Search — Theology Explorer

hermeneutics eschatology prophecy interpretation

Principle: fulfilled prophecy is easier to interpret than unfulfilled prophecy; future prophecy is inherently difficult

After critiquing Mead's Isaiah 24 use, Mike pauses to make a broader hermeneutical observation about prophecy study.

eschatology David Mead numerology

David Mead's use of 'generation' and the founding of Israel (1948) as a prophetic countdown trigger

Mike briefly addresses Mead's broader eschatological system, which ties generation-counting to 1948.

eisegesis hermeneutics David Mead

The Bible is not a mystical puzzle; unauthorized numerological exegesis is a form of public sin requiring repentance

Mike issues a strong pastoral rebuke of Mead's method and calls it a public, accountable error.

Psalm 90:4 2 Peter 3:8-11 Second Coming hermeneutics Harold Camping

2 Peter 3:8 in context: the passage teaches God's patience and the unexpectedness of judgment — not a mathematical formula for calculating dates

Mike reads 2 Peter 3:8-11 in full to demonstrate that Camping's formula rips the verse from its actual argument.

sola scriptura apologetics authority fallacy

Reason 5: Predictors earn our trust by sounding knowledgeable — authority transferred from person to prediction without scriptural verification

Fifth reason people fall for false predictions.

eschatology readiness premillennialism

Q&A: How should Christians prepare for the end of the world?

Question from Bethany Cole Baum. Mike answers from a premillennial perspective.

apologetics numerology pastoral advice

Q&A: How to minister to young adults involved in numerology and end-times speculation

Question from Evan Adamson, a young adults leader.

Genesis Genesis young earth creationism age of the earth

Q&A: Age of the earth — Mike's honest agnosticism between young-earth and old-earth positions

Question from 'GotaMeetsix' about young-earth vs. old-earth creationism.

hermeneutics numerology biblical symbolism

Q&A: Is biblical numerology nonsense? Distinction between symbolic numbers and predictive numerological systems

Question from Jessie Swanger.

Second Coming hermeneutics eschatology

Closing exhortation: test all end-times claims by whether they come from clear Scripture or from Bible-to-symbol-to-math-formula chains; be ready rather than predict

Mike closes the Q&A and the entire session with a pastoral summary.

Mike Winger idea 2017-12-27

Tip 1: Look back before you look forward — December as a 'hilltop' for perspective

First of seven tips. Mike uses a journey/landscape metaphor to describe the value of year-end reflection.

Matthew 7:14 spiritual disciplines self-examination perspective

Mike Winger idea 2017-12-27

Restaurant rescue shows as an illustration of blind spots to one's own problems

Illustrative analogy within Tip 3 about honest self-assessment.

self-deception self-examination blind spots

Mike Winger idea 2017-12-27

God repeatedly commands self-examination in Scripture; Isaiah as an example of God calling people to see themselves clearly

Biblical grounding for Tip 3's call to honest self-assessment.

Isaiah 1 Haggai 1:7 self-examination Isaiah 1 consider your ways

Mormonism prophetic authority Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith is the founder and first prophet of Mormonism, and his revelations form the doctrinal basis of the faith.

Background on Joseph Smith before quoting him directly from the King Follett sermon.

Joseph Smith King Follett Sermon prophetic inspiration

The King Follett Sermon: delivered April 7, 1844 at a funeral with ~20,000 present; Joseph Smith claimed to speak under inspiration to 'all ye ends of the earth.'

Mike introduces the King Follett Sermon as the primary documentary source for Mormon theology about the nature of God.

Pearl of Great Price Book of Mormon Doctrine and Covenants

The LDS church is quietly distancing itself from past presidential statements and Journal of Discourses rather than formally changing doctrine — 'plausible deniability.'

Mike explains the mechanism by which Mormonism is changing: not reforming doctrine but retreating from its sources.

eternal progression LDS doctrinal evolution as man is God once was

Classic Mormon saying: 'As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become' — recently soft-pedaled by LDS leadership claiming not to understand it.

