Eschatology - The High King Of Heaven Order Printed Copy
- Author: Dean Davis
- Size: 5.45MB | 812 pages
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About the Book
"Eschatology - The High King of Heaven" by Dean Davis explores the Christian beliefs regarding the end times and the return of Jesus Christ as the ultimate ruler of heaven and earth. Davis examines biblical prophecies and theological perspectives on eschatology, offering insights into the hope and significance of Christ's ultimate victory for believers.
Jack Miller
Cecil John Miller (December 28, 1928 â April 8, 1996[1][2]), usually known as Jack Miller, was an American Presbyterian pastor. He served as pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, and taught practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary.
Early life and education
Miller was born on December 28, 1928 in Gold Beach, Oregon. He married Rose Marie Carlsen in 1950, and graduated from San Francisco State College in 1953. In 1966 he received an M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and in 1978 earned his Ph.D. in English literature from the University of the Pacific.[2]
Career
Starting in 1955, Miller taught at Ripon Christian School for five years in Ripon, California. He was ordained as a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in 1959, and worked as a chaplain for several years in Stockton, California. From 1965-1972 he served as the pastor of Mechanicsville Chapel in Mechanicsville, Pennsylvania.[2]
Gary North argues that Miller was "deeply affected by the counter-culture", and this led him to adopt new, people-oriented approaches to evangelism.[3] Chad B. Van Dixhoorn suggests that Miller's Sonship program stemmed from three and a half months spent in Spain overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Miller "studied the promises of Scripture for three and a half months culminating in a mountaintop experience, or its seaside equivalent. He returned to America with two things on his mind, adoption and revival."[4]
Miller founded World Harvest Mission (now named Serge) and the New Life Presbyterian network of Orthodox Presbyterian churches.[5] He was known for emphasizing the Christian's status as a child of God, a view known as sonship theology. Tullian Tchividjian notes that Miller summed up the gospel in this way: "Cheer up; you're a lot worse off than you think you are, but in Jesus you're far more loved than you could have ever imagined."[6]
Miller wrote a number of books, most notably Outgrowing the Ingrown Church (1986). A volume of his letters, The Heart of a Servant Leader, was published in 2004.
In 2020, P&R Publishing released a biography written by Michael A. Graham titled Cheer Up! The Life, Teaching, and Ministry of C. John âJackâ Miller.
Miller died on April 8, 1996 in Malaga, Spain.[2]
References
1. "Notable Former Professors". Westminster Theological Seminary. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
2. Van Dyke, Jody (2018). "Cecil John (Jack) Miller". PCA Historical Center: Archives and Manuscript Repository for the Continuing Presbyterian Church. Presbyterian Church in America. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
3. North, Gary (1991). Westminster's Confession: The Abandonment of Van Til's Legacy (PDF). Institute for Christian Economics. p. 35.
4. Chad B. Van Dixhoorn, "The Sonship Program for Revival: A Summary and Critique," Westminster Theological Journal 61.2 (1999), 227-246.
5. Frame, John (2017). Theology of My Life: A Theological and Apologetic Memoir. Cascade Publishing. p. 92. ISBN 978-1532613784.
6. Tchividjian, Tullian (2010). Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels. Crossway. p. 44.
when they hurt you with words
The spirit of the old adage âwords will never harm meâ is not the sentiment of the Scriptures. Words can hurt, even when directed from an unknown profile online. God made a world in which words are powerful. âDeath and life are in the power of the tongueâ (Proverbs 18:21). And as public discourse falls to new lows in the digital age, God has not left us without a guide for how to respond to the pain when we are persecuted with words. Leaf through the New Testament, and youâll find verbal attacks on Jesus, his apostles, and his church on nearly every page. At times, these attacks escalate to physical persecution â the stoning of Stephen, the martyrdom of James, the imprisonments of Peter and Paul, the crucifixion of Christ â but what remains constant, and significant, is a torrent of verbal persecution against Jesus and his people. And verbal persecution is not less than persecution because itâs verbal. Have You Been Reviled? Slander  and revile  are two of the main words for verbal attack in the English New Testament, and both occur frequently. Early Christians were so accustomed to being spoken against that they developed a rich vocabulary (if you call it that) of being slandered, reviled, insulted, maligned, mocked, and spoken evil against (at least six different Greek verbs, along with several related nouns and adjectives). Of the English terms, revile  may be the least common in normal usage today. One dictionary defines it as âto criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.â To take our cues from specific biblical texts, revile  can mean âto speak evil againstâ (Matthew 5:11; Mark 9:39; Acts 19:9; 23:4); it is the opposite of verbally honoring someone (Mark 7:10). Reviling is an attempt to injure with words (1 Peter 3:16). We see it at Jesusâs crucifixion, where âthose who passed by derided himâ with their words, and the chief priests, scribes, and elders âmocked him,â and âthe robbers who were crucified with him also reviled  him in the same wayâ (Matthew 27:39â44). But Jesus not only endured it; he prepared us for it as well. He and his apostles, and the early church, model for us how to receive and respond to slander and reviling. 