Best Dr Kim Riddlebarger Podcasts (2025)

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"The Glory of the New Covenant" Season Four/Episode Five (2 Corinthians 3:1-18) 56:33

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4d ago56:33

56:33

Episode Synopsis: As Paul finds himself facing a serious situation with challenges to his apostolic authority and attacks upon his person and reputation, he defends himself and his apostolic office by pointing to God’s saving work among the once pagan Corinthians. Through Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, the believers among the Corinthia…

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"The Aroma of the Gospel" Season Four/Episode Four (2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17) 44:47

16d ago44:47

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Paul is under attack by some in the Corinthian church who question his intentions and his ability–he will later identify them as “super” or “false” apostles who are agents of Satan. These men claim to exercise charismatic gifts but which call attention to themselves in a manner unlike Paul had taught the Corinthians. They claim that although Paul i…

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"The God of All Comfort" Season Four/Episode Three (2 Corinthians 1:1-22) 46:40

30d ago46:40

46:40

Episode Synopsis: For those of us who regard Paul as one of the primary figures in all of the New Testament, it is hard to comprehend a time when the apostle was under siege to the extent we find in 2 Corinthians. His authority was being challenged, and he was being compared to men whose rhetorical ability and charismatic gifts surpassed his own. P…

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"The Theology of 2 Corinthians" Season Four/Episode Two 1:04:42

2M ago1:04:42

1:04:42

Episode Synopsis: 2 Corinthians just may well be the most difficult of all of Paul’s letters. 2 Corinthians assumes that the reader has a basic understanding of the geography of the Greco-Roman world (a map really helps), as well as some understanding of the ongoing situation in the Corinthian church which leads Paul to compose this letter (the fou…

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"Introduction to 2 Corinthians" Season Four/Episode One 1:01:18

2M ago1:01:18

1:01:18

"Life in the Midst of Death” An Introduction to 2 Corinthians When we wrapped up season three (our deep dive into 1 Corinthians), Paul was in Ephesus responding to reports from Chloe’s family about troubling things going on back in Corinth. About the same time, Paul received a delegation from Corinth asking a series of questions about various matte…

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"Be Watchful! Stand Firm!" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Nine (1 Corinthians 16:1-24) 40:52

5M ago40:52

40:52

Episode Synopsis: Episode 29 of Season Three of the Blessed Hope Podcast brings our deep dive into 1 Corinthians to its conclusion. As we come to the end of our study of this remarkable letter and take a moment to look back at the ground we have covered, it quickly becomes apparent how truly important this letter is for those of us living in the 21…

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"Christ's Victory Over Death and the Grave" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Eight (1 Corinthians 15:35-58) 55:21

6M ago55:21

55:21

Episode Synopsis: At the end of chapter 15 of First Corinthians, Paul describes what is truly the greatest triumph in the long history of the human race–Jesus Christ’s glorious victory over death and the grave. Our greatest enemy (death) was defeated that first Easter when Jesus was raised bodily from the dead as the firstfruits of a great harvest …

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"Christ Has Been Raised" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Seven (1 Corinthians 15:20-34) 58:47

6M ago58:47

58:47

Episode Synopsis: Imagine the shock you would feel upon hearing news that the body of Jesus had been found in a tomb somewhere near the city of Jerusalem and the remains were positively identified as those of the central figure of the New Testament. What would your reaction be? Would it even matter? Would you still call yourself a Christian? While …

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"The Gospel: Christ's Death, Burial, and Resurrection" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Six (1 Corinthians 15:1-19) 1:07:49

7M ago1:07:49

1:07:49

Episode Synopsis: If someone walked up to you and asked, “What is the gospel?, what would you say? If you cannot come up with the answer immediately, then please carefully consider what follows. The definition is given us in a concise form by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5. The gospel is called “good news” because it is the proclamation o…

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"They Will Think You Are Crazy" Season Three/Episode Twenty -Five (1 Corinthians 14:20-40) 46:38

7M ago46:38

46:38

Episode Synopsis: My first exposure to tongue-speaking did not go well. In an “afterglow” service which followed a mid-week Bible study at an Orange County megachurch, a large number of the faithful remained after the study to “experience” the gifts of the Spirit, including the “gift of tongues.” A young pastor took over from the Bible teacher and …

