Without Excuse: Apologetics Blog

The ancient Galilean wedding ceremony is the model for the rapture, specifically the pre-trib rapture. When the Scriptures are compared to the Galilean wedding ceremony, it explains the purpose of the rapture, why the church won’t go through the tribulation, and puts certain biblical passages into proper context. There are very few who understand the significance of the Galilean wedding ceremony, and even fewer who understand the parallels with the pre-trib rapture. That significance, however, would not have been lost on Jesus or His disciples, all of whom were Galilean except for Judas. Nor would it have been lost on the Galileans of the first century, whom Jesus spent most of His time around. It may be no coincidence that Jesus’ first recorded miracle was turning water into wine at a Galilean wedding. It was as if He was trying to draw attention to the wedding for reasons that will soon become apparent. It’s been said that Jesus taught about the resurrection but not the rapture. Ye...

Should Christians be pacifists? This is a pertinent question for a believer. It was Christ, after all, who commanded us to "turn the other cheek" (Mat 5:39), "love your neighbor" (Mark 12:31), and "love your enemies" (Mat 5:44). Some have taken this to the extremes, becoming pacifists. They eschew any forms of violence, whether that be wars or self-defense, even to the point of martyrdom. I, however, will take a different position. Firstly, we should emulate Christ in how we treat one another on an interpersonal level. We are commanded to love our enemies, but that doesn't infer that we should let them do us harm. Many Christians have been martyred as a result of following Christ, and they will be held in high esteem by God, but it was never a commandment for us to be martyred. God put a survival instinct into every living creature for a reason. Even the most docile animal will fight back if it is cornered. Thus, the use of self-defense with force is j...

It is sometimes asserted that Jesus never claimed to be God because he never plainly said, "I am God." However, he did allude to it on several occasions: Jesus claimed to be Lord and had authority over the Sabbath: Matt 12:8 “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Jesus was recognized as God by the demons: Mar 1:24 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus forgave sins, something only God can do: Luk 5:20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Luk 5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus claimed that He and God were one and the same: John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.” Jesus was worshiped by His disciples and others, something only reserved for God: John 9:38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. Jesus claim...

There is an argument, particularly from the Hebrew Roots Movement and the Sacred Name movement, that the name Jesus is a pagan corruption of the name Zeus because they sound phonically similar, but there are a few problems with that theory: 1. There is an etymological explanation of how the name Jesus came to be that has nothing to do with Zeus. The modern name "Jesus" comes from the Latin Iesus, which comes from the Greek Iesous, which comes from the Aramaic Yeshu'a and the Hebrew Yehoshu'a. Words tend to get lost in translation. Due to the differences between languages, some letters are dropped while others are added. For a full explanation, see: Where did the name "Jesus" come from? 2. The argument could only be made in English. Neither the Greek names for Zeus (Ζέυς) nor Jesus (Iesous) sound phonetically similar. 3. The names "Jesus" and "Zeus" are both English names. "Jesus" entered the English lexicon much earlier than ...

The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 is often dismissed as a parable. However, there are several things that distinguish it from parables. For one, Jesus never prefaces the story by saying it's a parable. Usually, but not always, it will say if it's a parable or not, but in this instance, Jesus does not. Second, it mentions real people that have lived (i.e., Abraham and Moses). No other parable includes specific names. Third, it mentions the afterlife, one that includes the concept of an immortal soul no less. If it were a parable, it would be the only parable to mention the afterlife. But there's another reason that lends credence to the idea that it's not a parable, and it ties in with Abraham's bosom. Scriptures give us clues to what happened to Jesus between the crucifixion and the resurrection: He descended to the lowest parts of the earth (Eph 4:8-10) He went to the heart of the earth (Mat 12:40) He went to Sheol/Hades (Psa 16:10, Acts 2:27) ...

I admit I don't know much about Jacob Roloff. I only knew he was on a show called "Little People, Big World" on TLC, and that he is the youngest child of Mathew and Amy Roloff. At 21 he's all grown up and has been doing quite a bit of blogging recently. My initial impression of Jacob is that he's obviously very intelligence, and seems to a have a proclivity for writing. The reason I mention him at all is that I ran across a blog he wrote entitled " What Religion Are You? " I'm not going to re-post the entire thing as it's somewhat lengthy. However, his comments on Christianity are what peeked my attention, and which I felt compelled to respond. In his writings he talks about his Christian faith, or lack thereof. These days Jacob seems to have turned away from Christianity. His writings include a mix of philosophy, new age, eastern religion, with a decidedly anti-Christian bent. Ironically enough Jacob grew up in a Christian househ...