Jerusalem and Parousia


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In this study of Matthew 24:1-26:1 Gibbs presents a narrative reading of Jesus eschatological discourse.




The Parousia


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The Parousia


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When the Son of Man Didn't Come


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The delay of the Parousia—the second coming of Christ—has vexed Christians since the final decades of the first century. This volume offers a critical, constructive, and interdisciplinary solution to that dilemma. The argument is grounded in Christian tradition while remaining fully engaged with the critical insights and methodological approaches of twenty-first-century scholars. The authors argue that the deferral of Christ’s prophesied return follows logically from the conditional nature of ancient predictive prophecy: Jesus has not come again because God’s people have not yet responded sufficiently to Christ’s call for holy and godly action. God, in patient mercy, remains committed to cooperating with humans to bring about the consummation of history with Jesus’ return. Collaboratively written by an interdisciplinary and ecumenical team of scholars, the argument draws on expertise in biblical studies, systematics, and historical theology to fuse critical biblical exegesis with a powerful theological paradigm that generates an apophatic and constructive Christian eschatology. The authors, however, have done more than tackle a daunting theological problem: as the group traverses issues from higher criticism through doctrine and into liturgy and ethics, they present an innovative approach for how to do Christian theology in the twenty-first-century academy.







Crossing the Tiber


Book Description

An exhilarating conversion story of a devout Baptist who relates how he overcame his hostility to the Catholic Church by a combination of serious Bible study and vast research of the writings of the early Church Fathers. In addition to a moving account of their conversion that caused Ray and his wife to "cross the Tiber" to Rome, he offers an in-depth treatment of Baptism and the Eucharist in Scripture and the ancient Church. Thoroughly documented with hundreds of footnotes, this contains perhaps the most complete compilation of biblical and patristic quotations and commentary available on Baptism and the Eucharist, as well as a detailed analysis of Sola Scriptura and Tradition. "This is really three books in one that offers not only a compelling conversion story, but documented facts that are likely to cinch many other conversions." - Karl Keating "A very moving and astute story. I am enormously impressed with Ray's candor, courage and theological literacy." - Thomas Howard Stephen K. Ray was raised in a devout and loving Baptist family. His father was a deacon and Bible teacher, and Stephen was very involved in the Baptist Church as a teacher of Biblical studies. After an in-depth study of the writings of the Church Fathers, both Steve and his wife Janet converted to the Catholic Church. He is the host of the popular, award-winning film series on salvation history, The Footprints of God. Steve is also the author of the best-selling books Upon This Rock, and St. John's Gospel.




Matthew 24 Fulfilled


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Paul and the Parousia


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Surprisingly, there has never been a comprehensive exegetical study in English of Saint Paul's view of the second coming, or Parousia, of Christ. In this methodical analysis, Joseph Plevnik brings nearly three decades of research to bear on the question of Paul's understanding of this most central tenet of the whole Christ event. With careful attention to the concepts and terms underlying the notion of the Lord's coming, Plevnik examines the key Pauline texts, such as 1 Thess 5:1-11 and 1 Cor 15:23-28. Plevnik then constructs a viable theological interpretation of the great Christian hope, including the language of hope, Christ's parousia and judgment, conflict at Christ's return, the place of the church, and Paul's apocalyptic theology. This volume will be indispensable for any study of Pauline theology, the Parousia, the theology of hope, and apocalypticism. "It is my hope that the book will be not only a scholarly contribution on the topic but also of some personal value to the reader and to the preacher. It may provide a timely reading at the close of the second millennium. The times and seasons, however, are not for us to determine, but a proper preparedness for the Lord's coming is the message of the New Testament, and of Paul in particular. If the Lord's coming may no longer be said to be near, it can still be desired. Marana tha." --Preface




The Eschatology of the Christian Era: (Jerusalem, AD 70 & the Parousia)


Book Description

The eschatology of the Christian era has been grossly misconstrued in modern books and movies. It is outlined by the Lord in his Olivet Discourse. In Part I (Mt. 24:1-35) Jesus describes the tribulation period and the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 in significant detail. In Part II (Mt. 24:36-25:30), he describes an undefined period like the days of Noah preceding his coming (Gr. Parousia) at the end-time to judge the world. Part III (Mt. 25:31-46) describes the final judgment. Beyond what is revealed in the Olivet Discourse, the New Testament provides few details of the Christian era beyond the fall of the Roman Empire. The Apocalypse is a trope of the Christian era from c. AD 66 or 67 through the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 (ch. 18) and the fall of Rome and its false religion (ch. 19). Beyond these two events, the Revelation mentions briefly only the millennial reign of Christ, the loosing of Satan at the end-time and the final judgment in chapter 20. In chapters 21 and 22, John sees a vision of man's eternal home with God. After earning a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from New Mexico State University, L.D. Swift worked for Motorola Government Division in Scottsdale, Az. designing microwave circuits and antennas. He then attended the Bear Valley School of Biblical Studies to prepare for the ministry. This led him to full-time and part-time ministerial work in Missouri and Texas for many years. During those years, he worked for an engineering firm in Abilene, TX that designed power plants, electrical substations, power lines, gas and oil refineries, and waste-water treatment plants. He later completed a M.S. degree and Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) after which he taught physics at UTA, electrical engineering at Lamar University and New Mexico State University and physics at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, NM. During this time, L.D. continued to serve in the ministry, teaching and preaching whenever possible. L.D. counts himself truly blessed to have influenced the lives of many students and to have served the Lord in ministry. Now retired, he continues to study God's Word, devoting his time to writing and teaching home Bible studies. He has been married for 53 years to a beautiful lady, Dana L. Swift, and he has two grown children, Melissa and Michael. He also has a wonderful son-in-law, Roman Mayo, married to Melissa.




Jesus and the Holy City


Book Description

This book surveys the various landscapes portrayed by the different New Testament authors and draw these together into an overall biblical theology of the ancient city of Jerusalem..