2 Peter Chapter One: Obtaining a Rich Entry
It is so very tempting for me to think that 2 Peter chapter one is one of the most important segments of Scripture in all of the Bible. Peter writes this letter towards the end of his life, and the truth that he wants to continually remind them of is in verses 5-11. This is a primary focus of his teaching in the final lap, so that they will recall these things after he is gone:
“So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things”(verses 12-15).
What things? The things he previously writes of in verses 5-8. It is sort of a if you forget everything else I write, don’t forget this exhortation.
What is the end of following this instruction? Peter states the end of this teaching in verse 11:
“and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
The goal of this teaching is a rich entry into the kingdom. Obviously then, we can have an unfortunate entry fraught with fear and doubt. Peter states this by antithesis in verses 9 and 10:
“But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,”
This is what Matthew Henry said in regard to the above text:
“He cannot see far off. This present evil world he can see, and dotes upon, but has no discerning at all of the world to come, so as to be affected with the spiritual privileges and heavenly blessings thereof. He who sees the excellences of Christianity must needs be diligent in endeavours after all those graces that are absolutely necessary for obtaining glory, honour, and immortality; but, where these graces are not obtained nor endeavoured after, men are not able to look forward to the things that are but a very little way off in reality, though in appearance, or in their apprehension, they are at a great distance, because they put them far away from them; and how wretched is their condition who are thus blind as to the awfully great things of the other world, who cannot see any thing of the reality and certainty, the greatness and nearness, of the glorious rewards God will bestow on the righteous, and the dreadful punishment he will inflict on the ungodly!
But this is not all the misery of those who do not add to their faith virtue, knowledge, etc. They are as unable to look backward as forward, their memories are slippery and unable to retain what is past, as their sight is short and unable to discern what is future; they forget that they have been baptized, and had the means, and been laid under the obligations to holiness of heart and life. By baptism we are engaged in a holy war against sin, and are solemnly bound to fight against the flesh, the world, and the devil. Often call to mind, and seriously meditate on, your solemn engagement to be the Lord’s, and your peculiar advantages and encouragements to lay aside all filthiness of flesh and spirit.”
Following Peter’s instruction as contained in verses 5-8 results in a surety of our election. Obviously, we cannot earn our election, but following Peter’s instruction will make us sure that we belong to God. If one is sure that they belong to the kingdom and have extensive knowledge of its glories, they are truly unshakable and will not stumble in this present life. Peter says to be “eager” and diligent to make our calling sure, resulting in a rich entry into the kingdom of God.
Peter teaches the practice that leads to this rich entry in verses 5-8:
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Again, Peter emphasizes the importance of effort on our part. We are to make “every” effort to add these qualities to our life. To the degree that we practice these things, we will have surety and a rich entry into heaven. The goal is to implement these qualities in increasing measure, which also keeps us from being unproductive in our knowledge Christ. To the degree that we know Christ, we can effectively follow him as he commanded. However, sandwiched in between these qualities is the working together of knowledge and practice (add). We can’t follow what we don’t know, so adding knowledge is of great import, but the Holy Spirit will not give a continued, increased understanding along with true discernment without our practice. This is a theme throughout Scripture (John 7:17 Hebrews 5:14).
Peter starts with the foundation of faith which can only come from God, and then we supplement or add to faith the following seven categorical qualities: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and finally, love. Don’t miss this: all of these qualities are connected or build on each other. You can’t build on any of these qualities without the foundation of the prior. You can’t add knowledge to faith unless you have goodness first. Peter doesn’t say to add knowledge to faith, he says to add goodness, and then knowledge, and so forth. Call it a building; the foundation is faith, and each floor provides a foundation for the next until you get to the top floor which is love. Or call it a chain; the chain is made up of eight links, and it is not a complete chain without all of the links. But I prefer to think of this concept as an electrical circuit. Every electrical circuit needs a power source and a proper load (components on the circuit and complete connection between them) to work properly.
