By Isaac Goodwin
Blind faith is a popular and confusing phrase that many Christians use often. We use it to justify our trust in God about something that has not happened yet or for something we are hoping for. Sometimes, our understanding of ‘blind faith’ appropriately fits a circumstance, but is it biblical? Does Scripture teach us to have ‘blind faith’? Is this concept found in Scripture at all? Before we dive into Scripture, let’s look at a few dictionary definitions of blind faith and compare them to your presupposed understanding. Definitions
Do any of those definitions fit your understanding of blind faith? Probably not, right? I also do not believe this is the kind of faith that God means for us to have. Why would He want us to not understand our faith? To have no support or logic to our faith? To have no evidential truth to our faith? Are we really supposed to have a faith that is blinded to understanding, logic, and evidence? Absolutely not. Faith is foundationally evidential. Think about it this way. Think about your testimony. Can you really tell people about Jesus and how you came to faith in Christ without an evidential testimony? If somebody questions your faith about how you came to Christ, how do you answer? Do you say you don’t know? Do you say you believe just because and that there is no reason or evidence about why? Or do you tell them about how you are a new creation in Christ because Jesus gave you a new, purposeful life? A life free from sin? A life you now live to please God because He saved and delivered you from eternal damnation, sexual bondage, addiction, depression, family wounds, rejection, etc.? That seems like an evidential faith to me. A new, changed life in Christ is evidence of a faith that is not blind but empowered by the Holy Spirit. Blind faith is foundationally nonbiblical and illogical, and Scripture clearly reveals the truth about faith, which authoritatively rebukes all of those definitions. So what does Scripture say? The go-to Scripture used for the idea of blind faith is Hebrews 11:1, which says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” This seems like obvious support for blind faith if we take it at face value, especially because we usually focus on “things not seen.” I have seen this verse taught to support blind faith countless times, and have even done so myself. But what are we hoping for? What unseen things is the author talking about? Let’s look at the biblical evidence that faith requires… evidence. Biblical Example No. 1 — Abraham’s Reasoning, God’s promise We find one of the greatest biblical examples of faith through Abraham. God promised Abraham that he would be the father to countless nations (Gen. 17:1-8) and would father a son (17:16), even though he and his wife Sarah were very old. But something happens… God tells Abraham that his son needs to be sacrificed (22:2). How did Abraham respond to this command from God? He obeys God without questions—with seemingly blind faith. Abraham takes Isaac, his one and only son, and binds him on an altar as an offering (22:9-10). Just before he deals the killing blow, the angel of the Lord appears and tells Abraham, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (22:12). Was Abraham’s faith blind? Or did he understand and faithfully trust God’s promise that he would have countless descendants through Isaac? Let’s go back to Hebrews 11. The New Testament mentions Abraham multiple times, including in Hebrews. Hebrews 11:17-19 states, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.” Abraham did not blindly obey God, but ‘considered’ or ‘reasoned’ that God could raise people from the dead. Abraham had evidential faith, knowing God would not take back His promise of descendants. He did not act blindly but acted according to God’s promise, knowing God’s nature was trustworthy and faithful—regardless of the impossibility of his circumstances. Throughout Scripture, we see a faith that is understood, logical, reasoned, perceived, and evidential—not blind to understanding, logic, reason, perception, and evidence. Abraham had evidential faith. Biblical Example No. 2 — Berean Examination, Paul’s Custom Another biblical example is in Acts 17:11-12, where Paul is applauding the church in Berea. Paul is not commending the Berean Church’s blind faith but their eagerness to receive the gospel and examine its truthfulness with the Scriptures. It states, “Now these [the Bereans] were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.” Did the Bereans receive the gospel blindly? That is not what Scripture says. Paul's presentation of the gospel backed by Scripture convinced many of them to believe. That is not a blind faith. A few verses earlier, we see Paul speaking to Jews in Thessalonica. Acts 17:2-4 says, “And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.” The Thessalonians did not receive the gospel blindly either, as Paul ‘reasoned’ and ‘gave evidence’ of Christ to them. Paul persuaded