Category: Eschatology
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joel… eschatological salvation (3)
Salvation It seems Israel responds to the voice of the prophet. When genuine tears, whole-hearted repentance, mourning over sin and renewed consecration are heard by the Lord he responds in mercy. The day of the Lord in judgement is transformed into a salvation event. Then the LORD became jealous for his land. and had pity…
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the day of the lord
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 2 Pet 3:10 The expression, ‘day of the Lord’ is…
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revelation 20 the final judgement
Revelation 20. The Final Judgement 11:8… time for the dead to be judged. We come now to description of the day of judgement. A separate section is indicated by ‘then I saw’ (v11). We should remember once again we are reading symbolism. God (in Christ) does not really sit on a throne with books to…
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matt 24 (2)… the course of the age and the coming of the son of man
Vv 1-3 the disciples questions To recap. Jesus, seeing his disciples dazzled by the beauty of the temple, punctures their infatuation by telling them that soon the temple will be a ruin – a scattering of stones. Later this prompts a three-sided question; when will the temple be destroyed, when will the age end and…
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matt 24 (1)… introduction
Introduction Matthew 24 and 25 record what is often called the Olivet discourse because it is delivered from the Mt of Olives (v3). It is the last of five discourses in Mathew and appropriately describes last things – it spans the interadvent period and beyond. Jesus’ eschatological teaching informs NT books like Thessalonians and Revelation.…
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revelation 21:1-22:5… the new jerusalem , a garden-city (6)
Jerusalem… a garden-city It is unfortunate that Ch 22 begins where it does. It would have been more fitting to begin it at v6 which is the beginning of the epilogue for in these first five verses John is still describing the new Jerusalem. Indeed these verses bring his description of the city of God…
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revelation 21:1-22:5… the new jerusalem, a temple-city (4)
Jerusalem a temple-city If the centre of the new creation is a city of splendour then the source of its splendour is the glory of God. If the holy city is the people of God living in community and culture then what dominates is this community or culture is the beneficent and glorious reign of…
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revelation 21:1-22:5… the new jerusalem, the heavenly bride-city (3)
The New Jerusalem… the heavenly-city In the OT, the centre of the world is Jerusalem. It is the centre because it is there God chose to dwell on earth. There he and his human representative, his chosen Davidic King, had their thrones. Indeed in a sense it was one throne (i Kings 2:12). From Jerusalem…
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revelation 21:1-22:5… a new creation (2)
An so to Revelation 1:1-8 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for…
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revelation ch 21:1-2:5… an introduction (1)
an introduction How do you encourage a church bedevilled by heresy or seduced by the world or threatened by persecution to stand firm in faith? One answer is to give it the book of Revelation. Couched in the vivid often bizarre imagery of Revelation that may enthral or chill lie truths that when received create…
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revelation 20… the millennium
Revelation 20 the millennium The final aspects of the salvation story are unfolding (19-22). We have seen the end of the beast and false prophet and all who side with them. We are about to see the end of Satan. We are introduced to the reign of Christ and his people, particularly those martyrs found…
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rev 20… millennialism
Revelation 20 I once read s the millennium defined as a thousand-year period of time during which Christians fight over the proper interpretation of the book of Revelation (Keith Matheson) We may add for two thousand years now Christians have debated the meaning of the millennium. Before looking at Ch 20 and the millennium it…
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rev 19 (2) … the war
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows…
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revelation 18… the fall of babylon
Revelation 18 Earlier chapters announced the fall of Babylon (14:8;16:9,19; Cf. Isa 21:9). In Ch 17 her idolatrous and bloodthirsty character is described as is her demise at the hands of her own political leaders. Babylon to C1 readers was Rome and John has traits of Rome in his description of the city. However, Babylon…
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revelation 17… the woman and the beast
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the…
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rev 16… the seven bowls of wrath (2)
Revelation 16 1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” 2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who…
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revelation 15… the seven bowls of wrath (1)
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. 2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the…
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revelation 14 (3)… two harvests
Revelation 14 :4-20 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat…
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revelation 14 (2) … three cameos
Rev 14 (2) 6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come,…
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revelation 14 (1)… the triumph of the lamb and his army
Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the…
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revelation… outline