Whatever your analogy, we are on safe ground as follows: it is absolutely essential that all of these elements are in operation daily in order for each element to be functioning properly. They all work together to maximize each other. Obviously, to the degree that we add to goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly kindness; we have a higher quality of love. Think of love and how it would be diminished if one of the other elements were missing. For instance, lack of knowledge would end up as an attempt to love with a love that is not according to God’s way of love. Love would not last very long without perseverance, etc. Therefore, let’s look at each quality individually.
Goodness (arete): it means courage and valor. The idea of an excellent or praiseworthy courage. We are to nourish or add courage to our faith. Knowledge (gnosis): knowledge. Self-control (egkrateia): temperance or moderation. We cannot serve multiple masters. Perseverance (hupomone): patience, continuance, joyful enduring, waiting. Godliness (eusebeia): piety, holiness. Brotherly kindness (Philadelphia): brotherly love. Love (agape): benevolence.
It would seem that forgetfulness is one of our more formidable nemeses in regard to adding these qualities to our faith. But as you can imagine, it would be easy enough to fill our daily lives with the practice of these qualities. Certainly, life its self offers plenty of opportunity to practice the one element of patience. Do you struggle with patience? Take note of how well you apply the other elements, they all contribute to our grand goal of love.
paul
Will The Antichrist Be An Actual Person And Does It Even Matter? Part 1
I will get to that. But first, a primary question looms that must be answered first. What method of biblical interpretation will Christians use to answer these types of questions? I open discussion with another question of the compound sort; who did Jesus write the Bible to, and what do those individuals need to interpret it? The Bible its self answers those questions in many, many ways. We will explore a couple. Let’s begin with the sermon on the mount. Who was he talking to? Answer: They were the common people and peasants of that time. For all practical purposes, how was the teaching recorded in the Bible? Answer: The way it was presented to them. Did he intend for them to understand the plain sense of what he was saying? Well, since Matthew 5:2 say’s he opened his mouth and “taught” them, and “them” is the object receiving the action of the verb which means to teach, I would say yes with no hesitation. He was either teaching them or he wasn’t. So, when you are reading the sermon on the mount, who is Christ teaching? He is teaching you, and the same thing he taught them. What do you need to understand the teaching? The same thing they had, a brain, and an understanding of the language in which the lesson is being taught [not necessarily the original language]. Again, he was either teaching them or he wasn’t. `Matthew 5:2 doesn’t say “he said to them,” it says “he taught them *saying*.” What he said was the act of teaching which means to instruct with the goal of inflicting understanding within the mind. By the way, since Jesus was, and is God, I seriously doubt he lacked any ability to teach at their level. God is obviously the master of the communication he created.
This doesn’t mean we have no need of God ordained teachers; it does mean that we don’t have anything between us and understanding what God is saying , save unnecessary obstacles. As far as method of interpretation, remember the acrostic “psalm,” plain sense and literal meaning. For those who teach methods of interpretation that eradicate plain sense, it’s “psalms,” plain sense and literal meaning, stupid. Now, in addition, neither does this mean that God never uses symbolism as a teaching tool. But in every case, the symbolism is explained in specific terms and we are not at the mercy of confusion or fleshly interpretation. Also, there were times when Jesus taught in riddles as a judgment to some who were listening at the time, because of their motives. But in every case, he makes the plain sense of his teaching clear in other places. Examples of this in the Scriptures are massive. A good example would Matthew 13. Read the whole chapter and you will see exactly what I am saying. Another good example would be Revelation 1:20 where Christ explains keys to interpreting prior symbolism to the Apostle John. As a matter of fact, this is a pattern throughout the book of Revelation. Also, and in addition to the above, it does not mean that Scripture will not be difficult to understand at times. Peter said that Paul was sometimes hard to understand, but he didn’t say it was because of complex methods of interpretation. Peter also said that even the angels desire to understand more of God’s truth; more proof that understanding takes much effort at various times. Question. If God wanted to, could he give us understanding on a silver platter? Answer: Of course. Why doesn’t he? Because he wants us to be part of the process and is honored by those who seek him. Lastly on this point, neither am I saying that historical background or context, among other considerations, are not necessary to lend understanding. Praise God, lay people in this country have vast resources in this regard at their disposal.
