On “eternal generation.”

Good morning. I’d like to offer a response to Eric Reynolds’ recent video on the doctrine of eternal generation. Eric raised this topic because our denomination will soon vote on whether to adopt a new Declaration of Principles. In the proposed declaration, article 3 states that Jesus the Son is “eternally begotten of the Father.” This wording comes from the church’s debate with Arianism and was formally expressed in the Nicene Creed of AD 325: “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of the same essence as the Father.”

Eric urges Advent Christians to adopt this new Declaration of Principles because it makes clear where we stand in reference to the nature of Christ. It certainly does that. But I suggest that Eric went too far when he said, “You cannot be a Christian and reject the eternal begottenness of Jesus.”

First, many sincere Christians throughout the early centuries wrestled with how Scripture describes Jesus as the monogenēs of the Father (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9). The Nicene theologians did not settle on their formulation immediately; their conclusions emerged only after generations of debate and reflection, eventually taking shape centuries later.

Secondly, the New Testament never uses the adjective “eternal” (αἰώνιος) to describe:

Christ as monogenēs, or

Christ’s generation/procession from the Father.

The NT simply does not pair aiōnios with monogenēs, nor with any verb of begetting, sending, or proceeding.

In other words, the Bible does not specifically teach eternal generation. It may be true, but Advent Christians have historically been wary of accepting theological constructions just because other Christians believe them to be true.

Thirdly, it was no surprise to me that, almost immediately after the proposed 2026 Declaration of Principles was published, people from many different perspectives began questioning its language. In several areas, the new proposal uses theological terms with a precision unfamiliar to many Advent Christians, while in other areas it introduces ambiguity where our current Declaration has traditionally been quite clear.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve received many emails and phone calls, and I’ve sat down with people from various backgrounds—all of whom share serious concerns about the proposed changes. Because of these conversations, I am persuaded that 2026 is not the year for our denomination to alter its guiding principles. If you are a delegate at the August triennial convention, please vote NO on the proposed revision to the Declaration of Principles. And if your church is sending delegates, please ask them to vote NO as well.

Thank you.

Jefferson Vann

For the video of the above, see:

THE EVIL DAYS

^{THE EVIL DAYS}

Ecclesiastes 12:1-5 KJV.

¹Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; ²While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: ³In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, ⁴And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; ⁵Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets.

Growing older is a strange experience.

One day you’re young and energetic, and the next day you make a noise when you stand up— a noise you didn’t practice, a noise you didn’t choose, a noise that happens because your joints have decided to speak in tongues.

But aging is not a punishment. It’s a privilege. It’s a long, winding testimony of God’s patience, provision, and sense of humor.

And if we’re wise, we learn to laugh along the way.

Solomon’s final chapter in Ecclesiastes gives us a blunt, unvarnished look at the so‑called “golden years.” He doesn’t soften the reality of aging with polite euphemisms or sentimental language. Instead, he offers a painfully accurate allegory—one only an older man could write. Every image, every metaphor, every fading sense and trembling limb reflects a stage of decline Solomon now knows firsthand. He doesn’t call them the golden years. He calls them the evil days.

This is Ancient Near Eastern humor. Solomon walks us through the slow unraveling of the body: the dimming eyes, the shaking hands, the failing teeth, the stooped back, the sleepless nights, the shrinking appetite, the fear of falling, the loss of desire. It is a house slowly collapsing, a once‑strong structure now creaking under the weight of time. Solomon is not mocking old age; he is describing his own.

Solomon’s honesty is not meant to depress us but to awaken us. He wants the young to understand what he did not: life is precious because it is temporary. Enjoy it while you have it. Honor God while your strength is still intact. Live fully, gratefully, and wisely before the days come when desire fades and opportunities close.

Old age is not a failure; it is a reminder.

A reminder that we are creatures, not gods.
A reminder that our days are numbered.
A reminder that the One who gave us life is the only One who can give it again.

Solomon’s final chapter is not just a description of aging—it is an invitation to live well now, while the light still shines.

Solomon contrasts the fading years of old age with the bright, energetic prime of life—when everything works, everything is clear, and everything feels possible. He has lived those years. He was a sprite young prince, courting a beautiful young shepherd girl. We have that story in the Bible, too. It’s Solomon’s song. We also have a book Solomon wrote in his middle years. It’s his magnum opus, his collection of proverbs. But this book of Ecclesiastes is Solomon’s last. It’s his final reflection.

