“Paul assures the readers that at the last day they will be free from any charge, ἀνεγκλήτους. The Greek carries a range of meanings: blameless, irreproachable, and unimpeachable. . . . This applies to the time which leads up to the day of the Lord as well as to being presented free from any charge on the day itself. Hence the word here belongs to the semantic domain of accusation and declarative verdict. . . . Justification is an anticipation in advance of the verdict pronounced on the day of the Lord, in the faith-understanding that God keeps them firm and free from any charge up to and on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” -Thiselton, 1 Corinthians, p101–102  

“It is our good luck that, in Romans, we have a letter from him addressed to a community that he had not himself established: to introduce himself, he had to expand upon his gospel and his mission more fully than he had in the other correspondence that survives. As his messianic framing of Romans reveals, Paul linked his heavenly commission in the final days, his work in bringing gentiles to the worship of the true god (sic), immediately and intimately to his proclamation of Jesus as the scion of David’s house. To understand the apostle, then, we need to understand his Christology” - Paula Fredricksen, Paul, p136–137

My message on Psalm 2. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

My message on Psalm 1 in Spanish. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

If you want to know how to determine whose disciple you are, ask yourself, “Who am I obeying?”

That’s who is discipling you. - Lee Cummings

The loss of focus and theology concerning martyrdom after the Constantinian Shift is in direct relation to assimilation of Platonism into the Christian worldview. As such the essential amnestic witness of the Church was lost, and likewise the essential meaning of martyrdom itself was lost. 

Within a Platonic worldview, the mission of God, and therefore of the church, is either dominionistic (if sovereignty is emphasized) or escapist (if salvation is emphasized). Therefore martyrdom is either seen as: 

1. a failure (cf. dominionism), since God/church has failed in establishing sovereignty over injustice, or 
2. a waste (cf. escapism), since God/church has lost another worker unto saving souls. 

Within a Biblical worldview, the mission of God, and therefore of the church, is amnestic which supplies inherent meaning to the event of martyrdom (if the intentions are actually motivated by the same loving intentions as God). - John P. Harrigan

In light of the Day of the Lord, the apostles lived out their hope in the return of Jesus by continually meeting together in the temple courts. This is because they held to the Scriptures and believed nothing beyond what was written in the Law and Prophets, faithfully holding to the Israelocentric hope of the age to come. - John P. Harrigan

Paul similarly reasons in 1 Cor. 6:1–3 and Eph. 5:4–10, since discipleship is inherently bound to destiny—“Walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2:12; cf. Eph. 4:1; Col. 1:10). Peter likewise exhorts: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” (2 Peter 3:11–12, niv; cf. 1 Peter 1:13–16).  - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.427

Thus the trajectory of such discipleship is assumed to be into the Jewish apocalyptic narrative rather than out of it. -John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.409

The Gospel is karma's worst nightmare: we get the exact opposite of what we deserve. - Chad Bird

The discipleship of the Gentiles thus fundamentally involves warning of the coming judgment (since they are without divine revelation and generally ignorant of the future, cf. Matt. 6:32; Luke 12:30). - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.409

 As such, Romans 14 could be recapitulated: Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not quarrelling over opinions which hold little eternal significance, since the age to come is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 

Far from redefining the common Jewish eschatology, Paul is simply describing its future reality, hence reinforcing the sobriety and eternal perspective inherent in Jewish apocalypticism. This futurist approach squares with both the passage as a whole and with common expectations of the kingdom. Interposing realized eschatology into Romans 14 is both illogical and counterproductive to Paul’s argument that eschatology (cf. “salvation,” “the day,” “judgment seat,” “kingdom”) is the primary driver of Christian discipleship. - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.281-282

Rather than critiquing the sacrificial system, the author presents an argument regarding its design and its scope. The Levitical offerings are a part of an earthly system that addresses earthly matters, though put in place by God; the offering of Jesus is a part of a heavenly system that addresses ‘heavenly’matters. Thus, while the author of Hebrews may present the offering of Jesus as ‘better’in the sense that the scope and effects are more expansive, this is not a critique in itself. After enacting the first covenant maintained by the people, God both enacts and maintains the second covenant on their behalf but in the heavens—his own dwelling place. -  Madison N. Pierce, Relapsing, Reverting, or Rejecting? The Purpose of Hebrews and Early Jewish Religion. AI Podcast Audio Format

So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 14:12–14)  

Romans 14 is simply an exposition and application of this idea of discipleship: to “walk properly as in the daytime.” The age to come will not involve drunkenness, immorality, or strife. Thus we should not engage in those things, because we are not destined for those things. Moreover, we were not designed for those things in the beginning. Sinful behaviors are counter to both our design and our destiny. They are fruitless and hold no eternal value.  - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.281

At the heart of all Christian discipleship lies this forsaking of all for the sake of following and witnessing to Jesus unto death. - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.257

Several messianic themes are sounded in the Balaam oracles, but most prominent for the present is what appears to be the interpretation of Gen 3:15 in Num 24:17. There is enmity between Israel and Moab, and fearing Israel’s numbers (22:3) Balak king of Moab summons Balaam to curse Israel. As Balaam’s oracles are recounted, the text indicates that a male Israelite will arise whose coming is associated with the arrival of a star and the rising of a scepter, pointing to his royal status. The Targum on this text seems to interpret the star as “the King” (malkā’) and the scepter as “the Messiah” (měšîhā’). This individual will “crush the forehead of Moab” (Num 24:17). The words used in Numbers are not the words used in Genesis, but the image of the crushed head of an enemy is clearly invoked. - James Hamilton, The Skull Crushing Seed of the Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15, AI generated podcast format of article

Thus we have a pattern for understanding growth and perseverance in faith and discipleship. This pattern is exemplified by the apostle Paul, who before conversion was “a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees” (Acts 23:6)—“the strictest party of our religion” (Acts 26:5)—and “as to righteousness under the law, blameless”(Phil. 3:6). The cross, however, exposed the ambitions of his heart, and thus here counts the truth of his condition: “We ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days inmalice and envy, hated by others and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). So Paul can declare at the end of his life, “I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life” (1 Tim. 1:16). - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.237

The OT is a messianic document, written from a messianic perspective, to sustain a messianic hope. - James Hamilton,  The Skull Crushing Seed of the Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15, AI generated podcast format of article

Before receiving a revelation of the cross, all human beings assume they possess a general righteousness and a lack of need for atonement. Ask someone on the street, “Will you go to heaven when you die?” (or some question concerning eternal life and acceptability in the sight of God), and you will usually get a confident “Yes.” The assumption is a basic correspondence between the righteousness of God and the righteousness of humanity. It is conversion that brings the revelation of sin, depravity, and the need for divine mercy. God is understood as holy, while we are wicked—the cross being the solution. However, this is not a one-time revelation. It is a progressive disclosure of the holiness of God and the depraved state into which we have all been born. Knowledge of the gap between the depravity of mankind and the holiness of God ought to only grow larger, while the glory of the cross and mercy of God ought to only grow greater. - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.237

In this way, New Testament discipleship is also understood to be cruciform, for our whole life is meant to be conformed to the cross. Those who embark upon the journey of faith in Christ crucified endure its complexities. - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.236

“We’ve got to get away from this terrible, haunting preoccupation with ourselves, where we love our love of God rather than God Himself.” - Art Katz

Moreover, inaugurationalism inevitably supplants the cross as the ultimate standard of this age. Instead of God confirming by the Spirit the extension of the mercy of the cross in light of the apocalyptic judgment to come, we are simply left with an ever-increasing extension of divine sovereignty by means of the Spirit. Instead of the cross being the normative pattern for discipleship within the church, it becomes little more than a perfunctory mechanism for ushering in the new age of Spirit actualization.  - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.118

Eschatology determines missiology. One’s understanding of the end logically determines the means to that end. Biblical eschatology is based on perfect cosmogeny, which sets the foundation and context for salvation at the end of the age. - John P. Harrigan

A short lesson on praying the apostolic prayers. Audio 1. Audio 2. The Apostolic Prayers. 

“If the praise of man elates me and his blame depresses me; if I cannot rest under misunderstanding without defending myself; if I love to be loved more than to love, to be served more than to serve, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” - Amy Carmichael 

Theology 101:

Them: “The Early Church Fathers taught X.”

Me: “The who?”

Them: “The Early Church Fathers.”

Me: “All the church fathers?”

Them: “Well, not all.”

Me: “How many?”

