The Conversion of the Nations in Revelation

The Conversion of the Nations in Revelation PDF

Author: Allan J. McNicol

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2011-04-28

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0567102440

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Allan McNicol examines the 'Conversion of the Nations' in the book of Revelation together with the author's vision for final redemption. Allan McNicol examines the longstanding tension between the author of Revelation 's description of the destruction of unrepentant nations early in the book in contrast with their final experience of salvation in Rev 21.24-26. McNicol examines how the author of Revelation interprets and refashions both scripture and the myths of the age in order to lay out his vision of redemption - leading to his ultimate conclusion that human political power (Rome) will crumble before the influence of the crucified Jesus. Through careful attention to references to the 'pilgrimage to the Gentiles' in prophetic literature, McNicol is able to draw valuable conclusions as to how the core tension examined may be resolved. This exegesis is in turn able show how the author of Revelation's alternative voice to Rome's power emerged among a small minority community in the Eastern Roman Empire and gained plausibility. This voice not only could articulate a construct of its own vindication (thus empowering its own converts) but it also construed a new destiny for the nations themselves separate and apart from Rome.

An Apocalypse for the Church and for the World

An Apocalypse for the Church and for the World PDF

Author: Ronald Herms

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2012-02-13

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 3110914514

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This monograph examines the problem of universally inclusive language in the book of Revelation and the resulting narrative tension created by narrowly exclusive language. Analysis is conducted by placing relevant texts within their literary-narrative context and through consideration of how the author understood and appropriated biblical traditions. A key feature of this study is its examination of four early Jewish documents with significant similarities to the problem being examined in Revelation. From these documents (Tobit; Similitudes of Enoch [1 Enoch 37-71]; 4 Ezra; and, Animal Apocalypse [1 Enoch 85-90]) a contextual picture emerges which allows a fuller understanding of Revelation’s distinctive approach toward the problem of the fate of the nations. This study contends that the interpretive strategies applied to biblical traditions in Revelation have their roots in the wider early Jewish milieu. From this comparative analysis, identifiable patterns with regard to the role of ‘universal terminology’ in the communicative strategy of John’s Apocalypse emerge.

Understanding End Times Prophecy

Understanding End Times Prophecy PDF

Author: Paul N. Benware

Publisher: Moody Publishers

Published: 2006-05-01

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 9781575674834

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Many Christians think of end times prophecy as a gigantic, intimidating puzzle -- difficult to piece together and impossible to figure out. But every puzzle can be solved if you approach it the right way. Paul Benware compares prophecy to a picture puzzle. Putting the edge pieces together first builds the 'framework' that makes it easier to fit the other pieces in their place. According to Benware, the framework for eschatology is the biblical covenants. He begins his comprehensive survey by explaining the major covenants. Then he discusses several different interpretations of end times prophecy. Benware digs into the details of the Rapture, the Great Tribulation, the judgements and resurrections, and the millennial kingdom. But he also adds a unique, personal element to the study, answering questions as: -Why study bible prophecy? -What difference does it make if I'm premillenial or amillenial? If what the Bible says about the future puzzles you, Understanding End Times Prophecy will help you put together the pieces and see the big picture.

Her Gates Will Never Be Shut

Her Gates Will Never Be Shut PDF

Author: Brad Jersak

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2010-01-01

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1630871281

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Everlasting hell and divine judgment, a lake of fire and brimstone--these mainstays of evangelical tradition have come under fire once again in recent decades. Would the God of love revealed by Jesus really consign the vast majority of humankind to a destiny of eternal, conscious torment? Is divine mercy bound by the demands of justice? How can anyone presume to know who is saved from the flames and who is not? Reacting to presumptions in like manner, others write off the fiery images of final judgment altogether. If there is a God who loves us, then surely all are welcome into the heavenly kingdom, regardless of their beliefs or behaviors in this life. Yet, given the sheer volume of threat rhetoric in the Scriptures and the wickedness manifest in human history, the pop-universalism of our day sounds more like denial than hope. Mercy triumphs over judgment; it does not skirt it. Her Gates Will Never Be Shut endeavors to reconsider what the Bible and the Church have actually said about hell and hope, noting a breadth of real possibilities that undermines every presumption. The polyphony of perspectives on hell and hope offered by the prophets, apostles, and Jesus humble our obsessive need to harmonize every text into a neat theological system. But they open the door to the eternal hope found in Revelation 21-22: the City whose gates will never be shut; where the Spirit and Bride perpetually invite the thirsty who are outside the city to "Come, drink of the waters of life."

Christ, Shepherd of the Nations

Christ, Shepherd of the Nations PDF

Author: Jon Morales

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-12-28

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 0567677966

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Does John's Apocalypse envision destruction or salvation for the nations of the world? Scholarly views on this issue range from extreme (total destruction) to extreme (universal salvation). Jon Morales maintains that the question must be reframed to highlight, not only the destiny of the nations, but also their dilemma within the drama of world history. Using narrative methodology, Morales asks four key questions concerning the nations: What is John's story of the nations? How does he tell this story? What is John's message to the nations? And what is his message to the church concerning the nations? Literary characters cannot be understood in the abstract, but must be rather discovered sequentially in the development of an entire narrative. The nations in Revelation are no exception. Understanding that previous studies have neglected to situate the nations within Revelation's larger plot, or in interaction with other narrative characters, Morales concludes that John's purpose is to show that the nations belong to God. John achieves his purpose in part by deploying a novel metaphor, virtually unexplored until now – Christ, shepherd of the nations

Revelation 21-22 in Light of Jewish and Greco-Roman Utopianism

Revelation 21-22 in Light of Jewish and Greco-Roman Utopianism PDF

Author: Eric J. Gilchrest

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2013-05-01

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 9004251545

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In Revelation 21-22 in Light of Jewish and Greco-Roman Utopianism, Eric J. Gilchrest offers a creative and compelling reading of Revelation 21-22 as understood through the lens of ancient utopianism. The work is in two parts beginning with a detailed portrait of ancient utopianism based on Greco-Roman and Jewish traditions. The portrait sketches the “topography” of the utopian landscape, which includes a thorough account of various traditions using fourteen utopian topoi or motifs. The author then moves to a description of Revelation’s new Jerusalem in light of these two utopian traditions. With sensitivity to how this text would have been read by each utopian perspective, the author constructs a unique reading of a classic passage that highlights the variety of ways the text originally may have been heard.

Revelation

Revelation PDF

Author:

Publisher: Canongate Books

Published: 1999-01-01

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13: 0857861018

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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.