The Arian Controversy, according to Wikipedia
A sentence-by-sentence discussion of Wikipedia's article - Wikipedia reflects the traditional account, which is a complete travesty.
19 min read
Andries Jacobus van Niekerk
Andries Jacobus van Niekerk
The Mark of the Beast
The Image of the Beast causes all to receive a mark on the foreheads or right hand. Nobody will be able to buy or sell without this mark.
45 min read
The Church’s Final Message (Rev 10:8 to11:2)
The little book from heaven brings insight into the prophecies. But the church must also unlearn the corrupted doctrines of the Middle Ages.
13 min readWhat was the stance of Arius on John 1:1?
The word theos, which is translated as “God” in John 1:1 is not equivalent to the modern English word “God.”
8 min readRichard Hanson - The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God » From Daniel to Revelation
This is my summary of the book by R.P.C. Hanson, The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God: The Arian Controversy, 318-381. “RH” in the quotes below refers to this book. I sometimes also quote from: LA – Lewis Ayres, Nicaea and its Legacy, An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology, 2004 I just started this project. … Continue reading "Richard Hanson – The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God"
16 min readLewis Ayres, Nicaea and its Legacy » From Daniel to Revelation
This is my summary of the book, Nicaea and its Legacy, An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology, 2004, by Lewis Ayres. He is a Catholic theologian and Professor of Catholic and Historical Theology at Durham University in the United Kingdom. This book was recommended to me by the theology faculty of my local university. Based … Continue reading "Lewis Ayres, Nicaea and its Legacy"
23 min read
Did Arius teach that time existed before the Son?
Arius wrote that the Son was begotten timelessly before everything but also that the Son did not always exist. Did he contradict himself?
11 min readShould a Protestant Accept the Nicene Creed?
The Nicene Creed contains “new terms borrowed from the pagan philosophy” and does not comply with the doctrine of sola scriptura.
13 min read
The book that was sealed with seven seals (Revelation 4:1-8:1)
Why was Jesus not able to open the book before He died (Rev 5:3)? How did His death make Him “worthy” to open the book (Rev 4:5)?
43 min readWhat is the significance of the name, "The Word of God"?
Through Christ, God provides everything that the creation needs and, through Christ, the creation glorifies God.
9 min readThe real dispute and main meaning of the Nicene Creed of AD 325
The purpose of the Nicene Creed is not to say that the Son is God but that He always existed inside God and was emitted from God.
30 min readRevelation 17:4-6 - Babylon the great, the mother of harlots
Babylon always existed, persecuting and killing God’s people, but in the Christian era the church took over that role.
14 min readRevelation 17:1-3 - The harlot sitting on the scarlet beast
The angel told John that the harlot sits on many waters, but then he saw her sitting on a scarlet beast with seven heads.
16 min readMan is judged by his deeds; not justified by the works of the law.
If nobody is justified by the works of the law, and if people are saved by grace through faith, how could man in judged by his deeds?
11 min readGod's people are sealed during the Time of the End.
Both the seal of God (Rev 7) and the little open book (Rev 10) come down out of heaven in “the time of the end,” as defined in Daniel 12.
17 min readSouls under the altar in the Fifth Seal (Revelation 6:9-11)
The fifth seal reveals souls under the altar shortly before Christ’s return. What are they and what are the white robe they receive?
27 min readThe Little Horn of Daniel 7 grows into the Beast of Revelation.
To identify the Beast, we identify the eleventh little horn that becomes “larger” than the other kingdoms that arose from the Roman Empire.
21 min readDoes Galatians contradict Jesus with respect to the Law of Moses?
According to Galatians, the Law of Moses has been nullified but Jesus said, “not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law.”
11 min readThe Law of Christ is what God's Law was from creation and always will be.
The Ten Commandments interprets the eternal principle of love of the Law of Christ for the practical realities of a world controlled by evil.
5 min readThe doers of the Law will be justified but NOT by the Works of the Law.
Nobody will be justified by “he works of the Law. This leaves us with an apparent contradiction, for the doers of the Law will be justified.
8 min readJesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17).
“Fulfill” in Matthew 5:17 is translated from pléroó which means to make full or complete. How did Jesus complete the Law and the Prophets?
14 min readSermon on the Mount - What kind of people will receive eternal life?
Jesus did not believe that people have immortality. He also taught in the Sermon on the Mount that people will be judged by their deeds.
9 min read
Sermon on the Mount – What kind of people will receive eternal life?
Jesus did not believe that people have immortality. He also taught in the Sermon on the Mount that people will be judged by their deeds.
9 min readThe Catholic Church authorized the massacres of the Waldensians.
The Waldensians were critical of Catholic beliefs. In return, the Catholic Church called all to destroy them, causing centuries of massacres.
9 min readThe Kings from the East—in the Sixth Plague—are Christ and His angels.
Christ’s Return is part of the seventh plague. The sixth plague prepares for the Kings from the East, but the seventh plague is Armageddon.
12 min readThe throne of the beast, receives from the dragon, is religious authority.
It receives its throne (authority) from the Roman Empire, but the throne of the beast is not military might. Neither is it the power of money.