Them: “Well, some.”

Me: “Which ones?”

Them: “Well, Saint So-and So.”

Me: “So one. And when did he live?”

Them: “Like, around 400..”

Me: “So not particularly early.”

Them: “But a church father.”

Me: “Okay. One late church father taught X. Fine. Did you know some earlier church fathers taught Y, and some others taught Z?”

-Dr. Michael Svigel

Theology 101: Resurrection does not occur at the moment of your death. If you have an eschatology in which your death is resurrection, get rid of it immediately. That’s literally Gnostic eschatology. Death is not resurrection! Resurrection is the complete opposite of death! - Dr. Micheal Svigel

A commonsense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintellect has monkeyed with the physics, as well as chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. -Sir Fred Hoyle

We're all Jacobs dressed in the clothing of our older brother, Jesus, to obtain the inheritance of the Father. - Chad Bird

“You will be an incomplete Christian if you do not look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ.” -McCheyne

"All exegesis is, is reading the text to find out what's there." -D.A. Carson

Theology 101: I don’t long for the end of this age but for the beginning of the next. I don’t hope for escape from this world but for this world’s release from its bondage to corruption. I’m not eagerly anticipating dying and going to heaven but bodily resurrection. - Dr. Michael Svigel

"We have what may be called a standing miracle continually before our eyes; I mean the state of the Jews, who, though dispersed far and wide among many nations, are every where preserved a distinct and separate people. The history of the world affords no other instance of the like kind. The great monarchies, by which they were successively conquered and scattered, have successively perished. Only the names of them remain. But the people whom they despised, and endeavored to exterminate, subsist to this day; and, though sifted like corn over the earth, and apparently forsaken of God, are still preserved by his wonderful providence, unaffected by the changes and customs around them; still tenacious of the law of Moses, though the observance of it is rendered impracticable. Many days, many ages they have lived as the prophets foretold they should, without a temple, without sacrifice or priest. (Hos. 3:4-5) As yet, many Heathen nations are permitted to walk in their own ways. But at length "the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, and all Israel shall be saved." (Rom. 11:25-26) The revolutions and commotions in kingdoms and nations, which astonish and perplex politicians, are all bringing forward this great event."

(Works of John Newton, Volume IV, Sermon XXXII.)

-Via BA Purtle

The age of scientific materialism is over. There's a new interest in the supernatural. Without guardrails and good theology, this will lead to some really dark places. - Jeremy Boreing 

Can blasphemy be committed against a mere man?

"Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him...and they said many other things against him, blaspheming him." - Luke 22:63–65

-Matt Damico 

Pauline cessationism:

The charismata described in 1 Cor. 12-14 (and other relative passages) will cease “when the perfect comes,” when we see “face to face,” when we “know fully” — that is, in the future resurrection. - BA Purtle

The Spirit's work, in all of its forms, is to keep disciples on the path of life in anticipation of the judgment and coming Kingdom. We need the Spirit’s work—all of it. Despite how they may have been presented to you previously, miracles are intended to serve the same purpose. The conviction of sin, the encouragement, the revelation of the Spirit; these all serve the exact same purpose as signs and wonders. The Spirit is simply trying to turn our attention to what matters—the fact that God will judge the world, the dead will be raised, and some will be raised to life and others to destruction. - Bill Scofield, The Spirit and the Enduring Need for Divine Empowerment.

Signs are intended to stir our faith, but they are temporary. You don’t need a sign indicating that you are on the right path to the Grand Canyon, once you are standing in the Grand Canyon. A sign, by nature, is not the anticipated object of our hope. It is a powerful reminder that we should continue in the path. In this age signs serve as a reminder of the world to come. - Bill Scofield, The Spirit and the Enduring Need for Divine Empowerment.

Jewish faith, just like early Christian faith, is constantly forward looking. The resurrection and the Kingdom of God have always had center stage in discussions of Jewish eschatology. The hope of eternal life is the primary motivator for devotion to God, for denying the flesh, and for living lives of integrity before Him. The more material the hope, the greater the ability to walk in these virtues. Within this context, miraculous phenomena not only take on new meaning, but are also transformed into a vital part of discipleship rather than a tangential one. “Signs” are not miraculous events arbitrarily ‘pointing to God’. Signs are proof that God is able to do the exact things he said he would in the Torah and the Prophets. - Bill Scofield, The Spirit and the Enduring Need for Divine Empowerment.

The slick environment of many Pentecostal/Charismatic churches has a not-so-subtle way of endearing congregants to the stage and to those who occupy it. God certainly seemed to be doing and saying something. Yet, to my young self, it felt like God was doing miracles as an endorsement of the minister or of the church. As a young man, mostly a spectator to ministry, I found that some of these dynamics obscured what God was saying through the miraculous phenomena, and, ultimately, they left me indifferent to what God was saying. They were cool to experience but ultimately felt trivial. - Bill Scofield, The Spirit and the Enduring Need for Divine Empowerment.

My teaching from Luke 9 on the introduction to his late Perean and Judean ministry, the "travel narrative", and Samaritan resitance. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

Joshua 2: "Rahab the prostitute"

Matthew 1: "Rahab, the grandmother of the Messiah."

God has the redemptive capability to change labels and rewrite stories for his purposes and our better. - Wes Huff

The kingdom of heaven is not the church, and it’s not the heavenly afterlife. It’s not about going to heaven when you die.

Instead, the kingdom of heaven is the coming Messianic Era predicted by Moses and all the prophets. It’s a term from Jewish eschatology that describes the future utopian reign of the Messiah on earth. It’s not a heavenly realm or an unseen spiritual kingdom; it’s a literal king (the Messiah) who sits on a literal throne (the throne of David) in a literal city (Jerusalem), administering a literal kingdom (the kingdom of Israel). His kingdom is called “the kingdom of heaven” and “the kingdom of God.” The prophets say that the kingdom will not be confined only to the land of Israel. The reign of the Messiah will expand to encompass the entire world and usher everyone into a global utopia of peace and spiritual revelation.  - DT Lancaster, Why Do You Not Do What I Say?

Without the Jewish framework to supply context, the teachings of Jesus often sound like strange, cryptic riddles. That creates a lot of ambiguity, which gets exploited to subvert the meaning of His teachings. When placed back into their natural habitat, however, the words of Jesus become clear, simple, and easy to understand. They aren’t riddles. It’s simple Jewish teaching about the coming kingdom, the urgency of repentance, the Day of the LORD, and the final redemption. - DT Lancaster, Why Do You Not Do What I Say?

The second reason that we don’t do what He says is that we don’t understand what He says. What Jesus said was said as a Jewish teacher to Jewish students living in the first-century Jewish world of Judea and Galilee. He taught in the language of the Jewish rabbis and teachers of His day and age. He used the same Scriptures, the same figures of speech, the same type of parables, and the same hermeneutical maneuvers as other Jewish teachers. When His words are read within the context of that type of Jewish literature, the teachings of Jesus are simple. They make solid sense. Outside of a Jewish context, not so much. - DT Lancaster, Why Do You Not Do What I Say?

However, the main reason we don’t do what He says is that we think we do know what He means, but we don’t. At almost every turn, we have been taught to explain His words to mean Christian things and not Jewish things. For example, we know that Jesus preaches the gospel, but we don’t know what that means. We assume that the gospel is the message about the cross, justification, and the afterlife. It’s not. The gospel is about the kingdom. We assume Jesus teaches an end to Judaism and the Old Testament Law. He doesn’t. He is a Jew practicing Judaism, talking about Jewish stuff. We redefine the kingdom of heaven as the church or, simply, as “going to heaven when you die.” The kingdom is neither of those things. - DT Lancaster, Why Do You Not Do What I Say?

Over forty times the Bible describes the Holy Spirit as creating, speaking, testifying, teaching, or forbidding, etc.

