Vaughn Madsen was a simple kiwi farmer who subscribed to evangelical Christianity in New Zealand. No, he wasn’t farming kiwis. A kiwi is what you call someone from New Zealand. Anyhow, like I said, he was a devout member of his local church when he came across a presentation by Warren Prestige about the state of the dead. Although he had always believed his deceased loved ones were in heaven, this presentation provided extensive biblical evidence that the dead–both righteous and unrighteous–are asleep until the resurrection happens at the coming of Christ. Sometime later his brother prompted him to explore the Trinity. After looking through the scriptures on the topic, Vaughn concluded that the Father of Jesus alone was God. Still later, he came across Paul Washer’s preaching on repentance and adopted the view that obedience–not just belief–was necessary. At every stage of his journey he faced resistance, rebuke, and rejection and still, somehow, he kept going. Join me as we listen in to Vaughn’s incredible journey pursuing truth no matter the cost.
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Sean, Really enjoyed listening to Vaughn’s testimony. Very encouraging to hear how he has come to believe in God or Father and in our Lord Jesus Christ. You left us with a cliff-hanger! Looking forward to hearing how his wife comes around.
Heh, at the end you mentioned Hebrews 1:8 (quote of Psalm 45:6). You mentioned your uneasiness with the translation “Your throne is God” or “God is your throne”. Can I ask you kiddingly, are you uneasy with:
Psalm 18:2 “Yahweh is my rock and my fortress” or,
Psalm 73:26 “My portion is God forever”
It’s poetry. To declare “God is your throne” means God is your authority to rule.
Check out Jason BeDuhn’s book “Truth in Translation” on that passage.
Then, on John 20:28, Thomas’ “My Lord and my God” declaration – I get to kid you a bit too. In the last recorded conversation of Jesus and Thomas before Jesus’ death, whom did Jesus say Thomas saw when he saw the works of God being done in Jesus? Which G/god was seen in the greatest work of God done in Jesus, the resurrection from the dead. Hint: John 14:6-21. 🙂