CVV Ministries

A look at the messianic prophecies in the Old Testament leads us to a seventh important principle of Bible prophecy, stated a couple of times by Jesus: & 220;I have told you now b

Fulfilled Prophecy After The Return From Exile

What actually happened when Israel returned from Babylon? Compared to the texts we& 217;ve been reading, the fulfillment was disappointing. Remember principle 2: God is not predic

The Old Testament Prophets: A New Creation

I am emphasizing these principles because they provide the basis for making a sound analysis of unfulfilled prophecies. Many people treat unfulfilled prophecy as if it were written

The Old Testament Prophets: The New Exodus Ii

Micah. A contemporary of Hosea was the prophet Micah. He prophesied to the kingdom of Judah (just to the south) a short time after the prophecy recorded in Hosea 2. He too follows

The Old Testament Prophets: The New Exodus

If you were to read the Bible through from Isaiah to Malachi you would discover that the major theme running through the prophets is Judah& 217;s exile to Babylon and subsequent r

Learning From The Pattern

I would encourage you to put the observations about Creation, the Flood, and the Exodus to the test. Look up the texts I have listed along the way. Then read the books of Genesis a

The Exodus Story Patterned After Creation And The Flood

The creation account begins with a formless earth covered by water (Gen 1:2). The flood story begins with the chaos of sin (Gen 6:5 7) and then describes the earth& 217;s return t

Implications Of The Flood Story For Bible Prophecy

There are amazing and purposeful parallels between the story of creation and the story of the Flood. When the Flood is described, the language of Creation is used. When the new cre

Noah As A Second Adam

The parallels between creation and the flood are considerable, but they do not end there, Noah, the chief figure in the flood story, is described as a & 220;second Adam.& 221; At

Four Mighty Acts Of God (Creation And The Flood)

When you look at the big picture of the Old Testament you discover that everything centers on four major acts of God, Creation, the Flood, the Exodus, and the Return from Babylonia

The Patterns Of Bible Prophecy

Prophets are making a comeback in today& 217;s world. The National Enquirer tabloid is full of them. Perhaps you& 217;ve heard of Nostradamus, the sixteenth century French physic

Conclusion Of Women, War, And The Bible

Let me share a few practical thoughts that I take from the careful and painful study in how women were treated in ancient wars and how God implemented incremental, redemptive movem

Revisiting Deut 21:10-14

I apologize for the long gap in time since the last blog. I have been occupied with many things. But I am determined to increase the pace and also catch up with your comments and q

Israel, Guided By God, Treated Women Differently

^{Jon Pauliens Blog 4m}

In the previous blog, we outlined the horrific way that women were treated in ancient wars. How does Deuteronomy 21:10 14 represent God& 217;s incremental redemptive ethic in its

War Treatment Of Women In The Ancient Near East

^{Jon Pauliens Blog 5m}

To understand Deuteronomy 21:10 14, it is important to set those instructions into the context of how women were treated in war in the Ancient Near East. As noted by William Webb,

The Big Principle: The Ideal And The Real

^{Jon Pauliens Blog 5m}

The work of William Webb and Gordon Oeste suggests a very important principle of interpretation, when it comes to the Bible. Since God meets people where they are, God& 217;s reve

The Work Of William Webb And Gordon Oeste

^{Jon Pauliens Blog 5m}

I have really appreciated the researched done by William Webb and Gordon Oeste in the book entitled Bloody, Brutal and Barbaric? Wrestling with Troubling War Texts. It was publishe

Deuteronomy 21:10-14: How Israelites Should Treat Female Captives After Battle

Deut 21:10 14: & 220;When you go out to war against your enemies, and the LORD your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive, 11 and you see among the captives a be

Women, War, And The Bible: Reflections On Deuteronomy 21:10-14

The world as we experience it is a mess. There are mass migrations, leading to tragedy and cultural conflict. There are mass shootings in many places, particularly in the United St

Conclusion To The Series On Michael The Archangel

My attempted contribution to understanding of Michael& 217;s identity here is a small one. But given the long standing dispute among biblical scholars, even a small contribution c

Further Arguments From Revelation 12

Since writing up the above blog sequence and presenting it at the annual meeting of the Adventist Society for Religious Studies in San Antonio (November 2023), I have observed furt

A Literary Pattern

The previous blog was a short summary of the debate among biblical scholars regarding the identity of Michael. In this blog, I would like to explore some fresh evidence regarding t

Response To The Counter-Arguments

While the counter arguments against equating Jesus and Michael are impressive in their own right, they overlook another line of evidence. Portraying Jesus as an angelic figure is c

