Defenders Podcast

Doctrine of the Last Things Part 12: Parables of the Delay of the Parousia Oct 14, 2026 0:13:02 Did Jesus expect to return within his disciples’ lifetime? A pair of sayings in the Gospels can give that impression. But Dr. Craig points out that Jesus also told parable after parable anticipating a delay before his return: the faithful servant, the ten maidens, the talents, and the sheep and the goats. What do these stories reveal about how Jesus prepared his followers for the long wait ahead?

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 11): Delay of the Parousia Continued Oct 7, 2026 0:11:28 Did Jesus predict he would return within the lifetime of his hearers? Dr. Craig takes a closer look at two of the most contested sayings in the Gospels, Mark 9:1 and Mark 13:30, and asks what "the kingdom of God come with power" and "all these things" may have referred to in their original contexts. The answer may not be the Second Coming at all.

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 10): Delay of the Parousia Sep 30, 2026 0:13:38 Did Jesus predict he would return within the lifetime of his first hearers? Some of his sayings seem to say exactly that. Dr. Craig weighs two common answers to this "delay of the parousia" problem, explains why neither satisfies him, and offers his own solution, drawn from a surprising detail in Matthew's account of Jesus sending out the Twelve.

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 9): The Time of the Second Coming Sep 23, 2026 0:13:27 Did Jesus expect to return within the lifetime of his first hearers? Dr. Craig takes up one of the most debated questions in the doctrine of the last things: the timing of the Second Coming. In the Olivet Discourse of Mark 13, Jesus predicts false messiahs, wars, earthquakes, famines, persecution, cosmic signs, and the preaching of the gospel to all nations before the end. Paul adds more in 2 Thes

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 8): The Purpose of the Second Coming Sep 16, 2026 0:12:04 Why does Christ need to come back at all? Dr. William Lane Craig lays out four purposes Scripture assigns to the Second Coming: it completes the work of redemption begun at the cross, triggers the resurrection of the dead, brings about the judgment of all people, and gathers the elect into the Kingdom of God. Drawing on 1 Corinthians 15, John 5, Matthew 16 and 24, and Jude, Dr. Craig shows that th

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 7): The Nature of the Second Coming Sep 9, 2026 0:11:34 Having rejected both the Rapture view and the Preterist view in prior lessons, Dr. William Lane Craig lays out the classical Christian position: Christ's return will be a single, visible event. In this lecture he examines four characteristics of that return. It will be personal, a literal coming of Christ himself, not a symbolic or figurative event. It will be glorious, a public display of power i

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 6): The Preterist Interpretation Continued Sep 2, 2026 0:17:16 Dr. William Lane Craig continues his critique of the preterist view that Christ's "coming" as the Son of Man was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. He argues, first, that the New Testament consistently describes this coming as visible and public: witnessed by everyone, not a secret event hidden from history. Second, he contends that Christ was already reigning as the risen and asc

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 5): The Preterist Interpretation Aug 26, 2026 0:13:40 Continuing the series on the Second Coming, Dr. William Lane Craig examines the Preterist view, the position, defended by scholars including G. B. Caird, R. T. France, and N. T. Wright, that the coming of the Son of Man predicted in Jesus' Olivet Discourse already happened in AD 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem. On this reading, the Great Tribulation was the horror of the Roman siege of Jerusa

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 4): The Rapture Interpretation Concluded Aug 19, 2026 0:16:59 Does the New Testament actually teach a secret "rapture" before Jesus' final return — or is that idea being read into the text rather than out of it? In this episode, Dr. William Lane Craig wraps up his case against the Rapture view by turning to the passage its defenders lean on most: 2 Thessalonians 2, where Paul tells the Thessalonians not to be shaken by claims that "the day of the Lord" has a

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 3): The Rapture Interpretation Continued Aug 12, 2026 0:13:49 Dr. William Lane Craig continues his examination of the "secret rapture" view, tracing Paul's language about the Lord's coming through 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians 15, and Jesus' own words in John 5 and Mark 13. He argues that the "coming of the Lord" in 1 Thessalonians 4 and the resurrection described in 1 Corinthians 15 are one and the same event as Christ's visible, glorious Second Comi

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 2): The Rapture Interpretation Aug 5, 2026 0:18:18 Continuing the study of the Second Coming, Dr. William Lane Craig examines the popular "rapture" view — the idea that Christ will secretly return to snatch believers away before a visible Second Coming and the Great Tribulation. Tracing the doctrine's origins to 19th-century dispensationalist John Darby and its spread through the Scofield Reference Bible, Dallas Theological Seminary, and pop-cultu

Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 1): The Second Coming of Christ Jul 29, 2026 0:16:03 Dr. William Lane Craig opens the eschatology unit of Defenders 3 with a study of the Second Coming of Christ. He surveys Old Testament messianic prophecy (Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-10, Daniel 7:13-14) as background, then turns to Jesus' Olivet Discourse in Mark 13, where Christ predicts wars, persecution, the "desolating sacrilege," and his own return "in clouds with great power and glory." Craig

