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Biblical Studies - Answering Hard To Understand Scriptures & ?'s

Bible Questions

I recently thought of seven questions that could be considered interesting or that a lot of people would like to know the answer to. A friend of mine, Andrew, gave his response to the questions with idea if someone had asked him in passing or a brief meeting in public or out of the blue; like walking down the street how he might answer in a short response to the questions. Keep in mind there are different answers to these same questions by different people and we should strive for truth whatever that may be.

  1. Is the Bible trustworthy?
  2. Yes, the Bible is trustworthy. God cannot lie Titus 1:2. When practicing apologetics, many Christians make the mistake of appealing to outside sources to try to validate the word of God. However, God can swear by no one greater than Himself Heb 6:13, and before offering a defense or reason for why you believe the things about the Bible you do, Peter says we are to sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart 1 Pet 3:15. Fearing the Lord is the beginning of knowledge Prov 1:7. One does not need to use the writings of the uninspired to confirm the writings of the inspired. God and His word is to be the ultimate standard of authority. There is no truth or knowledge apart from Jesus (John 14:6; John 18:37; Col 2:2-3).

  3. How do I get saved?
  4. To learn how one is saved today, they need to read the gospels and the book of Acts. A person needs to understand who Jesus is, what sin is, and what to do about it. The gospels and the book of Acts answer these questions.

  5. What happens after we die?
  6. After people die it depends on what their position before God was before they died. If they were in Christ, then they will be in heaven. If they were not in Christ, then they will perish (people have different views on this: eternal conscious torment or annihilation). The point is the lake of fire is not a place people will want to be. And Rev 20-22 teaches these two places are not here on this earth, but are in another place or realm (cf. John 18:36 and Rev 20:11-14).

  7. Are we in the last days?
  8. No. We are not in the last days. The apostle Peter and his contemporaries were living in the last days (Acts 2:16-17). When the Bible speaks of the last days, it is not talking about our last days in the new covenant time period. Rather, the last days, biblically speaking, referred to the last days of the old covenant and the old heaven and old earth system. Many verses prove this, but I will just show one here: Heb 1:1-2. Jesus spoke came and spoke during the last days. This cannot refer to the last days of the new covenant age. Jesus lived and died before the new covenant had even come.

  9. How do we live righteously or like Christ?
  10. The letters Romans-Revelation show us how to live righteously the way God wants us to under the new covenant. These were all letters written after the cross and after people were saved, which you read about in the book of Acts. Gospel's teach us about Jesus. Acts teaches us how to become a Christian/be born again/ or "get saved." Rom-Rev teach us how to live after we do this.

  11. How do I get wisdom to live a good life..?
  12. Col 2:2-3 shows us all wisdom is in Christ. The Bible is His revealed words and will to mankind. One can gain more wisdom than we can fathom by a careful examination and meditation of the 66 books of the Bible. If one wishes, they may also find some helpful practical things in the writings of mankind today. After all, we are created in the image and likeness of our Creator, and therefore are able to help others. Of course, we must be careful in this matter and use discernment because no one is inspired today, in the biblical sense, and we must chew the meat and spit out the bones for any things written after AD70.

  13. Is this all there is..? (Meaning To Life)
  14. 1 Cor 15:19 this world is not all that there is. There is a far better place that awaits the saints when this life is over. Too numerous are the verses to list to show this, but here are a few: 2 Cor 4:16-18; 2 Cor 5:1-4; Col 3:1-4; Mat 6:19-21; Phil 1:21-24

Creation or Evolution

This debate often centers on conflicting views regarding the interpretation of religious texts and the validity of scientific findings, highlighting tensions between faith-based beliefs and empirical evidence in understanding the natural world.

Creation vs. evolution is a longstanding debate between religious and scientific perspectives on the origins of life. Creationism posits that a divine being, typically the God of a particular religion, created the universe and all living things in their current form.

Evolutionary theory, supported by scientific evidence, proposes that life on Earth has evolved over billions of years through natural selection and genetic variation.

For me personally I find it interesting that the evolution theory stands a lot on the idea of things took a very long time, which that basis stands a lot on the fossil theory that these layers found in the earth of fossils show different ages that took a long time.

Strictly from a scientific point of view we are rarely presented with a different theory that shows actual examples of how these fossils could have been created in a short period, like the one year flood account of the Bible. You can see this scientific alternative view in the four part series, on YouTube, called "The Drama In The Rocks". I personally don't see science having a necessity to be opposed to creation as presented by some learning institutions.

