The Son of Man Already "Came Back!" [Earthquakes…Signs of the Times, 7 (Mark 13)]

April 29, 2010 By Kurt Willems 44 Comments

This is the Sixth post in a series titled: Earthquakes… Signs of the Times?  I invite you to read the rest of the series here to catch up (the first post would be extremely helpful) …

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Today’s post is going to look at the language of the “coming of the son of man.” In many popular theological systems, this is seen as a text connected to the rapture of the church. I do not want to analyze ‘rapture’ theology in this post, but simply to point out that this is a popular connection that is made. As has been alluded to throughout this study, there is a way to understand this whole chapter of Mark 13 to be attributed to past fulfillment. In other words, when Jesus speaks of a coming disaster (earthquakes, destruction, etc.), this is all about things that will happen within the generation of the disciples (see v. 30). This interpretive option comes into full shape in the work of N. T. Wright. What follows is a summary of his arguments concerning the “Son of Man” language in Mark 13.

In order to understand the language and Jesus’ usage of “Son of Man,” we must understand its usage in the Old Testament. The phrase originally occurs in Daniel chapter 7. The context of this passage contains the images of beasts who are representative of pagan nations in a literary sense. These beasts attack the “son of man” figure who is a literary representation of Israel. Many interpreters are quick to make this figure a literal [Read more...]

Filed Under: (Series) Earthquakes...Signs of the Times?, Dispensationalism, Interpretation, N. T. Wright, Olivet Discourse, Rapture, Temple, Theology, Tribulation Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , 44 Comments

A "Tough" Proposal – An Approach to Alleviating Poverty, 2 (Liberal and Conservative Approaches)

April 27, 2010 By Kurt Willems 8 Comments

This is the second of 3 posts that I plan to do regarding alleviating poverty.  This will not be comprehensive in any way shape or form, but aims at doing some critical reflection on the situation we now find ourselves in as American citizens.  Everything I write is an interaction with a book titled: Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America; by Paul Tough (thus the title).  Specifically this will be based on chapter two of this book titled: “Unequal Childhoods.”  The first post was concerned with the overarching biblical summons to act on behalf of the poor.  This post will now engage in dialogue with Tough’s ideas…

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Post II: Based on Tough’s essay, what are the similarities / differences in liberal and conservative answers to why people are poor?  How are both lacking and what does he propose instead?


According to Tough, the liberal version of why people are poor is mostly a systemic issue.  In other words, the conditions in which the people live in the ghettos and poor neighborhoods of America is what keeps people in poverty.  He states: “This belief holds that it is the very structure of the American economy that denies poor people sufficient income, and so the appropriate and just solution is to counter those economic forces by providing the poor with what they lack: food, housing, and money” (24).  On the opposite pole is the conservative perspective that basically puts accountability on the free individual. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics, Social Justice Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , 8 Comments

Angels Vs. Messengers… A War of Words? [Earthquakes…Signs of the Times, 6 (Mark 13)]

April 25, 2010 By Kurt Willems 36 Comments

This is the Sixth post in a series titled: Earthquakes… Signs of the Times?  I invite you to read the rest of the series here to catch up (the first post would be extremely helpful)…

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We have been doing a study to discern whether or not we can rightfully say that earthquakes and other natural disasters are “signs of the times” or indicators that the “end times” are coming soon.  This next point, is not critical to the study but may offer us a helpful hint about Mark 13.  There is a textual nuance that may become important in this study that is found in verse 27.  The TNIV renders the passage the following way: “And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds…”  The question at hand is the word “angels” which is from the Greek word “άγγελοι.”  This is a word that commonly refers to angels in the Bible, but can also equally refer to human messengers [Read more...]

Filed Under: (Series) Earthquakes...Signs of the Times?, Dispensationalism, Interpretation, N. T. Wright, Olivet Discourse, Rapture, Temple, Theology, Tribulation Tagged With: , , , , , , , 36 Comments

Abomination of Desolation ≠ AntiChrist! [Earthquakes…Signs of the Times, 5 (Mark 13)]

April 23, 2010 By Kurt Willems 22 Comments

This is the fifth post in a series titled: Earthquakes… Signs of the Times?  I invite you to read the rest of the series here to catch up (the first post would be extremely helpful)…

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A popular phrase in the Christian subculture is “Antichrist” who is often identified as the “Abomination of Desolation” or the “Beast” who will brand sinners with his mark of “666.”  For instance, in the popular book series/ movie “Left Behind,” this figure is known as Nicolae Carpathia (see image).  This has been so embedded in our theologies that to raise any questions about our interpretation of these things often frustrates many of the faithful.  If this is you… I apologize in advance but would ask you to lay aside your presuppositions and follow my logic and interpretive scheme to see if it holds up.

The phrase that deserves some investigation is what the TNIV designates: “the abomination that causes desolation” (v. 14).  Comparatively, the NRSV renders this as “desolating sacrilege” and the NLT as “the sacrilegious object that causes desecration.”  Now, for the purposes of biblical interpretation, a question must be asked: Is this referring to a person or to an object? In many popular futurist theologies (rapture–> tribulation –> millennial reign –> eternity in brand new heavenly world as opposed to this one), it is assumed that this phrase refers to the so-called ‘Antichrist’ who will step into the holy place of the (rebuilt?) Temple; but based on Jewish history it seems more likely [Read more...]

Filed Under: (Series) Earthquakes...Signs of the Times?, Dispensationalism, Interpretation, Olivet Discourse, Politics, Rapture, Temple, Theology, Tribulation Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , 22 Comments
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