares that Pentecost fulfills Joel’s prophecy (Acts 2:16–21), modern readers often assume the … Continue reading Understanding Patterned Fulfillment: How the Apostles Read Prophecy
The New Testament contains a common, theologically significant, expression which is incorrectly translated in most English versions. This provides false implications which affect more than one theological point. The expression πᾶς + substantive singular participle is translated either as “whoever believes,” , “whoever is born/begotten” (of God, or of the Spirit), or “whoever loves.” 1. The expression πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων (“whoever believes”) appears in … Continue reading “Whoever” Individually versus “The Whole” Collectively
We now turn our attention to the only three passages which use the clause πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, “before the casting down of the world.” All three passages place the Son of God prior to whatever this clause actually meant. All three are significant in determining a correct theology concerning the Son of God, whether He was eternally … Continue reading The “Casting Down of the World” and NOT “Foundation of the World” Part 4
The Temporal use of ἀπὸ: In part II of this series, I covered the three passages which contain the clause ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου in which the preposition ἀπὸ is used causally, meaning “because of the casting down of the world.” In this post I would like to address the remaining four passages which have this clause where the … Continue reading The “Casting Down of the World” and NOT “Foundation of the World” Part 3
The Causal use of ἀπὸ: In part 1 of this series, I pointed out the awkwardness of the noun καταβολῆς (casting down), allegedly meaning “foundation/founding,” and its use in Hebrews 11:11 the only time it appears in the Bible apart from the clause καταβολῆς κόσμου (casting down of the world). In this post I would like … Continue reading The “Casting Down of the World” and Not “Foundation of the World” Part 2
Biblical Teaching to Equip Every Christian 