1. Expect the world to say the worst. Amid this rich vocabulary of verbal attack, the New Testament sends no mixed signals as to whether Christians will be maligned. We will. Jews and Gentiles together bombarded Jesus and his disciples with verbal attacks. Physical persecution came and went, but reviling remained constant. When Paul arrived in Rome, the Jews reported to him, about Christianity, âWith regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken againstâ (Acts 28:22). For Christians, being reviled is not a matter of if  but when : âwhen they speak against youâ (1 Peter 2:12). Unbelievers âare surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debaucheryâ â so what do they do? âThey malign youâ (1 Peter 4:4). After all, should we not expect the world, under the power of the devil (1 John 5:19; Ephesians 2:2), to lie about us? The Greek for devil ( diabolos ) actually means slanderer (1 Timothy 3:11; Titus 2:3). As Jesus said to his revilers in John 8:44, âYou are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your fatherâs desires. . . . When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.â 2. Consider the cause. We should not assume that all verbal opposition we receive is good. Being reviled for Jesusâs sake and for his gospel is one thing; being reviled for our own folly and sin is another (1 Peter 3:17; 4:15â16). As far as it depends on us, we want to âgive the adversary no occasion for slanderâ (1 Timothy 5:14). Slander itself is no win for the church. We want to do what we can, within reason and without compromise, to keep Godâs name and word and teaching from reviling (1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:5). âDo not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evilâ (Romans 14:16). But when the world speaks evil against us because of Jesus, we embrace it. âIf you are insulted for the name of Christ , you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon youâ (1 Peter 4:14). 3. Do not revile in return. Christâs calling to his church is crystal clear: Do not respond in kind. Do not stoop to the level of your revilers. âKeep your conduct honorableâ (1 Peter 2:12). âSpeak evil of no oneâ (Titus 3:2), including those who have spoken evil of you. Do not become a verbal vigilante, but âentrust yourself to him who judges justlyâ (1 Peter 2:23). And as his redeemed, taste the joy of walking in his steps: âWhen he was reviled, he did not revile in returnâ (1 Peter 2:23). Paul took up the same mantle: âWhen reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreatâ (1 Corinthians 4:12â13). So also Peter charges us to respond âwith gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shameâ (1 Peter 3:15â16). When we do not ârevile in return,â we put our revilers to shame. Christians do not respond in kind. We lose the battle, and undermine our commission, when we let revilers make us into revilers. And itâs not just a matter of strategy, but of spiritual life and death. âRevilers,â 1 Corinthians 6:10 warns, âwill not inherit the kingdom of God,â and Christians are instructed ânot to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is . . . a revilerâ (1 Corinthians 5:11). Christ expects, even demands, that our speech be different from the worldâs, even when we respond to the worldâs mean words. 4. Leap for joy. Leap for joy? That might seem way over the top. Canât we just take our cues from the apostles in Acts 5:41? âThey left the presence of the council, rejoicing  that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.â Amen, rejoice. Yes. Jesusâs own words in the Sermon on the Mount guide us: âBlessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad , for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.â (Matthew 5:11â12). But Luke 6:22â23 doesnât leave it at simply rejoicing: âBlessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy , for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.â Whether youâre just rejoicing in God deep down, or finding the emotional wherewithal, in the Spirit, to âleap for joy,â the point is clear: When others dishonor you, and exclude you, and utter all manner of evil against you, and even spurn your name as evil â and that on Jesusâs account , not on the account of your own folly â this is not new, and you are not alone (âso their fathers did to the prophetsâ). You have a great cause for joy. Their reviling you for his sake  means you are with him! And you will know him more as you share in the verbal persecution he endured (Philippians 3:10). 5. On the contrary, bless. There is one more shocking possibility for Christians, even more astounding than leaping for joy: âDo not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless , for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessingâ (1 Peter 3:9). This indeed is the spirit of Christ, and gives the most striking testimony of the Spirit of Christ at work in us. The grace and power of God not only enable us to expect and evaluate reviling, and not respond in kind but even rejoice, but also repay reviling with blessing . This is Christlikeness. This is Christian maturity (Matthew 5:48). This reflects the magnanimous heart of our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:45). This is the enemy-love to which Jesus not only calls us but works in us by his Spirit. âLove your enemies and pray for those who persecute youâ (Matthew 5:44). In Christ, we have found ourselves blessed when we deserved to be cursed. We have come to know a Father who does not revile those who humbly seek him (James 1:5). When reviled, we now have the opportunity to bless undeserving revilers, just as we have been blessed from above â and will be further blessed for doing so (âthat you may obtain a blessing,â 1 Peter 3:9). The swelling ocean of reviling in our day is not just an obstacle to be endured. It is an opportunity for gospel advance â and for deeper joy.