Articles by BibleThinker

Jesus isn’t “acting like Jesus” here. He does a number of things that simply don’t fit our modern pacified version of Jesus. And that’s a good thing. I don’t want to fall into the pacified version of Jesus that our culture likes but I also don’t want to act like Jesus’ radical and aggressive actions of cursing the fig tree and kicking people and animals out of the temple while flipping tables is somehow an excuse for me to overstep my own authority and act sinfully in my own anger just because I think I am in the right. But, there’s more to this passage than just finding the balance of how we can apply Jesus’ extreme actions. We need to see the theological message of the passage as well as apply it into our lives by seriously evaluating our own status as the “temple of the Holy Spirit” and restoring the purpose of prayer and relationship with God in our lives.

Craig Evan’s article, which had a lot of interesting historical insights into this passage.
“Jesus’ Action in the Temple: Cleansing or Portent of Destruction?”
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43717764?read-now=1&seq=23#page_scan_tab_contents

See the WHOLE Gospel of Mark playlist here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF

This question is NOT just a hypothetical. Missionaries in Africa asked me to answer this and I don’t think it’s application will be limited to them for too long. It seems to me that the moral slip-slide of our culture is heading toward a time when more and more of us will be confronted with the topic of polygamy.

This is one of my final videos in the series I have done on divorce and remarriage. Here’s the playlist with all those videos. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHtBvJzugPJp9P5X1T-hA91j

OH MAN! I forgot to mention a really cool historical insight we get from the Mishnah! Apparently, Jews were expected to enter Jerusalem on foot when travelling there for Passover. This means that when Jesus entered on a donkey it would have stood out as particularly odd and unique. This give us another reason to see the profound and deliberate proclamation to be the Messianic King.
I meant to share that during the study to help those who might think, “so what, lots of people ride donkeys into Jerusalem”. This was obviously a lot more than just a donkey ride.

Sometimes it’s the passages we find the most familiar that we have the most new stuff to learn from. This will be a careful study of the “Triumphal Entry”, or “Palm Sunday” where we intend to get a deeper understanding of the passage and hopefully a greater appreciation for how strategically ironic the whole thing is. Mark 1:1-11 is probably the most ironic passage in the book, in my opinion.

Here’s my study on 24 ways Jesus fulfilled Passover. https://youtu.be/A-_6rpQ4zLg

Here’s my study on Daniel 9 and it’s connection to the timing of Jesus’ sacrifice. https://youtu.be/pK5RsOaVy4U

See the WHOLE Gospel of Mark playlist here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF

Expand for time stamps.
I’m almost done with all my videos on this topic and boy is my brain tired! Seriously though, this study has been very rewarding personally and the feedback I have received from many of you, saying that this teaching series has really impacted your lives in positive ways, has been the absolute highlight.

0:00 quick stuff
0:48 Was Jesus really just talking about Herod when he mentioned divorce?
7:47 Does the OT prove that remarriage after divorce was normally allowed?
11:44 Does Deuteronomy 24 teach that 2nd marriages are invalid?
16:57 Deut 24 forbids remarrying a former spouse. Is that binding on us today?

This is the playlist with all my videos on the topic of divorce and remarriage. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHtBvJzugPJp9P5X1T-hA91j

Some times we have been so indoctrinated into unbiblical ideas about faith, healing and prayer that we don’t notice when the Bible is trying to correct us. As we study this passage I’m going to try and point out specifically how Jesus is not giving us the hyper-charismatic or new age views on prayer, healing and faith. But there is a risk that in refuting these false ideas we will miss out on the wonderful things God is trying to communicate. The Bible isn’t just telling us what NOT to believe but also what TO believe. So, we are going to embrace what it says about faith, healing and prayer… all of it. Unlike the new age and hyper-charismatic tendency to ignore context and distort things to fit their movement and the “vibe” they are trying to create in their communities.

Are you interested in the supposed contradiction regarding the healing of the blind man? Here’s what I’ve got on that https://youtu.be/OA-4eQN16n0?t=791

See the WHOLE Gospel of Mark playlist here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF

0:00 CAT CAM! and Introduction1. 1:32 What are your views on the rapture, or being “caught up”?2. 8:14 A friend of mine believes that Mark 16:17-18 is a sign for true believers today, because Jesus also sent the 70 besides the apostles to do signs and wonders. Can you help me to help him?3. 16:15 Do you have any advice for someone just starting out in ministry, especially as a missionary?4. 17:51 What are your thoughts on 1 Corinthians 11, regarding women wearing head coverings while praying or prophesying? We only stopped in the later half of the 20th century.5. 18:50 Could you do an in-depth study on believers committing deliberate sin and/or struggling with condemnation?6. 21:01 What is a biblical view of entertainment?7. 25:27 How can I trust manuscripts, especially ones from Alexandria?8. 27:08 My friend recently said she “still feels the presence of her dead loved one.” What is the biblical and loving response to this?9. 29:20 I grew up a “Christian”, but now, after trials which have caused me to turn to God in prayer, I have become more loving toward God and others. Was there a time when I may not have actually been saved, before this?10. 30:40 If a person is genuinely suffering from gender dysphoria, and as a result, they dress as the opposite gender, are they living in sin? What can they do to overcome gender dysphoria?11. 35:16 Can you please explain the Parable of the 10 Virgins in Matthew 25:1? What does the oil represent? Some say it represents the Torah, and others say it represents the Holy Spirit.12. 40:11 What is your take on Jonathan Cahn and his books?13. 40:29 What is the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice being done through the eternal Spirit? Was Jesus separated from the Father?14. 43:41 What is your interpretation of John 6: 44? What is the “drawing” here referring to?15. 48:51 I am a school bus driver who is struggling to share Jesus with students, as it would be against school policy to do so. Is it more biblical for me to obey school policies, or to obey God’s command to spread the Gospel?16. 50:34 Can someone lose their salvation?17. 52:49 Are “tongues” overrated? I grew up hearing that tongues were like a special status symbol to give you better access to God, but is that biblical?18. 55:31 Some people say that not everyone can go to Heaven, because then, Heaven would be spoiled by bad people. But others say that by believing on Jesus, anyone can go to Heaven. Can these two be reconciled?19. 57:25 How do you properly repent from a sin?20. 58:26 Is having a more conscientious acknowledgement of God’s presence unto repentance of sin a symptom of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit?

