Memes declaring that “Jesus is Coming Soon” are all over the internet. Facebook is filled with them. There are numerous Rapture pages. It’s amazing to see how a false doctrine from the 19th century has infected the church under the guise of interpreting the Bible literally. Its spread has been exponential. Here’s what those who claim to interpret the Bible literally mean by literal: “When the plai [...]
Many people get bent out of shape when they see ‘Xmas’ or ‘X-Mas.’ They think it’s a way of removing Jesus Christ from Christmas. Removing Christ from Christmas happens in many direct ways, but X-Mas is not one of them. “Every year you see the signs and the bumper stickers saying, ‘Put Christ back into Christmas’ as a response to this substitution of the letter X for the name of Christ. [...]
Click here to listen to the podcast based on this article. In Luke 2:22-40, we are introduced to two individuals named Simeon and Anna. They were in the temple when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to “present him to the Lord.” We learn that Simeon and Anna were faithful believers expectantly awaiting the Messiah’s promised appearance. We are also told that Simeon was waiting for “the consol [...]
Gary continues speaking with Rick Welch of The Burros of Berea podcast about Christmas movies. These movies are not necessarily “Christian” in the sense that many modern Christians tend to think about such things. While they may lack a comprehensive Gospel message that leads viewers to the Cross, that misses the point of what makes something Christian or non-Christian. Christians should be able to [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope: Episode 19 Gary deals with current end-time claims about the situation in Damascus. “When” a prophecy is said to be fulfilled is very important to know in determining what events fulfill the prophecy. Time indicators can tell us if the prophecy is going to be fulfilled in the distant future or in the near future. Sometimes a prophecy’s fulfillment is open ended [...]
Every Christmas liberals try to make the Christmas story about some needed Leftist government welfare program. Leftists have little regard for the Bible unless it can be used to scold Christians for judging righteously (Matt. 7:1-2; John 7:24) and supporting socialism based on voluntary giving (Acts 2:42-45; 4:32-35). In the same breath they refuse to acknowledge the Bible teaches that unborn babi [...]
Gary is interviewed by Rick Welch of The Burros of Berea podcast about old Christmas movies. Most evangelicals tend to think in “words.” This is certainly understandable because of the Protestant focus on the Bible as the sole authority (sola Scriptura) and the Lutheran concept of the “priesthood of all believers.” When this is applied to storytelling and film, this primary focus on word over imag [...]
Movie remakes can be hazardous. Few can compete with the originals. Several come to mind: Goodbye Mr. Chips, Mighty Joe Young, The Time Machine, Psycho, 12 Angry Men, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Miracle on 34th Street. There are exceptions: The Man Who Knew Too Much, Ben Hur, Tombstone (a remake of My Darling Clementine), and Ocean’s Eleven. In other cases, both the original and the remake are good: [...]
Christians must re-learn how to think biblically. Gary points the way forward in this talk given in McAllen, Texas a few years ago. Teachers of a false spirituality in the first-century church were “forbidding marriage” and advocating “abstaining from foods, which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth” (1 Tim. 4:3–4). Decrees such as “Do not handle, do [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope: Episode 18 Gary interviews Kim Burgess about 1 Thessalonians 4 and the cryptic language that Paul uses. The people who first read the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 had a biblical background as to what Paul was saying. These compressed verses assume some of that background information to be able to understand it. In Acts, Luke recorded that Paul preached fo [...]
American Vision rarely asks for financial support. Donations go directly to projects while my salary comes from product sales. I can assure you that American Vision runs a very lean operation. I am the only employee. Any financial aid you can give at this time would be very much appreciated to keep American Vision operating at an optimal level. You can donate monthly or with a one-time gift either [...]
Gary discusses some of the common objections to how Christianity has influenced American civil government and sets the historical record straight. The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States… provides a treasure trove of information about the Christian foundations and essence of our history, civil government, and constitutional order. It provides long-obs [...]
Recently Louisiana got into the Ten Commandments debate and a judge stepped in to halt a new law that would require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in their classrooms. U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles issued a lengthy ruling and order on Tuesday in the case of Darcy Roake et al. v. Cade Brumley et al. At issue is Louisiana’s House Bill 71, signed into law in June, whic [...]
Gary discusses an article by Daniel Hummel about how concordances made Dispensationalism—and a “scientific” approach to Bible reading—possible. Having a basic knowledge of Greek to study the New Testament is helpful and can go a long way to help with interpretation issues in terms of how a passage literally reads. The Greek alphabet can be learned in a few hours since it close to our E [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope: Episode 17 With the recent death of Hal Lindsey, Gary discusses his popular books and the rapture and end times that they promised yet never arrived. Jesus used the parable of the fig tree as an analogy. His point was that when leaves begin to appear on the fig tree—or, for that matter, on “all the trees” (Luke 21:29)—it is a sign that summer is near. [...]
The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in the U.S. v. Skrmetti to Loving v. Virginia case regarding minors having access to medical treatments that would physically alter their birth sex. “American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Chase Strangio—a female who says she identifies as male” is arguing “that Tennessee’s law banning Frankensteinian medical experiments on kids violates federal law by di [...]
Now that the two volumes of The Hope of Israel and the Nations are available, Gary thought it was a good time to interview Kim Burgess about the books and the hermeneutic they present. The aim of this series has been to discern from Scripture itself, in the Reformation spirit and mindset of sola Scriptura, what the Bible’s, and, in particular, what the New Testament’s own hermeneutic is and then t [...]
We rely on donations all-year-round, not just Giving Tuesday. But in the spirit of the new designation for the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, we are asking for your financial help and to become part of the team here at American Vision. As Gary points out below, we run a slim operation at AV, keeping employees, equipment, and expenses to a minimum. This allows us to crank out a lot of material, but th [...]
Gary is interviewed by Marlin Detweiler from Veritas Press about recent books he has written, American history, and how to teach and live the Christian worldview. The foundation of a proper study of God, the universe, and man is God and His revelation, not man and his ideas about God. There are all types of descriptions of “god” floating around—from Aristotle’s Prime Mover to the New Age belief th [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope: Episode 16 In this conclusion to his interview with author Brian Godawa, Gary answers a question about so-called double fulfillment. Some claim that there will be another fulfillment, a future fulfillment. This is pure guesswork, reading into a section of Scripture what’s not there. We know this because Jesus states there will be a great tribulation before that [...]
