Andrew Meredith’s Reviews > Paradise Restored: A Biblical Theology of Dominion > Status Update
Andrew Meredith
is on page 125 of 318
Chapter 14: The Restoration of Israel
The last few chapters have been pretty bleak for the nation of Israel. They have by-and-large been excommunicated, cut off from the vine, and placed under cataclysmic judgment. But this presents us with a serious problem. What about God's promise to Abraham that the patriarch's seed would be established "throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant" (Gen 17:7)?
— Feb 05, 2026 02:30AM
The last few chapters have been pretty bleak for the nation of Israel. They have by-and-large been excommunicated, cut off from the vine, and placed under cataclysmic judgment. But this presents us with a serious problem. What about God's promise to Abraham that the patriarch's seed would be established "throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant" (Gen 17:7)?
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Andrew Meredith
is on page 163 of 318
Chapter 19: A Brief Summary of the Revelation
Revelation is not impossible to understand, but it is extraordinarily deep. One could easily fill multiple volumes exploring the book fully. Thus, this survey will be just that, a thousand foot flyover. The next few chapters will zoom in to cover important symbols within the book, but first, getting the lay of the whole land is necessary.
— Feb 10, 2026 10:52AM
Revelation is not impossible to understand, but it is extraordinarily deep. One could easily fill multiple volumes exploring the book fully. Thus, this survey will be just that, a thousand foot flyover. The next few chapters will zoom in to cover important symbols within the book, but first, getting the lay of the whole land is necessary.
Andrew Meredith
is on page 157 of 318
Chapter 17: Interpreting Revelation and Chapter 18: The Time Is at Hand
There are two problems that confront us when we seek to interpret the Book of Revelation: (1) What checks and controls should we use to ensure that we do not force God's Holy Word into a mold of our own inventions and (too often) our runaway imaginations? (2) What do we do then with what we have learned? These chapters seek to tackle the first.
— Feb 08, 2026 04:02AM
There are two problems that confront us when we seek to interpret the Book of Revelation: (1) What checks and controls should we use to ensure that we do not force God's Holy Word into a mold of our own inventions and (too often) our runaway imaginations? (2) What do we do then with what we have learned? These chapters seek to tackle the first.
Andrew Meredith
is on page 140 of 318
Chapter 16: The Consummation of the Kingdom
The Last Day and the Last Judgment are synonyms. Biblically, they happen at the same time. This should be obvious, but there are only two resurrections: (1) Jesus as the firstfruits, and (2) the (simultaneous) Resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked on the Last Day (Dan 12:2; Jn 5:26-29; Acts 24:15; Rev 20:11-15).
— Feb 07, 2026 03:11AM
The Last Day and the Last Judgment are synonyms. Biblically, they happen at the same time. This should be obvious, but there are only two resurrections: (1) Jesus as the firstfruits, and (2) the (simultaneous) Resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked on the Last Day (Dan 12:2; Jn 5:26-29; Acts 24:15; Rev 20:11-15).
Andrew Meredith
is on page 133 of 318
Chapter 15: The Day of the Lord
Okay, so "the Last Days" are behind us, "The Great Tribulation" is behind us, "the Antichrist" is behind us, "Christ's coming on the clouds" is behind us... All were fulfilled in AD 70. Is there anything actually left to be fulfilled? And if so, how can we meaningfully distinguish it from all the stuff that has already happened?
— Feb 06, 2026 02:40AM
Okay, so "the Last Days" are behind us, "The Great Tribulation" is behind us, "the Antichrist" is behind us, "Christ's coming on the clouds" is behind us... All were fulfilled in AD 70. Is there anything actually left to be fulfilled? And if so, how can we meaningfully distinguish it from all the stuff that has already happened?
Andrew Meredith
is on page 117 of 318
Chapter 13: The Last Days
"The Last Days," "The Latter Times," and "The Last Hour," is the period between Jesus's Life and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The Early Church was living at the end of the old age (the aready "obsolete" Old Covenant) and the beginning of the New (Heb 8:13).
— Feb 04, 2026 02:31AM
"The Last Days," "The Latter Times," and "The Last Hour," is the period between Jesus's Life and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The Early Church was living at the end of the old age (the aready "obsolete" Old Covenant) and the beginning of the New (Heb 8:13).
Andrew Meredith
is on page 109 of 318
Chapter 12: The Rise of the Antichrist
We tend to think of the Apostolic era as a golden age of healthy, explosive Church growth, and while this is substantially correct, we must also seek to do justice to the rampant outbreak of heresy and apostasy that accompanied it. One of Jesus's given indications for the Last Days was a dramatic rise in falling away and false teachers culminating in the great Apostasy.
— Feb 03, 2026 02:41AM
We tend to think of the Apostolic era as a golden age of healthy, explosive Church growth, and while this is substantially correct, we must also seek to do justice to the rampant outbreak of heresy and apostasy that accompanied it. One of Jesus's given indications for the Last Days was a dramatic rise in falling away and false teachers culminating in the great Apostasy.
Andrew Meredith
is on page 101 of 318
Chapter 11: Coming on the Clouds
For most, what I've said so far sounds strange but fairly plausible on the surface (at least not heretical, I hope). Unfortunately, Matthew 24:29-31 just clearly doesn't work within the interpretation being offered here. It's really quite the insurmountable hurdle because isn't it obvious to anyone with eyes to see that none of what Jesus predicts in this passage has happened yet?
— Feb 02, 2026 10:25AM
For most, what I've said so far sounds strange but fairly plausible on the surface (at least not heretical, I hope). Unfortunately, Matthew 24:29-31 just clearly doesn't work within the interpretation being offered here. It's really quite the insurmountable hurdle because isn't it obvious to anyone with eyes to see that none of what Jesus predicts in this passage has happened yet?