I honestly think that most pastoral abuse would stop if we would take seriously Jesus’ teaching in this passage.
We sometimes miss the forest through the trees when it comes to studying verse by verse. So, I’m going to start this study with a survey of how the Gospel of Mark repeatedly is contrasting the true mission of the Messiah with the false expectations of the disciples and the Jews of Jesus’ day (and modern day Judaism as well). Then we will see how big of a deal it is when Jesus tries to correct our thinking on the topic of servanthood as greatness and leadership as servants.

Do you want to go through the whole book of Mark with me vs by vs, covering theology and apologetics in detail? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:

0:00 Introduction and a bit about the American Gospel movie
1. 5:15 Did Old Testament saints believe in “faith + works” for salvation?
2. 11:34 How familiar are you with Steven Furtick and Elevation Church? Is it wrong of me to be wary of mainstream churches that seem to be too “seeker-friendly”?
3. 15:22 How do you respond to Richard Carrier’s argument that Jesus was in outer space and the Apostles where schizophrenic or schizotypal?
4. 18:33 In Romans 5: 12-21, does our nature inherit the guilt of Adam’s sin, or are we only guilty of our own sin? In Hebrews 2: 17 and 4: 15, did Christ’s human nature inherit Adam’s sin, or just desire sin like us?
5. 27:19 How do you interpret the Beatitudes at the beginning of Matthew 5?
6. 30:57 What are your thoughts on the 2 trees in the Garden of Eden representing both the law and the Gospel in Genesis 3 (The Tree of Knowledge representing the law, and the Tree of life representing Christ)?
7. 32:13 Does it say in the Old Testament that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire?
8. 34:06 How would you biblically define our fallen state, and how would this compare to the Calvinistic view of “Total Depravity” and “Total Inability”? What are the key passages to help us understand our fallen state?
9. 38:45 How can we know that we’re saved, when the heart is deceitful, since it’s not biblical to believe that speaking in tongues is the indication of whether or not someone is saved?
10. 41:30 How often do you fast, and do you allow yourself coffee while fasting?
11. 42:51 I know that it’s better than anything in this present Earth, but what does it mean to be “least in the Kingdom of Heaven”?
12. 45:01 What’s wrong with “The Shack”?
13. 46:43 The book of James tells us that God will never tempt us, but in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to ask the Father not to lead us into temptation. Why is this?
14. 51:24 Why didn’t Jesus stone the adulteress, if it was written in the law to stone those found in that sin?

Quick rules for the Q&A
1) Please wait to ask questions until the stream starts
2) Before you submit your question please reread it to make sure it’s clear and that I will be able to figure out what you are asking. Thanks!
3) Do not ask your question multiple times because it confuses our mods when they are compiling the questions
4) I apologize ahead of time for those who ask important questions which I won’t have time to answer. There’s only one of me.

Here are 5 historical arguments for and responses to 3 arguments against Jesus actually predicting His own death and resurrection along. After that apologetic section, which will take a big chunk of today’s teaching, I’ll share some theological and pastoral insights from this passage in Mark 10:32-34.

Do you want to go through the whole book of Mark with me vs by vs, covering theology and apologetics in detail? https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF

My website https://BibleThinker.org

If you like podcasts you can get this content in that form. Search for “BibleThinker” podcast or for my name, which is Mike, not Mark 🙂

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:

0:00 Introduction and Announcements
1. 12:15 How do you go about doing a systematic theology on any given subject, such as soteriology?
2. 14:46 I was taught that Christians don’t sin. 1 John 3:9 says, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin”, and Romans is littered with talk of us being “free from sin”. So why is this teaching wrong?
3. 22:55 What are your thoughts on “corporate responsibility” for pas sins, and “individual responsibility”? Can both be true? I see both in the Bible.
4. 25:24 Can you explain the Parable of the Talents? In Matthew 25: 14, what are our “talents”, and why do the two servants get different rewards, when they both increased the amount by 100%?
5. 33:55 What does God say about men who abuse their wives emotionally, physically, etc.?
6. 35:49 What are the biblical definitions of sin, transgression, and iniquity? How can I be certain that the sins I’ve committed, while knowing they were wrong, are forgiven?
7. 38:49 What are your thoughts on the “new perspective on Paul”?
8. 41:43 Why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden just to test Adam & Eve?
9. 44:38 What advice would you give to a woman who is interested in doing ministry in apologetics? How can women pursue this calling while being careful to stay within the parameters set in Scripture?
10. 46:03 If the punishment for sin is eternal suffering, how was it sufficient for Jesus to suffer temporarily?
11. 48:02 Is there any evidence for the biblical Exodus? If so, will you be making a video on this topic?
12. 49:42 How strongly do we need to believe that Jesus is Lord in order to be saved? I know the Bible talks about just having a mustard seed of faith. Some days, I have a lot of faith, and other days, I still have doubts.

My website https://BibleThinker.org

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