On the way in the next morning, Jesus saw a fig tree that was all leaves and no figs (vv. 12-13). The fig tree is Israel, all leaves, a fair profession, and no fruit. Jesus spoke to the tree and said that no man would eat fruit from it “into the age” (v. 14). And a lot of exegetes have wasted too much time, paper, and ink feeling sorry for the fig tree.
“…love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:44-45
Most “Bible contradictions” display our ignorance of literary forms, history, or customs. Further study always vindicates the Bible. Sometimes, however, the “contradiction” is just a misunderstanding of the way God works; a question of timing.
The supposed contradiction I want to discuss is this: if God punishes the wicked, how can He also send rain on the just and the unjust?
“…love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:44-45
Most “Bible contradictions” display our ignorance of literary forms, history, or customs. Further study always vindicates the Bible. Sometimes, however, the “contradiction” is just a misunderstanding of the way God works; a question of timing.
The supposed contradiction I want to discuss is this: if God punishes the wicked, how can He also send rain on the just and the unjust?
The content of this post has been revised and included in Bible Matrix II: The Covenant Key.
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[1] Do you think I can find this when I need it?
[2] On the apostolic church as “two witnesses”, see: Slavery to Sabbath in Revelation 5-11
The devil hates confession. It breaks his power over us. He would rather have us confine ourselves behind the bars of our own private Sheols than get right with God.
Why is confession so powerful? Because it is judicial. It is an application of the knowledge of good and evil. Continue reading
“Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.” Mark 5:15
There’s a discussion about tatts and piercings going on at dougwils.com
Like Jello on a Plate and Unleashing Your Inner Fundamentalist
Here’s my 2 cents:
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Isaiah 9:2
A great deal of time has been spent on the chronology concerning Daniel’s seventy sevens. Quite frankly, chronology is not my strong point [1], but perhaps the solution for this enigmatic problem is not chronological but theological.
I’ve just finished the first draft of this new book. It’s basically a primer for Totus Christus, with a focus on the earlier chapters so you can really nail down the methodology. Part of me says it is too brief, but I am hoping that with its brightly-coloured cover and low wordcount, it might even appeal to Christians who would normally read books like How To Get God to Make You Rich, Why Progressive Polygamy is OK, Did My Cat Go To Heaven? and The Shack.
Slogging through the Old Testament with your “daily reading program” sure makes you familiar with it, but those Christians brave enough to actually read it often find themselves wondering what on earth is going on. “Just keep reading your Bible” our pastors tell us, but do you ever get the feeling they don’t have a big grip on it either? “Just stick to the basics. The rest doesn’t matter.” It would sure be easier if pastors actually taught the Bible.
or Judaism is a Testimony to the End of the World
There is a patisserie in the Blue Mountains that bakes traditional German sourdoughs. Originally the mother culture for their sourdoughs was brought to Australia in a phial by the owner’s father from a bakery near Stutgart. The culture is 500 years old and has been given the name, “Corey”. This is a fantastic picture of what leaven symbolises in the Bible. It is not a symbol of sin. It is a symbol of historic continuity.
Bible Matrix blog
