The Gospel

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the GOSPEL which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

[Paul, writing to Christians @ Corinth, 1 Cor. 15:1-4]

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

1 Thessalonians 4:15

Title:  Unto the coming of the Lord

Adam Clarke (Adam Clarke Commentary, published 1810-1826) argues against the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory

Was the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory a prevalent and accepted teaching prior to 1830?

In consideration of the Commentary and Critical Notes by Adam Clarke which was completed in 1826, I beg to contend to the contrary.  Clarke, in his notes on (1 Thess. 4:15) saw the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus, that “We may suppose that the judgment will now be set, and the books opened, and the dead judged out of the things written in those books.”

How in the world did a Bible commentator of Clarke’s caliber and scholarship fail to mention a Pre-Tribulation Rapture event in conjunction with (1 Thess. 4:13-18)?  The answer is simple: he did not fail, because prior to 1830, when the false Pre-Tribulation Rapture Doctrine came out of Scotland, it was unknown among the churches and in Christian literature.

Clarke was justified in interpreting (1 Thess. 4:13-18) as the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus, and not a snatching away of the church seven years prior to the Second Coming.

Friday, June 13, 2014

John 3:16

Title:  Perish

Although we joyfully quote this verse in reference to assurance of eternal life, in my estimation it is the most frightful statement in all of Scriptures, in view of the fate of those who would not place their confidence or entrust their spiritual well-being to the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

That final destination is total destruction and full separation from God, signaled by death and with finality and from which there is no escape or second chances.

Yes, the good message is eternal life, but occupying the same stage is a dire warning to those who would not heed to the invitation from God who sent his Son to save sinners who would repent and believe; an awful state of interminable condemnation/ punishment to those who would neglect so great salvation.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

Title:  Fear God

I pray that we would not wait to the end of our lives to come to the conclusion that life is about God, not us. Not all suppositions are the result or summary of a process, but can be a formulation by which the whole course of action is guided. Let us look at life as a seamless piece of cloth from start to end, where its dawning is not independent of the closing stages of dusk.