Breaking Down The Iron Man 2 Trailer

In case you missed it...the first official trailer for Iron Man 2 has been released. Check out this article from G4TV analyzing the trailer in exquisite detail. Here is my analysis: I can't wait for this movie. I like the idea of the government coming to Tony Stark and telling him that his technology is too dangerous for him as a private citizen to control. I think that in real life if a guy really came up with such a suit, everyone would be after him trying to take it. The trailer really makes me wanna see this movie. The thing I'm most excited about is seeing the War Machine armor.






Breaking Down The Iron Man 2 Trailer

Biblical Exegesis:Acts 2:30

This week let's consider Acts 2:30 which says:

 ³⁰Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; (Acts 2:30, King James Version)

But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. (NIV)

I was inspired to write this post by the arguments of TheGodless on Twitter. He was trying to use the Bible to show that Mary was not a virgin when she conceived and gave birth to Jesus. He took this verse to mean that Jesus was a son of David in terms of what we mean today - genetically - and therefore Jesus had an earthly father and was born the same way as everyone else. I thought that it would be instructive to really look at the text and see if you can draw that meaning out.

Let's start with context. Who is speaking, to whom, and what is the speaker talking about? Peter is speaking. He and the other followers of Jesus (from 12 - 120 people) have all received the Holy Spirit and had began speaking in tongues. They had also just spent 40 days with the risen Christ and had seen him ascend into heaven.

Now consider the audience - hundreds of Jews from all over the empire in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and Pentecost feasts. They had just heard local Jews speaking and praising God in languages that they could not have known (tongues). They knew about Jesus' crucifixion and the empty tomb. Peter is attempting to explain all of this to them and in verse 30 he makes a direct statement that Jesus was a dcscendant of David just as they knew the Messiah had to be. Keep in mind that both Mary and Joseph were descended from King David and Jesus was truly human...he had Mary's genetic traits. God performed a miracle - a live human birth without the genetic material of a man.

Instead of just focusing on defending Jesus' virgin birth, lets look closer at the first Christian sermon following Jesus' assention. It's fascinating. You get to speak up as a Christian for the first time anyone outside of Jesus has given the full gospel...what do you say? See verses 14-41. Peter tells them that they are watching prophesy being fulfilled. The people speaking in tongues and declaring God's wonders in a miraculous way. So he started with building on the miracle God had already performed because God already had their intention. Then Peter reminded them what they had witnessed concerning Jesus and then Peter warns them no to miss out on this opportunity to be free of their sins! Not all of his listeners believe but at least 3000 of them do

14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'[c]

22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'[e]

29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,[f] that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
" 'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
35until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet." '[g]

36"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.!

Chuck Missler - Return Of The Nephilim

Here is a talk that Chuck Missler gave regarding UFOs, extraterrestrial life, and the Nephilim. Here is what Missler said.




I agree with Missler on the science he presented. I even agree with his discussion of dimension and perspective. He makes good points. And I think that these ideas shared by many should be explored.

I heard a talk given by Dr. Walter Martin that shows that he thought that perhaps the talk of UFOs were because of beings that exist in higher dimensions than just the 4 we easily perceive. Some folks even go as far as postulating that the aliens that are reported are actually demons. Martin, didn't really go as far as that, but he did say that we can't just ignore the accounts of so many who claim to have interacted with extraterrestrial life. They are seeing something...experiencing something.

I have to disagree with the further assertions Missler makes. Things such as that demons attempting to pollute the human gene pool to keep the Messiah from being born or that the Nephilim of the Bible were half-human and half angel. I just don't think that the Bible holds up that interpretation.

Missler had to go outside the Bible, the apocryphal "Book of Enoch" to come up with his hypothesis. In addition the view kind of requires that we think that God and Lucifer are equals playing chess and that there is a possibility that God can loose if he doesn't block the movers Satan is doing. For example, Missler said that God sent the flood to kill the hybrids, and that Noah was saved because his DNA and that of his family was untainted. The Bible says God chose to save Noah because

 This is the account of Noah.
      Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.  Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.  So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.- Genesis 6:9-13 (NIV)

The KJV says Noah was "perfect in his Generation" but I think that the NIV is clearer. God was not choosing Noah because of his genetic purity....but for his moral purity. In addition we have no scripture that says that Angels are able to take physical form at will on their own prerogative. All this leads me to reject the notion that the Nephilim were not just human. So why would God allow demons to deceive the world into thinking that they are space aliens? I think the jury is out if this hypothesis is true or not...I'm gonna vote - I don't know what UFOs are or what people are experiencing.



Chuck Missler - Return Of The Nephilim