Gary is interviewed by Chris Arnzen on the “Iron Sharpens Iron” radio program about biblical understanding and denominational traditions. Misreading the Bible has led to misunderstandings which have resulted in creating a mythological tradition of nullifying what God’s Word actually says and means. Over time, the traditions have been used by religious authorities to supplant the truth [...]

Gary continues his lesson on hermeneutics by looking briefly at the time words that bookend the book of Revelation. The past fulfillment of most of the prophecies in Revelation 4-19 is compellingly suggested by the various time indicators contained in its less symbolic, more didactic introduction and conclusion. Revelation 1:1 opens the prophecies of Revelation and prepares the reader to understan [...]

For some time, I have been working on a commentary on Zechariah 14. It’s tough going. There aren’t that many good commentaries on Zechariah that aren’t dispensational. Dispensationalists have an advantage because in their view everything happens after the so-called rapture of the church. All other interpretations must find historical markers to account for their interpretation. Some argue for a se [...]

Gary begins a short course on hermeneutics—the art and practice of interpretation—on today’s podcast. The Bible can be an intimidating book, but it doesn’t have to be. We must be like the Bereans who examined “the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Too often, Christians rely on so-called Bible experts and complicated charts that include gaps in time, ou [...]

There has been considerable debate over the best way to interpret the three-days and three-nights language of Matthew 12:40, either as three 24-hour days of exactly 72 hours or parts of three days and three nights. Because you can’t get three full days if the count begins on Friday, some interpreters have argued for a two-Sabbath approach and a crucifixion on Wednesday and a resurrection on Saturd [...]

Gary summarizes more than a dozen common misunderstandings from his book, Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths on today’s podcast. Jesus often corrected erroneous beliefs about the Bible. He did this with misunderstandings in four areas: • An out-of-context reading and application of a text (Matt. 5:21). • A misreading or an incomplete reading of a text (5:38). • A misstatement of fact (5:43). • Fau [...]

Guest article by Uri Brito Gary North’s recent passing reminded me of the enormous capacity of certain men to produce so much in a lifetime. Of course, men can be productive beings on many fronts, but that productivity often stems from foundational theological stimuli that allow him to conform his thoughts after it. If such roots are stable and coherent, they can provide a rich motivation for crea [...]

On today’s podcast, Gary discuss presuppositional apologetics and Dr. Greg Bahnsen and the trio of his books recently published by American Vision. Biblical apologetics means “to offer a defense” and is practiced in different ways by Christians. Some Christian apologists try to appeal to skeptics by presenting a boatload of facts. With this evidential method, the claim is made that facts are [...]

In this final part of his response to the Michael Brown debate, Gary discusses Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13. For many (perhaps even most) Christians, the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43) tells the story of the final judgment. This view is especially understandable when based on the old King James translation. It says: Another parable put h [...]

In my debate with Dr. Michael Brown on February 17, 2022, I made the point that the Great Tribulation mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24:21 took place during the time of that generation since Jesus said, “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (24:34). “This generation” always means the generation to whom Jesus was speaking. It does not mean “this kind of generation,” [...]

Robert Van Kampen, a prophecy author who believed the events outlined by Jesus in Matthew 24 are yet to be fulfilled, wrote, “Christ tells His disciples that only after the gospel is preached to all nations, ‘then the end shall come.’” [1] Since the Bible clearly states that the gospel “was proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Col. 1:23), then the end spoken of by Jesus is a past event for us [...]

Futurism mandates that a new temple must be rebuilt so the events of Matthew 24 can be fulfilled. History records that the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, with the events of Matthew 24 preceding its demise. Not one verse in the New Testament mentions the need for a rebuilt temple, a fact admitted by those who believe a future temple is necessary for prophecy to be fulfilled. Thomas Ice and Timoth [...]

In Matthew 24:36, Jesus refers to “heaven and earth passing away” and not knowing the “day or the hour.” (It’s interesting that John refers to the “last hour” that was near in his day: 1 John 2:18). Is this statement by Jesus a reference to the new heavens and new earth of Revelation 21? John Lightfoot applies the phrase “passing away of heaven and earth” to the “destruction of Jerusalem and the w [...]

C.S. Lewis famously dubbed the modern ignorance of old books to be “chronological snobbery.” Thinking that only what is produced by our own modern generation is worthy of our time and attention is not only hypocritical; it is dangerous and can lead to a variety of false assumptions both about ourselves and those that came before us. Nowhere is this idea more evident than in the area of [...]

If there’s one passage of Scripture that is repeatedly brought up as an indictment against people who object to modern-day prophetic speculation it is 2 Peter 3:3–18. If you dispute with those who argue that all the signs around us indicate that we are living in the “last days,” then you are labeled a “scoffer” or a “mocker” (2 Peter 3:3; Jude 18). If this is how the passage is to be understood, t [...]

You’ve heard people claim that the Bible is not a textbook on particular topics. While that’s generally true, it also depends on what is meant by “textbook.” The Bible is a book about all of life. Everything that it speaks of is useful and true for all times and all people. Humanity needs special revelation in order to see life from God’s perspective, rather than thro [...]

Which is more important, Adam’s Fall or the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ? It seems like such a simple question for a Christian to answer. The answer seems so easy. Obviously, the resurrection is more important, now and in eternity. If there had been no resurrection of Christ, our faith would be vain. But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if [...]

Over the weekend, I spoke at two churches on Christian worldview issues. Friday and Saturday Andrew Sandlin and I spoke at Church of the King on the topic “Kingdom Culture: Far as the Curse is Found.” On Sunday morning I spoke at Christian Fellowship Church on what I have titled “Exposing Grape Juice Christianity.” The title of Sunday’s message came to me after celebrating the Lord’s Supper with a [...]

There are numerous Christians who believe that a personal and private faith is all the gospel requires. Os Guinness described this as “The Private-Zoo Factor,”[1] a religion that is caged so that it loses its wildness. When true Christianity is applied to any part of the world, it blossoms far more fully and colorfully than we ever could have imagined. Everything seemed possible within the boundar [...]

I received a message from a supporter who pointed me to a Glenn Beck interview with Amir Tsarfati’s and his new book Operation Joktan. Tsarfati was raised in a Jewish home but later converted to Christianity. He believes Ezekiel 38–39 are about modern-day Russia. His eschatology is dispensational. He claimed in the interview that there will be an end-time antichrist and a rebuilt temple. Anyone fa [...]