Counterarguments Against Michael Being Christ

While the identification of Michael as Jesus Christ finds support in certain passages, many scholars and theologians maintain that Michael is solely an angelic being, distinct from

Identifying Michael As Jesus Christ

Identifying Michael as Jesus Christ is widely supported by reference to 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Paul there associates the Second Coming of Jesus with the voice of the archangel. The

Michael In The New Testament

The first reference to Michael in the New Testament is found in the book of Jude, where he is referred to as & 220;the archangel Michael& 221; (Jude 1:9), one of the leaders amon

Michael Outside The Bible

Outside the biblical canon, Michael& 217;s presence is widespread in Early Jewish texts (see the extensive listing of Jewish sources in David E. Aune, Revelation, 3 vols., Anchor

Michael In The Old Testament

The name & 220;Michael& 221; in Hebrew means & 220;Who is like God?& 221; The earliest appearance of Michael in the Bible is in Daniel, where he is referred to as & 220;one of

Major Earlier Studies On Michael The Archangel

^{Jon Pauliens Blog 8m}

The earliest major work on the archangel Michael that I am aware of is by Wilhelm von Luecken (Michael: Eine Darstellung und Vergleichung der j& 69;dischen und morgenl& 28;ndisch

The Identity Of Michael In Revelation 12

^{Jon Pauliens Blog 8m}

Among Seventh day Adventists, the quick and dirty solution to the identity of Michael in the Bible is that Michael is the pre incarnate Jesus Christ, who leads the cosmic conflict

Conclusion: Living In Light Of The End

^{Jon Pauliens Blog 8m}

When you get to know and love people, it is a natural tendency to avoid conflict in your dealings with them. But while it may be convenient to do so, Adventist Christian communitie

The Bible And Compassion

What can we learn from Scripture about how to treat those who do not meet the ideal (which includes every one of us at one time or another)? It is critical to begin by acknowledgin

Conclusion Of Israel, Jesus And The Church

I apologize for a lengthy period of no posting. I know a number of you were looking forward to the conclusion of the series on LaRondelle, Israel and the Church. Distracted with ma

The Bible And The Science Of Gender And Sexuality

While the Word of God is the foundation of our understanding of God& 217;s will, it does not address all the issues and challenges that a Christian faces in regard to human sexual

The Bible And Human Reality

This is the second blog in a series on LGBT+ and the Bible. The biblical ideal articulated in the previous blog post is, in a nutshell, as follows: Human beings were created in the

Lgbt+ And The Bible

Since many people today are struggling to understand the Bible& 217;s teachings in relation to LGBT+, I recently did some further study on this in consultation with some highly re

Site Alert

This blog site will be transitioning to a new web host over the next ten days. To facilitate that transfer, I will not be posting any blogs, and comments will be disabled during th

One More Witness

A second example. Let& 217;s look at a specific Old Testament geographical term which is used in in Revelation 16:12: & 220;The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river

Two Or Three Witnesses

Continuing our look at Hans LaRondelle& 217;s understanding of Israel and the nations in the New Testament. There is a memorable saying in the Old Testament: & 220;A matter must

Implications Of The Nt Re-Definition Of Israel

The implications of these two shifts (from ethnic to spiritual and localized to worldwide) in the definition of Israel are profound. If Israel is defined by relationship with the J

The New Israel (The Church) Ii

What Jesus did was to expand the definition of Israel to all who are in relationship with Him, & 220;first for the Jew, then for the Gentile& 221; (Romans 1:16, see also Mark 7:2

The New Israel (The Church)

It is plain in the Bible that Jesus did not come to start a new religion. The mission of Jesus Christ was & 220;first for the Jew& 221; (Romans 1:16 and Mark 7:27). His mission w

The New Israel (Jesus)

The mission of Israel as a nation was laid out in a nutshell in Exodus 19:5 6: & 220;& 216;Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my t

Israel, Jesus And The Church

I apologize for a long period of silence on this blog. I have been involved in so many fresh writing and speaking project I just haven& 217;t been able to dedicate time to one mor

Thoughtful Believer/Scholars And The Fate Of Sinners (Rev 20)

Thoughtful believers live with a tension. On the one hand, believers, by definition, feel like they have enough evidence to make serious commitments regarding the Bible, theologica

Is God’s Wrath Active Or Passive?

I apologize for the long silence. There has been so much going on I haven& 217;t had the & 220;bandwidth& 221; to focus on the blog. But publishing the below is necessary as a b

Summary: If Jesus Had Never Been Born, How Would Things Be Different Today? (What If—24)

Let me sum up the impact of Jesus on today& 217;s world in a series of statements based on what has been said in the previous 23 blogs. If Jesus had never been born: There would b

What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Jesus And Human Freedom Iii (What If—23)