CONTENTS
BOOK OF DANIEL [top]
The Antichrist (Daniel 2, 7, 8, and 11)
🔗 Daniel 2 – The Vision of the Statue of a Man – MP3
🔗 Daniel 7 – The Vision of Four Beasts – MP3
🔗 Daniel 7 – What is the Fourth Beast? – MP3
🔗 Daniel 8 – Out of what does the Horn come? – MP3
🔗 Three Interpretations of the Little Horn – MP3
🔗 Identity of the Little Horn – MP3
🔗 Daniel 11 – Who is the Vile Person?
🔗 Daniel 11 – Antiochus IV is not Daniel’s Antichrist.
Daniel 9
🔗 Summary of the articles below
🔗 Daniel 9 Explained, Verse-by-Verse
🔗 Introduction to Daniel 9
🔗 The 70 weeks renewed God’s covenant with Israel.
🔗 What was the Decree to Restore Jerusalem?
🔗 When did the 490 end?
🔗 Are the events described chronologically?
🔗 Who makes what covenant during the last seven years?
🔗 What is the Abomination of Desolation in Daniel 9:27?
🔗 When will goals in Daniel 9:24 be fulfilled?
🔗 When did Daniel 9 say the Messiah would come?
🔗 Does Daniel 9 describe the same crisis as Daniel 7?
🔗 Was the vision the answer to Daniel’s prayer?
🔗 Where are the 70 years of Babylonian captivity in history?
🔗 The Book of Nehemiah – Valuable context for Daniel
🔗 Dispensational Interpretation of Daniel 9
🔗 Other Anomalies in the Dispensational Interpretation
🔗 Historical-Critical Interpretation of Daniel 9
🔗 The Symbolical Interpretation of Daniel 9
Is Daniel a Fraud? [top]
• Historical criticism implies that the book of Daniel is a forgery.
• Daniel is true prophecy.
• The Fall of Rome validates Daniel.
• Who was Darius the Mede in the Book of Daniel?
• According to the Dead Sea Scrolls, when was Daniel written?
BOOK OF REVELATION
General Topics [top]
• Does Revelation describe events in chronological sequence?
• Is a consistently literal interpretation of Revelation appropriate?
• Every main part of Revelation begins in the temple in heaven.
• The Return of Christ in the Book of Revelation
• Is there really a hearing/seeing theme in Revelation?
• What do the numbers in the Book of Revelation mean?
The Seven Seals (4:1-8:1) [top]
• Summary of all articles on the Seven Seals
Revelation 4
• Revelation 4:1-8 – a visual description of God’s throne room.
• The 24 elders in God’s throne room are people.
• Worship in God’s throne room (Revelation 4 & 5)
Revelation 5
• What event is Revelation 5?
• What is the Sealed Book?
• In the Book of Revelation, why Jesus had to die
• Revelation 5 – Verse by Verse
Revelation 6
• The White Horse of the First Seal
• The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
• Are the souls under the altar alive?
• Why must God’s people suffer?
• The Sixth Seal
Revelation 7
• When will God’s people be sealed? (Revelation 7:1-3)
• What is the Seal of God?
• The Sealing in the Book of Daniel
• Who are the 144,000 sons of Israel in Revelation?
• Who is the multitude before the throne?
Revelation 8
• Silence in Heaven (Seventh Seal)
• Does the seventh seal include the seven trumpets?
• Why has Christ not yet returned? What is God waiting for?
Revelation 10-11 [top]
• The Little Open Book (10:1-7)
• The Church’s Final Message (10:8 to 11:2)
• The Time, Times, and a Half (11:2)
• God’s Two Witnesses – Who are they? (11:3-6)
• The Death and Resurrection of the Two Witnesses (11:7-14)
• The Seventh Trumpet is the Final Judgment. (11:15-19)
Revelation 12-14 [top]
Revelation 12
• Who are the woman and her child?
• What are the stars of heaven (Rev 12:4) – angels or people?
• When was Satan thrown out of heaven?
• How Christ’s death won the victory in the war in heaven
• How did they overcome Satan?
• Why did God not make an end of evil after the Cross?
Revelation 13
• The Dragon is the Roman Empire.
