If your theology or eschatology are void of Winepresses and Threshing Floors, Tent Pegs and Sickles, Birds and Beasts, or if you think that Jesus’ blood-soaked garments are full of His own blood, consider what is lacking in your faith and add to it. - RT Brown

Session 4: John Harrigan | A Faithful Witness Seminar

Session 4 Audio. 

What Is "The Day Of The Lord"? with Dr. John Harrigan

Audio. 

“As the blacksmith, by hammering away at his work, conquers the project he plans to do, so also the righteous Word repeated daily conquers all wickedness.” -Shepherd of Hermas

 

(via Dr. Micheal J. Svigel)

It is now commonly recognized that Matthew viewed his community as a reformist Messianic movement within first-century Judaism. ~ Dr. Paul Foster, “Community, Law, and Mission in Matthew’s Gospel”

When Christ returns, He's going to tend the Garden of the world and exercise dominion in ways that Adam failed to do.

He's going to rule Jerusalem and the nations in ways that all the kings failed to do, including David himself.

He's going to transform and Gospelize the earth in ways that all reforms and historic revivals failed to do, as thankful as we are for their advances.

When He returns, everything is going to be better. 

Not idly nor vainly do we pray, "Come, Lord Jesus." -BA Purtle 

Theology 101: In Scripture, Jesus doesn’t offer the kingdoms of this present world to those who worship him.

That was the devil.

Let the reader understand. - Dr. Michael Svigel 

“In the Epistle to the Galatians (6:16), the expression ‘the Israel of God’ has been generally interpreted as meaning the spiritual Israel, and as therefore giving countenance to the spiritualizing process by which the Old Testament predictions regarding Israel are robbed of all their peculiar and appropriate meaning. Now here, again, I should be inclined to suggest that the apostle may really be speaking of the literal Israel; and as throughout the whole epistle he has been contrasting and comparing the circumcision and the uncircumcision, the Jew and the Gentile, so here, he first prays for a blessing on the believing Gentiles, and then on the believing Jews.”

(Bonar, Horatius. 1847. Prophetical Landmarks; Containing Data for Helping to Determine the Question of Christ’s Pre-Millennial Advent. London: J. Nisbet & Co.)

Via BA Purtle

Genesis 49:8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you;

    your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

    your father's sons shall bow down before you.

9 Judah is a lion's cub;

    from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He stooped down; he crouched as a lion

    and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

    nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,

until tribute comes to him;

    and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

11 Binding his foal to the vine

    and his donkey's colt to the choice vine,

he has washed his garments in wine

    and his vesture in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are darker than wine,

    and his teeth whiter than milk.

Image via Joel Richardson

...if God will judge creation by his Messiah, then logically would he not save his creation from coming wrath by means of the same Messiah?

This Messiah is thus the mediator of both divine mercy (at the cross) and divine judgement (on the day of YHWH).- John P Harrigan 

“Sitting at the feet of Jesus must lead to following in the footsteps of Jesus.” — Charles Spurgeon

Referring so often to “heaven” as a Christian’s eternal destination instead of the New Earth is one of the worst things that ever happened to Gospel preaching. - Travis M. Snow

“Impurity is an index of one’s mortality, not one’s morality.” — Paul T. Sloan, Jesus and the Law of Moses, p.15-16.

Twenty-five years after Jesus ascended, Paul the Apostle continued to participate in the Jewish Temple sacrificial system (Acts 21:26). Those who say the two references to "The Synagogue of Satan" in Revelation refer to a normal Jewish Synagogue must therefore conclude that Paul willingly participated in the Temple of Satan. - Joel Richardson

My teaching on baptism from 1 Peter 3 and Romans 6. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

Such metaphysical wranglings may seem unimportant to many. Nevertheless, anthropocentrism lies at the very heart of original sin. Pride and moral autonomy are derived from the exaltation of self, which is based upon an orientation to self. To bind reality at a worldview level to human perception provides the ultimate greenhouse for humanism—the floodgates of which broke during the Enlightenment and continue to inundate to this day. Though many regard Greek philosophy as benign (or even beneficial) to the Christian faith, it should be remembered that Socrates was widely believed in his day to be demonized, a fact greatly mitigated or completely ignored by modern historians. Unfortunately, many early Christians also disregarded this testimony. - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.40

