The gathering of the elect, one taken and one left, and Paul's revealed mystery
Does Matthew 24 Place the Rapture after the Tribulation? The gathering of the elect, one taken and one left, and Paul's revealed mystery Matthew 24 contains the most direct Gospel objection to a pretribulation rapture. Jesus describes Great Tribulation, cosmic disturbance, H…
Read article →The wicked husbandmen, the fruit-bearing nation, and what Jesus said afterwards
Was the Kingdom Taken from Israel? The wicked husbandmen, the fruit-bearing nation, and what Jesus said afterwards Few statements of Jesus appear to support supersessionism more directly than Matthew 21:43:…
Read article →Fulfilment in Christ, the inclusion of the Gentiles, and Israel's future mercy
…estament Reaffirm Israel's Promises? Fulfilment in Christ, the inclusion of the Gentiles, and Israel's future mercy The Old Testament repeatedly promises Israel preservation, regathering, cleansing, the kingdom of David's Son, and a restored relationship with God. A strong supers…
Read article →How the Lord knows His own—and how their lives bear His name
The Foundation and Its Seal How the Lord knows His own—and how their lives bear His name Can a person possess true faith while showing no movement towards godliness? Can someone belong to Christ while rema…
Read article →A sign of Israel's renewal, not Israel's disappearance
…r. Instead, He deliberately formed a group whose number recalled the twelve sons of Jacob and the twelve tribes of Israel. Most interpreters recognise the symbolism. The dispute concerns what the symbol means. Did the Twelve announce that Israel was being restored under its Messi…
Read article →Spiritual ecstasy, altered states, and discerning what is from God
Test the Spirits Spiritual ecstasy, altered states, and discerning what is from God Human beings have always sought to pass beyond the boundaries of ordinary consciousness. Across cultures and religions, people have reported visions, overwhel…
Read article →How Christians can think politically without surrendering conscience to a package deal
…ices which deserve attention, the experts who may be trusted, the words which may be used and the people who ought to be feared or condemned. Once the package has been accepted, every new event arrives with an interpretation already attached. Christians should be especially cauti…
Read article →Creation, judgement, and the coming reign of Christ
The Earth's Great Sabbath Creation, judgement, and the coming reign of Christ The Christian hope for creation rests neither in human effort nor in escape from the material world. The creation groans for the return of its rightful King, t…
Read article →Does John 6 teach the literal eating of Christ's body?
…of John 6. The argument appears straightforward. Jesus said that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we have no life in us. His hearers understood Him literally. Rather than correcting them, Jesus repeated the saying in still more graphic language. Many disciples found…
Read article →Christianity, Islam and the verdict of the evidence
The Sum of These Things Christianity, Islam and the verdict of the evidence “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens…
Read article →Why the final seven is unfinished, future, and centred upon Israel and Jerusalem
Daniel's Seventieth Week and the New Testament Tribulation Why the final seven is unfinished, future, and centred upon Israel and Jerusalem The seven-year Tribulation is sometimes dismissed as an interval invented t…
Read article →A quiet invitation to draw near to Christ
…de than pray. We know the neglected places in our lives. The distracted days. The prayers left unsaid. The familiar weakness we thought we would have outgrown by now. We come before the Lord painfully aware of everything that seems unfinished. In the Song of Songs, the woman says…
Read article →Why a loaded label does not settle the question
…ccurs. Paul describes the Lord descending “with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Nothing secret there. The real question is whether Scripture distinguishes Christ coming for His Church from His later return with His sain…
Read article →Four popular claims tested in context
…ms tested in context The Qur'an says that the coming of Muhammad was written in the Torah and the Gospel possessed by Jews and Christians: "Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel (which…
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