To deny His Personhood and deity is to deny the Bible and the Triune God who inspired it. - BA Purtle

‘Effective ministry corresponds so much with the character of a minister that theologian John Sanderson advised people to play softball with pastoral candidates interviewing for a position. "Then on a close play at second base," Sanderson said (with his tongue mostly in cheek), "call him out when he is really safe. Then see what happens!"’ -Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching

"None participate in the benefits of Christ save those who raise their minds to the resurrection." - John Calvin

One of the aims of the “must manage his household well” requirement for an overseer is that his wife and children wouldn’t say at his funeral, “He loved theology, preaching, counseling, evangelism, missions… in a real way we think he loved Christ. But he didn’t love us much.” - BA Purtle

Though an emphasis on typology may initially seem strange, it was by God’s set foreknowledge that the first coming of the Messiah would be somewhat “mysterious” (cf. Luke 8:10 and par.; Rom. 16:25; Eph. 1:9; 1 Tim. 3:16), so as to confuse the wise and make the haughty stumble (cf. Rom. 9:30–33; 1 Cor. 1:18–25). Those who recognize their own depravity, casting themselves upon the mercy of God, readily receive the veiled prophetic unfolding of divine kindness before the plainly revealed apocalyptic culmination of divine severity. Thus, “slow of heart to believe” (Luke 24:25) is an issue of pride and repentance rather than unenlightenment and gnostic revelation. - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.388

Paul also makes frequent references to Genesis 3. For example, he exhorts the Roman church to resist wicked deceivers, whose “smooth talk and flattery” (Rom. 16:18) is akin to that of Satan in the garden. Then he admonishes them “to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil” (v. 19), an obvious reference to the forbidden tree, for “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (v. 20). By “soon” he has in mind the coming of Christ and the day of the Lord (cf. Rom. 2:5; 3:6; 4:17; 5:9; 6:5; 8:18–23; 10:9; 11:25–27; 13:12; 14:10–12), and the “God of peace” (16:20) is understood in light of the messianic passages wherein peace is proclaimed and established upon the earth under the Messiah’s rule (cf. Isa. 9:7; 66:12; Hag. 2:9; Zech. 9:10). - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.126

If the Scriptures reveal the players and playing field of existence, how does it describe the game of existence? What are the rules? What are the goals? What are the strategies involved? Though some may reject the Scriptures as primitive and mythological, I believe they give us clear answers. Unlike most other sacred texts, which are generally uniform and homogenous in nature, the Bible is a complicated assortment of writings of various genres written over a millennia and a half by various authors in various contexts. From a human perspective it may seem like a hodgepodge of dissimilar and discordant books with little overarching meaning (except, as assumed by critical scholars, the record of the historical evolution of human beliefs). Assuming, however, that the Scriptures are of divine origin, I believe we must approach them as a progressive revelation from God concerning his relations with humanity (cf. Rom. 16:25–26; 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 3:3–5). 

Furthermore, this progression of revelation (in both the Tanakh and the New Testament) generally seems to be increasingly apocalyptic—meaning God is progressively revealing himself in relation to the ultimate end of history, and this end is both climactic and cataclysmic. For this reason the intertestamental Jewish apocalyptic tradition is based on both the Prophets and the Writings, as they exposited the Torah. Moreover, the New Testament is an extension of this tradition, culminating in the book of Revelation. In this way all of the apocalyptic themes develop organically from the Torah through the Prophets and the Writings. From beginning to end, the Bible is thus a progressively apocalyptic revelation, depicting the narrative of God (in his holiness) and humanity (in its depravity) playing out to their ultimate end. - John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.45-46

“Revelation was, indeed, at the outset generally accepted. In the second century it was among the earliest books to be included in the growing New Testament. Hardly anyone doubted its right to be counted there. Yet in the third century the Greek theologians of Alexandria - Origen and those whom he influenced—were repelled by it.” - Dr. Michael Svigel

"Keep clear of introspection, of brooding, of spiritualism, of everything eccentric. Keep to work and sanity and open air – to the cheerful and the matter of fact side of things. We hold our mental health by a thread: and nothing is worth risking for it. Above all beware of excessive day dreaming, of seeing yourself in the centre of a drama, of self pity, and, as far as possible, of fears.” - C.S. Lewis

Theology 201: I'm a little surprised how many people read the occurrences of "then" (τότε) in Matthew 24 to mean "next in chronological order following the preceding event," as if the Olivet Discourse is providing a step-by-step series of events. The Greek τότε usually means "at that time" in the sense of "during the same period being discussed," not necessarily "after the event just mentioned." And while I'm at it, a lot of English translations of Revelation render καί (and) as "then" just to avoid the tedious repetition of "and...and...and..." This also has led people to take things in chronological order that may not necessarily be intended as such. I can't emphasize enough the need for training and experience in the original languages. But then, it would send to the trash heaps a hundred years of popular-level end-times books by hacks who made chronological charts based strictly on τότε and καί translated into English as "then." Yes, the New Testament does contain clear texts with clear chronology using clear chronological terms. And yes, sometimes in context τότε and καί can indicate series of events following each other. But the naive assumption by many that they always do has led to dubious and downright deceptive conclusions. - Dr. Michael Svigel

Theology 101: The process of sanctification involves continually sacrificing who we are to become who we ought to be. - Dr. Michael Svigel

The third century saw the first attempt to discredit millenarianism, when Origen, perhaps the most influential of all the theologians of the ancient Church, began to present the Kingdom as an event which would take place not in space or time but only in the souls of believers. For a collective, millenarian eschatology Origen substituted an eschatology of the individual soul. What stirred his profoundly Hellenic imagination was the prospect of spiritual progress begun in this world and continued in the next; and to this theme theologians were henceforth to give increasing attention. . . .  When in the fourth century Christianity attained a position of supremacy in the Mediterranean world and became the official religion of the Empire, ecclesiastical disapproval of millenarianism became emphatic. The Catholic Church was now a powerful and prosperous institution, functioning according to a well-established routine; and the men responsible for governing it had no wish to see Christians clinging to out-dated and inappropriate dreams of a new earthly Paradise. Early in the fifth century St Augustine propounded the doctrine which the new conditions demanded. According to The City of God the Book of Revelation was to be understood as a spiritual allegory; as for the Millennium, that had begun with the birth of Christianity and was fully realized in the Church. This at once became orthodox doctrine. - Norman Cohn, The Pursuit of the Millennium: Revolutionary Millenarians and Mystical Anarchists of the Middle Ages

The fact that the apostolic witness was readily received by so many orthodox Jews (Acts 2:41; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 11:19; 13:43; 14:1; 17:4; 18:8; 19:10; 21:20; 24:24f; 28:24) argues strongly for an unaltered Jewish apocalyptic background to the cruciform message. - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, footnotes, p.341

Some say understanding Jewish apocalypticism and the historical context of the NT is a form of gnosticism-- some special knowledge that only the intellectually elite can attain.

It's exactly the opposite.

Knowing what Jews actually believed about things like the day of judgment, the resurrection of the dead, the kingdom of God, and Gehenna delivers us from the theological plague of "spiritualizing" everything (which is the real and original gnosticism).

It actually allows us to read the NT in a plain, common sense manner. - John P. Harrigan

Theology 101: Eternal life is not disembodied life in heaven…or even reembodied life in heaven. Eternal life is reembodied life on a renewed earth.- Dr. Michael Svigel

Here we find the unraveling of a multitude of Gentile games revolving around realized eschatology. If the age to come has been realized, then the cross is no longer the standard of this age, and the sufferings of Christ are to be avoided. The logic is straightforward. Yet the apostolic witness cries out against such folly: 

“Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! . . . We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute” (1 Cor. 4:8–10). 

Paul thus refutes an early form of realized eschatology. - John P. Harrigan, The Gospel of Christ Crucified, p.384

For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs (Rom 15:8)

Paul summarizes the first advent of Messiah as service to the Jews in order to confirm the hope of Israel. The everlasting covenant is the source of hermeneutical truth. The further you veer from it, the further you drift into delusion. - John P. Harringan

The Gospel in its Historical Context // Dr. John Harrigan

 

Audio 1. 

Theology 101: Never preach eternal life as just dying and going to heaven. Preach resurrection. Preach resurrection. Preach resurrection. Without the redemption of our bodies through resurrection, death would forever be the victor and corruption its eternal sting. - Dr. Michael Svigel

"Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life." (1 John 2:24-25)

Live your life in a way that fosters hope in the resurrection. This is how we abide in him.

