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The lack of officiant isn't a problem. The lack of witnesses may be. What is required is an enforceable covenant. If there are no witnesses to hear vows, the covenant lacks accountability. If you have the vows written down and made a public record, that would remedy the lack of witnesses...

No. The Bible doesn't set forth a pastor, a judge, or even the church as the designated officiant for a marriage to be legitimate. It does require a covenant.

That's unexpectedly hard to answer. There's a way of reckoning Israel spiritually, and a way of reckoning Israel physically, and they aren't the same. Throw in the divided kingdom after Solomon's death to convolute it a little. Throw in all the foreign people who joined themselves to Israel...

In Greek it isn't past tense, at all. The past tense is due to English not having a good way to translate perfect-participles. Have you ever read the novel Pilgrim's Progress? I feel it does a good job explaining salvation. When one is "saved" they are put on the path of safety.

Yes, I've put a good amount of time into studying those chapters specifically. I would say that, with regards to the quickening (συνεζωοποίησεν) of Ephesians 2... "Grace" answers the question "why?" while "faith" answers the question of "how?" Works are not relevant to the process.

Common sense? Proper use of grammar? On THIS topic? It's how Ephesians 2 is translated - "by grace you are saved." If one were to actually read the whole chapter, it becomes clear that what is being referenced is the initial conversion. The other word used in Eph 2 is "quickened," which...

There are quite a few pre-dominantly Caucasian countries that are also pre-dominantly Muslim. Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan. Pretty much the entirety of central Asia. Iran is the same word as Aryan.

It really isn't. I don't know what date you looked up for Luke's gospel, but whatever date it is... it existed well before that. Maybe not word-for-word the same as the version that was canonized. Perhaps missing the first few chapters. But the core of it was in circulation already. Hence...

The chronological problem you're pointing out... isn't much of a problem. Luke didn't invent his gospel out of thin air one day. Perhaps we should say that Paul's gospel became the foundations of Luke's gospel.

Gospel = good news. News was generally proclaimed or preached. The New Testament mostly uses this word in the generic sense, rather than meaning the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. That doesn't mean that early versions of those books didn't exist or weren't written. (Ok, John wasn't...

I agree, but that doesn't mean it can't be co-opted for the especially evil dead souls. 1Enoch 22 insinuates that such is the case. (It also insinuates that most of the wicked dead will be annihilated, rather than tortured endlessly). Greek mythology is pretty heterogenous. The stories of...

Sure. Greek Hades is an in-between place. The dead pass through it (but not freely), and cross rivers or lakes to go on to other places... τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον is one of those places. Most cross the River of Forgetfulness (Lethe), and are re-born into the world without memories of their past...

Did you do the text of Jude yourself? The reverse-translation into Hebrew of selected words is helpful. Might I suggest looking into 'outer darkness' as a place in Greek mythology? I don't know that the translation would change, but there's a little more to unpack in those words than their...

That Behavior is useful for determining Ancestry, and Genealogies are not (by their fruits ye shall know them, if ye were Abraham's children, you would act like Abraham) That Baptism is an Adoption that is Required (John 3 - you must be born again) That Judgment was coming on Judah (Matt 24)...

I don't know of a place where Paul explicitly says he handed out Luke's gospel... but it does say he delivered to them A gospel. Academically, Luke's gospel has long been considered to be Pauline - in agreement with Paul in doctrine and style. We know from Acts that Luke spent time with Paul...

Matthew 3:17½ Luke 3:22½

What we call SAVED (following Ephesians 2) might also be termed as QUICKENED (also following Ephesians 2), or REGENERATION. This is the beginning of salvation. The point at which "I first believed" and Jesus rescued me from sins and put me into a state of SAFETY, onto the path of salvation...

It's not a dual requirement. It's a single requirement. I already posted the verses that require it. The first 3 kingdoms did outlast the 4th. The 4th was destroyed. It was destroyed by a foreign army - which it turns out is how God has historically accomplished the overthrow of kingdoms...

If there's no primary fulfillment, that would make Daniel a false prophet. He fails the test of Deuteronomy 18: Deuteronomy 18:20But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that...

More or less. The throne judgment is part of a vision. The interpretation thereof is given to Daniel, but not us, and Daniel's response doesn't seem to that of a man receiving good news... Daniel 7:28 Hitherto [is] the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and...