Blog

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

Marriage: A Heavenly Sculpture Formed From Earthly Clay

In his popular-level book on marriage, Married for God,Christopher Ash relates a story from Britain that illustrates the way that marriage is expressly intended to display the lovingkindness of God. Some years ago I read of a dispute in Britain between the Foreign Office and the Treasury. The argument was about which British Ambassadors would … Continue reading Marriage: A Heavenly Sculpture Formed From Earthly Clay

Willy Wonka or the Word of God?

What is the difference between Willy Wonka and the Word of God? Not much, says Jonathan Akin, if all the Scriptures do is expound moral platitudes and present examples of bravery, kindness, and obedience. Lamenting the way that too many Christians moralize the message of the Bible, Pastor Akin asserts that Jesus Christ is the … Continue reading Willy Wonka or the Word of God?

More Vaughan Roberts: The Goal and Glory of Marriage

In his book, God’s Big Design: Life as He intends it to be, Anglican Rector Vaughan Roberts devotes a chapter to “God’s Design for Sex and Marriage.” In the chapter, he makes a three-fold assertion: God is for sex; Sex is for marriage; and Marriage is for life. Unpacking these premises, Roberts reiterates the point … Continue reading More Vaughan Roberts: The Goal and Glory of Marriage

Otto Piper on Marriage

Today’s Christian supermarkets (a.k.a. bookstores) are filled with books on marriage, relationships, and sexuality. The plethora of writings is indicative of a culture and a church trying desperately to find solid ground on which to build its marriages. Unfortunately, a cursory overview of these books reveal the shallowness, the pragmatism, and the wordly accomodation that inculcates the … Continue reading Otto Piper on Marriage

The Good Insane Concordance Maker

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). For three centuries, Alexander Cruden’s Bible concordance has benefitted students of the Bible by helping them research and discover the placement of every word in the King James Bible. Unlike Bill Mounce’s … Continue reading The Good Insane Concordance Maker

Vaughan Roberts on Marriage

Vaughan Roberts is gifted in saying a lot in a very little space. His books God’s Big Picture:Tracing the storyline of the Bible, Life’s Big Questions: Six major themes traced through the Bible, and God’s Big Design: Life as he intends it to be are outstanding in their ability to convey biblical theology in accessible … Continue reading Vaughan Roberts on Marriage

J.G. McConville on How the OT Relates to the NT

Reading this morning a chapter in The Messiah in the Old and New Testament edited by Stanley Porter, Tremper Longman quotes J.G. McConville on how the Old Testament relates to the New. His two-way approach is akin to Christopher J. H. Wright’s hermeneutic laid out in his popular book Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament. … Continue reading J.G. McConville on How the OT Relates to the NT

The iBible (3): Personal Illumination and Incredible Praise

Personal Illumination: Finally, we arrive at the place where believers read the Bible today, and we must admit that the authenticity of history and the authority of Scripture is not enough to for modern readers to “get” the message. We know this because too many biblical scholars are incredulous agnostics and ardent opponents of the … Continue reading The iBible (3): Personal Illumination and Incredible Praise

The iBible (2): Divine Inspiration and Information Transmission

Neither the illuminating power of God in creation, nor the intervening work of God in history is sufficient to save. It must be coupled with divinely inspired interpretations that explain the saving plans of God in humanity. Thus inspiration, inscripturation, and the transmission of information are necessary to unveil the promise of redemption to every … Continue reading The iBible (2): Divine Inspiration and Information Transmission

A Biblical Meditation on God’s iBible (1): Illumination and Intervention

In a informational age, where “data smog” threatens to pollute the air we breathe, where iPods, iPhones, and iGoogle have become part and parcel of daily living, and where keeping up with the Jones requires 24-hour instant information, it is salubrious to be still and know that our Lord is still God (Ps. 46:10) and that His Word remains … Continue reading A Biblical Meditation on God’s iBible (1): Illumination and Intervention

150
Page 146