THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS, NOT THE
CREEDS OF THE CHURCH, UNITE THE
BIBLE PROPHECY THEMES OF THE NEW
TESTAMENT FROM START TO FINISH
Our Lord’s indictment against first century
Jerusalem (Matt. 23:29-39 cf. Luke 11:45-51),
if acknowledged completely reorients what has
happened and where we really are today
by Mark Mountjoy
THIS IS AN ESSAY TO ESTABLISH the foundation for our first Atavist Bible Church. A key feature of what we are about is focusing on Jesus of Nazareth as the ultimate interpreter of essential New Testament doctrine. The following short outline offers some key points we would like to highlight:
1. Emphasize Jesus’ own teachings, declarations, and prophecies as the primary authority, rather than deferring to later church councils or creeds. Jesus’ ministry began 46 years after King Herod began remodeling the Second Temple (John 2:19), this means that that year was AD 26. However, Jesus declared his return would be within that generation (Matt. 12:43-45 cf. 24:34). Then it is not coincidental that the Hebrew State disappeared from history exactly one hundred years later in AD 136. This all means that the Second Coming and the events in the Book of Revelation are behind us by about 18 centuries and the orientation of Futurist churches, which depend on creeds and traditions, is not only misguided but also unrealizable.
2. In the Gospels Jesus contradicts religious interpretations that sought to make his mother someone special (Matt. 12:48-50).
3. Jesus consistently pointed back to the scriptures (what we know as the Old Testament) as the authoritative foundation, while providing his own divine commentary (e.g., Matt. 21:33-46 effectively interprets the prophecy of Daniel 2:31-45 as referring to a Jewish fourth kingdom being crushed by the Stone the Builders rejected). “When they heard his parables they perceived he spoke of themselves.”
4. Argue that as the divine Son of God and the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises, Jesus’ own words and actions must be the standard by which all Christian doctrine is measured.
5. Acknowledge the role of the Holy Spirit in continuing to illuminate the teachings of Christ, but maintain that no later tradition or council can override the primacy of Jesus’ own pronouncements (John 8:31).
6. We are calling believers to submit their end of the world beliefs and the conflicting teachings of the Four Views (Amillennialism, Postmillennialism, Historicism and Premillennialism) to the scrutiny of Jesus’ own words in the Gospels.
This outline effectively positions Jesus as the sole, divinely-appointed interpreter of New Testament essentials, rather than relying on later human-derived creeds or traditions, Nicene, the Apostles’ Creed or otherwise. It establishes a strong biblical foundation for the uniqueness of our Atavist approach.
Related
The Second Coming as an Interpretation
Out of Silence Versus One of Declarations & Promises
Interpretive Rules & Doctrinal Guidelines
that do not apply to New Testament Christians
The Parousia and the Wisdom of
Twenty Centuries of Failed Predictions
Caption: The Fourth Philosophical Jewish nationalist movement, founded by Judas of Galilee, sowed the seeds that led to the Destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Adhering to our Lord's claims and declarations in the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John provides the proper context and framework to understand these pivotal events. This helps keep the interpretation of the Book of Revelation intact, which otherwise risks becoming distorted and unintelligible if we defer solely to later ecclesiastical authorities and council decisions.