December 28, 2009

Taking Stock

Meditation

As another year is quickly drawing to a close, we often use this time to take stock of our lives. We look back at where we have been and evaluate where we are now. We also tend to look forward to the new year and what might lie ahead, thinking about what we ought to do in order to get to where we want to be.

It is certainly a good exercise for us to consider where we are in contrast to where we have been and where we are going. While we are doing this, let us not forget our spiritual lives. It would be good for us to be taking stock of where we have been, where we are, and where we are headed.
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December 2, 2009

What Judas Brought to the Garden

Judas Betrays Jesus

Judas is one of the most well-known villains in the Bible. Most people recognize him as being the one to betray Jesus. His decision to betray the Lord is what might be expected by one of his character. Jesus called him the “son of perdition” (John 17:12). He was identified as a thief (John 12:4-6). After betraying Jesus, instead of repenting and making things right, “he went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:4-5). Peter also pointed out that all of this was foreknown by God and revealed in prophecy (Acts 1:16-20).

Shortly before being betrayed, Jesus “went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples” (John 18:1). It was here in the garden where Judas would betray the Lord. He knew the place to go because “Jesus had often met there with His disciples” (John 18:2).

So Judas went to the garden to betray Jesus. But notice what he brought with him. “Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons” (John 18:3). It is interesting to see what Judas brought to the garden, particularly in light of what Jesus brought to the world.
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November 3, 2009

Keywords in the Prophecy of the Coming Kingdom

Matterhorn mountain

Isaiah prophesied of a kingdom that was to come “in the last days” – the age that was ushered in following the coming of Christ into the world (cf. Hebrews 1:2). There are several keywords in this prophecy that we must understand if we are to appreciate what the passage teaches.

“Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all nations will stream to it.

“And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.’ For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

“And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war” (Isaiah 2:2-4).

Let us briefly consider each of these key terms:
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March 1, 2009

Problems with Premillennialism

New Jerusalem

One very common idea in the denominational world is the doctrine of Premillennialism. The prefix “pre” means before. The second part of the word – “millennial” – refers to the thousand year reign of Christ. The doctrine of Premillennialism states that Christ will one day return and reign on earth for a thousand years before the final judgment and that we are living in the time before this period.

There are a few variations of this doctrine. These variations usually have to do with the timing of the “tribulation” and the “rapture.” But all the variations have one thing in common – the belief that Jesus will come again to establish His kingdom and reign for a thousand years.

There are several problems with this doctrine when we compare it with what the word of God teaches. Let us notice some of these problems:
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August 1, 2008

In the Days of Those Kings

While in Babylonian captivity, Daniel had the opportunity to meet with King Nebuchadnezzar and interpret the king’s dream. The magicians and sorcerers of the land were unable to interpret the dream for the king because he required them to first tell him his dream. Daniel, however, was able to both tell and interpret the dream by the power of God. All of this is recorded in Daniel 2.
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August 1, 2007

The Gospel of the Grace of God

Paul and the Ephesian Elders

On his way to Jerusalem, Paul stopped in Miletus to meet with the elders from the church in Ephesus (Acts 20:17ff). In this farewell address, Paul reminded them that the message he brought to them was “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). This was the message that Paul preached “everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17). He preached the gospel to those who were already Christians (Romans 1:15) and to those who had not yet heard of Jesus (Romans 15:20). The gospel is the message that Jesus told His apostles to preach (Mark 16:15) and is the message that we must preach today (Galatians 1:8-9).
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June 1, 2007

The Establishment of the Kingdom

Bible reading

Not everyone agrees about when Jesus established His kingdom. There are three major views on the date of its establishment – (1) the first Pentecost following the ascension of Christ (Acts 2), (2) A.D. 70 at the destruction of Jerusalem, and (3) some future date when Christ returns. Let us notice five key passages that show us when Christ’s kingdom was established.
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