Dr Paul Allen

Jesus spoke about the end times and the last judgment during the last week of his earthly ministry.1 All three Synoptic Gospels relate Jesus’ eschatological discourse ( Matt. 24 –25; Mark 13 ; Luke 21 ). Since Christian views about the end times must be informed by Jesus’ explanations regarding the period leading up to the end,2 a study of these texts is of fundamental significance. The reports of Matthew , Mark, and Luke about Jesus’ discourse on the end times are in essential agreement; the passage in Matthew is the most extensive and provides fuller details, especially about the last judgment. Therefore, the following discussion will follow Matthew’s presentation; we will refer to material that only Mark and Luke present where necessary Jesus mentions ten signs that herald the end of the age and the event of his return.  The first four signs are related to world affairs: (1) seduction of many people by messianic pretenders who claim to have royal dignity and the ab...

It's sexy among young people to talk about ditching institutional religion and starting a revolution of real Christ -followers living in real community without the confines of church. Really? Besides being unbiblical, such notions of churchless Christianity are unrealistic. It's immaturity actually, like the newly engaged couple who think romance preserves the marriage, when the couple celebrating their golden anniversary know it's the institution of marriage that preserves the romance. Without the God -given habit of corporate worship and the God-given mandate of corporate accountability, we will not prove faithful over the long haul. What we need are fewer revolutionaries and a few more plodding visionaries. That's my dream for the church—a multitude of faithful, risktaking plodders. The best churches are full of gospel-saturated people holding tenaciously to a vision of godly obedience and God's glory, and pursuing that godliness and glory with ...

It's sexy among young people to talk about ditching institutional religion and starting a revolution of real Christ -followers living in real community without the confines of church. Really? Besides being unbiblical, such notions of churchless Christianity are unrealistic. It's immaturity actually, like the newly engaged couple who think romance preserves the marriage, when the couple celebrating their golden anniversary know it's the institution of marriage that preserves the romance. Without the God -given habit of corporate worship and the God-given mandate of corporate accountability, we will not prove faithful over the long haul. What we need are fewer revolutionaries and a few more plodding visionaries. That's my dream for the church—a multitude of faithful, risktaking plodders. The best churches are full of gospel-saturated people holding tenaciously to a vision of godly obedience and God's glory, and pursuing that godliness and glory with ...

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ , not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.” ( Philippians 1:29 ) Paul wrote in the previous verses that we are to conduct ourselves as though our only citizenship was worthy of the gospel message that we proclaim, and that in doing so we should be committed to a mindset held together by the Holy Spirit . Then, he encouraged us not to be “terrified by your adversaries” ( Philippians 1:28 ). Such adversaries—from the devil himself ( 1 Peter 5:8 ) to business ( Matthew 5:25 ) and family problems ( Luke 12:13 )—are part and parcel to those who would “live godly in Christ Jesus ” ( 2 Timothy 3:12 ). We should not be surprised when such challenges come; rather, we should be alarmed if all men “speak well of you” ( Luke 6:26 ). Curiously, Paul wrote that we are “gifted” (Greek verb charizomai, same idea as the related noun charis) with this privilege, in the interests of our Lord Jesus, to “suffer for his sake.” The ...

English: Ascension of Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” ( Acts 2:12). Jerusalem at Pentecost was filled with “ Jews , devout men, from every nation under heaven.” Many of these undoubtedly were pilgrims, visitors from other lands who had come to Jerusalem for the feast, but some may have been people who had been raised in other places and had taken up residence in the city for religious or educational purposes. In any case, Luke is clear that all of them were Jews, some by birth and some by conversion. And they were “devout men,” a term used for those who obey God’s law faithfully and reverently. These Jews were attracted by the “sound” of the wind or of the disciples’ speech in foreign tongues. They came together, and coming closer they were able to hear what the disciples were saying. This led first to confusion and then to amazement, for they could hear the disciples speaking in th...

Jesus baptism site - River Jordan 015 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) During the first century, the land promised to Abraham was filled with Roman soldiers who had taken possession of the country by force. An extension of that Roman power lay in the hands of the Roman-appointed priestly aristocracy who had taken control of Jerusalem ’s Temple. They had used their wealth and political influence to obtain and maintain their fraudulent authority over the Temple institution. In the midst of these claims of authority, there was Jesus . All authority in heaven and on earth actually belonged to him (Dan. 7:13–14; Matt. 28:18). In contrast to others, his was the legitimate authority. From place to place he revealed his authority through his words and actions that resulted in the overthrow of evil. In part 2 we will look at various ways Jesus revealed his authority and see again how certain places were often part of that process. In these eleven chapters we will examine events that occurred in...

The Reformed Church of France, Paris, France (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Matthew 19:1–8 “He said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so’” ( v. 8 ). Though He has made a few excursions into Gentile areas ( Matt.8:28–34 ; 15:21–39 ), Jesus ’ roughly three years of public ministry have thus far been confined mostly to the region of Galilee ( 4:12–25 ; 9:1–7 ; 10:5–42 ; 17:24–27 ). But we see now that He has left Galilee for Judea ( 19:1–2 ), the place where His time among His disciples will conclude with His death, resurrection, and ascension. Upon arriving in Judea, Jesus meets some Pharisees who, as we have come to expect ( 12:1–14 ; 15:1–20 ), seek to test Him once more. Now the issue is divorce, and the Pharisees’ question ( 19:3 ) is rooted in the controversy over marriage in their day. First-century Jews interpreted Deuteronomy 24:1–4 , which allows for divorce on the grounds of “indecency,” i...

Fortress Cathedral (Photo credit: Stuck in Customs ) “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit , it multiplied.” Acts 9:31 What is the key to growing a church? How does a church remain healthy amid various challenges? We have learned in the book of Acts that the church had to endure various forms of persecution: Peter and John were beaten for preaching. Stephen was stoned to death. Paul was dragged off to prison. The church was “being built up.” How could that have happened in light of such circumstances? The text gives us two clues: it says that they were walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.  Why do you think those two things would cause them to grow in spite of all these challenges? Walking in the fear of the Lord means that they feared God more than they feared their attackers. This gave them immense p...