Dr Paul Allen

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace, you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:6) We can all recall a time when we had a seating assignment. Perhaps in schooling, at work, or around the dinner table, a particular chair may come to be known as your seat. We tend to size up the quality of our assigned seats by factors such as visibility, ambiance, and, above all, the surrounding company.  If we’re off to a concert or sporting event, our first question may well be “Do we have good seats?” We intuitively recognize that where we sit and (more importantly) whom it is that we sit next to play no small role in our experience. Thus, as Christians, we do well to pause and ask the question, “Do we have good seats?” Christians possess the most awesome of all assigned seats. How so? In this pa...

We are prone to make assumptions about God and His favor when life has us down due to sin, mistakes, or incomprehensible circumstances. Of all the Scripture passages we might turn to during these times, the bizarre vision that opens the book of Ezekiel would not register high on our list. However, reading this passage with its original ancient context in mind reveals a powerful message for its original recipients and for every believer. https://hopecollege.com The Babylonian Context Ezekiel had his vision in Babylon as one of the captive exiles (Ezek 1:1–3). Comparing his vision to Babylonian iconography reveals that Ezekiel saw a divine “throne-chariot” of the heavens—widely described in the ancient biblical world. Just as human kings had chariots, so did deities. A deity would traverse the heavens in his chariot throne, inspecting his domain and exercising authority over it. In Ezekiel’s vision, this throne sits atop the “expanse” (רקיע, raqiaʾ, 1:26)—the same word used in Gene...

One of the most important events of the life of Christ was His ascension. We celebrate His birth, His life, His transfiguration, His atoning death on Good Friday, and His resurrection. But all of these events moved Jesus inexorably toward that moment when He would be lifted up from this planet, not simply to rise to heaven but to go to His coronation, His crowning as King of kings and Lord of lords . Immediately following Jesus' ascension comes His session. If I were to ask you, "What's the session?" you might say that it is the group of elders of your church who meet to establish policy and carry out discipline in the church. That's true, but the ultimate session is the session of Jesus; it refers to His seating at the right hand of God . Various views have emerged in church history regarding the concept of the kingdom of God . Some believe the kingdom of God is totally future, that it doesn't exist at all now, not even in part, until the return of Je...

Image via Wikipedia Worship in heaven is worship at its best. Pleasing God , not others, is what matters in worship.  But there is a new way in worship in our day – one that seeks to please the unconverted person, to be cool, not transcendent and reverent.  The preacher, likewise, is be trendy, not weighty, and more therapeutic than theological. Worship, however, should be a foretaste of heaven.  Let’s take a look at the worship of heaven in Revelation 4.  I.  A high view of God John immediately noticed a throne : “and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne” (Rev. 4:2).   God is ruling, and His rule is permanent.  The throne is central.  Everything is measured in terms of its proximity to the throne. When people step into worship services, they should sense that heaven has stepped down.  There must be a sense that we’ve left the realm where Satan reigns and we’re coming into the realm where God r...