One very interesting aspect of Christianity not talked as much about in the mainstream as one might expect is the idea of the Millennial Kingdom. Revelation 20:1-6 speaks of a 1,000 year reign of Christ. What does this millennial reign refer to? There are three main perspectives.
Amillennialism: The alpha privative ("a-") affixed to the word implies that there is no millennium. However, as many amillennialist will tell you, this is an inaccurate assessment of the worldview. Amillennialists do not deny the reality of a millennium, they just don't think it's a literal millennium. They think it's a figurative millennium that just means "a really long time." They believe we, as denizens of the Church Age, are currently living in the "millennium", and that when it ends, Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead.
Postmillennialism: Postmillennialists tend to believe in a literal 1,000 year reign (though this also varies). Postmillennialists believe that the millennium has not occurred yet. They believe that the millennium will consist of an earthly utopia in which there is a mass conversion of most of the majority of humankind. After this, Jesus returns.
Premillennialism: Most premillennialists also believe in a literal 1,000 year reign. However, they believe that Jesus will literally reign on the Earth for a thousand years. As in, Jesus will literally be king of the Earth for a thousand years. I find this possibility fascinating and tantalizing.
Whatever your perspective on the millennium, all Christians believe that Jesus is coming back; not to atone for sin this time, however, but to punish it. His death while on Earth was to atone for the sins of the many as a substitution so that those who believe He did this for them would not have to face His wrath during His Second Coming, when the Lamb of God will, for unbelievers, be the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The transcendental argument/presuppositionalism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__dzsStVkOA
I gave a presentation, now on youtube, on presuppositional apologetics. Enjoy!
I gave a presentation, now on youtube, on presuppositional apologetics. Enjoy!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Trinity
The "Trinity" refers to the fact that God is a Triune God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. They are three Persons, but they constitute one God. Each is a separate person, not a different way of God manifesting Himself, but a separate entity. All three persons are God, and are equal to one another in dignity, and worthy of worship. The Father gives commands to the Son and the Holy Spirit, and they obey Him perfectly, since they have identical wills, but the Father is not higher in Essence, but has the same divine essence as the Son and the Holy Spirit. A lot of people think that the Trinity, the idea of a Triune God, is nothing but a bunch of quasi-pagan confusion. However, I have become convinced that it is clearly taught in the Scripture.
"22The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children,[a] and crossed the ford of the(A) Jabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24And Jacob was left alone. And(B) a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said,(C) "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 28Then he said,(D) "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,[b] for(E) you have striven with God and(F) with men, and have prevailed." 29Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said,(G) "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. 30So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,[c] saying, "For(H) I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.""-Gen. 32:22-30.
"13When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold,(A) a man was standing before him(B) with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" 14And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua(C) fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" 15And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua,(D) "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so."-Joshua 5:13-15
"14God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."[a] And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel,(A) 'I AM has sent me to you.'"-Exodus 3:14.
"11Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash(L) the Abiezrite, while his son(M) Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12And(N) the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him,(O) "The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor." 13And Gideon said to him, "Please, sir,[a] if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are(P) all his wonderful deeds(Q) that our fathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian." 14And the LORD[b] turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian;(R) do not I send you?" 15And he said to him,(S) "Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold,(T) my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house." 16And the LORD said to him,(U) "But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man." 17And he said to him,(V) "If now I have found favor in your eyes, then(W) show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18Please(X) do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you." And he said, "I will stay till you return."
19So Gideon went into his house(Y) and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah[c] of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20And the angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them(Z) on this rock, and(AA) pour the broth over them." And he did so. 21Then the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes.(AB) And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. 22Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD. And Gideon said,(AC) "Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face." 23But the LORD said to him,(AD) "Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.""-Judges 6:11-23
"15Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "Please let us detain you and(O) prepare a young goat for you." 16And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the LORD." (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD.) 17And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD,(P) "What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?" 18And the angel of the LORD said to him,(Q) "Why do you ask my name, seeing(R) it is wonderful?" 19So(S) Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the LORD, to the one who works[a] wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. 20And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching,(T) and they fell on their faces to the ground.