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"Speaking in Tongues" Season Three/Episode Twenty Four (1 Corinthians 14:1-19) 52:46

8M ago52:46

52:46

Episode Synopsis: Speaking in tongues was causing chaos in the Corinthian church. Tongue-speakers were speaking at the same time, and their tongues were not always interpreted as required by Paul. Some acted as though tongues was the greatest of the gifts of the Spirit and were lording it over others who did not possess the gift. Paul is also writi…

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"The Greatest of These Is Love" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Three (1 Corinthians 13:1-13) 45:53

8M ago45:53

45:53

Episode Synopsis: What the Bible says about love, and the way most Americans think about love, are usually two vastly different things. Our contemporaries tend to think of love as a powerful emotion, most often associated with romance and intimacy. Images of hearts and cupids on Valentine’s Day are ingrained in us from an early age. Love is also ti…

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"Baptism In the Spirit" Season Three/Episode Twenty-Two (1 Corinthians 12:12-31) 58:55

8M ago58:55

58:55

Episode Synopsis: Almost all peoples and cultures seem to have some sort of utopian dream–a world of universal peace, prosperity, and harmony. John Lennon’s Imagine anyone? The problem with all utopian visions is that ours is a fallen race. Because we are a fallen race we all too often find ourselves divided along racial, socioeconomic, political, …

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"The Gifts of the Spirit" SeasonThree/Episode Twenty-One (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) 1:22:06

9M ago1:22:06

1:22:06

Episode Synopsis: One of the most divisive theological controversies of my lifetime was the charismatic movement with its stress upon baptism in the Holy Spirit as evident in speaking in tongues. Whenever the charismatic renewal spread to a new church, it immediately divided the church into two camps–those who experienced what they claimed was a ne…

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"The Lord's Supper" Season Three/Episode Twenty (1 Corinthians 11:17-34) 1:11:38

10M ago1:11:38

1:11:38

Episode Synopsis: One of the saddest indicators of human sinfulness is found in the last half of 1 Corinthians 11. The sacrament of Christian unity (the Lord’s Supper) had instead become the occasion for further division in the Corinthian church. Paul laments that in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper the rich were exploiting the poor, the body o…

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"Head Coverings and Modesty in Worship" Season Three/Episode Nineteen (1 Corinthians 11:2-16) 51:00

10M ago51:00

51:00

Episode Synopsis: As a cosmopolitan city and home to many varieties of Greco-Roman paganism, Corinth was a cutting edge place for first century fashion and culture. From what we know regarding the city’s ethos at the time, there was growing tension between traditional gender roles and a desire for women to express themselves in non-traditional ways…

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"The Bread, The Wine, and the Glory of God" Season Three/Episode Eighteen (1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1) 50:20

11M ago50:20

50:20

Episode Synopsis: We’ve come to 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1, as Paul wraps up his discussion of idolatry. In the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, Christian believers drink the cup of blessing and eat the broken bread–described by Paul as a participation in Christ’s body and blood. Since so many in Corinth were still hanging on to remnants of their paga…

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"Christ Was the Rock" Season Three/Episode Seventeen (1 Corinthians 10:1-13) 51:05

11M ago51:05

51:05

Episode Synopsis: If you have ever wondered what it would be like for Paul to teach you how to read and understand the Old Testament in light of the coming of Jesus Christ, in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, the apostle does exactly that. The birth of Israel stems from deliverance from their bondage in Egypt, followed by the Passover, and then the Exodus th…

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"All Things to All People" Season Three/Episode Sixteen (1 Corinthians 9:1-27) 52:04

11M ago52:04

52:04

Episode Synopsis: If we were to find Paul’s notes for an upcoming lecture on “my philosophy of ministry,” we would probably find the words of 1 Corinthians 9:19–23, "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became …

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"The Strong and the Weak" Season Three/Episode Fifteen (1 Corinthians 8:1-13) 57:41

12M ago57:41

57:41

Episode Synopsis: The church in Corinth was plagued by factions. One source of division was ethnicity–the church was made up of Jews, Greeks, Romans, and likely a number of other nationalities. Then there were the factions formed by church members who identified with Paul, Peter, or Apollos, as their favorite teachers. There were also deep cultural…

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"You Can't Unscramble Eggs" Season Three/Episode Fourteen (1 Corinthians 7:17-40) 1:00:41

