Reasoning Through the Bible

In this session we deal with several questions:  Have the land promises made in the Abrahamic Covenant been fulfilled in Joshua or Solomon’s day, or do they have a future fulfillment?  What does it mean to honor your father and mother?  What about Matthew 8:22 when Jesus says “let the dead bury their own dead,” meaning to follow Jesus rather than taking care of one’s parents?  What if a young pers...

In this section Jesus explains details of what will happen when He returns. He tells us that the good Shepherd will separate the sheep and the goats, Jesus will return in glory and bring the nations before Him to be judged.  In this passage we learn of the signs that will occur when He returns, including the great tribulation period, angels, and how people will be treated during those difficult da...

This session explains two of Jesus’ kingdom parables, the parable of the Ten Virgins and parable of the Talents. These parables teach us how we should act while waiting for Jesus to return. The stories include the ancient wedding ceremonies that include the groom, the bride, and the wedding guests. In the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus talks about those who were invited by God. Some were prepar...

Jesus was asked about what it will be like when He returns. In this passage He describes what we can expect to see when He returns. As in the days of Noah, the destruction will come suddenly. Jesus gives us ten signs that will be seen by all people on the earth when He returns.  This session explains these verses in detail.   Our comfort is that Jesus has promised us that His words will never be f...

Jesus answers the disciples’ questions about the signs that will follow His second coming. He warns us that many false prophets will arise and will deceive many, therefore we should be on guard and make sure we are not fooled by them. History has proven Jesus true, for each generation has had false messiah’s that lead people astray and sometimes cost them their lives.   How can we make sure we are...

Matthew 24-25 have been interpreted by some as being in the future and by others as already happening in the first century.  How do we know which is correct?  Could parts of the Olivet Discourse be past and parts future?  How do we determine which is correct?  When Jesus mentions “this generation” to which generation is He speaking?   What is the “abomination of desolation?”   This session goes th...

The Bible has prophecies, some of which have already been fulfilled and some that will not be fulfilled until the end times. Good Bible teachers have developed several different systems that explain the prophecies. However, the major end times systems disagree with each other. Which is correct?  In this session we give an overview of premillennialism, amillennialism, postmillennialism, preterism,...

This session answers several questions that we hear from our listeners and the general public.  Has the Bible been translated so many times that we cannot trust it? What does the Bible say about cremation? How should we respond to Christians publically leaving the faith?  What should a Christian do if there are no other Christians in their family?  Have questions?  Write to info@reasoningthroughth...

In this session Jesus turns His fiercest anger against the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus shows the strongest language that is used in the New Testament, and provides us a picture of genuine righteous anger. Jesus turns against the leaders in full force, telling them what He thinks of their pride and greed.    This session also talks about reformed theology (Calvinism), human freedom, and whether...

Legalists make rules to try to get people to act righteously, thinking that it is good to create more and more rules that restrict human behavior. This session shows Jesus angry response to the leaders who make religious rules that make people’s lives more difficult. Jesus has little patience for fundamentalists who “tie up heavy loads and lay them on men’s shoulders.” This session also has Jesus...

The Sadducees challenge Jesus with a ridiculous question about the resurrection. Just like many modern people, the Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife. Jesus makes a great point about what we can know about the resurrection. The Jews were asking Jesus many questions to try to confound Him but He always was able to turn the tables on them. Then Jesus asked them a single question and they stop...

Jesus is in Jerusalem and has conflict with the Jewish leaders. He tells a parable of a king who invited people to a wedding feast, but they were unwilling to come. One guest is then thrown out because he does not have proper wedding clothes. These parables are about the people who are unwilling to come to God, just like today. We learn how people react to Jesus the same ways today as they did bac...

Jesus quotes an Old Testament passage and says “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” In this session we expand upon some details in this passage, namely what it says about resurrection of the dead and the fact that this Bible passage hinges upon a present tense verb.  Therefore, we can trust the Bible when it talks a...

Jesus is in Jerusalem the last week of His life. He tells several parables about the situation that Israel is in, namely that they have disobeyed God and rejected Him, therefore God will be judging Israel. Specifically:   The cursing of the fig tree The Jewish leaders try to trap Jesus about His authority The two sons, one who obeys and one who disobeys The parable of the landowner who hired wicke...

This session gives an overview of doctrine, explaining which types of doctrine are essential to Christianity and which doctrines we can disagree about and still stay in fellowship with other believers. The Bible commands us to stay in unity with other Christians even if we disagree with them about some teachings, but the Bible also tells us to separate from some false teachers. How do we know the...

This session speaks of God’s providence in providing the resources He needs. We find the religious leaders buying and selling inside the temple, making money on poor people, which shows how corrupt the religious leaders had become. Jesus overturns the tables of the money changers, which gives us an indication of what God thinks of selling things inside the church. The common people were looking to...

The triumphal entry is where Jesus rides a donkey into the temple through the waving of palm branches. The people were looking for an heir of King David, the great military leader. Jesus has a different aspect of the kingdom in mind. Jesus chooses the location and timing of the triumphal entry and uses it as a fulfillment of multiple great prophecies. The triumphal entry is one of the grandest and...

The mother of James and John come and ask Jesus if they can sit next to Him in His kingdom. Jesus asks them whether they are ready to drink the cup that He is about to drink, and the two sons think they are, showing they have a misunderstanding of God’s economy. Jesus reveals some deep truths about His relationship with the Father. In God’s kingdom, honor is given to those who serve the most.  Som...

Jesus tells a parable of a landowner who hires day laborers at different times of the day but pays the same amount to everyone no matter how long they’ve worked. Is this fair? Before we become servants of God, are we accomplishing anything?  The work that God gives us is working in His vineyard to grow fruit. In the kingdom, we are given work trying to grow fruit for the landowner. What is more im...

A wealthy young man approaches Jesus with a question: What good thing can I do to inherit eternal life? Many people today have the same question, and wonder what good things we must do to get right with God. Jesus has a surprising answer that tells us whether we can do good things to please God. Jesus know what is in the man’s heart, just as He knows what is in our hearts. Jesus puts His finger on...

Marriages are important but sometimes arises in our lives. This session explains what the Bible says about marriage, divorce, and remarriage. We discuss these sensitive concepts at length while also dealing with the pain and real-world problems that occur in our marriages. Humans have struggles and religious leaders sometime handle these problems well and sometimes do not. We discover in this pass...

In this session we discuss the aftermath and consequences of church discipline. We also discuss the teaching of Jesus about what happens when two or three gather and pray in agreement. Will they automatically get what they pray for?  Peter asks a question about how much we should forgive people, and Jesus says we should forgive seventy times seven. Jesus parable also gives us a clue as to slavery...

A great recurring question is how to deal with someone in the body that has sinned or gone astray. How do we respond to Christians who are sinning? Matthew 18 provides a three step process for dealing with people inside the church who need to be corrected due to a personal sin of theirs. As always, God’s ways are best and provide great wisdom in trying to win back the person while protecting the g...

After the disciples have a wonderful mountaintop experience, they come down in the valley to problems that they could not fix. We also can have wonderful experiences on a spiritual mountaintop only to come back to regular life with messy human problems that we cannot fix. Jesus also tells His followers that a little bit of faith can move mountains. We also use this passage to give us clues as to B...

Jesus shows a very few of His disciples a very dramatic vision of Him shining forth in great glory. God the Father speaks from a cloud and tells them that Jesus is His Son. Jesus was clothed in humanity while on earth but here His glory shows through. Jesus shows that He is Lord over the law and the prophets. As always, when His disciples are greatly afraid, but He reaches out and touches them, ca...