Blog – Page 9 – Grace Evangelical Society

Wanting Others to Reign with Christ

August 15, 2025 by Ken Yates in Blog - Bema, Luke 9:46-50, rewards

In Luke 9:49-50, we find a rather strange account. John sees a guy casting out demons in Christ’s name and tells him to stop. He tells the Lord that he did this because the guy “does not follow with us.” The word follow is a discipleship word. The guy was not one of the inner

How Do We Know There Are No More New Testament Books?

August 14, 2025 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Apostles, canon, NT Canon

The other day in Sunday School, Alla Kristina asked How do we know that God isn’t adding more books to the NT? There is a verse that says we have all the books of the OT. It is Matt 23:35. The Lord Jesus rebuked Israel for rejecting all the prophets and wise men He had

Mandela Theology

August 13, 2025 by Ken Yates in Blog - 2 Tim 2:15, Acts 17:11, Gal 3:16, Inspiration, Isa 11:6, John 21:22-23

The Mandela Effect is a phenomenon in which large groups of people swear that something happened when it never did. Its name comes from the false but widespread belief that Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s. He didn’t. But millions remember it that way. There are many examples of the Mandela Effect. People

What Does the Bible Say About Poverty and Riches?

August 12, 2025 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 1 Tim 6:10, giving, Matt 6:19-21, Money, Proverbs 23:20–21, Proverbs 6:10–11

The Bible says much about physical and spiritual poverty and riches. What is wrong with this statement? Money is the root of all evil. We’ve all heard that often. But that is not what Paul said in 1 Tim 6:10. He said, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,

When to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

August 11, 2025 by Ken Yates in Blog - 1 Cor 15:32, 1 Cor 15:58, Isa 22:13, Resurrection, rewards

I recently saw a movie, Downfall, about the last days of Adolf Hitler. The setting is Hitler’s bunker beneath the streets of Berlin. The Russian army is closing in. The situation for Hitler and all the people in the bunker is hopeless. It is depressing. People are committing suicide rather than face the wrath of

Giving Preference to One Another (Romans 12:10)

August 8, 2025 by Ken Yates in Blog - Honor, Humility, Phil 2:3, Rom 12:10

In Rom 12:10, Paul tells the believers in Rome to be “…kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.” Paul wants them to manifest brotherly love towards each other. This would include understanding the worth of their fellow believers, as well as looking out for their welfare. The

When Will the Great White Throne Judgment and the Bema Take Place?

August 7, 2025 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - Bema, Daniel 12:12, Great White Throne Judgment, Millennial kingdom, the Millennium, The Tribulation

Clay says the Bible study he is in couldn’t determine when the two major Last Days judgments occur: Apparently, the Great White Throne Judgment [GWTJ] is at the end of the Tribulation. I agree with you that the two judgments are two separate events. When will the other judgment, the Judgment Seat of Christ [Bema],

Is the Holy Spirit Our Guarantee?

August 6, 2025 by Ken Yates in Blog - 2 Cor 5:5-10, Eternal Rewards, Judgment Seat, rewards, Rom 8:23-25

In 2 Cor 5:5, Paul says that God “has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.” Anyone who understands that eternal life is a gift that we receive by believing in Christ for it will naturally assume this is what Paul is talking about. When we believe, we are born from above by the Spirit

What Did Paul Entrust to God “To Keep… until That Day” (2 Tim 1:12)?

August 5, 2025 by Bob Wilkin in Blog - 2 Tim 1:12, Eternal Rewards, Great White Throne Judgment, rewards

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. After quoting 2 Tim 1:12, Steve asks, What is Paul’s ‘committed thing’ God is able to keep?

We Are Pessimistic Optimists

August 4, 2025 by Ken Yates in Blog - 2 Pet 3:13, Creation, John 16:8-9, Rom 8:18-22

I saw a funny cartoon recently. I am not familiar with the author’s religious beliefs, but the work conveys some theological truths. A man is walking down the sidewalk with a sign that says, “The End Is Near.” Another man with another sign follows him. It reads, “This Will Never End.” The second man says