Is the World Getting Better or Worse?
Is the world going to hell in a handbasket? Bill Guerrant shares the truth about the “good old days” and where we stand now in terms of poverty, war, and the evils present in the world today.
Is the world going to hell in a handbasket? Bill Guerrant shares the truth about the “good old days” and where we stand now in terms of poverty, war, and the evils present in the world today.
Contrary to how some read 1 Corinthians 15, the spiritual body is about source of empowerment, not quality of material. Watch this Seven Minute Seminary video from Ben Witherington III as he critiques views on the spiritual body that pass over the resurrection.
What should Christians believe about heaven, hell, and purgatory? Jerry Walls’ recent work on the last things is a fascinating exploration into some of the deepest realms of Christian thought. Check out the review by Drew McIntyre today on the blog.
Contrary to popular notions about disembodied eternal existence, the Christian hope is grounded in Jesus Christ’s resurrection, which is a foreshadowing of what the church will share in as well. Watch Matt O’Reilly in this Seven Minute Seminary explain the Christian afterlife.
How does prophecy work? Does it tell us in detail the timing of key future events? In this Seven Minute Seminary episode, Dr. Ben Witherington explains the difference between “forth-telling” and “foretelling,” and suggests that God reveals enough about the future to give us hope, but not enough to not require faith in our every day lives.
In his new ebook, Omar Rikabi argues that Left Behind theology needs to be left behind! Read this great primer on the origins of rapture theology and a short biblical critique.
Who is the Beast of Revelation 13, which is sometimes conflated with the term “antichrist” from John’s epistles? In this Seven Minute Seminary video, Dr. Ben Witherington responds with important Bible background, suggesting that there is good reason to think it referred to a Roman emperor.
Does Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4 teach the Rapture? Last week Ben Witherington shared on the origins of rapture theology. This week, watch him explain the Bible background and historical imagery behind two popular proof texts for rapture theology.
Where did Rapture theology come from? In this Seven Minute Seminary, Ben Witherington III explains that Rapture theology and its parent, Dispensationalism, are new ideas that were birthed in 19th century. He continues to work through the history of the belief and explains how it became a movement particularly in the United States.
In light of this weekend’s Left Behind movie release, Dr. Michael Halcomb addresses the question, “Is the rapture in the Bible?” by taking a look at three different core verses that sensationalists use to support the rapture. As Dr. Halcomb shows us, Matthew 24:37-41, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, and Revelation 4:1-2 mean something different than Left Behind enthusiasts like to believe.
So much poor interpretation exists related to the book of Revelation because we try to apply our modern context to ancient images. In this Seven Minute Seminary, Dr. Robert Mulholland explains key aspects of the work that must be kept in mind in order to properly understand it.
Knowing historical background related to the Bible makes the book come alive for contemporary Christians and also helps us understand it as the original audience would have. Andrew Dragos highlights 4 images from the book of Revelation that are brought to light by historical background.