Category: Apocalyptic literature
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Of Rams and Goats, Again (and hopefully turkey)
I hope you have some Thanksgiving leftovers, because you’ll need them for this post. Last time we were in Daniel 8, we sorted out the geography of Daniel’s vision. This time around, we’ll sort out the history behind the vision (you might want to review the vision here). Go get those turkey leftovers before you…
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A Geography Lesson: The Location of Daniel’s Second Vision
If you are geographically challenged, I have more sympathy for you than I used to. I have always prided myself on having a good sense of direction, and I confess I have scoffed at people who don’t know their east from their west. Maps have always been my friend – I know how to read…
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Of Rams and Goats (and mairzy doats?)
So far this season, my NFL team has knocked off a sleuth of Bears, a flock of Hawks, and a herd of Rams. All fearsome creatures these, but if you want a terrifying creature, let me commend to you the goat. Yes, the goat. It may be a tough sell for an expansion team name,…
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A New Chapter (Daniel 8)
We’ve made it to chapter 8 in Daniel, but I must warn you – things do not get better any time soon. This chapter recounts a second terrifying vision that Daniel had, a vision very similar to the first vision he had in the endless chapter 7. Not only are the visions similar, the text…
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The Little Horn: Antiochus, Antichrist, and Apocalyptic Literature
It’s time to wrap up Daniel 7, but first we should talk a little bit more about the little horn. The little horn appears in two of Daniel’s visions: chapters 7 and 8. In the first, it is an eleventh horn on the fourth beast, displacing three horns when it appears. In chapter 8, we’ll…
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One Small Foot and Two Little Horns
The dermatologist recently took a sharp (but sterile) instrument to my foot and then ordered me to elevate it as much as possible and not to exercise for two weeks. These haven’t been hard orders to follow since not even sandals are comfortable when you have stitches on the top of your foot. You’d think…
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Ancient Artifacts, Apocalypses, and the Ancient of Days
Pictures this past week of ISIS taking sledge hammers and power tools to ancient artifacts like the magnificent winged-lion here made my heart hurt. Then this weekend I finally got around to reading a sobering article about ISIS ideology, a system rooted in the belief that their fighters will bring in the apocalypse. I don’t…
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Introducing the Little Known–but, oh, so important!–Divine Council
The greatest barrier to Christianity for Jews is the claim that Jesus is God. Worshiping more than one god got them into a lot of trouble in the Old Testament, so, understandably, they aren’t interested in entertaining the blasphemy that Jesus’ divinity appears to present to monotheism. But what if “monotheism” according to the Old…
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Dipping a Toe in the Dismal Swamp
We’re months away from Daniel 9 in this blog (okay, maybe even years, given the pace…), and you can be grateful for that. Trust me. One commentator has famously called the last part of Daniel 9 (Daniel’s “Seventy Weeks”) the “Dismal Swamp of O.T. criticism.” He really doesn’t exaggerate. Trust me. However, I spent many…
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A Lion, a Leopard, a Bear, and Oh My!
Poor Daniel has been languishing in his beastly vision for more than a month while I’ve been doing whatever it is I do instead of blogging…Where does the time go? And more importantly, where were we…? Ah, right. The churning great sea. The “Great Sea” is a common Old Testament way of referring to the…
Three Rubies Press 