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The Coming of Jesus: Revelation Fulfilled?

...’ The part about Domitian’s reign could just be a way to further clarify the time Irenaeus was living in, rather than specifying the time when John saw the revelation, which was only seen “almost in [their] day” – but not quite in their time! This would then reconcile better with Irenaeus also referring to “ancient copies” of John’s Revelation.   Robert Young (of Young's Concise Critical Bible Commentary) also challenges this late date:  "It was written in Patmos about A.D.68, whither John had been banished by Domitius Nero, as stated in the title of the Syriac version of the Book; and with this concurs the express statement of Irenaeus...

The Coming of Jesus: Coming on the clouds

...the next part in this series. Often times, our thoughts on these phrases or this kind of prophetic language, is coloured by our upbringing or teaching from a church, or even by secular culture which has taken this imagery and "hollywoodized" it. You need only Google for "apocalypse" or "armageddon" to see this; and although it can be fun from a film watching perspective, it's not entirely helpful if we are letting modern-day secular films and interpretation influence our reading and understanding of Scripture. Lets begin by looking at what Daniel saw. A little context first: the setting is Daniel in the throneroom of God, watching as the "court sat in judgme...

The Coming of Jesus: Introduction

...even part series on this topic to give an overview of what I'll be looking at over the next few posts. I haven't got the structure completely down yet (so there may be other parts depending how each one goes), but I'm aiming to do something along this framework: The series is now completed, which can you read through from beginning to end using the links below: Introduction Daniel's 70 Weeks Coming in the Clouds and Prophetic Symbolism The Olivet Discourse – part 1 The Olivet Discourse – part 2 Revelation Fulfilled? Who is the New Jerusalem? Our Future Hope: What Now?   I h...

Creedal Christians: Introduction

...I’m starting a new four part series over the coming weeks which will be looking at the different historical creeds of the Church which have been recited, used and handed down for two millennia, beginning with the very first formal creed: the Apostles Creed. This series will be a mixture of historical background plus a commentary on the creed itself to see where each statement is based in Scripture, and why we can trust them to accurately portray the Faith. What are creeds and why should we accept them? The word “creed” comes from the Old English crēda, and from Latin crēdo meaning “I believe”. A creed is basically a set of beliefs which you profess...

The Deity of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew - part 2

...ited to a particular place where he is known to have placed his name. Jesus promises that his special presence will follow his disciples wherever they are until his return. His person is not limited to the location of his physical body — his temple. He has a nature which is transcendent, omnipresent, and unrestrained by space. In the book of Jeremiah, Jehovah describes himself as having this attribute (Jeremiah 23:23–24): ““Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off? 24 Can a person hide himself in hiding places So that I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord...

Does Jesus mean Hail Zeus?

...A meme doing the rounds on the internet You may not have come across the image above before, or the similar variants of it, but it pops up on social media groups every so often. The underlying argument is quite ridiculous, but there does seem to be a sub-culture with Christianity which promotes this as fact quite vigorously. Having seen this get shared at least three times on Facebook in the last month, I decided to add a new category to the blog: Apologetics.   In here will be articles for defence of the faith, though sadly this particular one needs to be against those who are already meant to be a part of the same faith! But many people seem to accept...