Revelations/What Is the Right Way to Read Revelation?/FINAL BLOG OF THE YEAR!

So, we’re talking about Revelation today. That’s… great, I suppose. Revelation, if you didn’t know already (don’t know why you wouldn’t) is about the end times. The book is riddled in a heavy amount of symbolism and metaphors. The problem is, no one is quite sure what the writer exactly meant when he was writing this. There are many ways to interpret this book, but they are all so different that they can’t all be right. Before I tell you which I think is right, let’s look at what the core beliefs are:

   

   1)      Futurism= If you live in the U.S., there is a high likelihood that you believe this one. Essentially, the futurist believes that everything described in Revelation is going to happen in the future. These people generally believe in premillennialism, or that we are in an age before the 1,000-year reign of Christ.

   

   2)      Preterism= Taking a completely opposite view of Revelation is preterism. Preterists believe that the events in Revelation happened in 70 A.D. when the Jerusalem fell. It should be noted that there are two different kinds of preterism: full preterism and partial preterism. Full preterists believe that all of the events in Revelation have already happened, including the second coming. This is, of course, heresy, and we shouldn’t listen to them. Partial preterists believe that all of the events happened in 70 A.D. up to the second coming, and we are still waiting for that.

   

   3)      Historicism= This seems to be a slightly different version of preterism. Historicists believe that the events described in Revelation have been progressively happening over the years. They tend to believe in amillenialism, the belief that there is no millennium, and that it’s just a metaphor.

   

   4)      Idealists= The idealist view is the only one that doesn’t treat Revelation as literal events that are going to happen. Well, that is, they believe that the events are already happening in our lives. All of this stuff Revelation talks about happens as temptation and normal events.

Out of all of these, I believe in Historicism. I think it makes the most sense, and it gives a good explanation of what they were talking about. As a member of historicism, I think that we have seen the book of Revelation being fulfilled before our eyes as time goes on. The four horses could have represented the plagues of the middle ages, and the events of the book are still progressing.

Do you disagree? Type it in the comments below! It will be the last time, because it’s THE FINAL BLOG OF THE YEAR! HALELUGAH! 

John on the Topic of Love

John’s letters are among the most beloved of all the letters of the Bible. And in case you didn’t catch what I did there, John’s letters have a lot to do with love.

In his first letter, John says that loving others means that we love the Father and know him. Those who love their brothers “abides in the light,” but “he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” John’s message here is clear: love your brothers in the church and elsewhere.

In John’s second letter, he is addressing an elect lady and her children. He emphasizes to her that they keep the commandment they had from the beginning: “that we love one another.”

In John’s third letter, he writes to Gaius a brother in Christ and a dear friend. He thanks him for donating to missionaries and for strangers. He warns against loving oneself and giving in to pride, however, and gives Diotrephes as an example of this. He gives Demetrius as a man with good testimony, and they should know this.

John’s version of love is different than our own. He insists that we love each other as brothers in Christ. The modern version of love is varied and can mean very different things. However, John’s version of love is specific. We are to love each other as brothers. We are not to hate each other, or we lose sight of God Himself.

Well, that’s it for this edition of Villager News—I mean, that’s it for this blog. If you have any comments, put them below.

Tough Questions.

So who is Jesus? For many ages and years, many people have taken this question and tried to answer it. For many different religions and cults, Jesus could be many different things. He could be a great prophet. He could be the biggest heretic in history. He could even be a dinosaur-riding BOSS (Actually, ignore that last one).

But the question is only even more confusing for people who have never really heard in depth of who Jesus is. The problem is made even more confusing by the lingo we Christians use. They can ask questions like: “The Trinity?”, “I don’t get the roles of the three guys…”, “Is God more powerful than Jesus?” etc. And as Christians we are supposed to be able to answer these questions. In truth though, most of us haven’t spent that much time asking ourselves these questions and we don’t often have good answers.

When people ask though, I think I can give a few answers. “Who is more powerful, Jesus or God?” The answer is complicated, but here’s the gist of it: they are one and the same. They are part of the Trinity, which also includes the Holy Spirit. They all have a part to play, and they are all one God (Honestly, this is more confusing than the Zelda Timeline). So, neither is more powerful than the other. “How did he exist before Creation?” He has existed outside of time, far back and far into the future.

That’s all for this week. Feel free to leave any comments.

What I Believe

                So, what are the essentials of Christianity? I mean, really, what are the essentials? Most Christians would just laugh and say that they already know. But, many things contradict within other people’s beliefs. Take these opinions for example:

            THE APOSTLE'S CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

Creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

Born of the Virgin Mary,

Suffered under Pontius Pilate,

Was crucified, died, and was buried;

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

He ascended into heaven,

He is seated at the right hand of the Father,

And he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

The holy Catholic Church,

The communion of saints,

The forgiveness of sins,

The resurrection of the body,

And the life everlasting.

Amen.

GREG KOUKL'S ESSENTIAL DOCTRINES

"The six essential doctrines would be:  the Trinity, the deity and humanity of Christ, the bodily resurrection, man's fallenness and guilt, salvation by grace through faith by the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ, and belief that Jesus is the Messiah.  And you have a seventh doctrine that strikes me as a functional necessity, that is the ultimate authority of Scripture without which none of the other truths can be affirmed or asserted with confidence."

NORMAN GEISLER'S ESSENTIAL DOCTRINES (ONE and TWO)

"The list of essential Christian doctrines that emerge from the early creeds and councils includes (1)human depravity, (2)Christ’s virgin birth, (3)Christ’s sinlessness, (4)Christ’s deity, (5)Christ’s humanity, (6)God’s unity, (7)God’s triunity, (8)the necessity of God’s grace, (9)the necessity of faith, (10)Christ’s atoning death, (11)Christ’s bodily resurrection, (12)Christ’s bodily ascension, (13)Christ’s present high priestly service, and (14)Christ second coming, final judgment (heaven and hell), and reign. All of these are necessary for salvation to be possible in the broad sense, which includes justification, sanctification, and glorification.

