Covenants

This is a review of the book The Words of the Covenant: A Biblical Theology Volume 1 – Old Testament Expectation, by Dr. Paul Martin Henebury, published by Xulon Press Elite (Paperback 467 Pages).

Some Background

I came across Paul Henebury many years ago through his blog “Dr. Reluctant.” He refers to himself as “A Reluctant Dispensationalist.” To find out why, you’ll have to look it up for yourself. One of the things he states is that,

Any approach to theology must be concerned with only one thing—its adequacy as an explanation of the whole Bible.

A review of Josiah D. Boyd, God Under Oath: Reading the Bible Through Its Covenants, Proclamation Press, 2025, 101 pages, paperback.

This little book is an attempt—successful at that—to provide readers of the Bible with a logical, understandable, and relatable study of the biblical covenants. It is not wooden or stolid, but upbeat and geared to pass on important information in an easy to read and pleasing format. A great deal of thought has gone into this book.

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The Olive Tree Metaphor in Romans 11

Some passages of Scripture have suffered under the myosis of its interpreters more than most. At the forefront of these abused passages is surely Romans 11:16-29. For sure, there is a bit of deciphering of Paul’s language to do, but all in all I think the apostle’s thrust is easy to grasp. The problem with so many interpretations of the verses, especially by those who like to employ the NT to interpret the OT, is that they tend to read their theology into the passage while ignoring the details. Here is one example:

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Is the Rapture in 2 Thessalonians 2:3?

On a related note, some Dispensational writers have believed that the catching up of the saints is what is in view in 2 Thessalonians 2:3:

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sinis revealed, the son of perdition.

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The Transformation of Our Bodies

The mention of the transformation of our bodies calls to mind the mystery of 1 Corinthians 15:50-52:

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

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When Christ Delivers Up the Kingdom to the Father

There is a strategic passage in 1 Corinthians which bears upon both the eschatology and teleology of the Bible. That text is found in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 and requires a little time to think through, although I will confess at the outset that the passage may act as an exemplar of the influence of theological predispositions in hermeneutics.¹ Because the thought is condensed it is easy to jump to conclusions about what each verse means. It starts with a theological preamble: