Is theology important? Does it really matter what we believe? The word “theology” might conjure up images of petty academic debates and libraries full of musty books. But in reality, theology is extremely relevant. Nothing in life makes sense without it. Who is God? Who is man? Where did we come from? Where are we going? Theology grapples with these questions as it explores the Holy Scriptures. Rick Cornish explains in his book 5 Minute Theologian:

“Theology teaches us what Christianity believes and how to live. By knowing and applying theology, we make wise decisions and take godly actions. Theology explains the “whys” behind God’s commands and prohibitions. Thus, our daily lives and our spiritual growth are connected to our learning and living theology. It’s not surprising that Jesus included the mind in the greatest commandment about loving God (Matthew 22:37). To not apply our God-given minds to the study of theology is to disobey the Lord’s command. On the other hand, to obey the Lord’s command by applying our minds to His truth is to please God.

“Without reasoned, coherent answers to our big questions, life makes no sense. Outside of theology, we cannot find relevance. All other pursuits result in dead ends. If our questions are left unanswered, nothing seems to fit in life, or even in our thoughts. Everything remains unanchored, floating in midair. Without theology, life leads to despair—in extreme cases, to suicide. So theology, rather than being irrelevant, is the foundation of all relevance.“

How do you view theology? Is it interesting? Intimidating? Too divisive? What resources have shaped your theology and helped you dig into God’s Word?

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In April 2014, the city of Flint Michigan began drawing their drinking water from the Flint River rather than the City of Detroit Water District. Almost immediately, something was wrong. Children began developing skin rashes. People started feeling sick. Water came out of some faucets yellow or brown, had a funny smell and a bad taste.

Time Magazine reported at the time: “Flint switched from Detroit’s water supply to the Flint River in 2014, in part to save money. But the city did not use corrosion control to prevent lead from entering the water. The river itself was also found to contain eight times more chloride than Detroit’s water, a chemical that is highly corrosive to metals. Most residents in Flint have decades-old lead service lines that connect their homes to the city’s main water pipes. When water from the river flowed through those pipes, it ate away at their insides, allowing lead to enter the supply…”

In total, over 27,000 cases of lead poisoning were reported. Ten people died, and millions of dollars were lost through litigation and costly repairs. It was an environmental disaster. How thankful we should be every time we turn on the faucet and get a clean glass of water!

There’s a spiritual lesson here as well. The problems we face today in our society start far upstream. The “sickness” of anxiety, depression, gender dysphoria, mid-life crisis, and so many other problems, start far upstream in the headwater of ideas. These things don’t happen in a vacuum. Current events in politics, education, arts and entertainment, and even in the church can usually be traced upstream to dangerous theories like evolution, critical theory, pragmatism, and relativism.

Ideas have consequences. Good ideas lead to good outcomes. Bad ideas can lead to very bad outcomes, like polluted drinking water. Last Sunday morning, we saw three ways Christ protects us from the pollution of bad theology. As we walk worthy of the gospel, let us choose the path of wisdom! You can listen or watch below…

Audio – visit the Sermon Page on our Calvary Church website

Video – visit our church’s Youtube channel or simply use the embedded file below. Thanks for watching!

One of the issues that has baffled theologians over the centuries is the problem of evil, also known as “theodicy.” If God is love, and his creation was perfect, where did evil come from? We know it did not originate from God himself because God is absolutely pure (Lev. 11:44; Hab. 1:13; Matt. 5:48), and he declared his creation to be “very good” (Gen 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).

Where then did all this hate and violence and suffering and death come from? Come to think of it, where did that sneaky snake — the crafty serpent — come from in Genesis 3:1?

For me, one of the most helpful yet mysterious verses on this subject is found in Ezekiel 28:15. This passage speaks of the king of Tyre, but even more fundamentally, it is likely a reference to the fall of Lucifer (cf. also Isaiah 7; Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:9).

Ezekiel 28:15 says, “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.”

This one verse seems to chronicle the origin of evil into the universe. For all of eternity and even into the early days of creation, there was absolute purity and perfection. No sin. No evil. No pain. No death. Only joy and right relationship with God.

