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Why Do the Nations Rage?

Published: 22 September 2011
Written by Dean Davis
1 Comment
Categories: Eschatology

 

This is the second in a short series of posts dealing with the proper interpretation of Old Testament Kingdom Prophecy (OTKP). If you’re new to this subject (or to my blog), you will want to read the essay with which I introduced the series (just click here).

My goal in this eschatological adventure is two-fold.

First, I want to open up something of the Christ-centered truth and beauty of OTKP to my brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Secondly, I want to reason a little with my premillennial brethren. In particular, I want to make the case that we will best understand, enjoy, and profit from OTKP when we see that its true sphere of fulfillment is: 1) Christ, 2) the New Covenant he instituted, 3) the two-staged spiritual Kingdom he has already introduced (but not yet consummated), and 4) the New Covenant community he is creating out of elect Jews and Gentiles: the Church.

In short, I would like my premillennial brothers to reconsider the amillennial approach to OTKP.

Since the end of the age will soon be upon us, it is important that we stand together as much as possible. Seeing eye to eye on eschatology would definitely help. These essays—and the book in progress from which they are extracted—represent my best effort at contributing to that worthy end.

Since the prophetic texts I deal with are quite long, I have not reproduced them here. You will need to bring an open Bible to each blog. My hope and prayer is that you will enjoy them all.

Psalm 2

This is the first of several royal or Messianic psalms (Psalms 2, 18, 20, 45, 72, 89, 110). As a rule, they feature an immediate reference to an earthly king, subtly blended with eschatological references to the coming Messianic King. Such is the case here. Psalm 2 has an OT fulfillment, presumably in the person of King David. But as the NT makes clear, it also has a far richer fulfillment in Christ (Acts 4:25-27, 13:33, Heb. 1:5, 5:5, Rev. 12:5). Here, I will focus exclusively on the Messianic meaning.

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How Shall We Interpret Old Testament Prophecies of the Kingdom of God?

Published: 20 September 2011
Written by Dean Davis
4 Comments
Categories: Eschatology

  

Throughout much of 2011, I have been working on a new book called, The High King of Heaven: Discovering the Master Keys of Biblical Eschatology. As that fairly ambitious title might suggest, it has been a challenging project, and one that has kept me from the blogging I so much enjoy. But just recently, I got a bright idea: Since the sections of the chapter I am now working on are relatively short, why not post each one as a blog? And since that bright idea seemed bright indeed, I’m  starting today!

But first a little background. The part of the book from which these short articles are extracted deals with the proper interpretation of Old Testament Kingdom Prophecy (OTKP). As you may know, this is a theological hot-spot, surrounded by much controversy. At the risk of oversimplification, let’s just say that within evangelical circles there are basically two approaches to OTKP.

On the one hand, premillennarians  interpret these prophecies more or less literally, teaching that they will be (literally) fulfilled in a future one thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth (Rev. 20).

On the other hand, amillennarians interpret them more or less figuratively, teaching that here the Spirit uses OT language and imagery to speak “mystically” (i.e., in types and shadows) of a two-staged Kingdom of God, comprised first of the Church Era and last of the New Heavens and the New Earth.

On this view, Revelation 20 is not speaking of a future earthly reign of Christ, but of his present Heavenly Reign; a reign that began when he sat down at the Father’s right hand, and that will conclude at his Second Coming. The (unknown) duration of this reign is symbolized by the number of “divine completeness,” 1000 (10x10x10).

So, count me among the amillennarians.

And because I find that perspective so delightful, in the weeks ahead I will be offering short, amillennial interpretations of some of the most interesting, difficult, inspiring, and controversial OTKP’s. As a rule, these are great favorites of our premillennial brothers. My goal here is to help them—and all my family in Christ–to see that the amillennial approach gives a far more satisfying and edifying interpretation than the premillennial.

Three NT Principles For Correctly Interpreting OTKP

We must, however, begin at the beginning. We cannot simply plunge into the forest deeps of OTKP without the adequate preparation. No, before venturing in, we must be sure that we are thoroughly equipped with the proper method of interpretation. In particular, we must be sure that we are using principles laid down by Christ and the Apostles; NT principles of OT prophetic interpretation that will enable us to see the deepest layers of meaning intended by the Spirit of God.

