Following the lectionary, I preached the Gospel portion from Mark 16.1-8 this morning. This may not seem strange to others, but for a Pentecostal preacher to end before the well known long ending of Mark is tantamount to heresy (not really, but it is a rare phenomenon that cuts against the grain). The Gospel of… Continue reading Sometimes It Causes Me to Tremble: Reflections on Mark 16.1-8
This second Sunday of Advent, one of the readings was Isaiah 11.1-10 (and the one from which I preached): 11 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the… Continue reading When King Jesus Reigns: "They will pick up snakes"
I offer the following brief look at a facsimile of one early Greek manuscript of the New Testament which I use in my Hermeneutics course to speak to both the original manuscripts and to utilizing our translations more effectively. The following is a facsimile of Mark chapter 1 in Codex Sinaiticus (a Greek manuscript whose… Continue reading Greek Manuscripts, Mark 1 and Nomina Sacra
The New Covenant: The Life of Christ (Matthew-John) The One Who Comes – The path of the LORD was prepared by the coming of John the Baptizer. Jesus of Nazareth was born to fulfill the word of the LORD and as such was actually the Word himself. When John baptized Jesus the Holy Spirit descended… Continue reading Teaching the NT in Two Weeks (for 7th Graders)
11:36-39 – The king who exalts himself. This king does have certain levels of overlap with Antiochus IV Epiphanes (and many commentators believe that this individual is one and the same), but the description does not fit as it did in the verses prior. The best explanation seems to be that this king is some… Continue reading Daniel 12 – The Vision of the End
9:1-2 – Understanding the date. This chapter occurs some time after chapter five and perhaps after chapter six. If this “Darius” the Mede (which seems likely) is “Cyrus” as explained in earlier notes (6:28) then the year would be 538BC and Daniel would be approximately 82 years old. The NIV has curiously followed the LXX… Continue reading Daniel 9 – The Vision of the Seventy Sevens
Vision de Daniel à SuzeBy: Stephanus Garsia (11th Century) 8:1-2 – Daniel has a vision three years after the dream of chapter seven (approximately 550BC) while Belshazzar was still in Babylon (and his father, Nabonidus, still king of all Babylon). Perhaps the reason he repeats the “vision” three times is because it was so disturbing… Continue reading Daniel 8 – The Vision of the Ram and the Goat
<!–[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]–> 4:1-3 – The opening address by Nebuchadnezzar. This chapter opens with a personal address to all peoples everywhere and announces the power and majesty of the God of Israel as the Most High God. The confession that he makes here is no small confession coming from a man who ruled… Continue reading Daniel 4 – The God Who Rules
43:1-5 – The glory returns. Why does the glory of the LORD approach from the east? (cf. Eze.11:23) There is no ignoring the approaching glory which radiates the land and comes with a great tumult of sound. This vision is likened to the appearing of the glory in chapters 8-11, but also to the appearing… Continue reading Ezekiel 43-44 – The Glory of the LORD and the Temple Torah
6:1 – Can Ezekiel speak apart from the word of the LORD coming to Him? (cf. 7:1; and see 3:27) 6:2 – “set your face against the mountains of Israel”? Perhaps this has reference to the “high places” (6:3, 13) though the “high places” could also be in the valleys. More likely it is a… Continue reading Ezekiel 6-7 – Too Late to Repent