• The Beast continues the authority of the Roman Empire.
• The Beast’s fatal wound is its sixth head. (Rev 13:3-4)
• Revelation’s Beast is the Church of the Roman Empire.
• The Mark of the Beast
The Seven Last Plagues [top]
Revelation 15
• Introduction to the Seven Last Plagues
First Four Plagues
• The first four are general and not interpreted individually.
• The first four target the earth, sea, waters, and sun.
Fifth Plague
• The Throne of the Beast is Christian Religious Authority.
• The Loud Cry causes the Darkness in the Beast’s kingdom.
• The Roman Empire gave the church its throne and great power.
Sixth Plague
• What does it mean that the Euphrates dries up? (Rev 16:12)
• The Kings from the East (Rev 16:12)
• Armageddon
• Jesus comes like a thief (16:15). Is this a secret rapture?
• Why the Euphrates dries for the Kings from the East
• Summary of the articles on the Sixth Plague
Conclusion
• The Seventh Plague ends in Christ’s Return.
• Purpose of the Plagues
• The plagues validate God’s judgments.
Revelation’s Beasts [top]
• The Seven-Headed Beasts
• The seven-headed beasts are three of the seven heads.
• The Seven Heads Identified
• The Sixth Head receives the Fatal Wound.
Babylon, the Mother of Harlots [top]
• Babylon unites the World against God.
• The Harlot and the Beast
• Babylon became Christian.
• Babylon’s Merchants are her false teachers (Rev 18:23).
• Is Babylon a literal city?
• Is Babylon the Papacy?
• Overview of the articles on Babylon
Revelation 17-18 [top]
• 17:1-3 verse-by-verse
• 17:4-6 verse-by-verse
• The Time Perspective in Revelation 17
Revelation – External Resources
• Rev 12 – Revelation 12 and the War in Heaven. (mp3)
• Rev 4 and 5 (mp3)
• Paulien’s commentary
CHRISTOLOGY [top]
• Who is Jesus? Jesus is not God, but is equal with God.
• In the Trinity doctrine, Jesus is God, but Jesus is not God.
• Jesus is the First and the Last but not God Almighty.
• The Son is subordinate to God. “God is the Head of Christ.”
• Is Jesus eternally equal with the Father?
• In many respects, the Son is equal with God.
• Christ’s divinity from John’s gospel
Jesus in Specific Bible Books [top]
• John consistently distinguishes between God and Jesus.
• The roles of God and Christ in the letter to the Colossians
• In Colossians, is Jesus God or a created being?
• The Trinity Doctrine in the Book of Revelation
Jesus in Specific Bible Passages [top]
• Philippians 2: Jesus was equal with God but emptied Himself.
• Does 1 Corinthians 8:6 include Jesus in the Shema?
• In John 10:33, did Jesus claim to be God or the Son of God?
• “I and the Father are one.” Does that mean that Jesus is God?
Christ’s Origin and Pre-existence [top]
• Does monogenēs mean “only-begotten?”
• The firstborn of all creation (Col 1:15) (Col 1:15)
• God created all things through the Son.
• Where is Jesus in the Old Testament?
• Jesus existed before His human birth.
Worship [top]
• If Jesus is not God, why must we worship Him?
• Jesus is worshiped. Does that mean that He is God?
• Is Jesus worshiped in Revelation 5:14?
Does the Bible call Jesus “God?” [top]
• Overview of these articles
• John 1:1 – Possible Translations
• John 1:1 – Does it mean, ‘The Word was a god?’
• John 1:1 – Theos is a count noun.
• John 1:1 – Does it mean, ‘The Word was God?’
• When referring to Jesus, how should theos be translated?
• Does John 1:18 say that Jesus is God?
• Did Thomas call Jesus “God” (John 20:28)?
• Romans 9:5 – Paul never referred to Jesus as God.
• Does Hebrews 1:8 prove that Jesus is God?
The Word of God [top]
• The Word in John 1:1 – a Person or a principle?
• Why is Jesus called “the Word?”
• Did Philo influence the New Testament?
TRINITY DOCTRINE [top]
• The Trinity Doctrine – Pandora’s Box
• Eternal Generation of the Son – Is it Biblical?
