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Is The Rapture Biblical?

...from the Greek word that is rendered as “caught up” (ἁρπάζω / harpázō) in our English Bibles today. For many, asking if this belief is biblical is a non-starter because it is assumed so based on 1 Thess. 4 so obviously it is. But this is a presupposition, reading the modern ideas of what “the rapture” means into the text. The modern idea being that Jesus comes back briefly (and maybe secretly), whooses all the Christians into the sky and takes them to heaven, away from all the troubles on the earth, before coming back later to do a proper “second coming”. John Nelson Darby, a 19th-century theologian, is often credited with creating this...

Did St. Nicholas Really Slap Arius?

...harm. In Greek iconography, this moment is celebrated. Icon of St. Nicholas and Arius In the original tale, however, Nicholas’s actions were not lauded at the Council; instead, he faced consequences. Reportedly, he was deprived of his mitre and pallium for striking the Arian heretic. A later version of the story, which identifies the heretic as Arius, amplifies Nicholas’s punishment by having him thrown into jail. In this narrative, Nicholas is vindicated by a divine intervention involving Jesus and Mary, who appear to him in prison and release him, and giving him back his bishop vestments. WWJD? It is crucial to approach this anecdote with caution...

Lent: Day 12 - Justin Martyr: First Apology, Chaps. 1-11

...which in Greek and Roman times was more like a profession, since it had its own clothing style to display this (similar to how you'd recognise a vicar today by the white dog collar). To this end, Justin argues that there are those who wear the “garb” of philosophers, but who “do nothing worthy of their profession”, yet not all philosophers are punished for this just because they claim the name. Similarly, there were poets who would get a laugh by insulting the gods and who also “taught atheism”, yet to the contrary of how Christians were treated, the Romans “bestow prizes and honours upon those who euphoniously insult the gods”! “Why, then,...

Lent: Day 16 - Justin Martyr: First Apology, Chaps. 48-59

...ny of the Greek or Roman gods and prophets came along. There is a lot of doctrine and theology contained in these chapters, a lot which is still very relevant for apologetics today, some which might serve as a starting point. I’d recommend everyone take some time to read these, and the preceding, chapters carefully....

John Chau, missionary to the Sentinelese: martyr or madness?

...m ancient Greek meaning “witness”. For those who may be unfamiliar with the whole story (as much as we can see), John Chau had said since 2011 that he felt called by God to go and tell the good news of Jesus to the Sentinelese people. After many years of preparation, about two weeks ago in late November, he succeeded in getting to the remote island via a fishing boat (which was illegal to visit under normal circumstances). But after a few attempts at making contact, he is believed to have been killed. The fishermen saw some tribespeople dragging Chau’s body across the beach, so it has been assumed that he is dead – and no one knows any differently to da...

Is there salvation for fallen angels?

...ses). The Greek word here for “world” is kosmos, which can sometimes have a broader meaning of “universe” or “creation” rather than just this planet, but in this context I'm not sure it allows for that scope of reconciliation, given the other passages of scripture we've seen about the rebellious angels (or demons) level of punishment. Either way, Scripture doesn't give us any more information on this topic than that, so anything else would be speculation, but I think we can be reasonably certain that salvation through Christ is only for humans....