Reformed Blogging

It's been some time since I paid John 6:66 some attention. Try to notice that the verse is from Chapter 6 and it is verse 66. You get the number 666 which is the number of the Beast. Though Psalm 66:6 doesn't have a negative message. Isaiah 66:6 talks about the LORD's judgment on His enemies. In this case, the Apostle John wrote the verse that really seems to show the upcoming apostasy. However, take note that Stephen Langton created the chapters and verse system. Later on, John Wycliffe used the chapter pattern from Langton. This helped us find the verse so easily. Was it a deliberate attempt to link 666 in Revelation to John 6:66? It seems like it or it isn't. But what we can't deny is that John 6:66 addresses the negative message with the crowd. There were some members in the crowd who went to Jesus, not because of the miracles but because they were fed. They were shallow seekers (John 6:26-27). It's part of the Bread of Life Discourse in verses 22-59. There...

I remembered one of the greatest concerns I had back then as a newly-saved Christian (and still having mixed opinions on my former religion, Roman Catholicism) was the concern that the Church will pass through the Tribulation. I remembered I told the pastor who first shared to me the Gospel that I was worried about the coming of the Antichrist. A classmate of mine said if I'm saved then I don't need to worry about it. Then later, there are the teachings of the post-Tribulation Rapture which won't easily fit into the Millennial Kingdom era, unless you believe in the Amillennial View, which for me is just senseless. As I was reading Matthew, Matthew 24 talks about the signs of the times. One of the doctrinal footnotes in the chapter from the KJV Study Bible is about the "Character of the Great Tribulation". These words are indeed truly frightening to think about: The scriptural representations of the Great Tribulation are wholly negative with no attempt to minimize ...

Matthew 7:21-23 really is a grim reality. I don't think that Matthew 25's sheep and goats judgments happens at the Great White Throne. Rather, Matthew 7:21-23 happens in the Great White Throne. Jesus gave a warning that not all who call Him, "Lord, Lord" will enter the Kingdom of Heaven except those that do the will of His Father in Heaven. What is the will of the Father? John 6:40 says that the will of the Father is to believe in Him who was sent. The evidence of this belief is in a changed life. Now, we need to consider the context of these three verses. These three verses are often used by the eternal security crowd to suggest that you can lose your salvation. However, far from it, as I would discuss why I believe Matthew 7:21-23 addresses that if you're saved then you're always saved while it attaches a warning against fake converts. Matthew 7:22 shows us the arrogance and dishonesty of these people. What always disturbed me was why are people in Hell no l...

The study of facts and figures will point to the Bible. History, mathematics, and science are all essential to understanding life itself. A study of geography and Zechariah 14:4 would help understand how one day, the prophecy set in Zechariah 14:4 will eventually come true at the Battle of Armageddon towards the End of the World. It was said that a resort was once planned to be opened on the Mount of Olives until they discovered that a fault line was there in 1964. It wouldn't be an ideal place to build a resort on top of a faultline!  The Jerusalem Post also shares the following information that reveals how dangerous it is to have earthquakes near the Mount of Olives: Reports indicate that about 300 homes were destroyed including one on the Mount of Olives that killed four small children . Nablus was the most heavily hit area, having the highest death toll of over 150 and 250 injured. The quake destroyed some 300 buildings in the city including the Mosque of Victory. Matthew 24:7...

The Bible seems to contradict itself again. Revelation gives us the final reign of the Antichrist to last for 1,260 days for the Great Tribulation (Revelation 11:3). We can read in Daniel 12:11-12 that there will be the 1,290 days of the Abomination of Desolation. I decided to read through Got Questions' article " Why do Daniel and Revelation give varying counts of 1,260, 1,290, and 1,335 days for the tribulation? " to get the following information:  The 1,260 days of the second half of the tribulation begins as the Antichrist breaks the treaty, occupies the third Jewish temple, and sets up a profane and sacrilegious object of worship. This 1,260-day period ends when the Antichrist is defeated at the battle of Armageddon upon Jesus’ return to earth. At that time, the tribulation will be at an end. Daniel 12:11 mentions 1,290 days, however, which is 30 days more than the second half of the tribulation. Different ideas have been put forward to explain what happens in those ...

