As Christians we do not believe in universalism. In other words, we do not believe in the universal application of the forgiveness of sin, through the blood of Jesus Christ, to every single human...
Because the gift of forgiveness from God to a rebellious people was always part of his plan, he is the one who takes the initiative and makes it possible for us to have a relationship with him. As...
Do we have a flawed understanding of forgiveness?
Imagine the scenario where little ‘Jenny’ hits little ‘Mary’ when playing together. Upset, Mary tells their mother what has happened.
A few years ago, I was approached by someone who had been deeply hurt by the actions of their father. The very person they rightly assumed to be their advocate and defender had abdicated that...
What makes heaven, heaven? What makes the new creation really new? Is it that there is no pain? Or that it is a place where we will be reunited with those we love who have died in the faith, such...
If asked to describe their idea of heaven, the word many people would use would be, ‘boring’. George Bernard Shaw, in his typically pugnacious way, captured what most people think when he said: ‘...
‘Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the...
‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from...
‘Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins...
‘And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God...
‘He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.’ (Jn. 16:14).
The main focus throughout the Book of Revelation inspired by the sevenfold Spirit is on...
The late British Anglican theologian John Webster once wrote: ‘The gospel’s God is eloquent: He does not remain locked in silence, but speaks.’ This is one of the primary roles of the sevenfold...
From what we have had the privilege of seeing so far with John as we have glimpsed the throne room which lies at the heart of the universe, we might be excused for thinking that God is rather distant...
The moment the Lamb takes the scroll to enact God’s will there is spontaneous and unsolicited worship, 5:8ff: ‘…the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each...
God has to deal with the fundamental cause of the rot in his world, which is sin. As the Puritan, Richard Sibbes wrote, ‘Sin defiles our souls and takes away the sweet communion with God. It puts a...
‘Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are...
It is the voice of one of the elders (the higher order of angels) which provides the reassuring answer to the angelic cry for one to put into effect the will of God, ‘And one of the elders said to me...
Bishop Festo Kivengere of Uganda was known as the ‘Billy Graham of Africa’. He once said: ‘Please don’t be shocked if you hear that there is a revolution in Burundi, Uganda or Zaire. This is Africa!...
