About Pastor Don Carpenter Expertise I believe that every word of the Bible is God-Breathed. This blessed book is the foundation of truth for faith and practice. If you ask this volunteer a question you will receive an answer from the Bible that is based upon a literal, normal interpretation, taking into account the grammar and culture of the time.
Experience I have been in the ministry 20+ years. During that time I served as a Baptist youth pastor, christian counselor, church planter, and senior pastor.Please know thatI will be answering these questions from a biblical perspective, not a penticostal only perspective. (Since I am a Baptist, anyway) :)
Question QUESTION: It seems that Christians have been waiting quite a long time for the "second coming." What happened to Jesus' statememt that his new kingdom would occur "before this generation (his disciples) has tasted death"? That was a long time ago. It's been a few generations since then. And, well, nothing happened. Haven't Christians made up the whole scenario of a "second coming" in order to explain away the obvious failure of Jesus' prophecy?
ANSWER: Hi Bruce,
Thanks for this great question. If indeed Jesus' prophecy was not fulfilled, it would be foolish for us to keep on waiting. Let us see exactly what Jesus promised:
Mark 9:1-4
And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. 2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
Jesus said they would see the kingdom of God with power, and just after that they saw Jesus glorified in a ray of light and two prophets who had been dead appear before Jesus.... this is the glimpse of the kingdom that Jesus was speaking of. Jesus will return, the Bible promises it.
Acts 1:9-11
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.
I hope that this helps you.
In Christ
Pastor Don
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you for your answer. I have many more questions. I wonder if I could enter into a direct e-mail conversation with you. I would enjoy a more active exchange. This format is too constraining to have a wide-ranging discussion.
Have you ever read the book "Why the Jews Rejected Christ" by David Klinghoffer? I would be very interested in knowing your opinion regarding the many points in that book. It is an analysis of the New Testament and the question of whether Jesus fulfills the criteria of the messiah. According to this book, the answer is no. Whether the events described in the above excerpts from Mark or Acts really took place is a matter of belief and, ultimately, gullibility, since these events were reportedly witnessed by just a few people, and written about many decades or even centuries after the supposed occurrences. That is very different from the revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai, an event witnessed by perhaps as many as two million people all at the same time, essentially the entire nation of Israel, and stated by God to be eternal. I think you'll agree that God doesn't generally change his mind about eternal covenants. Many events in the New Testament are thin in their foundation. For instance, in Matthew, when Mary explains how and why she is pregnant, Joseph buys the explanation. Did anyone stop to think that a young, unmarried woman in that era would have an exceedingly powerful reason not to admit the real story (sex)? And once Joseph buys the story, everything flows from there. But the foundation of that interaction is like a house of cards. It's very flimsy. By the way, if Mary was genuinely not impregnated by Joseph, then Jesus wasn't of the line of David, right? Then that would rule him out as the Messiah, wouldn't it? As a physician, I see many young women in the clinic who, when told that they are pregnant, deny ever having sex. It happens all the time, and that's in an era when nothing terrible would happen even if they did admit having sex. No stoning would occur.
I'm looking forward to your response.
Bruce
ANSWER: Hi Bruce,
Thanks for your questions. I would be happy to interact with you personally. E-mail me @ ebc@cleaninter.net with your phone number and a time I can call you and I will be happy to do so. I live in the Eastern US and run on eastern standard time.
I have not read the book you mentioned. I do have to help you with the dates of the New Testament.
Galatians was written around 55 AD and the Gospels were written between 60-65 AD. The last Book to be written was finished somewhere between 90-100 AD. The idea that these books were written centuries after the events simply is not true. These books were written by those with first hand knowledge of the events discribed.
It is ultimately a matter of faith whether or not you believe that the Bible is God's perfect Word.
The matter of the virgin Birth was predicted in the Old Testament.
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
It is true that Mary would want to avoid being stoned.... but there is not a record of any other woman in history trying to claim Isaiah 7:14 as reason for her condition.
I would love to speak with you more on this. I look forward to hearing from you.
In Christ
Pastor Don
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hello, Pastor Don. Thanks for those answers. However, I must differ with your assertions. Firstly, the matter of the virgin birth was not predicted in the Torah. Check the context of Isaiah 7:14. This prophecy was given by Isaiah to King Ahaz of Judah as a sign that his kingdom would not be conquered in an impending attack by two aggressor nations from the north. You have picked out one isolated sentence from a passage that has nothing to do with the messiah and used it out of context. In fact, it referred to events centuries before Jesus. In addition, and most importantly, the text in the King James Bible is a mistranslation. The original Hebrew, which was the language of the Torah, refers not to a "virgin," but a young woman. The concept of a virgin was the result of a mistranslation from Hebrew to Greek, which was the language of the Pentateuch from which the New Testament was written. In the original, there is no virgin birth. Surprise! Oh, and parenthetically, one might also point out that Jesus was not named Immanuel. What is the story with that? And Mary, contrary to your assertion, did not try to claim Isaiah 7:14 as a reason for her condition. See Matthew 1:18. She said very little, just that it was the Holy Ghost's fault. Why would anyone believe that??? By the way, you didn't answer my question about Jesus' non-lineage from David. The direct lineage is laid out on page one of Matthew, but we all know that Joseph was not Jesus' biological father, right?
In my previous email, I had the title of that book incorrect. It's 'Why the Jews Rejected Jesus." I strongly recommend you read it. You might be amazed at how shaky and convoluted the foundation of Christianity is. You might even have second thoughts.
In truth and logic,
Bruce
Answer Hi Bruce,
THanks for this follow up. You have some interesting points. I think that we are going to have to agree to disagree. You are right that Mary simply said that the Holy Ghost came upon her. I was assuming that the reason that would even make sense is because of Isaiah 7:14, but you are right, it was an assumption.
The liniage recorded in both Matthew 1 and Luke 3 seem to tie into Joseph. I need to look further. I always thought that somewhere Mary also could be tied back to the Messianic line..
