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The Latter Days in the Old Testament

Eschatology precedes soteriology. Find out why in this essay.

Two Ages: Evaluating a Biblical concept

If the cosmos has changed over time, as redemptive history has moved from through “five worlds” from creation (Genesis 1–2) to the new creation (Revelation 21–22), then there have also been covenantal changes, too. In the beginning, God made a covenant with Adam (Gen. 2:15–17; cf. Hos. 6:7), which is often called the “covenant of works.” Then, after the flood, God re-established a covenant with Noah and all creation. As Genesis 9:8–17 reports, God hung his bow in the sky as

Getting Into Macro-Eschatology: Seeing The Five Worlds God Has Made

Last Sunday I introduced something I called “macro-eschatology.” Macro-eschatology is an approach to redemptive history that sees the end of things (eschatology) as fulfilling, restoring, and superseding the beginning of things (protology). At the center of this approach to reading the Bible is the person and the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who stands at the center of God’s plan to unite all things in creation. As Ephesians 1:9–10 tell us, Christ is the one who will

The ABCs of Eschatology (Pt 2): 14 More Key words

Last time, I introduced fourteen key words for understanding some basic concepts in the study of last things (eschatology). Today, I will complete my basic glossary with fourteen more terms, in hopes that these definitions will help improve present and future discussions about eschatology. You can also listen to the Sunday School that explains many of these terms. And if you would like a handout of the glossary, scroll to the bottom. (15) The Intermediate and Final States. W

The ABC’s of Eschatology (Pt. 1): Key Words to understanding end times

Eschatology is a word that means the study (-ology) of last things (eschatos). And in that study there are lots of words that are familiar (*resurrection), unfamiliar (*preterist), and debated (*rapture). Likewise, terms like millennium and tribulation are ones that have multiple definitions, and figures like the *antichrist, whose common description may or may not match John’s use of the word. Knowing that sound doctrine and fruitful discussions require clear definitions,

Twelve Books to Read Before the End of the World

When I teach Systematic Theology to seminarians, I make students read two books on eschatology and I recommend about twenty. Since I recently began a Sunday School series on the subject of eschatology, I wanted to share that list with you. You can also listen to the classes here. The Two Most Important Books on Eschatology Benjamin Gladd and Matthew Harmon, Making All Things New: Inaugurated Eschatology for the Life of the Church (2016). This is my go-to book for eschatolog

Exploring Kenotic Christology: A Book Review

This review goes back a couple years, but it gets at an issue that continues to be espoused—namely the idea that Christ “emptied” (kenosis) himself of some of his divine attributes. Evans, C. Stephen (ed.). Exploring Kenotic Christology: The Self-Emptying of God. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. 360 pp. $34.95. Exploring Kenotic Christology … Continue reading Exploring Kenotic Christology: A Book Review

Blessed are the Merciful: Giving, Forgiving, and Thanksgiving

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” Matthew 5:7 was the text I preached yesterday. In my sermon, I answered three questions: Does God show mercy to everyone? Why does Jesus say “Blessed are the merciful” instead of “Blessed are the faithful?” What does mercy look like? In answering that final question, I … Continue reading Blessed are the Merciful: Giving, Forgiving, and Thanksgiving

Hustle, Charlie Hustle!

Brett McKay, from the “Art of Manliness,” challenges men to hustle. In the spirit of Mark Chanski’s Manly Dominion or Owen Strachan’s Risky Gospel, McKay (with a few more expletives) challenges men to stop making excuses and hustle. He makes his point by observing how leaders in history hustle. He writes, Looking at the men that I admire … Continue reading Hustle, Charlie Hustle!

Keeping In Step with the Spirit by Following in the Footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien

Last week, Albert Mohler republished one of his essays, “From Father to Son—J.R.R. Tolkien on Sex.” It deserves to be read by fathers and sons and everyone else. It is taken from Mohler’s book Desire and Deceit: The Real Cost of the New Sexual Tolerance, and the essay is about J.R.R. Tolkien’s views on sex, captured in … Continue reading Keeping In Step with the Spirit by Following in the Footsteps of J.R.R. Tolkien

How Sheep Can Shepherd Their Shepherd’s Lambs

I am thankful to be at a church that loves our children and encourages me to spend time with them. I have members who ask about the time I am spending with them and have never received a complaint for the time I take with them or the times I bring them with me to … Continue reading How Sheep Can Shepherd Their Shepherd’s Lambs

Luke Short’s Long Life

In the Puritan Paperback, The Mystery of Providence, by John Flavel, Michael Boland gives the publishers introduction. Commenting on Flavel’s remarkable influence, he writes of Luke Short, a man deeply impacted by Flavel—some eight decades after Short heard Flavel! Here’s what Boland writes: Luke Short was a farmer in New England who attained his hundredth year in … Continue reading Luke Short’s Long Life

B. B. Warfield and the Second Beatitude

Ninety-three years ago today, Benjamin Breckenridge Warfield, a native of Kentucky and a world-renowned theologian went to be with the Lord. His death came six years after his wife’s, a woman who had spent years bedridden in their home in Princeton, New Jersey. Nearly fifty years earlier (1876), Warfield had married Annie Pearce Kinkade. She … Continue reading B. B. Warfield and the Second Beatitude

Five Lessons from an Unlikely Missionary

The first missionary I heard of was not Lottie Moon or Jim Elliot. It was Dr. Dolittle, the man with the curious ability to speak to animals. When I was a boy my parents read to me about his astonishing adventures and the way he traveled over oceans to care for a host of animals. … Continue reading Five Lessons from an Unlikely Missionary

That’s the Prosperity Gospel

One of the reasons I’ve been preaching on “blessing” and considering the prosperity gospel this month has to do with the fact that I see its falsehoods in the Christians I meet, and I see its deceptions in my own heart. SEBTS ethics professor, David Jones hits this point in his short article, “The Prosperity … Continue reading That’s the Prosperity Gospel

The Prosperity Gospel: The New 9Marks Journal

The new 9Marks Journal released today covering the subject of the “Prosperity Gospel.” In its thorough coverage of the subject, it helps readers discover, analyze, and respond to the many forms of this false gospel, which floods America and pours forth into the world. In it you can find articles from David W. Jones (whose written … Continue reading The Prosperity Gospel: The New 9Marks Journal

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