Full description

    It’s enough to frustrate the serious Bible student. What if you found out most of it is simply mistaken? What if you found out that the ancient Jewish writers were using Old Testament imagery of the past, not a crystal ball gaze into our modern future? What if you found out that everything that modern prophecy pundits are looking for--the Antichrist, The Beast, the Tribulation, the Rapture--was not what they told you it was, but something different? The Truth About Bible Prophecy Respected biblical author Brian Godawa draws from Evangelical theological scholarship and deconstructs the popular “Left Behind” interpretation to uncover a far more fascinating and far more Biblical view of End Times Bible prophecy. One that rescues the original ancient Jewish context of prophecies from being hostage to modern prophecy speculators. Don’t worry, what Godawa unveils is controversial, but it’s not new. It’s not his own personal theory. He’s not a cult leader with a bizarre vision from God. What he reveals has a long tradition of godly Bible scholarship behind it. It’s just not what you’ve been taught. And it’s rooted in interpreting the Bible through the Bible, NOT through newspaper exegesis. What Jesus Himself Said About the End of the Age Here are a few of the things you’ll be astounded to read about in this book: You’ll hear Godawa’s own personal journey in changing his understanding of the End Times. You’ll find out how hyperliteralism corrupts Bible Prophecy interpretation. Godawa focuses on Jesus’ own predictions about the End of the Age in Matthew 24. You’ll discover the dirty little secret behind the so-called Rapture. The truth about the Last Days. It’s not what they told you. Just what is the Great Tribulation and when did it happen? What the heck are those cosmic catastrophes in the heavens? The shocking truth about Antichrist and the Abomination of Desolation You’ll be amazed when you see how the coming of Christ on the clouds has been completely misunderstood by well-meaning but misinformed prophecy pundits. This is not newspaper exegesis, but intense Bible study. Guaranteed to inspire your love for God’s Word and His promises to His people.

    

    Details vary, but the general assumption is the same: things will get much, much worse before they get better. But is this really what the Bible teaches? Leaving aside the theological terms that often confuse and muddle this question, Douglas Wilson instead explains eschatology as the end of the greatest story in the world—the story of humanity. He turns our attention back to the stories and prophecies of Scripture and argues for "hopeful optimism": the belief that God will be true to His promises, that His will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven, and that the peace and good will we sing about at Christmas will one day be a reality here on earth.

    Simply put, they are promises, agreements, or contracts. But how do they translate into faith and the reading of Scripture? Are covenants merely elements of a narrative? Or do they represent something more? And what are the eternal implications of "cutting" a covenant with God?In God of Promise, author Michael Horton unwinds the intricacies of crucial covenant concepts, showing how they provide a significant organizational structure for all of Scripture. They give us a context in which to understand the voices and message of the biblical narrative. They provide life with a goal and history with a meaning.Whether you're a pastor, ministry leader, or professor, God of Promise will give you a new understanding of covenants and covenant theology, providing a framework for an important theological concept."Thought is packed tight in this masterful survey of the covenantal frame of God's self-disclosure in Scripture, and for serious students it is a winner."--J. I. Packer, professor of theology, Regent College"God of Promise is a rigorous and articulate defense of a traditional view of covenant theology. Dr. Horton's federalist emphasis gleans from well-established Reformed writers while adding his own highly readable and insightful commentary."--Bryan Chapell, president, Covenant Theological Seminary"Michael Horton has brought covenant theology to life in a way which engages modern thought and appeals to contemporary students and pastors alike. His book is a clear guide to an essential topic."--Gerald Bray, Anglican professor of divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Sanford University

    A study of the biblical and Reformed teaching on the Christian's hope in this world, in the prospect of the triumph of the gospel.

    Does the Holy Spirit do the same things now and in the New Testament times that He did in Old Testament times? Volume one in the NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY STUDIES IN BIBLE AND THEOLOGY series for pastors, advanced Bible students, and other deeply committed laypersons addresses this challenging subject.God’s Indwelling Presence asks and explores to answer: What are the spiritual differences and similarities between Old Testament and New Testament believers? Did God dwell in Old Testament believers as He does in New Testament believers? Were Old Testament believers born again (that is, experience regeneration)? What do the words indwelling and regeneration mean? How is the Holy Spirit’s ministry similar or different during Old Testament and New Testament times?Users will find this an excellent extension of the long-respected NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY.

