THE REVELATION OF CHRIST to the apostle John on the Island of Patmos contains much symbolism. It presents valuable explanations and instructions regarding the Doctrine of "Last Things," or Eschatology—the Christian doctrine concerning what will happen in the final days. When will Christ return? What will happen when He comes back. What has to occur …
I Am Redeemed!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN to be "redeemed?" Sure, I could list theological, psychological, and sociological definitions, and there is nothing wrong with that approach. Definitions help define us. They allow us to compare, analyze, ruminate, consider, relate. We quantify and qualify through definitions. Relative to theology, definitions establish parameters; they provide the comfort of knowing …
First Principles: Part Two
GOD FORMED MAN OUT out of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature (see Gen. 2:7). God put the man (Adam) in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. The name Adam comes from adama, a Hebrew word meaning "earth." …
First Principles: Part One
I HAVE REFERENCED Trevor Hart and Kelly Kapic in the past regarding what constitutes Christian theology. Hart describes the theologian as "...fidelis quaerens intellectum: a believer seeking understanding... theology is the attempt by faith to understand itself, its object, and its place in today's world" (1). Hart calls this "faith thinking." Kapic assures us that …
Paul on Reconciliation
REGARDLESS OF WHAT OTHERS think of us, we are forgiven, redeemed, restored, set free from the past. Our lives have been turned around through the grace of God and the power of the cross. Lies, deceit, selfish motivation, manipulation, provocation—all are gone. We were not merely "remodeled" or "refurbished." Rather, the old self has passed …
Resurrection Sunday
ISAIAH FORETOLD OF a servant who would be truly God and yet truly man; humble to the point of flawless obedience. This man, this incarnation of God, grew up like a young plant; like a root out of dry ground. He had no form of majesty that we should recognize Him, yet He would rise …
Good Friday
FROM THE MOMENT JESUS was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane until His final breath upon the cross on Calvary, He was subjected to a brutality that words cannot possibly describe. His entire life and ministry on earth was about putting the will of the Father above all else; putting the lives of others ahead …
Holy Thursday
HOLY THURSDAY IS THE first day of Passover: the remembrance of Israel being freed from slavery to Egypt and the angel of death passing over the homes of Jews whose doors were marked with blood. Jesus spent Wednesday before His death warning of the trials and tribulations Israel will face before He returns. He said …
Jesus Goes to Mount of Olives
TEMPLE LEADERS ORGANIZED an ambush with the intent of placing Jesus under arrest, but it was not yet time. He evaded their trap, pronouncing harsh judgment on them. The "woes" He lists against the religious leaders contrast with the first seven blessings that introduce the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 5:3-9). He accused the …
The Money-Changers and the Fig Tree
PALM SUNDAY marks the triumphal entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. He entered through the Golden Gate, on the east side of the city, facing the Mount of Olives. Because of its messianic connection, this gate is to remain shut until Christ returns. Consequently, the Golden (or Eastern) Gate has remained closed for …