Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
John has treated us to three versions of the Tribulation. Now in these two chapters, he offers at least two Last Judgments. Two obvious ones employ an Armageddon battle to eradicate evil powers and people. The second of these adds an admissions test based on record books kept in heaven. Two questions arise as you […]
Anyone who studies the development of Revelation as if it were a scholarly work or, for that matter, an unfolding or prediction of future events has to be pulling out their hair as they exclaim, “Oh no, here we go again.” The opening of the 7 seals brought us to the moment when Jesus should […]
The Tribulation’s purge of evil ends with the bowls, the third set of seven visions. Nobody is saved in this one, because only those who know the truth but still refuse to worship God are left. At this point, John completely removes the veil over the Roman Empire by revealing that it is completely controlled […]
When the veil is lifted from heaven, John hears that Jesus began the final stages of salvation at his Ascension. The prophet is among those who think this necessitates a period of Tribulation. It helps to remind ourselves what this entailed, as it is here that most people have trouble with Revelation. The tribulation purges […]
These two chapters lift the veil from heaven so we can see first hand what is happening there. When an angelic voice calls John and places him in his prophetic trance, he finds himself in a throne room at the time of Jesus’ ascension. The prophet describes incredibly magnificent cosmic phenomena and wondrously strange creatures […]
Any decent understanding of Paul’s letters begins with an appreciation that they were written to particular congregations in a specific historical period. They were preserved in scripture, because the apostle handled their problems in a manner that remains relevant for us. So, too, any meaningful interpretation of Revelation depends on discerning the situation John was […]
I decided to write a short series on Revelation after a number of onliners indicated that they were not aware that the book charted the fall of the Roman Empire. Once you begin reading it this way, it offers another perspective on the relation of church and state. Most of us think Paul’s instruction in […]
Looking back over this series, I realize how much I was compelled to continue, because the news every last morning provided a new set of lies spewed out by public officials to whom we had given our trust. That compulsion also was fired by the large number of people who repeatedly told me this disregard […]
The Bible describes salvation as God’s attempt to save humanity from self-destruction and sees this, in part, as unveiling the truth that humans fail to discern. From beginning to end, two of the primary ways the scriptures explain our failure are that our violence and greed get in the way. The prophet John attempted to […]
Try as hard as I might, I find I cannot let go of this rather disjointed investigation of truth. Every time I think I find a way out, another unanswered question disturbs me. My intention was to slip away with a lesson on truth and irony, perhaps beginning with E. C. Bentley’s “Between what matters […]
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