Then, suddenly, evil arose. A proud impulse. A moment of jealousy. A sense of entitlement, that led to coveteousness, then resentment. And when desire conceived, it gave birth to sin (James 1:15). Soon came the fall not only of Lucifer, but of all fallen angels, and soon after, the human race. The rest, as they say, is history.

But thanks be to God for Jesus Christ, the holy and humble one, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many! May God guard us against pride, and prevent us from “becoming puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6).

Question: As you think about the problem of evil, what scriptures help you navigate the rough waters? Scroll to the bottom of this post and Leave a Reply.

Have a pressing theological question or ministry question of your own? You can submit a new question here, and we may feature it in an upcoming article:

I’m part of a small online Theology Discussion Board and one of our contributors recently asked this question:

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8). My question is:In light of the fact that a lot of great Christians today (like missionaries for instance) are not prosperous and have not  had good success, does this verse mean worldly good success or spiritually or heavenly success? How does this apply to us?

Here was my response:

Hello Theologians! Last month, one of our contributors pointed us to Joshua 1:8 and asked about the meaning of “success.” Good question! Another person reminded us of the importance of using context to determine word meaning and gave a helpful lexical definition. Another way to understand a word is to compare several different Bible translations and see if they give any insight. Here are three English translations of Joshua 1:8.

ESV …For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

NASB …for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

CSB …For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do

We can see that they all say pretty much the same thing. The ESV and NASB are almost identical, while the CSB (Christian Standard Bible) sounds like an even bolder promise! This verse alone, ripped from its context, might lead to a “prosperity gospel,” which basically says that if you follow God, you will be healthy, happy, successful, and rich.

But I think we all know that’s not what God is saying. After all, we have a whole book of the Bible dedicated to the mystery of suffering and the sovereignty of God. Job was a “blameless and upright” man and yet he lost everything (at least temporarily) because he was obedient to God. Many other stories in the Bible, and in our lives, make the same point. Jeremiah even pleaded with God, “Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?” (Jer. 12:1). Many of us are asking similar questions in our society today.

When it comes to Joshua 1:8, it’s important to keep in mind God has just given Joshua a specific command, to “go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land I am giving to them” (1:2). The previous generation had been so terrified of being destroyed by giants that they cowered in fear and begged to return to Egypt (Num. 13:1-4). But God says, no, that will not happen. The time has now come to enter the land. You have nothing to fear. I will give you victory and success. Just cling to my instructions and my promises, and I will safely deliver you.

Application Thoughts:

• God’s Word should not be a fleeting thought, but the object of our meditation day and night, and occupy our minds more than any other subject.
• His Word should not only be in our minds, but on our lips, not departing from our mouth. Out of the heart, the mouth speaks.
• God wants us to be not only hearers, but doers of the Word. We are to meditate on his law so that we will be “careful to do according to all that is written.” In fact, if we only learn the Bible, but do not put it into practice, we are only heaping greater judgment upon ourselves, for “to whom much is given, much will be required” (Lk. 12:48).
• When God gives us a command and a calling, we can be assured his blessing and strength will go with us.
• Even when we experience temporary setbacks and suffering, we can be assured he will work all things together for good to those who love him (Rom. 8:28).

Thanks for the conversation. Theology Matters!

“When are you going to preach through Revelation?” This was one of the first questions I received while candidating at my church. I wasn’t even the pastor yet, and already, people were eager to talk about end times prophecy. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I think we all have a natural curiosity, and as the world gets worse, a kind of desperate eagerness, for Christ to return and establish a better kingdom than the one this world can provide.

I’m a bit embarrassed to say that fourteen years later, I still haven’t preached through Revelation. I quipped back then there’s a reason Revelation is at the end of the Bible – because you need to understand something about the other sixty-five books first. And this is certainly true. But at some point, I do want, and need, to preach through Revelation.

The other day I was reading through the Book of Ezekiel during my quiet time. I was struck again by the detailed prophecies about a future temple and land allotments in the final nine chapters.

