Craig L.Blomberg

Jesus gives a second description of the “great tribulation” sign: it would be one “such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt 24:21). This begins the shift in literary styles that I mentioned earlier (here), from unadorned prose…

Job’s hope is secure in inmillennialism. He said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth” (Job 19:25, NKJV). Our prophetic model says Job’s redeemer—Jesus Christ—stood on the earth in the “last days” (Heb 1:2) of the Mosaic age. Job also said, “And though…

We have arrived at a passage—1 Thess 4:13–5:11—that mentions several important prophetic events. In this famous “rapture” passage, Paul discusses the coming (i.e., parousia = presence) of the Lord (1 Thess 4:15), the resurrection (1 Thess 4:16–17), the day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:2), and sudden destruction that would…

On Tuesday of Passion Week, the Sadducees challenged Jesus regarding his doctrine of the resurrection (Matt 22:23–33). Their belief “that there is no resurrection” (Matt 22:23) is well known. Jesus’s response to the Sadducees is of vital importance to our prophetic model. Inmillennialism is a preteristic view of prophecy. “Preterism”…

The scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus’s disciples for violating a Jewish hand-washing tradition. In his response, he quoted Isaiah 29:13:  Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from…

Our last post (here) discussed Jesus’s parables of the “treasure” and the “pearl of great price” (Matt 13:44–46). Our view of them agrees with the majority view on a key point. In these stories, “Jesus is comparing the kingdom of God to the treasure and to the pearl.” We disagree,…

The usual view of the parables of the “treasure” and the “pearl of great price” (Matt 13:44–46) is glorious. Christians must “abandon anything that would stand in the way of wholehearted allegiance to Christ and the priorities of the kingdom.” Scripture supports this teaching. We should place a high value…

“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” — Prov 29:18 (ESV) Prophecy leads God’s people to obey their Lord. But, several ingredients must be present. First, God must give us a vision. When Samuel was young, “the word…

This post will appear during Thanksgiving week. Our forefathers in the United States established a tradition of thanking God for the year’s harvest. We continue that practice and here acknowledge our Father’s blessings this year. A harvest of a different kind is the subject of our blog this week. We…

Job’s hope is secure in inmillennialism. He said, “I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth” (Job 19:25, NKJV). Our prophetic model says Job’s redeemer—Jesus Christ—stood on the earth in the “last days” (Heb 1:2) of the Mosaic age. Job also said, “And…