It is time we all looked at this issue without the blinders of tradition. Some will react against this because too many assumptions will be destroyed and the pain of acknowledging error too much to bear. Guilt by association will also be used to deny the truth of the conclusions obvious to all who search and see. It simply will not work to say that this is a doctrine of the adventists and therefore MUST be wrong, promptly depositing it in the circular filing cabinet. Too many times we apply logic with partiality and thoughtlessness -- we wouldn't treat business matters with...
Blogs by Wayne Stewart
By Wayne Stewart
December 24th, 2015
You assume that everything is just A OK and then everything changes! That's the "But Now" experience. It manifests its influence in various ways and interesting contexts.
TestimonyFor many years I taught that the Body of whom Christ is head was just a local Ephesian body, one like unto the bodies of Rom 12 and 1 Cor 12.
Ro 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Then Acts 28 happened, or at least my appreciation of...
By Wayne Stewart
December 22nd, 2015
Introduction
The nature of man is a controversial issue -- some say man is made fundamentally of two parts, spirit and body others say tripartite, body, soul and spirit. Regardless - most say that at death mankind continues. That is there is a conscious intermediate state. This belief is most often established by quoting Luke 16:19-31 which comes from the mouth of the Lord. What is lacking however is a contextual discussion of the passage and a more careful look at what the genre of speech and rhetoric the Lord was using (parable, sarcasm, parody, fable, irony etc) and to whom He was...
By Wayne Stewart
December 6th, 2015
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
While many Bibles title the last book of the canon "The Revelation of Saint John the Divine" we note that in fact the book itself says:
1:1 ¶ The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
The Revelation (unveiling) of Jesus Christ -- it was given to the Lord from God to shew ( the showing is the progressive unveiling ) to his servants the things which MUST shortly come to pass -- it was sent and...
By Wayne Stewart
October 25th, 2015
The Immortal Soul?
We should let the scriptures speak:
KJV Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Eze 18:4 KJV)
KJV Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mat 10:28 KJV)
Clearly the soul can die. Indeed the soul with the body can be destroyed in "hell".
What is the Soul?
We will look for its first occurrence in the Bible...
By Wayne Stewart
July 26th, 2015
The revelation of the Mystery was given once Israel was judged Acts 28:28. The mystery forms the distinctive kernel of the economy of this age. But how does this relate to the foundation of the world?
Below is a slide which gives a complete (but not exhaustive - Heb 11:11 is about Sarah "conceiving" seed and is not included) concordance of "katabole":
"From the foundation of the world" relates to kindom promises, and are based on prophetical statements and Israel's hope. "Before the foundataion of the world" relates to a time when a special love...
By Wayne Stewart
July 26th, 2015
In 1 Cor. 10:11 Paul says:
KJV 1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
TBT 1 Corinthians 10:11 ταῦτα δὲ πάντα τύποι συνέβαινον ἐκείνοις· ἐγράφη δὲ πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν, εἰς οὓς τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων κατήντησεν.
Clearly Israel's history was of importance in showing God's displeasure at their disobedience and hence served as "tupoi" or "figures" and "examples" to help prevent a repeat of the nations indiscretions. In rehearsing this he reveals the nature...
By Wayne Stewart
July 15th, 2015
The end of the book of Romans is often used as a "proof" that the mystery given to Paul the prisoner was known before the close of the book of Acts and that "the mystery" as revealed in Eph 3 is simply a rehearsal of what was already dispensed in the acts period. This is a part of the mid-acts foundation, an assumption that is demonstrably wrong, upon which many false doctrines subsist.
Rom 16:25-27Here is the passage:
KJV Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of...
By Wayne Stewart
July 4th, 2015
You show them the acts 28 boundary with patience and deliberation using all the evidence you can muster. But after all that - NO! They just will not accept the truth that is glaringly obvious to all who have come to see and appreciate the revelation of "the Mystery".
Why?Some questions require clarification with more questions and answers -- this is one of them. First -- who are we talking to? Is this person saved? If they are not saved then the fact that they don't understand is readily understood since they lack a new nature to understand the things...
By Wayne Stewart
July 4th, 2015
The Next Step!
Clearly "the gospel of your salvation" is an important message and is at the heart of a very special event that occurred in the life of each person who has come to trust in the Lord. Paul says this in Eph.1:13-14
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
There is however another gospel that...