Siew seeks to examine the events that will unfold within the three and a half years before the dawn of the kingdom of God on earth. He argues that John composed the textual unit of Rev 11:1--14:5 as a coherent and unified literary unit structured in a macro-chiasm. He pays special attention to the fusion of form and content and seeks to elucidate how the concentric and chiastic pattern informs the meaning of the literary units within 11:1--14:5, and proposes that the text of 11:1--14:5 is best analyzed using Hebraic literary conventions, devices, and compositional techniques such as chiasm, parallelism, parataxis, and structural parallelism. The macro-chiastic pattern provides the literary-structural framework for John to portray that the events of the last three and a half years unfold on earth as a result of what transpires in heaven. Specifically, the war in heaven between Michael and the dragon has earthly ramifications. The outcome of the heavenly war where Satan is defeated and thrown out of heaven to earth results in the war on earth between the two beasts of Rev 13 and the two witnesses of Rev 11. The narrative of the war in heaven (12:7-12) is seen as the pivot of the macro-chiastic structure. Siew pays close attention to the time-period of the three-and-a-half years as a temporal and structural marker which functions to unite the various units in 11:1--14:5 into a coherent and integral whole. The events of the last days will be centred in Jerusalem.

Siew seeks to examine the events that will unfold within the three and a half years before the dawn of the kingdom of God on earth. He argues that John composed the textual unit of Rev 11:1--14:5 as a coherent and unified literary unit structured in a macro-chiasm. He pays special attention to the fusion of form and content and seeks to elucidate how the concentric and chiastic pattern informs the meaning of the literary units within 11:1--14:5, and proposes that the text of 11:1--14:5 is best analyzed using Hebraic literary conventions, devices, and compositional techniques such as chiasm, parallelism, parataxis, and structural parallelism. The macro-chiastic pattern provides the literary-structural framework for John to portray that the events of the last three and a half years unfold on earth as a result of what transpires in heaven. Specifically, the war in heaven between Michael and the dragon has earthly ramifications. The outcome of the heavenly war where Satan is defeated and thrown out of heaven to earth results in the war on earth between the two beasts of Rev 13 and the two witnesses of Rev 11. The narrative of the war in heaven (12:7-12) is seen as the pivot of the macro-chiastic structure. Siew pays close attention to the time-period of the three-and-a-half years as a temporal and structural marker which functions to unite the various units in 11:1--14:5 into a coherent and integral whole. The events of the last days will be centred in Jerusalem.

Revelation's Hymns examines the hymnic pericopes in Revelation in light of the cosmic conflict theme. It considers this theme as integral to the development of Revelation's plot. Recognizing that critical studies give interpretative primacy to the political realities that existed at the time of Revelation's composition, Grabiner responds to the need for an examination of the storyline from the perspective of issues that are of narrative importance. Grabiner argues that the cosmic conflict is at the centre of the book's concerns, and attempts to determine the function of the hymns with respect to this. Previous examinations of the hymns have considered them as a response and/or parody to Roman liturgy, examples of God's unquestioned sovereignty, or expressions of thematic overtones found throughout the book. While these approaches make a contribution to a greater understanding of the hymns, the relation to the ever-present conflict theme has not been explored. This study allows the hymnic sections to engage with the larger narrative issue as to who is truly the rightful sovereign of the universe.

As the twentieth century passed its midpoint and was rushing toward its end, a growing number of Majority World theologians came to realize that they could in fact do theology in their own contexts for the benefit of their own people. Thus, from the1960s onward, theologians in the global South have embarked on a form of theological construction that has sometimes been described as 'contextual' reflection or 'contextualized theology'. This volume is motivated by the conviction that these efforts have resulted in theological work that is also beneficial for Christians in other parts of the world. The editors have invited Majority World theologians to share their reflections on several themes of Christian faith from their own socio-historical perspectives but with an unswerving commitment to the authority of Scripture. It is hoped that these fresh reflections will help Christians in the West to engage and benefit from the perspectives of fellow believers in the global South.

Engaging and accessible, The Lion and the Lamb is an ideal resource for college students and others interested in knowing the essentials of each New Testament book. A concise summary of The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown -- the acclaimed New Testament introduction by the same authors -- this volume sets a new standard for high-level, up-to-date research presented in a core knowledge format that is practical, relevant, and easy to follow. Part One features chapters on the nature of Scripture and the religious and political background of the New Testament. Part Two covers the Gospels in the canonical order, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Part Three uses Acts as the framework for treating Paul’s letters in chronological written order: Galatians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Corinthians, Romans, and the Prison and Pastoral Epistles (Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and 1-2 Timothy and Titus, respectively). Part Four includes discussions of the General Epistles (Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude) and Revelation. Each chapter clearly discusses the book’s key facts, contribution to the canon, historical setting, literary features, and theological message. In all, The Lion and the Lamb makes this learning exciting and rewarding.

