The Prophetic Presbyterian & His Narrow Way

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, ESV) Some people think that this passage prophesies a single event, the General Resurrection.  Others think that it refers to a Pre-, Mid-, &/or Post - Tribulation Rapture.  Which view is correct.  Let’s begin here:  And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.  (Matt. 27:51 - 53) The text is a species of apocalyptic / eschatological language.  Thus, this text prophesies over multiple events.  The text of 1 Thessalonians 4: 16 - 17 encompasses the Incarn...

Ecclesiastical Tradition teaches us that this statement is eschatologically & soteriologically particularistic in the eternal sense of the term, insofar as the event happens on the Last Day when the final gavel falls.   However, that’s not necessarily true, insofar as apocalyptic language like this prophesies over multiple events across all of Redemptive History.   Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ The doesn’t state that they were cast away forever.  That’s because it’s describing multiple eschatological events.  Every covenant is punctuated with an event like this: • Creation  • The Fall • The Flood • T...

Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help 4  When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailingloudly and bitterly.   2  But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it.   3  In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4  When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.   5  Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why. 6  So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7  Mordecai to...

  Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews 3  After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite,elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles.   2  All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. 3  Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?”   4  Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. 5  When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6  Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews,throug...

  Esther Made Queen 2  Later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided,he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her.   2  Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king.   3  Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them.   4  Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it. 5  Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,   6  who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin ...

Queen Vashti Deposed 1  This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, [ a ]  the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush [ b ] :   2  At that time King Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the citadel of Susa,   3  and in the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media, the princes, and the nobles of the provinces were present. 4  For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty.   5  When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest who were in the citadel of Susa.   6  The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold ...

Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy? Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel? Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ? Do you resolve & promise to make strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? Do you promise to support the Church in its worship and work to the best of your ability? Do you submit yourselves to the government and discipline of the Church, and promise to study its purity and peace?

Romans 1:18 - 32 is about those who chronically look to the VISIBLE attributes of the created order instead of to God’s INVISBLE attributes (which have no sex/gender & sexuality) to do sexual ethics, & justice in general.   At its heart, love looks to God’s image alone & then does worship & sexual ethics (all ethics) accordingly.    Matthew 22 reminds us that the first table of the Law is summarized as “Love God, first.  Do so exhaustively & perfectly. The second table is about loving others exhaustively & perfectly before yourself & after God.”  This sort of love fulfills the Law (Romans 13) & conquers guilt related fear in the Judgment. Hate parodies love.   Hate looks not to God’s image & authority but to images drawn from the created order.   Hate is a failure to love God exhaustively & perfectly & others before yourself and a persistence in this attitude toward God & others that becomes increasingly ...