It is not necessary, however, to believe all of these to be saved (justified). The minimum necessary to believe in order to be saved is: (1)human depravity, (3)Christ’s sinlessness, (4)Christ’s deity, (5)Christ’s humanity, (6)God’s unity, (7)God’s triunity, (8)the necessity of God’s grace, (9)the necessity of faith, (10)Christ’s atoning death, and (11)Christ’s bodily resurrection."

(By the way, thank you Mr. Robertson for putting these up on your wall.)

                This can be very confusing. Norman believes that you have to believe at least 11 of 14 core Christian beliefs to be considered a Christian, while Greg believes that there are six essential doctrines to Christianity. And the Apostle’s Creed says even more of what a Christian should believe. They contradict and complement each other in several areas.

                If I was to walk into a new church and hear how the virgin birth never happened, for example, I would be shocked, because that is one of my core beliefs, and what I believe to be an essential part of the Bible. I probably would just leave and go back to my old church that justifies Mary’s virgin birth.

                And that’s just one of my beliefs. This is my list of essentials for Christian beliefs:

-We are all sinners.

-Jesus came to save us from our sins.

-Jesus was crucified on the cross (By the way, did you know that was a swear word in ancient times? Man, how times have changed.)

-Jesus resurrected on the third day after his death.

-We are to spread his gospel across the world and spread his message.

-We are not and will not be gods ourselves.

-Jesus loves us, but will discipline us like a father disciplines his children.

                That is what I believe.

                That’s all for this blog. If you have any questions, post them below. Now, if you don't mind, I'll go watch the last few minutes of A.D. Man, I love that show...

James and the dangers of riches

                There are several themes in the Book of James. For instance, James talks about the most popular theme in the book “Faith without Works Is Dead.” However, there is another theme in the book that everyone glosses over: The parts where James seems to be slandering rich people. Why is he doing this, and is there anything we can take from it? Let’s look at how James addresses these people:

                James 2:1-7

                “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?”

                The way he describes the rich in this chapter seems rather scolding and extremely harsh. The reason he seems to hate the rich people is because of what they've been doing. They are extremely corrupt, and most of them are abusing their rights to get the poor people under their control. They promise payment and never deliver. They force others to work for them with false promises of payment. They have been corrupted by the power that their money brings. And, according to James, they aren't going to get away with it.

                What can we pull away from this? Money corrupts many if not all hearts. We need to be careful with these kinds of things. As the famous Mr. Robertson once said:

“Absolute power corrupts, and power corrupts absolutely.”

                That’s all for this blog. If you want to say your own opinion on this passage, put it in the comments below.

1 Timothy/ Should women get a head position in a church? Controversy...

In last week’s class, we (tried to) discuss if a church should even be structured, how it needs to be structured, and, most controversial, if a woman should have a high position in the church.

I think a church should be structured with the more traditional route, you know, with the pastor, the elders and such. Otherwise, we might end up in an organization like the Quakers. Sitting in one place for hours on end, waiting for someone to preach and finally dismiss us? No thanks! But that answer doesn’t deal with things like Bible studies, small groups, and even “house church.”

I guess that house church could and would count as an actual church because there is someone in charge and there is a message being brought to the people. However, a Bible study should remain a Bible study, and it should not be considered “church”.  What should count as a church is an organization with strong leaders, strong members, and a healthy reputation.

And I honestly don’t see a problem with women being at the head of the church. If you read just this verse, it just sounds plain and simple:

“¹² I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.”

        (1 Timothy 2:12)

But here’s the full passage:

^“8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; ⁹ likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, ¹⁰ but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. ¹¹ Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. ¹² I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve; ¹⁴ and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. ¹⁵ Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”

He is telling them to “learn quietly with all submissiveness”, meaning he is merely wishing them to learn beside the men. And if you think the other passages are still directed towards all women, in this letter Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus. The women in Ephesus were used to being dominant over the men, so the “gold and pearls” were disrupting the services and making them seem higher than everyone else. Paul is putting this notion to rest and getting the equilibrium back in order.

That’s all I have for this blog. Type down your comments before Freddy gets ya! Do it. Do it. Do it.

Ephesians/Revised Blog

Author's note: The blog was for some reason botched in the previous week. That is why this was written.

Welcome back to The Nooby Genius, voted blog of the year, in the year 20XX. 

So, in Ephesians we Paul writing to, well the Ephesians. In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul says:

 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:4-6)

“What makes this verse so special?” you might ask. Well, for the sake of all of you readers, this verse has the words: “Chosen”, “Predestined”, and “His Will”. Why do these verses matter and why do they make these rather insignificant verses the subject of this blog? Because they have split the church in two different directions: Calvinism and Arminianism, with Calvinism supporting Predestination and God choosing us, and Arminianism supporting free will. I personally believe that we choose God, but that He determines our course, so I’m a mix of both (kind of confusing). However, for the sake of this blog, I will be supporting Arminianism.

Greg Boyd makes the following case against Calvinism:

1.  One must believe to be saved. Whoever believes is saved.

2.  Human beings are moral agents, and are responsible for their sins. God does not program what our decisions are.

3.  God doesn't always get what he wants from humanity. Because of our moral agency, things happen that God does not prefer. Hell is a testimony of this fact.

4.  God is love. God loves every person. God’s loving nature is incompatible with Calvinistic election.

He also makes a good point on how predestination is a corporate and not an individual thing, with “us” meaning Jews, and “you” in other verses meaning the Gentiles.  Therefore, he chooses all of us, but only some answer the call.