Although Scripture cannot be reduced to a mere piece of human writing, there is much to gain by paying careful attention to the historical, literary, and theological dimensions of the biblical text. For this reason, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown is offered to the serious New Testament student who seeks to better understand and share God’s “word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Across nearly one thousand pages, it thoroughly introduces all twenty-seven New Testament books and closely examines Christ’s incarnation and virgin birth, the heart of His ministry shown so vividly in the Gospels’ Passion Narratives, and the triumphant return of Jesus and our eternal reign with Him as depicted in Revelation. "Simply an outstanding work. Its up-to-date research alone makes The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown an invaluable resource. Add to this its comprehensive survey of the crucial issues related to New Testament studies, and you have a textbook well suited for the college or seminary classroom." --Daniel L. Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC "Among the finest such studies of recent decades in classic matters of New Testament introduction. What sets it apart includes: (1) attention to theology and the history of interpretation; (2) extended presentation of the history of New Testament times and the rise of the canon; (3) appropriate rigor; (4) frequently creative layout features; and (5) conceptual clarity. Beyond an impressive digest of scholarship, it is an appeal to faithful appropriation of the New Testament's message." --Robert W. Yarbrough, professor of New Testament and department chair, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL "Clear, thorough, up to date, and engaging all the contemporary alternatives people are putting forward . . . discerning and judicious. Well done and highly recommended." --Darrell L. Bock, research professor of New Testament, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, TX "The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown sets a new standard for excellence among textbooks dealing with New Testament introduction (and) offers a veritable gold mine of information often found only in several texts. A distinctively unique textbook that displays not only careful and balanced scholarship, but is lucidly written and Òuser friendly." --Richard D. Patterson, emeritus professor, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

"A certain king built himself a palace and summoned two persons to decorate it for him. The king divided his palace into two parts, putting one person in charge of one half and the second in charge of the other. One of the persons decorated his part of the palace with beautiful paintings of birds and animals. But the second person painted his half of the palace with black dye which was reflecting everything like a mirror. When the king came to judge the two decorations, everything he had seen in the first person's part he also saw in the second's part, since it was reflected in its black dye like in a mirror. Not only that, but even all the king could wish to put in the first half of his palace appeared in the second half. This found favor in the eyes of the king"--

"With updated bibliography"--Copyright page.

Many evangelicals have come to embrace a populist eschatology that has neither the support of the historical church, nor of the scholarly world today. For some, this has led to a disillusionment with eschatological speculations. For others, the results are apathy and a failure to understand the mission of God's people. This is tragic! For when the entirety of the New Testament is read and understood from an eschatological perspective, the grand narrative of Scripture and its fulfillment in Jesus comes clearly into focus. A proper framework for understanding eschatology directly correlates to a proper understanding of the mission of God's people, who are themselves carrying forth the biblical story as we approach the New Jerusalem. To fail to comprehend eschatology is to fail to comprehend our mission. This book has two objectives: First, to provide a proper hermeneutical framework from which we may discern a biblical eschatological worldview. Second, to demonstrate that a proper eschatological framework relates to the mission of God's people and the demand for holiness. Thus, eschatology matters!

A Dynamic Reading of the Holy Spirit in Revelation attempts to read the book of Revelation in a new way as a narrative, embracing literary elements such as plot, point of view, narrative voice, character, and story structure to help readers discover its meanings by tracing the story anew. Lee's unique narrative perspective offers readers a bird's-eye view to experience four levels of the story: heaven, earth, abyss, and the lake of fire. Lee develops a theological account of John's pneumatology and surely extends Christian pneumatology, a doctrine inseparable from the life of the church. Readers will come away with a greater understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit, which will enable them to enjoy a deeper fellowship with the Holy Spirit more intimately than ever before. Lee portrays the book of Revelation as a mission-oriented book that tells how the kingdom of God will be built in this world through spiritual warfare, rather than as a book of eschatology. Lee's book will serve as a spiritual wake-up call to the modern church and the people of God in its accurate portrayal of the Holy Spirit and vivid description of spiritual warfare.