CHRIST AS LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT (1)

Age(s) (Two Ages), Christ, Resurrection November 25, 2025 Leave a comment

PMW 2025-093 by Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.

Gentry note:
This and the article that will follow it in a couple of days are excerpts from Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.’s excellent book, Resurrection and Redemption (Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1978), pp. 78-92. This is a compelling study of Paul’s confusing statement regarding Christ being a “life-giving Spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45). As Peter wrote, Paul could say some things difficult to be understood (2 Pet. 3:16). Stumbling over this text can lead one into various heresies, not the least of which is Hyperpreterism. So, understanding Paul properly is an important issue in today’s evangelical culture.

I have only included Gaffin’s main text, not his footnotes. I highly recommend your getting, reading, and studying this book — with its significant footnotes. I not only desire to offer insightful articles on my site, but also to encourage the reading of important and relevant literature from various theologians.

You can order this book here:
https://www.prpbooks.com/book/resurrection-and-redemption

Now for Gaffin’s material (the following is all Gaffin):

I Corinthians 15:45
Our interest in this verse is the description of Christ as the last Adam, as “lifegiving pneuma” (pneuma zopoioun). However, nowhere in the whole of Paul is a statement more inextricably embedded in both its narrower and broader contexts. In verses 45-49 together with verse 22, “Paul provides us with what is one of the most striking and significant rubrics in all of Scripture.” Compact modes of expression and the density of thought also make it, along with verses 42-44, one of the most difficult Some consideration, then, needs to be given to this contextual factor. Continue reading →

ENDURING THE HYPERPRETERIST CONTAGION

hyperpreterism, Resurrection November 21, 2025 Leave a comment

PMW 2025-092 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Along with many evangelical Christian leaders, I am deeply concerned with the small, but growing number of people defecting from the orthodox Christian faith by adopting Hyperpreterism. Simultaneously though, I am greatly encouraged by the number of emails and personal contacts I receive from folks who say my writings had helped them escape the addiction of Hyperpreterism.

THE SAD PROBLEM

I often receive worried emails from family members having to endure the Hyperpreterism addiction in a loved one. One recent email lamented their spouse’s attraction to Hyperpreterism. The writer asked how they might best be able to respond to their spouse’s theological error. Continue reading →

THE EMBODIED PERSON

Eternity, Intermediate Estate, Resurrection November 18, 2025 Leave a comment

PMW 2025-091 by Gregg Allison

Gentry note:
This article is found on the “Christ Over All” website. It is a helpful study of Christian anthropology and the importance of the material body in defining human life and countering the neo-Gnosticism of Hyper-preterism. Allison is professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is secretary of the Evangelical Theological Society.

Gregg Allison article:
The Embodied Person: Why I Am My Body, Not Just My Soul

Theological anthropology focuses on the doctrine of humanity and explores such topics as the nature and origin of human beings and the image of God. Historically, much discussion has been dedicated to the soul, or immaterial aspect of human nature, with little or no attention given to the body, or material aspect.[1] This essay proposes that the proper state of human beings is embodiment and seeks to rectify some of the historical and (even) contemporary oversight of embodiment. It will pursue this thesis—which I will call the “embodied person” view—by some close interaction with a contemporary theologian, Joshua Farris, and his fine work An Introduction to Theological Anthropology.[2] Both of us hold that humans are composed of soul and body but we emphasize different aspects of that dualist human constitution: Farris, the immaterial; I, the material. Continue reading →

EL AÑO 70 D. C. Y LA SEGUNDA VENIDA EN MATEO 24 (Parte 2)

AD 70, Olivet Discourse, Second Coming, Spanish articles November 18, 2025 Leave a comment

PMT 2014-052 por Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Gentry note:
Carlos Sanchez Lafuerza has volunteered to begin translating some of my PostmillennialWorldview articles into Spanish. I very much appreciate his willingness to do such, since I receive a lot of interaction from Hispanics and have had several of my books translated into Spanish. For information on Carlos, see the page on this site called “Spanish-translated Articles.” Now for Carlos’ translation of an older article:

En este artículo ofrezco una segunda entrega sobre la cuestión de si el discurso del Monte de los Olivos se centra únicamente en el año 70 d. C. o si también mira hacia la Segunda Venida. Creo que habla de ambos acontecimientos. Lo cual no debería sorprendernos, ya que el año 70 d. C. es un anticipo de la Segunda Venida. Consulte el artículo anterior (PMT 2014-051). Para obtener información más detallada, consulte mi libro The Olivet Discourse Made Easy.