Revelation Outline (G Beale’s outline slightly amended and with annotations). (1:1 ) The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place… OT prophecy anticipated an End-Time (Dan 12:4) involve divine judgements, persecution for God’s people and ultimate salvation and blessing in the kingdom…
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revelation 13… two feral beasts
1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And…
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revelation 12… the woman, the dragon and the man-child
The first half of John’s description of the End (4-11) focuses primarily on on the triumph of the church through end-time judgements and opposition.. The second half (12-20) mainly focuses in the enemies of the church and their final fate in the context of the triumph of the Lamb and his church. Ch 11 closes…
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revelation 11… the church protected and witnessing
In Revelation, God’s people are depicted by various fairly familiar symbols. We have already encountered the church as an army (the 144,000) and a worshipping victorious international multitude, now in Ch 11, in an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet, the church is imaged as a temple and worshippers and as a prophetic witness.…
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revelation. 10… the seventh trumpet and the little scroll
The Trumpets Concluded Rev 9 ends with the reader awaiting the seventh and final trumpet. Again the sixth in each series of seven brings us to the brink of the end which arrives in the seventh. The seventh is the arrival of the eschaton or day of the Lord. The trumpets are judgemental warnings, wake-up…
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revelation 9… the trumpets continued
Revelation 9 13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!” 1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and…
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revelation 8 (2)… the seven trumpets
The Seven trumpets The second series of judgements begin. Judgements are not a reason to despair but a reason to repent; in a sinful world God’s salvation always comes through judgement. The seventh seal ushered in the End. The trumpets repeat the pattern of the seals; they are not necessarily chronological except that, like the…
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revelation 8 (1)… the power of prayer
Revelation 8 The seventh seal. Silence in heaven. It is the silence of stunned awe as final judgement is unleashed. ‘1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to…
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revelation 1 (5)… a time frame
Revelation has known a variety of interpretative approaches over the years. These inevitably affect the time frame in which the middle section of the book is considered to be set (Ch 6-18). Different systems understand this time period differently. first, some general comments on time in Revelation Revelation is apocalyptic prophecy. It stands in conscious…
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revelation 7… the 144,00 and the great multitude.
Revelation is a visionary narrative of what John saw and heard. It is describing End-time events. However, it is not a simple chronological narrative. The backbone of the narrative is God’s judgements. God’s judgements, expressed in the seven seals, trumpets, thunders and bowls sweep the world at the end of history. They are an expression…
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revelation and dispensationalism
Revelation and Dispensationalism In these posts on Revelation I adopt a historic premillennial approach. Part of me is inclined to amillennialism because it permits all final judgements and blessings to flow immediately from the Second Coming which seems to articulate with many NT texts. However, in Rev 20, amillennialism faces a difficult, maybe insurmountable, uphill…
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revelation 5… the lamb is worthy
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one…
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revelation 4… the throne
Revelation 4 To read Revelation Ch 4 is to be confronted with the throne. Ch 4 introduces a new vision and a new section of the book. Ch 4, 5 are the basis for all the chapters that follow. In chapter one, John saw a vision of Jesus as the sovereign Lord of the seven…
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revelation 1 (4)… the vision
The prologue over we now come now to the first of John’s visions. Appropriately, it is a vision of the glorified Christ in the midst of his churches. The vision takes place on the Lord’s day, the specifically Christian day and fitting for visions about the Lord and his church. Vv9-11 suffering, kingdom and endurance…
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revelation 1 (3)… themes
In the two previous posts we reflected a little on both Revelation’s genre and people. The genre we noted is in great part apocalyptic accounting for the highly symbolic nature of the book. Its intended audience was the C1 church. specifically the seven churches to whom Jesus speaks. Like other NT books however it is…
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revelation 1 (2)… the church
Revelation 1 John to the seven churches that are in Asia Minor (1:4) In the previous post we considered how the opening chapter of the book prepares us for the highly symbolic form of the book. We noted it shared features belonging to a literary genre popular at that time that we call apocalyptic. The…
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revelation 1 (1)… genre
Revelation, the last book of our Bible, is a book we tend to find both fascinating and incomprehensible in equal measure. The features that draw us to it, its many images, sometimes bizarre, sometimes grotesque and sometimes sublime, also make it difficult to understand. What do they mean? What is their message? How do I…
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who is a son of abraham?
