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The Coming of Jesus: Revelation Fulfilled?

...a literal millennial reign at some point in the far future, although opinion on this was divided, and Jerome refers to it as the “millennial fable” in his Commentary on Daniel, as he interprets the Church inheriting an eternal, spiritual kingdom – not an earthly one, along with Eusebius also considering such things as “figurative passages” when speaking against Papias’ literal understanding of it.   There is, though, an extant extra-biblical saying of Jesus which Papias recorded, in which there is a description of life during this millennial reign: “The Lord used to teach about those times and say: The days will come when vines will grow, ea...

Who is the New Jerusalem?

..., earthly millennial reign (at least until the fourth century when it began to be condemned and viewed metaphorically), I can't help but see the imagery of the New Jerusalem as a spiritual and figurative description of our present, physical reality as a body of believers in Christ.   But maybe it is both. Spiritually true now of the Church, and a more complete and realised state in the future? Or maybe the later Christians were right and the strictly literal interpretation was just spread by uninformed people which took hold in the teachings of the church (as some of the later writers assert).   I'm not exactly sure where I stand on the millennial reign,...

Is The Rapture Biblical?

...ut the “millennial reign” and how that looks, the context here is all within that framework of Christ coming, the saints rising and then ruling with him as he returns to earth. It leaves no room for the modern rapture doctrine of escaping to heaven with Jesus and avoiding coming to earth immediately without the resurrection involved. I hope this has served to illuminate some of the issues with “the rapture” and has pointed you towards a more biblical view of the return of Jesus. If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, sign up to be notified about my new book, The Coming of Christ, which will look at this topic and more when it’s rel...

The Coming of Jesus: Daniel's 70 Weeks

...Daniel's 70 Weeks   To fully understand Jesus's first, and indeed what is commonly called his "Second Coming," we need to understand the book of Daniel. This prophetic books give many details and glimpses into the future about coming kingdoms, rulers and above all, the Messiah. I'm going to be focussing on just one part of the book, chapter nine, often referred to as "Daniel's 70 Weeks". But just what is "Daniel's 70 Weeks" you might be asking as you read this. For those unfamiliar with Old Testament prophecy, it is a prophetic vision that Daniel was given from God, and interpreted by the angel Gabriel. You can read the prophecy in fu...

The Coming of Jesus: Our Future Hope - What Now?

...So here we are at the final part of this Coming of Jesus series. If you’re new here, you can start from the beginning by clicking here, or carry on reading as I will give a brief overview of what’s been covered so far.   This series has covered many topics and themes of eschatology, starting with Daniel’s prophecy of the Messiah’s first coming to this world, all the way through to the prophecies of another coming. It’s been a very interesting and eye-opening journey of discovery, at least for myself, if no one else. I didn’t start this study with a particular doctrine or conclusion in mind, but rather went in with the minds...

The Coming of Jesus: Coming on the clouds

...Coming on the clouds of heaven Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. When people read Jesus saying that he will be "coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" in Matthew 24:30, it often taken to mean that he will be doing that literally as opposed to figuratively. Kinda like this, but on clouds.   Careful now, before you put on your heretic hunting hats and grab your pitchforks — let me explain why I say that Jesus wasn't telling his fol...