1y ago1:00:41

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Episode Synopsis: In 1 Corinthians 7:17-40, Paul teaches what I call the “you can’t unscramble eggs” doctrine. What should a new Christian do when they come to faith in Jesus Christ? Do they quit their current “secular” job to devote themselves full-time to Jesus Christ and to the work of ministry? Should they rush into marriage to avoid the lusts …

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“Mixed Marriages, `Holy’ Spouses and Children” Season Three/Episode Thirteen (1 Corinthians 7:12-16) 51:37

1y ago51:37

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Episode Synopsis: Paul’s Gentile mission was a huge success. A number of new churches were established throughout the eastern Mediterranean world–including fast growing churches in important cities such as Corinth, Thessalonica, and Ephesus. But with the spread of the gospel into a previously unevangelized world dominated by Greco-Roman culture and…

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"Sex and Marriage" Season Three/Episode Twelve (1 Corinthians 7:1-11) 49:27

1y ago49:27

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Episode Synopsis: Sex and marriage were pressing issues in Corinth. Gentiles who came to faith in Jesus Christ during Paul’s Gentile mission were learning the biblical sexual ethic for the first time. Grounded in the creation order, the Ten Commandments, and the teaching of Jesus, it did not take long for the Corinthians to understand that sex was …

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"Flee From Sexual Immorality" Season Three/Episode Eleven (1 Corinthians 6:12-20) 48:23

1+ y ago48:23

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Episode Synopsis: It has been said that prostitution is the world’s old profession. In reality, tending a garden and naming animals is. But if you lived in first century Corinth you lived in a city well-known for its prostitutes and rampant sexual immorality. This creates a difficult situation for Christians who live there and who have been taught …

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"Washed, Sanctified, Justified" Season Three/Episode Ten (1 Corinthians 6:1-11) 54:45

1+ y ago54:45

54:45

Episode Synopsis: Corinth was a booming city with lots of new money and great stress upon the power and prestige that goes with it. One way to enhance your public image was to take advantage of those who had something you wanted or needed, or to shame a rival or get a leg up on someone you didn’t like, was to sue them in civil court. Corinth was a …

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"A Man Has His Father's Wife" Season Three/Episode Nine (1 Corinthians 5:1-13) 48:21

1+ y ago48:21

48:21

Episode Synopsis: When passing through Ephesus, where Paul was living at the time, members of Chloe’s family informed Paul of a situation in the Corinthian church of such a serious nature that Paul is taken aback. A man in the Corinthian church (presumably known to the church but unnamed by Paul) is cohabiting with his father’s wife. Such conduct w…

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"Shall I Come With a Rod?" Season Three/Episode Eight (1 Corinthians 4:1-21) 50:01

1+ y ago50:01

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Episode Synopsis: Paul expressed a fair bit of righteous anger in his letter to the Galatians–calling those taken in by false teachers foolish people who have been all-too easily bewitched by false teachers. In 1 Corinthians 4, the apostle again expresses his frustration, speaking sarcastically of those who think of themselves as rich (when they ar…

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"You Are God's Temple" Season Three/Episode Seven (1 Corinthians 3:1-23) 1:03:10

1+ y ago1:03:10

1:03:10

Episode Synopsis: So what will it be? Milk or meat? Are the Corinthians spiritual toddlers? Or are they mature Christians? Since they are being drawn to the factions forming within the church (“I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos”) it is clear that no matter how mature they think they are, in reality they are immature. Their lack of progress in Chris…

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"Preaching as a Demonstration of the Spirit's Power" Season Three/Episode Six (1 Corinthians 2:1-16) 1:04:13

1+ y ago1:04:13

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Episode Synopsis: Paul did not come to Corinth as a typical sage, sophist, or philosopher. He was an unimpressive rabbi and made no attempt to embrace Greco-Roman rhetorical techniques to keep an audience entertained and wanting more. Paul’s mission to the Gentiles was not about him, it was about the message he preached, Christ and him crucified. W…

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"Christ and Him Crucified" Season Three/Episode Five (1 Corinthians 1:18-31) 1:02:45

