Authors: Myron J. Houghton

The Relationship of Resurrection to Judgment

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It is not my intention to discuss all of the judgments that I believe Scripture describes. Nor is it my purpose to defend premillennialism, which is the belief that Christ will return to resurrect and glorify His saints and then set up a one thousand-year reign upon the earth. This article assumes that the premillennial view is correct. Premillennialism necessarily teaches two future resurrections—the resurrection of believers before the one thousand-year kingdom, and the resurrection of unbelievers following that kingdom. In this article I will demonstrate the inconsistency of affirming premillennialism, with its two distinct resurrections, while also affirming that there will be only one general judgment during which all humanity will stand and be judged.

Secondary Ecclesiastical Separation

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The Board of Directors of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary published in both the college and seminary catalogs a document entitled Historic Position Statement. In it the reader is told, “Since mid-century, the school has taught secondary ecclesiastical separation.” It is the purpose of this article to try to explain what is meant by this term, to examine several biblical passages traditionally used to defend this view, and to provide an example of this practice in a contemporary situation.

Baptists and the Body of Christ

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All Baptists believe that the local church is central to God’s work in this age. This belief is based upon 1Timothy 3:1–15, where officers of the church are described as bishop (verses 1–7) and deacons (verses 8–13) and their qualifications are given. Paul writes to them, “That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (verse 15). Here the local church is described as “the house of God” and as church of the living God” because it is in and through the local church that God is actively working.

The Rapture in 2 Thessalonians 2:1–10

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The Context In verses one and two, Paul states: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” (All Bible quotations are from the King James Version.) Several things may be said about these verses. (1) Paul is writing to the Thessalonian believers about the rapture.

An Evaluation of the Open View of God

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Introduction The traditional Christian view of God says that He knows all things. This refers to knowledge of things that have occurred, that are occurring, and that will occur, and includes the future free choices of every human being. It also includes certain knowledge of everything that would have occurred under any set of circumstances (The Moody Handbook of Theology, Paul Enns, editor, 194–195). This all-encompassing knowledge, when referring to everything that has happened or that will happen, is sometimes described as God’s decree.

The Preservation of Scripture

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The Message of 2 Timothy 3:16–17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Another way of saying this would be, “all Scripture is God-breathed,” or “all Scripture comes from the mouth of God.” This means God is directly responsible for causing the Bible writers to put down everything that He wanted written without error and without omission. But what of the Bible I hold in my hand? Is it God’s Word? Can it be trusted? The answer is yes!

The Destiny of Those Who Die in Infancy

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Introduction In this paper an attempt will be made to show what the Bible teaches about the destiny of those who die in infancy. In order to accomplish this purpose, the major views on this subject will be presented followed by an examination of the biblical material. The Major Views Infants who die in infancy unbaptized do not go to heaven: In Roman Catholic theology there is no official dogma on the destiny of dead unbaptized infants. Nevertheless, the weight of tradition teaches that they go to a place called limbo, which is neither heaven nor hell, a place of natural happiness but without full communion with God.

Distinguishing Law and Grace

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Biblically law can refer to: (1) the Ten Commandments [Romans 7:7–13], (2) the civil law of the Old Testament [Leviticus 11:46 , cf. vv 1–45], (3) the ceremonial law in the Old Testament [Leviticus 6:9, 14], (4) the first five books of the Bible [Romans 3:21c], (5) any statement in Scripture that condemns or makes a person feel guilty [Romans 4:14,15], (6) God’s Word in general [James 1:25], (7) the righteous standard of moral law [Romans 8:4], (8) a principle or fact [Romans 8:2a] and (9) Christ’s command for believers to love one another [Galatians 6:2].

Pre-wrath Rapture: A Pretrib Evaluation

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(An evaluation of Dr. Robert D. Van Kampen’s book, The Rapture Question Answered. Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, a division of Baker Book House, 1997) I. An Explanation of the Pre-wrath Rapture View “Plainly stated, the core truth is this: the persecution by Antichrist during the great tribulation will be the wrath of Satan (Rev. 12:12), not the wrath of God. When the sign of the sun, moon, and stars is given in the heavens, the wrath of Satan against the elect of God will be terminated, the faithful to God will be raptured, and then the wrath of God will begin against the wicked who remain, ending with the battle of Armageddon.

Promise Keepers: A Fundamentalist Evaluation

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Introduction Contemporary American society is splintered into many one-issue organizations, groups composed of people who are diverse in their views on many subjects but who are united on one single issue. This method was so successfully used by the civil rights movement in the 1950s that soon Americans saw the rise of groups advocating women’s rights, gay rights, etc. As a reaction, certain conservative religious leaders formed their own one-issue groups. In the 1996 updated version of his book The Conservative IntellectuaI Movement in America Since 1945, George H.