The Riddleblog

S. P. 18 Lives! In Durango, Colorado of all Places

If you’ve driven US 395 and gone through Independence, CA, the route many Southern Californians take to the Eastern Sierras and Mammoth Lakes, you may recall the Narrow Gauge locomotive exhibit in Doheny Park. Number 18 was moved there in 1955 when the Southern Pacific Narrow gauge line gave up its aging steam engines for diesel. The line eventually closed in 1960.

It was a familiar sight and has fond memories in Riddlebarger history. Back in 2013, I posted this on the old Riddleblog. US 395 and the Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge Railroad.

To see the video and read the rest, follow the link below

History and CultureKim RiddlebargerJuly 19, 2021SP # 18 Comment

Macabre But Fascinating -- Victorian Era Home Decoration for a Funeral

There is a fascinating photo essay on preparing the Victorian-era home for a funeral posted on Billion Graves. The essay is simultaneously macabre and fascinating. Posing the dead (sometimes posing with the dead), decorating and displaying locks of hair from the deceased, shrouding mirrors, mantles, and doorways in black, hanging wreathes and crepe throughout the home. Well worth checking out. Preparing the Victorian Era Home for a Funeral.

To check out the rest of the essay, follow the link below

History and CultureKim RiddlebargerJuly 14, 2021victorian funeralsComment

The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill

If you’ve not been following the Christianity Today podcast series, “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill,” I highly recommend it. The series (still incomplete) has been widely praised and generated much interest. It is superbly done. Essentially, it is the Mark Driscoll story.

But to my mind this sad tale is the consequence of a non-existent ecclesiology, which proves beyond all shadow of a doubt, how important it is that the church be governed according to biblical mandate, and by officers properly chosen and supervised as spelled out in the New Testament (i.e.,1 Timothy 3:1-13). I know, the chapters on ecclesiology are the least read chapters in any systematic theology text, but just because these chapters tend to come at the end, does not mean they are unimportant. A church with a sound ecclesiology is a bulwark against what happened with the “make it up as you go along” ecclesiology of Mars Hill.

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An Exposition of Article Eleven of the Belgic Confession -- The Deity of the Holy Spirit

Far too often we hear people speak of the Holy Spirit as an “it,” not a “who.” One reason this is the case is that it is the nature of the Holy Spirit’s work to bring glory to Jesus Christ, not to bring glory to himself. This is why one theologian calls the Holy Spirit, the “shy member of the Trinity.” But the self-effacing role the Holy Spirit plays should not cause us to de-emphasize the fact that the Holy Spirit is truly God and that he possesses all of the divine attributes as do the Father and Son. Even as we speak of the Father as God, the Son as God, so too we must speak of the Holy Spirit as God, for he is the third person of the Holy Trinity.

We are in that section of our confession (articles eight through eleven) which deals with the doctrine of the Trinity, the deity of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As we have emphasized when going through these articles, often people erroneously believe that since Christians, Jews, and Muslims are monotheists, we all worship the same God. But this is not the case. Christians worship the Triune God, who reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we have seen, the Koran (the holy book of Islam) directly attacks the doctrine of the Trinity. Jews emphatically deny that God reveals himself as three persons and many regard the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ as one of the leading factors in the rise of Anti-Semitism, since Jews are often blamed for the crucifixion of the Son of God.

To read the rest: An Exposition of Article Eleven of the Belgic Confession -- The Deity of the Holy Spirit

Belgic ConfessionKim RiddlebargerJuly 10, 2021Deity of the Holy SpiritComment

The Blessed Hope Podcast -- Episode Four: "Paul Confronts Peter, Table Fellowship with Gentiles, and Paul's Doctrine of Justification" (Galatians 2:11-21)

Peter’s confrontation with Peter in Antioch was a remarkable event, not only in the Apostolic era, but one with huge ramifications down to the present day. In the fourth episode of our series on Galatians, we work our way through Galatians 2:11-21. In this episode we tackle Paul’s conflict with Peter, the issue of table fellowship with Gentiles, the New Perspective on Paul’s misreading of the dispute, before we turn to Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith and not by works (v. 16). This is a packed episode divided into two parts (about 40 minutes in).