Continue reading →

COUNTERING KEN’S CONFUSED COMMENTARY CRITIC

AD 70, Revelation of John November 14, 2025 Leave a comment

PMW 2025-090 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

In an on-line posting, dispensationalist, Baptist pastor Miska Wilhelmsson (of Finland) has critiqued portions of my Revelation commentary. He does not seem to like it. And if I read it like he did, I would not like it either! One of his articles is titled: “Preterism, Church History, and Kenneth Gentry’s New Revelation Commentary.” I will briefly reply to his concerns.

My critic

Wilhelmsson opens his critique by writing:

“I want to point out a few issues relating to Gentry’s commentary, and how this novel preterist understanding of Revelation 1:7 connects to church history.

“Notice (see picture below from Gentry’s commentary) how after speaking of this preterist understanding of Revelation 1:7, Gentry follows with a paragraph saying ‘This judgment, being a prophetically-determined, redemptive-historical event, had enormous implications. First…Second…Third…Fourth…Fifth…’ And then Gentry follows by saying ‘Early post-Apostolic Christians saw AD 70 in these terms, including Justin (Dial. 1:35), Origen…, Tertullian (Adv. Jud. 8:18)….’

“So, when the reader reads Gentry’s commentary, how is he supposed to understand what Gentry says regarding these early post-apostolic Christians? Well, it certainly seems that the ‘in these terms’ might suggest that they understood Revelation 1:7 as a preteristic ‘judgment-coming’ event in 70AD, which is what Gentry has been here talking about, right? Well… when we actually read the early church fathers, we find out that they would have NOTHING to do with ‘these terms’ of preterist understanding!”

Continue reading →

EL AÑO 70 D. C. Y LA SEGUNDA VENIDA EN MATEO 24 (Parte 1)

AD 70, Olivet Discourse, Second Coming, Spanish articles November 14, 2025 Comments: 3

Translation of PMT 2014-051 por Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Gentry note:
Carlos Sanchez Lafuerza has volunteered to begin translating some of my PostmillennialWorldview articles into Spanish. I very much appreciate his willingness to do such, since I receive a lot of interaction from Hispanics and have had several of my books translated into Spanish. See the page on this site titled “Spanish-translated Articles” for a brief bio of Carlos.

Now for his translation of my older article, numbered PMT 2014-051

And now for Carlos’ translation of PMT 2014-051:

El discurso del Monte de los Olivos (Mateo 24-25) es uno de los cinco discursos principales de Jesús que estructuran el Evangelio de Mateo. Está motivado por la dramática denuncia de Jesús contra Jerusalén y el templo (Mateo 23:37-38), su ceremonial partida definitiva del templo (Mateo 24:1a), la confusa pregunta de sus discípulos sobre el templo como un hermoso lugar de culto (Mateo 24:1b) y su declaración de su inminente destrucción (Mateo 24:2).

Continue reading →

POSTMILLENNIALISM

Uncategorized November 11, 2025 Leave a comment

PMW 2025-089 by Barry Cooper (of Ligonier)

Gentry note:
From time-to-time I like to present postmillennial articles from other writers. This one is brief but to the point. It was published on Ligonier’s website last year. I am glad postmillennialism is still alive and well at Ligonier.

If you’re a follower of Christ, how optimistic are you about the future of this world we’re living in?

Many of us seem to grow more disillusioned about the prospects as we grow older. And I have to say, this is only amplified if you’re English. For nearly half a century now, I’ve watched our national team get repeatedly knocked out of major sporting tournaments on penalties, so in general, the English psyche has been carefully conditioned to always expect the worst. Our natural, ingrained tendency leans toward the pessimistic. Continue reading →