Now with that out of the way, let’s begin to answer one of the two primary questions. We will use 2Thessalonians 2:1-9. This biblical text is a descriptive narrative saturated with the idea that the antichrist is an actual person. In this text, no less than eight personal pronouns are used to refer to him. In addition, these personal pronouns are used in every noun case possible: subjective, objective, and possessive. Furthermore, two appositive personal pronoun phrases are used to describe him as well. Also, in this same text; besides adjectives that are used to describe him, he is the object that receives action from three other subjective nouns, God, the Holy Spirit, and Satan. Any questions? Maybe one. Could it still be allegory, or referring to a spirit, or an attitudinal movement? No. In every case where the Apostle Paul uses allegory to teach, he makes it plain that allegory is being used. An excellent example of this would be Galatians 4:24 in regard to using patriarchal history to illustrate the role of the law in justification. Be not deceived. Let me say that again; be not deceived, literal forms of text in Scripture are never presented as allegory in a way to obtain some other supposed truth. And symbolism, allegory, parables, or any other teaching tool always has objective truth as its goal. If 2Thessalonians doesn’t say the antichrist is a person, then we don’t even know whether or not John 3:16 says what it says.
Listen. I have dear Christian friends who unfortunately use theology to interpret the Scriptures rather than method. Method of interpretation should always lead to theology, not the other way around. They can be my friends, but they cannot be my teachers or pastors, and they shouldn’t be yours either. But what about the second question? How important is it that the antichrist is an actual person? We will look at that in part 2.
The Missing Kingdom In Our Gospel
There is something new afoot in my brain regarding biblical truth lately. Apparently, God has a physical Kingdom with a capital city; and not only that, he likes to talk about it a lot. Furthermore, he thinks enough of it that he made his Son king over his kingdom and bankrupted Heaven [temporarily] to make a way for us to dwell with him in his kingdom forever. If this is in-fact true, and it sure looks that way to me, where is all of the teaching in regard to a literal kingdom of God? Really, it makes me want to cry “foul!” At this time, I don’t know what all this means and what all the significance is, but I have a few hunches.
First of all, let’s talk about the gospel. That’s pretty significant. The gospel is the “good news.” Teachers like Michael Horton have much to say about the “good news” and how it is often distorted in contemporary church culture. He’s written, what, about 200 books on the “good news” by now? So, what is the good news? Throughout Scripture, like, almost everywhere, it’s the good news about the kingdom AND Jesus Christ. I’m not going to wear-out my keyboard citing Scriptures that state this specifically and in context, but I will cite a few. And while I’m at it, why not eliminate a bunch of nonsense by preemptively citing quotations from the *Apostle to the gentiles* at the pinnacle of his ministry:
Acts 20:25
And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.
Acts 28:31
proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
Acts 28:23
When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
By the way, just as an aside, for those who teach that the New Testament interprets the Old in regard to Jesus Christ and the gospel, Paul sure didn’t have any problem convincing people about Jesus Christ from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets [Acts 28:23 cited above]. Something to think about, but my main point is the fact that the good news is not only about Christ, but also the kingdom. “And,” is a coordinating conjunction. Throughout Scripture, the “good news” is described with both of these phrases put together and sometimes with only the kingdom stated, as in Acts 20:25. Yes, yes, I know: “Christ is the gospel and the gospel is the kingdom, it’s all the same thing.” No it isn’t. That’s a stupid idea. Here is only one of the many reasons why: The resurrected Christ appeared to his disciples and here is what the Holy Spirit says about it;
Acts 1:3
He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
After it was all said and done, here is the question the disciples presented to Jesus:
Acts 1:6
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Christ acknowledged the validity of their question with the following answer:
“He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth [Acts 1:7,8].’”