To listen to episode four follow the link below

To see the previous episodes in this series, The Blessed Hope Podcast

Michael Horton Nails It -- No "Christian" Nations in the New Covenant Era

Follow the link below to view Michael’s recent discussion of Christian nationalism (from TGC).

Rejoice Always?

When writing to Christians in the city of Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul instructs them, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The Thessalonian church was founded by Paul, Timothy, and Silas on Paul’s second missionary journey, and was composed of people who left Greco-Roman paganism to embrace Jesus Christ by faith. Thessalonica was a large city (about 100,000 people lived there) on a major road when Paul visited the area. Thessalonica was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. It was an important place to plant a church. But it was hardly a friendly environment for new converts.

Having heard about their struggles after his departure, Paul writes to them from Corinth, partly to clear up some confusion in the congregation about the Lord’s return, but also to instruct them how to deal with their difficult circumstances. Paul is direct in his exhortation to the Thessalonians. Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks in all circumstances should characterize the lives of these new Christians in the face of heated opposition from those who simply cannot understand why people would worship a Jewish Rabbi from far away Palestine, who claimed to be the Son of God only to be put to death by the Romans. But if that same Rabbi had been raised from the dead—as Jesus had been—how could you not worship him? One who conquered death was surely an object of hope in any time of trial.

To read the rest, follow the link below

Biblical EventsKim RiddlebargerJune 30, 2021Rejoicing, biblical hope

Sorely Tested by an Epidemic -- A Family Tragedy

Covid-19 is not the first pandemic to kill millions. The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 sickened upwards of 500 million people with as many as 100 million dying. The Black Plague in the 1350’s killed up to 200 million, probably many more. Mosquito borne disease kills more people annually than those who die from acts of violence—upwards of 600,000 per year. Human are highly vulnerable to the countless viruses which stalk us.

These statistics are sobering, but rather impersonal—until you factor in Covid. You, the reader, may have had a severe case. You may know of someone who fell gravely ill. Or you may even know of (or know personally) someone who died from Covid. News accounts speak of families who lost several members without being able to say “goodbye” due to enforced isolation—a tragic thing.

We have now lived through a pandemic. So did most of our ancestors. There have been countless localized epidemics throughout the course of human history which sickened or killed many in their community. The disease hits, and then disappears as quickly as it came on. What follows is an account of a family tragedy in which a diphtheria epidemic struck a small community near Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, in the Fall of 1862.

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No Creed But Christ? Protestants and "Catholic" Creeds

I’ll never forget the first time my wife and I worshiped in a Presbyterian church. I was raised in independent Bible-churches where it was a given that we believed the Bible, but Roman Catholics relied on tradition. We affirmed “no creed but Christ,” which ironically is a creed in is own right—albeit a short creed. I knew of the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, but thought of these as relics of the past, which functioned as an end run around the authority of Scripture. This is why, I suspected, that Roman Catholics recited them. You can imagine how we were taken aback when the Presbyterian faithful recited the Apostles’ Creed with great gusto, including the line which, at the time, I could not bring myself to repeat, “one holy catholic and apostolic church.”

To read the rest, follow the link below

The Blessed Hope Podcast -- Episode Three: "Paul's Conversion, Visit to Jerusalem, and the Gentile Mission" (Galatians 1:11-2:10)

In the third episode of our series on Galatians, we take a look at Paul’s defense of his apostolic office in the face of direct challenges to his gospel from the Judaizers in Galatia. In this section of Galatians (Galatians 1:11-2:10), Paul recounts his call and conversion, his early ministry in Damascus and Arabia, his two post-conversion trips to Jerusalem when he met with the other apostles, and his time in Syrian Antioch and Cilicia (an area which includes Paul’s hometown, Tarsus).

To listen to this episode, follow the link below

To see the other episodes in this series, Click Here

Face to Face? Not Today . . . But One Day

I suppose that if you were to ask Christians whether or not they would like to “see” God, many, without thinking about it, would answer “yes.” Human curiosity easily wins out over whatever knowledge we might have of those biblical passages such as Hebrews 12:29, which informs us that “our God is a consuming fire.” If we were to see God this side of glory, it would not be a good thing, nor would such a sight satisfy our curiosity. We would be consumed. Although Isaiah saw the Lord upon his prophetic commissioning (Isaiah 6:1-7), he was undone by his sin—”woe is me!”

