Dr Rick Griffith teaches at Singapore Bible College, where he has served for more than 20 years. Dr Rick Griffith trained at Dallas Theological Seminary where he received in Th.M and PhD.
After tonight’s lecture by Dr. Rick Griffith, I did a quick scramble of resources, which below. The goal is to get a better understanding of the idealist view - since the futurist view is heavily represented and quite familiar to me already!
Clarus ‘07 conference on Revelation by Greg Beale (in selections/themes)
Greg Beale’s own website with his list of sermons/lectures on Revelation
One sermon by Dr Beale on Understanding Symbolism in Revelation and Their Function for the Church.
Gospel Coalition database of Beale’s sermons (more systematically through Revelation). Most of his sermons there are on the same book.
@1 day agoWe live in a world of indexes, of measurement and calculation. We live in a world where success is king, and value is determined by what you achieve, what you attain, what results you obtain. As a teacher, I insist my students perform - that they produce, that they prove and validate themselves somehow- mostly through standardized assessment. But it would seem that God delights not in having us do something, but rather, in having us be something.
This world is not a world that appreciates steadfast faithfulness. It regards that which is unchanging and constant as inflexible, or old-fashioned, out of date, or not in keeping with the times. It insists that we adapt to circumstances, that we re-prioritize and re-valuate at each turn according to recent trends and developments. It does not value faithfulness. Men and women are told to live lives of responsiveness, or reactionary existence rather than committed, steadfast, regular lives. Gone are the days where men lived by a creed and kept to it, come what may.
Does anyone care about faithfulness? Perhaps people do, but only insofar as faithfulness produces results. The true test of faithfulness is when it fails pragmatically, when it calls us above and beyond the world of temporal calculations. You see, faithfulness is valued supremely by a God of faithfulness because He has no need for us to do anything other than respond to Him. God wants us not to change or waver, not just in imitation of Him, but also in response to Him. If He doesn’t see the need in diverting His course come what world-circumstance changes, why should we? Our resilience and tenacity in enduring and persevering in His ways reflects our response to the consistency of God even when the circumstances are challenging. We believe that through the storms and hurricanes of life, God is constant and unmoving, like the silent mountain peak that is our anchor and rock. And if our center is unmoving, then we should hide behind it and not move instead of looking for other shelter.
Does anyone care about faithfulness? God cares about faithfulness because He is looking for people who are looking for a city beyond this world in its fleeting state. When the hymn writer says, “there is no shadow of turning with Thee”, he reminds that God shows no signs, betrays no hint of fickleness at all. He is resolute, steadfast, unchanging, immovable and absolutely solid in faithfulness. This is the faithful God who says, “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” (Num 23:19), the same God who says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him - graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32) and then again, “To all who receive Him, to all who believe in His name, He gave the right to be called children of God” (John 1:12). The promises of God are revealed in such promises as “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you as well” (Matt 6:33) or again, “Come follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men’. (Matt 4:19). God keeps His promises. He does not lie. He assures us that He is trustworthy. In eternity past, God planned all things, and they are unfolding as He purposed.
Does anyone care about faithfulness? Jesus did. So much so that He kept His calling and charge from the Father, all the way to the Cross. So whether we are imitating Him or responding to Him, let faithfulness be the mark of our commitments, our promises, and our words.
@16 hours ago
Out now! Don Carson’s new book - ‘The Intolerance of Tolerance’.
Somebody that I used to know. Many people playing one guitar. Coolness TTM.
What is the definition of a machine? from The Three Idiots. Shows the importance of understanding and differentiating comprehension from theoretical jargon.