    It would seem nothing has changed. Today 'born again Christians' fill churches that are seen as ineffectual at best, and even characterised by the 'mosaic' generation as 'unchristian'.The term 'born again' has been devalued both in society and in the church. Those claiming to be 'born again' live lives that are indistinguishable from those who don't; they sin the same, embrace injustice the same, covet the same, do almost everything the same.Being 'born again' is now defined by what people say they believe. The New Testament however defines Christians very differently."When Jesus said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again" (John 3:7), he was not sharing interesting and unimportant information. He was leading him to eternal life... If he does that for you (or if he already has), then you are (or you will be) truly, invincibly, finally alive." John Piper

    Are we missing out on blessings from God by ignoring the Lord?'s Day? Joey Pipa investigates and presents his conclusions it could change the way you think about Sunday

    The laughter of children. College football. Scrambled eggs and crispy bacon. But what happens to these earthly pleasures when Jesus shows up? Do the things of earth grow strangely dim? Or does he shine in all that's fair?In this book, Joe Rigney offers a breath of fresh air to Christians who are burdened by false standards, impossible expectations, and misguided notions of holiness. Steering a middle course between idolatry on the one hand and ingratitude on the other, this much-needed book reminds us that every good gift comes from the Father's hand, that God's blessings should drive us to worship and generosity, and that a passion for God's glory is as wide as the world.

    We cage them or clip their wings to keep them where we want them. Scot McKnight contends that many, conservatives and liberals alike, attempt the same thing with the Bible. We all try to tame it. McKnight’s The Blue Parakeet has emerged at the perfect time to cool the flames of a world on fire with contention and controversy. It calls Christians to a way to read the Bible that leads beyond old debates and denominational battles. It calls Christians to stop taming the Bible and to let it speak anew for a new generation.In his books The Jesus Creed and Embracing Grace, Scot McKnight established himself as one of America’s finest Christian thinkers, an author to be reckoned with. In The Blue Parakeet, McKnight again touches the hearts and minds of today’s Christians, this time challenging them to rethink how to read the Bible, not just to puzzle it together into some systematic theology but to see it as a Story that we’re summoned to enter and to carry forward in our day. In his own inimitable style, McKnight sets traditional and liberal Christianity on its ear, leaving readers equipped, encouraged, and emboldened to be the people of faith they long to be.

    The author discusses the structure of Paul's eschatology, the interaction between his eschatology and his soteriology, and the religious and ethical motivation of his eschatology. This volume also discusses the coming of the Lord and its precursors, the man of sin, the resurrection, chiliasm, the judgment, and the eternal state. The Pauline Eschatology, originally published in 1930, includes a bibliography and an appendix on the eschatology of the Psalter.

    With clarity and wit, he shows us how covenants carry the Bible’s story from start to finish and ultimately give root to the gospel of salvation by grace. Beginning with Adam in the garden of Eden, and ending with Jesus, our risen Covenant King, Rhodes illuminates the good news of a promise-making, promise-keeping God.Key topics include law and grace, union with Christ, baptism in the Spirit, predestination, and water baptism. Rediscover the Bible’s unified covenantal story and its unfolding message throughout Scripture.

    Evil is no longer the concern just of ministers and theologians but also of politicians and the media. We hear of child abuse, ethnic cleansing, AIDS, torture and terrorism, and rightfully we are shocked. But, N. T. Wright says, we should not be surprised. For too long we have naively believed in the modern idea of human progress. In contrast, postmodern thinkers have rightly argued that evil is real, powerful and important, but they give no real clue as to what we should do about it. In fact, evil is more serious than either our culture or our theology has supposed. How then might Jesus' death be the culmination of the Old Testament solution to evil but on a wider and deeper scale than most imagine? Can we possibly envision a world in which we are delivered from evil? How might we work toward such a future through prayer and justice in the present? These are the powerful and pressing themes that N. T. Wright addresses in this book that is at once timely and timeless.

    Naturally, these interpretations all contradict each other which leads many believers to decide that efforts to understand it are a waste of time.In fact, however, Revelation is not all that difficult to interpret. It completes the history begun in the book of Acts, and is closely tied to everything else that is going on in the apostolic age. It deals with the end of the Old Creation and the full arrival of the New, and then looks forward to the final return of Jesus and the bodily resurrection at the end of history.