This week marks the 405th anniversary of when the Pilgrims and other settlers agreed to the principles known as the Mayflower Compact. “The Mayflower Compact was important because it was the first document to establish self-government in the New World. It remained active until 1691 when Plymouth Colony became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony,” explained History.com. I suspect that if the Scofield [...]
Gary discusses the current state of eschatology debates online. A post on a Facebook page had an interesting discussion on Luke 17 and its relationship to Matthew 24-25 and Greg L. Bahnsen’s view of that relationship. Dr. Bahnsen took the view that Luke 17:22-37 refers to the Second Coming while Matthew 24:1-34 refers to the judgment on Jerusalem that took place before that first-century generatio [...]
One of the frustrating aspects of debating eschatology with the Three Questions Letter signers is their shifting interpretations and inconsistencies among them. As to their inconsistencies, Doug dismissed them as irrelevant to the topic because not all full preterists agree. I suspect that on the big issues, they do agree. We all make adjustments over time as we study more. I certainly have. I not [...]
During our discussion about eschatology, the topic of animal death and resurrection came up. Doug Wilson believes there was “entropy” before the fall. This would include death. He stated the following in his article “Full Preterism and the Death Problem.” What was the nature of perfection in the Garden of Eden? What did an unfallen world look like? Too many Christians have the idea that a world wi [...]
Guest article by Bruce Axtens As I am sure you are all aware, the chapter and verse numbers in your Bible aren’t inspired. They weren’t part of the originals. After centuries of various ad hoc mark-ups and divisions, one Stephen Langton, in the 12th century, came up with the chapter numbering that we still use today. Then in the 1500s, Robert Estienne, devised a verse numbering. This also became s [...]
Penn Jillette and Raymond Teller are stage magicians. Their act is a mix of comedy, irreverence, and skill. They are also known for exposing quacks, frauds, paranormal beliefs, and claims of the supernatural in the tradition of Harry Houdini and James Randi in their show Penn & Teller: Bulls***t! They ventured into the realm of politics by taking on global warming, gun control, PETA, the War o [...]
Martin Luther posted his 95 challenges to the wicked practices of the Church on October 31 for a reason. He picked this day intentionally, and ever since Halloween has also been Reformation Day. The supernatural power which energizes God’s kingdom is never bound by political rhetoric: “For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20). The battle against the kingdoms of [...]
Popular culture is one way to track shifting opinions about paranormal and occult experiences. Before television’s debut, soon after the Second World War, music, literature, and film were expressions of popular culture for the masses. Film brought literary works to life that many people talked about but rarely read. Abraham “Bram” Stoker’s Dracula(1897) was the first novel of its type to make it t [...]
Gary discusses several recent news events, including a crazy leftist relationship coach claiming Taylor Swift is showing her “tradwife” leanings by wanting to have children. A number of Christian leaders profess that the church’s job is only “to preach the gospel.” This seems to be the emphasis of Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson in their book Blinded by Might. Dobson, former board member of t [...]
P. Andrew Sandlin posted the following on Facebook: “Greg Bahnsen’s name has been invoked in the defense of the hyper-preterist heresy.” He doesn’t say who. For those of you who do not know, Greg Bahnsen was a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in the 1970s when I was a student there. He taught apologetics, ethics, and a course on eschatology. His article “The Prima Facie Acceptability of [...]
Gary discusses the early history of the colonies, and how they founded their laws and constitutions on the Bible. A misconception is held by many that the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence was the beginning of our nation. Abraham’s Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” (Nov. 19, 1863) contributes to the confusion with the opening line: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers bro [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 62 Gary explains why he spends so much time writing and talking about Bible prophecy—it’s a worldview issue. Soon after graduating college in 1973, I began to delve into the complexities of Bible prophecy once again. By this time I was no longer the biblically ignorant convert. Bible study had become a daily affair. While I was certainly far from b [...]
The advertising phrase “Takes a Licking but Keeps on Ticking” can be traced back to the 1950s when Timex Corporation introduced its famous watch commercial featuring John Cameron Swayze. In the commercial, Swayze subjected the watch to various tests, such as being dropped from heights or submerged in water. Despite these challenges, the watch continued to work. Check out these magazine ads. “Unusu [...]
Gary discusses Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who is now trying to teach how the Bible applies to everyday life, especially economics. Money is the most marketable commodity. It is the central economic institution. It is the result of the division of labor, and it has become central to the division of labor. It is the source of price signals. The price system is the greatest source of information in history. [...]
Someone on Facebook wrote, “Why a Literal Historical-Grammatical Interpretation of Scripture Matters. When it comes to understanding the Bible, a literal historical-grammatical approach—taking the text at its plain meaning within its historical and literary context—is crucial.” I agree. I find it ironic that many who advocate the LGH model are selective in how it’s applied. The following is from d [...]
Gary talks about the recent brokered peace deal by Trump between Israel and Hamas. The opening line of the Marines’ Hymn “From the Halls of Montezuma” refers to the Battle of Chapultepec, the engagement between Mexican and American armies during the Mexican-American War in 1847. “When that battle ended, the United States had won a decisive military victory over General Santa Anna’s Mexican army th [...]
While cleaning up my office, I came across a cassette tape of a sermon preached by Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel on December 31, 1979. He told his very accepting audience that the rapture would take place in 1981. Russia was about to invade Israel. The former Soviet Republic had gone into Afghanistan. Smith said that it was the prelude to a full-force invasion of the Middle East. Russia is now bog [...]
Don’t ever say, “It will never happen here.” As bizarre as the following is, the rudiments of this new law are already operating in principle in the United States: North Korea has initiated a harsh crackdown on women suspected of having “capitalist” breast implants, labelling such cosmetic procedures as “un-socialist” and “bourgeois”, The Telegraph reported. The country’s security services are con [...]
Gary points out that the mainstream media’s obsession with the boogeyman of Christian Nationalism is a willful ignorance of Islamic Nationalism. Whoever claims sovereignty expects his subjects to govern his realm in terms of his law and name. Sovereignty, therefore, brings with it the inevitability of dominion, the power of governing and controlling all things. Noah Webster, in his American [...]
Facebook and YouTube are filled with amateur prophecy pundits who are out of touch with failed prophecy claims going back many centuries. It worsened with the advent of dispensational premillennialism and its various incarnations. Even so, it’s hard for many Christians to reason outside the dispensational bubble. It’s all they’ve heard or known. The dispensational bubble is their protective home. [...]
