Introduction It has often been joked that those looking for a perfect church will render it imperfect the moment they set foot in it. Without a doubt, any church is made up of imperfect people, and if we can't accept this, we will no longer have a church. While some consider it their sacred duty to size everyone up and boot out all the people who have problems, others see this type of compulsive "sorting" as the danger in teaching sound doctrine. They think--and understa

Begin with the Facts Any honest study of a text from God's Word must begin with the facts. A command of the facts must include a careful examination of the words used in the text, not only in a reliable translation but in the original languages. The facts of the text must then be placed in their proper context --not only the circumstances surrounding the composition of the text but also the intended audience and the author. In the strictest sense, all of Scripture is w

A Revelation to Behold As a partial repost of A New Year's Revelation, it seems fitting to reorient our vision this sacred season to Christ Himself as we embark on a study of the Book of Revelation. With all those who "love His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8), we yearn for His Second Coming to begin Christ's earthly reign as He restores all of Creation. We do not believe with the postmillennialists that we ourselves will usher in Christ's reign. Nor do we see conclusive eviden

Reclaiming Fact from Fiction If ever there were a time to exercise the discipline and devotion due to God's Word, it is now in these days of popular obsession with the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the Second Coming of Christ. When--with the help of the Holy Spirit and an obedient heart--we apply to the biblical text those reading strategies that separate fact from fiction, we will see that the Book of Revelation is not a riddle but exactly what it says: a revelation. Alt

A Gift Still to Be Opened The new year teases like a bright green package still waiting to be opened. What does it hold in store? We want a new beginning, but we don't want things to change. We pick up a blank journal, turning hope into history with a deep resolve to meet our destiny unafraid. Some people take Christmas with them, leaving up tiny twinkle lights all year. But what if we all kept candles burning out of holy expectation? A Revelation to Behold A revelat

Narrative Arc and the Biblical Worldview When Jesus likens the days before His return to the days of Noah, He shows that human history moves in a circle. And yet this circle is intriguingly different from the wheel of time found within the Eastern worldview. Rather than merely revolving in an eternal rotation of birth, death, and rebirth, human history in reality repeats itself in successively worsening degrees. Jesus makes this clear when He warns that it will be easier

The Ark Encounter Two years ago, I got to visit the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. I had wanted to go for a long time, and it finally worked out. The entire experience surpassed my expectations. The late-June day was overcast and cool, so it was easy to imagine a looming storm. If you have been there, you remember your very first impression. Mine was fear wrapped in safety. You enter semi-darkness amid ominous thunderbooms as you inch your way through the