Genesis 1-11 is a tale that starts well and ends very badly. God creates the heavens and the earth for his own glory and the blessing of humanity that he makes in his image. However, it is not long before humanity rebels against its Maker. In fact it wants to take his place. From there…
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isaiah 65… a new heavens and new earth
17 For behold, I create new heavensand a new earth,and the former things shall not be rememberedor come into mind.18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I createfor behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,and her people to be a gladness.19 I will rejoice in Jerusalemand be glad in my people;no…
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the israel of god… gal 6:16
a benediction Gal 6:15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches (modern day Turkey) contains a benediction that has been the subject…
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the ‘already not yet’ of the kingdom
When God created the heavens and earth he created a kingdom. It was God’s kingdom created by him for the blessing of humanity made in his image to represent him and rule creation on his behalf under his authority for his glory (Gen 1:26-28). Creation was a kingdom with God’s subjects, in God’s place, under…
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the pre-trib rapture and 1 thess 4:13-5:11
1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 is an important text in the debate over the rapture (is the Church ‘raptured’ to heaven some seven years before the Second Coming). It is the only text where the Greek verb equivalent to ‘raptured’ is found. 4: 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who…
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the shoot from Jesse’s stump… the nations judged… and converted… isaiah chs 11- 25
I have been reading Isaiah. It’s sheer length and the vista it covers make it a difficult book to grasp. Having said that the big issues of the book are clear. Human rebellion, leads to two responses from a Holy God – judgement where there is no repentance and salvation where there is a heart…
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zion, city of our god (2)
By the end of the OT, Jerusalem was not the city the prophets anticipated. To place the prophetic hope in a wider frame, the promised Kingdom had not arrived. It lay somewhere in the future. And so the people of God died in faith, like Abraham looking for a country and city yet to come.…
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zion, city of our god (1)
It is sometimes said that the Bible is ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. In a sense this is true. Two cities feature in the Bible story. However, really it is the story of one city for it is the story of God. He is the leading character… and his love is Zion or Jerusalem –…
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matthew’s genealogy
Matthew’s gospel begins with a genealogy. Not the way, you may think, to attract readers. However, genealogies were important in the ancient world, as, indeed, they are in the modern world. They establish credentials. Matthew’s genealogy is a dynastic genealogy and critical to Christianity because it establishes Jesus historical and legal right as a Davidic…
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israel and the church
N.B. If this topic interests you I strongly recommend checking out many of the references which open up the topic more comprehensively and give avenues to explore. The underlying hermeneutical (interpretive) principle is that we must ask how the NT understands OT prophecies and make this our interpretive grid. the kingdom divide In Classic Dispensationalism…
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sussing the sermon on the mount
It seems that The Sermon on the Mount has a negative press in large segments of evangelicalism. Some insist it is pure law and its purpose, like the Mosaic Covenant, is only to kill (Lutheranism and variants of it). Others also see it as law but think its primary focus is to instruct believers during…
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all things new
all things are new The NT is clear that there is a relationship of promise and fulfilment between the OT and the NT; what is promised in the old is fulfilled in the new. Fulfilment implies both discontinuity and continuity. However, we should note that when the NT discusses aspects of continuity hard on its…
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our extravagant god
To recognize the fulfilment of his [God’s] promises, you must base your expectations not on the minimal but maximal interpretation of their terms’ David Gooding An Unshakeable Kingdom (Pg 30) David Gooding’s small commentary on Hebrews ‘An Unshakeable Kingdom’ is among the finest of its kind on this book. And it is free for download…
Cave Adullam 