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Noah, Joseph and others was made certain only by God… in spite of their troubles and tumults. Subsequently, as God has raised our Lord from death… we find that in Revelation the writer reinforces that Jesus as the only Son of God delivers his followers from death forevermore. Remember that our Lord, with his ministry on earth complete, said on the cross… “It is finished." Revealed is that the early prophets such as Daniel warned about what did occur. So did blessed John. In Rome, the chronos “end time” came and a conclusive kairos “end result” was accomplished. We followers often get confused by these writer’s symbolisms. However, there is help for us when we know that the ancients had two distinct Greek words to describe the “end”. First was the word that meant a moment in time, that is “chronos” … as with chronological clock time. Another meaning however, was conveyed by the word “kairos “, which indicated an unfolding “perfect” situational time. This for example, is like when Jesus |
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was born at the “perfect time”. All things in heaven and earth were made ideal for his arrival. Many persons today who read these prophetic texts ignore these important differences, or confuse the two either accidentally or deliberately since both |
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words translate simply to the same word.., “time” in English. Though we won’t throw rocks at King James and his version here, know that our built-in language limitations slightly corrupted the translation task. This is like when a Ford six cylinder engine tries to keep up with an Indy car. An example of this definition difference occurs when we do textual study. We find that chronologically the author of the book of Revelations, ( also called “Apocalypse”, which means “things revealed” ) likely wrote that wondrous text at the turn of the 1st Century. Thus the “Beast” he wrote about was anyone who held the office of “Caesar”, and thus the title “Anti-Christ” was the man that filled that political role at that time. Therefore, blessed John wrote about what was to |
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Digitally Driven? (cont’d) |
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A Short History of the Early Church By Harry Boer / Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. For readers who want a brief yet reliable introduction to the history of the early church as well as for those who are looking for a quick review of the period, this volume furnishes a concise overview of the key events, figures, controversies, and councils essential for a proper understanding of the first seven centuries of the Christian church. Harry R. Boer provides background on the world into which the church was born, surveys the life of the church from the minstry of Jesus until 600 A.D., examines the effects of persecution and heresy on the church, explains the role of several key church leaders, and focuses specifically on the church's ongoing struggle to formulate proper doctrines of the Trinity and of Christ. Each chapter is clearly outlined and concludes with several discussion questions that enhance the book's use as a study guide for church groups or as a text in courses on early church history. |