Faith First Media

Eternal Conscious Torture in Hell vs. Annihilation in the Lake of Fire

What Does the Bible Really Teach?

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

The concept of hades as a place of eternal torture for the immortal soul has its origins in Platonic philosophy and Greek Mythology, and is foreign to the Bible. The Old Testament Jewish Scriptu...

The Problem of Evil

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

matt@faithfirstmedia.com

How could a loving God allow evil to exist?

Evil was brought into the world through sin (disobedience to God) not by God’s will, but by human decision.

Why didn’t God stop Adam and Eve f...

The Dual Death of Goliath: A Contradiction in the Bible?

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

matt@faithfirstmedia.com

Question:

Everybody knows about the fight David versus Goliath. The young David kills Goliath with his slingshot.

1.Samuel 17,4-50:

"A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came ...

Was God Unjust in 2 Samuel 24?

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

Question:

In 2.Samuel 24 God commands King David to count Israel and Judah. After David follows his command God punishs [sic] him:

2.Samuel 24,1-17

"Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah." So the ...

Jacob's Family Tomb: A Contradiction in the Bible?

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

Question:

In Acts 7,15-16 Stephen tells us this:

"Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died. Their bodieswere brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham hadbought from the sons of Hamor at She...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

A Theology of Peace

by Matthew Elton

copyright 2009 Matthew Elton

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale ...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

Continued from: A Theology of Peace: Introduction

The Kingdom of God

Moses once wrote in Exodus 21:23-25, “the p...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount is widely regarded by theologians as the greatest moral teaching in all of Scripture. But its message is so powerful and so radical that many people try to ignore it becau...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

Turning the Other Cheek

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say, do not resist an evil person! If s...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

Giving the Coat Also

If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.

--Matthew 5:40

A coat was an extremely valuable item in first century Judea...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

Going the Extra Mile

If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.

--Matthew 5:41

In first century Judea, the poor were oppressed under a ...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Example of Christ

As demonstrated in the previous sections, when we view Christ’s words in their historical context, we see their true beauty like never before. Jesus teaches us that repaying evil with evil on...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Example of the Apostles

 21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

 ...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Resurrection of Jesus

The resurrection of Christ from the dead was a political event. He had been executed as a political criminal – charged with claiming to be “the King of the Jews.” Pilate had ...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Holy Spirit

Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus instructed his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come to them. The disciples replied, “Lord, has the time come when you will free Israel a...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The New Covenant

In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Kingdom Lifestyle

We must remember, however, that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was prophesied in the context of prophesies regarding the final judgement of the world and the fulfillment of the King...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Testimony of Early Christians

The concept of living the Kingdom lifestyle is not new. ...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

The Downfall of Nonviolent Theology Under Constantine and Augustine

The quotations included in the previous section prove that the early church practiced literal, radical nonviolence according to the comman...

The following is an excerpt from the book A Theology of Peace by Matthew Elton, copyright 2009 Matthew Elton.

A Return to Christian Nonviolence

About 1000 B.C., God promised King David that one of his descendants would inherit his throne forever. Then Daniel interpreted visions that revealed that this prophesied r...