John Gill

Paul uses a striking image to describe the tribulation the church of the Thessalonians was experiencing. He says the Jews were “fill(ing) up their sins” so that God’s wrath could come on them. This imagery validates inmillennialism’s view of a two-phased tribulation: the preliminary tribulations and the final “great tribulation”/“wrath” that…

Paul had a perspective of the kingdom that differs from ours; in his day, God was calling the churches into the messianic-age kingdom. Now, the churches of Christ comprise that kingdom.  The prophets had foretold both the coming of the kingdom and the saints taking possession of it (e.g., Dan…

  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…

Jesus foretold the Temple’s fall. The disciples asked two questions: when would “these things” happen and what sign would there be (Mark 13:1–4).  Jesus answered the sign question first (Mark 13:5–27). He listed Israel’s birth pains (Mark 13:8), the preaching of the gospel to all nations (Mark 13:10), the abomination…

This brief post will make a single point—Jesus used standard prophetic imagery to describe the Temple’s destruction. The need to establish this point is clear. In the Olivet Discourse (Mark 13:1–27), Jesus spoke about the Temple’s destruction. His disciples asked two questions about this prophecy: when would “these things” happen…

Jesus’s Olivet Discourse was about nothing but the Temple’s destruction. He foretold that event (Mark 13:1–2). His disciples asked two questions about it (Mark 13:3–4). He answered them in reverse order (Mark 13:5–27). The disciples asked, “what will be the sign” of the Temple’s fall? Jesus began with signs that…

In Mark’s account of the Olivet Discourse (Mark 13:1–27), Jesus spoke only about the Temple’s destruction. His disciples asked two questions about it. They wanted to know when “these things” would happen and what their sign would be (Mark 13:3–4). We have examined two groups of signs Jesus gave them.…

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” In the Olivet Discourse the “main thing” is the Temple’s destruction. Jesus foretold it (Mark 13:1–2). The disciples asked two questions about it: when would “these things” happen and what would be their sign (Mark 13:3–4)? Jesus answered the…

In Mark’s version of the Olivet Discourse (Mark 13:1–37), Jesus told his disciples about the Temple’s destruction (Mark 13:1–2). They asked two questions about “these things”: when would they happen and what would be their sign (Mark 13:3–4)? Jesus answers the questions in reverse order. He gives the sign in Mark 13:5–27…

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…