1+ y ago1:02:45

1:02:45

Episode Synopsis: The cross of Jesus Christ is utter foolishness to those who are perishing in their sins. Yet, Paul tells the Corinthians that through message of the cross God reveals his wisdom and power. In the closing section of the first chapter of his first Corinthian letter, Paul explains how and why the preaching of Christ crucified confoun…

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"Be United" -- Season Three/Episode Four -- 1 Corinthinians 1:10-17 49:04

1+ y ago49:04

49:04

Episode Synopsis: Paul has gotten some rather bad news. Members of Chloe’s family (presumably people Paul had known from his time in Corinth) had come to Ephesus (where Paul was currently laboring). They informed him of serious troubles back in Corinth. People were quarreling to the point that factions had developed in the church, with various grou…

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"Called to Be Saints" Season Three/Episode Three -- 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 49:36

1+ y ago49:36

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Episode Synopsis: In the opening 9 verses of Paul’s first Corinthian letter, Paul sets the stage for what is to come. Although he was in Corinth for some eighteen months and knew many of those to whom he is writing quite well, his apostolic authority was being challenged by some in the congregation. Paul must address this matter by reminding the Co…

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"A Rich Feast of Pauline Theology" Season Three/Episode Two -- 1 Corinthians (Doctrinal Survey) 1:29:15

1+ y ago1:29:15

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Episode Synopsis: Paul’s first Corinthian letter was written to deal with divisions in the Corinthian church. He’s received a letter from the Corinthians asking him about how to deal with the Greco-Roman pagans around them, as well as how to handle professing Christians who either did not understand, or implement the apostle’s instructions. In Ephe…

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"What Happens in Corinth Does Not Stay in Corinth" Season Three/Episode One -- 1 Corinthians (Introduction) 59:11

1+ y ago59:11

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Episode Synopsis: I’m very excited to kick off season three of the Blessed Hope Podcast because we are taking up one of the most interesting and challenging letters in all the New Testament–Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. This is a letter which is practical in the best sense of the term and we will spend a great deal of time going through i…

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Eschatology by Ethos (8-40): Why Optimism and Pessimism Do Not Work as Eschatological Categories 52:03

2y ago52:03

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Episode Synopsis: The first time I heard the term “optimistic amillennarian” was in seminary, when a student asked one of the professors whether they were postmillennial or amillennial. The professor said he admired much about postmillennialism, but thought amillennialism was the biblical view. But after saying that, he blurted out, “well, maybe, I…

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The Antichrist (7-39) 57:31

2y ago57:31

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Episode Synopsis: The mere mention of the Antichrist conjures up all kinds of spooky movie images, demonic plot lines, and eerie special effects–all designed to play upon our fears of a satanically inspired, menacing figure doing their master’s bidding. The list is long, but a few examples should help–The Omen (with the brat antichrist child, Damie…

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The Future of Israel (6-38) -- A Look at Romans 9-11 1:05:41

2y ago1:05:41

1:05:41

Episode Synopsis: Whenever you discuss biblical eschatology and the end times, you must address the future of Israel and the Jewish people. The subject is greatly complicated by the fact that along with the longstanding biblical debates over Israel’s future, there is also the complicated history of Zionism. The unprecedented events surrounding the …

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The Future (5-37) -- The Signs of the End 1:21:07

2y ago1:21:07

1:21:07

Episode Synopsis: From the moment of our Lord’s ascension into heaven (as recounted in Acts 1:8) Christians have expected the Lord’s bodily and imminent return. Both Jesus and the apostles had a fair bit to say about his return as well as those signs which would precede the end. So, from the dawn of the church, until now, some two thousand years re…

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The Future (4-36) -- Jesus Christ, the Sum and Substance of Biblical Prophecy 59:13

2y ago59:13

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Episode Synopsis: I am not a fan of jigsaw puzzles–I don’t have the patience to put them together, and I am too easily distracted by the shapes of the various pieces. So, I lose sight of the big picture, and then I get frustrated and attempt to jam pieces into the puzzle where they don’t fit. Many people have the same trouble with the Bible. Why do…

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The Future (3-35) -- The Returning King and His Kingdom 1:03:14

2y ago1:03:14

1:03:14

Episode Synopsis: The kingdom of God is a major topic throughout the Scriptures. The kingdom of God refers to the rule or reign of God over all of creation and all of its creatures. The Old Testament speaks of YHWH as Israel’s king, whose kingdom is everlasting. The prophets speak of this kingdom using royal images associated with heavenly glory an…

