My students at Lincoln Christian Seminary in Lincoln, Illinois, as well as my students scattered throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia have heard me say repeatedly that one of the most important principles for studying Scripture is the principle of humility.  Specifically, as students we must submit ourselves to God’s Written Word and allow it to have priority over our agendas, even our prejudices.  Far too often in our Bible study, the Word remains the object and we the subject, while ultimately we must acknowledge that we are the object and the Word is the subject because through it we hear God speak.

This years students came from Moldova and the Czech Republic, and they were among some of the most teachable students I have had the privilege of teaching.  The subject?  Eschatology.  On the first day, I told them that often “eschatology” (a word first used in 1844!) is too narrowly defined because scholars often limit it to such subjects as what happens after death, the final judgment, heaven, and hell.  I offer a broader definition:  Eschatology focuses on the person of Jesus Christ because we are reminded that both his first coming and the final coming ought to impact the way that we live as his disciples.  The topics listed above are only a narrow slice of the subject because the Christian life is an eschatological life because it is a life that finds its center in Jesus Christ, what he has done, is doing, and will do.

I also told the students that even though there are many controversial topics that Christians debate (e.g., the work of the Holy Spirit or the role of women in ministry), none can provoke a firestorm quicker than eschatology.  I asked them to set aside what they had previously been taught and invited them to listen with me to countless passages of Scripture.  They were eager to do so.  And so we read, listened, probed, and prayed over our studies together.   We desired to hear our Lord speak through the Word.  And he did.  The students raised questions and offered perspectives that I would have never considered.  And I learned from them.  I pray that they learned from me as I attempted to share with them the fruit of my studies.

From time to time I record a class discussion because of the observations made either by the students or by me.  I don’t want to lose so many precious insights.  The students often smile when they see me hit the record button because they know that something is being said that I think is incredibly special.  Then each evening I returned to my room and listened to the recordings and transcribed what I heard.  And each evening I marveled because of how teachable the students were.

On the last day of class, after the exam had been given, I collected the name cards that the students displayed on their desks and I put them in my folder labeled “TCM 2009.”  I told the students that at least once a week I will pull the folder out from the desk and read through the names and pray for each of them.

Near the end of the class I told them that a vital prayer that we should offer often is this:  “Lord, may we all be teachable so we can teach others your Grace.”  Amen.

In teaching New Testament Eschatology on a master’s/graduate level both in the States and in Eastern Europe, students tell me that when they hear my approach they are stunned that there is another way of reading numerous texts and that although they had inherited the dispensational perspective they really did not know why they held the position and they did not know how to respond to other approaches. Last night my translator at the session I am currently teaching at Haus Edelweiss told me that he had to “work himself out of dispensationalism” because he saw the inconsistencies in how it treated genre, symbolism, and structure. He saw undeserving emphasis on the modern state of Israel and the countless times the prophecy experts have been wrong when making predictions what would happen next, from the most recent episodes of violence in the Middle East to the identity of the Antichrist.

On a personal level this has challenged me to be even more committed to completing the trilogy of works on Revelation and eschatology. Even though frequent visitors to this site know that I have wrestled with the very idea of doing extensive writing, the importance of doing so grows weekly. One of the readers even suggested that what needs to be done is for someone to write a series of popular novels from an amillennial perspective (“Left Behind: The Real Story”)!

So here is my question: If many of us believe that dispensationalism is an incorrect and therefore inadequate approach to this vital subject of eschatology, how do we promote another perspective? Any suggestions? For example, it would be helpful if preachers moved beyond Rev. 2-3 and actually tackled other chapters.

Related posts on this site:

The Second Law of Thermodynamics and Dispensational Premillennialism

The Second Law of Thermodynamics and Dispensational Premillennialism Revisited

Why I Am an Amillennialist: Additional Reflections

The Dangers of Theological Systems Illustrated

I am writing this from Heilgenkreuz, Austria while sitting in a small study that overlooks a beautiful pond nestled in the Vienna Woods. It is one of my favorite spots in the world. A beautiful setting in which to reflect and write and teach! Even though I officially began my sabbatical on June 1, I did not want to cancel this teaching assignment. It is my seventeenth year to be teaching students from Eastern Europe, and I am eager to begin. My class is entitled Biblical Eschatology. At lunchtime today I was asked to describe it to the people who will be doing work on the grounds, in the dorms, and in the kitchen. My description was simply this: Eschatology is about how we should be faithful disciples between Christ has come and he is coming back someday. Many of the ideas for my commentary will be tried out on the students beginning next week. Please pray that the classes taught by a number of professors will be a blessing to the students.