 I want, then, in today’s blog, to set forth what I think are the three overarching New Testament (NT) principles necessary for a proper interpretation of OTKP. These constitute what I like to call the New Covenant Hermeneutic (NCH), the true NT method for interpreting OTKP. In examining these principles, I will mention a number of subordinate principles that properly fall under each heading, and also issue a few caveats that should further increase our appreciation for the subtle beauty of OTKP and the interpretive power of the NCH.

If you have your Bible in hand, we are ready to begin! 

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The Ultimate Power Source of the Christian Life

Published: 22 August 2011
Written by Dean Davis
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Categories: Devotionals

GRATITUDE

 

Pause, my soul, adore and wonder,

Ask, “Oh, why such love to me?”

Grace hath put me in the number,

Of the Savior’s family.

Hallejuljah!

Thanks—eternal thanks—to Thee!

 

Charles Spurgeon

Standing Up, Standing Firm

Published: 19 August 2011
Written by Dean Davis
1 Comment
Categories: Christian Activism

 

STANDING UP, STANDING FIRM 

The California Republican Party needs you.

Earlier this summer, certain members of the Platform Committee wrote a draft of a new platform, the document they hope will set the Party’s course for the next four years.

Reading it, conservatives found, to their shock and dismay, that the writers had deleted whole sections of carefully wrought material dealing with the sanctity of human life, the importance of resisting the gay agenda, immigration policy, and Second Amendment rights.

Fearing for the future of the Party, many are taking action. My good friend (and former candidate for office) Lawrence Wiesner and I wrote a firm but respectful letter to the leaders of the Drafting Committee, and sent copies to all 220 members of the Platform Committee (who will vote on the proposed platform at the convention this September). Our hope was to get the framers to restore all or most of the deleted material.

As you will see from the letter below, our hopes were disappointed. The leaders stood their ground, arguing that the way forward in our liberal state is to soft-pedal divisive social issues and focus instead on what people (supposedly) care about: the deficit, jobs, and education.

So Lawrence and I decided to write a second letter to the entire committee, urging the members to vote “no” on the new platform unless and until the committee creates a document around which all Republicans can rally. God willing, we will prevail.

For several reasons, I am posting our letter here. I hope it will stimulate your thinking about how our Christian faith properly intersects with the world of politics. I hope it will move you to pray that the Republican Party does not lose its way in the midst of our great fight for truth, righteousness, and the future of our culture. I hope it will stir some of you to contact Republican leaders with whom you may be familiar, reminding them we are about MUCH more than money, jobs, and big business.

And I hope it will impress you once again with the tremendous importance–in all spheres of life–of standing up, and standing firm.

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The Case for Cosmic Geocentricity

Published: 11 July 2011
Written by Dean Davis
1 Comment
Categories: Biblical Cosmology

 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world 

to put to shame the wise.

(1 Corinthians 1:27)

 

In this post I am doing two things: linking you to a new article about cosmic geocentricity, and reminding you of an important biblical truth that you’ll need to keep in mind as you read it: God is a God who tests all people, including his own.

A few words on both points.

Concerning the article, it is, as you will soon see, a LONG excerpt from my book, In Search of the Beginning: A Seeker’s Journey to the Origin of the Universe, Life, and Man. It gave me great pleasure  to write this exposition and defense of biblical cosmology. But it also gave me a huge jolt: Somewhere along the way I realized that the Bible really does teach “radical cosmic geocentricity,” the idea that the Earth is not only the center of the universe, but also that it sits unmoving at the center, with the (quite logical) result that the moon, the sun, the planets, the stars, the galaxies—the universe itself—are all, in one way or another, revolving around the Earth!

Have I lost you yet? If not, then you are a bold spirit who might as well take next step: Read the article linked to this blog. But—and this is important—read it in a very special way. Read it as if you were reading the Bible for the very first time. Read it having checked all your high school or college training in physics and astronomy at the door. Read it as if the Creator himself might have something to say, not only about how to go to heaven, but also about how the heavens go. Read it this way, and I think you’re in for quite a surprise.

