The hiker who ascends the lofty mountain and pauses to view the landscape below him can see in one panoramic view the entire forest and its relationship to the landscape...
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Fulfilled Prophecy in Daniel 2 & 7
The hiker who ascends the lofty mountain and pauses to view the landscape below him can see in one panoramic view the entire forest and its relationship to the landscape around it. The interpreter of the book of Daniel is like this hiker. The student of this book receives a panoramic view of the forest of prophecy and how this forest relates to the theological landscape of God’s sovereign plan. In essence, when one studies the book of Daniel the individual is looking at the big prophetic picture.
Isaiah’s Amazing Prophecy of King Cyrus
Isa 44:28:
That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
Isa 45:1:
Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
Introduction:
Imagine in 1830 that someone in the then 54-year-old United States of America predicted by name in writing that a future president, who himself had formerly been a Hollywood actor, would be instrumental in ending the Cold War with the Soviet Union some 150 years later—in the 1980s!
The Prophecy of the Eternal King-Priest in Psalm 110
The study of prophecy is always a favorite among believers. It is compelling and intriguing to see how prophets of God predict what will take place in the future. Fulfilled prophecy bolsters our faith and encourages us in the sovereignty of our great God. Only God has the omniscience to predict the future, and only God has the omnipotence to fulfill the prediction. Most prophecy in Scripture is directly tied to God’s plan and promises. This is the case with the prophecy found in Psalm 110.
Israel’s Future Enemy: The King of Babylon in Isaiah 14:4–21
The Bible has much to say about Israel—past, present, and future. This small plot of land, this scattered people throughout the world, are precious in the sight of the Lord (Zech 2:8). The prophets prophesied a bright future filled with abundance and blessing. On the eve of blessing, however, will be a time of great trial. The persecutor of Israel will prevail, conquering rulers, brutally ruling over his own people, and leading a worldwide persecution of the Jewish people.
Israel’s deliverer will not come from a political alliance, but from the true King of Kings who will usher in a time of eternal blessing.
God’s Kingdom Program in the New Testament: A Biblical Theological Overview Part 2
Introduction
The kingdom of God is a complex biblical theme that spans across the two testaments. This article continues a very brief biblical/theological overview of the kingdom theme. The former article considered precursors to the kingdom theme, the foundation of the kingdom of God theme in the Davidic Covenant, and selected predictions of the kingdom in the Prophetic Books. Specifically, the previous article concluded that the concept of the kingdom of God (which is different than His sovereign rule over all creation), takes on definite shape in the Davidic Covenant, which promises that David will have a descendant who will rule over an earthly and eternal kingdom (2 Sam 7:16).
God’s Kingdom Program in the Old Testament: A Biblical Theological Overview Part 1
Introduction
The kingdom of God is a prominent and multi-faceted biblical theme. Kingdom concepts can be found in virtually every biblical book, and it touches on a wide range of biblical ideas. While it is debatable whether the kingdom of God is the over-arching theme of the Bible, it certainly is a theme that transcends several eras of biblical history and binds together several strands of biblical revelation.
The goal of this article is to give a brief biblical/theological overview of the kingdom theme in the Old Testament.
Preparing for Life’s Final Transition: God’s Expectations to Honor Aging Parents
My wife, Tricia, and I have been in an interesting and important phase of our lives for the last few years—caring for aging parents. In 2020, Tricia’s parents, Larry and Nancy, moved in with us, and we became their primary care providers. Just over five short months after they moved in with us, Nancy unexpectedly passed away. Larry, who struggled with Parkinson-like symptoms, stayed with us through the next year, but eventually his health and care needs reached a point where we needed to transition him to a care center.
Worship God: Comparing Worship Then and Now
Worshipping God is fundamental to God’s people. God wants the redeemed of all ages to honor and serve Him with reverence and joy. Unfortunately, worship is one of the most controversial subjects in churches today. Instead of uniting the church, “worship wars” have scarred denominations and fragmented the church. These types of disputes are nothing new. The fault lines of worship controversies have marred nearly every turning point in church history. In this article I would like to compare the worship between Israel and the church.
Fundamentalism and the Hermeneutics of Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism
Introduction
Fundamentalism has never embraced one uniform system of theology. My purpose here is to provide an overview and comparison of Covenant Theology (henceforth, CT) and Dispensational Theology (henceforth, DT) used by many fundamentalists throughout its history. While some fundamentalists today attempt to eschew any (rigid) theological system, in actuality everyone uses some type of grid (a set of suppositions) to interpret Biblical passages. Often the difference between those who embrace established theological systems and those who do not is that the latter do not realize they are using such a grid and have not thought through the Bible in a systematic way.
Sound Exegesis— Sound Living
Shaky Exegesis— Shaky Living
During the earthquake of modernism that shook and collapsed the orthodoxy of many churches and denominations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, another earthquake was also taking place off the shores of Christianity—the birth of modern secular psychology. This earthquake happened along similar fault lines as the earthquake of theological modernism. Its upheaval ultimately resulted in a tsunami—Christian integrationist psychology—that not only swept over many evangelical churches and parachurch organizations, but also swept into fundamentalism.