Dr Paul Allen

  Matthew 11:12 is a puzzle for translators. The NIV from 1984 reads like this: From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. But the same verse from the 2011 NIV reads: From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. So which one is right? “Forcefully advancing” would be a good thing. “Subjected to violence” sounds bad. What did Jesus mean? Here are three questions to help us decide: How were the words in this sentence used? Were they usually positive or negative in the Greek language that Matthew used? To answer that question, we can use a lexicon, a dictionary of Greek from the New Testament period. What is the context saying? How does this sentence contribute to the message of the paragraph, the pericope, and the book? To answer that question, we must read the surrounding text. How do others understand t...

The gospel of Luke ends with a supremely jarring statement: “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God” (24:50–53). What is jarring about this passage is, as Luke reports the departure of Jesus from this world, the response of His disciples was to return to Jerusalem with “great joy.” What about Jesus’ departure would instil in His disciples an emotion of sheer elation? This question is made all the more puzzling when we consider the emotions the disciples displayed when Jesus earlier had told them that His departure would come soon. At that time, the idea that their Lord would leave their presence provoked in them a spirit of profound remorse. It would seem that nothing could be more depressing than to anticipate separation from the presence o...

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote his famous Canterbury Tales in the 14th century. One of the stories in this narrative is the Knight’s Tale. As a group of pilgrims is on its way to Canterbury, the knight tells his tale about two rival knights, Arcite and Palamon, both vying for the hand in marriage of a fair maiden, Emily. The knights face each other in a public tournament for her hand. Both seem to want victory, but… But then comes the prayer which reveals their true desires. Emily prays that she will marry the one who truly loves her. Palamon prays that he will marry her. Arcite prays for victory in the tournament. All three prayers are answered when Arcite wins the tournament, but then he falls off his horse and dies, so Palamon, who truly loves Emily, gets to marry her. This story shows what happens when true desires are exposed, which is what we see in Matthew 13. In Matthew 13:44-46 we see two short parables about the Kingdom. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in...

When was the last time you heard about the kingdom of God? What was the last sermon you listened to that spoke about the kingdom of God, in more than passing terms? What was the last Christian book you read that said anything about the kingdom of God that was more than lip service? When was the last time you read a church’s doctrinal statement that said anything about the kingdom of God? It’s as if the theme of God’s kingdom has gone missing from evangelicalism. The Overarching Theme The exciting phrase the kingdom of God can seem allusive term because it is multi-faceted. But it is multi-faceted precisely because it is such an important theme in the Bible.  We read about “the gospel of the kingdom” (Matt. 4:23, 9:35, 24:14) because the good news of Jesus cannot be separated from the kingdom. Often times, the gospel and the kingdom are synonymous, such as in Luke 9 where it says that Jesus sent the apostles out to proclaim the kingdom and God and it then states that they ...

The terms “ Gog and Magog ” seem to factor into biblical prophecy quite a bit. Do a Google search for them, and you’ll come up with quite a few conflicting (and sometimes fanciful) articles. Most speculation attempts to tie Gog and Magog’s appearances in Ezekiel and Revelation to a specific geographical location or country. Gog and Magog: a mysterious northern force of evil Two passages in the Bible have cemented Gog and Magog in our minds when we think of the apocalypse: Ezekiel 38–39, and Revelation 20 . Both passages reference a figure named Gog, and a huge army that attacks the people of God . Through the prophet Ezekiel, God says to Gog (of the land of Magog), “You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land” (Ezekiel 38:15–16). Toward the end of our Bible, John the Revelator sees in a vision: “When...

In John 15:1-17 , which is the well-known passage about the vine and the branches. The meaning of this passage is mostly straightforward and uncontroversial until you get to these words of Jesus: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Is this a blanket prayer that God will give us whatever we wish? At first glance, it does seem to be saying this. Many preachers have drawn entire theologies from this passage alone. As desirable as it might be to think that God is a genie who offers Christians whatever they want, it is critical we consider this passage in context. In other words, what was Jesus communicating to his original audience and what does this mean for us today? Upon closer analysis (which involves reading the verses before and after), it is clear that this passage is about true disciples living in obedience to Christ, and as a result, bearing fruit. To “abide in Christ” is to keep His commandments. With this in ...

Here are eight biblical truths about the kingdom of God as it is revealed in  Scripture  and eight ways that this prayer changes our world. The Kingdom of God Is Divine The kingdom of God is the reign of God .  The word for kingdom is taken from  basileia , the word for king, and simply means "the reign of the king." It means all of the territory of His realm. The king is God; His territory includes the whole cosmos. But the question of the ages is this: Is your life part of the territory of the reign of this King? It is important to remember that the kingdom of God did not start with Jesus' appearance; it just made a giant leap forward. The kingdom of God has always been. God has always been on the throne . "The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all"  ( Psalms 103:19 ) . Wherever God is, there is His rule and reign . If you will not submit to His rule and reign, the kingdom of God still exists. If you ...