But I want to invite you to weigh in on a very important matter.

While flying over I read the June 8, 2009 issue of Newsweek. An essay by Ellis Cose (“Caricature Witness: The ugly assumptions behind the case against Judge Sotomayor”) on President Obama’s supreme court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, contained an interesting observation that in speech many years ago Judge Sotomayor basically argued that all judges have biases shaped by their experiences. Cose adds that “Surely anyone who has closely followed the high court knows it is impossible for judges to separate their backgrounds—and biases—from their judging.”

Now, let’s apply this to Scripture. Are you and I willing to acknowledge that all interpreters of Scripture have biases shaped by their experiences, namely, that it is impossible for interpreters to separate their backgrounds and biases from interpreting?

Do such biases make it impossible for us to understand the intended aim of biblical authors? Or in acknowledging our biases, are we more likely to be able to approach a portion of Scripture more freely so that we determine an author’s intended meaning?

What biases do you bring when you interpret Scripture? Can the biases be overcome? If so, how? If not, is it an impossible task to interpret Scripture correctly?

I will be interested in see what responses I get. Please, weigh in.

This post of the last week of May will be my last until I arrive to teach Revelation to Eastern Europeans at Haus Edelweiss in Austria. This is my seventeenth summer to have this privilege of teaching for TCM International Institute. It is the highlight of my school year, quite frankly. This year I will be lecturing on the entire book of Revelation during a two week conference, and I look forward to learning from my students.

From May 23 through May 30, Marilyn and I will be visiting Disney World with our daughter and son-in-law and their two children, Carissa and Jocelyn. The trip is a gift because of Rachel being graduated by Lincoln Christian College and Marilyn’s upcoming retirement from the State of Illinois. We are looking forward to watching the grandchildren’s response to Mickey and the gang.

Then later this summer, Brian and Sarah will be visiting us. Marilyn and Sarah will enjoy a break while Brian and I attend two Bob Dylan concerts, one near St. Louis and the other near South Bend. One of these days Brian and I will sign up for roadies for Dylan.

With regard to the book project, the months of June through December will be devoted to researching and writing the commentary on Revelation. I have been blessed because of a special gift that will enable me to rent a cabin deep in the heart of the woods near Nashville, Indiana. I will be by myself for two weeks and hope to get a considerable amount of work done because I will not have access to e-mail or have to answer the phone. My reference works are being set aside and notes gathered, and I invite you to pray for me as I go into such an extended break from the classroom. I will keep you posted on progress (or lack thereof).

Lord willing, I will be reporting weekly to you, beginning the week of June 7.

God’s blessings on you as you remain overcomers by his grace.

Thank you so much for your publicly posted as well as your personal notes to me concerning the tentative title for my commentary on Revelation, Revelation’s Rhapsody: Dancing to the Lyrics of the Lamb. I continue to be fascinated by this metaphor and believe that it will be helpful to unlock Revelation’s message of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

I have revised an outline and present it below. What I would like to hear from you is that in the days ahead if you take time to read through Revelation with the outline in hand, please offer me reflections on the dominant theme (e.g., Security, Witness, etc.) found in each section. I know that images of the church as well as exhortations and words of encouragement are found scattered throughout the book, including each of these major divisions. So feel free to post your observations and let’s dialogue.

Here is the outline that I am thinking about using in the main portion of the commentary (after I cover some introductory issues like John’s Story in light of the overarching STORY of the Bible, etc.).

1:1-8 Prologue

A. The Disciples’ Community in Christ (1:9-3:22)
B. The Disciples’ Security because of Christ (4:1-8:1)
C. The Disciples’ Witness in the Name of Christ (8:2-11:19)
D. The Disciples’ Conflict on behalf of Christ (12:1-14:20)
E. The Disciples’ Vindication by Christ (15:1-20:15)
F. The Disciples’ Union with Christ (21:1-22:6)

22:7-21

I believe such words as community, security, witness, etc. get at the heartbeat of each of those sections. Perhaps there are better words. In fact, if you think of some, please let me know.

