Despite more than a century of contentious debate in the academy concerning Jesus’ understanding and proclamation of the kingdom of God, it is fairly clear what the majority of Jews at the time believed about it. No one questioned what Jesus or John the Baptist meant by the kingdom of God, because it was part of a commonly held “apocalyptic” narrative of history. 

In this way, the roiling disputes of modern New Testament studies seem far removed from actual pages of the New Testament. The simplest explanation for this lack of dispute (i.e., the law of parsimony) is that Jesus and the apostles simply assumed the various elements of their Jewish apocalyptic worldview (e.g., the day of the Lord, judgment of the wicked, resurrection of the dead, and messianic kingdom) to be a fact of reality. - John P. Harrigan

An obscure verse should not determine the meaning of unambiguous verses. Matthew 12:28 ‖ Luke 11:20 is an obscure, puzzling statement—Jesus’ rejoinder to hostile critics who were accusing him of working in league with Beelzebul. Should problematic Matthew 12:28 ‖ Luke 11:20 be the hermeneutical cornerstone for interpreting the Kingdom? 

This question becomes acute when one notes that there are more than a hundred statements concerning the Kingdom of God in the Synoptics. The majority of these statements present the Kingdom as a place, not an exorcistic power. The majority of these statements present the Kingdom as future hope, not a present reality… 

When this wider interpretive task is undertaken, when all the evidence is considered, hermeneutical weight would have to be assigned to the scores of synoptic statements portraying the Kingdom as a future realm, rather than to Matthew 12:28 ‖ Luke 11:20 (which—according to Dodd—portrays the Kingdom  as a curative power). 

Realized eschatologists reverse this procedure. They assign hermeneutical weight to problematic Matthew 12:28 ‖ Luke 11:20 and ignore the scores of statements portraying the Kingdom as a future realm. - Clayton Sullivan, Rethinking Realized Eschatology. 

I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;

I am bringing my salvation near, it does not wait.

I will save Zion;

I will adorn Israel with my splendor.

-YHW in Isaiah 46

"I believe that God’s purpose regarding our world can only be understood by understanding God’s purpose as to Israel." Horatius Bonar

A Christian's justification and adoption constitute a change in STATUS before God.

A Christian's regeneration constitutes a change in NATURE.

Each is of grace, each is precious, but knowing their distinctions helps us stop the mouth of the accuser and thank God more meaningfully. - BA Purtle

For the first century Jewish apostles of Jesus the end times was not about having their chart lined up or even news watching.

It was about the resurrection of the body, the lake of fire, the Messianic Son of David defeating their enemies and restoring the kingdom to Israel…

-Tyler Luedke

The salvation of Israel (Rom. 11:26) means:

- Life from the dead for the whole world (Rom. 11:15; Acts 3:19-21)

- The return of Jesus Christ (Mt. 23:39)

- The imprisonment of Satan (Rev. 20:1-3)

Isaac Bennet 

To be Christocentric means to be utterly taken up with the Person, Work, and Teaching of Jesus the Messiah, as revealed in the whole of Scripture.

That means His pre-incarnate glory, 1st coming, heavenly reign, and all that is written re: His 2nd coming.

Are you Christ-centered? - BA Purtle

"I believe that it is not possible to enter God’s mind regarding the destiny of man without taking as our key or our guide His mind regarding that ancient nation [Israel], that nation whose history so far from being ended or nearly ended is only about to begin." Horatius Bonar

My teaching on from Luke 3 on the beginning of Jesus's public ministry and his baptism. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

My friend Brandon's teaching on the forward looking nature of faith. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

I personally believe that if 100 new Christians were locked in separate rooms alone with a Bible for 10 years, being able to read the original text fluently and with no outside influences, studying the Scriptures day and night, after 10 years, they would have some differences about the end times, about the meaning of election and predestination, about leadership structure, about Christians and the law, about the exact nature of God's triunity, about the relationship between the church and Israel, among some other issues -- but I do not believe that any of them would come out cessationists. - Dr. Michael Brown

"It is well known how Origen... opened the door to the Scriptures' distortion by seeking deeper meanings which he arrived at by allegorizing certain portions which he, because of his basic commitment to Platonism, regarded as unbecoming of God." - Dr. Daniel Fuller

Though I spearhead a theological movement and change the minds of thousands, even on a most vital matter, if I have not love, I am nothing.

-BA Purtle

Don’t let anyone tell you that your life’s circumstances will get better if you follow Jesus.

The good news is eternal life with a resurrected body in the age to come, not this life.

“It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” - Paul

-Tyler Luedke

From Zion, the perfection of beauty, God appears in radiance.

Our God is coming; he will not be silent! Devouring fire precedes him, and a storm rages around him.

- Psalm 50

The driving message of both Jesus and John the Baptist was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2; 4:17), echoing the prophets’ proclamation that “the day of the Lord is at hand” (Isa. 13:6, kjv; cf. Ezek. 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1; 3:14; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:7, 14). 

Such phraseology was tremendously fearful, since the day of the Lord was understood to initiate the kingdom of God (cf. Matt. 10:14f.; Luke 10:11f.). Thus many came out to receive John’s “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). 

The question was never about the nature of the kingdom, but rather about who would be “considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead” (Luke 20:35). Such was the general tenor of Jesus’ preaching (cf. Matt. 5–7; 10:5–40; 11:7–30; 12:25–45; 15:3–20; 16:23–28; 18:3–35; 21:28–44; 23:1–39; 24:4—25:46). - John P. Harrigan

History and the scriptures confirm that life won't go on this way forever. And there are two possible responses to that:

1) Press on in obedience to Jesus and make other disciples who do the same.

2) Check out and live for this age.

Lots of people are choosing #2. Don't.

