CVV Ministries

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

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

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

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)

The next main development on the way to the American experiment was The Great Awakening. The Great Awakening was a religious revival in the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s

What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Jesus And Human Freedom Ii (What If—22)

The teachings of Jesus about human freedom had a strong impact on the church in the next centuries. The church father Tertullian of Carthage (ca. AD 155 220), the first to write ex

What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Jesus And Human Freedom (What If—21)

I apologize for the long silence. I have been chasing many things lately and these blogs do take significant time to write. Hope they are worth the wait. People think of Athens as

What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Jesus And Slavery/Civil Rights Iii (What If—20)

If the message of Jesus was the key to the abolition of slavery, why did it take nearly 2000 years to achieve that goal? I would argue that the teaching and practice of Jesus on th

What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Jesus And Slavery/Civil Rights Ii (What If—19)

In the United States, the anti slavery movement picked up steam around the time slavery was abolished in the British Empire. A major galvanizing development was John Rankin& 217;s

What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? Jesus And Slavery/Civil Rights (What If—18)

Regarding the issue of slavery and civil rights, there is a popular narrative in the secular Western context. That narrative notes that the Bible writers didn& 217;t condemn slave

What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? The Value Of Human Life Iii (What If– 17)