Which brings me to my second point:  God tests all people, including his own.

The Bible says so. It says that the world is a pretty strange place, where truth always coexists with lies and error; a place where God, in a mysterious display of his sovereignty, allows “the wise” to fall into gross foolishness (and to get paid handsomely for it!), even as he causes the “foolish,” through a God-given love of the truth, to discover the wisdom that leads to eternal life. A strange world indeed, and one that clearly puts all men—and their love of “true truth”–to the test!

Discerning saints understand this. They understand that even now they are being tested with respect to many articles of the faith. Will they stay faithful to biblical teaching on creation, the historicity of Adam, original sin, divine wrath and judgment, redemption through (faith in) Christ alone, the sanctity of human life, the sanctity of marriage, gender roles and relations, sexual purity, and the proper (and limited) role of human government. It is isn’t easy, for like Shimei of old, who railed at poor persecuted king David, “the wise” of this world continually gnash their teeth upon biblically faithful saints, decrying their narrowness, bigotry, arrogance, ignorance, and hate. In short, their foolishness.

So again, God does indeed put men to the test, men of the Kingdom included. Among other things, this means that he is pleased to attach a real cost to the knowledge and enjoyment of his revealed truth; to see if we are willing to purchase his precious wisdom with the cherished (but much inflated) currency of our social acceptability. Speaking personally, I delight in this way of God. So long as my motives are not infected with secret pride, I find that I love being “out there” for the Lord, being a fool for Jesus. Maybe that’s because he loved being a fool for his God . . . and for me.

But back to geocentricity. After I studied it for a couple of years; after I tried honestly and objectively to understand biblical teaching on this subject; after I was shocked to find living Christian brothers—way brainier than I—who had enthusiastically embraced it; after I had wracked my brain trying to grasp Einstein, Relativity Theory, and Big Bang cosmology; after I discerned that only God knows the truth about the structure of the universe; and after I realized that dogmatic modern Copernicanism is indeed yet another instance of fallen man raising up “high things” against the truth of God and Christ; after all that, I became a geocentrist.

But alas, so far it hasn’t flown very well with my creationist brothers. Out of love, I will not name names or mention ministries. Let’s just say that I have yet to find a single major creationist leader (and I know a few) who is willing seriously to probe this subject with me, let alone publish an article or carry my book.

I believe I understand why: They think it would destroy their ministry. After toiling for years, they have, at long last, won a certain measure of credibility for recent creation. Why wreck things now by exploring the possibility that the Earth lies at the center of the universe? Why expose themselves—and Christ’s Church—to charges of abject ignorance? Why get lumped in with the nut-cases who believe that the Earth is flat, or that it sits on the back of a cosmic turtle? In short, why be a fool in the eyes of the world?

Well, here is my answer: We should open up this discussion—and be willing to look like fools—because (so far as I can tell) cosmic geocentricity is indeed the teaching of Scripture. And if it is the teaching of Scripture, then it is profitable: profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; profitable for laying bare the corrupt foundation of modern secular cosmology; profitable for a final, devastating challenge to cosmic evolutionism; profitable for advancing the cause of true science; profitable for making men wise unto salvation; profitable for strengthening the saint’s confidence in the divine inspiration of the Bible; and profitable for so mightily unveiling the power, wisdom, inscrutability, and beauty of God that the saints are left flat on the floor, weeping and shouting for joy at all the glory they have seen.

So, believing all this, I here give you my article on geocentricity. To be honest, it contains very little that is original with me, but much that I have lovingly and gratefully pilfered from my fellow-geocentrists. I do hope, however, that it is well-written, so much so that it will win you to an honest, open-hearted investigation of this truly fascinating and important theme.

And now, having invited you to read the article, let me conclude by asking one more favor: Never forget that for some wise and wonderful reason it pleases our heavenly Father to test his people concerning their love of the truth, and to reserve the sweetest morsels of that truth, not for the wise and prudent, but for babes: for dear, courageous children who are unashamed to be fools for Jesus.