Doctrine of the Church (Part 12): Assessment of Competing Views on the Lord’s Supper Jul 22, 2026 0:25:55 Dr. William Lane Craig evaluates competing views of the Lord's Supper — transubstantiation, consubstantiation, and the Reformed spiritual-presence view — before defending his own position that the Lord's Supper is a memorial ordinance rather than a sacrament. He argues transubstantiation lacks scriptural support, showing that Jesus' words of institution and the "bread of life" discourse in John 6

Doctrine of the Church (Part 11): Consubstantiation and Other Views Jul 15, 2026 0:09:29 Having examined the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation in previous episodes, Dr. Craig now turns to three more views of the Lord's Supper. He explains the Lutheran doctrine of consubstantiation — where Christ's body and blood are present alongside the bread and wine, grounded in Luther's doctrine of the communication of attributes (communicatio idiomatum). He then contrasts this with Calvin's

Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 10): The Lord’s Supper - Roman Catholic Interpretation Jul 8, 2026 0:13:38 Dr. William Lane Craig continues his examination of the Lord's Supper with a deep dive into the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist as a sacrifice. Beyond transubstantiation, Catholics hold that the Mass is a propitiatory offering to God for the sins of both the living and the dead. Dr. Craig traces this doctrine from Irenaeus's early view of the Eucharist as a thank offering, through its cod

Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 9): Transubstantiation Jun 24, 2026 0:13:32 Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 9): Transubstantiation

Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 8): The Lord’s Supper Jun 17, 2026 0:17:35 Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 8): The Lord’s Supper

Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 7): Believer’s Baptism Jun 10, 2026 0:16:50 Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 7): Believer’s Baptism

Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 6): Infant Baptism Jun 3, 2026 0:13:51 Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 6): Infant Baptism

Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 5): Baptism as an Ordinance - Continued May 27, 2026 0:18:35 Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 5): Baptism as an Ordinance - Continued

Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 4): Baptism as an Ordinance May 20, 2026 0:21:11 Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 4): Baptism as an Ordinance

Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 3): Baptism as a Sacrament May 13, 2026 0:21:47 Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 3): Baptism as a Sacrament

Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 2): Baptism May 6, 2026 0:16:25 Defenders: Doctrine of the Church (Part 2): Baptism

Doctrine of the Church (Part 1): Introduction Apr 29, 2026 0:13:30 Doctrine of the Church (Part 1): Introduction

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 21) Apr 22, 2026 0:24:17 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 21)

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 20): Warnings Against Apostasy Apr 15, 2026 0:21:08 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 20): Warnings Against Apostasy

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 19): Perseverance of the Saints - Arminianism Apr 8, 2026 0:16:11 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 19): Perseverance of the Saints - Arminianism

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 18): Perseverance of the Saints - Calvinism Apr 1, 2026 0:21:54 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 18): Perseverance of the Saints - Calvinism

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 17): The Grounds, Means, and Results of Justification Mar 25, 2026 0:14:41 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 17): The Grounds, Means, and Results of Justification

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 16): Imputed Righteousness Mar 18, 2026 0:17:26 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 16): Imputed Righteousness

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 15): New Perspective on Paul Continued Mar 11, 2026 0:14:33 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 15): New Perspective on Paul Continued

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 14): The New Perspective on Paul Mar 4, 2026 0:18:17 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 14): The New Perspective on Paul

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 13): Assessment of Competing Views of Justification Feb 25, 2026 0:14:44 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 13): Assessment of Competing Views of Justification

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 12): Different Views of Justification Feb 18, 2026 0:17:56 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 12): Different Views of Justification

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 11): How Regeneration Occurs Feb 11, 2026 0:19:33 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 11): How Regeneration Occurs

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 10): Regeneration / New Birth Feb 4, 2026 0:21:46 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 10): Regeneration / New Birth

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 9): Application of Mystical Union to Our Lives Jan 28, 2026 0:14:29 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 9): Application of Mystical Union to Our Lives

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 8): Metaphors for Mystical Union Jan 21, 2026 0:16:09 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 8): Metaphors for Mystical Union

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 7): The Mystical Union with Christ - Continued Jan 14, 2026 0:12:09 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 7): The Mystical Union with Christ - Continued

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 6): The Mystical Union of the Believer with Christ Jan 7, 2026 0:19:01 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 6): The Mystical Union of the Believer with Christ

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 5): Evaluation of Calvinism and Arminianism Dec 31, 2025 0:20:34 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 5): Evaluation of Calvinism and Arminianism

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 4): Arminianism Continued Dec 24, 2025 0:14:54 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 4): Arminianism Continued

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 3): Regeneration and Arminianism Dec 17, 2025 0:20:14 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 3): Regeneration and Arminianism

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 2): Election and Calvinism Continued Dec 10, 2025 0:18:51 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 2): Election and Calvinism Continued

Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 1): The Doctrine of Election Dec 3, 2025 0:18:01 Defenders: Doctrine of Salvation (Part 1): The Doctrine of Election

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 28): Freedom of the Will and Romans 10 Nov 26, 2025 0:16:30 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 28): Freedom of the Will and Romans 10

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 27): The Catholic View of Freedom of the Will Nov 19, 2025 0:18:08 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 27): The Catholic View of Freedom of the Will

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 26): Freedom of the Will Nov 12, 2025 0:13:38 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 26): Freedom of the Will

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 25): A Continued Evaluation of Original Sin Nov 6, 2025 0:14:27 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 25): A Continued Evaluation of Original Sin

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 24): Evaluating the Doctrine of Original Sin Oct 29, 2025 0:10:54 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 24): Evaluating the Doctrine of Original Sin

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 23): Original Sin: Semi-Pelagianism, Reformation, Enlightenment, Modern Era Oct 22, 2025 0:12:37 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 23): Original Sin: Semi-Pelagianism, Reformation, Enlightenment, Modern Era

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 22): Original Sin Oct 16, 2025 0:17:36 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 22): Original Sin

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 21): Evaluating the Nature of Sin Oct 8, 2025 0:13:11 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 21): Evaluating the Nature of Sin

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 20): The Fall of Man and the Nature of Sin Oct 1, 2025 0:20:48 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 20): The Fall of Man and the Nature of Sin

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 19): Man as Sinner Sep 24, 2025 0:15:52 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 19): Man as Sinner

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 18): Putting It All Together Sep 17, 2025 0:16:16 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 18): Putting It All Together

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 17): Genetic Challenges to Adam and Eve Sep 10, 2025 0:25:14 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 17): Genetic Challenges to Adam and Eve

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 16): Locating the Historical Adam Sep 3, 2025 0:12:15 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 16): Locating the Historical Adam

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 15): Were Neanderthals Humans? Aug 27, 2025 0:20:29 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 15): Were Neanderthals Humans?

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 14): When Did Adam Live? Aug 20, 2025 0:14:16 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 14): When Did Adam Live?

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 13): The Question of the Historicity of Adam and Eve Aug 13, 2025 0:11:16 https://www.reasonablefaith.org/podcasts/defenders-podcast-series-3/s3-doctrine-of-man/doctrine-of-man-part-13

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 12): The Origin of the Soul Aug 6, 2025 0:15:27 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 12): The Origin of the Soul

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 11): A Challenge to Dualism-Interactionism – The Libet Experiments Jul 30, 2025 0:14:21 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 11): A Challenge to Dualism-Interactionism – The Libet Experiments

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part10): Refuting Reductive and Non-Reductive Physicalism Jul 23, 2025 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part10): Refuting Reductive and Non-Reductive Physicalism

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 9): Refuting Materialism / Monism Jul 16, 2025 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 9): Refuting Materialism / Monism

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 8): Systematizing the Biblical Data Concerning the Nature of Man Jul 9, 2025 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 8): Systematizing the Biblical Data Concerning the Nature of Man

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 7): Paul’s Use of the Anthropological Terms Sarks and Psyche Jul 2, 2025 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 7): Paul’s Use of the Anthropological Terms Sarks and Psyche

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 6): The Nature of Man – Biblical Data Jun 25, 2025 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 6): The Nature of Man – Biblical Data

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 5): Man as a Personal Being Jun 18, 2025 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 5): Man as a Personal Being

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 4): Evaluating Construals of the Image of God Jun 11, 2025 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 4): Evaluating Construals of the Image of God

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 3): Systematizing the Biblical Data Jun 4, 2025 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 3): Systematizing the Biblical Data

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 2): Biblical Data Concerning Man as the Image of God May 28, 2025 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 2): Biblical Data Concerning Man as the Image of God

Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 1): Different Approaches to Anthropology: Different Approaches to Anthropology May 21, 2025 Defenders: Doctrine of Man (Part 1): Different Approaches to Anthropology: Different Approaches to Anthropology

Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 34): Progressive Creationism – Integrating the Scientific Evidence with the Genesis Narrative May 14, 2025 Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 34): Progressive Creationism – Integrating the Scientific Evidence with the Genesis Narrative

Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 33) May 7, 2025 Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 33)

Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 32) Apr 30, 2025 Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 32)

Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 31): Examining the Thesis of Common Ancestry Apr 23, 2025 Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 31): Examining the Thesis of Common Ancestry

Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 30): Three Aspects of the Evolutionary Paradigm Apr 16, 2025 Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 30): Three Aspects of the Evolutionary Paradigm

Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 29): Methodological Naturalism Apr 9, 2025 Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 29): Methodological Naturalism

Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 28): Is Genesis 1 in Conflict With the Theory of Evolution? Apr 2, 2025 Defenders: Excursus on Creation of Life and Biological Diversity (Part 28): Is Genesis 1 in Conflict With the Theory of Evolution?

Episodes

Recommended