Gary discusses a few “contradictions” commonly pointed out by critics. The Bible is literature. God speaks to us in words and themes that can be understood. Not all literature can be interpreted in the same way. Some will claim that the Bible must be interpreted literally. But what does that mean? There are always caveats. Does a dragon really mean a dragon? Should you really pluck out [...]
Gary walks through the book of Matthew pointing out the important passages that relate to preaching the Gospel and the impending judgment awaiting the temple standing in the first century. Does the Bible, especially the New Testament, predict that the temple will be rebuilt? It does not. Why are Jews wanting to rebuild the temple? For the same reason that the temple was maintained prior to its des [...]
When the master of Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) discovered that his wife was teaching his 12-year-old slave to read the Bible, he stopped her. “If he learns to read the Bible it will make him ever unfit to be a slave,” her husband said. In no time “he’ll be running away with himself.” In his later years, Douglass reflected on that incident as the first antislavery lecture he had ever heard, and [...]
Gary discusses why he spends so much time talking about Bible prophecy. The book of Genesis offers a commentary on the way God tells time. Pharaoh dreams of cows and ears of corn, some fat and some lean (Gen. 41:1–7). None of Pharaoh’s magicians and wise men could interpret the dream (41:8). Joseph is finally called upon to try his hand at an interpretation. Through this dream God was telling Phar [...]
Reductio ad Hitlerum (Latin for “reduction to Hitler”), also known as playing the Nazi card, is an attempt to invalidate someone’s position by claiming the same view was held by Adolf Hitler or the Nazi Party. For example, the Alliance Defending Freedom released audio of a Colorado commission member who compared a Christian baker who refused to make a cake for a homosexual wedding this way: “Freed [...]
Gary responds to a recent video and emails he has received that were critical of his views on Matthew 24. Modern writers from all different eschatological positions are beginning to recognize the historical fact that preterist interpretations of John’s visions are not a novelty that has invaded Christian exegesis in recent times. Professor Ron J. Bigalke, Jr. of dispensationalist Tyndale Theologic [...]
Gary answers a question about 1 Thessalonians 4 and encourages Christians to be educated beyond “buzz words” that tend to shut down discussion. The three basic laws of logic are the Law of Identity, the Law of Contradiction (sometimes called the Law of Non-Contradiction), and the Law of Excluded Middle. The Law of Identity states that “A is A.” This means that if any statement is true, [...]
Listen to the podcast based on this article. The abortion roaches have come out in broad daylight since the preliminary SCOTUS Roe v. Wade ruling was surreptitiously leaked to Politico. The abortion roaches are in a full-scale panic like when the light comes on when you’re looking for an after-midnight snack from the kitchen. But in the case of the abortion roaches, they are not retreating to thei [...]
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 [...]
It’s been said repeatedly that ideas have consequences. This is no less true of prophetic ideas. What a person believes about the future impacts how he lives in the present and plans for the days and years to come. We often look at present circumstances and see them as the standard to evaluate where we are in the world. Of course, we’re not the first generation to do this (Num. 13–14), but it seem [...]
Gary discusses recent political battles around the country focusing on schools, the Bible, and prayer. Many Christians attempt to reach either the atheist or the agnostic by saying something to this effect: “I will set aside my belief in God so that I can prove to you that He exists. I will not depend upon my faith, so that I can show you that God’s existence is reasonable and not just my pe [...]
Gary briefly discusses the four major interpretive approaches to the book of Revelation. Revelation uses many Old Testament symbols: eating scrolls, beasts, marks on the forehead, gold, thrones, sun, moon, stars, candlesticks, Balaam, Jezebel, dragon, Gog and Magog, Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon. It’s unlikely that Old Testament references to people and places appeared either in John’s day, or will ap [...]
In addition to dispensationalism’s insistence that in the New Testament God’s redemptive program changed from Israel to a new entity called “the Church,” another fundamental principle of dispensationalism is that there are no prophetic signs prior to the fictional “rapture.” Not one. Zilch. Nada. None. This is because, according to dispensationalists, the Church had its beginning at Pentecost. At [...]
Gary begins a short lesson on the four views of the book of Revelation. Political tyranny and religious apostasy are not necessarily signs of impending eschatological destruction. They, too, have been with us since the Fall. The light of the gospel was nearly extinguished as the church approached the sixteenth century. Few could ever have predicted what was about to happen, not only in terms of Ch [...]
Author Shalom Auslander wrote, “In This Time of War, I Propose We Give Up God.” The article was published on Good Friday of this year in the New York Times as an op-ed. Auslander claims that God is responsible for “war and violence” and for “oppression and suffering.” Because of these character traits, he suggests that people stop teaching children about God. In 1986, the NBC television network pr [...]
Gary discusses recent news articles and events that have been flushed by the liberal media because they don’t fit the narrative. No one is neutral, not even the person who claims to be neutral. Unbelieving professors, for example, are very capable of intellectual bullying. They will want you to lay aside your weapons, your defenses, your philosophy, and then bully you with their alleged know [...]
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 [...]
Gary discusses a recent article that speculates about the potential end of the Biden presidency and sensational interpretations of Bible prophecy. We should be wary of allowing current events to shape the way Scripture is interpreted. There is a long history of failure. God had promised to give the land of Canaan to Israel (Num. 13:1–2). Just as God was about to bring the Israelites into the land, [...]
