Revelation 16:12-21; 19:1-21 Armageddon is well known in our culture as the “final battle” for the future of the planet. But the way people imagine this battle differs greatly from the biblical reality. According to Hollywood, “Armageddon” is a special effects punch-up where the outcome is doubtful right up to the last minute. According to the […]
Revelation 11:1-12:17 The word in Greek is “Abyss.” Jerome’s Vulgate left it untranslated. John Wycliffe rendered it “the pit of depnesse”. But it’s been William Tyndale’s turn of phrase that has endured: “bottomless pit”! Rightly, the KJV decided it could not improve on Tyndale. The phrase occurs seven times, all in the book of Revelation (where sevens […]
Revelation 1:1-20 What is the book of Revelation? Christian psychedelia? Religio-political prognostication? End-of-the-world prophecy? In chapter 1 we see that it’s a letter from John based on visions of Christ. “I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that […]
Hebrews 10:1-18 “Out, damned spot! out, I say!” Lady Macbeth’s line is one of Shakespeare’s most famous. In the first act of Macbeth she helps her husband to murder the King. By the end of the play she is in mental torment and eventually takes her own life. In her final scene she is before […]
Hebrews 4:1-16 In modern speech a “double-edged sword” is a powerful weapon that “cuts both ways”. It’s an argument or feature or technology that has a clear benefit and a clear liability. It’s something that advances both your own cause and that of your opponent. But the bible’s usage of the term is a little different. […]
2 Timothy 2:1-7; 4:6-8 In the space of one verse Paul gives us threephrases: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) “Fighting the good fight”, “finishingthe course” and “keeping the faith” have all become well-known. Perhaps this trifecta of famous phrases is not […]
Click for source 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 One of the most pervasive myths of the modern world is this: We think we know what we want. We think we know what’s best for us. And we think we ourselves are the best judges of these matters. The truth could not be further from this common misconception. […]
Psalm 126 From slavery to freedom, from the wilderness to ‘the land of milk and honey’, from darkness to light, from the cross to the resurrection – the Christian life is an experience of redemption. The LORD is always defined as One who “brings up” His people – from Egypt to Canaan, from exile to […]
What makes for a happy ending? Let me suggest four factors: The good guys win. The bad guys get their just deserts. There’s a wedding. And you finish on a song. There’s something immensely uplifting about a story that wraps up with this kind of victory. But the bible claims that history is headed towards […]
What is the book of Revelation? Christian psychedelia? Religio-political prognostication? End-of-the-world prophecy? In chapter 1 we see that it’s a letter from John based on visions of Christ. “I, John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called […]
