Allegory

First of all, those of you who attended Beginnings when this message was taught will know this message by the title, "Two Covenants: Part 1." This was the original title, but "Allegory" fits better with the flow of the Types and Shadows series.

Second, as a follow up thought to the message, in Galatians, Paul helps us to see from a different angle what the difference is between those who are still slaves and those who are free. In chapters 3 and 4, Paul argues that the Law was a guardian that kept God's people in prison until Christ would come. The point of the Law was never for the purpose of obtaining God's promises through obedience to it. The point was to show us that when we try, we are slaves, and we need to be freed by someone who is the perfect Son of God. And through Christ, we receive adoption as sons and daughters so that we might be free from the Law. So in a sense, Christ conquered the Law/Guardian for all who believe so that we might be free like sons instead of slaves. Sons end up inheriting and owning what belonged to their fathers; slaves don't. So if you want to be a Son and inherit all of God's possessions, you must walk out of the prison of the Law and trust Christ entirely. You are now free to live for God's glory without worrying that you might fail. That's what the heart of a free son feels like.

Flood

Some of you may never have heard the interpretation I gave on Matthew 24 before. This interpretation which teaches that Matthew 24 is a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is known as "Preterism." There are different degrees of Preterism. Some Preterists believe that everything in the Bible has been fulfilled during or before 70 AD. Proponents of that view are typically known as Full Preterists. I would hold to Partial Preterism because I believe that Jesus will still return to judge all mankind on the final day (thus my interpretation of Matthew 25). But Preterism of any sort is a very interesting view point and I strongly encourage you to look into it and become familiar with it. You may not arrive at the same conclusions that I do, but you never know how a different view might challenge you to think about the Scriptures. For example, Preterism believes that (most if not all of) Revelation has been fulfilled during or before 70 AD. Many people have never considered that possibility because they write it off immediately thinking, "There's no way all that stuff has already happened." But if you take the time to listen to what Preterists say about these texts, you might begin to think differently. So here are some places that you can go to learn a little more about Preterism:

www.preteristarchive.com

Read "Postmillennialism" by Keith Mathison (You can borrow the book from me)

Read "The Last Days According to Jesus" by RC Sproul (I have this book too)

For the strong minded and very interested, you can read a slew of books by Kenneth Gentry, Jr. Some of his major works are "He Shall Have Dominion"; "Before Jerusalem Fell"; "The Beast of Revelation" (and I have all of these books too).

Finally, you can talk to me about it anytime you want!

Types and Shadows: Circumcision/Baptism

After my message on Circumcision/Baptism, a great question was raised about the thief on the cross. One of the main points in the message was that one cannot expect to receive the promises of God without receiving the sign that is intimately linked with the promises, and that circumcision/baptism are even used synonymously with the covenants themselves. Obviously, the thief was never baptized. My answer to this question was that the thief was an exception to the rule, but that if he had the opportunity to be baptized, he would have been. But after pondering this some more, I've realized that this was an incorrect response to that question. I failed to recognize that the thief on the cross was saved before the resurrection of Christ, thus placing the act under the Old Covenant. Baptism was not given as the sign and seal of the New Covenant yet. So even if the thief had the opportunity, he would not have been baptized anyway. Therefore, the thief could not properly be called a Christian because Christ had not yet risen. A Christian must believe in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 10:9). This thief became a believer under the Old Covenant.