"The Sound of the Trumpet" -- Judges 6:8-26

The Eighth in a Series of Sermons on the Book of Joshua

On a number of occasions, the people of Israel witnessed YHWH’s miraculous power first hand.  Now they will witness the massive walls of the city of Jericho collapse before their very eyes.  The city of Jericho, which is the main obstacle preventing Israel from taking of all Canaan, will be no more.  Israel’s stunning victory over Jericho will be yet another sign to God’s people that he keeps his promises, while at the same time the fall of Jericho is also a sign to all of the inhabitants of Canaan that YHWH is about to give Israel that land he had promised to give them centuries before.  When the seven trumpets sound seven times and the people of Israel offer up a great shout, YHWH will not only bring down the walls of Jericho, he is putting the nations of the earth on notice.  YHWH is Lord of all the nations of the earth, whether they acknowledge him or not.

The fall of Jericho is certainly one of the best known events in all the Old Testament.  While many only remember this story from their Sunday school days, few people see the fall of Jericho as an important biblical event designed to point God’s people ahead to the day of final judgment.  But when placed within the context of the overall story of redemption, the fall of Jericho is both the sign that Israel will possess the whole of the land of promise, and at the same time serves as a warning that a day of final judgment is yet to come upon all those nations who reject YHWH.  What happens to Jericho when the trumpets sound and the people shout is a graphic picture of what will happen on the last day in human history when the angel sounds the seventh trumpet and there is a loud shout in heaven.

But this same event is also used by enemies of Christianity to show, supposedly, the cruelty and bloodthirsty character of the God of the Old Testament.  When seen through the eyes of faith, the fall of Jericho is one of those events in which we clearly see the holiness of God as he severely punishes those who reject him and who are without excuse.  But the fall of Jericho is also an event to which those who reject God will point as a sign of how unfair God is and how he has no right to be so cruel to innocent men, women and children.  This is why this why the enemies of Christ so glibly dismiss this account as mythological.  This is also why we must see the fall of Jericho in its redemptive historical context–it is not just a Sunday School story–and why we must remind those who mock God and his Christ that the fall of Jericho is a graphic warning to them of what will happen at the end of the age.  Mock God all you wish, but remember what happened at Jericho will happen to all the nations of the earth on the last day.

To read the rest of this sermon, click here
 

Hyde's Commentary on the Belgic Confession Now Available

Reformed Fellowship has announced the publication of Rev. Danny Hyde's commentary on the Belgic Confession.  Rev. Hyde is the pastor of the Oceanside URC.

Here are the recommendations:

The Belgic Confession contains doctrine that is worth dying for, as its author and many adherents learned all too well. Opponents of the Belgic Confession have put its adherents to death because, through this powerful document, the church speaks its prophetic biblical message to the world in which it exists. Yet because this confession of faith has been neglected for far too long in the Reformed churches, author Daniel Hyde offers a necessary, fresh exposition and application of its doctrine in the twenty-first century, with the hope of setting the Reformed churches on fire for their historic Christian, Protestant, and Reformed faith in the midst of a cold and lifeless world.

--R. S. Clark. Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Wesminster Seminary California

It has been a long time since a Belgic Confession commentary of this caliber was last published in English. Biblical, historical, and erudite, Reverend Hyde helps the Confession speak freshly to our day. With Heart and Mouth will be warmly welcomed by pastors called to teach and preach the Belgic Confession.

--Wes Bredenhof, Pastor, Langley Canadian Reformed Church, Langley, British Columbia

You can order it here:  Click here: Amazon.com: With Heart and Mouth: An Exposition of the Belgic Confession: Books: Daniel R. Hyde

Some Interesting Links . . .

Here's a great response to the New Atheism from Ken Samples.  Click here: Today’s New Reason To Believe » Blog Archive » The “New Atheism” Phenomenon, Part 1 (of 3)

White Horse Inn producer Shane Rosenthal was a recent guest on Issues, Etc. with Todd Wilken.  The topic, "The Emerging Church movement."   Click here: KFUO Home

He's back . . .  Jim Bakker has new digs in Branson, MO.  People say Bakker's new facility looks like Disneyland.  That's a surprise.  Click here: STLtoday - News - Missouri State News

The local Baptist pastor (Wiley Drake, from my home town of Buena Park, CA) is calling down fire on Americans United  and the ACLU.  Vote for Huckabee or else!   Click here: Pastor again asks prayers for demise of group's leaders - Los Angeles Times

Can't wait for Hillary (or Obama) care.  If Uncle Sam pays for the treatment of your goiter, you might be making a deal with the devil.  Already, private insurers want your doctor to rat you out about pre-existing health conditions.  Just wait to our friendly, "we have your best interests at heart" government gets involved in health care!  You ain't seen nothin' yet.   Click here: Insurer asks docs to report on new patients with pre-existing conditions - On Deadline - USATODAY.com

Academy Lecture -- "Amillennialism 101" -- Posted

The first lecture in my new Academy series, "Amillennialism 101," has been posted.  The lecture is entitled "What is Amillennialism?" and can be found here:  Click here: Christ Reformed Info - MP3's and Real Audio (of Academy Lectures)

I've also posted all of my Academy lectures dealing with eschatology on the sidebar to the right under the heading "Amillennialism 101 -- Audio Resources."