-Josh Hawkins

One of the dramatic threads of Genesis is conflict between brothers.

It starts when Cain kills his brother Abel. Ishmael mocks his half-brother Isaac, and is expelled from Abraham’s house.After Genesis 4, the question is: Can the righteous survive the violence of the wicked? Jacob's life answers Yes.

Esau intends to kill Jacob, but Jacob flees, flourishes, and returns. There are subtle hints of reconciliation between the brothers. Jacob is an Abel who survives to return to his Cain.

The theme comes to a head in the Joseph narrative. All Joseph’s brothers hate him, sell him to slavery, tell Jacob he’s dead. But their brother rises from the pit, from jail, from his virtual death.The subtle notes of reconciliation in the Jacob-Esau story come to a crescendo, as Joseph feeds and unveils himself to the brothers who “killed” him. Joseph doesn't just survive fraternal assault. He absorbs their attack, rises from the dead, and delivers his brothers from death. An Abel who saves his Cain.

The brother theme of Genesis isn’t static. It progresses toward a breathtaking anticipation of a Greater Joseph to come. - Peter Leithart

Paul says we "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:12).

He doesn't say we have no fight. He doesn't say everything is supposed to be perfect and that we will never struggle against our sin nature and doubts.

He says we fight. So as long as you're fighting you're alive. -Travis M. Snow

"Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad." (Psalm 53:6 ESV)

Rejecting realized eschatology means being freed from playing make believe with this age. - Joshua Reese

Theology 101: 

Our sin was truly imputed to Him in that He died; 

His righteousness is truly imputed to us in that we rise.

- Dr. Michael Svigel

My teaching on the preaching of John the Baptist in Luke 3 - Part 2. Notes. Audio 1. Audio 2. 

In this way realized eschatology drives an unnecessary and detrimental wedge between Judaism and Christianity, as Jewish theologian David Ariel articulates:

What is it, after all, that marks the difference between Christians and Jews? . . . Jews believe in the eventual fulfillment of an elusive dream of a perfect world. Christians believe that the world has already been saved by the crucifixion and resurrection of the Messiah Jesus. The difference between the belief in future redemption and realized redemption is the chasm that separates Jewish from Christian thinking.

Indeed, “realized redemption” does create a chasm of thought between us and the Scriptures, yet the apostles knew nothing of the sort. Their hope remained thoroughly Jewish apocalyptic, as Acts 1:3–11 plainly reveals. The division between Jews and the Jesus-following “sect” (Acts 24:5, 14; 28:22) of the New Testament simply concerned the sacrificial interpretation of the cross, not a spiritual realization of Jewish eschatology. -John P. Harrigan

Extending Mercy to the Gentiles

 

I can't recommend John Harrigan's book on Paul's discipleship of the Gentiles enough. 

The biblical prophets state numerous times that the Messiah will part the Red Sea a second time when he returns (Isa. 10:26-27; 11:15-16; Zech. 10:10-11).

This will take place before he enters the Land of Israel and establishes his kingdom. Moreover, there are different practical and theological reasons why this will be the case, three of which are as follows:

1) During the final tribulation (aka. Daniel's 70th Week), a large portion of the Israelite nation will be sent into exile, and will survive in Egypt, North Africa, and other Middle Eastern locales (Isa. 27:12-13). Thus, when Jesus returns, he will first journey into these nations to save his Jewish kin, and then lead them in a Second Exodus, through the Red Sea, and up to Jerusalem.

2) The Messiah is often presented as a New Moses or Greater Moses in both the Old and New Testaments (Deut. 18:18; Matt. 2:13-18). As a result, to fulfill his Mosaic mandate, Jesus will have to do essentially everything Moses did during his own ministry. There are already many parallels between the life of Moses and Jesus highlighted in the Gospel of Matthew, but there are many more that will become a reality after the Second Coming, including the parting of the Red Sea.

3) In the Bible, God's new creation always emerges out of water, because water symbolizes both chaos and new life. In Genesis 1 the cosmos emerges out of water. After the Flood in the time of Noah, the new world emerges out of water as well. Similarly, when Israel came out of the darkness of Egypt, they had to go through the waters before they could begin their new life with God. And of course, in Christian baptism, we experience the same.  

All of this is pointing to how, when Jesus returns, he will once again take his people through the waters of the Red Sea to symbolize the new life of the Messianic Age that will emerge out of the chaos and darkness of the Tribulation.

Most people have never heard of this aspect of the Second Coming, but rest assured, if you trust in the Messiah and endure the hardships of this world with him, you will one day see him part the Red Sea, and then he will bring you into the Land of Paradise. - Travis M. Snow

Daniel 1... If you fast in Babylon, you'll feast in Zion. - Joshua Reese

A Hebrew Surprise in Psalm 147

In Psalm 147, there is a Hebrew surprise that is not obvious in translation. Notice these two verses (4&5):

“He determines the number of the stars;

he gives to all of them their names.

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;

his understanding is beyond measure.”

The words “number” and “measure” are the same Hebrew word: mispar (מִסְפָּר). We might render it more literally, “He counts the stars, but his understanding cannot be counted.”

When we stare into the night sky, we cannot number the stars. They are too vast for our minds to comprehend. If we cannot fathom a visible element of creation, how could we ever fathom the mind of God? - Chad Bird

It's always a delight for Hebrew to wink at a subtle meaning in a biblical story.

It is a "little girl" who sends the great and mighty Naaman to see the prophet and be washed in the Jordan. He comes forth from the waters with skin restored like the "flesh of a little child."

In Hebrew, the pun is clear. The “little girl” (na’arah qetanah) leads to the great man having skin like a “little child” (na’ar qaton).

The greatest becomes like the least, the first like the last, in these cleansing waters.- Chad Bird