The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.
In the Beginning—A Good Place to Start Genesis is chock-full of some of the Bible's most exciting stories. From Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to Joseph's reunion with his family. Do you ever wonder if God really did create the world in seven days? What's the deal with Cain and Abel anyway? And just how big was that boat Noah built? Start at the beginning with Pastor Skip Heitzig and the accounts on which the rest of Scripture is built: the creation of the world, the fall of mankind, and God's establishment of the history of the nation of Israel. Follow along and learn not just the origins of man, but also the origins of God's plan for redemption. Understanding the book of Genesis is crucial to understanding the rest of the Bible. And it all starts in the beginning.
Written by an L. A. County homicide detective and former atheist, Cold-Case Christianity examines the claims of the New Testament using the skills and strategies of a hard-to-convince criminal investigator. Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence. In Cold-Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs. Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom, Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity. A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories, Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity.
The Book of Revelation contains some of the most difficult passages in Scripture. Grant Osborne's commentary on Revelation interprets the text while also introducing readers to the perspectives of contemporary scholarship in a clear and accessible manner. Osborne begins with a thorough introduction to Revelation and the many difficulties involved in its interpretation. He discusses authorship, date of writing, and the social and cultural setting of the work. He also examines elements that complicate the interpretation of apocalyptic literature, including the use of symbols and figures of speech, Old Testament allusions, and the role of prophetic prediction. Osborne surveys various approaches commentators have taken on whether Revelation refers primarily to the past or to events that are yet future. Rather than exegeting the text narrowly in a verse-by-verse manner, Osborne examines larger sections in order to locate and emphasize the writer's central message and the theology found therein. Throughout, he presents his conclusions in an accessible manner. When dealing with particularly problematic sections, he considers the full range of suggested interpretations and introduces the reader to a broad spectrum of commentators. Revelation seeks to reach a broad audience with scholarly research from a decidedly evangelical perspective.
The book of Revelation firstly reveals Christ (1:1), and secondly the testimony of Jesus (1:2). In other words, this book is concerned with Christ and the church. In Revelation, Christ and the church are revealed in a unique and particular way. Several aspects of Christ, such as the vision of Him as the High Priest in the midst of the churches, caring for them in love yet with a judging attitude (1:13-16), the vision of Him as the Lion-Lamb in the midst of God’s throne, and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the 24 elders of the universe opening the seven seals of God’s universal administration (5:1-6:1), and the vision of Him as Another Mighty Angel coming down from heaven to take possession of the earth (10:1-8; 18:1) have never been unveiled as they are in the book of Revelation. In this book, the revelation of Christ is unique and ultimate. In addition to this ultimate revelation of Christ, the book of Revelation also unveils many unique aspects of the church as the testimony of Jesus. The lampstands in chapter one, the great multitude of the redeemed in chapter seven, the bright woman with her man-child in chapter 12, the harvest with its firstfruits in chapter 14, the overcomers on the sea of glass in chapter 15, the bride ready for marriage and the fighting army of Christ in chapter 19, and the New Jerusalem in chapters 21 and 22 are all the testimony of Jesus which is the Spirit - the substance, the disposition, and the characteristic - of the prophecy in this book (19:10). The central content of this book is an unveiling of God’s economy concerning Christ and the church, presenting the ultimate and consummate revelation of Christ with His full salvation and the church as His loving bride, the New Jerusalem. In this book, we find the full and adequate conclusion, not only to the writings of John and to the New Testament, but also to the entire divine revelation.