• An Eastern Orthodox view of the Trinity – Fr. Thomas Hopko
• The Trinity Doctrine and Modalism Compared
• The Athanasian Creed compared to Eastern Orthodoxy
• Elohim is plural. Is God more than one Person?
External Resources
• Kermit Zarley
• Dr. Steven Nemes – Part 1 (mp3)
• Dr. Steven Nemes – Part 2 (mp3)
ORIGIN OF THE TRINITY DOCTRINE [top]
Arian Controversy
🔗 The Truth of the Origin of the Trinity Doctrine
🔗 Errors in the Traditional Account
🔗 An informative lecture by R.P.C. Hanson
🔗 The Sabbath was part of the Arian Controversy.
🔗 What was the Core Issue in the Arian Controversy?
🔗 Views on the Incarnation
🔗 Prosopon vs Hypostasis
Pre-Nicene Fathers [top]
🔗 Justin Martyr, Father of Logos-theology
🔗 Logos-theology was the orthodox view. – MP3
🔗 Rome and Alexandria were in dispute over homoousios. – MP3
🔗 Second-century Monarchians were strict Monotheists. – MP3
🔗 Tertullian’s theology was similar to Sabellianism. – MP3
🔗 Was Sabellius an early Trinitarian?
🔗 Ignatius of Antioch described the Son as our God.
🔗 Did Polycarp believe that Jesus is God Almighty?
🔗 Irenaeus – Did the early church fathers believe in the Trinity?
🔗 Did the church fathers describe Jesus as “God?”
🔗 External resource: Dr. Tuggy’s podcasts 239-242.
Arius – Beginning of the Controversy [top]
🔗 What was the Orthodox View when the Controversy began?
🔗 Arius Scholarship over the Centuries MP3
🔗 Who was Arius? Why do many regard him as an Antichrist?
🔗 Did Arius cause the Arian Controversy?
🔗 Did Arius corrupt theology with pagan philosophy?
🔗 Arius compared to the pre-Nicene Fathers
🔗 Did Arius follow Origen?
🔗 Did Arius say time existed before the Son?
🔗 Arius described the Son as mutable but unchangeable.
🔗 What did Arius teach that caused the Arian Controversy?
The Nicene Council and Creed (AD 325) [top]
🔗 Constantine forced Nicaea to conclude what he thought best.
🔗 After Nicaea, the Church exiled the Nicene leaders.
🔗 In the Nicene Creed, is the Son equal to the Father?
🔗 Is the Nicene Creed Sabellian in nature?
🔗 He is not of another substance – What does that mean?
🔗 The Trinity doctrine did not exist in 325.
🔗 Eusebius of Caesarea’s explanation of the Nicene Creed
🔗 Should a Protestant accept the Nicene Creed?
🔗 The Trinity doctrine deviates from the Nicene Creed.
🔗 What did homoousios mean to the Nicene Council?
🔗 The word Homoousios originates from Egyptian Paganism.
🔗 Homoousios was not regarded as important at Nicaea.
🔗 The Trinity doctrine deviates from the Nicene Creed.
Arianism [top]
• What is Arianism? What was its core teaching?
• After Nicaea, Arian emperors dominated the church.
• Athanasius invented Arianism.
• The Dedication Creed – AD 341
• The Macrostich (Long Lines Creed) reveals the heart of Arianism.
• Did Arians describe the Son as a creature? – MP3
• Homoian theology rejected Nicaea’s new terms.
• The Rise and Fall of the Homoiousians
• How did Arius explain John 1:1?
• How did Arians interpret Colossians 2:9?
Nicenes and Nicene Theology [top]
🔗 Athanasius was deposed for violence.
🔗 The East deposed Athanasius, but the West vindicated him.
🔗 Athanasius was a Unitarian, not a Trinitarian.
🔗 Athanasius on the Incarnation and Soteriology
🔗 The Council of Serdica (AD 343)
🔗 What did 4th-century Sabellians teach?
🔗 Athanasius’ revised explanation of the Nicene Creed
🔗 Basil of Caesarea taught three divine Beings.