Here, in fact, is the good news: God will replace this present world order with his Kingdom of righteousness. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and we will serve him and worship him in joy forever. His Son, and our Lord, will rule the nations in righteousness forever. We will rule with him as kings and priest in various roles, and this service to him will fulfill the desires of our heart because we will serve him and please him with all perfection. We were born into this present kingdom of darkness. The Son left his kingdom in Heaven and came to earth as a man to purchase us from the bondage of sin through his death, burial, and resurrection. He translated us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. We were bought with a price [like bond slaves were purchased in that day] and do not belong to ourselves. We now belong to our master and Lord, Jesus Christ. We are presently aliens and ambassadors in this dark kingdom and are to live with that reality in mind. One day, our glorious king will appear with the army of our kingdom. He will destroy this kingdom of darkness and put all of his enemies under his feet. He will eradicate the earth and Heaven from all memory of evil and his kingdom will dwell on earth in all righteousness forever. All evil and it’s abode will be destroyed forever in a lake of fire. Therefore, we exhort men everywhere, BE RECONCILED TO GOD!!!!!!
That’s the good news. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ to purchase us for the kingdom of God is not the whole gospel, and who are we to make the whole gospel whatever we want it to be for whatever reason? Especially if the reason happens to be anti-Semitism. Pray tell, why did John the Apostle weep bitterly in Heaven when there appeared to be no one worthy to open the title deed to the earth? He knew he was going to get his and he was already getting a grand tour of Heaven, so what was the big deal? Perhaps the new song that was sung when Christ was found worthy to open the scroll will lend some understanding:
“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’”
That’s the good news. Christ ransomed us to make us a righteous, literal kingdom on earth for God, and we will rein with him forever. It’s the good news of the kingdom and Jesus Christ, and there’s a bunch of folks that need to get over it.
So, what’s the significance? Well, it’s funny. As I write this post in a coffee shop [I confess, it’s Starbucks], a gentleman that has observed my Bible asked the following question: “What does the Bible say is going to happen?” Let me answer that with half of the good news: “Well sir, you don’t need to be concerned with what’s going to happen, you only need to be concerned with the fact that you are a sinner and Christ died for your sin.” Here is how I approached the opportunity instead: “Here is exactly what the Bible says is going to happen: ‘The Son of God is going to come down and destroy all of the kingdoms of this world and establish his own righteous kingdom that will be forever. Why do you think he would want to do that?’” Need I say more? I think you know where the conversation might have gone from there, and it did. A concept of the good news that doesn’t mirror scripture; does not offer the natural doors that God uses to approach people with the truth of his gospel, the women at the well and many other examples should come to mind. Furthermore, where is the significance of the kingdom in the Church ordinances? Christ said he would not drink of the cup again till he did it anew with us in the kingdom. When was the last time you heard that emphasized? What about baptism? We find this about Phillip in the book of Acts:
Acts 8:12
But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Baptism not only had the death, burial, and resurrection in mind, it was also significant in regard to belief in the kingdom of God. Something to think about.
I also strongly suspect the missing kingdom in our gospel has led to a vacuum filled with many over-emphasized endeavors. For some time, I have been disenchanted with the reformed counseling culture that is ever more prevalent in today’s Church, but unable to put my finger on the why. I now wonder if reformed theology has created, to some degree, the problem it now attempts to fix through it‘s counseling culture; due to allegorizing large portions of God’s counsel. I wonder how much counsel is needed in a marriage where both spouses are focused on all of the future and present ramifications of God’s kingdom. How much counsel is needed for those focused on the imminent return of Jesus Christ? I don’t know for sure, but I can tell you this: both concepts are all but vacant from Christian mentality these days. However, on the other hand, there is no shortage of campaigns such as making sure Christians know that God is a happy God, with hordes of Christians following behind fawning over the profundity of it all. Other spiritual endeavors that look like floating twigs on the ocean, next to the Queen Mary when compared to the kingdom, are in no wise in short supply as we speak.