Death Defeated

But now there is a veil covering all nations and people. This veil is called "death." But death will be destroyed forever. And the Lord GOD will wipe away every tear from every face. In the past, all of his people were sad, but God will take away that sadness from the earth. All of this will happen because the LORD said it would. At that time people will say, "Here is our God! He is the one we have been waiting for. He has come to save us. We have been waiting for our LORD. So we will rejoice and be happy when he saves us.

(Isaiah 25:7-9, ERV)

I'm not sure how to explain the above verses yet, however I'd like us to consider that Jesus said you don't have to worry about physical death. You should be concerned about the second death. So to say that death defeated means that physical death will be defeated makes no sense if Jesus said we don't even have to worry about it in the first place. Also since there is no marriage in eternity there is no birth. If no birth then there is no death again. These two indicators show me the death being talked about is not physical death. Hopefully I can convey my thoughts to writing so others can understand what "last enemy death defeated means". Thanks for your patience.

More to come Lord willing.

Eternal Destination

Please visit this page on pgfracing if you'd like to see the rest of the ten part video series. Plus a bonus video.

Preterism Intro

Full Preterism, also known as "consistent" or "hyper" Preterism, asserts that all biblical prophecies, including those concerning the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment, were fulfilled in the events of the first century, particularly with the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Full Preterists believe that Jesus' return occurred spiritually, not in a physical terrestrial or earthly sense, and that the resurrection was a spiritual or celestial body resurrection.

They see the destruction of Jerusalem as the culmination of biblical prophecy, marking the end of the old covenant age and the establishment of the new covenant era.

Full Preterism diverges from traditional Christian eschatology by contending that there is no future bodily resurrection or final judgment. Instead, they interpret these events as already having taken place in a spiritual and symbolic manner, bringing about the consummation of God's redemptive plan.

The Preterist perspective on Matthew 24 interprets the chapter as having been largely fulfilled in the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, rather than as a prophecy of events yet to come in the distant future. Here's a breakdown of how some Preterists understand Matthew 24:

In summary, from the Preterist perspective, Matthew 24 primarily concerns the events leading up to and including the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, rather than predicting events in the distant future. It is viewed as a prophecy fulfilled in the first century rather than awaiting fulfillment in the present or future. Some people interpret the idea of the "return of Christ" as the presence of Jesus in their lives or in the world through spiritual means, rather than a literal physical return. Others also believe that you are in "His presence" means literally when you leave earth and enter into the eternal spiritual realm, when you are a believer and their is no second coming or even that phrase used in the Bible.

Audience Relevance

For example Jesus said those next to him would see the Son of man coming in is kingdom not those in the future or after his generation. Many think that this generation means the generation they or we are living in. Therefore many have believed the Bible is talking about them or our generation. To the preterist; this mistake happens generation after generation.

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”

(Matthew 16:27-28, KJV)

However, Jesus clarified it was those next to him who were meant by this generation. With this frame of mind we realize the Bible was written for our understanding not necessarily that all of it was written directly to us to experience. For example there is prophecy for Christ to be crucified, beaten and striped. We wouldn't say that was written to us to experience the exact prophecies that were for Christ directly. In the same way these prophecies were for the first century believers. We may and will suffer in many ways like Christ did or relate to these first century believers. We should take away or realize that His experiences are for us to relate to not that they are 100% directly for us to experience the same way.

In the Preterist view of biblical audience relevance, emphasis is placed on understanding the texts of the Bible within the context of the audience to whom they were originally addressed. Preterists argue that many passages in the Bible, particularly those concerning prophecy and eschatology, were primarily relevant to the audience living at the time the texts were written, rather than being exclusively about events in the distant future.

For example, Preterists interpret prophecies in books like Daniel, Matthew, and Revelation as having been fulfilled in the events of the first century AD, particularly surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. They believe that understanding the historical context and the audience's situation helps illuminate the meaning and significance of these prophecies.

Preterists argue that by understanding the audience relevance of biblical texts, modern readers can better grasp the intended message and application for the original recipients, rather than imposing interpretations based solely on contemporary circumstances. This approach emphasizes historical context, cultural background, and the author's original intent as crucial factors in interpreting biblical passages.

More to come Lord willing

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