[Sons to Glory!]

Originally Posted by aron

People like Darby, Nee & Lee, Calvin once had their place. They rejected traditions of men & looked at scripture & asked, "What does it mean?" But their question really was, "What does it mean to me?" Now we're beginning to ask, "What did this mean to Jesus, to John and Peter and Paul, to first-century readers?" We must be a little more cautious with our assertions. But I find them to be rewarding questions to ask.

As an example, if you consider what "outer darkness" meant without consulting supporting documents like the Book of Enoch, your answer will be short. Yes, it's not scripture, I know, but is cited by scripture (Jude) and is probably referenced by Jesus in passages like Lazarus and the rich man, and "an evil spirit goes out of a man and travels through waterless places seeking rest". The fact that copies were found at Qumran, and that the Ethiopian churches preserved copies is significant. It was part of the conversation, and informed the understandings of things like judgment, reward, and "many stripes". People like John Darby and Watchman Nee lacked such resources. We do not.

Interesting . . . Please elaborate more - what do you see as the meaning of "outer darkness?"