Andrew Meredith
is on page 91 of 318
Chapter 10: The Great Tribulation
Scripture interprets Scripture. We must not seek for authoritative interpretations of Scripture's meaning anywhere outside the Bible itself. This to say, the Bible was not dropped from the sky in the twenty-first century. Now, with this in mind, let's tackle "The Great Tribulation." It's actually not that difficult to understand.
— Feb 01, 2026 08:38AM
Scripture interprets Scripture. We must not seek for authoritative interpretations of Scripture's meaning anywhere outside the Bible itself. This to say, the Bible was not dropped from the sky in the twenty-first century. Now, with this in mind, let's tackle "The Great Tribulation." It's actually not that difficult to understand.
Andrew Meredith
is on page 81 of 318
Chapter 9: The Rejection of Israel
The constantly used imagery of the people of God as a "vineyard" in both the OT and the NT has an obvious direct connection with the idea of the Garden. Israel was a garden planted, watered, and tended to by Yahweh (Ps 80; Is 5). This is an important concept when reading one of Jesus's most striking parables: the story of the Wicked Vinegrowers (Matt 21:33-39).
— Jan 31, 2026 05:37AM
The constantly used imagery of the people of God as a "vineyard" in both the OT and the NT has an obvious direct connection with the idea of the Garden. Israel was a garden planted, watered, and tended to by Yahweh (Ps 80; Is 5). This is an important concept when reading one of Jesus's most striking parables: the story of the Wicked Vinegrowers (Matt 21:33-39).
Andrew Meredith
is on page 73 of 318
Chapter 8: The Coming of the Kingdom
The coming Kingdom of the Messiah was a major theme of the Psalms and the prophets. With the coming of Christ, that kingdom has arrived and is expanding across the world, just as Daniel prophesied when he foretold the Rock that would strike the feet of Rome and then grow into a world-consuming Mountain (Dan 2:35, 44).
— Jan 30, 2026 08:34AM
The coming Kingdom of the Messiah was a major theme of the Psalms and the prophets. With the coming of Christ, that kingdom has arrived and is expanding across the world, just as Daniel prophesied when he foretold the Rock that would strike the feet of Rome and then grow into a world-consuming Mountain (Dan 2:35, 44).
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*[Andrew's Thought Brackets: I'm still working through whether or not I agree with Chilton's interpretation of Romans 11. There is great historical precedent behind his view (see "The Puritan Hope" by Iain Murray, also, most of the Puritans were post-millennial), and when I read the passage this way, it makes sense, mostly.
But there are theologians I greatly respect: Peter Leithart, Jeff Meyers (currently my own pastor), James B. Jordan, Rich Lusk, etc., who see Romans 11 as pre-70 AD and having already been fulfilled.
That being said, I firmly sign off on and regularly teach points #1-5, which remain unaltered. Point #6 is so far future, that it's not really worth arguing over anyway.]
First, God never totally rejected Israel. Paul points to himself as living proof (v.1) that God has saved a "remnant" for Himself (v.5). Israel's whole purpose was to obtain the blessing, but "Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the chosen ones have obtained it, and the rest were hardened" (v.7, referring back to 9:14-18). But, yes, for the majority "God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, to this day" (v.8), and they will come under the promised covenant curses (v.9-10; cf. Deut 28).
Second, though there is now only a faithful few, someday the majority of ethnic Israel will come back into the fold and be saved. Their fall is not permanent, for they will yet be brought back, and what a blessing that day will be for all! "If their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" (vv.11-15).
Here Paul uses a famous illustration: The Jews (the old covenant people of God) are the natural branches of the olive tree (the Covenant), which have now been broken off because of their unbelief, and wild branches (believing Gentiles) have been grafted into the Covenant in their place (vv.17-22).
(Paul here adds a warning that if the natural branches could be cut off due to their unfaithfulness, then the grafted in wild ones can just as easily be removed if they are arrogant and do not themselves "continue in His goodness.")
But how much easier is it to graft the natural branches back in again? And God "will" do so (vv.23-24). The "hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved" (vv.25-27).
Israel's calling in the covenant was and is ultimately irrevocable (vv.28-29). In the end, God will "show mercy to all" (vv.30-32).
Here are six take-away points:
(1) The entire Gentile world ("the fullness") will be converted to faith in Jesus Christ. This does not mean universalism. Not every individual will be saved. But the number of the redeemed will far exceed the damned in the end.
(2) Ethnic Israel will one day join every other ethnicity and be converted to faith in Jesus Christ. All the ethnicities will be baptized into the Triune Name and taught to obey all that Christ has commanded (Matt 28:19ff).
(3) The conversion of both Jews and Gentiles will take place through the normal means of evangelism (10:14-17). That is, the Church must go forth and conquer with the sword that is the Word of God preached. Forced conversions are never on the table. We win by innocent and wise applications of Word, bread and wine, and our own spilled blood.
(4) Converted Jews, in every age, belong to the Church, and are not a distinct group. The way people are saved is being grafted into the olive tree. For Gentiles, it is by being grafted in for the first time. For Jews, it is by being re-grafted in. In other words, there is no distinction. Christ has "made both groups into one" (Eph 2:14). There is one salvation into one Church by which all believers become children of God and heirs of the promises to Abraham (Gal 3:26-29).
(5) This future is for Israel as an ethnicity, and not Israel as a geopolitical nation. If and when the nation-state of Israel is converted, it will just be one nation among many with no special status (Isa 19:24-25).
(6) Ethnic Israel's restoration to the Covenant will result in an era of great blessings for the entire world. Compared to the world beforehand, it will be like "life from the dead" (v.12, 15). God's Holy Mountain will have now encompassed the world (Dan 2), and "the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea" (Isa 11:9).