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Tackling Tradition 92: Paul In Arabia

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By way of reply (again)… Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me, (Galatians 1:1–2, ESV) Paul is here claiming to have been commissioned by Christ.     His office doesn’t rest on holy orders, the approval of man, etc.  6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:6–8, ESV) They had turned to a gospel taught by men, the gospel that teaches that justification rests on a combination of faith & works in general, obligatory observance of circumcision, the Jewish liturgical calendar, &tc.  For am I now see...
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Tackling Tradition 91: 12 Apostles & The Upper Room.

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What Is The Gospel? (Part 5)

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This meme represents a classic case of bad theology.  The  prooftext is 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.  Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.  3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:1–4, ESV). If this is the gospel in relationship to the answer to the question, “What must a man do to be justified?” then the answer seems to be “Believe a set of historical facts about who Jesus Christ is & what He did.”   That’s antinomianism.  In 1 Corinthian 15, Paul isn’t answering that question.    Paul us addressing questions within the membership of the Corinthian church about wh...
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Tackling Tradition 91: Loftus On Paul

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  In context, what is Paul actually saying? Is he saying that his experience on the Damascus Road is the source of his ideas about the Gospel or is it a statement about his earlier education in which he became steeped in rigid Ecclesiastical Tradition & Liturgical Philosophy.   If it’s the former & nor the latter then that affects your views on visions & dreams & what he had to say about those who get caught up in them — namely that that sort of thing is what the Apostles’ foils & other such people do in demonstration of their disconnectedness from the Body of Christ in Colossians 2 & while mentioning a man caught up in Paradise 14 years ago, glossing over that man’s experience & choosing instead to boast in his infirmities.    What you are alleging is that Paul was engaging in behavior he elsewhere discounts as sound theology & ethics.  <want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human or...
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2 Thessalonians 2:1 - 11: Concerning The Man Of Lawlessness

  Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,  2  not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. The text is stating both that the final Judgment in which Yeshua returns to the Earth has not yet come & that the Day has already come, insofar as Yeshua is the Christ & the Redeemer-Mediator who lived, died, rose again, &tc. has already come.    His life, death, & resurrection, &tc. constitute a non- repeatable historical event.     Therefore, don’t be deceived by anyone who claims the Christ has not yet come, & don’t believe anyone who says that he/she/it/they is/are the Christ.   3  Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son o...
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Malachi 3:1-8

3  “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.  2  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.  3  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.    4  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. 5  “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the s...
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Who Is Joseph Of Arimathea?

Joseph of Arimathea is most certainly the apostle, Thaddeus.    Question : How do I know this?   Answer : Via the meaning of a number of names in the New Testament.  1. Thaddeus  - Gift of God: This name calls attention to  Isaiah 22 .   Joseph is the steward within the House of Judah who uses the key of David as a civic leader & is associated with a tomb.   2.  Thus, he is  Shebna , via being a lawyer & member of the Sanhedrin, whom Yeshua reminded had both built the tombs of the prophets & agreed with their persecution (even murder) by their forefathers. 3.  He is also  Eliakim , a faithful steward whom God raises up & entrusts with the Key of David, a civic key.    The key itself denotes empowered civic/civil authority to judge & rule Israel (Isaiah 22). 4. Justus  - Just/Upright:  This name calls attention to his work as a lawyer & his recognition by the people as a prophetic eccl...
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Tackling Tradition 90: The Witch‘s Familiar

Yes, you’re right, people don’t pay attention to the text, & if you truly think this is Samuel himself, then you are sorely mistaken.   The text is very clear that *Saul* believed the spirit to be Samuel, but it doesn’t state that the spirit she saw was Samuel.  The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” 14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. (1 Samuel 28:13–14, ESV). The witch summons a familiar spirit that she herself calls a god & looks like a man in a robe.     Saul himself doesn’t see the apparition.     When the text says that he knew it was Samuel, he simply drew a conclusion about who it was based on the witch’s testimony.  Samuel himself was not located under the ear...
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Tish’a B’av Reading: Day 5

Psalm 81 [ a ] For the director of music. According to  gittith. [ b ]  Of Asaph. 1  Sing for joy to God our strength;      shout aloud to the God of Jacob! 2  Begin the music, strike the timbrel,      play the melodious harp and lyre. 3  Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,      and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival; 4  this is a decree for Israel,      an ordinance of the God of Jacob. 5  When God went out against Egypt,      he established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard an unknown voice say: 6  “I removed the burden from their shoulders;      their hands were set free from the basket. 7  In your distress you called and I rescued you,      I answered you out of a thundercloud;      I tested you at the waters of Meribah. [ c ] 8  Hea...
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