Is the Rapture Biblical? (Ep. 167)

In this episode, we look at some of the texts that are used to build dispensational eschatology, and see whether they are being used correctly.

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/05/is-the-rapture-biblical-ep-167-audio/

Thumbnail image by Stock Catalog on Flickr (quotecatalog.com) under CC BY 2.0

Timecodes
00:00:00 The Rapture in Scripture
00:05:54 What is Literal?
00:15:02 Revelation 20
00:20:46 Revelation 12
00:35:28 Matthew 27
00:39:37 Ezekiel 40-48
00:52:27 Romans 11
01:12:16 How Important is it?

Is the Rapture Biblical? (Ep. 167 Audio)

In this episode, we look at some of the texts that are used to build dispensational eschatology, and see whether they are being used correctly.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Antisemitism: Has God Ordained the Jewish People’s Persecution? (Ep. 166)

Antisemitism has been around for thousands of years. Starting with their conflicts with Rome and the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the restrictions against holding public office in the Byzantine empire, the Catholic church’s view for hundreds of years that the Jewish people carried blood guilt and deserved punishment for killing Jesus Christ, the violent pogroms in Russia in the late 19th and 20th century, culminating in a worldwide attitude of Jewish hatred and indifference that led to the Holocaust and the Nazi’s systematic murder of millions of Jews. But even after the 1940’s racism against the Jewish people has been acceptable in America, with Nixon blaming the Jews for his problems (with even Billy Graham saying they had a stranglehold on America that had to be broken). And now, we are seeing a rise in worldwide antisemitism again regarding Israel’s response to the terrorist attacks by Hamas with many Western nations condemning Israel and in America, college students actively protesting against Israel in support of Hamas and Palestine.

With all of this as a backdrop: in this episode, we want to understand both how antisemitism is racism that Christians should not accept or participate in and, at the same time, to understand how God, who works all things according to the counsel of his will has ordained the hatred of the Jews that exists in the world. We walk through the prophecy spoken by Moses in Deuteronomy where he explains that God will judge Israel for their unbelief and pretense of holiness, causing them to become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the nations of the earth.

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/04/antisemitism-has-god-ordained-the-jewish-peoples-persecution-ep-166-audio/

Timecodes
00:00 God’s Providence vs Commands
06:40 A Watchword and Byword
19:35 Conversion to Christianity
31:32 Lessons for the Church
36:18 Killers of Christ?
40:42 Greed Against Jews
44:48 Anti-Jew Conspiracy Theories
46:56 Dietary Laws
53:43 Nazism
58:03 Concluding Thoughts

Antisemitism: Has God Ordained the Jewish People’s Persecution? (Ep. 166 Audio)

Antisemitism has been around for thousands of years. Starting with their conflicts with Rome and the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the restrictions against holding public office in the Byzantine empire, the Catholic church’s view for hundreds of years that the Jewish people carried blood guilt and deserved punishment for killing Jesus Christ, the violent pogroms in Russia in the late 19th and 20th century, culminating in a worldwide attitude of Jewish hatred and indifference that led to the Holocaust and the Nazi’s systematic murder of millions of Jews. But even after the 1940’s racism against the Jewish people has been acceptable in America, with Nixon blaming the Jews for his problems (with even Billy Graham saying they had a stranglehold on America that had to be broken). And now, we are seeing a rise in worldwide antisemitism again regarding Israel’s response to the terrorist attacks by Hamas with many Western nations condemning Israel and in America, college students actively protesting against Israel in support of Hamas and Palestine.

With all of this as a backdrop: in this episode, we want to understand both how antisemitism is racism that Christians should not accept or participate in and, at the same time, to understand how God, who works all things according to the counsel of his will has ordained the hatred of the Jews that exists in the world. We walk through the prophecy spoken by Moses in Deuteronomy where he explains that God will judge Israel for their unbelief and pretense of holiness, causing them to become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the nations of the earth.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Betrothal vs Engagement: Why It Matters (Ep. 165)

Many people are only familiar with the idea of betrothal from the Bible (or certain kinds of romance novels). Today, in Western cultures, serious relationships begin with dating, followed by engagement, and then eventually, maybe marriage. But from a Christian perspective, betrothal is an extremely important aspect of marriage, to the point where it is central to the gospel itself.

In this episode, we want to try to explain why betrothal was built into ancient marriage practices, what it accomplished, and how it is demonstrated in Christ’s marriage to his church. We also want to discuss the different parts of betrothal that differentiate it from engagement, such as the covenant, the bride price, the commitment to the upcoming marriage, and the transfer of authority between the time of betrothal and the wedding ceremony itself. When these are misunderstood, we begin to think of the nature and purpose of marriage differently than it truly is.

