So how is the church involved in this? That’s what Paul is addressing in Ephesians 3. He begins by talking about the church as the place where God is accomplishing the reconciliation of humanity. Not just part of humanity, but all of it—Jews and Gentiles. They have all became “sharers together in the promise inContinue reading “Scale & Scope (2)”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
Rescued!
Paul says some amazing things about Jesus towards the end of Ephesians 1. He tells us about how God has “raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms far above” any and every power and authority in the heavenly realms (v. 20-21, see also 6:12ff). Furthermore, HeContinue reading “Rescued!”
Ephesians and the “Heavenly Realms” (1)
“Heavenly realms” or “heavenly places” (ESV) is a phrase unique to Ephesians. It is comes from the Greek word, epouraniois. This word is found in other places in the NT, but only in Ephesians is it translated this way. Paul uses it five times in Ephesians, so it’s an important term to understand if weContinue reading “Ephesians and the “Heavenly Realms” (1)”
Ephesians and the “Heavenly Realms” (2)
4. The heavenly realms are as real as the earthly realms. Of course, they aren’t perceived the same way. We know about the earthly realms through our physical senses. We know about the spiritual realms because God has revealed it to us through His word. Because God’s word is true, they are every bit as realContinue reading “Ephesians and the “Heavenly Realms” (2)”
The Good News of God’s Reign
Daniel has a dream in the first year of Belshazzar (7:1). The dream is an expansion of the one he interpreted for Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two. Instead of a statue with four parts representing four kingdoms, his dream has four creatures representing four kingdoms (v. 23). As in Daniel 2, these creatures also represent theContinue reading “The Good News of God’s Reign”
Pulling Back the Curtain
We’ve seen some amazing things in Daniel: a king who becomes animal-like and then later has his humanity restored, three young men are thrown into a furnace so hot it killed those who threw them in—but the young men survive, Daniel spends the night in a den of lions and lives to pray about it,Continue reading “Pulling Back the Curtain”
Days of the Future Passed (1)
Chapter 9 of Daniel takes place sometime between the defeat of the Babylonians by the Medo-Persians (539 BC) but apparently before Cyrus has given his decree allowing the Jewish people to return to their homeland (Ezra 1:1 538 BC). One of the primary concerns of Daniel’s prayer in this chapter is the restoration of the sanctuaryContinue reading “Days of the Future Passed (1)”
Days of the Future Passed (2)
But Gabriel’s response to Daniel isn’t all good news. God uses the occasion to reveal not just what Daniel had inquired about (the immediate future), but God’s complete plan for the city and the sanctuary. This has to do with Jerusalem’s more distant future. Cyrus issued his decree in 538 BC and the people returnedContinue reading “Days of the Future Passed (2)”
The Little Horn of Daniel 8
Daniel receives the vision of chapter eight in 550 BC. In the vision, he is in the “citadel of Susa” –the capital of the Medo-Persian kingdom (see Esther 1:1-3). He sees a ram with two horns—with one longer than the other. He is told later the ram represents the kingdom of Medo-Persia (v. 20). TheContinue reading “The Little Horn of Daniel 8”
Where Hope Is
Three times in Daniel 8 we’re told that rise and reign of horror under Antiochus is fueled by sin: “because of rebellion” (v. 12), “the time of wrath” (v. 19), “when the rebels have become completely wicked” (v. 23). We’re certainly not surprised by this. In light of the atrocities Antiochus was responsible for in hisContinue reading “Where Hope Is”