11 min readThe war in heaven between Christ and the accuser of our brethren
Who are the characters, when and how was the accuser of the brethren driven out of heaven, and why does evil still exist?
2 min readHow Christ's death won the victory in the war in heaven
In the war in heaven, Satan accuses God of arbitrary judgment. How did the cross refute Satan’s accusations?
20 min readJesus said, “I and the Father are one.” Does that mean Jesus is God?
If you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father because they are one, which means they are in perfect unity; not literally one Person.
8 min readDid Jesus claim to be God, as the Jews said in John 10:33?
Did the Jews say, in John 10:33, that Jesus claims to be God? Who did Jesus really claim to be? What does the title “Son of God” mean?
18 min readThe evil horn comes "out of one of them:" One of the four wind directions.
An analysis of the genders in Daniel 8 shows that “out of one of them” means out of one of the compass directions of the heavens.
8 min readTo identify the Evil Horn, compare the animals of Daniel 7 and Daniel 8.
Comparison of the animals of Daniel 7 and 8 identifies the fourth kingdom, from which the evil horn-king arises, is the Roman Empire.
11 min readIs the New Word Translation of John 1:1c as “the Word was a god” appropriate?
John 1:1b has the article before GOD, but omits it before GOD in 1:1c. Does this justify an indefinite translation; “the Word was a god?”
17 min readHow is Jesus is the firstborn of all creation (Col 1:15)? %
Does it mean that He is part of creation? Does it mean that He was the first being to exist or that He is the most important? %
19 min readIf Jesus always existed, where do we find Him the Old Testament?
God is invisible but was seen in the Old Testament. This article finds two divine beings in the OT, implying the second YHVH is Jesus Christ.
25 min readIn the Trinity theory, God is three Persons in one Being, but Jesus is not God.
This article provides evidence that Jesus is not God, such as many verses that make a distinction between God and Jesus.
26 min readDaniel 9 24-27 promises the Messiah within 500 years.
The key message of Daniel 9 24-27 is that the Messiah will appear within 500 years after Jerusalem is given back to the Jews; before AD 70.
8 min readWho is the "he" in Daniel 9 who will confirm the covenant for one week?
The possible antecedents are ‘Messiah’ and ‘prince’. Consider factors such as the role of the covenant in Daniel 9 and the Poetic Pattern.
17 min readThe Poetic Structure explains the chronological sequence in Daniel 9.
To determine the chronological sequence in Daniel 9, note that the prophecy alternates between two foci—Jerusalem and the Messiah.
5 min readDaniel 9 Explained - List of Articles on the Four Interpretations
Daniel 9 explained in a series of articles, discussing four interpretations: (1) Symbolical, (2) Critical, (3) Dispensational, and (4) the Historical.
7 min readWhat decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem began the 490 years?
The decree must both restore (return) and rebuild Jerusalem. Consider four Persian decrees by three kings; Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes.
15 min readJesus had to suffer and still remain without sin to become our high priest.
Jesus was perfected through suffering. Through death He made purification of sins and became our high priest when He sat down on His Father’s throne.
9 min readWhy Jesus had to die to save people: What problem did His death solve?
Did He die to pacify an angry God? To know why Jesus had to die, we need to understand the origin of evil, as well as Satan’s accusations.
25 min readDoes Matthew 16:28 refer to Christ's Physical Return?
Jesus said, “some standing here shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming” (Matthew 16:28).
10 min readFestival and new moon and Sabbath day in Colossians 2:16
It is a technical composite phrase, used frequently in the Old Testament, for all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel.
3 min readThe distorted gospel attempted to convert Gentile Christians into Judaism.
The distorted gospel taught that man is justified by the Mosaic rituals and ceremonies. Paul responded that man is justified through faith.
5 min readRomans 2: God, on judgment day, will justify the doers of the Law.
It is not the hearers of the Law who are just. Some people of other religions will be saved, for God will reveal the secrets of men’s hearts.
48 min readThe Dispensational Interpretation of Daniel 9 - Summary - From Daniel to Revelation
This article has been substantially revised. Please see Introduction to Dispensationalism Daniel 9 for the revised article. The current article is still valid, and serves as a summary of the main point. Jerusalem in ruins Daniel received the Daniel 9 prophecy in 538 BC. At that time the Jewish nation...
13 min readWho is Israel in the Book of Revelation? - A study of Romans 9 and 11
God elected a remnant from Israel but included believing Gentiles into it. We should use this definition of “Israel” to interpret Revelation.
72 min readDoes the absence of Darius the Mede in history prove Daniel as fiction?
Daniel 9 mentions Darius the Mede as king of the Chaldeans but secular history does not mention him. Did the author of Daniel make a mistake?
12 min readThe Seven Seals of Revelation - Verse-by-verse summary
If the sealed book is the book of life: – Why are God’s judgments not understood? – Why could God not explain His judgments? – Why was Jesus not “worthy” to open the book before His death? – How did His death make Him worthy? God does explain His judgments, but to judge between people is extremely complex, and the heavenly beings are unable to refute all of Satan’s informed accusations against the people God had chosen.
43 min read