We should not be deceived: marriage has been under attack for a very long time and the church needs to labor to bring it back in line with the word of God. Please join us as we discuss this very important topic..

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/04/betrothal-vs-engagement-why-it-matters-ep-165-audio/

Thumbnail image by wp paarz on Flickr under CC BY-SA 3.0

Timecodes
00:00:00 Christ and the Church
00:24:09 The Bride Price
00:36:39 Old Testament Law
00:43:24 Practical Impacts
01:06:51 What Should You Do?

Betrothal vs Engagement: Why It Matters (Ep. 165 Audio)

Many people are only familiar with the idea of betrothal from the Bible (or certain kinds of romance novels). Today, in Western cultures, serious relationships begin with dating, followed by engagement, and then eventually, maybe marriage. But from a Christian perspective, betrothal is an extremely important aspect of marriage, to the point where it is central to the gospel itself.

In this episode, we want to try to explain why betrothal was built into ancient marriage practices, what it accomplished, and how it is demonstrated in Christ’s marriage to his church. We also want to discuss the different parts of betrothal that differentiate it from engagement, such as the covenant, the bride price, the commitment to the upcoming marriage, and the transfer of authority between the time of betrothal and the wedding ceremony itself. When these are misunderstood, we begin to think of the nature and purpose of marriage differently than it truly is.

We should not be deceived: marriage has been under attack for a very long time and the church needs to labor to bring it back in line with the word of God. Please join us as we discuss this very important topic..

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Should a Christian Press Charges? (Ep. 164)

What should we do when someone who calls themselves a Christian commits a crime against us? Take theft for example. Let’s say a brother comes to you and tells you that he had $1000 stolen from him by a deacon in the church or by the teenage son of the pastor, or just by another church member. Is it wrong for him to report it to the police? What about for domestic abuse? Child abuse? Sexual abuse? The sad truth is, these things happen. And whether it’s someone that you personally thought was a Christian or not, many people struggle with how to handle this situation according to scripture.

In this episode, we want to deal with the reality of how to handle the overlapping authority between the church, the home, and the civil government and, in particular, how that works out when someone has broken the civil law but professes to be a Christian. This is an important issue, because while most Protestant churches correctly condemn the Catholic church for their handling of the child abuse scandal among priests, many Baptists, Presbyterians, and Protestants still fail to report cases of physical or sexual abuse to the God-appointed civil magistrates. This does not mean that the church should do nothing, but that the church should not usurp the authority that God has given to our civil leaders. A person can be excommunicated by the church and sentenced to death by the state for murder. The church of Jesus Christ needs to care about justice, and we need to stop believing that civil justice is not a part of God’s justice. Part of the reason why Christ was born as a man under the law, who lived a perfect life, and then was unjustly put to the death as a sacrifice for sins is because God cares about what happens in the physical realm just as much as the spiritual. Or to say it a different way, Christ’s punishment and death on the cross happened physically and also had spiritual ramifications. When the church forgets that God is Lord over all things, that he appoints rulers, commands justice, and causes mercy to come to pass, we start to preach and live a gospel that denies the truth of God’s word. Please join us as we discuss this very important topic.

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/04/should-a-christian-press-charges-ep-164-audio/

Thumbnail image by wp paarz on Flickr under CC BY-SA 3.0

Timecodes
00:00:00 Jurisdictions
00:07:09 Forgiveness
00:15:36 Pressing Charges
00:19:13 Overlapping Authorities
00:26:20 True Repentance
00:33:33 Grace in Punishment
00:36:01 Exceptions
00:42:20 Domestic Abuse
00:48:44 Protecting God’s Name
00:52:50 Fleshly Punishments
01:01:26 Exposing Darkness
01:17:27 Civil Lawsuits

Should a Christian Press Charges? (Ep. 164 Audio)

What should we do when someone who calls themselves a Christian commits a crime against us? Take theft for example. Let’s say a brother comes to you and tells you that he had $1000 stolen from him by a deacon in the church or by the teenage son of the pastor, or just by another church member. Is it wrong for him to report it to the police? What about for domestic abuse? Child abuse? Sexual abuse? The sad truth is, these things happen. And whether it’s someone that you personally thought was a Christian or not, many people struggle with how to handle this situation according to scripture.

