Two Orders of Manhood. The first man and the second man are abstract terms that describe two different orders of manhood. The terms come from 1 Cor. 15:46-49: “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the […]
Related: Pharisees; Sadducees; Herodians Leaven. Leaven in scripture is always a symbol of evil, and often of evil doctrine as well; e.g. “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matt. 16:6). As in physical baking, leaven is characterized by its infesting and spreading character. Yeast works in this way to create evenly spaced bubbles in […]
Related: New Creation; Eternal State The Sabbath is a vastly important subject, tying together Old and New Testaments. The Sabbath was the pride of the Jew. It was ordained of God (Exodus 20:10) in his merciful consideration for man’s blessing (Mark 2:27). God knew man’s heart, that it was so driven by greed that man […]
Main article: Key Players and Terms in Prophecy Related: The King of the North; The Vintage Judgment Gog and Magog is a reference to Russia, who will come down at the end of the indignation (1335 days from the middle of Daniel’s 70th week) to attack the land of Israel. We know this is […]
Eucharistic Theology. There are a number of theological views on the Eucharist. Real Presence. This belief is that somehow (and there are a variety of theories) the bread and wine either become or are the literal body and blood of Christ. I believe these views are unsupported by scripture, and come from those who do […]
Main article: The Sufferings of Christ Christ’s Martyrdom Sufferings are what our Lord suffered as an innocent victim of man’s cruelty, especially in the last week leading up to the cross, which is often called the Passion Week. These sufferings were not only physical. We must remember that the Lord perfectly felt the wicked […]
Related: Predestination, Foreknowledge, Corporate Election Election. Election is the truth that believers in Christ were elected, or chosen, by God for blessing. “According as he has chosen us in him before the world’s foundation” (Eph. 1:4). Election is the choice of one out of many. God’s sovereign choice was made “before the world’s foundation”, […]
Related: Apostasy of the Christian Profession; Eternal Security What is Apostasy? Apostasy is abandoning a belief once professed, especially in the context of renouncing the profession of faith in Christ. Apostasy is different from backsliding. A backslider is one who has truly believed on the Son of God, but has fallen into systematic failure, […]
The Four Gospels. Following is a comparison of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This is a work in progress so please have patience. The long term goal is to have all the miracles and parables of our Lord hyperlinked to their places in the gospels. Differences. The theme of all the […]
Letters of Commendation. The use of “letters of commendation” was very common among believers in the early Church (Acts 18:27; 2 Corinthians 3:1). The purpose of the letter was to express the unity of the Body of Christ, and the resulting communion between local assemblies gathered to the Lord’s Name. By receiving one who comes […]
Salvation in the Bible is much broader than we might traditionally think. There are actually three aspects of salvation, and we do well to understand and distinguish them. Past Salvation. This is salvation from the penalty of our sins. It involves forgiveness of sins in the eternal sense, and justification by faith. It even involves the […]
Main article: Key Players and Terms in Prophecy Related: The Personal Beast; Antichrist The revival of the Old Roman Empire is a common theme in prophecy. It is described clearly twice in Daniel and twice in Revelation: Daniel 2 (the “feet of iron mixed with clay”) Daniel 7 (the “fourth beast” with “terrible iron […]
Main article: Battles of the Indignation Related: The Great Tribulation; The Prophetic Week The indignation is a 75 day period that will occur at the end of Daniel’s seventieth week. It is a technical term in the prophetic scriptures that refers to a series of judgments. A number of references will make clear that […]
The Ten Commandments (the Decalogue) were given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The ten commandments are central tenets of God’s law, and they were later expanded on to fill in the details. The ten commandments give God’s bare minimum standard for man. The do not give us the full revelation of God’s character and will […]
Aquila and Priscilla. Aquila was originally from Pontus, which is the Black Sea region of modern Turkey. He was a Jewish believer living in Rome with his wife Prisca as tent-makers. They were in Rome when Paul wrote the epistle to the Romans. At that time, Paul had never been to Rome, but the couple […]
Related: New Testament Apostles and Prophets; Servanthood; Office, Gift, Priesthood Introduction. Every believer has been given a special gift to aid them in their service for the Lord, and to benefit the whole body of Christ. These spiritual gifts are special abilities, and they are supernatural, although they do not always appear to be “miraculous” […]
What is the Millennium? The Millennium is the literal, undisputed, 1000-year-long reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the time when the glory of Christ will be displayed to this world. It is the time when Christ will take what rightfully belongs to Him. It is the “end goal” of the purpose and counsels of God. By the end of the millennium, every enemy will be put down and the kingdom delivered up to God (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
Related: Justification; New Birth; Cleansing; Footwashing; Holiness Sanctification. The verb “to sanctify” means ‘to declare or set apart as holy, or for a holy purpose’. God is holy (Rev. 4:8), and all that is in association with God or in proximity to Him must be holy too; “Who shall ascend into the hill of […]
Main article: Key Players and Terms in Prophecy Related: The Personal Beast; Revived Roman Empire The coming prince is mentioned only twice in scripture. He is mentioned in Daniel 9, as the prince of the people who destroyed Jerusalem. Which people destroyed Jerusalem? The Romans, in A.D. 70. This man will be the political […]
Main article: Battles of the Indignation Related: Harvest Judgment; Judgment of the Quick and the Dead The Vintage (Winepress) Judgment. The winepress judgment, also known as the vintage, will take place at 1335 days measured from the middle of Daniel’s seventieth week (Rev. 14:17-20; Isaiah 26:20 – 27:5; Isaiah 63:1-6). Those destroyed are Russia […]