Postmillennial Worldview

PMW 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 →