Who Said That?

"For the believer of Reformed convictions, there is a strong allegiance to historical roots and continuity, especially insofar as the historic Reformation is concerned, distinctly emanating from Wittenberg, Geneva, and  Westminster. . . . Such claims call for a response that clearly exposes the shameful legacy of historic amillennialism,  which  is really the eschatology of Roman Catholicism."

Leave your guess in the comments section below.  Please, no google searches! 

Update on Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 07:39PM by Kim Riddlebarger

This is from Barry Horner's book, Future Israel (148).  Horner quotes from my book, A Case for Amillennialism, and then launches into the screed quoted here.  Instead of dealing with the substance of the argument, Horner stoops to equating Reformed amillennialism with Romanism.  Come on Barry, you gotta do better than that!

Part Three of My Interview with Roger Overton from the A-Team Blog

Here's the third (and final) installment of my recent interview with Roger about Reformed amillennialism.  We continue to discuss my book, The Man of Sin--especially issues related to both "full" and "partial" preterism, as well as how one's eschatology can impact their political perspective on events the Middle East.

Please make sure that you are not eating nor taking a swig of coffee when you click on Roger's blog.  You'll be shocked! 

The interview can be found here:   Click here: The A-Team Blog :: Interview with Kim Riddlebarger, Part 3

Thanks, Roger! 

New Academy Series Begins Tonight -- "Amillennialism 101"

For those of you in So Cal, our next Academy series (at Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim) commences tonight!  The series is entitled "Amillennialism 101" and is an introduction to Reformed Amillennialism.  Throughout the series, I will be concentrating upon the biblical evidence in favor of amillennialism, especially in contrast to both "pre" and "post" millennialism. 

The opening lecture is entitled "What is Amillennialism?" and in it, I will describe what it is that Amillennarians actually believe!

Academy lectures begin @ 7:30 p.m. and are free of charge.   There is a time for discussion following the lecture, and refreshments are served.

Textbooks for this series include:  Kim Riddlebarger, A Case for Amillennialism (Baker, 2003), The Man of Sin (Baker, 2006) and Michael Horton, God of Promise (Baker 2006). 

For more  information, Click here: Christ Reformed Info - Schedule of Academy Classes and Author's Forums

What a Glorious Day!

This is a glorious day for baseball fans everywhere.  After the doldrums of your team losing out on a World Series title (its been seven years since the Yanks have won), after all the free agent drama (A-Rod) and trade talk (Johan Santana), after all the nonsense from Congress (Clemens and Pettitte) . . .

The big day is finally here.  Pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training!  The Yankee blogs will spring to life, and the pre-season games will finally begin on March1.  Opening day is just around the corner!  The first item of business is that the Yanks announced that "Legends Field," their home in Tampa, has been renamed "George M. Steinbrenner Field."  It's good to be the king!

In honor of this glorious occasion, I'll fire up John Fogerty's "Centerfield" as part of my i-Tunes rotation today.  Might even listen to it twice!

The Canons of Dort, First Head of Doctrine, Article Eleven

Article 11: Election Unchangeable

Just as God himself is most wise, unchangeable, all-knowing, and almighty, so the election made by him can neither be suspended nor altered, revoked, or annulled; neither can his chosen ones be cast off, nor their number reduced.

_________________________________________

As the Canons point out, God is immutable (unchanging) in both his being and his purpose.  Therefore his decree of election is likewise unchanging.  We know this because election is based solely upon God’s good pleasure and purpose, and occurs, as Paul says, “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).  This means the full number of the elect is unchangeable. 

This is an important point because it means that God does not change his mind once his decree is executed in time and space.  God does not add to the number of the elect when he sees someone doing something good he did not expect!  Nor does God subtract from the number of the elect when one of those whom he has chosen happens to fall into sin.  All of God’s elect will come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.  This is God's purpose in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14; Romans 8:28-30).

The knowledge of this should give us great comfort because it means that no one who is presently numbered among the elect can fall away and be lost.  This is what Jesus means when he says “all that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).  God is not capricious nor does he change his mind.  This means that if we are truly in Christ at this moment, we can be assured that we will die in Christ, because he will never leave nor forsake us.  We cannot simply slip through his fingers. 

As Paul reminds the Philippians, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philppians 1:6).  Indeed, the good shepherd reminds us, "my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.  I and the Father are one” (John 10:27-30).

Just think of where we'd be if God's decree was not immutable . . .

Part Two of My Interview with Roger Overton from the A-Team

Here's the link to part two (of three parts) of my recent interview with Roger Overton from the A-Team blog.  The discussion shifts to my book, The Man of Sin.

Click here: The A-Team Blog :: Interview with Kim Riddlebarger, Part 2