REVELATION COMMENTARY COVER VOTE

Revelation January 16, 2017 Comments: 78

three-coversSpecial Survey

I am interrupting my Postmillennial Primer series for a one-time special survey.

Tolle Lege, the publisher of my forthcoming commentary on Revelation, has typeset vol. 1 and is working on typesetting vol. 2. Not only so, but they are now looking into cover designs.

We are going to test the waters with three options. If you would like to vote on your favorite cover, please let me know which you would prefer. I will only display the cover to vol 1;  the cover to vol 2 would copy the design of the first one while replacing the graphic image with a related one.

UPDATE!

On the afternoon of 1/17/17 from all sources of our survey the votes were:

#1 = 34%
#2 = 33%
#3 =  33%

On 1/18/17 at 6:00 AM the votes have changed remarkably:

#1 = 29%
#2 = 29%
#3 = 40%

It looks like we might have to go to the Electoral College after checking the hanging chads! I wonder if the Russians are doing this to make matters more difficult?

Book covers are important because people actually do judge a book by its cover. The cover of a book must capture the eye on a store shelf containing scores of other books. Otherwise, a potential reader/buyer might walk on by, not picking up the book and surveying its Table of Contents to see what it is about. (If they had taken my course on Righteous Writing, they would know how important it is to look at a book’s Table of Contents to help evaluate the book.)

By the way, I will not be posting the high-resolution version. So they will not seem as clear as the final result. But I think you will be able to figure it out. Continue reading →

REVELATION COMMENTARY UPDATE

Preterism, Revelation January 6, 2017 Comments: 39

revelation-commentary-typesetPMT 2016-003 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

A number of my readers have expressed interest in the Revelation commentary I have written. I have finally received notice from the publisher that vol. 1 has been fully typeset. The commentary will be titled: The Divorce of Israel: A Redemptive-Historical Interpretation of Revelation.

The first of two volumes is 880 pages long and covers Introduction through Revelation 9. Of these pages, 208 are the “Introduction.” Introducing the distinctive approach to the commentary is vitally important, hence the depth of the material therein. Continue reading →

NOT “UNDER LAW”? (2)

Culture, Ethics, Worldview December 16, 2016 Comments: 2

foundations-destroyedPMT 2016-092 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This article continues and concludes the previous one. I am showing that the New Testament does not set aside God’s law as a righteous standard for all men.

Paul’s Liberty in Christ
We must comment on the meaning of his tricky statement.

First, when Paul refers to Christ’s “law” he appears to mean Christ’s “authority” (cp. Mt. 28:18; Eph. 1:21; Phil. 2:9-10; Col. 1:17-1) — not a new system of laws and obligations. Paul is under Christ’s lordship; he is Christ’s servant or slave (1 Cor. 9:16-17; 7:22). Continue reading →

NOT “UNDER LAW”? (1)

Culture, Ethics, Worldview December 13, 2016 Leave a comment

law-under-footPMT 2016-091 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Does God’s law apply to the new covenant era? Is postmillennialism lawless? Or does postmillennialism expect the worldwide influence of God’s law? Many Christians believe the law is God’s Law Emeritus. They believe the New Testament sets aside God’s law. But is this the case?

Many Christians believe that Paul sets aside the Old Testament law for “the law of Christ.” In 1 Corinthians 9:21, Paul wrote: “to those who are without law, [I am] as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law.” The italicized phrases suggest that Paul here declares that in Christ — and, therefore, in the Christian era, our era — a new law prevails, which he calls: “the law of Christ.” This new law of Christ supplants the older law of God as the ethical norm for Christian behavior. Continue reading →

INCREDIBLE INDIAN CHRISTIANITY

missions, News, Optimism December 9, 2016 Leave a comment

indiaPMT 2016-090 by Jeremy Weber in Christianity Today

Gentry note: Christianity is experiencing growth in many unexpected parts of the world. Let’s pray for its continued growth and its growth into Reformed maturity.

The world’s most unexpected megachurch pastor might be an illiterate, barefoot father of five.

Bhagwana Lal grows maize and raises goats on a hilltop in Rajasthan, India’s largest state, famous for its supply of marble that graces the Taj Mahal. He belongs to the tribals: the cultural group below the Dalits, whose members are literally outcasts from India’s caste system (and often called “thumb signers” because of how they vote).

Yet every Sunday, his one-room church, with cheerful blue windows and ceiling fans barely six feet off the ground, pulls in 2,000 people. His indigenous congregation draws from local farmers, whose families’ members take turns attending so that someone is tending the family’s animals. The cracks in the church’s white outer walls are a source of pride: They mark the three times the building has been expanded. Continue reading →

POLITICAL POSTMILLENNIALISM (2)

Culture, Worldview November 29, 2016 1 Comment

god-politicsPMT 2016-087 by J. Vaden Cavett

(This is Part 2 of a study began in the last blog posting)

In Deuteronomy 28 the Lord declares the curses that will fall upon Israel if they break covenant. One feature of this malediction is to be found in verse 30. It reads, “You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall ravish her. You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit.” This curse is pronounced as a covenant sanction for those with whom God was making covenant. As we know, like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with the Lord (Hosea 6:7). So, God promises to make a New Covenant based upon better promises. Isaiah refers to this New Covenant as The New Heavens and Earth. Continue reading →

POLITICAL POSTMILLENNIALISM (1)

Culture, Worldview November 25, 2016 Leave a comment

religion-politicsPMT 2016-086 by J. Vaden Cavett

How do we keep our heads up in a shifting political climate? We must rely on a stout, optimistic, and biblical worldview. Pessimistic eschatology works against us as we seek to glorify God in our toil. But biblical optimism is jet fuel in our tanks. Postmillennialism is high octane orthodoxy and it’s about to squeal your tires.

Postmillennialism teaches that the one thousand years of peace described in Revelation 20 will be enjoyed before Jesus returns to judge the quick and the dead. This view is called “postmillennialism” because Christ returns after (post) his millennial reign. The Gospel will prosper, the masses will be converted, and nations and their rulers will submit to King Jesus. This belief is far removed from the prevailing notion that the world is going to Hell in a hand basket. Continue reading →