some through reason, logic, and evidence, not blind faith. What is even more revealing is Paul’s customary routine was reasoning and giving evidence to the unbelieving Jews, not asking them to blindly accept what he was saying. Paul uses evidence, reason, and logic almost every time he presents the gospel to the lost as well. Did the lost blindly come to Christ? Or did they need to hear the gospel from a preacher to believe (Rom. 10:13-15)? “For “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” 14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” Biblical Example No. 3 — Disciples’ Doubt, Jesus’ Proof Even the disciples needed evidence, as all of them doubted Jesus’ resurrection, which Jesus had to prove to His disciples. Acts 1:3 says, “To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” Another example of the disciples' doubt is in Mark 16:11-13 after Jesus appeared to Mary. She told them Jesus was risen, but “when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it. 12 After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. 13 They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.” The disciples’ doubt is stated again in Luke 24:11: “But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.” Peter then, needing proof, ran to the tomb to see the evidence (24:12). The rest of Luke 24 details the many appearances of Jesus after His resurrection and the doubt most had before believing it was truly Him. Why is Blind Faith Dangerous? There are many reasons having blind faith is dangerous. Here are a few. I am sure we have all supported ‘blind faith’ by saying things like this:
Conclusion Is faith blind? Does Scripture support Christians having a blind faith? I do not believe so as the evidence throughout Scripture and in my own life is irrefutable. Is it really blind faith to believe in healing? Or do we faithfully believe because we know and have evidential proof that He heals? Do we really have blind faith in the salvation of our lost family and friends? Or do we have faith because of the evidence that we were once lost as well? Is it blind faith to believe in the return of Jesus? Or do we believe He will return because He says so? All faith is evidential and alive, as we see throughout Scripture and in our lives. We faithfully believe in healing because Jesus still heals. We believe in salvation because Jesus saved us. We believe in the Second Coming because Jesus promised He will return. Throughout Scripture, we find that reason, wisdom, and logic are honorable traits. We are even told to seek knowledge and understanding (Prv. 4:23) and that God rewards those who do (3:13). In Hebrews 5:12-14, the author rebukes believers for their lack of maturity and understanding, stating that they need to be retaught the milk—or basics—of the faith once again instead of becoming teachers themselves. Blind faith is like passive living, which is antithetical to the born-again life in Christ. How are we to do good works without evidential faith? James 2:17, 26 tells us faith without works is dead. How can faith be blind knowing we cannot live a passive lifestyle? I encourage you to pray and humbly study the Scriptures about this topic if this is a new idea for you. I believe the Lord wants to empower and encourage all followers of Christ to live with an active, evidential faith—not a passive, blind faith. There will be moments in our walk with Christ that will challenge our faith because we do not have the complete picture. However, our faith is not blind. We base our faith on our knowledge of God's character, His promises, and our personal experience walking with Him daily. I hope this topical teaching on faith was helpful and informative and helps you in your walk with Christ. Please, comment with your thoughts, concerns, question, or corrections. Thank you for reading! Please, share as that is the best way to support my writing. I love you all! Romans 1:19-20 (NASB1995) “Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
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By Isaac Goodwin
I have wanted to write an expository teaching on this passage for a couple of years now. If you know me, you know I have a passion for carefully dividing the truth of Scripture, especially about the Second Coming of Jesus. This topic needs to be clarified and understood, as it is read with heavy presuppositions founded on poor hermeneutics. I hope this teaching is helpful and provides a clearer picture of the return of Jesus, and an understanding of what He meant in these passages! Matthew 24:37-41 (NASB) “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. Luke 17:34-37 (NASB) “I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.” 