Christian Thoughts

  Scoffers take delight in ridiculing the Bible for its astonishing narration of the great flood which prompted Noah, on God’s direction, to build an ark after the Lord had decided that “I Myself am bringing flood-waters on the earth to destroy … all flesh” (Genesis 6:17).   Unfortunately, even Christians have been known to subscribe to the local-flood hypothesis so as to avoid being labelled as gullible in accepting with blind faith that this well-known flood had actually covered the entire world.   Staunch believers in the historical occurrence of the world-wide flood invariably turn to the following (or related) verses as the basis for their conviction: (a)      according to the Lord ’s pre-flood decree, “everything that is on the earth shall die” (Genesis 6:17) (b)      after the onset of the flood which in due course covered the mountains, “all flesh died that moved on the earth” (Genesis 7:21) (c)      the authoritative conclusion states that “He destroyed all living t

  Revelation is the principal book in the Bible outlining what will happen during the so-called last days but it has to be pointed out that there are OT books containing end-times prophecies as well.   How should this particular NT book (with specific focus on one subject matter) be viewed in relation to those OT prophets who likewise discussed the end times (albeit among the various other themes also running throughout their respective books)?   Genesis discloses to humankind what occurred at the very beginning.   For completeness, the Bible has additionally incorporated Revelation to foretell how all proceedings will come to a climax.   Since sin tainted what God created at the outset, believers may feel defeatist had not the Almighty provided the re-assuring pronouncement that He has in place an outside-the-box plan to be implemented at the end: “the first heaven and the first earth will pass away” and there will be “a new heaven and a new earth” where “there shall be no more de