paul
Will The Antichrist Be An Actual Person And Does It Even Matter? Part 2
In part 1, I contend that a literal interpretation of God’s word demands a particular verdict; the antichrist will indeed be an actual person. I think this excerpt from part 1 is worth repeating:
” We will use 2Thessalonians 2:1-9. This biblical text is a descriptive narrative saturated with the idea that the antichrist is an actual person. In this text, no less than eight personal pronouns are used to refer to him. In addition, these personal pronouns are used in every noun case possible: subjective, objective, and possessive. Furthermore, two appositive personal pronoun phrases are used to describe him as well. Also, in this same text; besides adjectives that are used to describe him, he is the object that receives action from three other subjective nouns, God, the Holy Spirit, and Satan.”
Allegory is never that grammatically specific, especially in Scripture. So, we answer the next question: does it matter? Well, considering the amount of press that he gets in Scripture, I would say yes with no hesitation. However, I will only focus on two primary reasons, even though there are many others. First, the Antichrist is an important sign post. Christ said the following in Matthew 16:3;
“And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”
Christ chastised those who were not able to discern the signs of the times. This was the primary issue with the Thessalonians that Paul addressed in a major text regarding the antichrist. He had taught them about the antichrist in order to insulate them from harmful error, but they forgot [2Thess. 2:5].
“Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,[2Thessalonians 2:3].”
Not knowing the future can lead to deception. In this case, the Thessalonians were sent a bogus letter, supposedly from Paul, saying the resurrection had already passed. They should have known the letter was bogus because of what Paul had previously taught them, especially in regard to the antichrist. Likewise, for those in the tribulation period, it will be absolutely critical to know facts in regard to the antichrist. Why? Well, because the beginning of the tribulation period will be marked by many claiming to be Christ and backing up their claims by working wonders and miracles [Matthew 24:5, 23-25]. This time will also be marked by the Antichrist signing a major treaty with Israel [Daniel 9:27]. Other descriptions of him in Daniel will make his appearance on the world scene unmistakable by those who are familiar with scripture. According to what Paul also told the Thessalonians, the antichrist himself will also be performing miracles [ 2Thess.2:9]. Those not familiar with signs regarding the antichrist will be left wide open to deception, and will in-fact be deceived according to truth that leads to salvation. In many, many cases, what people believe about the antichrist will determine their eternal fate[ 2Thess. 2:10-12 Matt.24:4,5].
Secondly, knowledge concerning the antichrist is important for discerning truth in this present age. The Apostle John warned that many forerunners of the antichrist have gone out into the world in this present age [1John 2:18]. Therefore, knowledge of the antichrist that is coming will give us insight into the antichrists of this age. Furthermore, it seems possible, in regard to the age that we live in presently, that the antichrist could appear before his grand opening which will mark the beginning of the tribulation period. Though we will not know positively that it is him, it would certainly serve to jettison urgency in the lives of knowledgeable Christians, which is always a good idea [However, keep in mind that the Bible doesn’t exclude the possibility of a period of time between the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation period, though improbable]. There is also indication that Christians should expect a great “falling away” in close proximity to the appearing of antichrist, good information to be aware of.
Those who teach that antichrist will not be a literal person do no favor to Christianity; in fact, they may be contributing to satanic deception. God did not include eschatology within Holy writ for entertainment purposes or filler. The connections Christ and Paul make between eschatology and eternal consequences is evident, and understanding the time and age we live in, is in-fact critical to the interpretation of scripture in many instances.
paul
Is Prophecy Really “Secondary” Truth?
Regardless of label or stripe, no serious Christian would deny that God’s word is the primary instrument of the Holy Spirit in the sanctification process. Christ himself said: “ Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth [John 17:17].” Furthermore, no serious Christian would deny that the closed cannon as superintended by God is His truth in totality. Now consider the following facts in regard to the above backdrop:
[1] Only 4 books in the Bible [Ruth, Song of Solomon, Philemon, 3John] do not contain predictive information.
