John Mark Hicks

Revelation 17 describes the unholy prostitute, the city that rules the kings of the earth. The final chapters of Revelation describe the bride of the Lamb, the new Jerusalem. This contrast pictures two destinies–one for the kings of the earth who worship the beast and serve its interests, and those who follow the Lamb, even […]

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 […]

“Peace upon Israel!” is how Psalm 125 concludes. This is God’s goal for those who trust in the Lord, whose hearts are oriented toward righteousness, and walk in the paths of God’s goodness. The promise is that God will remove all wickedness and injustice, and those who trust in the Lord will inherit the land. […]

New Heaven and New Earth: Revelation 21:1-7 and 22:1-5 Imagine no pain, mourning, or death. It ain’t easy; I’ve tried. Imagine no chaos, brokenness, or struggle. Yeah, it ain’t easy; it sounds like fantasy. Sometimes the floods, both metaphorical and real, overwhelm us. Tornadoes, heavy rain, and lightning threaten us, and sometimes they destroy us. […]

Texts: Revelation 20:11-15; 21:1-7; 22:1-5 Days 78-80 in Around the Bible in Eighty Days. What will “heaven” be like? It is the place where God dwells within a renewed creation, filled with renewed relationships, and an ever deepening intimacy with God, each other, and the creation itself. It is a dynamic of loving intimacy that […]

Texts: 1 Corinthians 15:21-28; 50-57; 2 Peter 2:11-13 Days 75-77 in Around the Bible in Eighty Days. The voice from the throne announced, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). Ultimately and finally, God makes all things new through resurrection. Though Jesus was seemingly defeated by the powers in his death, God vindicated […]

The Ray Evans Seminar, an annual event at the Alameda Church of Christ in Norman, Oklahoma, was held March 31-April 2, 2017. The general topic was Embracing Creation, which is also the title of the book I co-authored with Bobby Valentine and Mark Wilson. The book is available here. I gave six presentations as well […]

Inheritance (or, possession) occurs fifty times in the book of Joshua, and everyone of them, except for five (11:23; 23:4; 24:28,30,32), occur in chapters 12-21. Further, the verb “to possess or inherit” occurs nine times in Joshua, eight times in Joshua 13-21. So, fifty-three of the fifty-nine occurrences of this word group occur in Joshua […]

Created materiality is good; indeed, it is very good. It is not simply good in an ethical sense but delightful and wondrous. God created the world as a temple in which to dwell, a place where God and humanity would enjoy each other, delight in the wonder of the world, and rest within it. Materiality, […]

What is salvation? In my first post in this series I proposed the below chart as a way of answering that important question. In this post I will comment on the ninth sector (9).   Past Justification Present Sanctification Future Glorification Personal Forgiveness of Sins and Relationship with God (1) Moral (Inner and Outer)  Transformation (2) Resurrection […]