🔗 The Meletian Schism – Athanasius vs. Basil of Caesarea
End of the Controversy [top]
🔗 Emperor Theodosius made Nicene theology the State Religion.
🔗 Why did Theodosius succeed in ending the Arian Controversy?
🔗 Council of Constantinople – AD 381
🔗 The creeds of 325 and 381 compared
Later Centuries [top]
🔗 The Decline and Fall of the Western Roman Empire
🔗 Why the Empire fell
🔗 After the Fall of Rome, Arianism dominated.
🔗 The Abomination of Desolation – Daniel 12:11
🔗 Arianism ended in the 6th to 8th centuries. – MP3
🔗 How the Roman State Church became the Roman Church
🔗 The Catholic Church called for the Waldensian massacres.
THE SABBATH [top]
In the Old Testament
• The Seventh Day was sanctified at Creation.
• Evolution makes the Bible’s core message null and void.
• The cycle of seven days before the time of Moses
• The Sabbath in the Ten Commandments is a Day of Rest.
• The Sabbath in the Traditions of the Elders
Jesus’ Sabbath Healing Miracles [top]
• Christ’s first two Sabbath healing miracles
• The withered hand
• The crippled woman
• The Paralytic at Bethesda
• The man born blind
Jesus’ Sabbath Teachings [top]
• The Sabbath was made for man.
• Christ deliberately contravened the traditions.
• Why they killed Jesus
• Why did Jesus perform miracles?
• What did Jesus teach about the Sabbath?
• Jesus taught a different Sabbath.
• The Law of Christ
Sabbath in the New Testament [top]
🔗 No Sabbath Commandment
🔗 Each must be fully convinced in his own mind.
🔗 The Sabbath was part of the Arian Controversy
OTHER SUBJECTS
The Law of Moses [top] |
The Law of Christ replaced the Law of Moses.
Paul argued that God’s people are no longer subject to the Law of Moses and introduced the concept of “the Law of Christ.”
The Old Testament implies that Moses’ Law would fall away.
The Law was added more than 400 years after God made His covenant with Abraham. Therefore, the Law was temporary.
Christ replaced the Law with higher standards.
Jesus did not do away with the moral commandments but replaced them with higher standards.
What is the Law of Christ?
It is God’s law as it always existed and always will exist.
Summary of the previous four articles
Sermon on the Mount [top] |
Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets.
What did Jesus mean when He said He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets? (Matt 5:17). What does “fulfill” mean, and what are the Law and the Prophets?
Objections to the previous article
This is some criticism by a reader on the previous article as well as my response.
Did the Church Council in Acts 15 contradict Jesus?
Since Jesus said nothing shall pass from the Law (Matt 5:19), why did the Church Council grant Gentiles freedom from the Law?
Sermon on the Mount
Jesus taught that people do not have immortality and that God judges people by their deeds.
Atonement – Why Jesus had to die [top] |
We are not saved because Jesus suffered, but because He remained faithful despite His extreme suffering
What does “atonement” mean?
The word does not mean to pacify God. It means a state of unity: at-one-ment.
Overview of the main theories of Atonement
To explain how Jesus’ death is the solution, we first have to understand the problem.
How this website explains Atonement
Christ died without sin, while suffering the worst possible temptations. This solved a problem in heaven.
Metaphors for Salvation
Words such as redeemed, reconciled, justified, and reconciled are metaphors and must not be taken literally.
Christ’s death enabled God’s grace.
Christ died to demonstrate that it is just of God to justify sinners by faith alone.
An explanation of the atonement to a Moslem
A brief overview of these articles
External Resources:
Graham Maxwell
Noah Worcester on atonement
Justification [top] |
God judges people by their deeds and justifies some by grace.
Nobody will be justified by the works of the law. Faith is the believer’s response to the realization that God is merciful, kind, loves us, and judges in mercy, not wishing that anyone should die.
Justification is not a mere legal process. It really changes the person.
State of the Dead [top] |
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- Are the souls under the altar in the fifth seal alive? – Read
- Do people have immortal souls? – A discussion of 1 Corinthians 15 – Read
- UCG – The Immortal Soul – An external resource – Read
- With what kind of body will the dead be resurrected? – Read
- Evidence for the Resurrection of Christ (External mp3) – Read
Eternal Torment [top] |
Will the lost be tormented for all eternity?
