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Writing

Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.

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Revelation

The Seven Thunders, An Interpretive Suggestion

And He cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when He had cried out, the seven thunders spoke their voices (Revelation 10:3). In Revelation 10 John sees Jesus come down to him from heaven with a little book in His hand. Jesus cries out with…

by James B. JordanOctober 7, 1994
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Biblical Chronology

Genesis 5 & 11: Chronological-Theological Reflections

The numbers found in Genesis 5 & 11 display characteristics that indicate a complex and meticulous symbolic schematization operating at several levels. Because these numbers are so potent symbolically, unbelieving scholars have universally (as far as I know) treated them as artificial. Believers take them literally, but believers must also…

by James B. JordanOctober 7, 1994
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Revelation

The Kings From the East

And the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings from the east [sunrising]. (Revelation 16:12) The kings from the east in Revelation 16:12 are generally assumed to be enemies of…

by James B. JordanSeptember 10, 1994
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Biblical Studies

Covenants and Dates

During my brief sojourn as a pastor during the 1980s, I had several occasions to be involved in settling disputes between men in the congregation I served. A typical dispute went like this: Two men formed a company to do business. After a few years, the business went sour, and…

by James B. JordanSeptember 10, 1994
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Revelation

The Grape Harvest of Revelation 14:17-20

The two harvests of Revelation 14:14-20, of grain and of grapes, are most often understood as symbolic of God’s judgment against the wicked, or against Babylon, as amplified in chapters 16 & 17. Some commentators, however, notice that the gospels speak of the grain harvest as a reaping of the…

by James B. JordanAugust 10, 1994
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Deuteronomy

The Chronology of the Pentateuch (Part 6)

(Conclusion of Chapter 16 in the previous Biblical Chronology Article) Month 3, 2513 According to Leviticus 23:15-16, Pentecost was to be observed 50 days after the sabbath after Passover, or 49 days after the Feast of First Fruits. I initially based my reflections on the Jewish tradition that the Law…

by James B. JordanAugust 10, 1994

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Evangelicals and Catholics in Europe

Christianity Today reported this week on a controversy among European Evangelicals about relations with the Roman Catholic Church. Thomas Schirrmacher and Thomas K. Johnson of the World Evangelical Alliance, responded with a defense of Evangelical collaboration and dialogue with Catholics . Schirrmacher and Johnson note the difference between the Reformation…

February 2, 2018

Orphan Philosophy

Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy's *In the Cross of Reality,* the first volume of his *Sociology*: "Rene Descartes' mother died shortly after childbirth. . . . He never found relief from the formal strictness prevalent among grown men, with its presumption of standing by one's given world. Prematurely, this child had no choice…

February 2, 2018

Christian Ethics In Technological Age

It’s important to pay careful attention to the title of Brian Brock’s superb 2010 Christian Ethics in a Technological Age . The book isn't merely a theological/ethical analysis of technology, though it includes that. Brock’s aim is broader, as he explores the shape of Christian morality in contemporary, technological society,…

February 1, 2018

God of Days, God In Days

The following paragraphs are snipped from an article of mine on God and time in Genesis 1, published in the Criswell Theological Review. You can find more information about this issue of the journal here . It seems significant that Genesis describes this evening-and-morning pattern without reference to the category…

February 1, 2018

Hand of Yahweh

Theopolis student Jacob Hanby pointed out that Ezekiel uses the phrase "the hand of Yahweh" seven times. It appears at major junctures in the prophecy: Ezekiel 1:3 : The first verses of Ezekiel provide a double narrative opening (first person, then third person) to a prophecy that is largely taken…

January 31, 2018

Reaganism for Lefties

Mark Lilla's dissection of identity politics in The Once and Future Liberal is incisive. He doesn't spare the conservative movement or the Republican party in the least, but he at his sharpest in analyzing what he calls the "abdication" of liberalism and the Democratic party. Liberals, he argues, once had…

January 30, 2018

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