The novel medieval dogma of “vicarious punishment” goes hand in claw with the ferocious dogma of “eternal conscious punishment” for human offenders. The underlying (and we stress the lying…) assumption is the same; they stand and fall together. May they fall decisively so that the Explanation of God may race on unencumbered and triumph! [8/14/06]
It was only at Pentecost, some seven weeks after the Messianic climax of the “Crossurrection,” that the “reinforcements” were finally called out…that the “reserves” finally saw action. For it was not until the Wholesome Spirit of promise got into the action that the demon hordes really trembled. Now a whole race of “new creatures in Messiah” started multiplying and challenging their corrupt strongholds, and their power was unstoppable…so long as they walked in the Spirit steadily, faithfully. This “indescribable gift,” distributed in superabundance in response to the fatal wounding of Jesus when God answered from Heaven the outcry of his blood from earth, is the very “stuff” of God’s Kingdom. This Stuff could wash away wrongdoing, cleanse consciences, make wholesome, make righteous, make peace…make free—the makings of a whole fresh start…a whole new world! It could even heal diseases and raise the dead! This Stuff is really DANGEROUS to the powers that be! It made Jesus too hot to handle. It made the authorities envious, provoking them to murder him. Thus citizens of this new Kingdom would always pose an unintended (!) threat to this age of the world. We must count the cost of that opposition. [8/15/06]
Don’t you see? If God brought this man Jesus back from among the dead after all that was done to him–and all without wreaking vengeance on them–everything has to turn out all right! [8/15/06]
The Premial Atonement 