Your participation in this journey is appreciated.

The cover story of the May 4, 2009 edition of Newsweek, “To Boldly Go…How ‘Star Trek’ Taught Us to Dream Big” has a fascinating article entitled “We’re All Trekkies Now.” I confess to you that I did not see the TV series when it first aired. I was too busy as a college student. A few years later when Star Trek went into syndication, I saw it on late night TV because Marilyn worked the 11-7 shift, and I stayed up all night studying and took a break by watching Captain Kirk and the gang explore the universe. I have never seen the other TV series associated with Star Trek and only three of four of the theatrical films.

But I do know the catchphrases and the characters.

“Beam me up,” “Warp factor 10,” “Set phasers on stun,” and Dr. McCoy’s perpetual declaration, “He’s dead, Jim.” One of the favorites is uttered by the chief engineer Scott: “I canna’ change the laws of physics, Cap’n!” And most could pick out in a lineup Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Uhura, Montgomery (Scotty) Scott, Dr. Leonard (Bones) McCoy), nurse Christine Chapel, and even Klingon Commander Kor.

And many Christians know those phrases and people better than they do God’s Word and the catchphrases and the characters that are found in Revelation in particular. Such a shame!

When it came time for me to lecture, I introduced the material on Revelation by remarking that I had no doubt that if I were “to google” and do a search on “Swine Flu and Biblical Prophecy,” I would get numerous hits. After the class I returned to my office to have a bit of lunch and grade papers. But I decided to sit at the computer and do the search. I typed in “Swine Flu and Biblical Prophecy.”

Surprise! Surprise! I discovered that there are those biblical prophecy experts who are truly trying to show that the swine flu pandemic is linked with certain prophetic passages. I admit that I did not click on any of them to see what they were saying. I have done so with such searches on “Hurricane Katrina and Biblical Prophecy,” “Iraq and Biblical Prophecy,” “President Obama and Biblical Prophecy,” and “Israel in Biblical Prophecy.”

I have better things to do with my time than to be doing such hits. Why not read the Old Testament passages and let them help me understand John’s message in Revelation, focusing on what it meant for the original readers and then drawing from that same message implications and application for Christians today?

I have decided on a tentative title for volume two, Revelation’s Rhapsody: Dancing to the Lyrics of the Lamb. The focus will be a big-picture commentary on how to apply the Book of Revelation and I plan on using the metaphor of dance to move the chapters along, much like I used the music metaphor in the first volume. Let me give a brief explanation why I chose the title.

One day I began reflecting on the question What do we do with music? We listen to it . . . we begin to tap our foot or snap our fingers . . . and many are stirred to dance. I then did a brief study on dance in the Bible and discovered that it is a pretty significant act in the Bible. For example, there are both good dancing and bad dancing in Exodus 15 and 32, good when the women led by Miriam dance before God because he delivered them from the Egyptian army and bad when they worshipped the golden calf. There is dancing associated with Israel’s major feasts (e.g., Passover, Tabernacles, etc.).

In doing a search I came across the quotation: “Dancing is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made.” I believe I can rightly argue that the metaphor is an appropriate description of the disciple’s life.   We are called to be embraced by Christ and embrace him and dance with him, and the dancing we do in this life foreshadows the dancing that will be done by the Bride and the Bridegroom on the new earth.

One way of outlining the book (both John’s and mine) is as follows:

1:1-8 Prologue

A. The Disciples’ Life in Christ (1:9-3:22)
B. The Disciples’ Security because of Christ (4:1-8:1)
C. The Disciples’ Witness in the name of Christ (8:2-11:19)
D. The Disciples’ Conflict on behalf of Christ (12:1-14:20)
E. The Disciples’ Vindication by Christ (15:1-20:15)
F. The Disciples’ Union with Christ (21:1-22:6)

22:7-21 Epilogue

Now here are my questions that I invite you to reflect on:

• What does this dancing metaphor mean to you?
• How would you apply it to the relationship we have with Christ?
• How can I use it in creative and appropriate ways to write about discipleship in the Book of Revelation?

