Age transition

Paul believed a significant prophetic event would happen in his near future, perhaps during his lifetime, and he based that belief on the words of Christ. Inmillennialism, a prophetic view based on the Olivet Discourse and 1 Corinthians 15, accounts for this perspective. As I have said (here), the Apostle’s closing…

Paul believed a significant prophetic event would happen in his near future, perhaps during his lifetime, and he based that belief on the words of Christ. Inmillennialism, a prophetic view based on the Olivet Discourse and 1 Corinthians 15, accounts for this perspective. As I mentioned in my last post (here),…

  According to the inmillennial prophetic model, the churches in Paul’s generation were in a unique situation: they were taking part in a New Exodus, a journey to the long-promised messianic (kingdom) age. This pilgrimage was the antitype of Israel’s original Exodus under Moses (cp. 1 Cor 10:1–11). Israel left Egypt…

Our most recent five posts have considered the cessation of supernatural gifts. They are no longer an ongoing, day-to-day reality in the church’s experience. We will now return to our series of Meditations in Matthew. Our last two posts in that series dealt with Matthew 27–28. One (here) showed how Jesus…

This post continues our answer to a reader’s objection to our Miraculous Gifts post. There we dealt with 1 Cor 13:8–10 and said “that which is perfect” (1 Cor 13:10) refers to the messianic age.  If our identification of the “perfect” is correct, Paul was showing the Corinthians when God…

A gracious reader has raised questions about our Miraculous Gifts post. These queries arise from our view of “that which is perfect” in 1 Cor 13:10–12. There, Paul says: When that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a…

The transfiguration (Matt 17:1–9) provides subtle confirmations of inmillennialism. As a vision (Matt 17:9), it showed the passing away of the Mosaic age. The law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah) would disappear. The messianic age (Jesus) would take their place. Peter linked this transition to Christ’s parousia (2 Pet 1:16–18). Inmillennialism’s…

This post will appear on October 31, a day famous for at least two reasons. First, some Christian traditions call it “All Saints Day,” “All Hallows Day,” or some similar name. On this day, they celebrate the strong bond that exists between saints in heaven and those on earth. Second,…

As the apostles were writing the New Testament, God was bringing the Mosaic age to a close. He was also establishing the messianic-age kingdom of God. Matthew’s gospel emphasizes this age change. John and Jesus had announced the kingdom of God was at hand (Matt 3:2; 4:17). Jesus had taught…

My mom used to make butter from fresh cow’s milk. She poured it into a churn and agitated it with a wooden plunger. This caused the milk solids to separate from the liquid. She then skimmed the butter off the top and pressed it into a mold. When the butter…