In it, he teaches us that when we’re young, our eyes look out their windows and see the world in sharp detail. But as the years pass, the days grow dimmer. The world doesn’t change, but our ability to take it in does.

Our bladders become like rain clouds that fill up again almost as soon as they empty.
Our once‑strong legs—the guardians of our bodies, the pillars of our houses—turn soft and unsteady.
Our teeth become few and idle, no longer grinding our food with youthful strength.
Our doors of opportunity close; we no longer venture far from home.
We miss the sound of business and busyness, the hum of life we once took for granted.
We wake at the slightest chirp of a bird, yet we don’t hear nearly as much as we used to.

It is a portrait, both honest and compassionate. Solomon is not mocking old age; he is describing the slow unraveling of a body that was never designed to be immortal in its present form.

And that is his point. Life is short—don’t waste it. We shouldenjoy it fully, especially while we are young and able to savor its gifts. But as we enjoy the gift, we should remember the Giver. The Creator who gave us life is the One who will remain when everything else fades. Our relationship with Him is the one joy that does not diminish with age.

We do not possess endless life in ourselves. Our strength, our senses, our opportunities—all of them are temporary. We live because God gives life, and we will live again only because God gives life again.

So Solomon urges us to use our time wisely.

Don’t squander our prime years.
Don’t drift through life as if our days are unlimited.
Enjoy the world God made, but anchor our joy in the God who made us.

Not only is it appropriate for us to remember our creator in the days of our youth. It is also quite proper for us to remember God when we cannot seem to remember anything else.

Remember God when you can’t remember where you put your glasses, your phone, where you left your keys, or where you parked your car.
Remember God when you can’t remember why you walked into the kitchen, or why you opened the refrigerator.
Remember God when you can’t remember that you already told that story… twice.
Remember God when you cannot remember the name of that person you have known for 20 years, and the one you just met 20 seconds ago.
Remember God when you cannot remember that birthday, that anniversary, that doctor’s appointment, or what day it is.
Remember God when you cannot remember whether you have taken that pill or taken out the garbage.

And don’t get me started on punchlines to jokes, or travel directions, whether you locked the front door, or how to turn off notifications that won’t stop dinging. We are now living in the evil days when everything slips away. But the LORD is the One who remains—and the One who can give life that truly lasts.

Let’s pray:

LORD, thank you for life. Thank you for the air we breathe and the lives you have given us to live. Thank you that no matter where we are, you are there. Thank you also for no matter what point we are in our lives, you are with us and for us. Praise your holy name. Amen.

2 Samuel 2

2 Samuel 2

2 Samuel 2:1 Later, David inquired of the Lord: “Should I go to one of the towns of Judah?” Yahveh answered him, “Go.” Then David asked, “Where should I go?” “To Hebron,” Yahveh replied.

2 Samuel 2:2 So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.

2 Samuel 2:3 In addition, David brought the men with him, each with his family, and they settled in the towns near Hebron.

2 Samuel 2:4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David: “It was the men of Jabesh-Gilead who buried Saul.”

2 Samuel 2:5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and said to them, “Yahveh bless you because you had shown this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.

2 Samuel 2:6 Now, may Yahveh show kindness and faithfulness to you, and I will also show the same goodness to you because you have done this deed.

2 Samuel 2:7 Therefore, be strong and valiant, for though Saul your lord is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

2 Samuel 2:8 Abner, son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, and moved him to Mahanaim.

2 Samuel 2:9 He made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin– over all Israel.

2 Samuel 2:10 Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel; he reigned for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.

2 Samuel 2:11 David ruled over the house of Judah in Hebron for seven years and six months.

2 Samuel 2:12 Abner, son of Ner, and soldiers of Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, marched out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

2 Samuel 2:13 So Joab, son of Zeruiah and David’s soldiers, marched out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. The two groups took up positions on opposing sides of the pool.

2 Samuel 2:14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the boys get up and compete in front of us.” “Let them get up,” Joab replied.

2 Samuel 2:15 So they got up and were counted off — twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from David’s soldiers.

2 Samuel 2:16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side so that they all died together. That is why this place in Gibeon is named Field of Blades.