God will annihilate the lost.
They will not suffer eternal torment. Man was not created immortal. Immortality is a gift that only believers will receive. A time will come when evil does not exist.
The smoke of their torment will rise forever.
If God will annihilate the lost, why will the smoke of their torment rise forever? (Rev 14:9-11)
Tormented day and night forever
If God will annihilate the lost, why does it say that the lost will be tormented day and night forever and ever in the lake of fire and brimstone? (Rev 20:10, 15)
The evidence for eternal torment
When one delves deeper into the evidence for eternal torment, it becomes evidence for annihilation.
Summary of these articles
God promised to wipe away every tear from their eyes (Rev 21:4), but if our loved ones will be tormented for all eternity, we will never have joy.
Only God’s people will receive eternal life.
And they will receive it only when Christ returns.
External Resources
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- Glenn Peoples’ article, Why I am an Annihilationist – Read.
- Rethinking Hell podcasts, including:
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Why does Evil exist? [top] |
The Origin of Evil
God creates intelligent beings with the freedom to choose between good and evil. Evil arose from that freedom.
Why Satan thought he could win
A Study of the Book of Job
Who are the rulers and authorities?
Both Paul and Peter refer to them. They are supernatural beings that oppose Christ.
How did the Cross disarm the rulers and authorities? (Col 2:15)
Very Early Church History [top] |
Key events in the first few decades that transformed the church from a sect of Judaism into an independent religion:
Jerusalem Phase
After receiving the Holy Spirit, the church quickly grew but remained a Jewish sect based in Jerusalem.
Judea and Samaria phase
After the 490 years of Daniel 9 had come to an end, God dispersed the church to Judea and Samaria through persecution.
Gentile Dispute Phase
When the first Gentiles became Christians, a dispute arose about whether they must observe the Law of Moses.
Separation Phase
The church council (Acts 15 ) caused a separation between Jewish and Gentile Christians when it decided that Gentiles are not subject to the Law, while Jewish Christians continued in the Law.
Theological Implications
This history explains the disputes addressed by Paul’s letters.
Chronology
Dates for key events
Christ’s Return [top] |
When and how will Jesus return?
An analysis of the Second Coming verses in the New Testament
Christ’s Return in the Book of Revelation
The return of Christ will not be an isolated event but will be preceded and followed by a series of profound events.
What will happen at the End of the Age?
Those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake. Those who commit lawlessness will be thrown into the furnace of fire, while the righteous receive everlasting life.
Christ’s teachings of the end-time
A comparison of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21
This article presents the three chapters side by side to show the similarities and differences.
Christ promised to return soon.
Jesus said, and His disciples believed, that He would return soon. The following articles discuss specific statements where Jesus said that He will return before:
This generation passes away. (Matt 24:34)
What generation, did Jesus say, will not pass away until all these things take place?
His disciples finish going through the cities of Israel.
What does the phrase “the Son of Man comes” mean in Matt 10:23?
Some of His contemporaries would die. (Matt 16:28)
Does this refer to Christ’s physical return?
The following articles evaluate claims that Jesus’ promise to return soon was already fulfilled through:
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Was His promise to return soon fulfilled when He was resurrected and enthroned, followed by the Holy Spirit? or
The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70
Or was AD 70 merely a type of the fullest destruction at the return of Christ?
Does God delay Christ’s return?
Why did He not return in the first century as promised?
General [top] |
Christmas
Christmas was derived from the pagan feast of the birthday of the Invincible Sun.
Christianity became integrated with Paganism.
Christians, including Emperor Constantine, also worshiped pagan gods and followed pagan practices and pagan beliefs.
About Author
Since I have no formal Bible training, and since I am not part of any church group, I am free to present the truth as I understand it.
SPECIFIC BOOKS
Romans [top] |
I did this study particularly to understand what the term “Israel” means in the prophecies of Revelation.
Romans 1
God does not override human freedom. He gives evidence of Himself, but if we reject this evidence, there remains nothing that He can or will do, and He gives us up to our lusts.
