Although we are now on the cusp of winter, some of us are already looking forward to spring. In our Gospel reading, we heard Jesus speak of spring, when leaves begin to bud and finally burst forth in the marvel of new life. Jesus used a picture of “the fig tree and all the others […]
Matthew 25:31-46: The Hidden Jesus
November 23, 2014 by
What’s surprising about the resurrection of the body on the Last Day is that every physical body ever born will rise. Jesus will show to all that He DID take away the sins of the entire world when He physically died on the cross and physically rose from the grave. That’s why every person ever […]
Amos 5:18-24, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: The Day of the Lord
November 11, 2014 by
When we imagine the prophets of old, we often see a fire-and-brimstone preacher breathing out God’s judgment and wrath. And that’s what Amos did in our Old-Testament reading for today. He warned the people of Israel about the “Day of the Lord,” realized in all its fullness when God would judge the entire world. Other […]
What is our true comfort in death, our souls being in heaven or our body and soul being reunited on the Last Day?
September 18, 2014 by
Introduction The typical North-American Christian worldview is one that values the spiritual but often sees little value in how God uses the physical. After all, Protestant America often views baptism as something that a Christian does to show that he is a Christian; the water may simply be incidental. The wine (or grape juice) and […]
Augsburg Confession, Article 17
June 19, 2014 by
AC XVII: The Return of Christ as Judge Our churches also teach that at the end of the world Christ will appear for judgment and will raise up all the dead [1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:2]. He will give the godly and elect eternal life and endless joy, but He will condemn the ungodly and devils to […]
Revelation, Lesson 15: Christ’s Final Victory
October 6, 2012 by
Last week, we saw the only time Revelation showed what anti-Christic worship looked like, of course from an eternal perspective. It was full of lament. Now, in contrast, we again see what worship looks like in heaven. We also see a similarity among the worship scenes in heaven in Revelation. Chapters 4-5 Chapter […]