21The angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife.(U) Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. 22And Manoah said to his wife,(V) "We shall surely die, for we have seen God." 23But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.""-Judges 13:15-23.
The above verses clearly refer to Jesus. A "man" in Genesis 32 is referred to as "God" by Jacob.
"In the beginning was(B) the Word, and(C) the Word was with God, and(D) the Word was God."-John 1:1
" 14And(A) the Word(B) became flesh and(C) dwelt among us,(D) and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of(E) grace and(F) truth."-John 1:14.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He became flesh. Jesus is 100% man and 100% human.
"In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety."-Heb. 5:7.
Jesus had a human nature capable of being tempted, yet was capable of resisting temptation perfectly. This is what made His sacrifice acceptable to God the Father, and was offered up as a propitation, a sacrifice, for the sins of believers so that His perfect righteousness could be credited to them provided they believe He did this for them.
"And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.""-Rev. 14:13.
The Holy Spirit is also a person. ^ He speaks, has feelings:
" Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."-Eph. 4:30.
He can be grieved.
"22The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children,[a] and crossed the ford of the(A) Jabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24And Jacob was left alone. And(B) a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said,(C) "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 28Then he said,(D) "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,[b] for(E) you have striven with God and(F) with men, and have prevailed." 29Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said,(G) "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. 30So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,[c] saying, "For(H) I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.""-Gen. 32:22-30.
"13When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold,(A) a man was standing before him(B) with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" 14And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come." And Joshua(C) fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" 15And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua,(D) "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so."-Joshua 5:13-15
"14God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."[a] And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel,(A) 'I AM has sent me to you.'"-Exodus 3:14.
"11Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash(L) the Abiezrite, while his son(M) Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12And(N) the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him,(O) "The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor." 13And Gideon said to him, "Please, sir,[a] if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are(P) all his wonderful deeds(Q) that our fathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian." 14And the LORD[b] turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian;(R) do not I send you?" 15And he said to him,(S) "Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold,(T) my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house." 16And the LORD said to him,(U) "But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man." 17And he said to him,(V) "If now I have found favor in your eyes, then(W) show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18Please(X) do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you." And he said, "I will stay till you return."
19So Gideon went into his house(Y) and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah[c] of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20And the angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them(Z) on this rock, and(AA) pour the broth over them." And he did so. 21Then the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes.(AB) And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. 22Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD. And Gideon said,(AC) "Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face." 23But the LORD said to him,(AD) "Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.""-Judges 6:11-23
"15Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "Please let us detain you and(O) prepare a young goat for you." 16And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "If you detain me, I will not eat of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the LORD." (For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the LORD.) 17And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD,(P) "What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?" 18And the angel of the LORD said to him,(Q) "Why do you ask my name, seeing(R) it is wonderful?" 19So(S) Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it on the rock to the LORD, to the one who works[a] wonders, and Manoah and his wife were watching. 20And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching,(T) and they fell on their faces to the ground.
21The angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife.(U) Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. 22And Manoah said to his wife,(V) "We shall surely die, for we have seen God." 23But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these.""-Judges 13:15-23.
The above verses clearly refer to Jesus. A "man" in Genesis 32 is referred to as "God" by Jacob.
"In the beginning was(B) the Word, and(C) the Word was with God, and(D) the Word was God."-John 1:1
" 14And(A) the Word(B) became flesh and(C) dwelt among us,(D) and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of(E) grace and(F) truth."-John 1:14.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He became flesh. Jesus is 100% man and 100% human.
"In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety."-Heb. 5:7.
Jesus had a human nature capable of being tempted, yet was capable of resisting temptation perfectly. This is what made His sacrifice acceptable to God the Father, and was offered up as a propitation, a sacrifice, for the sins of believers so that His perfect righteousness could be credited to them provided they believe He did this for them.
"And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.""-Rev. 14:13.
The Holy Spirit is also a person. ^ He speaks, has feelings:
" Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."-Eph. 4:30.
He can be grieved.
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