Romans 2
On Judgment Day, God will justify the doers of the Law.
Romans 3:1-8
Did God reject Israel? – Read
What does the term “Israel” mean? (Romans 9-11)
The Book of Revelation often refers to Israel and her things. Romans 9 and 11 explain what Israel means.
Summary of the previous article
God elected Israel for a mission, not to save them. – Read
Recommended external podcast –
Romans 14 [top] |
The dispute was not about the Law of Moses. (Rom 14:1-4)
The term unclean does not refer to unclean animals. (Rom 14:14)
We see the same dispute in Corinthians 8 and 10.
The dispute was about ‘weak’ Christians who regarded eating meat as idol worship.
Does Romans 14 say that the weekly Sabbath is optional? (Rom 14:5-6)
It is a bit far-fetched to say that each person must decide on the day of worship. This verse must be read within its context, and the context is a dispute about eating meat. Therefore, these were probably “days” of fasting.
God will judge people by their deeds. (Rom 14:7-13)
We must not confuse “deeds” and “the works of the Law.”
Rather abstain from meat. (Rom 14:13-23)
If eating meat may cause a weaker brother to stumble, then abstain.
Galatians [top]
The letter to the Galatians describes the struggle between Paul and the Judaizing Jewish Christians early in the church’s existence.
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- 1-5 – Jesus gave Himself to rescue us.
- 6-9 – The dangerously distorted gospel
- 10-12 – Paul received his gospel from Christ.
- 13-14 – The Traditions of the Elders
- 15-24 – Overview of Galatians 1
- 2:1-10 – Circumcision
- 2:11-14 – The Circumcision Party
- 2:15-16 – Must Gentile Christians be circumcised?
- 2:17-18 – The dividing wall between Jew and Gentile
- 2:19-20 – Christians are not subject to the Law of Moses.
- 2:21 – Attempts to earn “righteousness” through the Law
- Overview Galatians 1 & 2
- 3:1-5 – The Galatians want to continue in their own power.
- 3:6-9 – Those who believe are sons of Abraham.
- 3:10-14 – No one is justified by the Law.
- 3:15-18 – Jesus Christ inherited the covenant promises.
- 3:19-25 – Christ replaced the Law as our Tutor.
- 3:26-29 – Israel no longer has a separate role in God’s plan.
- Overview Galatians 1 to 3
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Galatians – General
🔗 When was Galatians written?
🔗 What did the Galatians do wrong?
🔗 List of articles with a bit more detail
Colossians [top]
The deception in Colossians claimed to have special knowledge from supernatural sources and criticized other Christians for an inferior religion.
- 1:1-8 – The hope laid up for us in heaven
- 1:9-14 – The Father rescued us.
- 1:15-19 – The Colossian Deception
- 1:20-22 – War in heaven
- 1:23-28 – Gentiles are fellow members of the body.
- 2:1-4 – Deceivers merged the gospel with mystery religions.
- 2:5-8 – The Colossian deception was pagan philosophy.
- 2:9-10 – Christ is all we need.
- 2:11 – Circumcision without hands
- 2:11-14 – In Christ, Christians are already complete.
Cheirographon (Col 2:14-15)
🔗 Compare this verse to Ephesians 2:15.
🔗 Different translations of cheirographon
🔗 The Cheirographon is a certificate of debt.
🔗 The rulers and authorities disarmed – 2:15
Colossians 2:16
🔗 The Sabbath was not controversial in Paul’s day.
🔗 Festivals, New Moons, and Sabbaths
🔗 Are these weekly or annual Sabbaths?
🔗 Meros means “part of.”
🔗 Who are the rulers and authorities?
🔗 The Cross was a public display.
🔗 Who criticized the Sabbath-keepers?
Hebrews [top]
🔗 To become our high priest, Jesus had to suffer and die without sin.
🔗 Jesus is a better priest than the Levitical priesthood.
🔗 Christ sits on His Father’s throne, and appears before God for us.
🔗 Draw near with confidence to the throne, for Jesus is our high priest.
🔗 The Unpardonable Sin
🔗 1:1:3 – Christ’s message is superior to the Old Testament Prophets.