I plan on leaving this particular post up until the first week of May and look forward to hearing from you.  Please leave your comments below or, if you prefer, feel free to use the form on the “Contact” page to send them to me privately.

Image source: Wikipedia

March 25-28 I had the opportunity to speak at the Mexico Missionary Reunion gathering at a delightful resort setting in Oaxtepec, Mexico. I had never been South of our border and wondered what awaited me. I was delighted to be able to share with the missionaries and church leaders the discipleship theme emphasized in the Book of Revelation. The men and women were gracious and encouraged me to develop the thoughts and put them in a book.

During one of the breaks one of the Mexican church leaders came up and remarked to me his frustration about dealing with those preachers and teachers who use the newspaper headlines to understand Revelation. I shared with him that one of the analogies I use in evaluating certain approaches to Revelation is the Rorschach Ink Blot tests often used by psychologists. Patients are asked what they see when looking at ink patterns. The blots really do not resemble anything. Indeed, the answers by the patients tell the therapists more about the patient than about the image. I told my brother that many people tend to project their own idea onto biblical texts rather than see what is actually there. At the end of the week as my hosts were driving me to their residence, we drove through the miles and miles of streets of Mexico City and I passed numerous newsstands. I don’t read Spanish but as I glanced at the various headlines I wondered something. If a Mexican preacher used the newspaper headlines and stories in Spanish to understand Revelation and if a preacher from the USA used newspaper headlines and stories in English, would they come to the same conclusions or would they be projecting their own ideas onto biblical texts?

As for me, I continue to project the ideas of the Old Testament onto John’s visions.

1. I am blessed to have numerous opportunities to teach people Scripture—be it the Book of Revelation, another New Testament writing, or a particular topic. I always try not only to provide interpretation and answers to their questions about particular passages but I also offer strategies for how Christians can study the Bible on their own. This leads me to . . .
2. I am constantly being reminded that most congregations I visit do not provide regular opportunities for equipping people how to read and how to study Scripture. Indeed, I find that there is a hunger out there for wanting to know how and that people’s appetites are not be satisfied. This concerns me greatly.
3. Such basic principles as studying a passage in light of the historical background, its genre, its structure, etc. are simply not considered by many of the folks I have taught.
4. A biblical author’s intended meaning is not the goal of many students but rather they believe they need to impose their meaning on the passage. They are not aware of doing this but they do it instinctively. When I ask: What was the author’s intended meaning? I am met with the proverbial deer-in-the-headlights-look.
5. People are amazed to learn that prophecy is primarily proclamation and not prediction. I have to keep reminding them that I am not saying there is no prediction in a book like Revelation but that is not John’s major concern. The proper translation of Rev. 1:3 (The NIV vs. the ESV, for example, where the former is atrocious because it translates the verb that means “to keep” or “to obey” as “take to heart” whereas the ESV gets it right. Interesting, the NIV does get it right where the same verb is used in Rev. 22:7). Students realize that when they read Revelation they need to focus on the question: What are we to obey? Rather than When is this or that going to happen?
6. I am amazed at how receptive people are to the approach I am emphasizing, namely, that Revelation is a discipleship handbook helping Christians know how to live properly between Christ’s first and final comings.
7. I believe there is a growing interest on how to know the Word better.
8. I am worried that many people (including preachers) think that the primary way of getting the Word into the hearts and minds of people is via the Sunday gathering where the sermons are, to say the least, a bit thin. Sermons that do not challenge the intellect ultimately make little impact on the heart, let alone life’s decisions.
9. People in our churches ask good questions when provided the opportunity. Indeed, often the questions are profound ones. My maxim is that the deeper we probe Scripture (and this includes asking the right questions!), the greater the application.
10. People know that something must be wrong about how many self-styled Revelation experts cannot agree with one another on how a particular event is a fulfillment of prophecy and that inevitably the predictions that are so confidently made do not come to pass and that revised editions of the experts’ books have to be published to the benefit of those authors and to the detriment of the readers who have better things to do than to read another book by people like . . .