July 2008 - Vol 4, Issue 2

In this issue...
-- What is Clear Biblical Teaching? (Part 5)
-- Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
-- Dr. Whitcomb's videos continue to air on Milwaukee Christian TV

What is Clear Biblical Teaching? (Part 5)
By Dr. John C. Whitcomb

The amazing revelation in Holy Scripture concerning the relationship of Christ, our heavenly High Priest, to Melchizedek, the mysterious king-priest in ancient Jerusalem, demonstrates our special need for the Holy Spirit's help in understanding His precious written Word. God expects His people to dig deeply into the Bible - the only Book God has ever written - to discover clear teachings which we have not previously seen.

At first glance, some biblical doctrines may seem to be more clear than others. But they are all important. For example, the Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead because they could not "see" this concept in the first five books of the Bible (these being the only books they thought were inspired). But our Lord "astonished" the Jewish multitudes and "put the Sadducees to silence" (Matt. 22:23-34) by showing (through the precise use of theological inferences) that they should have seen bodily resurrection taught in Ex. 3:6.

Now what does Ex. 3:6 say about bodily resurrection? When Moses approached the burning bush at Horeb (i.e., Sinai), God spoke to him: "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." These patriarchs had died hundreds of years earlier; but with them He had made an everlasting covenant, confirmed by an oath: "By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD . . . In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice" (Gen. 22:16-18). Did Abraham believe in bodily resurrection? Yes! He believed that his son Isaac would come back to life after being killed, and that both of them would come back to the servants at the foot of Mt. Moriah (Gen. 22:5; cf. Heb. 11:17-19).

The Sadducees should have known this about Abraham, and that God's covenant to Abraham was confirmed to Isaac (Gen. 26:2-5) and to Jacob (Gen. 28:13-15).

But now comes Christ's powerful argument: these patriarchs cannot be permanently dead, for God told Moses, "I am [not once was] the God of . . . Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And since God sees the future as if it were present, these patriarchs must some day rise from the dead and thus be fully human again, and in a far more glorious state.

Some might think that Ex. 3:6 does not clearly teach bodily resurrection. But the Jews did see it clearly, for "when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at His doctrine," and the Pharisees (who hated Jesus and certainly did not rejoice in His teachings) agreed "that He had put the Sadducees to silence" (Matt. 22:33, 34) when He showed, by clear implication, that bodily resurrection is taught in the Pentateuch.

Thus, the Sadducees were completely accountable to God for their misinterpretation of the Bible: "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God" (Matt. 22:29).

Yes, when we search the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so (cf. Acts 17:11), relatively obscure things become more clear. Paul explained that God has not written "in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:13). With God's help, every Christian can be enlightened progressively in the Word. "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18).

Thus, to the person who demands: "Show me where the Bible teaches that!" - God's servant may humbly reply: "Join us in searching the Scriptures to discover God's precious truth!" May God equip us in His love, patience and wisdom to encourage His people in that search and discovery!

Praise God for clear Biblical teaching!

Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
Dr. Whitcomb has a very active schedule in the weeks ahead. We hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to hear him speak if he is coming to a location near you.

From Friday, Sept. 12, to Sunday, Sept. 14, Dr. Whitcomb will teach on prophecy at the Martensdale Community Church of Martensdale, Iowa. For more information, call Pastor Gary Crandall at 641-764-2491 or visit www.martensdalecommunitychurch.com.

From Monday, Sept. 15, to Friday, Sept. 19, Dr. Whitcomb will lecture on the book of Job at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary of Ankeny, Iowa. For more information, call Dr. John Hartog III at 515-964-0601 or visit www.faith.edu.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, and Wednesday, Sept. 24, Dr. Whitcomb will speak on creation at the Creation Evidence Expo to be held in Indianapolis, Ind. For more information, call Pastor Fredrick Boyd, Jr. at 317-345-9072 or visit www.creationevidenceexpo.org.

From Tuesday, Sept. 30, to Friday, Oct. 10, Dr. Whitcomb will lecture on the book of Genesis at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, N.Y. For more information, call Dr. Tom Davis at 518-494-4723 or visit www.wol.org/biblei.

From Friday, Oct. 17, to Sunday, Oct. 19, Dr. Whitcomb will preach on "The Bible & Science" at the Philadelphia Baptist Church of Conyers, Ga. For more information, call Pastor Steve Love at 770-483-7789, or visit www.pbchurch.org.

On Thursday, Oct. 23, and Friday, Oct. 24, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Faith Bible Institute and Pastors' Luncheon in Everett, Penn. For more information, call Pastor Walter Hoard at 814-652-5578, or visit www.faithbiblepa.com.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26, Dr. Whitcomb will preach at the Fellowship Baptist Church of Lakeland, Fla. For more information, call Dr. Rick Piatt at 863-646-3318, or visit www.fellowshipbc-lakeland.org.

On Monday, Oct. 27, and Tuesday, Oct. 28, Dr. Whitcomb will teach at the Sunshine State Regular Baptist Bible Conference, to be held at the Fellowship Baptist Church of Lakeland, Fla. For more information, call Dr. Rick Piatt at 863-646-3318, or visit www.fellowshipbc-lakeland.org.

From Wednesday, Oct. 29, to Friday, Oct. 31, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa. For more information, call Melody Maines at 515-964-0601 or visit www.faith.edu.

For additional details about these events, please visit our web pages at www.whitcombministries.org and www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb.

(*Answers in Genesis-sponsored event. For more information on these conferences, visit www.answersingenesis.org/events.)

Dr. Whitcomb's videos continue to air on Milwaukee Christian TV
Dr. John Whitcomb's videos are shown three times each week (Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 3 p.m. and Saturdays at 3 p.m.) on WVCY-TV 30 in Milwaukee.

WVCY-TV may also be viewed on the following channels in southeast Wisconsin:

* Digital channel 22
* Warner Cable channel 23
* Charter Cable channel 15
* Direct TV channel 30 (newer units) or channel 950 (older units)
* Dish TV channel 30 or 7077

For more information, visit http://vcyamerica.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=87.

Whitcomb Ministries expresses heartfelt thanks to WVCY-TV for continuing to air these videos, and prays that God's precious truths will go forth to many through this medium.