Mike cites the traditional Mormon aphorism summarizing eternal progression and notes that recent LDS leadership has tried to distance itself from it.

Mike Winger idea 2018-03-14

Catholic counter-argument: James 2:24 is the only place 'faith alone' appears in Scripture — and it negates it

Presenting the Catholic response to sola fide

James 2:24 sola fide James 2:24 Trent Horn

Mike Winger idea 2018-03-14

Q&A: apparitions of the Virgin Mary — Mike is skeptical; Catholic Marian devotion (shrines, altars) seems pagan and non-biblical

Viewer question about Catholic Marian apparitions

Catholicism Virgin Mary Marian apparitions

1 Corinthians 3 purgatory 1 Corinthians 3 2 Maccabees 12:38-46

Two primary passages Catholic apologists use for purgatory: 1 Corinthians 3 and 2 Maccabees

Identifying the core biblical texts used by Catholics to support the doctrine

purgatory indulgences mass for the dead

Purgatory is central to Catholic practice: mass for the dead, prayers for the deceased, and indulgences

Explaining the practical/liturgical consequences of the purgatory doctrine

1 Corinthians 3:4-15 Paul Apollos works

Reading of 1 Corinthians 3:4-15

Scripture reading of the first key passage

1 Corinthians 3:9-10 hermeneutics Paul ministry

Transition from planting/watering analogy to building analogy in 1 Corinthians 3:9-10

Structural analysis of the passage's two analogies

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 Paul discipleship Jesus Christ

The foundation metaphor: Jesus Christ is the foundation; building on it = post-salvation ministry to believers

Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 and the nature of building on the foundation

1 Corinthians 3:12 ministry works judgment

Gold, silver, precious stones vs. wood, hay, straw: quality of ministry, not purity of the person

Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 3:12 — the building materials metaphor

church fathers sola scriptura Catholic apologetics

Catholic debates always ultimately fall back to church authority / Magisterium rather than Scripture

Broader critique of Catholic apologetics methodology

sola scriptura Magisterium church authority

If the Catholic Church truly has Magisterial authority, the Bible is potentially dangerous since it sometimes competes with Catholic teaching

Following the logic of Magisterial authority to its conclusion

sola scriptura purgatory Catholic apologetics

Many respected Catholic theologians openly admit purgatory is not in the Bible — it rests on church authority alone

Acknowledging the honest strand of Catholic scholarship on purgatory

hermeneutics eisegesis sola scriptura

Eisegesis defined: reading a pre-existing doctrine into a text rather than letting the text speak for itself

Hermeneutical summary of the Catholic approach to both passages

Catholic apologetics church authority papal authority

Mike's 'Refuting Catholicism' playlist on YouTube — recommended for the central issue of Church authority

Resource recommendation and self-reference

sola scriptura Martin Luther purgatory

Q&A — Adventist tactic of using Luther's early writings endorsing purgatory to discredit Protestantism

Question about how to respond to arguments from Luther's early writings

justification by faith sola fide purgatory

Q&A — How to approach a Catholic on purgatory: make salvation and justification the main issue, not purgatory

Practical apologetics advice for engaging Catholics

New Testament resurrection historical method

Response to 'you can't use the Bible': the Bible is actually 66 documents by multiple authors over hundreds of years and is treated as historical documents by secular historians

Common objection addressed — that the resurrection case is circular because it relies on the Bible

N.T. Wright resurrection spiritual resurrection theory

The Episcopal Church's spiritual resurrection view contradicts the Jewish meaning of 'resurrection' — N.T. Wright and the physical risen Lord

Q&A — response to Philip Rushing's question about churches denying the physical resurrection

Markan priority New Testament Gospel origins Markan priority

Which Gospel was written first — Mike defers to scholarly consensus and warns of the 'house of cards' nature of Gospel dating arguments