37 And answering they said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.” Introduction Before Holy Spirit revealed the biblical truth about Jesus’ return, I was an emphatic supporter of the pre-tribulation rapture view. I honestly never knew there were other perspectives—I was naive and never studied the Word. Instead, I believed everything I heard and agreed with the popular consensus. Obviously, the pre-tribulation rapture was true, so why was there such division on the topic? I decided I needed to study God’s Word for myself to see what He revealed about this doctrine, instead of just believing something I had heard. Does ‘one taken, one left’ really support a pre-tribulation rapture? When you read the phrase ‘one taken, one left’ I am sure your mind immediately goes to the Left Behind films and seeing people disappear, planes crashing, cars wrecking, people’s clothes littered everywhere, and complete chaos ensuing. This has been the marketed belief over the past few decades, especially since the turn of the millennium, because of the popularity of the Left Behind stories and most celebrity pastors teaching on the Second Coming this way. It is honestly easy to believe and accept the pre-tribulation rapture perspective because it makes sense with cherry-picked verses, but what does Scripture truly say? Does ‘one taken, one left’ actually teach us about a pre-tribulation rapture? Who is taken? Where are they taken? What did Jesus mean? Let’s see! Where? A foundational revelation that opened my eyes was in Luke 17:37. Jesus is concluding His teaching on the Second Coming and the disciples ask Him, “Where, Lord?” The ‘where’ is regarding those who are taken. If you hold a pre-tribulation view, this passage seems pre-trib and you probably have never thought otherwise. Obviously, the ‘taken’ are raptured to Heaven, right? Most people stop at v. 36 because it confirms the pre-trib view that the church is raptured or taken while the unbelieving and lukewarm are left to deal with the tribulation. Here are vs. 34-36 again: “34 I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. 36 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.” But the passage does not end there. The disciples ask Jesus a question in v. 37… a question that gives us so much clarity. They ask, “Where?” “Where, Lord?” Where what? They are asking where the taken are taken and Jesus provides an answer to their question. He answers, “Where the body is, there also the vultures* will be gathered.” *I should note that some translations say eagles instead of vultures, but the meaning remains the same. In Hebrew, many birds (e.g. vultures, hawks, eagles, buzzards, carrions, falcons, etc.) are synonymous with the negative connotation of death, decay, and judgment. So… bodies? Vultures? What are you saying, Jesus? Think about it this way. If this is supposed to be the rapture of the church, then why will our bodies gather where the vultures are? If this is supposed to be the rapture of the church, then why didn’t Jesus just say the taken are taken to Heaven? What does Jesus mean by gathering where the vultures are? I believe we first need a biblical understanding of vultures to properly understand what Jesus is saying. The vultures are the key to understanding this passage. Vultures in an Old Testament Context In the Torah, God declares vultures unclean and prohibits the Israelites from eating any bird of prey (Lev. 11:13; Deut. 14:12) because they feasted on dead carcasses and carried numerous diseases. Throughout the Torah and Old Testament, vultures also signified dishonor in death. The Israelites were reverent in their ancient burial practices because leaving bodies unburied attracted fowls and other predators to feast on the carcasses. This was highly dishonorable and symbolized judgment for the dead. Old Testament References There are dozens of examples, but I will provide just a handful for length purposes. Pay attention to the theme of each. One biblical reference is Deuteronomy 28:26: “Your carcasses will be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.” The context is about the Israelites' rebellion against God. Another example is in Jeremiah 22:19 when he prophesies judgment on King Jehoiakim: “He will be buried with a donkey’s burial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.” An earthly judgment of King Jehoiakim—who rebelled against God—was one of complete dishonor as the prophecy came true in Jeremiah 36:30. He was buried like a donkey, left for dead in the streets. Robert Jamieson states that “[King Jehoiakim] shall have the same burial as an ass would get, namely, he shall be left a prey for beasts and birds.” Another is in Proverbs about disobedience. Proverbs 30:17 states, “The eye that mocks a father And scorns a mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.” A final example is in Hosea 8:1, which says, “Put the trumpet to your lips! Like an eagle the enemy comes against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.” The eagle here personified the Assyrians who were coming against Israel because of their continued rebellion against God—but it stands consistent along with the other mentions of birds and beasts throughout Scripture. The