"And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming." (v 28)

-John P. Harrigan

“There is no exception to this rule; from the Master down to the last disciple, it is a procession of cross-bearers. The day will come when there will be a transformation scene, and you will see all these cross-bearers transformed into crown-wearers. But, rest assured that the old motto, ‘No cross, no crown,’ is certainly true, and those who refuse to carry the cross after Christ on earth shall never be permitted to wear the crown with Christ in the land that is beyond the stars.” - Spurgeon

You can’t love the ways of the world and love God at the same time. You can’t love your own life and love God at the same time. Choose a master to give your sole love and service. If you aren’t willing to do that, then you’ve already chosen a master, and you will find only death. - Josiah Geoffrey

“Martyrdom is not a special calling for a select few, but the commitment of every Christian and the responsibility of every church. Even though not every individual Christian will be killed, there is no way to distinguish those who will be killed from those who will not. Even though not every Christian will be remembered as a martyr, every church that locates its identity in the cross is obligated to cultivate the virtues necessary to enable all of its members to die for the cause of Christ. Every Christian is a member of a martyr-church” - Craig Hovey, To Share in the Body: A Theology of Martyrdom for Today’s Church 

My teaching on our church's statement of faith. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

Prophetically foreseen by Erich Reber and described by writers such as Robert Banks and Met Castillo, it was in 1996 when probably the first intentional house-church planting movement outside rather closed nations like China, Vietnam or Cuba, was initiated by Dr.Victor Choudhrie in North India. In later years, other initiatives followed, initiated by IBRA Radio, a Swedish Pentecostal Radio ministry, which started a new house church planting ministry in the Arab World, or apostolic persons like Bruce Carlton, inside, but clearly on the fringes of existing mission agencies like the Southern Baptists’ IMB (International Mission Board). First greatly ridiculed by traditional churches in almost all nations, the house church movement has grown to many hundreds of thousands of churches in an amazingly short period of time, and is, at this point, not only the main harvesting tool God seems to use in Muslim nations like Bangladesh, Pakistan, or Indonesia, but making its presence felt in many Western nations as well. Apostolic church planters like Neil Cole or Tony Dale, Bernard Sanders and Guy Muse, Victor John and David Watson, Peter Wenzor Jonathan Pattiasina are leading the way, and many in traditional churches who were watching are not laughing anymore. By now (2009) we know of at least 500,000 newly planted house churches (outside China), and, if George Barna is right in his predictions, published in his book Revolution, it will take but a few more years for house churches to become not only an extremely vital harvesting instrument of God, but quite simply the new mainline church, replacing CAWKI [church-as-we-know-it] with something introduced to the mindset of most Christians only a few years ago. - Wolfgang Simson, The Starfish Manifesto: A Prophetic Roadmap for an Apostolic Journey

Post-400 AD Christianity is a two-fold history of reformation of theology and praxis. Multitudes of books have been written on the reformation and restoration of apostolic doctrine, but few have even considered the restoration of apostolic ecclesiology. The reason for this: it contradicts the wealth and power of the church, so much so that the church persecuted anyone who even tried to live it out by themselves. - John P. Harrigan, Biblical Praxis of Missions

It was not until the conversion of Constantine that the church wholeheartedly adopted corporate holdings endorsed by the State. As the church systematically transitioned to an institutional corporate base, the war against gnosticism subsided, and the Romanized church assumed the identity of the Kingdom Now before an immaterial heaven, i.e. “Christendom”. The theology was thus adopted to validate the ministerial ambition for wealth and power. - John P. Harrigan, Biblical Praxis of Missions

When the church was very young, it had no buildings. Let us begin with that striking fact. That the church had no buildings is the most noticeable of the points of difference  between the church of the early days and the church of today. In the minds of most people today, ‘church’ means first a building, probably something else second; but seldom does ‘the church’ stand for anything other than a building. Yet here is the fact with which we start: the early church possessed no buildings and carried on its work for a great many years without erecting any. This fact has something significant to teach us concerning the character of the church… There was practically nothing in the way of church building until the third century, and nothing with any pretension to architecture until after the conversion of Constantine early in the fourth century. During all this time the church carried on her mission without buildings of her own, without property, and without the burdens and responsibilities that the holding of property implies.  - Ernest Loosley, When The Church Was Young

“We have no temples or altars.” This statement, referring to Christians, comes from the pen of the apologist (defender) Minicus Felix, c 200, and all evidence supports its accuracy. Throughout at least the first two centuries there were no church buildings as such, and this was so remarkable that to the pagan population, it was considered grounds for accusing the Christians of 'atheism.' In a world notable for the number of its holy shrines and the rivers of blood that flowed daily from the sacrificial victims, Christians were conspicuous in that they possessed neither the first nor engaged in the second.” - J.G. Davies, Secular Use of Church Buildings 

And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. (Acts 10:42)

Proclamation of traditional Jewish eschatology lies at the heart of the Great Commission - John P. Harrigan

In this way, the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you, [7] so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. [8] He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 1:6-8)

Cruciform, charismatic, Jewish, and apocalyptic--the defining characteristics of the apostolic witness. - John P. Harrigan

And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

(John 2:16-17)

Jesus's zeal was for the temple, not against it. All Jews at the time knew the temple to be the epicenter of the resurrection and the age to come (cf Isa 2:2; Eze 37:26). And Jesus's own resurrection was a sign (vv. 18-19) which confirmed his zeal and authority over his Father's house. - John P. Harrigan

“A man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he is ready to die for.” — Richard Wurmbrand 

It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deut 7:7-8)

The election of the Jewish people has always been based upon divine covenantal faithfulness to the Patriarchs. Thus Paul,

As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Rom 11:28-29)

-John P. Harrigan

While the Christian church has historically (and rightly) clung to the cross of Christ, we’ve criticized the Jews for focusing on the crown. But biblical literacy demands we cling to both—because the prophets spoke of both. Consider that Zechariah had prophesied Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem on a donkey the week before this Emmaus table experience [Zech 9:9]. Just a few chapters later, he prophesies that Jesus will very literally deliver Jerusalem from a literal war and then literally reign from her holy hill—His holy hill [Zech 12-14]. And just as He fulfilled one promise, He will fulfill the other. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus brought important, critical clarity to a confused, fledging body of believers on Resurrection Sunday. In doing so, He not only demonstrated biblical literacy, He encouraged the cultivation of it. - Stephanie Quick, The Perks of Biblical Literacy

You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:28-30)

Jewish Messiah. Jewish hope. The future of the world is Jewish.

"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." (Rom 15:10)

-John P. Harrigan

Here's a list of several men directly or indirectly considered "apostles" in the New Testament who were neither members of the Twelve nor authors of Scripture:

1. Barnabas

Explicitly called an apostle with Paul in Acts 14:14.

2. James, the Lord’s brother

Called “James the Lord’s brother” and designated “an apostle” in Galatians 1:19 (Greek: Ἰάκωβος ὁ τοῦ κυρίου ἀδελφός καὶ ἀπόστολος).

3. Silas (Silvanus)

Described as an apostle in the Greek of 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6 (where he is called “Silvanus, a brother, and an apostle”). Sent by the Jerusalem church with Paul and others (Acts 15:22, 27, 32) and travels with Paul in Acts 15–18.

4. Timothy

Also styled an apostle in the Greek of 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6 (with Paul and Silas). Missionary (apostolic) companion of Paul, but not one of the Twelve and not the author of any NT book.

5. Epaphroditus

Called “your apostle and minister of my need” in Philippians 2:25 (Greek ἀπόστολον).

6. Apollos

Generally treated as an apostle by some scholars, though the word apostolos does not appear in Apollos’ own name‑passages (Acts 18–19; 1 Cor. 3–4). If only explicit NT uses of the noun apostolos* are required, Apollos might be excluded; but where lists are drawn (e.g., explaining “the apostles” in 1 Cor. 1:12; 3:22; 4:9), he is often classed in the apostolic circle.

7. Unnamed “apostles” in 2 Corinthians 8:23

2 Corinthians 8:23 speaks of “messengers** of the churches, the apostles **of Christ” (Greek ἀπόστολοιἀπόστολοι).

8. Titus

While not titled "apostle," the nature of Paul's instruction in Titus (as well as pertinent narrative portions in Acts) and of his co-working with Paul shed light on his role, which appears not only to be one of a "helper" or even an "elder," but fits much more within the apostolic ethos and function.

None of these apostles were members of the Twelve, recipients of original foundational revelation (like Paul), nor authors of Scripture. Suffice it to say, while it's clear that there can be no apostles added to the category of the Twelve, nor can there be new apostles who receive authoritative revelation that's binding for the Church in all ages (Scripture is sufficient), it's also clear (from Scripture itself!) that certain kinds of apostles lived and labored outside of those categories in the NT.

