Blog Search Results

The Coming of Jesus: Revelation Fulfilled?

...st as the Jewish War was getting underway during the reign of Nero. The late date puts the writing toWards the end of the reign of Domitian around 95-96 AD. From John’s own testimony, we know that he was suffering persecution at the time of writing: Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.   Both of these Roman Emperors persecuted the Christians, though none quite so severely as Nero did. There’s varying accounts of when Revelation was penned by John. I won’t spend too much tim...

Support Israel? OK, which Israel?

..."We interrupt your regularly scheduled programme to bring you this..." Sorry if you were waiting for part 3 of the Coming of Jesus series, but what with all that's going on in the news lately, I felt that this needed to be written first. "Support Israel's right to defend itself from terror." Images like this really don't help anything. If you've been on Facebook, or any other social media no doubt, I'm sure you will have seen (or even said) words to this effect in status' or memes. I keep seeing memes and images posted by people, often from Christians, about "supporting Israel" and each time it makes me stop and question that statement and/or sentiment....

American Gun Violence and the Early Church on War and Violence

...In light of the sad, recent events in the Las Vegas shooting — and similar events in America— I often see Christians across social media jumping to the defence of gun ownership whenever there is even a slight hint at gun control in America. But how has gun culture become so ingrained in American Christianity when we can observe a clear theme and pattern of thought in the first few centuries of the Church, which goes completely against this? Update 7th Nov 2017: It's so sad to have to update this post on the same subject so soon, almost a month to the day. Yet another shooting, this time in Texas where 26 people have been shot dead in a church of all pl...

The Coming of Jesus: The Olivet Discourse – Part 2

...with the Jewish War, the Olivet Discourse and Revelation in the next part of this study. Stay tuned!   Further Reading: 1“REVELATION: All Things New” Steve A. Robertson, pp. 105ff Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley. 1895 Ancient Christian Writers, The Didache, James A. Kleist (ed.) [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=J9hETdMVwowC&lpg=PA13&ots=Ulfqn-kt4s&dq=epistle%20of%20barnabas%20given%20to%20new%20converts&pg=PA13#v=onepage&q=epistle%20of%20barnabas%20given%20to%20new%20converts&f=false] http://www.academia.edu/2057245/Fleeing_Forw...

The Coming of Jesus: The Olivet Discourse – Part 1

...hus, "The Jewish War" Book 4 chapter 4.5 ...for there broke out a prodigious storm in the night, with the utmost violence, and very strong winds, with the largest showers of rain, with continued lightnings, terrible thunderings, and amazing concussions and bellowings of the earth, that was in an earthquake. In Luke's Gospel, this sign has some addition information that there would also be "dreadful portents and great signs from heaven" too. This, too, is also documented by Josephus, himself almost in disbelief about what seen, except that it was recounted by so many witnesses. Flavius Josephus, "The Jewish War" Book 6 chapter 5.3 Thus there was a st...

Four Blood Moons and everyone loses their minds

...According to NASA, there are about two lunar eclipses per year. This time there happens to be four all within 18 months - something astronomers call a tetrad. I'm slightly surprised I've not seen much about this yet (maybe a good thing?), but it does seem as though this is an event certain Christians have been waiting for - and writing books about! I came across this on a recent Huffington Post article which gives this story also about church leaders saying these moons are "an omen of Armageddon and Second Coming of Christ", but I'm not so sure about that. I did recognise one of the names mentioned, though: John Hagee, a Texas megachurch pastor. It was p...