In light of the Ephesian church’s significant strengths (Rev. 2:2-3), it is surprising that she has allowed herself to slip into an area of weakness that could be her undoing. Revelation 2:4 says, “But I have this against you, that…
Guide to Common Approaches to the Book of Revelation (pt. 6): The Futurist Approach of Historic Premillennialism and My Approach to Revelation
Historic premillennialism is a view that was championed by George Ladd and is therefore commonly associated with him. Ladd was primarily responding to dispensationalism. The adjective “historic” in historic premillennialism refers to Ladd’s contention that some early Church Fathers were…
Guide to Common Approaches to the Book of Revelation (pt. 5): The Futurist Approach of Dispensational Premillennialism
The dispensational premillennialist camp has been quite influential in Evangelical circles. Dispensational interpreters are known for four emphases. First, they emphasize the pretribulational rapture of the church. According to this view, “Christ’s return will occur in two stages: the first…
Guide to Common Approaches to the Book of Revelation (pt. 4): G. K. Beale as an Amillennialist and Moderate Futurist
When most Christians think about the book of Revelation, they think about the book as a prophecy of the end events and the second coming of Christ. They may or may not realize that even futurist interpreters disagree over which…
Guide to Common Approaches to the Book of Revelation (pt. 3): What Is the Idealist Approach?
Revelation as a Book of Theology and Guidance for the Christian Life Now The idealist approach differs radically from the historicist. It would be attractive to someone who is tired of conflicting attempts to pinpoint how Revelation is fulfilled in…
Guide to Common Approaches to the Book of Revelation (pt. 2): What Is the Historicist Approach?
THE END IS NEAR! Most of us are familiar with examples of the historicist approach. This is an easily abused approach to the book of Revelation. According to historicists, the end is near and we can see this by looking…
Guide to Common Approaches to the Book of Revelation (pt. 1): What Is the Preterist Approach?
Revelation yields tremendous truths for living and for a Christian worldview. Like some other parts of Scripture, it does not yield these truths apart from careful study. Taken on its own, Revelation is a challenge for Christian readers. They often…
Book Recommendation: Of Games and God: A Christian Exploration of Video Games by Kevin Schut
Everyone can see how prevalent video games have become in the lives of young people, and even in the lives of those who are not so young. Kevin Schut, a professor at Trinity Western University wrote this book to help…
“I Am” and the Divinity of Jesus in John 8:24, 28, 58
When we think of “I am” in the Gospel of John, we generally think of expressions with a predicate after the “I am,” like “I am the good shepherd.” In that sentence, “the good shepherd” is the predicate that completes…
Encouragement for Family Devotions in Light of Jeremiah
I have been reading through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel this year for Bible reading and have noticed that God tells each one of them that the people will not listen to them (and even resist them). In a recent Bible…