A few of them were more like messengers between the churches. But most of them were Gospel preaching, elder-qualified, elder-appointing, spiritually fathering, disciple-making church-planters. (Paul clearly fit in this category as well, though direct revelation of the Gospel and NT authorship were unique to his apostleship, of course. We could also add that NT authorship was not definitive of nor central to apostleship in the NT. Most of the Twelve, in fact, were not authors of NT books, much less the men listed above. Ordination to biblical authorship was simply a feature of some of the NT apostles rather than being definitive of it, broadly speaking.)

I am convinced that this role of apostleship should be seen as ongoing, and that the lack thereof has led to all kinds of improprieties and errors in the work of the Great Commission. It has led to well-meaning hastiness in the laying on of hands, and to sending men who may be noble and sincere in many respects, but aren't yet equipped for the task. It is a truncated thing to define "missions" exclusively as evangelism in a foreign field. The (non-12, non-bible writing) apostles did more than that in the NT. 

Therefore, when I take up Matthew 9.37-38 in prayer for the advance of the Gospel in America and to the uttermost parts of the earth, I'm praying especially for these kinds of "laborers/workmen" (ἐργάτας)--- Men fit to lead teams of co-workers for the task spelled out in Scripture.

God has many such men at work among the nations, I'm convinced. They are largely unknown in the popular ministry spheres. But we haven't enough. "The laborers are few," indeed, and the Great Commission will require many more. These are the kinds of men we are laboring to shepherd and equip in our local church, and I think all churches ought to be doing the same.

Some are, and I thank God for them. Others are not. I think we're in need of a Reformation of sorts along these lines. May the Lord of the harvest raise up faithful men of this kind, for "the fields are white unto harvest," and the nations are in need of clear Gospel-preaching, real discipleship and spiritual fathering, and the establishing and nurturing of healthy local churches.

This is our aim until the blessed Lord appears. - BA Purtle

All discipleship leads to Gethsemane. - Bill Scofield, the Gethsemane Track

I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Rom 9:2-3)

Jewish eschatology (Rom 8) creates empathy and love for the Jewish people. Gentile eschatologies create enmity and hate toward the Jewish people. - John P. Harrigan

"What I protest against is the habit of allegorizing plain sayings of the Word of God concerning the future history of the nation of Israel, and explaining away the fullness of the contents in order to accommodate them to the Gentile Church. I believe the habit to be unwarranted by anything in Scripture, and to draw after it a long train of evil consequences." - JC Ryle

But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. (Matt 5:34-35)

Like the resurrection, the judgment, and Gehenna, the future glorification of Jerusalem and the messianic kingdom which will rule from there was simply assumed by Jesus and the apostles. - John P. Harrigan

The good confession echoes the Master’s public affirmation that He was the King of the Jews. Paul’s message to Timothy was an encouragement to ‘fight the good fight of faith’, ‘to take hold of eternal life’, and to be mindful of the ‘good confession’ that Timothy had made in the presence of many witnesses [1 Timothy 6:12]. The good confession that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of Israel, and not another type of leader or special figure, is the bedrock upon which faith and perseverance are built. The tension created by maintaining this confession is not accidental. Any other spiritualized vision of Jesus can be currently functioning in his role. The only Jesus that leaves us with tension, is the one affirmed in the good confession. If He is the King of Israel, then we are still in the tension of waiting for Him. This tension is the place that the Spirit meets us and grants strength, encouragement, and perseverance to those who long for the promised redemption. Remember, Jesus is the Christ—the coming King of the Jews. - Bill Scofield, The Good Confession

The Day of the Lord was not a random point on their eschatological chart in the first century. It was the trigger for the redemption. It indicated the holy day when the King of the Jews would be enthroned. Some of Paul’s opponents in Corinth likewise taught Corinthian disciples that they were ‘kings already’ [1 Corinthians 4:8]. Like in the reference above, the suggestion that they had begun to reign already was about the Messianic role. To suggest that it had begun not only suggests some ghastly things about the quality of the Master’s reign, it further suggests that hope of the prophets and the apostles has been realized and strips the disciple of vital components of perseverance. - Bill Scofield, The Good Confession

The church is not a justice movement, its a mercy movement with a justice message. - Chad Brewer, sermon on 1 Peter 3. 

If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. (1 Cor 15:19)

The resurrection of the dead gives meaning, purpose, and direction to life.

Its neglect or distortion leads to deception and corruption (v. 33) because temporal realities are ultimately futile and mediocre. - John P. Harrigan

Peter, answering for the others, affirms their conviction that Jesus was ‘the Christ’—that is, the Messiah, or the coming King of the Jews. This affirmation became the bedrock [Matthew 16:15-18] upon which the Jesus movement was formed. This story, like the ‘good confession’, served to highlight the central conviction that bound Jesus’s earliest followers together: Jesus of Nazareth was the coming King of Israel.

We know of course that these terms would later lose their apocalyptic edge. Following the extended delay of the apocalyptic scenario proclaimed by the Apostles, many of the terms used in the New Testament texts would be repurposed to represent the evolving values of the growing Christian community. ‘Christ’ came to reference, not the long-awaited king of the Jews, but Jesus’s identity generally. The ‘good confession’, later used as a general public affirmation of one’s allegiance to Jesus, lost its concrete meaning and, with it, the ability to inspire hope and perseverance that Paul attempts to stimulate in his letter to Timothy. This isn’t intended to demonize these later Christian leaders. It’s simply how history has unfolded and how the early hope of the Apostles was displaced. - Bill Scofield, The Good Confession

"We read in Acts 10.44 that 'the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.' ... I want to establish that the thing was patent and evident... And if your doctrine of the Holy Spirit does not include this idea of the Holy Spirit falling upon people, it is seriously, grievously defective. This, it seems to me, has been the trouble especially during this present century, indeed almost for a hundred years. The whole notion of the Spirit falling upon people has been discountenanced and discouraged, and if you read many of the books on the Holy Spirit you will find it is not even mentioned at all, a fact which is surely one of the prime explanations of the present state of the Christian church....You particularly get the evidence for this in Acts the second chapter. It was evident at once to the populace of Jerusalem that something had happened to these men.... Then we are told about the saintly Robert Murray McCheyne in his church in Dundee in the late 1830s and early 1840s. It has been authenticated so many, many times, that McCheyne had simply to enter the pulpit and before he had opened his mouth people used to begin to weep and were convicted of sin. He had not uttered a word. Why? Well, the explanation was that this man had come from the presence of God and the Spirit was poured forth. One of the results is something that can be seen even externally.

I am emphasizing this because I am convinced that the main trouble with most of us and with the church in general is that we seem to have forgotten the presence of the Spirit and the power of the Spirit. We have become so formal, with everything so set, so organized, all in the control of man- and have forgotten this other evidence, the power and the glory of the Spirit and the sanctity and the holiness. I am convinced that the greatest need of the church is to realize again the activity of the Holy Spirit. You see, we organize- organize meetings, organize campaigns, but that is because very largely we have forgotten this element that I am trying to emphasize to you. When the Spirit comes His evidence is unmistakable and the results are amazing and astounding.... Now I do not want to make an either/or issue of this, but I do wish to say this, that if you neglect this element all the rest will avail you nothing. In a sense this neglect has emptied the churches. And there is no hope until we return to the New Testament, the primitive pattern."

Martin Lloyd-Jones, Joy Unspeakable, Copyright © 1984, by Bethan Lloyd-Jones; pp. 115-122

via BA Purtle

My teaching on Jesus healing the boy with a demon and being the greatest in the kingdom from Luke 7. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

The Jews have been hated for being poor and for being wealthy; for being weak and for being powerful; for being too separate and for being too assimilated; for being religious and for being secular; for being stateless and now for having a state.

At some point, honest people must recognize that these contradictions expose something deeper than politics, economics, or sociology. The accusations change, but the hostility remains. The reasons are endlessly recycled because "the reasons" were never the real issue.

The Bible teaches that our struggle is not merely against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers and principalities. Throughout history, there has been a relentless hatred directed toward the people through whom God chose to reveal Himself, give the Scriptures, bring forth the Messiah, and through whom He has promised yet to fulfill His covenant purposes.

