The Bible is full of the references to the second coming of the Saviour, and the events of the great day of God. The language of the inspired writers expresses in the most vivid manner, the awful and terrific scenes of that day in which God arises from His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth. God always warns before sending His judgments. As He warned Sodom and Gomorrah before sending fire and brimstone, and the antediluvian world through Noah before the flood, even so today He is sending a message of warning. In Revelation, Chapter 14, we find the three angels' messages which are being heralded around the world.
The end of the world is coming. From roadside signs to science fiction films, this slogan underscores our society’s nervous fascination with the future. Whether it’s a giant asteroid, a worldwide plague, or some other global catastrophe, the end of the world is a terrifying prospect—at least for those who have no idea what it will be like. For Christians, however, the end of the world should be anything but dreadful. In fact, it should be something we actually look forward to. Why? Because God has told us how the world will end. And He has assured us that the end of this age will mark the beginning of a new, glorious one in which we will serve and worship Him in sinless perfection. Our eternal hope, as believers, is intimately tied to the end of this world. All of this is laid out in the book of Revelation. Not only is Revelation the inspired Word of God, it is also the only New Testament book that includes a promised spiritual blessing for those who study and apply its message. As such, it is an essential part of every Christian’s devotional life. Those who ignore Revelation deprive themselves of a rich treasure of divine truth, and the promised blessings that come from understanding that truth. Join John MacArthur as he explains the book of Revelation in a way that is both doctrinally precise and intensely practical.
This new commentary approaches Revelation from a Pentecostal perspective, but you may be surprised at what this does and doesn’t mean in this case. This is a serious commentary based on the Greek text and includes discussion of all the standard topics (authorship, date, audience, etc.). It gives interpretive priority to the original context and audience while also discussing application today. Newton eschews all populist interpretations of Revelation and questions many assumptions built on futurist or historicist readings, but includes a survey of recent scholarly Pentecostal work on Revelation and an extended discussion of what an authentic Pentecostal reading of Revelation might look like. The commentary highlights features of Revelation that Pentecostals often look for, such as its pneumatology, but also draws attention to features that Pentecostal readers should take more seriously than they often do, such as its missional focus, the narrative flow, intertextual references, and the focus on atonement. This makes it a more optimistic commentary than many available. The commentary interacts in depth with five leading commentaries over the past twenty-five years as well as over two hundred other books and articles, including the oldest existing commentary on Revelation.
Three heavenly angels streak across the expanse of the starry heavens and penetrate earth’s atmosphere to bring an urgent message to human beings to prepare them for Jesus’ return from heaven to earth. This three-part symbolic message is found in Revelation 14, the heart of the prophecies of the book of Revelation. Believers in the second advent of Christ in the mid-nineteenth century discovered this message and began sharing it with others. Over time, many of the children and grandchildren of those believers have lost their connection with that message and its relevance for them in a complex post-modern world. Author Sherrilee Fish unpacks the message of those angels for young people so that they can understand that the God who loves them was willing to save them at great cost and that He wants them to happily wait for the glorious return of Jesus to the earth. He also wants to give them the antidote to the dreaded mark of the beast and the marks of faithfulness of the people that Jesus will take with Him to heaven. Share its message with your children or let them read it on their own.
T. Scott Daniels, pastor of a Los Angeles megachurch, contends that corporate bodies like churches form an individual spiritual personality of sorts. Cultural influences can impact the collective spirit or attitude of a congregation, either hindering it from becoming all God intends it to be or setting it free to glorify God. In this practical work, Daniels examines the nature of the seven representative "angels" of the churches addressed in Revelation to show how congregations can escape the principalities and powers that hold them captive. The book encourages working pastors, church leaders, and ministry students to consider a systems approach to church leadership--one that takes seriously the powers at work within local congregations--and offers suggestions for transformation.
Jesus' parting words to his followers were for them to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matt 28:19). This being the case, shouldn't we be concerned with gaining a full understanding of discipleship from the entire New Testament corpus? Many scholars recognize that the theme of discipleship is found throughout the New Testament, even in Revelation, with all of its symbolism and bizarre imagery. But how does it do this? The focus of this study, through the use of content analysis methodology, is to demonstrate that the theme of discipleship is not only found in the Apocalypse, but is also exceedingly relevant for Christians today. In many parts of the world Jesus' disciples are facing opposition and persecution for their testimony to Jesus Christ. It would do Christians well to read the book of Revelation once again. As they read it this time through the eyes of the oppressed, the content of the book will prove extremely valuable to aid disciples of Jesus in their efforts to "follow the Lamb wherever he goes" (Rev 14:4), no matter what the cost.