overarching theme of these passages? Rebellion against God. Vultures signified judgment and death to those who rebelled against God. Since we understand the biblical significance of vultures, let’s segue back to our main passages in Matthew and Luke. But what is the context and significance of the vultures mentioned in Luke 17:37? Jesus tells us that too within the same passage just a few verses earlier. Luke 17:26-30 (NASB) “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.” This passage is nearly verbatim to Matthew 24:37-41. Jesus tells us that ‘as in the days of Noah and Lot’, so will it be at His Second Coming. This provides further context about the vultures mentioned in v. 37, which is consistent with the rest of Scripture. This also teaches the nearness of His return, as moral and societal decay, along with rebellion against God, was prevalent before judgment came against Noah and Lot. Do you see? Jesus’ answer is symbolic of judgment as vultures indicate death, not resurrection into eternal life. We know this because Jesus parallels this passage with Noah and those taken by the flood (v. 26-27; Matt. 24:28). In the days of Noah, those taken in the flood were destroyed and taken into judgment. At His Second Coming, those taken will be destroyed and taken into judgment. The moral and societal decay and rebellion against God during Noah and Lot’s days led to the destruction and judgment of the wicked—the same as will happen at Christ’s coming. Craig Keener states that “the Son of Man’s coming would bring judgment as on Noah’s and Lot’s generations (Lk. 17:26-30), leaving his enemies as food for vultures (Ezek. 32:4-6; 39:17-20), which Jewish people considered a horrible, [dishonorable] fate (Deut. 28:26; 1 Sam. 17:44; Ps. 79:2).” It is lazy hermeneutics to imply that the taken are raptured to Heaven in this passage. The rapture simply does not exist in this passage as it clearly teaches about the judgment against the wicked who rebel against God—which is consistent with every mention of vultures throughout Scripture. This includes New Testament passages as well. In the New Testament, vultures indicate the coming death and judgment of those who follow the Antichrist (Matt. 24:28; Lk. 17:37; Rev. 19:17-21). The coming of Christ revealed in Revelation 19 includes a graphic picture of judgment against the wicked who remain. Revelation 19:17-18 (NASB) “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.” The wicked will suffer greatly at the coming of Christ, and they will have a most dishonorable death, as did all those who rebelled against God throughout Scripture. One final scriptural parallel I will mention is in Job 39:26-30. In this passage, God is speaking to Job about creation. Job 39:26-30 (NASB) “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south? 27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up And makes his nest on high? 28 On the cliff he dwells and lodges, Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place. 29 From there he spies out food; His eyes see it from afar. 30 His young ones also suck up blood; And where the slain are, there is he.” See the parallel? Lk. 17:37: “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.” Job 39:30b: “And where the slain are, there is he.” The vultures gather where the bodies are... where the slain are... the taken are rotting corpses taken into judgment. Application I believe this passage reveals a lot about the world's current state. In Noah's day, moral and societal decay, corrupted by sin, against God was commonplace. In return, God judged the world by destroying it along with the wicked. Today, the world seems like it is falling further and further into moral and societal decay as it is corrupted by sin and blasphemous against our Holy God. Jesus tells us that just before His coming, the world will be just like Noah's. Will we be taken or raptured away like many interpret this verse to mean? No. We will endure and teach the truth of Christ to the nations as long as we can until He returns to deliver us from sin and take the wicked into judgment. Conclusion The Second Coming of Christ is one of the most misunderstood doctrines in Scripture. The modern church leans heavily on the pre-tribulation perspective without proper hermeneutics or biblical support. Through proper interpretation and extensive study of Scripture, we see the taken described by Jesus being taken into judgment to be destroyed, not raptured into Heaven. This passage does not support a pre-tribulation rapture but shows us that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever—rebellion leads to destruction, but we have hope in Christ! I hope this teaching was helpful and informative! Please, leave your thoughts, questions, concerns, or corrections. I appreciate any support and feedback. I love you all! |
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ISAAC GOODWIN Archives
April 2023
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