Dr Paul Allen

Luke 18:9–14  “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 14). After encouraging persistence in prayer by telling the parable of the widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1–8), Jesus turned His attention to the problem of self-righteousness. We see this in today’s passage, which records our Lord’s parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (vv. 9–14). In showing the folly of those who look to their good works as the basis of their status before our Creator, Jesus gives us essential instruction regarding our justification—our being declared righteous in God’s sight. The original audience of the parable consisted of those “who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” (v. 9). Luke’s introductory comment reveals that if we have contempt for those who appear to us to be less righteous than us, we are trusting i...

The biblical end times, also called eschatology, is a complex and varied topic with different viewpoints held by various Christian denominations and scholars. I'll provide a brief overview of some prominent biblical end-times viewpoints: Preterism: This viewpoint asserts that many prophecies regarding the end times, particularly those found in the book of Revelation, were fulfilled in the past. Preterists interpret these prophecies as referring to events that occurred during the early years of Christianity or around the time of the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. Historicist: Historicists interpret the book of Revelation as a symbolic representation of the entire course of history from when it was written until the second coming of Jesus. They see various events and figures mentioned in Revelation as representing specific historical periods and individuals. This viewpoint was prevalent among Protestant reformers. Futurism: Futurists believe that many of the prophec...