While Scripture promises that the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8), Paul makes it clear that such sight cannot come until death, when believers enter God’s presence. It is God alone who “has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). But on the last day, Paul says, when Jesus appears, we will see that which our sin and finitude currently prevents us from seeing (6:14-15).

To Read the rest of This Article, Follow the Link Below

Biblical EventsKim RiddlebargerJune 14, 2021The Glory of God, The Beatific VisionComment

Hear Anything Lately About the Wrath of God? The Silence Is Deafening

It is a major theme throughout the Old Testament. It is found throughout the New Testament as well. John the Baptist clearly taught it (Matthew 3:7). Jesus preached about it (Luke 21:23). So did Paul (Romans 1:18; 9:22; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6). John mentions it once in his gospel (3:36) but makes it a central theme of the Apocalypse (Revelation 14:6 ff). But in our day and age–so it seems–no one wants to touch the subject. It is too controversial, too divisive. It often goes unmentioned in our pulpits. The very thought of it is repulsive to many Americans. I am talking about the wrath of God.

To read the rest of this article, follow the link below.

Biblical TheologyKim RiddlebargerJune 9, 2021wrath of God

John Calvin on the Transforming Power of the Book of Romans

Many of you, no doubt, have consulted Calvin’s famous biblical commentaries. You may even have consulted Calvin’s commentary on the Book of Romans–one of his first, written in 1539, while Calvin was still in Strasbourg. It is my guess is that many who have consulted Calvin on Romans, have not read Calvin’s dedication of the commentary (to Simon Grynaeus), nor Calvin’s introductory essay on the theme of Romans. In these two essays we get a fascinating glimpse of Calvin’s goal as a biblical interpreter and his estimation of the importance of grasping the central message Paul’s most famous letter–the doctrine of justification by faith. We also get a sense of how Calvin felt about the transforming power of the Book of Romans.

To read the rest of this article, follow the link below

Biblical TheologyKim RiddlebargerJune 7, 2021The Book of Romans, John CalvinComment

An Exposition of Article Ten of the Belgic Confession -- The Deity of Jesus

While a truism in modern American–“Jews, Muslims and Christians, all worship the same God”–the deity of Jesus Christ is the most obvious reason why this is not the case. Like Jews and Muslims, Christians are monotheists. But unlike Jews and Muslims, Christians are also Trinitarians. We believe that the one God is triune and is revealed as three distinct and divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If Jesus Christ is fully God, and if Jews and Muslims reject his deity, then Jews and Muslims do not worship the same God that Christians worship.

Christians embrace the New Testament as part of God’s self-revelation (unlike the Jews). Since Christians believe that the New Testament’s teaching regarding the deity of Jesus Christ supercedes all subsequent supposed revelation from God (i.e. the Koran–the holy book of Islam), then the person and work of Jesus Christ will necessarily define the Christian view of God. However, Jews, Muslims, and many indigenous American cults (i.e. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons) do not accept the deity of Jesus Christ. It is especially important that we believe the doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ in order to be saved, since salvation is found in no other name than the name of Jesus (cf. Acts 4:12). It is also vital to confess this doctrine before the watching world so that people might come to a saving knowledge of God, through the saving work of Jesus Christ, who is the true and eternal God, the Almighty.

We must also confess this doctrine because so many mistakenly think that Jews, Christians and Muslims all worship the same God. No, we do not worship the same God and we cannot allow this mistaken but popular assumption to go unchallenged. This is why we must believe and confess the deity of Jesus.

To read the rest of this article, Article Ten of the Belgic Confession: The Deity of Jesus

Belgic ConfessionKim RiddlebargerJune 4, 2021Deity of Jesus, Arianism

The Blessed Hope Podcast -- Episode Two: "No Other Gospel" (Galatians 1:1-10)

The Second Episode in The Blessed Hope Podcast Series on Galatians Is Ready!

