As we continue our study of historical optimism, a good thing to keep in mind is the need to constantly turn to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. When we think through these issues carefully, we must recognize that the basic issue is really the view we have of …
The Olivet Discourse
The words of Christ in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew have caused far more consternation and confusion than they really should have. The key, as before, is to look at how the passages quoted from the Old Testament are used in the New Testament, and then at how the events of the first century actually …
666
The gloomy old reprobate Ambrose Bierce said this about the book of Revelation: “A famous book in which St. John the Divine concealed all that he knew. The revealing is done by the commentators, who know nothing.” It is indeed unfortunate that we by our sloth have made a revelation into one of the most …
Let The New Testament Explain the Old
In this series of posts we have been presenting what is, for many, a very different way of looking at the Scriptures. We have been talking about historical optimism, as opposed to the rampant historical pessimism of the modern evangelical world. But we must be careful in using phrases like “way of looking at the …
Thy Kingdom Come
Many Christians want to avoid millennial wrangles, and in an important sense, they are quite right. It makes little sense to fight with one another about when the divine peace will come. But other Christians want to avoid debate on the subject because they believe it to be trivial or unimportant. “After all, is not …
The Authority of the Cross
Far too many Christians take a phrase from Luther without the faith of Luther. They do believe that this world is “with devils filled,” but have no knowledge of the “one little word” which fells the evil one. That one little word is cross. Christ is the Savior of the world, not only because He …
The Cross and Eschatology
Many Christians veer into one of two errors in their view of future history. Either they plunge into a very exciting study of the “end times,” and become consumed with the book of Revelation and newspaper reports about the European Union, killer bees, trouble in the Middle East, and so forth, or they dismiss the …
The Cultural Mandate
Genesis is the book of beginning — this is too often neglected by Christians. Here we see the beginning of the world, obviously, but also the beginning of marriage, of work, of rest, of music, and of many other of God’s good gifts. In short, the book of Genesis provides us with a basic understanding …
World Conquest
42. So the Christian faith is a religion of world conquest? That is exactly right. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the …
Gospel Glory
35. Does the Old Testament contain visions of glory for the gospel era, and not just judgment at the beginning of that era? Yes. These Scriptures below are only a small portion of what could be gathered under this head. A diligent reading of the Old Testament will reveal many more. God gives a wonderful …