Arguably the climax of the entire Bible is the final vision of hope unveiled in the book of Revelation, most fully in chapters 21-22. This paper will explore, from a biblical-theological perspective, the nature of the new creation as sketched out in Revelation—new creation as place, as people, as provision, as absence, and ultimately as … Read more
This paper will argue that there is no unified, “biblical” perspective on animals, contrary to the claims of both the ecocentric camp (following Lynn White’s allegation) and the anthropocentric camp, but that there are clear implications about animals that both viewpoints need to acknowledge. Prooftexts are often used to justify either an anthropocentric or ecocentric … Read more
God’s covenants frame Scripture’s metanarrative. Thus, rightly understanding the various covenants is a foundational task of biblical theology. The Noahic covenant occupies a significant literary and canonical location: its stands at the beginning of the book of Genesis and is the first explicitly named covenant found in Scripture. However, a handful of scholars have noted … Read more
There is room for better arguments from progressive dispensationalists on the distinction between Israel, the church, and the kingdom. Dispensationalists frequently draw attention to Israel’s national and geopolitical identity and the church’s lack thereof as clear markers of discontinuity between Israel and the church. However, most scholarly works that address the relationship between Israel and … Read more
God’s “creation blessing” was given first to the sea and air creatures (Gen 1:22) and subsequently three times to humanity (Gen 1:28; Gen 9:1, 7). The creation blessing reveals God’s intention for creation characterised by flourishing diversity, including a flourishing ethnocultural diversity. The powers of sin and death, which entered the biblical story in Genesis … Read more
Perhaps the only text that clearly and unambiguously states that the world will end in fire is 2 Pet 3.7: “Now, by the same word, the heavens and the earth are stored up for fire, kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” Although some commentators argue that Peter must base this … Read more
How does the biblical story begin, and where is it ultimately going? This paper considers the theological significance of the land in Genesis 1, drawing from John Sailhamer’s Historical Creationist interpretation and developing its implications through the framework of Progressive Covenantalism. According to Sailhamer, the six-day structure of Genesis 1:2–31 is best understood not as … Read more
At first glance, the final genealogy in the book of Ruth appears superfluous. Ruth 4:17 already establishes that David descends from Obed. Why, then, does the book conclude with a broader genealogy from Perez to David (Ruth 4:18-22)? Many scholars have noted the similarity between this passage and the Genesis toledot formula, suggesting that the … Read more
This paper applies a thematic Biblical Theology framework to Exodus 24 and John 21. One theme linking these two passages is the theme of divine hospitality. In DNTUOT, Brian S. Rosner writes, “One goal of biblical theology is to explore the Bible’s theological message in fresh and unexpected ways. ‘Salvation,’ ‘covenant,’ ‘temple,’ and ‘mission’ are … Read more
This paper explores the theme of the vision of God as a means of sanctification throughout Scripture. That is, in seeing God we are transformed more fully into his image. While this topic is prevalent throughout the Bible, this paper’s analysis will be limited to Exodus 34, wherein Moses’s face glows from beholding the Lord … Read more