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Dec 2023 4 Dec 4, 2023

Christmas, for some, can be an especially discouraging time of year. One often hears of those suffering from “seasonal depression” or the “holiday blues” as they contemplate the loss of a loved one, a failed marriage, unemployment and the financial pressure of being unable to provide gifts for their family, or perhaps a child who simply won’t come home. But I have good news for you today! You have a reason to rejoice that far exceeds the co...Read More

Nov 2023 27 Nov 27, 2023
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Not many of you living in the U.S. will recognize the name of David Pytches. But those in the U.K. certainly will. David died on Tuesday last week, November 21. So, if he is relatively unknown here in the states, why am I acknowledging his passing? There are two reasons for this article. First, David was a massively influential figure in the emergence and development of charismatic Christianity in the U.K. He was a Bishop of the Anglican communion and former Bishop of ...Read More

Nov 2023 20 Nov 20, 2023
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In light of recent events in Israel, I was asked to address the question of the timing of the rapture. Let me say up front that I don’t believe there is any clear connection between what is happening in Israel and Gaza and the return of Christ. That said, here is a section from my book, Kingdom Come, that focuses on the primary text to which many appeal in defense of a pretribulation translation of all living saints. In defense of their doctrine, pretribulationist...Read More

Nov 2023 13 Nov 13, 2023
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What is it about Jesus that makes him worthy of your adoration and praise? What is it about Jesus that makes him irresistibly attractive? Why is he alone worthy of your whole-hearted allegiance and love? Consider the portrait of Jesus in symbolic language. In Revelation 5:5 he is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” but in Revelation 5:6 is also portrayed as the “Lamb” who had been slain, though now standing, because alive. So, which is he? B...Read More

Nov 2023 6 Nov 6, 2023

On what basis do we claim that the 27 books in our NT constitute the final and authoritative “canon” of Scripture? The best treatment of this issue and answer to our question is provided by Michael Kruger in his book, Canon Revisited (Crossway). One view is that the canon is something determined by the Christian community, either individually or corporately. Thus, canonicity is not something inherent to any group of books but is something officially or autho...Read More

Nov 2023 1 Nov 1, 2023
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Today is the final installment in my point-by-point response to the film, Cessationist. I hope you have enjoyed and been edified by these fifteen articles. Let me say once again what I said at the start. I welcome any and all responses by cessationists who believe my interpretation of the biblical text is mistaken. Until now, the responses I’ve received are little more than ad hominem attacks against either me or some flamboyant and theologically misguided charisma...Read More

Oct 2023 30 Oct 30, 2023
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In this article I’ll briefly address three issues that came up in the film. First, at one point in the film Justin Peters criticizes prophetic ministry by asserting that all charismatic prophets “failed to prophesy Covid coming.” He evidently thinks that this discredits the reality of prophetic ministry in our day. But where did he ever get the idea that a person could prophesy at will? The reason no one prophesied the coming of the Covid pandemic is s...Read More

Oct 2023 27 Oct 27, 2023

A primary target of the cessationists in this film is the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. As is true of virtually all cessationists, they insist that all tongues speech is a human language spoken somewhere in the world but unknown to the one who has received this gift. Of course, this is undoubtedly what we find in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. But why must we assume that Acts 2 sets the standard for what all tongues speech should be? Is there evidence elsewhere...Read More

Oct 2023 25 Oct 25, 2023
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On several occasions in the film, reference is made to the incident recorded in Acts 21. Cessationists typically insist that Agabus was correct in his prophetic word about Paul. Let’s look at the text. And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on...Read More

Oct 2023 23 Oct 23, 2023

Yet another argument in the film, “Cessationist,” is that when miracles or revelatory gifts occurred, they were always performed in the presence of apostles. People other than the apostles were empowered to exercise miraculous gifts only because the apostles themselves laid their hands on them. Since there are no apostles today, those gifts associated with them have ceased. Does the NT actually say this? Is there a verse in the NT that says one can only perf...Read More