Better to recognize this before Yeshua, the King and Messiah of Israel, judges the whole earth. - Joel Richardson

Antisemitism is not merely ordinary racism. It is the most persistent, ancient, irrational, adaptable, and uniquely obsessive hatred in human history. - Joel Richardson

“God of Israel” 

Ex. 5:1; 24:10; 32:27; 34:23; Num. 16:9; Josh. 7:13, 19f.; 8:30; 9:18f.; 10:40, 42; 13:14, 33; 14:14; 22:16, 24; 24:2, 23; Judg. 4:6; 5:3, 5; 6:8; 11:21, 23; 21:3; Ruth 2:12; 1 Sam. 1:17; 2:30; 5:7f., 10f.; 6:3, 5; 10:18; 14:41; 20:12; 23:10f.; 25:32, 34; 2 Sam. 7:27; 12:7; 23:3; 1 Kings 1:30, 48; 8:15, 17, 20, 23, 25f.; 11:9, 31; 14:7, 13; 15:30; 16:13, 26, 33; 17:1, 14; 22:53; 2 Kings 9:6; 10:31; 14:25; 18:5; 19:15, 20; 21:12; 22:15, 18; 1 Chron. 4:10; 5:26; 15:12, 14; 16:4, 36; 17:24; 22:6; 23:25; 24:19; 28:4; 29:10; 2 Chron. 2:12; 6:4, 7, 10, 14, 16f.; 11:16; 13:5; 15:4, 13; 20:19; 29:7, 10; 30:1, 5; 32:17; 33:16, 18; 34:23, 26; 36:13; Ezra 1:3; 3:2; 4:1, 3; 5:1; 6:14, 21f.; 7:6, 15; 8:35; 9:4, 15; Ps. 41:13; 59:5; 68:8, 35; 69:6; 72:18; 106:48; Isa. 17:6; 21:10, 17; 24:15; 29:23; 37:16, 21; 41:17; 45:3, 15; 48:1f.; 52:12; Jer. 7:3, 21; 9:15; 11:3; 13:12; 16:9; 19:3, 15; 21:4; 23:2; 24:5; 25:15, 27; 27:4, 21; 28:2, 14; 29:4, 8, 21, 25; 30:2; 31:23; 32:14f., 36; 33:4; 34:2, 13; 35:13, 17ff.; 37:7; 38:17; 39:16; 42:9, 15, 18; 43:10; 44:2, 7, 11, 25; 45:2; 46:25; 48:1; 50:18; 51:33; Ezek. 8:4; 9:3; 10:19f.; 11:22; 43:2; 44:2; Zeph. 2:9; Mal. 2:16; Matt. 15:31; Luke 1:68

“God of Abraham”

Gen. 24:12, 27, 42, 48; 26:24; 28:13; 31:42, 53; Ex. 3:6, 15f.; 4:5; 1 Kings 18:36; 1 Chron. 29:18; 2 Chron. 30:6; Ps. 47:9; Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37; Acts 3:13; 7:32

“God of Isaac” 

Gen. 28:13; 32:9; 46:1; Ex. 3:6, 15; 4:5; Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37; Acts 3:13

“God of Jacob” 

Ex. 3:6, 15; 4:5; 2 Sam. 23:1; Ps. 20:1; 24:6; 46:7, 11; 75:9; 76:6; 81:1, 4; 84:8; 94:7; 114:7; 146:5; Isa. 2:3; Mic. 4:2; Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37; Acts 3:13; 7:46

“God of your fathers(s)” 

Gen. 31:29; 43:23; 46:3; 49:25; 50:17; Ex. 3:6, 13, 15f.; Deut. 1:11, 21; 4:1; 6:3; 12:1; 27:3; Josh. 18:3; 1 Chron. 28:9; 2 Chron. 13:12; 28:9; 29:5; Ezra 8:28; 10:11; Acts 7:32

“God of their father(s)” 

Gen. 31:53; Ex. 4:5; Deut. 29:25; Judg. 2:12; 1 Chron. 5:25; 29:20; 2 Chron. 7:22; 11:16; 13:18; 14:4; 15:12; 19:4; 20:33; 24:18, 24; 28:6; 30:7, 22; 34:32f.; 36:15

“God of my father(s)” 

Gen. 31:5, 42; 32:9; Ex. 18:4; Dan. 2:23

“God of the Hebrews”

Ex. 3:18; 5:3; 7:16; 9:1, 13; 10:3

List compliled by John P. Harrigan, the Gospel of Christ Crucified, footnotes p.350

Who is "This Generation" in Matthew 24? with Jim Hamilton

The Pharisees came to Jesus seeking a sign from heaven (Mt 16:1) and lo! He stood right before them. - Bob Sorge

Theology 101: If Revelation had been written in the 60s and fulfilled in the 70s, that would have been an AMAZING apologetic fact for 2nd-century fathers to grasp onto and use!

Alas, 2nd-century fathers made no such use of Revelation and rather expected its FUTURE fulfillment. - Dr. Micheal Svigel

When Scripture feels foreign to you, you have two choices: Provide your own meaning to the text, or do the harder work of discovering the context. The apostles used sacrificial language because they understood the Temple, Torah, and Israel’s worship system. We need to get on their page, not the other way around. - Jacob Fronczack

Israel is God’s Vessel of Redemption

Jesus is Jewish for a reason.

Why do we struggle so much with the idea that God chose a particular people through whom He would bless all peoples?

From Abraham onward, God’s plan has always been universal blessing through a particular nation.

The covenants were given to Israel.

The Messiah came through Israel.

The gospel went out from Israel.

And the kingdom will be restored to Israel.

Gentiles are not blessed apart from God’s covenant purposes for the nation He chose. We are grafted into their promises, not the other way around.

Paul says that Israel’s rejection brought reconciliation to the world. What then will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Romans 11:15)

Israel’s restoration is not a side issue. It is bound up with the resurrection hope of the nations.

Jesus is not ashamed of the people He elected.

He rejoices to be the Son of David, the King of Israel, and the head of the nation chosen to mediate blessing to the ends of the earth.

When He returns, Israel will finally fulfill her calling under His leadership, and all nations will be blessed through her.

Jesus lived, died, and rose again to make these things certain.

Believing in Jesus means believing He will fulfill the things He and His Father promised in the Law and Prophets. 

Maranatha! - Stephen Holmes

“The use of Ps. 118:26 is typological in originally depicting the king leading pilgrims to the temple and receiving a greeting of welcome from the priests at the temple, probably on the occasion of some major victory. This greeting/blessing recognized that the king and his entourage came with the Lord’s approval. . . . As it was then, so it should be in Jesus’ time. He should be welcomed as a leader and agent of God. The association of  Ps. 118 with eschatological hope and the Feast of Tabernacles also heightens the sense of nearness of eschatological fulfillment” - Darrell L. Bock, Luke 9:51–24:53

Theology 101: You can’t allege, “The early Christians would have read the book of Revelation this way…” when the only evidence is that the early Christians DIDN’T read the book of Revelation that way. - Dr. Michael Svigel

When they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. (Matt 15:31)

Small miracles testify to God's ongoing commitment to the Ultimate Miracle of the resurrection and glorification of Israel. - John P. Harrigan

"This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai" (Lev 7:37-38)

The sacrifices were designed to maintain Israel's covenant. So also was the sacrificial death of Israel's Messiah.

"God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins." (Act 5:3)

-John P. Harrigan

My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. (Ezekiel 37:12)

The hope of the resurrection of the dead developed out of Israel's covenant (cf Deut 30:3-5). The farther the resurrection is disassociated from the covenant, the more anemic it becomes. - John P. Harrigan

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. (1 Cor 9:25)

Eschatology sets the parameters of discipleship. Good eschatology motivates self-control in all things. - John P. Harrigan

With righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth... for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isa 11:4,9)

We long for a Leader who has both the will and ability to lead the world into everlasting peace and prosperity. Maranatha - John P. Harrigan

How can you say you’ve placed your confidence in the Cornerstone of the church, if you’re not connected to what He’s building? - Bob Sorge

“It is perfectly clear that in New Testament times, the gospel was authenticated by signs, wonders and miracles of various characters and descriptions …. Was it only meant to be true of the early church? The Scriptures never anywhere say that these things were only temporary — never! …. To hold such a view as Warfield held is simply to quench the Spirit.“ -Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)

Broadly speaking, whenever nominally Christian cultures become literate in the Scriptures, philosemitism will be the result, and sometimes even Christian Zionism. Writing around the year 1600, English preacher Thomas Brightman (who read through the New Testament every two weeks!) spoke about the Jews' return to their homeland:

“What, shall they return to Jerusalem again? There is nothing more certain; the prophets do everywhere confirm it.”

But in places where people lose access to the Scriptures, do not study God's Word, or when a society rejects the Bible through rationalism, atheism, or re-paganization, antisemitism gains strength.

