Disciples Digital Library

In his letter to the “ messenger ” of Laodicea, the Risen “ Son of Man ” is called the “ Beginning of the Creation of God .” In his death and resurrection, he inaugurated the New Creation. In the same sentence, and in the present tense, he also is called the “ Amen, the faithful and true witness ,” appellations applied to him previously in the Book’s prologue.

The Incommunicable Name of God, its meaning and significance, according to Joseph Bryant Rotherham .  The following article is from the Introduction to the 1902 edition of the Emphasized Bible by Joseph Bryant Rotherham ( Public Domain ). It explains the background and meaning of the Hebrew name of God, Yahweh, and the key reasons why it has been lost to a great many Christians over the centuries - [ Photo by Will van Wingerden on Unsplash ]. In what follows, I have preserved as much of the original formatting as possible. ( The Emphasised Bible, A New Translation , by Joseph Bryant Rotherham, Published originally in 1902 { Public Domain }).

In his first epistle, John declares it is the  Last Hour , a period elsewhere in the New Testament called the “ Last Days .” As evidence of this, he points to the presence of false teachers who are disrupting the congregations under his care. These deceivers are the products and instruments of the “ Spirit of Antichrist ” that is active already in the world, and these very same men are forerunners of the final “ Antichrist ” who is yet to come.

Israel’s possession of Canaan was an earlier stage in God’s redemptive plan, which always envisioned something larger than Israel or a small plot of land in the Middle East. With the arrival of the Messiah and the outpouring of the Spirit, the covenant promises began to find their fulfillment in the true “ Seed of Abraham ,” and in his “ brethren ” and “ coheirs ,” the promised inheritance that would include bodily resurrection and New Creation.

SYNOPSIS: Paul introduces his Gospel to the house churches of Rome and sets the basis for dealing with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers. The coming of Christ at the end of the age is not a major subject in the  Epistle to the Romans ; the focus of the letter is elsewhere.  However, several passages do deal with future events connected to the end of the age and the arrival of Jesus in glory, especially final salvation along with the promised New Creation and the Resurrection of the righteous. These topics are brought in as part of the Apostle Paul’s larger discussions concerning salvation, law, grace, Jews and Gentiles.

The coming of Jesus is not a major topic in Paul's letters to the Corinthians though it is in his Thessalonian correspondence. However, he does touch on several aspects of the event, including its identification as the “ Day of the Lord ,” the consummation of God’s kingdom, the resurrection of the righteous, the judgment of the wicked, and the cessation of death.