Q&A — Cam Spears's question about Gospel authorship dates

Hebrews authorship New Testament Paul the Apostle Pauline authorship

Question from 'Pine Creek Doug': do you accept the scholarly consensus that six of Paul's letters are forgeries? — Mike does not accept this

Q&A — atheist YouTuber Doug from 'Pine Creek' asks about Pauline authorship

Hebrews authorship Hebrews New Testament Paul the Apostle Hebrews authorship

Hebrews is not attributed to Paul by Mike; all other epistles he considers genuinely Pauline

Mike's personal view on Hebrews authorship within the Pauline authorship discussion

Isaiah 53 Origen Messianic prophecy Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53: modern claim that it refers to Israel, not Messiah, is historically novel

Ra claims Isaiah 53 (the Suffering Servant) is about Israel personified, not Jesus, and that Jews have always understood it this way

Psalm 22:27 Messianic prophecy Universal worship of God Psalm 22:27

Rashi and ancient rabbinic Midrash confirm Psalm 22 was understood as messianic

Were there any ancient Jewish authorities who read Psalm 22 as messianic?

Psalm 22:16 Typology Psalm 22:16 Dogs of Psalm 22 - metaphor

Psalm 22's 'dogs' and 'bulls of Bashan' are metaphors for human enemies, not literal animals

Ra argues Psalm 22 depicts David being chased by literal dogs, making it inapplicable to Jesus

Matthew 26:23 John 13:26 Matthew 26:23 John 13:26 Last Supper

Q&A: Matthew 26:23 vs. John 13:26 — apparent contradiction at the Last Supper

Viewer question about differences between Matthew 26:23 and John 13:26 in identifying the betrayer

biblical inspiration dictation theory verbal plenary inspiration

Clarification: the Bible claims inspiration, not dictation

The article under review assumes God 'wrote' the Bible. Mike corrects this mischaracterization before engaging the specific arguments.

Ezekiel Matthew 24 fulfilled prophecy Ezekiel Matthew 24

Reason 5 affirmed and answered: Fulfilled prophecy is the correct test for biblical inspiration, and the Bible passes it

The skeptic argues that an inspired Bible would contain specific, verifiable prophecies — but calls biblical prophecies 'feeble in the extreme.'

Genesis 1 Isaiah 53 Song of Solomon Genesis 1 Isaiah 53 Song of Solomon

Reason 7 (the 'half reason') addressed: The Bible does contain beautiful poetry; the Judges 19 example is a misrepresentation

The skeptic argues the Bible lacks beautiful, heart-rending poetry and cites Judges 19 (the Levite's concubine) as a counterexample of ugliness.

1 Corinthians 7 1 Corinthians 7 marriage apostolic authority

Q&A: 1 Corinthians 7:12 — is Paul's 'I, not the Lord' statement inspired Scripture?

Viewer question: Should we consider 1 Corinthians 7:12 inspired since Paul explicitly says it is his opinion, not the Lord's?

Mark 13:15-23 Mark 13:15-23 great tribulation R.C. Sproul

Mark 13:15-23 — unparalleled tribulation: Mike takes Jesus at his word, not hyperbole

Mike reads the tribulation section and defends a literal reading against those who dismiss it as exaggeration.

Mark 13:32-37 no one knows the day or hour Mark 13:32-37 watchfulness

Mark 13:32-37 — no one knows the day or hour; the command is perpetual alertness

Mike reconciles the specific sign and generation statement with the 'no one knows' declaration.

Matthew 24:1-3 Matthew 24:1-3 end of the age disciples' question in Matthew

Matthew 24:1-3 — disciples explicitly ask about the end of the age, confirming the larger scope

Mike turns to Matthew 24 and highlights what Matthew adds to the parallel accounts.

Acts 1:6-8 ascension Acts 1:6-8 kingdom restoration timing

Acts 1:6-8 — Jesus does not promise imminence at the ascension; redirects disciples to mission

Mike cites a post-resurrection passage that confirms the same pattern: unknown timing, mission focus.