[2] There are 31,124 verses of scripture in the Bible; 8,352 Bible verses are predictive.
[3] 28.5% of the Old Testament is predictive; 21.5% of the New Testament is predictive.
[4] The book of Matthew, one of the four accounts of the gospel, has more predictive information than
the book of Revelation [Matt.-278 verses, Rev.- 256 verses].
[5] The book of Zephaniah is 89% predictive; The book of Hebrews is 45% predictive.
It would seem that God wants us to know the future. And since we are sanctified by his truth, predictive truth must play a major role in the sanctification process. To say that’s not where we are at today in our thinking would be a gargantuan understatement. Among evangelicals, end times study[eschatology] is deemed as entertainment and a nice break from the serious teachings that rule our life. In fact, the vast majority of evangelicals heartily agree that eschatology is a “secondary issue.” In the present day biblical counseling culture, eschatology is dead on arrival. Among all biblical counseling programs such as NANC and CCEF, eschatology is seen as completely irrelevant to change. I was even surprised to find that BCF, considered to be more of an in-depth discipleship approach, was also completely void of any end times teaching. The bottom line is really this, if God’s truth sanctifies [and it does] and 25% of it is deemed as “secondary” or irrelevant to change, we have a serious problem on our hands.
Let me drive this point further. The Apostles saw eschatology as extremely important. About half of what Peter taught was predictive. The Apostle Paul became entangled in serious warfare over end-time issues [ 2 Thess. 2:1-15, 1Tim. 1:17-20, 2Tim. 2:15-18]. In his counsel to the Corinthians, a sanctification nightmare, Paul sites future events at least 12 times as an incentive for Godly living [1Cor. 3:12-15, 4:5, 4:8, 6:3, 6:9, 9:24-27, 10:11, 11:23-33, 13:8-13, 15:12-28, 2Cor. 4:14, 5:10-11].
We often bemoan how evangelicals are so worldly focused and unfaithful to the furthering of God’s kingdom. But could it be lack of focus? Do we reflect the same emphasis on prophecy that scripture does? For example, when was the last time you observed a Lord’s Table that had an eschatological perspective? But yet, the ordinance has all kinds of future significance [Luke 22:15-20, Matt. 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, 1Cor. 11:23-26]. If you read the biblical accounts of this ordinance, it’s not about the gospel alone, but also a reminder that Christ will return for his assembly.
Think about it, compare the ho-hum attitude toward prophesy that is prevalent today with that of our Lord. “Weeeell brother, Jesus is coming back, that’s all we need to know.” Oh really? According to Matthew 24:1-3, Jesus uses the disciples enamoration with the temple to incite them to ask about end time prophesy. The major teaching that followed spans 2 chapters. But it is very striking how Jesus includes kingdom living in this discourse. 24:4-36 is what is going to happen. Verses 37-42 is a transition into how the truth of 24:4-36 should effect how we live as kingdom citizens. 24:43-25:46 is the overall description of how the consummation of the ages should effect how we live. Take note of how Jesus describes a final assessment of our lives that we should strive for according to the parable of the talents [verses 14-30]. Also in this same teaching, Jesus emphasizes being ready for his imminent return with the parable of the 10 virgins. Let me ask you a question: Is it important what we believe about the rapture of the Church? What you believe about the rapture of the Church interprets the parable of the 10 virgins as being imminent or non-imminent. Is the imminent aspect of this parable critical to what Jesus is teaching? I think it is.
Many ministries today pride themselves on a strong practical walk that focuses on the finer points of living from the scriptures, while avoiding “controversial and secondary” issues like biblical prophesy. While this may be deemed as wise by many, I don’t buy it. The importance of defined future hope, who we are as kingdom citizens, how we will be evaluated by God in the end, and many other subjects associated with prophecy are critical to present day living. Real hope always depends on a defined future, not something nebulous. Uncertainty is the ally of complacency and fear. If it is in the Scriptures, we need it. If it is in the Scriptures, we can understand it. If it is in the Scriptures, we need to use it.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
2 comments