We can see this happening today in America. We have in our country both an influx of non-Christians who possess a remarkable Jew-hatred, and a great decline in biblical literacy – something which is driving the resurgence of the crudest "Christian" forms of antisemitism. - Nick Uva

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Phil. 4:5-6)

Don't worry. Jesus is returning soon. This hope produces peace which guards your mind and heart. - John P. Harrigan

"Trials make the pro­mise sweet,

Trials give new life to pray­er;

Trials bring me to His feet,

Lay me low, and keep me there."

-William Cowper

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Pet 1:13 NASB)

With so many things vying for our attention and hearts in this day and age, it is difficult to fix our hope completely on the hope of eternal life. 

Focus. 

 - John P. Harrigan

There is reserved for me in the future the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing. (2 Tim 4:8)

Paul was a man of one thing, one love--the return of Jesus in light of the hope of Israel. - John P. Harrigan

Supersessionists: "The tribes of Israel no longer exist. They were scattered in 720 BC and haven't been a thing ever since."

The God of Israel, 200 years after the Assyrian invasion: "For the LORD has an eye on mankind and on all the tribes of Israel." (Zechariah 9.1)

The Lord Jesus, over 700 years after the Assyrian invasion: “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Mt. 19.28) - BA Purtle

My teaching on God's covenantal faithfulness from Deuteronomy. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

Theology 101: Many believe that when they do good they are better than most, and when they do bad most are badder than them. Using the imagined other as our moral standard is the epitome of self-righteousness. Look to Christ as the epitome of Righteousness. - Dr. Michael Svigel

One thing that is both biblically factual and admittedly difficult to reconcile is that Paul participated in Temple sacrifices decades after his conversion.

In Acts 21, Paul returns from a missionary journey and meets with James and the elders in Jerusalem. James tells Paul that many thousands of Jews have believed in Yeshua, and that they are all zealous for the Torah (Acts 21:20).

At the same time, rumors had spread that Paul was teaching Jews to forsake Moses, avoid circumcision, and abandon the customs (Acts 21:21).

To publicly refute those accusations, James tells Paul to join four men who are under a vow (Acts 21:23). These men would have been Jewish Christians. Otherwise, why would they be traveling with James?

The vow was certainly a Nazirite vow, because the men shaved their heads at the completion of the vow, in accordance with the Torah.

Acts 21:24:

Take them along and purify yourself together with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads.

Numbers 6:18:

The Nazirite shall then shave his consecrated head of hair at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and take the consecrated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.

Acts 21:26 says:

“Then Paul took the men, and the next day, after purifying himself together with them, he went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.”

This demonstrates several important points:

1.  Paul purified himself before entering the Temple and participating in the offering process. Ritual purification was required for approaching the Temple in a state of cleanness, which involved immersion in water (this is where baptism comes from).

2.  These Jewish Christians completed their Nazirite vow with the required sacrifices, in accordance with Book of Numbers 6.

In addition, Acts 18:18 indicates that Paul himself had previously taken a Nazarite vow, which would have required a sacrifice at its conclusion:

“At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow.”

This very well could have been the same vow that he concluded with the four men in Acts 21.

I am not unaware that this creates tension. Hebrews firmly teaches that Yeshua’s sacrifice was final and sufficient, offered once for all.

Yet the plain reading of Acts shows that while the Temple was still standing, Paul and others continued to participate in Temple practices, including the offering associated with the completion of a Nazirite vow.

Scripture must be allowed to speak for itself, even when the full implications are difficult to reconcile.

And Scripture explicitly states that Paul continued to keep the whole of Torah throughout his life.

Acts 21:24:

“...but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the Torah.”

-Rabbi Brian Samuel

Galatians 4 doesn’t teach that the Jewish people are sons of the slave-girl Hagar, nor that we should cast out any notion of God’s promises to them. The discussion is about the danger of trying to be under the guardianship of the Torah (Law) to earn righteousness and salvation. - Josiah Geoffrey

Jesus lives on a fiery throne. When Nebuchadnezzar made the furnace seven times hotter, Jesus was probably like, “My kind of place.” - Bob Sorge

Until the Church understands what the prophets, the apostles, and Jesus Himself taught concerning Jerusalem and the Jews; until we grasp just why they wept over Israel; indeed, until we shed tears that are kindred to theirs, our eschatology will be muddled, myopic, and misguided. - BA Purtle

Justification gets you out of Egypt, but sanctification gets Egypt out of you. - Wes Huff

Sequentially, we should understand the shofar at Sinai as the “first trumpet” and the “great shofar” announcing the coming of the Messiah as “the last trumpet” [1 Corinthians 15:52]. The last trumpet is the “great trumpet” of Isaiah 27:13 that signals the ingathering: “He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet” [Matthew 24:31]. At that time, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God” [1 Thessalonians 4:16]. -  D. Thomas Lancaster, Two Trumpets

That future theophany occurs not at Mount Sinai but at Mount Zion (i.e., Jerusalem). At Mount Sinai, the LORD appeared in the midst of the cloud of glory that covered the mountain. At Mount Zion, “they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory”. From Sinai, the nation heard the sound of the trumpet; from Zion, the whole world will hear the sound of the trumpet. At Mount Sinai, God’s feet stood on the mountain and “under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself”, but “in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east”. - D. Thomas Lancaster, Two Trumpets

The future Day of the LORD not only parallels the Pentecost at Mount Sinai, but it also goes far beyond it by many scales of magnitude. The writer of the book of Hebrews compares the two events. His argument runs like this: if the theophany at Mount Sinai was fearsome, how much more so the theophany of the Day of the LORD! The shaking that took place at Mount Sinai when God’s “voice shook the earth” will seem insignificant compared with the shaking of all things in the Day of the LORD. - D. Thomas Lancaster, Two Trumpets

God’s “kingdom” is referenced throughout the Scriptures, and it is clearly a kingdom that presently rules over all creation (cf. 1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 103:19, 145:11ff.; Jeremiah 10:7ff.; Daniel 4:3, 34; John 19:11; Acts 17:24; Revelation 4:2ff.). However, there are also many messianic references to an eschatological kingdom that is established on the earth based in Jerusalem (cf. Psalm 2:6ff.; Isaiah 9:7; Daniel 2:44, 7:14; Matthew 8:11, 20:21; Luke 22:30; 2 Peter 1:11; Revelation 11:15).

This distinction has been the source of much controversy, which is simply resolved by distinguishing between the two primary thrones of creation: one in the height of the heavens (cf. Psalm 2:4, 113:5; Isaiah 40:22, 66:1) and one delegated to mankind on the earth (cf. Genesis 1:26ff.; Psalm 8:4ff., 115:16). Thus, when referencing the “kingdom,” we need to delineate between God’s “universal kingdom,” ruling over all creation from everlasting to everlasting, and the Jewish “messianic kingdom,” to be established upon the earth at the end of the age establishing a glorified Davidic throne and restoring the original Adamic order.

However, the particular phrase, “kingdom of God,” which does not occur in the Hebrew Bible, needs to be understood as Jewish phraseology used during late Second Temple Judaism to refer specifically to the Jewish messianic kingdom. This was clearly the common Jewish expectation, and it is the plain meaning of the phrase in the vast majority of its usage in the New Testament. -  John P. Harrigan, Discipling the Gentiles into the Hope of Israel

Scholars have internalized, de-temporalized, de-historicized, cosmologized, spiritualized, allegorized, mysticized, psychologized, philosophized, and sociologized the concept of the kingdom of God. This has all been done for the purpose of denationalizing it. -George W. Buchanan, The Consequences of the Covenant

Realized eschatology undermines the Jewish apocalyptic framework, the cross-centered call to discipleship, and Israel’s unique calling. Instead, Jesus and Paul should be understood within their native Jewish apocalyptic worldview, discipling Gentiles into Israel’s hope of the Messiah’s return and the age to come.  -  John P. Harrigan, Discipling the Gentiles into the Hope of Israel

In Jesus’ teaching, parables and declarative statements generally match Jewish prophetic and apocalyptic hopes. Passages like Matthew 12, Luke 17, and others often cited for realized eschatology can be read instead as future-oriented, warning of divine judgment, not present spiritual fulfillment. Key translation issues (e.g., Greek verbal aspect) further support a future reading. Similarly, Paul’s fourteen kingdom references overwhelmingly look ahead to the return of Christ, resurrection, and judgment. Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 4, and Colossians 1, when read in context, address practical discipleship and eschatological hope, not mystical present fulfillment.  -  John P. Harrigan, Discipling the Gentiles into the Hope of Israel

Theology 101: Throughout history, marriages between Church and State ultimately led to manipulation, exploitation, and abuse. It’s a fundamentally toxic relationship that ends in tears if we’re lucky or bloodshed if we’re not. 

