WHY JOHN WROTE TO ASIA MINOR

Uncategorized October 11, 2024 Comments: 3

seven churches 2PMW 2024-080 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

In my orthodox preterist understanding of Revelation, I see the bulk of John’s drama (as it transpire on the historical plane) as largely focusing on the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Many opponents of this strong Judaic focus complain that we cannot explain John sends Revelation to Asia Minor (Rev. 1:4, 11; 2:1–3:22). It would seem that the message should be sent to Jerusalem. Why did John send his message on the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem to Christians in Asia Minor? The seven churches were not only several hundred miles away from Jerusalem, but were in non-Jewish territory well outside of Jewish Palestine.

There are several reasons for John’s directing his seven letters (actually “oracles”) to Asia Minor. I will briefly summarize a few. Continue reading →

THE LORD’S POSTMILLENNIAL PRAYER

Uncategorized October 8, 2024 1 Comment

Lord''s PrayerPMW 2024-079 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9–13 is well-structured and beautiful, despite its being quite succinct. If we look carefully at it, we will discover in its structure marvelous insights into just how postmillennial it really is. It is much more postmillennial in orientation than many have thought. Let me explain.

YOUR KINGDOM COME

We all recognize the postmillennial potential for two of its dramatic petitions: “Your kingdom come” and “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” These (and all the petitions in the Lord’s Prayer) are in the aorist imperative form. Thus, they express the urgency of the pleas and the fervent desires behind the petitions.

The petitions currently before us are two future-oriented petitions asking that God bring his kingdom to bear over all the earth (the kingdom of God is his sovereign reign). This will ultimately transpire, of course, at the Last Day at the Second Coming of Christ which brings about the Final Judgment. These history-ending acts will dramatically, permanently, and fully establish the consummate New Heavens and New Earth wherein dwells righteousness. Continue reading →

DOES GOD OPPOSE ALCOHOL? (5)

Ethics October 4, 2024 1 Comment

Wine negative 5PMW 2024-078 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This is my final installment in a series analyzing the leading Scriptures that are deemed to prohibit alcohol consumption. I will start with:

Isaiah 5:21–22

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And clever in their own sight!
Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine,
And valiant men in mixing strong drink.

This passage calls down woes upon “heroes in drinking wine.” And rightly so. But clearly this does not universally condemn all wine drinking. This should be evident for a number of reasons:

First, as we have seen, abundant evidence from Scripture shows that wine may be consumed in a righteous manner and by righteous men — including even the Son of God. And Scripture does not contradict Scripture.

Second, we find these verses set in a larger judgment context, where the prophet condemns other normally acceptable practices. For instance, verse 8 calls down woe upon those who “join house to house.” Is multiplying real estate holdings always sinful? In verse 12 we learn that the Jews are attending banquets where music is produced “by lyre and harp, tambourine and flute.” Are public festivities involving music necessarily evil? Continue reading →

DOES GOD OPPOSE ALCOHOL? (4)

Ethics October 1, 2024 1 Comment

Wine negative 4PMW 2024-077 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This is my fourth installment in a series considering passages in Scripture that seemingly prohibit any consumption of alcohol. We are discovering that these verses have to be ready uncarefully and uncontextually. Let us continue.

Proverbs 23:31-32

Do not look upon the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it goes down smoothly-,
At the last it bites like a serpent,
And stings like a viper.

Undoubtedly this passage is one of the most frequently employed texts in the debate over wine drinking. Indeed, prohibitionist Reynolds in his Alcohol and the Bible not only opens his major argument (p. 9) with this passage, but closes his book by referring to it (p. 64). He cites this passage over twenty times in his follow up work, Biblical Approach to Alcohol. We may fairly state that, according to Reynolds and those of like persuasion, this passage is the most significant and compelling prohibitionist statement in Scripture. Reynolds comments: “It is the intent of this essay to prove that Proverbs teaches an absolute prohibition against the beverage use of alcohol.” Before interpreting the passage, then, it will be helpful to cite some of Reynolds’s observations on it. Continue reading →

DOES GOD OPPOSE ALCOHOL? (3)

Ethics September 27, 2024 1 Comment

Wine negative 3PMW 2024-076 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

In this survey of alleged negative passages regarding alcohol consumption, we come to perhaps the most used passage in this regard, Proverbs 20:1.

Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler.
And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.

Charismatic Gift of ProphecyCharismatic GP Godawa
(by Kenneth Gentry)

A rebuttal to charismatic arguments for the gift of prophecy continuing in the church today. Demonstrates that all revelatory gifts have ceased as of the conclusion of the Apostolic era.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

Although not tied to unique circumstance, this verse does not universally prohibit wine drinking. The statement refers to the inebriating potential of wine and strong drink, of which the user must be wary. It warns those who use it immoderately. Note the following observations:

First, the general warning pattern. The warning “wine is a mocker” follows the pattern of 1 Corinthians 8:1, which says that “knowledge makes arrogant.” Obviously neither Christian ethics nor a biblical world-view disparage the quest for knowledge as a proper function of rational beings generally, or of Christians specifically. In certain respects wine-consumption and knowledge-acquisition are similar, and bring certain responsibilities with them. That is, each can be used for either good or evil. The point of Proverbs is that wine has the potential to mock, just as the point of Paul is that knowledge has the potential to make arrogant. Not all who have knowledge are “arrogant.” Neither do all who partake of wine become “mockers” or “brawlers.”
Continue reading →

DOES GOD OPPOSE ALCOHOL? (2)

Ethics September 24, 2024 Leave a comment

Wine negative 2PMW 2024-075 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This is my second in a five-part series on the Christian and alcoholic beverages. I am highlighting the passages that many evangelicals believe condemn any and all use of wine or alcoholic beverages.

Numbers 6:2–6

This famous passage reads:

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, “When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate himself to the LORD, he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh or dried grapes. All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin. All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long. All the days of his separation to the LORD he shall not go near to a dead person.”

Again Scripture here clearly prohibits wine drinking. But just as before, this is a special circumstance totally irrelevant to our standing and conduct today. This prohibition is a piece of Naziritic legislation that forbid wine only after taking a peculiar, public vow (v. 2). Old covenantal ceremonial actions and vows no longer prevail in the new covenant order (Heb. 8:13).
Continue reading →

DOES GOD OPPOSE ALCOHOL? (1)

Ethics September 20, 2024 Comments: 3

Wine negative 1PMW 2024-074 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

In this new five-part series I will focus on a pesky biblical worldview question: Does the Bible condemn alcohol use? I believe it does not, for even Jesus turned water into wine. But the approach I will take in this series is to consider the leading passages that some evangelicals believe condemn alcohol consumption. Several biblical passages seem upon cursory reading to imply that all wine drinking is prohibited. I will focus on the nine most prominent passages employed in the argument against imbibing. I will provide brief explanatory statements showing that these passages perfectly harmonize with my statement that God does not prohibit is consumption.

Leviticus 10:8–11 reads:

The LORD then spoke to Aaron, saying, “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you may not die — it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations — and so as to make a distinction between the holy and profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them through Moses.”

Continue reading →