The Gospel forbids private revenge, and Christ stresses this so often lest the apostles think that they should usurp the government from those who hold it, as in the Jewish dream of the messianic kingdom; instead, he would have them know their . . . Continue reading →
Eschatology
The New Covenant In My Blood (Luke 22:20) (part 3)
So much for the picture of what is happening at the Supper. Now for its meaning. First, what it means for Christ himself: watch now the face of the Savior as he institutes the New Covenant in his blood. It is the . . . Continue reading →
Murray: Because He Suffered, We Enter Glory
“If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him” is the condition upon which the attainment of the inheritance is contingent (cf. vs. 9). There is no sharing in Christ’s glory unless there is sharing . . . Continue reading →
Baugh: Living In The “Last Hour”
Given the abundant parallels to the construction in 1 John 2:8—with just a few of the ones I found given above—we can make two preliminary conclusions on its syntax that then impact the overall interpretation of the verse. First, the conjunction ὅτι . . . Continue reading →
Post-Millennialism And The Promise Of “Victory”
Nothing has been more characteristic of current post-millennialism than its emphasis on the kingship of the ascended Christ; nothing fires the Postmil vision more than that reality. Yet it is just this reality that post-millennialism affectively compromises and, in part, even denies. . . . Continue reading →
Stop Saying That Amillennialism Is “Pessimistic” But Postmillennialism Is “Optimistic”
This is a classic case of begging the question, i.e., assuming what has to be proved. People regularly say that amillennialism is “pessimistic” but postmillennialism is “optimistic.” Who is pessimistic about what? Define pessimism. Who says? By what standard? I say that amillennialism . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof On The Millennium
At the time of the Reformation the doctrine of the millennium was rejected by the Protestant Churches, but revived in some of the sects, such as that of the more fanatical Anabaptists, and that of the Fifth Monarchy Men. Luther scornfully rejected . . . Continue reading →
Bauckham On Eschatological Expectation
The ideas of the 12th-century abbot Joachim inspired a new form of eschatological expectation which in the later Middle Ages and the 16th century was the major alternative to the Augustinian view. Before the end of history there would be an age . . . Continue reading →
Berkhof: Objections To Postmillennialism
Objections to Postmillennialism. There are some very serious objections to the Postmillennial theory. a. The fundamental idea of the doctrine, that the whole world will gradually be won for Christ, that the life of all nations will in course of time be . . . Continue reading →
Five Reasons To Reject A Golden Age Before The Return Of Christ
1. Belief in a Golden Age destroys faith, because it encourages Christians to walk by sight (cp. 2 Cor 5:7). Let me explain. The victory that Christ has achieved through his death and resurrection in principle is a final and complete victory merely awaiting his . . . Continue reading →
Paul On This Present Age And “The Final Consummation”
The heart of New Testament eschatology is not the hope of a millennial age in which this present “evil” age is progressively transformed into some sort of earthly utopia either before or after Christ returns. Biblical eschatology cannot be viewed through the . . . Continue reading →
Why Do Good Men Approve Of Bad Texts?
One of the more interesting questions we face each semester arises when we get to the Shepherd of Hermas, which was a wildly popular but almost certainly heretical text from (probably) the mid to late-second century A.D., is why it was so . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Anthony Hoekema Contra Postmillennialism (1)
Anthony Hoekema begins his critique of postmillennialism. Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Anthony Hoekema Contra Postmillennialism (2)
Anthony Hoekema continues his critique of postmillennialism. Continue reading →
So You Say You Want A Revolution?
Addressing The Impatience Of Our Age
In the wake of the disaster that was World War I, in which about 8.5 million military personnel died and an even greater number of civilians died, there developed in this country and in Europe a desire not only for a future . . . Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Anthony Hoekema Contra Postmillennialism (3)
Anthony Hoekema continues his critique of postmillennialism. Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Anthony Hoekema Contra Postmillennialism (4)
Anthony Hoekema concludes his critique of postmillennialism. Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Kim Riddlebarger Contra Postmillennialism (1)
Kim Riddlebarger critiques postmillennialism. Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Riddlebarger Contra Postmillennialism (2)
Kim Riddlebarger continues his critique of postmillennialism. Continue reading →
Heidelminicast: Kim Riddlebarger Contra Postmillennialism (3)
Kim Riddlebarger concludes his critique of postmillennialism. Continue reading →