2 Samuel 2:17 The battle that day was extremely severe, and David’s soldiers defeated Abner and the men of Israel.

2 Samuel 2:18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like one of the wild gazelles.

2 Samuel 2:19 He chased Abner and did not turn to the right or the left in his pursuit of him.

2 Samuel 2:20 Abner glanced back and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” “It is me,” Asahel said.

2 Samuel 2:21 Abner said to him, “Turn to your right or left, seize one of the boys, and take whatever you can get from him.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

2 Samuel 2:22 Once again, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I ever look your brother Joab in the face?”

2 Samuel 2:23 But Asahel refused to turn away, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear. The spear went through his body, and he fell and died right there. As they all came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, they stopped,

2 Samuel 2:24 but Joab and Abishai chased Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah, which is opposite Giah, on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

2 Samuel 2:25 The Benjaminites gathered behind Abner, formed a unit, and took their stand on top of a hill.

2 Samuel 2:26 Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the people to stop pursuing their brothers?”

2 Samuel 2:27 “As God lives,” Joab replied, “If you had not spoken up, the people wouldn’t have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning.”

2 Samuel 2:28 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the people stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or continued to fight.

2 Samuel 2:29 So Abner and his men marched through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan, marched all morning, and arrived at Mahanaim.

2 Samuel 2:30 When Joab had turned back from pursuing Abner, he gathered all the troops. In addition to Asahel, nineteen of David’s soldiers were missing,

2 Samuel 2:31 but they had struck down 360 of the Benjaminites and Abner’s men.

2 Samuel 2:32 Afterward, they carried Asahel to his father’s tomb in Bethlehem and buried him. Then Joab and his men marched all night and reached Hebron at dawn.

links:

civil war
self-destruct mode
three times

The 2 SAMUEL shelf in Jeff’s library

1 Samuel 6

1 Samuel 6

1 Samuel 6:1 When the ark of Yahveh had been in Philistine territory for seven months,

1 Samuel 6:2 the Philistines summoned the priests and the diviners and pleaded, “What should we do with the ark of Yahveh? Tell us how we can send it back to its place.”

1 Samuel 6:3 They replied, “If you send the ark of Israel’s God away, do not send it without an offering. Send back a guilt offering to him, and you will be healed. Then the reason his hand hasn’t been removed from you will be revealed.”

1 Samuel 6:4 They asked, “What guilt offering should we send back to him?” And they answered, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice corresponding to the number of Philistine rulers, since there was one plague for both you and your rulers.

1 Samuel 6:5 Make images of your tumors and of your mice that are destroying the land. Give glory to Israel’s God, and perhaps he will stop oppressing you, your gods, and your land.

1 Samuel 6:6 Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When he afflicted them, didn’t they send Israel away, and Israel left?

1 Samuel 6:7 “Now then, prepare one new cart and two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.

1 Samuel 6:8 Take the ark of Yahveh, place it on the cart, and put the gold objects that you’re sending him as a guilt offering in a box beside the ark. Send it off and let it go its way.

1 Samuel 6:9 Then watch: If it goes up the road to its homeland toward Beth-shemesh, it is Yahveh who has made this terrible trouble for us. However, if it doesn’t, we will know that it was not his hand that punished us– it was just something that happened to us by chance.”

1 Samuel 6:10 The men did this: They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and confined their calves in the pen.

1 Samuel 6:11 Then they put the ark of Yahveh on the cart, along with the box containing the gold mice and the images of their tumors.

1 Samuel 6:12 The cows went straight up the road to Beth-shemesh. They stayed on that one highway, mooing as they went; they never strayed to the right or to the left. The Philistine rulers were walking behind them to the territory of Beth-shemesh.

1 Samuel 6:13 The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed to see it.

1 Samuel 6:14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people of the city chopped up the cart and offered the cows as an ascending[1] offering to Yahveh.

1 Samuel 6:15 The Levites removed the ark of Yahveh, along with the box containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. That day the people of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to Yahveh.

1 Samuel 6:16 When the five Philistine rulers observed this, they returned to Ekron that same day.

1 Samuel 6:17 As a guilt offering to Yahveh, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

1 Samuel 6:18 The number of gold mice also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities of the five rulers, the fortified cities and the outlying villages. The large rock on which the ark of Yahveh was placed is still in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh today.

1 Samuel 6:19 God struck down the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of Yahveh. He struck down seventy persons. The people mourned because Yahveh struck them with a great slaughter.

1 Samuel 6:20 The people of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who is able to stand in the presence of Yahveh this holy God? To whom should the ark go from here?”

1 Samuel 6:21 They sent messengers to the residents of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of Yahveh. Come down and get it.”