Many believe this is figurative language. A highly embellished form of poetry to speak of magnificent spiritual truths. Donna Lee Petter, for example, writes in the NIV Zondervan Study Bible, “the vision of restored worship in a new “temple-city” (chs. 40–48) describes worship in terms familiar to a Judahite, but it does not demand literalism. The worship that unfolds through the rebuilt “temple-city” envisions a relationship with God, one even better than past experiences, and it should be the interpreter’s focus. … In Jesus one finds complete restoration. The vision of restored worship points to the age to come, when worship of God will be unhindered, undefiled, and unmediated—the ultimate restoration.”

I’m sorry, but I find this kind of thinking extremely unsatisfying. While it’s certainly true Jesus is the source of restoration, these sorts of explanations skirt the issue and don’t really move us any closer to understanding the original intent of the passage. Is Jesus the fulfillment of Old Testament promises? Of course! “For all the promises of God find their yes in him” (2 Cor. 1:20). But could Jesus choose to fulfill these promises by bringing the Abrahamic Covenant and Old Testament prophecies of restoration to a literal completion? Absolutely. In fact, I would say God’s reputation depends on it. Wasn’t this the point of Ezekiel’s contemporary, Jeremiah?

Jeremiah, another prophet who ministered during the fall of Jerusalem, also spoke of future restoration. “Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name: ‘If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.’ Thus says the Lord: ‘If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord’” (Jer. 31:35-37). In other words, the sun is more likely to stop shining that for God to give up on the ethnic people of Israel. He chose long ago to set his unconditional love up them (Deut. 7:6-11), and the “gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).

 There’s still much we do not understand about the details, chronology, characters, and political landscape of the end times. “For now we see in a mirror dimly” (1 Cor. 13:12). But taking into account all the Bible teaches on future events, I think we can have a fair degree of certainty about the rapture, the tribulation, the judgments, the millennium, and the eternal state.

The timeline below, found in the Bible Knowledge Commentary, is one of the most helpful summaries I’ve seen of these events, showing how they all fit together. If this proves to be true, then the rapture of God’s people is the next event to occur on God’s eschatological calendar. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Outline of End-Time Events Predicted in the Bible

I.   Events Before, During, and After the Seven-Year End-Time Period (This seven-year period is the 70th “seven” of Daniel, Dan. 9:27.)

A.   Events immediately before the seven-year period

1. Church raptured (John 14:1–3; 1 Cor. 15:51–52; 1 Thes. 4:16–18; Rev. 3:10)
2. Restrainer removed (2 Thes. 2:7)
3. Judgment seat of Christ (in heaven, 1 Cor. 3:12–15; 2 Cor. 5:10)
4. Antichrist rises to power over the Roman confederacy (Dan. 7:20, 24)

B.   Event at the beginning of the seven-year period

1. Antichrist (the coming “ruler”) makes a covenant with Israel (Dan. 9:26–27)

C.   Events in the first half of the seven-year period

1. Israel living in peace in the land (Ezek. 38:8)
2. Temple sacrifices instituted (Rev. 11:1–2)
3. World church dominates religion and the Antichrist (Rev. 17)

D.   Events perhaps just before the middle of the seven-year period

1. Gog and his allies invade Palestine from the north (Ezek. 38:2, 5–6, 22)
2. Gog and his allies destroyed by God (Ezek. 38:17–23)

E.   Events at the middle of the seven-year period

1. Satan cast down from heaven and energizes the Antichrist (Rev. 12:12–17)
2. Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel, causing her sacrifices to cease (Dan. 9:27)
3. The 10 kings under the Antichrist destroy the world church (Rev. 17:16–18)
4. The 144,000 Israelites saved and sealed (Rev. 7:1–8)

F.   Events of the second half of the seven-year period. These three-and-one-half years are called “the Great Tribulation” (Rev. 7:14; cf. “great distress,” Matt. 24:21; “time of distress,” Dan. 12:1; and “a time of trouble for Jacob,” Jer. 30:7)

