John Mark Hicks

For a blog on this text, click this link. The church in Philadelphia may be small and without any cultural power, but the Messiah has unlocked a door into the kingdom of God where they become pillars in the temple of God in the New Jerusalem wearing the name of God. Though small and culturally […]

Psalm 144 prays for God’s rescue and salvation. The prayer depends on God’s steadfast love and past redemptive acts (Sinai and Exodus) for the victory of God’s king over the nations ruled by lies and evil. This is a prayer warrior Psalm that asks God to defeat the enemies of God’s kingdom. The Davidic king […]

John is in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day (1:9-11) John Sees the Risen, Exalted, and Enthroned Messiah (1:12-16) The Risen Messiah Speaks (1:17-20) A Domitian coin with seven stars depicts the deified infant son of Emperor Domitian, Flavius Caesar, seated on a globe surrounded by seven stars. Minted in Rome between 82 and 83 CE, […]

[PDF available here.] The millennium is a hot but difficult topic. I don’t think anyone can claim absolute certainty for their interpretation of Revelation 20. I do not. Nevertheless, it consumes the interest and fascination of many who are looking to the future for hope and the destruction of evil. Hope is available and the […]

An English version is available here. Con demasiada frecuencia, la «escatología» (el estudio de los últimos tiempos) se limita a los debates milenaristas (posmilenio, premilenio pretribulacionista, premilenio mesotribulacionista, premilenio posttribulacionista, premilenio histórico, ¿amil?) y al destino eterno de los seres humanos (¿cielo o infierno?). Para algunos, estos debates se ignoran porque parecen relativamente irrelevantes (Dios […]

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks reflect on the majesty praise hymn of Psalm 8 in this video. The transcendent God has set a bulwark within the creation to silence his enemies, and humanity is a partner with God to subdue the chaos within the creation. Crowned with glory and honor, we are God’s representatives […]

What is the theological heart of the dream narrative in Daniel 2? The Statue of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and iron & clay serve the greater theological point: God gives power and wisdom, and God takes it away (deposes kings). Kings who are supposed to image God, as God intended from the beginning for all […]

The Common Grounds Unity Podcast hosted Bobby Valentine and myself to discuss our book Kingdom Come: Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James Harding. We discuss the theocentric dynamic nature of Lipscomb (d. 1917) and Harding’s (d. 1922) spirituality. The link for the podcast and the book are in the first comments. Listen […]

Text: Matthew 9:9-17 Jesus uses Hosea 6:6 to critique the criticism of some who objected to his eating with “tax collectors and sinners.” The point? Jesus pursues mercy for the sake of healing, and this is at the heart of kingdom living. It is pouring new wine into wineskins.

[Homily delivered at the All Saints Church of Christ on November 21, 2021 by William “Caleb” Rogers, a student at Lipscomb University and frequent preacher at All Saints Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee. The lectionary texts for the day were Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37.] Today is the Feast of […]