The prologue of John’s Gospel is one of the most beautiful statements on the Person and work of the Lord Jesus in the entire Bible. Indeed, there may be no more theologically significant statement in all of Scripture than, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (vs. 14). John takes us into Trinitarian […]

Revelation 12 forms another kind of theological break in the action. It stands in the very center of the book and helps to explain further the source of all the church’s trouble in this world. Remember the state of the churches addressed in chapters two and three. Some are patiently enduring heavy persecution. Some are […]

The seven seals ended with a surprising silence. When the seventh seal was broken, there was silence in heaven for half an hour. It was the calm before the storm, the final judgment. The seven trumpets recapitulate the same epoch as the seven seals. The Seals and the trumpets both follow a pattern of four […]

There is perhaps no more hotly debated passage in the Book of Revelation than chapter 11. It is a particularly complex passage filled with challenging allusions to various Old Testament texts such as Zechariah, Daniel, Exodus, 1 Kings, and Ezekiel. It is a passage filled with temple imagery and the symbolic use of numbers. The […]

The Book of Revelation employs a great deal of recapitulation, that is viewing the same set of circumstances or events from various angles. You may recall that between the sixth and seventh seals there was a theological interlude which included two views of God’s people (chapter seven). The full number of God’s redeemed were depicted […]

There is no way to talk about Christianity in any substantive way without giving special attention to repentance. To repent is to turn away from one thing in favor of something else. In the Bible, repentance means to turn away from sin and turn in faith to the Lord. It is a firm “no” followed […]

With the breaking of the sixth seal, John saw the final judgment of God upon the fallen creation (6:12-17). The seven trumpets present another vantage point of the Lord’s judgment. There seems to be an intensification which may be due to the fact that the trumpets are instruments of warning. This descriptive intensification may also […]

In the trumpet and bowl judgments we find some of the most frightening images in the Book of Revelation. It is vital that we understand these visions within the symbolic categories in which they are written. We must also understand how these visions are shaped by Old Testament imagery and how they would have been […]

Chapter eight begins with the breaking of the seventh seal which depicts a silence in heaven following the final judgment depicted in the breaking of the sixth seal (6:17). The silence in heaven is that of holy awe following the final judgment. It may also be considered the quiet before the storm as the vision […]

The opening of the sixth seal commences the final judgment and the destruction of the present fallen world. But before the opening of the seventh seal there is a dramatic pause while the redeemed of God are assured of the Lord’s protection even as they endure calamities. They are sealed from spiritual harm which harkens […]

As we move into chapter seven of Revelation we enter into territory over which there is strong disagreement between Christians. Our approach toward a proper understanding of Revelation is to begin by taking it on its own terms. As we saw at the beginning of the series, the Book of Revelation began as a letter […]

The descriptions of God’s judgment upon the earth are fierce and unsettling. The four riders depicting the initial signs of God’s judgment are terrifying on their own (6:1-8). They symbolize the world’s all too common experience of death by violent conquest, war, famine, and pestilence. Even God’s own beloved people pay a heavy price while […]

The section of Revelation which begins in chapter six presents readers with not only interpretive challenges but also significant theological questions related to God’s judgment and mercy. One of the things we learn is that for justice to be done, particular acts of judgment are required. Justice is not an abstract idea but a reality […]

In his vision of heaven (chapters 4 & 5) John saw a throne with a figure of great majesty sitting upon it, a scroll sealed with seven seals, and a Lamb who appeared to have been slain. The figure on the throne handed the scroll to the Lamb. We read in chapter five that the […]

Scripture describes salvation not as a singular, once and for all moment. Rather, salvation consists of the Spirit’s sovereign work of regeneration (the new birth), sanctification, and final glorification. The initial work of regeneration may be seen as a coin. On the one side is the Spirit’s sovereign work. On the other side is our […]

Jesus has completed his great Sermon the Mount. The sermon serves as a kind of membership charter in the Kingdom of God. That is, citizens of God’s Kingdom will be characterized by a particular way of life which reflects the Lordship of Jesus. Members of the new covenant community – the church – are possessed […]

As Jesus concludes his sermon, joining his inner circle of disciples are the crowds that have now gathered to listen to his words. It is safe to say that not even his disciples fully understand who he truly is. They are just beginning to understand that perhaps Jesus is the Messiah. But even the implications […]

Just as the crowd had broadened from the inner circle of Jesus’ closest disciples to the large crowd, so too does the scope of his teaching. He warns them that the gate that opens to salvation life is as hard and narrow as the gate which leads to destruction is wide and easy. The first […]

The Sermon on the Mount is, in part, about the Christian’s ethical obligations. Citizens of God’s kingdom must live lives that are distinguished from the unrighteousness of the world. Genuine Christian righteousness is to govern our relationship to the church (5:17-48), acts of piety (6:1-18), material possessions (6:19-34), and our relationships outside the covenant community […]