When referring to the blood-stained history of God’s people, Jesus spoke of taking away the ‘key of knowledge’. Luke 11:52. The key of knowledge was the message of the prophets as they proclaimed God’s word. This foundational study is broken into two parts. The first addresses the nature of God’s life. We want to know God for who He is and not invent a god of our imagination. Rom 1:20-23. The second part is a study of God’s dealing with mankind throughout history, from Adam to the restoration of Judah. 

There are large sections of the Bible which we call ‘prophecy’. By this we mean that these sections prophesy or foretell events in the future. We may also call these sections, ‘Prophetic Scriptures’. The Scriptures are prophetic in nature. Many prophetic verses seem as if they could apply to anyone, anywhere, at any time in history. And indeed they can. They carry a timeless message because they convey the heart of an eternal Father who is seeking relationship with His people of all ages.

This volume takes an ‘eagle-eye’ view of history. In effect, we need to rise above time and space and view history from God’s perspective. The most helpful view of history is that there has been a progression of ‘administrations’, not just a series of time ‘dispensations’. These five administrations are the subject of this study. Such a magnificent overview of God’s kingdom purpose, can only cause us to pray all the more, ‘Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven’. Matt 6:10. 

There are a number of occasions in the Bible where the term ‘seven times’ appears. Examples that spring to mind include the bowing of Jacob to Esau seven times, the sprinkling of blood seven times, the seven times curse of Israel, and many more. The primary meaning of the ‘seven times’ prophetic theme is that God allows seven times of global dominion on the earth. Nevertheless, God’s overall purpose, His ‘seven times’ purpose, is to teach man that the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men.

‘One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple’. Psa 27:4. In this passage, King David describes one of the most important subjects in Christendom today – the temple of God. What is the temple? Does it need to be physically rebuilt in Jerusalem? Is it the church? How is the temple revealed in history and the time of the end? These questions are the focus of this volume. 

The portion of Scripture known as the ‘Seventy Weeks Prophecy’, found in Daniel chapter nine, has been described as the ‘greatest and most comprehensive prophecy of the Bible’. This is a prophecy that shows beyond all doubt, that God’s purpose for the restoration of His people extends down to the end of history. We shall find that the period of ‘seventy weeks’ assigned for the completion of restoration, is not yet finished.

Believers all over the world are eagerly waiting for the second coming of Christ. The return of Christ is the ‘blessed hope’ of Christians everywhere. However, there is much division over the timing and manner of His return. In this volume, we investigate the events that are associated with the second coming of Christ – the signs of His coming. We examine the relevant Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments in an attempt to establish an integrated, yet straightforward, view of the second coming of Christ. 

In a mighty sermon recorded in the book of Acts, Peter spoke of ‘the period of restoration of all things’. This is our hope, and we believe the Lord is bringing restoration. Restoration is one of the most important and central themes of the Scriptures. We are not simply waiting for Christ’s triumphant return at the conclusion of history. The Lord is calling believers everywhere to participate in the restoration of the church, here and now. This is why restoration is such an important biblical theme for believers today.

When Jesus was handed the book of Isaiah in the synagogue, He read one vital passage about Himself. ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor … to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ Luke 4:18-19. Jesus came to set all men free from the bondage of sin and death. More than this, He came to preach the gospel of sonship. The promise of becoming sons of God is central to the Christian faith. Walking in the glorious liberty of sonship is the substance of the acceptable year of the Lord.