The world is darker than you realize... Rose Foster is just your typical, smart-mouthed, socially awkward genius from a family full of felons. Okay, fine, so maybe there's nothing typical about her. But she'd at least maintained a semblance of normalcy in her life until the night a ghost-like man gave her a strange, red stone and disappeared without a trace. Rose suddenly finds herself hunted by monsters that she never believed existed. One monster, named Theron, is particularly interested in killing her. Her only hope of survival is to work with Kallias, a cynical, ancient Greek vampire with the ability to read and control minds. As a vampire, he hardly seems trustworthy to her, but he has his own reasons for wanting Theron dead, and that works in her favor. With the help of Kallias, Rose finds unlikely allies among an unusual group of vampires. The only problem is... Rose is almost positive that these vampires are hiding a very important detail about what she is. In her quest to defeat Theron and the vampires that follow him, Rose must face the possibility that she might, in fact, be an even darker monster than the ones that are trying to kill her...
Is it really impossible for the average person to hear the gospel and come to Christ by inviting him into your life? Is it true that God has determined your eternal destiny even before you were born? Christ seems to invite everyone to himself throughout the pages of the New Testament, but is this a hoax? Calvinists have been relegated to a closet inside of evangelicalism for nearly five hundred years but they have broken out and have become aggressive in their promotion of what they call their Doctrines of Grace, even to other Christians. This book will help if your friend is a Calvinist and is promoting what sounds logical to your ears. It will give you answers if your new pastor is promoting Reform Theology in your church. Written in a easy-to-read handbook format, Cracking Calvin will give you the answers to these and other questions that you have been searching to find.
There is a small groundswell of thinking in the evangelical church that we may not have achieved a proper biblical understanding of end-times events. It is important for us to return to a careful study of these things, because the time is near. In The Sign of the End of the Age: What Jesus Taught about the Future in Matthew 24, author Paul Kalbach helps you discoveror rediscoverthe Olivet Discourse, the Lords clear road map that all other prophetic Scriptures must reckon with. To understand the discourse, we must answer one critical question: what is Matthew 24 aboutthe future program for Israel or the end of the age events for all believers, including the church? Kalbach presents extensive arguments that show a different timing and sequence of events than is usually taught by proponents of the pretribulation rapture position. His in-depth study adheres to a most literal interpretation method. The Sign of the End of the Age seeks to bring a deeper understanding of the end-times period, vital in a world that shows every sign that this time is near.
"The church's mission does not begin with the Great Commission, but is integrally related to the grand storyline of Scripture." Did the Old Testament simply point to the coming of Christ and his saving work, or is there more to the story? After his resurrection, the Lord Jesus revealed how his suffering, glory, and mission plan for the nations are in fact central to the biblical story of redemption. After Emmaus shows how Christology and missiology are integrally connected throughout Scripture, especially in the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. Brian Tabb explains what Luke 24:46–47 reveals about God's messianic promises in the Old Testament, their fulfillment in the New Testament, and the purpose of the church. By understanding Jesus's last words to his disciples, Christians today will be motivated to participate in the Messiah's mission.
All my books can be read online for free at wayneodonnell.com. Mt. 10:8, “Freely you have received, freely give.” The Bible says we’re predestined to glory, but it doesn’t say we’re predestined to faith, as Calvinism teaches. The differences between the language of the Bible and the language of Calvinism indicate the doctrinal errors of Calvinism. All Reformed theologians teach predestination to faith, which includes faith in a sequence the Bible doesn’t include it in. The ‘Golden Chain’ of Romans 8:28-30 includes 1) foreknowledge, 2) predestination, 3) calling, 4) justification, and 5) glorification. Paul intentionally omits faith from this sequence because predestination is to glorification and sanctification, not to faith. Paying attention to this detail alters Calvinism’s TULIP. T (Total Depravity) doesn’t include an inability to believe the gospel. Election is not U (Unconditional), since God elects all whom he has known forever in the eternal Messiah, who entered into union with him through justification by unpredestined faith. I (Irresistible Grace) is after justification, for sanctification and glorification. L (Limited Atonement) is unbiblical. And, P (Perseverance of the Saints) is confirmed in the strongest possible way, to the extent it’s synonymous with eternal security and the certainty of glorification. Most other anti-Calvinist books deal heavily with the moral and philosophical travesties of Calvinism. For example, I highly recommend What Love Is This, by Dave Hunt. But this book tries to provide better expositions of the passages that lead good, godly men to accept Calvinism in the first place, like Romans 8, Romans 9, John 6, and Ephesians 1, by paying attention to the small, under-appreciated detail, that the Bible says predestination is to sanctification and glory, not to faith. If I felt this task was already accomplished, I wouldn’t have written