1. Rebellion (apostasy) against the truth in the professing church (Matt. 24:12; 2 Thes. 2:3)
2. Antichrist becomes a world ruler (1st seal, Rev. 6:1–2) with support of the Western confederacy (Rev. 13:5, 7; 17:12–13)
3. Antichrist revealed as “the man of lawlessness,” “the lawless one” (2 Thes. 2:3, 8–9)
4. War, famine, and death (2nd, 3rd, and 4th seals,  Rev. 6:3–8
5. Converted multitudes from every nation martyred (5th seal, ⁵ Rev. 6:9–11; 7:9–14; Matt. 24:9)
6. Natural disturbances and worldwide fear of divine wrath (6th Seal, ⁵ Rev. 6:12–17)
7. Antichrist’s image (an “abomination”) set up for worship (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15; 2 Thes. 2:4; Rev. 13:14–15)
8. Two witnesses begin their ministry (Rev. 11:3)
9. The false prophet promotes the Antichrist, who is worshiped by nations and unbelieving Israel (Matt. 24:11–12; 2 Thes. 2:11; Rev. 13:4, 11–15
10. Mark of the beast used to promote worship of the Antichrist (Rev. 13:16–18)
11. Israel scattered because of the anger of Satan (Rev. 12:6, 13–17) and because of the “abomination” (Antichrist’s image) in the temple (Matt. 24:15–26)
12. Jerusalem overrun by Gentiles (Luke 21:24; Rev. 11:2)
13. Antichrist and false prophets deceive many people (Matt. 24:11; 2 Thes. 2:9–11)
14. The gospel of the kingdom proclaimed (Matt. 24:14)
15. Israel persecuted by the Antichrist (Jer. 30:5–7; Dan. 12:1; Zech. 13:8; Matt. 24:21–22)
16. Trumpet judgments (Rev. 8–9) and bowl judgments (Rev. 16) poured out by God on Antichrist’s empire
17. Blasphemy increases as the judgments intensify (Rev. 16:8–11)

G.   Events concluding the seven-year period

1. Two witnesses slain by the Antichrist (Rev. 11:7)
2. Two witnesses resurrected (Rev. 11:11–12)
3. The king of the South (Egypt) and the king of the North fight against the Antichrist (Dan. 11:40a)
4. Antichrist enters Palestine and defeats Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia (Dan. 11:40a–43)
5. Armies from the East and the North move toward Palestine (Dan. 11:44; Rev. 16:12)
6. Jerusalem is ravaged (Zech. 14:1–4)
7. Commercial Babylon is destroyed (Rev. 16:19; 18:1–3, 21–24)
8. Signs appear in the earth and sky (Isa. 13:10; Joel 2:10, 30–31; 3:15; Matt. 24:29)
9. Christ returns with the armies of heaven (Matt. 24:27–31; Rev. 19:11–16)
10. Jews flee Jerusalem facilitated by topographical changes (Zech. 14:5)
11. Armies unite at Armageddon against Christ and the armies of heaven (Joel 3:9–11; Rev. 16:16; 19:17–19)
12. Armies are destroyed by Christ (Rev. 19:19, 21)
13. The “beast” (Antichrist) and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20)

H.   Events following the seven-year period

1. Final regathering of Israel (Isa. 11:11–12; Jer. 30:3; Ezek. 36:24; 37:1–14; Amos 9:14–15; Micah 4:6–7; Matt. 24:31)
2. A remnant of Israelites turn to the Lord and are forgiven and cleansed (Hosea 14:1–5; Zech. 12:10; 13:1)
3. National deliverance of Israel from the Antichrist (Dan. 12:1b; Zech. 12:10; 13:1; Rom. 11:26–27)
4. Judgment of living Israel (Ezek. 20:33–38; Matt. 25:1–30)
5. Judgment of living Gentiles (Matt. 25:31–46)
6. Satan cast into the abyss (Rev. 20:1–3)
7. Old Testament saints resurrected (Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:1–3)
8. Tribulation saints resurrected (Rev. 20:4–6)
9. Daniel 9:24 fulfilled
10. Marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7–9)
11. Christ begins His reign on earth (Ps. 72:8; Isa. 9:6–7; Dan. 2:14–35; 44; 7:13–14; Zech. 9:10; Rev. 20:4)

