Part Three A Premillennial Reading of Hebrews (3) Christ’s Body a Covenant Sacrifice The author of Hebrews chose as his go-to text the “Old Greek” of the OT, but not exactly what scholars mean when they say “LXX.”[1] His singular use of Psalm 40:6-8, especially its translation of Psalm 40:6 as “a body you have prepared for me.” As Thomas Constable notes, Psalm 40:6 reads: “You have opened [i.e., cleaned out] my ears,” whereas Hebrews 10:5 says: “You have …
Category: Biblical Covenantalism
Part Two A Premillennial Reading of Hebrews (2) A New Covenant After quoting Jeremiah 31 the author is careful to refer to “a new covenant” (Heb. 8:13), but nobody doubts that the definite article is required in its other mentions in the book (Heb. 9:15; 12:23). Those interpreters who insist that the New covenant is not made with the Church, or that the Church is only tangentially related to the New covenant are, to my mind, once more in …
Part One A Premillennial Reading of Hebrews (1) The present writer has already stated his general agreement with what is now called Revised Dispensationalism – the Dispensationalism of Charles Ryrie and J. Dwight Pentecost. I go further and say that I find the work of Larry Pettegrew and Michael Vlach always to be excellent, even where we disagree. That we disagree is mainly down to me.[1] I prioritize the divine biblical covenants above the “dispensations.” I have grave doubts …
This piece and its follow ups are taken from my upcoming book (DV) ‘The Words of the Covenant, Volume 2: New Testament Continuation.’ Although it contains many precious and ascertainable truths, the epistle to the Hebrews is the most elusive book in the NT. For such a weighty NT book to be anonymous is surprising. However, that aside, what I want to do in my treatment of this letter (or perhaps it is better to call it a sermon) is …
Part Ten The Olive Tree Metaphor in Romans 11 Some passages of Scripture have suffered under the myosis of its interpreters more than most. At the forefront of these abused passages is surely Romans 11:16-29. For sure, there is a bit of deciphering of Paul’s language to do, but all in all I think the apostle’s thrust is easy to grasp. The problem with so many interpretations of the verses, especially by those who like to employ the NT …
Part Nine Is the Rapture in 2 Thessalonians 2:3? On a related note, some Dispensational writers have believed that the catching up of the saints is what is in view in 2 Thessalonians 2:3: Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sinis revealed, the son of perdition. I shall revisit this text further on in my remarks about the future antichrist …
Part Eight The Transformation of Our Bodies The mention of the transformation of our bodies calls to mind the mystery of 1 Corinthians 15:50-52: Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the …
Part Seven The Return of Christ in Paul The earliest letters of Paul are the Epistle to the Galatians and the two Epistles to the Thessalonians (c. A.D. 48-50). Every attentive reader knows that the theme of the second coming is found in every chapter but one of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. The teaching also features strongly in 1 Corinthians 3 and 15; Philippians 3:20; the letter to Titus, and 1 and 2 Timothy. Different verbs are used for …
I did an enjoyable interview with Jeremy Howard of the Do Theology podcast about my understanding of interpretation and the role of God’s covenants. The audio didn’t turn out that well, but you may like the content: Understanding God’s Communication: https://www.dotheology.com/e/understanding-god-s-words-with-paul-henebury-aka-dr-reluctant-part-one/ Understanding God’s Covenants: https://www.dotheology.com/e/understanding-god-s-covenants-with-paul-henebury-aka-dr-reluctant-part-two/ …
Part Six When Christ Delivers Up the Kingdom to the Father There is a strategic passage in 1 Corinthians which bears upon both the eschatology and teleology of the Bible. That text is found in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 and requires a little time to think through, although I will confess at the outset that the passage may act as an exemplar of the influence of theological predispositions in hermeneutics.[1] Because the thought is condensed it is easy to …