Sam, We corresponded briefly in the spring of 2021, and you kindly answered some questions. Recently, I started studying Jeremiah’s prophecy of 70 years of desolation for Judah and tried to determine when the prophecy was fulfilled. I used your technique for calculating the duration of a prophetic era; the prophecy was fulfilled (not surprisingly) … Continue reading Letter to Sam: Powerful Example of Prophecy Fulfillment in Scripture
Biblical Studies
Comments on specific passages of scripture
Recent Creationism and the Bible, Part 5: A Brief History of Creation Views
Sam A. Smith [This is an addendum for the reader who would like more information, and perhaps a little historical perspective on creation views. Some readers will undoubtedly ask, “If Recent Creationism isn’t true, what other options exist?” Hopefully this information will help clear the fog.] A brief history of biblical cosmology In the past, … Continue reading Recent Creationism and the Bible, Part 5: A Brief History of Creation Views
Recent Creationism and the Bible, Part 4: Please, Stop Crippling Your Kids!
Sam A. Smith In writing this series of articles I have repeatedly stated that I am a Bible-believing Christian with over forty-five years of Bible teaching experience and twenty-two years in Christian education (Bible and science). I believe every word of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. I believe that the six days of Genesis … Continue reading Recent Creationism and the Bible, Part 4: Please, Stop Crippling Your Kids!
Recent Creationism and the Bible, Part 3: Recent Creationism—Astronomy Tells a Different Story
Sam A. Smith [Note to the reader: If you haven’t read the first two articles in this series, you are urged to do so; some of what is said here presupposes a familiarity with that material. This article is not intended to be a defense of the Christian worldview against naturalism; that would require a … Continue reading Recent Creationism and the Bible, Part 3: Recent Creationism—Astronomy Tells a Different Story
Recent Creationism and the Bible, Part 2: Why Recent Creationism is Illogical
Sam A. Smith The misapplication of “creation science” While Recent Creationism claims to be a biblical view, its support is almost entirely from creation science. The following are examples of the kind of scientific information used: 1) Decay of the Earth’s magnetic field indicates it is less than ten thousand years old. 2) The amount … Continue reading Recent Creationism and the Bible, Part 2: Why Recent Creationism is Illogical
Recent Creationism and the Bible, Part 1: The Bible Does NOT Teach a Recent Creation!
Sam A. Smith If I may set the stage for my comments, let me say that I am a Christian, with a firm commitment to the full verbal inspiration of the Bible, including the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis. As well as being a Bible teacher for the past forty-five years, I have … Continue reading Recent Creationism and the Bible, Part 1: The Bible Does NOT Teach a Recent Creation!
The Biblical Doctrine of Apostasy -Part 2: Personal Apostasy
This is Part Two of a two part series by Sam A. Smith. If a saved person can’t lose their salvation (see the previous article in this series), then how do we explain all the warnings in the New Testament about departing from the faith? The answer lies in understanding the New Testament's teaching on … Continue reading The Biblical Doctrine of Apostasy -Part 2: Personal Apostasy
Calculating Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) and the Length of the Tribulation Period
Sam A. Smith An Overview of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9:24-27) The prophecy of the seventy weeks (Dan. 9:24-27) is perhaps the most important prophecy of all in understanding tribulation chronology. This prophecy was given for the purpose of conveying specific chronological information concerning God’s future plans for the Jewish nation, which was then in … Continue reading Calculating Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) and the Length of the Tribulation Period
The Inspiration of the Bible
Sam A. Smith This brief article is not intended as an apologetic directed at skeptics of biblical inspiration; that line of reasoning would need to be quite different. This information is for those who are already committed to some form of biblical inspiration; it seeks to document the Bible’s own claims about itself, and the … Continue reading The Inspiration of the Bible
Were the “Lost Gospels” Really Lost, or Simply Rejected?
By Sam A. Smith For all of the attention currently being given to the subject of “lost gospels,” there simply are no lost gospels. There are of course, numerous post-New Testament writings that purport to be gospels. Almost all of those documents were composed between the mid-second century and the close of the third century … Continue reading Were the “Lost Gospels” Really Lost, or Simply Rejected?
The Relationship Between Law and Grace, Part 4: The Superiority of Grace to Law as Seen in Romans 3:21-10:15
Click here to go to the first article in this series. Paul fought a running battle with legalistic thinking within the early church; they too had those within their number who thought that righteousness could be produced through the keeping of the Law, and this conflict shows through clearly in his epistle to the Romans. … Continue reading The Relationship Between Law and Grace, Part 4: The Superiority of Grace to Law as Seen in Romans 3:21-10:15
The Relationship Between Law and Grace, Part 3: The Superiority of Grace to Law as Seen in Galatians 2:11‑5:26
Click here to go to the first article in this series. In this letter Paul addressed what he termed a “desertion” (NASB) from God to a different gospel (1:6). This was a serious theological matter and quickly brought with it a forceful response from the Apostle (1:8). Those who introduced their heretical teaching of Christian … Continue reading The Relationship Between Law and Grace, Part 3: The Superiority of Grace to Law as Seen in Galatians 2:11‑5:26
The Relationship Between Law and Grace, Part 2: The Superiority of Grace as Seen in Hebrews 7-9
Click here to go to the first article in this series. Hebrews chapters 7-9 were written to address the obsolescence of the Law and its replacement by the New Covenant. Let’s step through these three chapters and see what they have to say about the present applicability of the Law. Hebrews 7:1-10 Melchizedek was a … Continue reading The Relationship Between Law and Grace, Part 2: The Superiority of Grace as Seen in Hebrews 7-9
Why Matthew 24:36-25:30 Describes the Rapture of the Church, Not the Second Coming of Christ
Pretribulationism underwent a subtle, yet significant transformation in the first half of the twentieth century. The earlier pretribulationism of J.N. Darby and C.I. Scofield began to be replaced by the pretribulationism of Henry C. Thiessen and Lewis Sperry Chafer, and later John F. Walvoord. The dividing line between these two forms of pretribulationism centers on … Continue reading Why Matthew 24:36-25:30 Describes the Rapture of the Church, Not the Second Coming of Christ
The Fall of Man Into Sin
An understanding of the moral fall of man and it consequences is essential in understanding many other important biblical truths. We cannot understand or accept the concept of original sin, referring to the initial sin of Adam, apart from a literal (objective) understanding of the Genesis account of man’s direct creation by God. Those who … Continue reading The Fall of Man Into Sin
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 9: Notes on Tribulation Chronology
[This is the ninth in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] Just as it is important to … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 9: Notes on Tribulation Chronology
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 7: The Tribulation Described
[This is the seventh in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] In the previous article we discussed … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 7: The Tribulation Described
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 6: Background to the Tribulation (Daniel’s 70th Week)
[This is the sixth in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] Both the Old and New Testaments … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 6: Background to the Tribulation (Daniel’s 70th Week)
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 5: What Will the Millennium be Like?
[This is the fifth in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] In the previous article (Biblical Future … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 5: What Will the Millennium be Like?
Chronological and Topical Index to Biblical Future Prophecy
This index is a virtually exhaustive listing of biblical future prophecy passages in chronological-topical order. (Prophecies related to the first advent of Christ are also listed in this index since the eschatological age i.e., the "last days," began at the first advent, cf. Heb. 1:2. ) Passages are grouped according to time and topic, so … Continue reading Chronological and Topical Index to Biblical Future Prophecy
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