2017

In this post, we continue applying our prophetic model—inmillennialism—to John’s third vision in which he hears seven trumpets. The sixth trumpet and the following interlude pose several difficulties. Speaking of Revelation 11, which describes this part of the vision, Alan F. Johnson says: Some have considered this chapter one of…

In our last post, we began showing how Inmillennialism can account for the signs in Revelation’s third vision (i.e., of the seven trumpets). Some of them have kernels of physical reality inside John’s figurative language. Others continue long-standing prophetic traditions where the figures portray God’s judgments against Israel. Let’s resume…

Trumpets of tribulation appear often in the Scriptures. In John’s third vision of the Revelation, seven trumpets announce the “great tribulation” in the land of Israel (Rev. 1:9; 7:14; cp. Matt. 24:21). In AD 30, Jesus said this time of tribulation would come in his generation (Matt. 24:34). John, writing…

The year is AD 66. Nero Caesar has banished John, the last living apostle, to the Island of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Nero, who sometimes wears the skin of a beast while performing despicable acts of torture, has been murdering Christians…

The “false Jews” of Jesus day preferred the old wine of the Mosaic Age. The true Jews—the sons of Abraham by faith (Rom. 4:9–16)—wanted new wine. Jesus used a parable to describe this situation: And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new…

God loves order and design. He often uses structure and repetition in his creation. The palm tree in this image is an example of both. As we apply inmillennialism to the book of Revelation, we see the structure God used. He instructed John to “write the things that thou hast…

Churches are not often concerned about false Jews today. If someone identifies themselves as a Jew, people do not ask for verification. And they shouldn’t. In John’s day, a unique historical situation made “false Jews” a threat to the churches. This category did not arise from a person’s ethnicity, but…

One of our readers made a mild objection to our last post, Can God’s Kingdom Grow?. His two observations are correct: the terms “church kingdom” and “creation kingdom” do not occur in the Scriptures and there is only one kingdom. This post will explain why we introduced these terms. For…

Jesus taught parables that show the kingdom of heaven changing. For example, it grows like a mustard seed becoming a tree (Matt. 13:31–32). But can God’s kingdom grow? Our first answer might be that it cannot grow: God’s domain already includes heaven and earth. He exercises absolute rule everywhere. God…

The message is hard to avoid: Caesar is Lord! Coins circulate throughout the Roman Empire proclaiming the Emperor’s divinity. The “divine” power has increased since Julius, the first Caesar, established the Empire in 49 BC. One of his successors, Nero, now uses it in every area of life. In the…