The New Testament Canon From the Beginning

Were most of the New Testament books written to and from Asia Minor? Which ones? Do any scholars accept that the “Apostolic Canon of scripture first formed … in Asia Minor”? Was it the Church of God and not the Church of Rome? Is it possible that the Church of God in Asia Minor had the New Testament canon from the beginning? Is there any historical evidence suggesting that the Apostle John passed the knowledge of the canon to Polycarp of Smyrna? What about the Harris Fragments? …

Purgatory or Apocatastasis?

The Church of Rome teaches about a place of punishment that comes after death to believers who have not truly repented of "venial sins" or who have not paid the "temporal punishment" for sins called Purgatory. The Continuing Church of God, Eastern Orthodox Church, and most Protestants do not teach the purgatorial doctrine. Is the idea of the "great news of Purgatory," the "gospel of Purgatory" the true gospel of the kingdom? Does the Bible teach the idea of a place called purgatory or does it teach about a restoration (Greek: apokatastasis)? Does the Bible teach Purgatory? What about 1 Peter 3:19, 1 Peter 4:6, and 1 Corinthians 3:15? What did early Christians believe? …

Let's Talk About the New Testament

In this sermon Dr. Thiel goes over information related to the New Testament (NT) and answers questions many want to know. Are there really only 27 books of the NT? Was the New Testament predicted in the Old Testament? Was the New Testament intended to be published? Could the New Testament been canonized in the first century A.D.? When were the New Testament books written? What about the role of Mark, Peter, Paul, and John? Were the four gospels known …

Ecclesiastes 9-12: Joyful Living, Youth, Aging, and the Commandments

This sermon is the last in a series covering the entire Book of Ecclesiastes. In it, Dr. Thiel begins with chapter 9 and goes over all the verses until the end of the 12th and last chapter. Topics covered include living joyfully, money answering all, giving, youth, human work, the work of God, laziness, the day of small things, aspects of marriage, worry, seeking first the kingdom, …

Lost Books of the Bible?

Do we have a complete Bible? What about the so-called 'lost books' of the Bible? Do you know much about them or what any of them teach? Were some books not accepted in order to suppress women as the best selling book "The DaVinci Code' states? What are pseudepigrapha? Can we rely on the Urantia Book, Book of Jasher, Book of Enoch, or the Book of Jubilees? …

Masoretic Text of the Old Testament

What is the Masoretic Text? Did it only exist starting 916 A.D. or is there proof of it a thousand or more years earlier? Is the Greek Septuagint an improvement to the text God originally inspired in Hebrew? What is a jot and tittle in Aramaic? Do the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Qumran support the Masoretic Text? What about the Great Isaiah Scroll? Was the Masoretic Text meticulously counted and checked? …

Let's Get Real About Halloween

Is Halloween an actual Christian holiday? Is it listed among the 'Feast of the Lord' in Leviticus 23? Where did the date October 31 come from? What about All Saints Day and the Mexican Day of the Dead? Did Celtic Druid observations of Samhain (pronounced sah-vah) occur then? Any similarities to Japanese, Chinese, or Scottish traditions? Is Halloween an important holiday to Satanists and those involved with Wicca? What is the origin of bonfires, costumes, and going door to door? Should Christians dress up as ghosts, witches, harlots, or 'sexy nurses' to celebrate it? …