The Old Testament is the story of God's promises to his people. Below its somewhat obscure surface is hidden magnificent truth about the love and power of God. Throughout its pages the reader can find promise after promise from God, all of which are fulfilled in the New Testament-in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Author Mark Dever introduces readers to the Old Testament as a glorious whole so that they are able to see the big picture of the majesty of God and the wonder of his promises.
The perfect gift! A specially priced, beautifully designed hardcover edition of The Joy of the Gospel with a foreword by Robert Barron and an afterword by James Martin, SJ. “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus… In this Exhortation I wish to encourage the Christian faithful to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by this joy, while pointing out new paths for the Church’s journey in years to come.” – Pope Francis This special edition of Pope Francis's popular message of hope explores themes that are important for believers in the 21st century. Examining the many obstacles to faith and what can be done to overcome those hurdles, he emphasizes the importance of service to God and all his creation. Advocating for “the homeless, the addicted, refugees, indigenous peoples, the elderly who are increasingly isolated and abandoned,” the Holy Father shows us how to respond to poverty and current economic challenges that affect us locally and globally. Ultimately, Pope Francis demonstrates how to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus Christ, “to recognize the traces of God’s Spirit in events great and small.” Profound in its insight, yet warm and accessible in its tone, The Joy of the Gospel is a call to action to live a life motivated by divine love and, in turn, to experience heaven on earth. Includes a foreword by Robert Barron, author of Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith and James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage
Revelation: The Divine Fire A Biblical prediction says that "In the latter days, your sons and daughters shall prophesy." Brad Steiger has communicated with literally hundreds of individuals who claim to have received messages directly from God -- or from spacemen, angels, spirit guides, or other superhuman entities. It would be easy to dismiss these latter-day prophets as deluded, but amazingly, their revelations all have an internal consistency, a common theme: a time of judgment is at hand, and humankind must change its ways to avert disaster. Moreover, contemporary housewives, business executives, and "Jesus people" are experiencing the same symptoms of revelation- - a blinding light, a voice out of nowhere, an impulse to take on a new name and a new life. On the track of the elusive source of these messages, Steiger examines the spread of glossolalia and faith-healing; the folklore of elves and leprechauns; the awesome cases where a revelator's body is briefly occupied by an outside personality; the mysterious "Elijah" tradition of the Bible that suggests that the great prophets (perhaps even Jesus) were possessed by a single entity; and the latest laboratory research into consciousness expansion. Revelation: The Divine Fire presents actual warnings, predictions, and messages from a wide spectrum of contemporary revelators. In addition, there are interviews and evaluations from a number of clergymen, scientists, and psychics who have met the Divine Fire. "Steiger's 'divine fire' is something. . . which, from the: beginning of recorded history down to the present, has communicated a revelation to man. [Steiger] is properly objective in his evaluation of the significance of such phenomena, setting forth the opinions of various scientific - or at least thoughtful - observers on the subject and, where necessary, synthesizing such opinions." Kirkus Reviews "In the tradition of William James' Varieties of Religious Experiences we have an important collection of valuable data that should be read and considered by any one interested in the pursuit of man, his meaning, and destiny. For me this book was an exciting adventure." Paul Severson, Fate magazine "Steiger enormously expands the definition of revelation. . . . What emerges is an engrossing compilation of esoteric events reported by those experiencing them." Library Journal "Brad Steiger has written a shelf-full of books on psychic phenomena. Many people throughout the country first developed an interest in extrasensory perception through the work of this prolific author." Martin Ebon, OCCULT magazine
Stephen Pattemore examines passages within Revelation 4:1–22:21 that depict the people of God as actors in the apocalyptic drama and infers what impact these passages would have had on the self-understanding and behaviour of the original audience of the work. He uses Relevance Theory, a development in the linguistic field of pragmatics, to help understand the text against the background of allusion to other texts. Three important images are traced. The picture of the souls under the altar (6:9–11) is found to govern much of the direction of the text with its call to faithful witness and willingness for martyrdom. Even the militant image of a messianic army (7:1–8, 14:1–5) urges the audience in precisely the same direction. Both images combine in the final image of the bride, the culmination of challenge and hope traced briefly in the New Jerusalem visions.