To Listen to the podcast, and check out the show notes, follow the link below

Trouble In the Middle East -- Time to Check the Rapture Index

With the Israeli-Palestinian conflict heating up, I thought it a good time to check the Rapture Index, something I do periodically to keep tabs on the current state of biblical prophecy punditry. The current Rapture Index level is 188, high enough to “fasten our seat belts.” The Rapture Index low in 2020 was 176—a significant decline from previous highs despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The lower number—if I had to guess—was due to the proprietors’ support of former president Trump.

As long as Trump was president, the Rapture didn’t seem quit as imminent. But Biden is now president, and the situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians is very tense, the index has returned to 188, just short of the all-time high of 189 (in October of 2016).

To read the rest, follow the link below:

End Times NuttinessKim RiddlebargerMay 24, 2021Rapture Index, Signs of the EndComment

Joseph's Faith in the Face of Death

A key figure in the closing chapters of the Book of Genesis, Joseph is known for several things: his “coat of many colors,” being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, and for his remarkable ability to interpret the dreams of the Egyptian Pharaoh. But when the author of Hebrews looks back on the life of Joseph in Hebrews 11 (the so-called “hall of faith”), Joseph is remembered for something we often forget. “By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones” (Hebrews 11:22).

Joseph was the eleventh son of Jacob. Rachel was his mother. Joseph became the apple of his father’s eye and the recipient of the famous multicoat–a gift from his father, provoking great jealousy on the part of his brothers. Joseph even had the nerve to claim he had a dream in which his older brothers bowed down to him. When Jacob sent the seventeen year-old upstart Joseph to find his brothers, they plot to kill him. One of his brothers, Reuben, talked the others into throwing Joseph down a well, knowing that he (Reuben) would return later and rescue him. Instead, Joseph was sold to traders, who took Joseph into Egypt, where he was sold again to Potiphar. While in Potiphar’s care, God was with Joseph, who thrived. Through a series of remarkable events, including interpreting Pharaoh’s dream (Genesis 41), Joseph became viceroy over all of Egypt.

Follow the link below to read the rest

Biblical EventsKim RiddlebargerMay 17, 2021Joseph, Joseph's reburial in ShechemComment

New Riddleblog Publication -- "The Seventy Weeks of Daniel: Daniel 9:24-27"

My exposition of the famous "Seventy-Weeks" prophecy of Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27) begins in what is perhaps a surprising place–the Gospel of Matthew with Jesus giving his so-called "Olivet Discourse." The discourse is so named because Jesus and this disciples were sitting on the Mount of Olives, looking across the Kidron Valley at the magnificent Jerusalem temple, restored to its original grandeur by King Herod. Jesus uses this occasion to predict the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, as well as discuss the end of the age. When passing the temple earlier that day, his disciples asked him a question about the end of the age and what would happen to this great building. Jesus told them, “you see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2). The magnificent second temple will be completely destroyed–again.

Jesus is predicting something unthinkable to a Jew of that day, since the Jewish people had endured this terrible fate once already. This time, Jesus implies, the destruction of the temple will be final. While predicting the destruction of the temple and teaching his disciples about the end of age, Jesus repeatedly appeals to the prophet Daniel. So it is here we begin our exposition of the "Seventy Weeks" prophecy of Daniel–with Jesus, on the Mount of Olives, teaching his disciples about the time of the end, all the while quoting from or alluding to Daniel’s prophecies. By considering how Jesus understood the Book of Daniel, and then spoke of his own role in fulfilling key portions of Daniel’s prophecies, we gain the proper perspective to interpret Daniel’s "Seventy Weeks" prophecy correctly.

You can read the rest of the essay here: "The Seventy Weeks of Daniel: Daniel 9:24-27"

The Arsonsist Within -- Our Tongue

In the third chapter of the Book of James, the brother of our Lord has much to say about the power of the tongue, and the damage we can do to others through our speech. The tongue might seem small (in comparison to the rest of our bodies), but like a horse’s bridle, or a ship’s rudder, James warns us not to let the tongue’s small size fool us in regard to its power. As James says in verse 5, “the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.” James goes on to lament, “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.”

To read the rest of this article, follow the link below.

The Book of Galatians -- Episode One: "An Introduction to the Book of Galatians"

The First Episode in The Blessed Hope Podcast Series on Galatians Has Been Posted

To Listen to the podcast, and check out the show notes, follow the link below