II.  Characteristics and Events of the Millennium

A.   Physical characteristics

1. Topography and geography of the earth changed (Isa. 2:2; Ezek. 47:1–12; 48:8–20; Zech. 14:4, 8, 10)
2. Wild animals tamed (Isa. 11:6–9; 35:9; Ezek. 34:25)
3. Crops abundant (Isa. 27:6; 35:1–2, 6–7; Amos 9:13; Zech. 14:8)
4. Human longevity increased (Isa. 65:20–23)

B.   Spiritual and religious characteristics and events

1. Satan confined in the abyss (Rev. 20:1–3)
2. Millennial temple built (Ezek. 40:5–43:27)
3. Animal sacrifices offered as memorials to Christ’s death (Isa. 56:7; 66:20–23; Jer. 33:17–18; Ezek. 43:18–27; 45:13–46:24; Mal. 3:3–4)
4. Feasts of the New Year, Passover, and Tabernacles reinstituted (Ezek. 45:18–25; Zech. 14:16–21)
5. Nations worship in Jerusalem (Isa. 2:2–4; Micah 4:2; 7:12; Zech. 8:20–23; 14:16–21)
6. Worldwide knowledge of God (Isa. 11:9; Jer. 31:34; Micah 4:5; Hab. 2:14)
7. Unparalleled filling of and empowerment by the Holy Spirit on Israel (Isa. 32:15; 44:3; Ezek. 36:24–29; 39:29; Joel 2:28–29)
8. New Covenant with Israel fulfilled (Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 11:19–20; 36:25–32)
9. Righteousness and justice prevails (Isa. 9:7; 11:4; 42:1–4; Jer. 23:5)

C.   Political characteristics and events

1. Israel reunited as a nation (Jer. 3:18; Ezek. 37:15–23)
2. Israel at peace in the land (Deut. 30:1–10; Isa. 32:18; Hosea 14:5, 7; Amos 9:15; Micah 4:4; 5:4–5a; Zech. 3:10; 14:11)
3. Abrahamic Covenant land-grant boundaries established (Gen. 15:18–21; Ezek. 47:13–48:8, 23–27)
4. Christ in Jerusalem rules over Israel (Isa. 40:11; Micah 4:7; 5:2b)
5. Davidic Covenant fulfilled (Christ on the throne of David, 2 Sam. 7:11–16; Isa. 9:6–7; Jer. 33:17–26; Amos 9:11–12, Luke 1:32–33)
6. Christ rules over and judges the nations (Isa. 11:3–5; Micah 4:2–3a; Zech. 14:9; Rev. 19:15)
7. Resurrected saints reign with Christ (Matt. 19:28; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10; 20:6)
8. Universal peace prevails (Isa. 2:4; 32:17–18; 60:18; Hosea 2:18; Micah 4:2–4; 5:4; Zech. 9:10
9. Jerusalem made the world’s capital (Jer. 3:17; Ezek. 48:30–35; Joel 3:16–17; Micah 4:1, 6–8; Zech. 8:2–3)
10. Israel exalted above the Gentiles (Isa. 14:1–2; 49:22–23; 60:14–17; 61:5–9)
11. The world blessed through Israel (Micah 5:7)

D.   Events following the Millennium

1. Satan released from the abyss (Rev. 20:7)
2. Satan deceives the nations (Rev. 20:8)
3. Global armies besiege Jerusalem (Rev. 20:9a)
4. Global armies destroyed by fire (Rev. 20:9b)
5. Satan cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10)
6. Evil angels judged (1 Cor. 6:3)
7. The wicked dead resurrected (Dan. 12:2b; John 5:29b)
8. The wicked judged at the Great White Throne (Rev. 20:11–14)
9. The wicked cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14–15; 21:8)

III. Eternity

A.   Christ delivers the mediatorial (millennial) kingdom to God the Father (1 Cor. 15:24)

B.   Present heavens and earth demolished (Rev. 21:1)

C.   New heavens and new earth created (2 Peter 3:10; Rev. 21:1)

D.   New Jerusalem descends to the new earth (Rev. 21:2, 10–27)

E.   Christ rules forever in the eternal kingdom (Isa. 9:6–7; Ezek. 37:24–28; Dan. 7:13–14; Luke 1:32–33; Rev. 11:15)