Last night I met with a very dear friend, a person I have known for more than thirty years. She was in despair because of a family matter and she wanted to share with me some decisions she and her husband had made as well as spend time with me reflecting on a member of the family who is wrestling with many issues on many levels–physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological. Tears were shed along with laughter as we reflected on how God constantly surprises us with his acts of grace.
I shared with her a portion of a jigsaw puzzle I recently received. Know this: I hate jigsaw puzzles; I do not have the patience to work on them and I only put some together with my grandchildren because the puzzles have no more than twenty-five pieces. Any more pieces, and I would have an anxiety attack.
Read more…
The only way to follow Jesus is by living in the world.
Keep this in mind the next time you read through Revelation, or, for that matter, any book of the Bible.
In recent months I have been reading some of the commentaries by some of the earliest commentators (the second through fourth centuries), and I continue to be impressed by the quality of their work. They consistently show a detailed knowledge of the biblical text.
When I compare them to modern day interpreters, I can get a bit depressed. Too much of what I read today reflects an insatiable appetite for novelty, often at the expense of validity. Some scholars are obsessed with grabbing any new piece of evidence or striking theoretical insight that promises a fresh approach to the Bible. On top of that, there is hermeneutical suspicion: Scripture is suspect in all areas unless it can be proved otherwise. In other words, we cannot trust the Bible with regard to historicity or even an underlying theological unity. And there is an obscene arrogance: modern biblical scholars often ignore all interpreters of the Bible except other modern biblical scholars.
Why is this the case? Because the modern scholars have rejected four major assumptions that the ancients (and that I and others) hold.
Read more…
Once again in reading through Revelation I came across the little Greek word "dei" (pronounced "day"). It appears seven times and is frequently translated "ought" or "must." Six out of the seven occurrences (1:1; 4:1; 11:5; 17:10; 20:3,6) focuses on God’s sovereignty while only one refers to a person’s responsibility, in this instance, John must prophesy (10:11).
The occurrences of the word in Revelation and elsewhere in the New Testament got me to thinking . . .
Our ancestors had to go to pretty extreme measures to keep from getting lost. They erected monumental landmarks, drafted detailed maps, and learned to read the stars in the night sky or tracks left by a fleeing animal or enemy.
Trying to figure out where we are and where we are going is probably one of mankind’s favorite pastimes.
Read more…