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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

From Predestination to Glorification: Defining Twelve Words Every Christian Should Know

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. — Romans 8:30 — Last Sunday I preached a sermon with lots of big but important words. In two verses (Romans 3:24–25), Paul uses justification, redemption, and propitiation to speak of the … Continue reading From Predestination to Glorification: Defining Twelve Words Every Christian Should Know

What Did the Cross Achieve? Seven Truths and Sixteen Quotes from John Murray

In 1955 John Murray released his classic work on the cross and salvation, Redemption Accomplished and Applied. This week, the men in our church are discussing this book. And in preparation, I re-read the opening chapters on the necessity and the nature of the cross. For those who have asked questions about why the cross was … Continue reading What Did the Cross Achieve? Seven Truths and Sixteen Quotes from John Murray

The Righteousness of God Revealed: A Sermon for Social Justice (Romans 3:21–31)

The Righteousness of God Revealed: A Sermon for Social Justice (Romans 3:21–31) No justice, no peace. Know justice, know peace. For the last few years, the theme of justice has filled city streets, social media posts, and more than a few church pulpits. Yet, for all the attention given to social justice, there remains an … Continue reading The Righteousness of God Revealed: A Sermon for Social Justice (Romans 3:21–31)

Thou Shalt Not (Believe) Lie(s): Faithfulness in an Age of Fake News

Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. — Isaiah 8:12 — In our church, one of our elders often reminds us that Isaiah 8:12 is a verse that neither confirms nor denies the presence of a conspiracy. In our world there … Continue reading Thou Shalt Not (Believe) Lie(s): Faithfulness in an Age of Fake News

Picturing the Word without Caricaturing the Text: Fifteen Statements on Inerrancy and Interpretation

In his six-volume opus, God, Revelation, and Authority, Carl F. H. Henry unpacks 15 Propositions about Revelation. These propositions include statements related to the source, nature, and purpose of God’s speech. And for anyone interested wrestling with the theological debates surrounding God’s Word and its inerrancy, this would be an excellent, if lengthy, place to … Continue reading Picturing the Word without Caricaturing the Text: Fifteen Statements on Inerrancy and Interpretation

What God Has Joined Together Let No Man Separate: A Few Words on Scripture and Tradition

Last week, I offered a few (here and here), reflections on the important and challenging relationship between Scripture and tradition. This week, I offer a few more, beginning with a three-paragraph summary of sola Scriptura from Kevin Vanhoozer and Daniel Treier. Avoiding the error of thinking we can interpret Scripture by ourselves (solo Scriptura), it … Continue reading What God Has Joined Together Let No Man Separate: A Few Words on Scripture and Tradition

The Rejected and Resurrected Cornerstone: Seeing Salvation and Judgment in the Cross of Christ

‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.’ — Psalm 118:22 — There are few sentences in the Bible more important for understanding the cross of Christ than Psalm 118:22. And on Sunday we examined this verse through the eyes of Jesus, who in Luke 20:9–18 concluded his parable of the wicked tenants … Continue reading The Rejected and Resurrected Cornerstone: Seeing Salvation and Judgment in the Cross of Christ

In Defense of Tradition: Five Reasons Protestants Should Not Protest The Proper Use of Tradition

In yesterday’s blogpost, I outlined a doctrine of Scripture’s sufficiency, arranging Kevin Vanhoozer’s articulation of sufficiency into a fourfold taxonomy—sufficiency caricatured (i.e., what sufficiency is not), sufficiency simpliciter, material sufficiency, and formal sufficiency. The last of these is the most debated, because it gets wades into the intersection of Scripture, tradition, and interpretation, as well … Continue reading In Defense of Tradition: Five Reasons Protestants Should Not Protest The *Proper Use* of Tradition

Sufficient for What? Four Aspects of the Doctrine of Scripture’s Sufficiency

Writing about Sola Scriptura in his book Biblical Authority After Babel: Retrieving the Solas in the Spirit of Mere Protestant Christianity, Kevin Vanhoozer notes that the reformation principle of Scripture Alone “implies the sufficiency of Scripture” (114). But then he asks and important question: “Sufficient for what?” What does the sufficiency of Scripture promise? And what … Continue reading Sufficient for What? Four Aspects of the Doctrine of Scripture’s Sufficiency

Good News for Blemished Priests: A Resurrection Meditation on Leviticus 21

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying,None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. — Leviticus 21:16–17 — In Leviticus 21, we come across a passage that is easily misunderstood. From a first reading of Leviticus 21:16–24, … Continue reading Good News for Blemished Priests: A Resurrection Meditation on Leviticus 21

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