this book, but would have promoted the books that already did it. White (Calvinist), "There is no meaningful non-Reformed exegesis of [John 6:37-45] available. As numerous as the attempts of Arminian exegetes to find some way around the testimony of these verses has been, not even a plausible solution has been offered that does not require the complete dismantling of the text, redefinition of words, or the insertion of utterly foreign concepts." Flowers (Non-Calvinist), "Would anyone dare adopt or seek to defend this most troubling doctrine [of reprobation] if not for the perceived defense offered by the apostle in Romans 9?" I rejoice in biblical, non-Calvinistic predestination, to glory, not to faith! Biblical predestination is about the certainty of God’s completion of our salvation through sanctification and glorification. Predestination shouldn’t be a word that conjures up images of Calvinistic horrors of reprobation in the minds of those who haven’t been indoctrinated to focus on the good fortunes of the elect. Instead, predestination should be a word that gives great joy, because it underlies the Biblical doctrine of the certainty of our future glorification! Rom. 5:3, “Having been justified by faith, we ... rejoice in [the sure and certain] hope of [sharing in] the glory of God!” My hope is that this book won’t only be a defense against Calvinism and its harms, and rescue some born-again Calvinists from Calvinism; but also that this consideration of the topic of predestination will give all readers a better understanding of the justification, sanctification, and glorification that comprise our gracious salvation, and this knowledge will also make us more fruitful. Jn. 15:7-8, “If ... my words abide in you, ... herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit.”
Powerful vampire, Rose Foster, and her girlfriend, Kara Unnarsdóttir, take refuge in a hidden kingdom of vampires, as war breaks out between vampires and humans. Rose is shocked to find that even though she doesn't know them, the vampires of this kingdom know her. Not only that, but they're prepared to follow her into battle. Yet, they refuse to tell her why.A world war rages on in their absence, threatening the extinction of both species. Rose soon realizes that, even though she doesn't want power, if she wants to prevent genocide, she'll have to take her place as a Commander of Power.But when Kara uncovers a terrifying piece of information about Rose, she must decide, once and for all, if her loyalty to the woman she loves is strong enough to withstand even the end of the world. Or if it's time to do what she does best: betrayal.In this final installment of the Creatures of Darkness series, the Eklektos will either save the world or destroy it.
The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.
Controversy rages on about God's choosing people for salvation. Are only the few elect? Rather than typically beginning with the preconceptions of systematic theologies, Dr. William Klein takes up this question by searching for a biblical theology of election. He surveys the OT contexts of God's choosing individuals--prophets, priests, kings--to serve divine purposes, and considers God's election of the nation of Israel as his special people. This OT study proposes that God's election is both individual and corporate, but not always determinative. Individuals entered the people of God by birth, but not all the people found salvation. Faith in Yahweh was required. This book traces these elective understandings through the intertestamental literature, identifying continuities and shifts. The bulk of the study, and the heart of the argument, focus on the New Testament. Klein identifies concepts of election, and relationships between writers in the gospels, the Lucan material, Paul's writings, and the rest. The new covenant, God choosing the church in Christ, emphasizes election as corporate, while the individual election of Jesus' disciples and of Paul raises the question whether such chosenness is necessarily salvific. In closing, Klein discusses the most engaging and divisive questions around God's election, and offers a real challenge to today's church.
The book of Psalms served as Israel’s songbook. The apostle Paul, in his letters to the Ephesians and Colossians, wrote of the importance and use of the psalms in our worship. It is also a part of the rule of faith and practice in the church today. The psalms are God’s inspired hymnbook. Paul’s admonition to the church concerning the psalms is to teach and admonish one another in psalms. The book of Psalms in the Hebrew text is called Book of Praises. The Greek word psalmoi means “songs sung with musical instruments.” The psalms are sacred music at its best. They reveal much about their writers, the times, the people, and above all, the glories of Jehovah and the coming Messiah. It is generally believed that Ezra gathered these 150 psalms together into one book during the fifth century before Christ. The actual dates of their writing cover a period of almost 1000 years. David is often referred to as the psalmist, having written 73 of the psalms. Forty-six are anonymous as to the human writer. Various writers including Moses, Asaph, Solomon, Heman, and the sons of Korah wrote the remaining 31. The book of Psalms has long been a favorite among the Lord’s people. The writers of the New Testament made 283 direct quotes from the Old Testament and 116 of these are from the Psalms. The Psalms are an excellent source book for the saints of God. There seems to be a related song for every situation we may face in everyday life. The Messianic Psalms span the years of time from the birth of the Messiah, His earthly ministry, and His glorious return at the second coming. May the Lord richly bless the reader as they prayerfully study this wonderful portion of God’s Word.
