Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 51 Gary answers a commenter who claims that 2 Thessalonians 2 refers to the need for a rebuilt (third) temple in our future. God’s presence was a sign of blessing because of Israel’s special covenantal status (Isa. 55:3; Jer. 1:19) and His departure was a sign of judgment, neither of which were physical. For the nations, God’s presence was a sign of judg [...]
A popular brief that ends up disengaging Christians from applying God’s Word to every area of life in a way that would realize long-term change is the belief that we are at the point in history that the end is near. We’re repeatedly told that the world is in such bad shape that our only hope is the “rapture of the church” or some other end-time event that is always on the immediate horizon. [...]
Gary responds to an interview clip from a state representative from Texas named James Talarico, who claims abortion is compatible with the Bible. In simple terms, a Christian Reconstructionist is anyone who believes that the Bible applies in some way to issues beyond personal salvation. Do you believe that the Bible has some very direct instructions on how a pre-born baby ought to be treated and t [...]
“Just preach the gospel.” How many times have you heard pastors and critics of social and political action scold Christians concerned about the moral direction the church is taking for mixing the gospel with politics? The gospel is more than a life insurance program or a “Get Out of Hell Free” card. It is to transform everything we think about and act on. There is no neutrality or areas that are o [...]
Gary discusses the newest book project for American Vision: The Great Debate: Does God Exist? Because of the great success of modern scientific and technological achievement, Western civilization has tended to discount metaphysical questions. Instead, our mind-set is more toward the sense-oriented, empirical scientific method. You must recognize this default bias of modern man because you need to [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 50 Gary discusses a short video clip by John MacArthur regarding the chronology of the book of Revelation. Perhaps the leading interpretive principle for understanding any document can be summarized in three words: “Context. Context. Context.” Before we arrive at Revelation 1:7 upon opening John’s book, we must pass through verses 1 and 3. And as we have [...]
American Vision runs ads on Facebook for several products. The topic of America’s Christian history and heritage gets the most vitriolic response. It’s obvious that most of those who comment have a skewed version of history. This is not surprising given how our nation’s public schools (1) don’t mention America’s Christian background except the statement by Thomas Jefferson about the separation of [...]
Gary answers a question that we get often: “If so much of the New Testament is fulfilled, now what do we do?” In the book The 1980’s: Countdown to Armageddon, prophecy writer Hal Lindsey wrote, “The decade of the 1980’s could very well be the last decade of history as we know it.” How long and wrong can prophetic speculation go on before a cultural collapse takes place? What a person b [...]
Matthew 7:1 (“Judge not…”) is the favorite NT verse of atheists and always taken out of its immediate context (see vv. 2-5 and John 7:24). Cherry picked passages from the Old Testament come in a close second. Chip Gaines judged Christians for judging their show’s normalization of homosexuality and homosexual marriage and adoption. Their show’s episode should have gotten as much [...]
Gary discusses the recent controversy with Chip and Joanna Gaines’ new show and homosexuality. Paul teaches elsewhere that all men—even pagans who do not love God and do not have the advantage of the written oracles of God (cf. Rom. 3:1-2)—nevertheless know the just requirements of God’s law. They know what God, the Creator, requires of them. They know it from the created order (1:18-2 [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 49 Gary responds to a challenge issued to him on Facebook about the great tribulation and the “end times.” St. Paul tells Timothy, “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ” (I Timothy 4:6). The members of Timothy’s congregation needed to know about what would take place in th [...]
A documentary film called 1946 claims that the 1946 Revised Standard Version translation imported the word “homosexuality” into the Bible when the New Testament does not use the word “homosexual.” Someone brought up this argument regarding Joanna and Chip Gaines and their defense of having a homosexual couple on their new show. “[A] translational error caused the word homosexual to be added to the [...]
Gary revisits a topic he discussed a few months back about churches and pastors making political endorsements. In the Georgia General Assembly Unannotated code the following instructions are given to the state’s archivist: “Encourage the study of historical documents including but not limited to those which reflect our National Motto, the Declaration of Independence, the Ten Commandments, the Cons [...]
The year 2025 is the 100th anniversary of the Scope’s Trial. Mark A. Noll’s review [1] of Garry Wills’ Under God: Religion and American Politics forced me to look at Wills’ perspective on the infamous Scopes Trial. Most of what America knows of the Scopes “Monkey” Trial held in Dayton, Tennessee, in 1925, comes from the fictionalized stage play and screen version titled Inherit the Wind.[2] Willia [...]
Gary responds to a video clip of Bart Ehrman about various laws from Leviticus. All of life is ethical, and all of the Bible is permeated with a concern for ethics. Unlike the organization of an encyclopedia, our Bible was not written in such a way that it devotes separate sections exclusively to various topics of interest. Hence the Bible does not contain one separate, self-contained book or chap [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 48 Gary deals with recent claims of what or who the “antichrist” is and how 666 fits in. The antichrist of today’s speculative theology combines the characteristics of Daniel’s “prince who is to come” and other features from the book of Daniel (9:26; 7:7-8, 19-26; 8:23-25); elements from Matthew and Daniel’s “abomination of desolation” (Matt. [...]
Raphael Warnock is a United States Senator from the state of Georgia. He was also a minister at an Atlanta church. He had this to say about the BBB: “We’re taking away health care from kids and then burdening them with the debt. We are engaged in Robin Hood in reverse, this body of stealing from the poor in order to give to the rich. This massive transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top. [...]
Gary discusses a few “contradictions” commonly pointed out by critics. The Bible is literature. God speaks to us in words and themes that can be understood. Not all literature can be interpreted in the same way. Some will claim that the Bible must be interpreted literally. But what does that mean? There are always caveats. Does a dragon really mean a dragon? Should you really pluck out [...]
“A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them.” — P. J. O’Rourke The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has been widely criticized by Democrats and Leftist groups as a “reverse Robin Hood” policy that disproportionately benefits the wealthy while cutting essential support for lower-income Americans. “The top 1 percent of taxpayers paid a 23.1 [...]
Gary comments on several recent news items, including a real head-scratcher. The Christian worldview does not simply differ with the unbelieving worldview at some points, but absolutely conflicts with it across the board on all points. The unbelievers’ “‘epistemology is informed by their ethical hostility to God,’ as Van Til said. Thus, Van Til held that there are no main points, systematically ba [...]