It’s best not even to start holding hands. - Dr. Micheal Svigel

Leviticus is not pointing backward to something that expired at the cross. It's pointing forward. - Brianna Tittel, Leviticus is Eschatology

The idea that Paul’s gospel revolved around realized eschatology (but not “over-realized eschatology”) is absurd. Paul ardently rejected the proto-gnostic realization of Jewish eschatology of his day (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Timothy 2:18), likening it to spiritual “gangrene” (2 Timothy 2:17). Realized eschatology does irreparable damage to biblical faith, particularly concerning (1) the Day of the LORD, (2) the cross, and (3) Jewish election. First, it takes the focus off the return of Jesus and mitigates urgency concerning the imminence of the Day of the LORD. Second, it changes the standard of discipleship from daily embrace of the cross and martyrdom to some form of spiritually realized “kingdom.” Third, it inevitably introduces an alternative “supersessionist” redemptive narrative that invalidates the unique calling of Israel. -  John P. Harrigan, Discipling the Gentiles into the Hope of Israel

In the new heaven and new earth, no one will say, “I’m here because I was faithful.” - BA Purtle

Few verses in Paul’s letters get hijacked more often than Romans 9:6: “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.”

Replacement theologians love this one. To them, it's the smoking gun — proof that Paul quietly redefined “Israel” to mean the Church. The Jewish people, they argue, forfeited their place; the “New Israel” is now anyone who believes in Yeshua, regardless of bloodline. Case closed.

The most sophisticated version of the argument comes from N.T. Wright, who has spent thousands of pages — most fully in Paul and the Faithfulness of God — insisting that Paul has “redefined” Israel “around the Messiah.” On Wright’s reading, the true Israel is now the Messianic family of Jew and Gentile together, while ethnic Israel, apart from faith, no longer carries the covenantal weight it once did. Wright resists the label “replacement theology,” and to his credit he is more careful than most. But the destination is functionally the same: Israel as a people, in any meaningful covenantal sense, has been absorbed. 

It’s a clean argument. It’s also wrong.

Let me show you why — and to do that, we just need to do something that’s apparently radical in certain theological circles: read the chapter Paul actually wrote.

Start where Paul starts

You cannot understand Romans 9:6 without Romans 9:1-5. And what does Paul say there? He tells us he has “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” in his heart. For whom? For his “kinsmen according to the flesh” — Israel. He is so grieved over their unbelief that he says he could wish himself “accursed and cut off from Messiah” for their sake.

Then he lists what still belongs to them: “the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the worship, and the promises… the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Messiah.”

Stop and think about that for a second. If Paul believed ethnic Israel had been replaced by the Church: 

Why is he weeping? 

Why the anguish? 

Why list — in the present tense, “to them belong,” not belonged— covenants and promises that supposedly no longer belong to them?

You don't grieve over a people God has cast off. You grieve over a people God still loves.

WHAT 9:6 ACTUALLY SAYS!

Now we are ready for verse 6: “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel, and not all are children because they are Abraham’s offspring.”

Paul is making a distinction within the Jewish people, not replacing them with someone else. He is saying what every Hebrew prophet said before him: physical descent from Abraham does not automatically make you faithful. Throughout the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), God always preserved a believing remnant inside the larger nation — Elijah’s seven thousand who had not bowed to Baal, Isaiah’s faithful few. Paul is standing squarely in that prophetic tradition.

There is “Israel” — the entire physical nation descended from Jacob. And there is the believing remnant within Israel — Jews who trust the God of their fathers. Both are Israel. The remnant does not replace the rest; it lives inside the rest as a sign of God’s continued faithfulness to His covenant people. In fact, Romans 11 suggests that the faithful remnant intercedes for the unfaithful whole. (see Romans 11:5-6, 16).

Now notice what Paul does not say. He does not say, “And so the Gentiles are now the true Israel.” He does not even hint at it here. That reading has to be smuggled into the text from outside, which is why it was over 100 years before anyone began to preach such a thing. 

PINEAPPLE

If I fly to Hawaii, eat a pineapple, and taste flavors I have never experienced in any pineapple anywhere else, I might turn to my wife and say, “I don't think I have ever had pineapple before!” Of course, I have had pineapple. Plenty of times. Nobody listening would accuse me of lying. They would hear the rhetoric. What I am actually saying is: yes, I have had pineapple, but the pineapple here is so much better that it is as if I have never tasted pineapple in my life.

That is exactly what Paul is doing in Romans 9:6. He is saying that the truest, deepest, most realized sense of belonging to Israel is having a living relationship with the God of Israel through Yeshua. It is a rhetorical move, not a redefinition. Paul is not erasing ethnic Israel; he is emphasizing what covenantal Israel looks like at its fullest.

The trouble is that we tend to flatten the Bible. Taking the biblical narrative literally is good. Treating every single word as literal — and refusing to make room for rhetoric, hyperbole, and literary devices — is not. Everyone uses these tools. Including Yeshua Himself. Do you really think He wants you to poke out your eye? To hate your father and mother? Of course not. That is hyperbole, not instruction. And it is exactly the kind of language Paul is reaching for in Romans 9:6.

ROMANS 11 SLAMS THE DOOR

If there were any lingering doubt, Paul shuts it down two chapters later: “I ask, then, has God rejected His people? By no means!” (Romans 11:1). And then he says it again, just to make sure no one missed it: “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew” (11:2). This is two chapters after romans 9:6, so either Paul is contradicting himself or those who are using Romans 9:6 to demonize Israel do not understand Paul.

Then comes the olive tree. Gentile believers, Paul says, are wild branches grafted into a cultivated tree whose root is Jewish. The natural branches that were broken off can be — and will be — grafted back in. “And in this way all Israel will be saved” (11:26).

That is not replacement. That is not even within shouting distance of replacement. That is restoration.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TODAY?

This is exactly the point R. Kendall Soulen made so forcefully in The God of Israel and Christian Theology. Soulen showed that even Christian theologies that claim to honor Israel often quietly assume God’s covenant with the Jewish people was merely the prologue to a universal Church that would eventually render it obsolete. He gave that quiet assumption a name — “structural supersessionism” — and argued, rightly, that it cannot survive a serious reading of Paul. The election of Israel, for Soulen, is not a discarded first chapter. It is permanent, irrevocable, and the very framework within which the gospel itself unfolds.

Once you see that, the stakes of Romans 9:6 become obvious.

If Romans 9:6 means the Church has replaced Israel, then the modern State of Israel is a theological accident. The return of millions of Jews to the land, the rebirth of Hebrew as a living language, the regathering Ezekiel and Isaiah described in detail — all of it would be meaningless, or worse, a deception. Some replacement theologians have actually said exactly that. They interpret the promises of the restoration of Israel, spiritually, so the actual restoration of Israel was just a massive coincidence that God somehow didn’t notice happening. 

To be clear: this is not about the theology itself being argued. Theologians have wrestled with Romans 9 for two thousand years. That is what theologians do, and there is nothing wrong with the academic debate. What changed after October 7 is that this verse stopped being a seminary discussion point and became a slogan in the mouths of people who do not study Paul, do not love the Bible, and do not care what Soulen or Wright or anyone else thinks. They are quoting Romans 9:6 — six words from a Jewish apostle weeping over his own people — as proof that God has finally rejected the Jews, and that whatever happens to them now is therefore justified. They are not making a theological argument. They are using a Bible verse, out of context, to baptize their antisemitism. And that is exactly why this is so important today.

But if Paul means what he says — that God still has a people, that the natural branches will be regrafted, that “all Israel will be saved” — then what we are watching unfold today is precisely what the prophets promised. 

The Jewish people are returning. 

The land is bearing fruit. 

A growing remnant of Israel is recognizing Yeshua as Messiah. 

The trajectory is unmistakable to anyone willing to see it.

Romans 9:6 is not the death certificate of the Jewish people. It is a quiet reminder that even in Israel’s deepest unbelief, God has always preserved a remnant — and through that remnant, He is keeping every single promise He ever made, not the least of which is Romans 11:26, “and in this way all Israel should be saved.”

He has not replaced Israel.

He is restoring her.

—Dr. Ron Cantor