[1] עֹלָה = ascending. 1 Samuel 6:14, 15; 7:9, 10; 10:8; 13:9, 10, 12; 15:22.

discovered
still a hot potato
traders of the lost ark
where did all the spirits go?

The 1 SAMUEL shelf in Jeff’s library

Joshua 11

Joshua 11

Joshua 11:1 When King Jabin of Hazor happened to hear this news, he sent a message to King Jobab of Madon, the kings of Shimron and Achshaph,

Joshua 11:2 and the kings of the north in the hill country, the Arabah south of Chinnereth, the Judean foothills, and the Slopes of Dor to the west,

Joshua 11:3 the Canaanites in the east and west, the Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

Joshua 11:4 They went out with all their armies – a crowd as numerous as the sand on the seashore – along with a vast number of horses and chariots.

Joshua 11:5 All these kings joined forces; they came and camped together at the Waters of Merom to attack Israel.

Joshua 11:6 Yahveh said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, for at this time tomorrow I will cause all of them to be killed in front of Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.”

Joshua 11:7 So Joshua and all his troops surprised them at the Waters of Merom and attacked them.

Joshua 11:8 Yahveh handed them over to Israel, and they struck them down, pursuing them as far as greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and to the east as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors.

Joshua 11:9 Joshua treated them as Yahveh had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.

Joshua 11:10 At that time, Joshua turned back, captured Hazor, and struck down its king with the sword because Hazor had formerly been the leader of all these kingdoms.

Joshua 11:11 They struck down everyone in it with the sword, setting them apart for destruction; he left no one breathing. Then he burned Hazor.

Joshua 11:12 Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and struck them down with the sword. He set them apart for destruction, as Moses Yahveh’s slave had commanded.

Joshua 11:13 However, Israel did not burn any of the cities that stood on their mounds except Hazor, which Joshua burned.

Joshua 11:14 The Israelites plundered all the spoils and cattle of these cities for themselves. But they struck down every person with the sword until they had annihilated them, leaving no one breathing.

Joshua 11:15 just like Yahveh had commanded his slave Moses, Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that Yahveh had commanded Moses.

Joshua 11:16 So Joshua took all this land – the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the Arabah, and the hill country of Israel with its foothills – Joshua 11:17 from Mount Halak, which ascends to Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death.

Joshua 11:18 Joshua waged war with all these kings for a long time.

Joshua 11:19 No city made a peace treaty with the Israelites except the Hivites who inhabited Gibeon; all of them were taken in battle.

Joshua 11:20 You see, Yahveh intended to harden their hearts so that they would engage Israel in battle, be set apart for destruction without mercy, and be annihilated, just like Yahveh had commanded Moses.

Joshua 11:21 At that time, Joshua proceeded to exterminate the Anakim from the hill country—Hebron, Debir, Anab—all the hill country of Judah and Israel. Joshua set them apart for destruction with their cities.

Joshua 11:22 No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites, except for some remaining in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.

Joshua 11:23 So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that Yahveh had told Moses. Joshua then gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. After this, the land had rest from war.

Joshua 11 quotes:

“Joshua 11 begins as Joshua 10 did (10:1). When Jabin king of Hazor hears of the destruction of Jericho, Ai, and the coalition of the five kings, he sends word to other kings (cf. 10:3—-4) in the region to make war on Joshua and Israel. As the king of Jerusalem rallied the kings of the south, so Jabin calls out the northern coalition forces. They respond with their might: They come out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots— a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore (11:4). The added dimension in the north is horses and chariots, which strike fear in the tribal forces from the highlands. Chariots were the ultimate fighting machines of that era, and only wealthy and powerful kings possessed them. These weapons reminded the tribes of their weaknesses.”

Harris J. Gordon et al. Joshua Judges Ruth. Hendrickson Publishers ; Paternoster Press 2000. p. 68.

“This chapter reports Joshua’s campaign in the northern part of the country (verses 1-15). The narrative is very brief and leaves the impression that the whole territory was conquered quickly and easily.”

Bratcher Robert G and Barclay Moon Newman. A Handbook on the Book of Joshua. United Bible Societies 1992. p. 157.

Joshua 11 links:

just keep doing it
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, June 21, 2019
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, June 23, 2023
Maranatha Daily Devotional – October 14, 2015
missions and conflict #2
no neutral territories
the enemy’s escalation
where did all the spirits go?

The JOSHUA shelf in Jeff’s library