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The Future (2-34) -- This Age and the Age to Come: The Implausibity of Premillennialism 52:10

2y ago52:10

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Episode Synopsis: I begin this episode with a personal testimony. I was born and raised a dispensationalist. Our family owned a Christian bookstore. The first Christian book I picked out and read on my own was Hal Lindsey’s The Late Great Planet Earth. Years later, I was challenged by one of our delivery men about the books we were selling–all the …

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The Future (1-33) -- How the Past Shapes the Future 49:21

2y ago49:21

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Episode Synopsis: We are beginning a new series on the Blessed Hope Podcast, “The Future.” In this series we will wrestle with the question “what does the future hold for God’s people?” What historical events and biblical prophecies remain to be fulfilled before Jesus returns on the last day? How are we to interpret the various signs of the end we …

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Season Two Postscript -- "Where Do We Go from Here?" 12:47

2+ y ago12:47

12:47

Season Two Postscript – Where Do We Go from Here? We’ve completed season two of the Blessed Hope Podcast, fifteen episodes in all, in which we covered Paul’s two Thessalonian letters. The season two series was entitled “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, taken from 2 Thessalonians 1:7, a text which captures Paul emphasis in these two lett…

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Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Fifteen “The Lord Is Faithful” -- (2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:18) 48:15

2+ y ago48:15

48:15

Episode Synopsis: As Paul comes to the end of his second Thessalonian letter, he still has much to say to the Christians in Thessalonica. But the most important thing the apostle does when concluding his second letter, is to remind the Thessalonians of his prayer of thanksgiving on their behalf. Paul hopes this will be of great encouragement. The a…

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Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Fourteen: “The Man of Sin” -- Part Two (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) 48:41

2+ y ago48:41

48:41

Episode Synopsis: Soon after Paul sent his first letter to the Thessalonian Christians, the apostle received word that someone in the congregation was teaching that the day of the Lord had already come. Composing his second Thessalonian letter to correct this error, Paul makes it abundantly clear that anyone spreading such a rumor is flat-out wrong…

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Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Thirteen: “The Man of Sin” -- Part One (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) 54:52

2+ y ago54:52

54:52

Episode Synopsis: There is little doubt that one of the most interesting, controversial, and a constant source of on-going speculation is the doctrine of the Antichrist. Indeed, there has been so much written about the Antichrist by Christians–both ancient and modern–and so many references made to the Antichrist in film and popular culture, it is v…

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Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Twelve: “When the Lord Jesus Is Revealed from Heaven” (2 Thessalonians:1-12) 1:04:08

2+ y ago1:04:08

1:04:08

Episode Synopsis: Paul has already written one letter to the Thessalonians to clear up the confusion in their midst about the Lord’s return on the last day. Paul has instructed the congregation that should anyone die before the Lord’s return, they will not miss out on any of the benefits secured for them by Jesus Christ (including eternal life) as …

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Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Eleven: "Brothers, I Urge You" (1 Thess. 5:12-28) 47:19

2+ y ago47:19

47:19

Episode Synopsis: Since the Lord will return suddenly and unexpectedly, what are the Thessalonians to do until Jesus’s return? Paul has already encouraged them earlier in his letter, telling them that they are doing well despite the persecution and on-going threats they were receiving from Jews and Greco-Roman pagans in Thessalonica. But Paul knows…

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Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Ten: "Like a Thief in the Night" (1 Thess. 5:1-11) 50:31

2+ y ago50:31

50:31

Date-setting has been a problem for God’s people since the days of the apostles. Church history is full of the accounts of those who, for whatever reason, attempted to figure out when Jesus will return, set dates, and then miserably failed to predict the unpredictable. Two recent examples should suffice. Edgar C. Whisenant predicted the Lord’s retu…

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Paul's Thessalonian Letters -- Season Two/Episode Nine: "The Rapture" (1 Thess 4:13-18) 59:42

2+ y ago59:42

59:42

Episode Synopsis: As a baby boomer, I grew up during the Cold War, when the threat of nuclear war was real and constant. In 1948, Israel became a nation and many Jews began returning to their ancient homeland. The “Six Day War” of 1967, fought between Israel and a confederation of Arab states, sure made it seem as though the dispensational expectat…