Friday, January 21, 2011

A Request to My Christian Commenters

There have been several comments stating that parts of the OT are prophecies that come true in the NT.
When we come upon one of these prophecies, please point them out so we can come back to them when we get to the NT.  No need to expound on it yet.

I know I asked that believers limit the use of quoting future passages, but in this case I believe it would be educational to us Atheists.

Things have gotten a little more heated in the past few posts.  I'll attribute that to everyone being excited about the readings and discussions.

Please remember, keep it civil and keep up the great debates.

5 comments:

  1. Bruce,
    Thanks for this "new policy."

    Christians hold to a principle known as progressive revelation. That is, God made more of himself and his plan known to man over time. We see an overarching "plot line" throughout the Bible which we often call redemptive history. This is not historiography in the modern scientific sense, but accounts of those people and those events in those places that move the story of redemption forward. That is why we see Noah spared in the flood and Abraham's son Isaac picked but Ishmael dropping out of sight. Likewise Jacob picked and Esau bypassed, etc. Christians see the Christ as the subject of all the Bible, whether in prophecy or foreshadows or fulfilled prophecy. Some of these OT stories seem crude and weird to us (for that matter, doesn't Beowulf or the fact that George Washington died at the hands of a physician's bloodletting seem crude and weird?) Some of these stories make much more sense when we see them explained by Jesus or the apostles.

    So thanks for the opportunity to comment on prophecy etc.

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  2. I think that's a great idea as long we can continue our non-prophesorial topics as well.

    "heated in the last few"

    Would be nice to minimize the often repeated challenges to relevation, document hypethesis, etc, but wouldn't want to unnaturally stifle the conversation. Maybe some of those topics could have threads of their own?

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  3. Bruce, you might find it helpful to also have this handy chart which shows New Testament passages quoting Old Testament passages: http://www.esvstudybible.org/sb/objects/chart-ot-nt-passages.html

    It is a handy reference when trying to understand the scope of scripture.

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  4. I 2nd Brian's comment.
    Also, I recommend that you read through the Ep to the Hebrews if you're serious about understanding this. Just add it onto your personal reading schedule.

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  5. @Bruce
    My apologies i read, but did not focus in on your words "No need to expound on it yet." And i did such a thing. Please forgive me, from now on i will just point out the verse(s) and say prophesy, if that is sufficient.

    Again i am sorry.

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