Prophecies tend to be communicated in symbols. Daniel, in the Old Testament, manages to highlight the use of symbolism to interpret future events. It's very easy to say, "You're just assigning the names of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome to the four beasts." However, a study of Daniel (and world history) can show how the four pieces tend to fit together. It seems that there are the typology and the current fulfillment of prophecy. We can read Daniel 2, Daniel 7, and Daniel 8 which contains the visions of the four empires. Each one of them is connected to the other.  I. Daniel 2's interpretation of the four kingdoms Daniel 2:36-45 tells us the meaning of the dream as follows: 36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. 37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the...

Granted, today is Palm Sunday and it commemorates the entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. The Passover lamb is also entered into Jerusalem to be presented without blemish. Jesus entered into Jerusalem where He would soon be crucified on that Good Friday and die for the sins of mankind at 3 P.M. - the exact time when the Passover lamb was slain so He can become the final sacrifice. Yet, one of the many ideas that still baffle me is the return of animal sacrifices during Jesus' thousand-year temporal rule before the Eternal Kingdom begins. The Bible scatters ideas of the Millennial Kingdom all throughout. Revelation provides very little information about the Millennial Kingdom in contrast to the Old Testament prophets. I believe it was done purposely so Christians will continue to search the Scriptures. Verses regarding the return of animal sacrifices are found in Isaiah 56:6-8, Jeremiah 33:15-18, and Zechariah 14:16. Ezekiel 40-43 discusses the upcoming Millennial Kingdom...

Ezekiel 34 starts off with an introduction about the worthless shepherds. These words are indeed very condemning towards the spiritual status of the shepherds of Israel: And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the LORD God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. 4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. 5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered throu...

Studying through Isaiah got me into the doctrinal footnote called apocalyptic language. The footnote of the "King James Study Bible" can be found in Isaiah 24 which Isaiah 24-27 and 34-35 deal with apocalyptic language. The Old Testament prophets such as Daniel (Daniel 7-12), Ezekiel (Ezekiel 38-39), and Zechariah (Zechariah 10-12) all deal with the apocalyptic language before the human incarnation of Christ or BC. The Book of Revelation was soon written years after the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ in the flesh ended and John was a very old man. A very interesting note is that the Greek word for revelation is apokálypsi (αποκάλυψη) . When people speak of the apocalypse - they speak of the end of the world. The word apocalyptic refers to the ultimate destiny of the world or foreboding imminent disaster or impending doom. Isaiah, as a prophet, was speaking of apocalyptic prophecies (which he also spoke of what may be the Millennium Kingdom in Isaiah 11) way before Daniel sp...

I'm amazed at how Christian bookstores have some discernment issues to do. It's not just the selling books by Joel Osteen but also by John Hagee . At first, Hagee seems to be a normal preacher and a man of God. However, Hagee ends up in several bizarre theologies one way or another. One is the dual covenant theology which denies the Jews' need for Jesus. The idea that Jews don't need Jesus is utterly foolish . Jesus preached to the Jews their need for salvation. If that were true then John 8:44 wouldn't be true? Jesus was calling unsaved Jews as children of the Devil. Several unsaved Jews were also inventors of evil things proving that Jews too need Jesus to be saved from their sins. Yet, Hagee himself denies that. Any unsaved Jew is heading straight for Hell with any unsaved Gentile! Now, we've got Hagee with his latest sermon called "Coronavirus: Dress Rehearsal for the New World Order". This is really no better than the fundamentalist insanity broug...

The Great White Throne Judgment is a very scary topic. I was thinking of the reality of this trial. I was thinking about the time when I used to read Chick Tracts and one of the tracts was called "The Star". Although I no longer subscribe to Chick Publications - the tract itself had some good material. Now, it's time to consider the verses that talk about the Great White Throne Judgment! Revelation 20:11-15  11 And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 ...

It's a tricky subject to deal with the millennium not especially if you're someone who believes that futurism is a Jesuit invention. I always found it stupid that futurism tends to get associated with Francisco Ribera as a deliberate attempt to distract people from the Papal Antichrist. The idea that the millennium is now and that Satan is supposedly bound with a very long chain is hard to imagine. Some can say that Satan is on a leash and that God gives the latter a long one. I can't really buy that idea because remember it's stated that Satan will be locked up in a bottomless pit. Locked up meaning that he is in prison. He doesn't get in and get out anytime. Plus, how many years have passed since Jesus made His earthly ministry. It's 2020 A.D. and a millennium is a thousand years. If Iconbusters' historicist view is to be followed then we've barely covered a millennium - at least according to them! So why is there the need for the millennium? It...