“The abyss appears throughout the Apocalypse as a place of restraint for the devil and his agents. While this much is certain, the heavy use of symbolism throughout John’s visions makes it difficult to know how literally to take their references to the abyss.”
The Greek term gehenna comes from an Aramaic phrase (gehinnam) originally referring to the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem. Because of the way this valley was used in the prophetic imagery of the Old Testament, its name came to designate the place of eternal death for the wicked.
When we read our English Bibles, we must remember that the word hell is one English word used to translate various Hebrew and Greek words. The next few posts will focus on the Greek words hades and gehenna, both of which have often been translated in the New Testament as hell.
Individualism is like polluted air that we cannot help but breathe. Nevertheless, we must recognize it as a sinful and unbiblical ideology. The only effective solution then is to have our minds renewed by the grace of God.
Eternal generation is an important part of classical trinitarianism and needs to be clearly articulated and defended, lest we see another rise of trinitarian heresies that don’t seem content to remain in the past.
Reading the Early Church Fathers helps us pursue holiness and live out our faith in this world.
*Editor’s Note: Below are handwritten questions submitted to Dr. Sam Waldron at an Eschatology Conference. Since we think these questions and answers could be helpful for a broader audience, we are posting them here as a blog series.
Kings should rule within their limited sphere in light of the principles of God’s moral law. The leaders of Gentile kingdoms are not theocratic kings. The theocratic kingdom was destroyed by Babylon and Rome. It will not be re-erected until the King returns. Thus, their authority focuses on enforcing the Second Table of the Law.
It is often assumed that the Great Commission does call for and thus predicts the discipling of nations as whole nations. This is totally to misapprehend what Jesus is saying here. Let me explain why.
It is well-known among our small circle of Reformed Baptists that I take some exception to the statement of 1689 26:4 which asserts “… the Pope of Rome … is that antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” Let me explain my position.
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