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the Coming of Jesus: the Olivet Discourse – Part 2

...belong to the gospel-church, belong to the new creation; and therefore there seems to be at least as much reason, that we should commemorate the work of this creation, as that the members of the ancient Jewish church should commemorate the work of the old creation.” Jonathan Edwards (1739), the Perpetuity and Change of the Sabbath (the Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol 2)   the Desolation One of our earliest extra-Biblical sources for showing how the destruction of Jerusalem was seen as the fulfilment of Matt 24 etc. amongst the early Christians comes from the Epistle of Barnabas (not the be confused with the much later 14th century forgery called “the...

the Deity of Christ in the gospel of Matthew - Part 2

...Matthew's theme - the divine presence of Jesus This is a guest post by “KingsServant”, see Part 1 here. Having covered Matthew’s introduction to his gospel in his nativity account, we will now consider the way Matthew “bookends” the gospel by beginning his work with the promise of God dwelling with his people (fulfilled in the incarnation) and ending it in the same way with Jesus’ comforting promise never to leave his followers. This theme of Matthew begins with his quotation of Isaiah 7:14, which we have already analysed in the previous article with regard to how it reveals Matthew’s teaching that Jesus is God. As noted before, in Matthew...

the Coming of Jesus: the Olivet Discourse – Part 1

...omised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. And also in the letter to the Romans, Paul declares that the faith of these believers is even proclaimed throughout the world – how much more so then was the gospel? Rom 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.   So to conclude, Jesus gave his followers specific signs to watch out for which would forewarn and usher in his coming. these signs are documented in the historical and Biblical record to show that what Jesus prophesied came to pa...

How Old Was Jesus When He Died? A Fresh Look At the Historical Clues

...We often hear that Jesus was “about 33 years old” when he was crucified and only had a three-year ministry. But have you ever wondered how precise that number is, or why we assume that was his age, especially when Scripture doesn’t specify? Table of Contents the gospel of Luke: “About Thirty” Early Church Testimony: Irenaeus and the Longer Ministry Historical Anchors: Birth, Pilate, and the Crucifixion Window the Death of Herod Cross-referencing with Pilate, Caiaphas, and Jesus When Did Tiberius Begin to Reign? 1. From his co-regency with Augustus (AD 11–12) 2. From the death of Augustus (AD 14) How Does This Affect Jesus’ Ag...

the gospel of Jeffrey Dahmer

...there’s a new Netflix documentary out at the moment which has hit the news recently about the infamous serial killer Jeffery Dahmer. I haven’t watched it, but I knew of him as a serial killer though I didn’t realise just how horrific his crimes were until I read the Wikipedia article about him! Not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. But this post isn’t really about Dahmer, not entirely, but rather the reactions to some recent social media posts about him and the (often vitriol) responses they’ve got. Here’s one example: Dahmer is probably in heaven and experiencing eternal joy. If this bothers you, you don’t know the depths of your o...

Will UK Councils Criminalise Christianity? the Alarming Precedent Set by a Labour Council

...es. When the gospel is pushed out of the public square, Christians step back into it with clarity and resolve. It’s ironic, really. When the world tries to silence the Church, it ends up drawing attention to the very message it wants to suppress. the Real Danger: Not the Injunction Itself, But What Comes Next the paused injunction in Rushmoor is not the end of the story. If anything, it is the prologue. Because we are now entering a season where councils and governments — pressured by secular expectations and political anxieties — may test the boundaries of religious freedom in ways that would have been unthinkable twenty years ago. Once you t...