In this episode, we want to deal with the reality of how to handle the overlapping authority between the church, the home, and the civil government and, in particular, how that works out when someone has broken the civil law but professes to be a Christian. This is an important issue, because while most Protestant churches correctly condemn the Catholic church for their handling of the child abuse scandal among priests, many Baptists, Presbyterians, and Protestants still fail to report cases of physical or sexual abuse to the God-appointed civil magistrates. This does not mean that the church should do nothing, but that the church should not usurp the authority that God has given to our civil leaders. A person can be excommunicated by the church and sentenced to death by the state for murder. The church of Jesus Christ needs to care about justice, and we need to stop believing that civil justice is not a part of God’s justice. Part of the reason why Christ was born as a man under the law, who lived a perfect life, and then was unjustly put to the death as a sacrifice for sins is because God cares about what happens in the physical realm just as much as the spiritual. Or to say it a different way, Christ’s punishment and death on the cross happened physically and also had spiritual ramifications. When the church forgets that God is Lord over all things, that he appoints rulers, commands justice, and causes mercy to come to pass, we start to preach and live a gospel that denies the truth of God’s word. Please join us as we discuss this very important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson

Triumph Not Rapture: Nebuchadnezzar’s Remarkable Dream (Ep. 164)

Many Christians believe the Bible teaches that everything in the world will get worse and worse and then Christ will suddenly rapture his church away before pouring out his judgment on Israel and his enemies. But In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream lays out when, how, and why Christ’s kingdom would begin before going on to triumph over all of Christ’s enemies, and God’s explanation does not involve the failure of the church or its rapture away to heaven.

We start out by making some pretty strong statements about the rapture. Not only is the teaching of a pre-tribulation rapture of the church wrong, going against the clear teaching of scripture, but it also causes real harm to the church and teaches a theology that Christ’s atonement and the power it bestowed upon the church by the sending of the Holy Spirit fails to constrain sin and overcome and destroy the works of the devil. Not only does the teaching of the rapture mislead the church into ignoring the awesome scope and grandeur of the Great Commission(make disciples of the nations, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded), but many use the failure that it teaches as an excuse to justify their own sin and carnality.

In this episode, we want to look at a number of the verses where scripture explains most clearly what God is doing in the world; how, why, and when Christ’s kingdom will be established; and what it will accomplish in the world. While we will look at many verses, much of our time will be spent in Daniel 2, unpacking Daniel’s interpretation of the dream that God gave to King Nebuchadnezzar. This dream and its interpretation explain much of God’s design for the end times and the glorious triumph of Christ, his bride the church, and his kingdom of which there will be no end. Please join us as we discuss this very important topic.

Listen to the audio version here: https://theconqueringtruth.com/2024/04/triumph-not-rapture-nebuchadnezzars-remarkable-dream-ep-164-audio/

Timecodes
00:00:00 Why People Love the Rapture
00:07:39 Christ’s Victory
00:25:15 Babylon – Idolatry
00:36:32 Medes and Persians – Hedonism
00:50:56 Greeks – Worship of Knowledge
01:00:40 Rome – Worship of Law
01:11:15 What Can We Do?

Triumph Not Rapture: Nebuchadnezzar’s Remarkable Dream (Ep. 164 Audio)

Many Christians believe the Bible teaches that everything in the world will get worse and worse and then Christ will suddenly rapture his church away before pouring out his judgment on Israel and his enemies. But In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream lays out when, how, and why Christ’s kingdom would begin before going on to triumph over all of Christ’s enemies, and God’s explanation does not involve the failure of the church or its rapture away to heaven.

We start out by making some pretty strong statements about the rapture. Not only is the teaching of a pre-tribulation rapture of the church wrong, going against the clear teaching of scripture, but it also causes real harm to the church and teaches a theology that Christ’s atonement and the power it bestowed upon the church by the sending of the Holy Spirit fails to constrain sin and overcome and destroy the works of the devil. Not only does the teaching of the rapture mislead the church into ignoring the awesome scope and grandeur of the Great Commission(make disciples of the nations, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded), but many use the failure that it teaches as an excuse to justify their own sin and carnality.

In this episode, we want to look at a number of the verses where scripture explains most clearly what God is doing in the world; how, why, and when Christ’s kingdom will be established; and what it will accomplish in the world. While we will look at many verses, much of our time will be spent in Daniel 2, unpacking Daniel’s interpretation of the dream that God gave to King Nebuchadnezzar. This dream and its interpretation explain much of God’s design for the end times and the glorious triumph of Christ, his bride the church, and his kingdom of which there will be no end. Please join us as we discuss this very important topic.

Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts – Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director – Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music – Gabriel Hudelson