DANIEL 7:13, MARK 9:1, AND ESCHATOLOGY (1)

AD 70, Christ, Kingdom February 26, 2019 Comments: 2

PMW 2019-017 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Daniel 7:13 is one of the most powerful eschatological statements in all of Scripture. And yet it is also one of the most misunderstood passages in popular Christian thought. A proper understanding of this verse — and it’s link to Daniel 7:14 — should go a long way in promoting a truly biblical eschatology. In this article I will provide a brief introduction to Daniel 7:13 — as it relates to Jesus’ eschatological teaching in Mark. I will focus especially on his prophetic statement in Mark 9:1.

Unfortunately, not only is Daniel 7:13 widely misunderstood by evangelical laymen, but Mark 9:1 is almost universally misunderstood by liberal biblical scholars. It is one of the passages used the most in attempting to undermine Jesus’ credibility (for instance, see Bertrand Russell’s, Why I am Not a Christian). Continue reading →

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND REFORMED THEOLOGY?

Culture, Ethics, Theology February 22, 2019 Leave a comment

PMW 2019-016 by Jared Longshore (Founders Ministries) https://founders.org/

Gentry: We must pray for revival in our nation. More particularly, a Reformed revival wherein Christians not only commit themselves more fully to God, but more fully to studying and applying his word. American churches have become places of entertainment rather than worship and instruction, which has reduced Christianity’s influence in our culture. Social Justice is the latest fad to confuse and afflict us. This is a helpful, brief article that goes right to the hear to the matter.

We might understand how social justice with all of its attendant ideologies could work its way into the evangelical world. But the crowd stands befuddled at the sight of social justice’s presence in the reformed evangelical world. At its core social justice is a worldview of victimized egalitarianism resulting in state redistribution of wealth, privilege, rights, and opportunities. And how exactly does such a worldview harmonize with Calvinism? About like the granny trio on the day, they left their hearing aids at home. Continue reading →

THE INFANTICIDE DEBATE

Culture, Ethics, Law, morality February 19, 2019 Leave a comment

PMW 2019-015 by Samantha Gobba (World magazine)

Gentry note: Since the Obama Presidency, America has lurched leftward and become destructively fragmented. Our culture is now in the wholesale process of “integration downward into the void.” That is, as unbelief gets its cultural act together, its deadly consequences and ultimate despair become more integrated in society and obvious to even the simplest citizen. Long predicted, infanticide has now become a topic of discussion and even legalization. I am convinced that this horrific practice may be the “bridge too far” that ultimately explodes in secularism’s face. I suspect that this may begin retarding the downward collapse of our culture. Of course, this will require a revival of Christianity in America, which postmillennialism expects. This article shows the horror of unbelief in our culture.

A Virginia bill that would have flung wide open the door to late-term abortions in that state caused a nationwide backlash and accusations that supporters of the measure were promoting infanticide. The bill died in a House of Delegates subcommittee vote last Monday, but the controversy about it has since inspired a push in the U.S. Senate to protect newborn babies from abortionists. Continue reading →

ABORTION BY INFANTICIDE

Ethics, morality February 15, 2019 Leave a comment

PMW 2019-013 by Lita Cosner (Creation Ministries, Intl.)

Gentry note: This is an older article (2008), but one that anticipates what we are now experiencing in America: the legal slaughtering of near term and delivered babies. As postmillennialists committed to the spread of righteousness and truth, we stand against such a practice. And the first step in standing against it is to understand what is going on. This article ought to help.

Blurring the line between abortion and infanticide?

When the Roe v. Wade decision was delivered, the reality that a baby was being killed during abortion was less clear to many people—it was common to think that what was being removed was ‘a blob’ or ‘a clump of cells’. But most who would be in favor of abortion would at least draw the line at birth—once the baby is outside the womb, nearly everyone agrees that he or she is entitled to the full protection of the law, regardless of what route the baby took to get there. But some think that there is one time a fully-born baby does not have the right to life—when he or she was born as a result of a botched abortion. Continue reading →

EVOLUTION: A MESSAGE OF HOPE?

Creation, Ethics, morality, Pessimism, Worldview February 12, 2019 Leave a comment

PMW 2019-014 by Philip Bell (Creation Ministries, Intl.)

The hope of the Christian faith is inextricably linked with a belief in purpose. The Apostle Paul famously waxed lyrical with the words, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). By virtue of His incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection, the Universe’s Creator and Sustainer (John 1:1–3, Colossians 1:16–17) became the Saviour. Having a personal relationship with God—through repentance and faith (e.g. Mark 1:14–15)—guarantees us a place in heaven. We have a confident, certain hope of eternal glory. But can this message be sustained if, as a consistent belief in evolution requires, humankind’s special creation by God is overturned?

“We are the one creature to whom natural selection has bequeathed a brain complex enough to comprehend the laws that govern the universe. And we should be proud that we are the only species that has figured out how we came to be.”1 So concludes evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne in his book Why Evolution is True. Continue reading →

ORTHODOX PRETERIST DANIEL COMMENTARY

Books, Daniel, Matthew 24, Olivet Discourse, Revelation February 8, 2019 Comments: 6

PMW 2019-012 by Various Authors

For all those interested in eschatology, three biblical texts stand out as essential for our study: Daniel, the Olivet Discourse, and Revelation. I have written a commentary on Revelation (which should be available this Spring, 2019). I am writing a commentary on the Olivet Discourse in context, covering Matthew 21–25 (which should be available in early 2019). But regarding Daniel, I have only written a brief commentary on Daniel 9 (which is available in my book Perilous Times).

Thus, I am pleased to announce the publication of Jay Rogers’, In the Days of These Kings: The Book of Daniel in Preterist Perspective (740 pages). Rogers’ work is a fully-orthodox preterist analysis of Daniel. I highly recommend this book to my readership. Thus, in this blog article, I will list the endorsements to In the Days of These Kings, which I hope will whet your appetite. Continue reading →

SIX DAY CREATIONISM AND EVOLUTION

apologetics, Creation February 5, 2019 Comments: 6

PMW 2019-011 by Gabriel Rench (CrossPolitic Studios)

Gentry Note:
Postmillennialism is one feature of a Christian worldview. Another feature is the doctrine of Creation. In our modern world the doctrine of Six-day Creation is as hard to accept as is the postmillennial hope. But it is just as important. The world for which the postmillennial hope is designed is the world created by God — in the space of six, literal days. This article by Rench is largely a review of my book As It Is Written, but which is put in our current anti-God environment.

Most of us have been pulled over by a cop. Imagine for a moment that this happens to you. The cop flashes his lights, you dutifully pull over, hand over your license and registration. He informs you that he pulled you over because you didn’t stop at the stop sign. You respond with, “But officer, I interpreted the stop sign to mean, ‘Stop pressing the brake,’ so of course I drove faster!”

Pretty absurd right? Everyone knows the cop would slap you with a ticket. We all recognize shenanigans when people behave this way with mundane activities. But this behavior isn’t any cuter when theologians do it. And we see this sort of thing when it comes to the meaning of the creation week. Continue reading →