“These are ‘the doctrines’ of men and ‘of demons’produced for itching ears of the spirit of this world’s wisdom… Indeed heresies are themselves instigated by philosophy. From this source came the Aeons, and I know not what infinite forms, and the trinity of man in the system of Valentinus, who was of Plato’s school. From the same source came Marcion’s better god, with all his tranquility; he came of the Stoics. Then, again, the opinion that the soul dies is held by the Epicureans; while the denial of the restoration of the body is taken from the aggregate school of all the philosophers; also, when matter is made equal to God, then you have the teaching of Zeno; and when any doctrine is alleged touching a god of fire, then Heraclitus comes in. The same subject-matter is discussed over and over again by the heretics and the philosophers; the same arguments are involved… Unhappy Aristotle! who invented for these men dialectics, the art of building up and pulling down; an art so evasive in its propositions, so far-fetched in its conjectures, so harsh in its arguments, so productive of contentions--embarrassing even to itself, retracting everything, and really treating of nothing! … What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem? What concord is there between the Academy and the Church? What between heretics and Christians? Our instruction comes from ‘the porch of Solomon’ [where the Apostles taught, cf. Acts 3:5], who had himself taught that ‘the Lord should be sought in simplicity of heart.’ Away with all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition! We want no curious disputation after possessing Christ Jesus, no inquisition after enjoying the gospel! With our faith, we desire no further belief. For this is our palmary faith, that there is nothing which we ought to believe besides.” -Tertullian, “Pagan Philosophy the Parent of Heresies", Chapter 7  

via John P. Harrigan, the Five Fold Development of the Western Worldview 

Theology 101: Just as those things in the past literally took place and were written down as examples and instructions for us today (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11), I believe the prophecies in Scripture will literally take place and were written down as examples and instructions for us today. 

In neither instance does spiritual application in the New Testament mean not-literal occurrence in the world. -Dr. Micheal Svigel 

One of the most common but erroneous claims made concerning Galatians 3:16 goes like this: Every time the word "seed" is used in Genesis 12-22, it is only referring to Jesus.  

Paul in Galatians 3:16 is not saying that every time Genesis talks about Abraham’s “seed,” it only means Jesus. The Hebrew word zeraʿ (“seed”) can mean one person or many. In Genesis, it clearly refers to both:

Plural/collective:

“Count the stars… so shall your descendants be.” (Genesis 15:5)

“I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth.” (Genesis 13:16)

Singular/representative:

“…through Isaac your descendants shall be named.” (Genesis 21:12)

“…in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 22:18)

Genesis itself shows the promise narrowing to one chosen heir within the many, first it narrowed to Isaac, then it narrowed to Jacob, and ultimately it narrows to the Messiah.

Paul’s point is that Christ is the ultimate “Seed” through whom the promise comes, and those who belong to Him are also counted as Abraham’s seed (Galatians 3:29). He’s not rewriting the Old Testament; he’s following its own pattern: many descendants, one promised heir. - Joel Richardson

He who does not recognize his traditions is a slave to those traditions.  ~ Dr. James R. White

So much of life is difficult and involves suffering and yet we have almost no theology within the charismatic sphere about the mystery of suffering and the need for faith filled endurance. If the Holy Spirit is the giver of revelation, we need our eyes opened to the purpose of suffering and an eternal perspective that gives us the ability to endure it here and now. - Lee Cummings

"...molecular biology has revealed the presence in living cells of an exquisite world of informational nanotechnology. These include digital code in DNA and RNA—tiny, intricately constructed molecular machines which vastly exceed our own digital high technology in their storage and transmission capabilities. And even Richard Dawkins has acknowledged that "the machine code of the genes is uncannily computer-like" — implying, it would seem, the activity of a master programmer at work the origin of life. At the very least, the discoveries of modern biology are not what anyone would have expected from blind materialistic processes." - Newsweek

Even when preaching to Gentiles, the apostles proclaimed the forgiveness of sins in the context of God’s covenants with Israel and the reality of the Day of the Lord. The Western Church has largely isolated the atonement from its biblical and historical context, and, consequently we have lost the plot. - Grayson Borders, Gen Z and the Day of the LORD, Youtube link

Psalm 110 depicts the Messiah as both priest and warrior. He is the priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” but He also shatters kings and leaves foreign nations filled with corpses.

~ Aaron Eby, “The War Messiah”

Theology 101: When society gives people opportunities to be depraved, they will always rise to the occasion. - Micheal Svigel

My talk on the language of the cross. Slides. Slides as pdf. Video. Audio. 

When you remind yourself regularly that apart from Christ you deserve the everlasting wrath of almighty God, it's much easier not to complain about things. - BA Purtle

The only "great tradition" is the apostolic tradition.

2 Thess. 2.15: "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter."

Spoiler - The whole body of that tradition will only be found in the Bible. - BA Purtle

My teaching on Jesus calming the storm in Luke 8. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

We are once again excited to host Dr. John Harrigan in Peoria for a series of teachings! You are invited. 

Facebook event page. 

Dr. John Harrigan teaching Biblical discipleship

Friday, September 26, 2025

Session 1 - 7:00pm

Saturday, September 27, 2025

Session 2 - 11:00am

Lunch Provided

Session 3 - 1:00pm

Session 4 - 3:00pm

Dinner Provided

Cost: Free

Location: Horsemeister Barn - 4713 S Hanna City Glasford Rd, Hanna City, IL 61536 - 40.633464974770575, -89.79923213601276

*teaching times subject to change