Understanding the New Testament and the End Times, Second Edition. Rob Dalrymple. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Rob Dalrymple
Издательство: Ingram
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Жанр произведения: Религия: прочее
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9781532649493
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of the OT. The story, as Matthew frames it, begins with Abraham and runs to David, then from David to the exile, then from the exile to Jesus: “Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ fourteen generations” (1:17). Matthew, therefore, is announcing in Jesus that the era of the exile is over and the story of Israel has come to its fulfillment in Jesus.

      Why does John 1:1 begin with a clear allusion to Genesis 1:1? The Gospel of John begins by quoting Genesis because John wishes for us to see in the coming of Christ the beginning of the New Creation. Thus, for John the “beginning” is a new beginning in Jesus.

      One of the difficulties that many have at this juncture relates to the problem of the future of the kingdom. Many of us have become so accustomed to thinking of the end times as something wholly in the future that we have trouble grasping the present reality of the kingdom. Some, perhaps, are concerned with how this might affect our view of the return of Christ. Though this is understandable, we must warn against the urge to hold so tightly to one perspective that we neglect other truths simply because they are problematic for us. We must find room in our convictions for the whole counsel of God.

      The end has begun in Christ, and yet we also affirm that Christ will return to consummate his kingdom.