Category: Prophets
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Nahum: Vengeance and Retaliation?
What does an ancient prophet like Nahum have to say about what is happening in our world today? Do we need vengeance?
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Ezekiel’s Final Vision
It is one of the strangest portions of the Old Testament: Ezekiel 40-48. 14 years into the exile, after 12 years of silence, Ezekiel received one more vision. There would be one additional, short prophetic word two years later (Ezek. 29:17-21). However, the vision is far more extensive (nine chapters) and is placed at the…
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How to Teach the Prophets
To summarize the message of the prophets in two words – is that possible? I think so. It takes two short Hebrew words, one of which I am sure you know. It also needs an additional concept. And, okay, maybe a third word. But then we capture the heart of the matter. You can also…
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Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon
How great was Babylon the Great? A brand-new book with awesome illustrations gives us a taste. Have a look! (And download the book at www.zaphon.de.)
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Joel: An Army of ‘Locusts’ or an ‘Army’ of Locusts?
The title is subtle (read it again if necessary), but in those few words, it nails a significant debate among interpreters of the prophet Joel. What are we to make of the language referring to locusts and to people, soldiers, and armies? What is literal here and what is metaphorical? Was Judah invaded by a…
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Sennacherib
Probably no event in the Old Testament is as well documented as Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in 701 BC. The Bible itself gives us three accounts: 2 Kings 18:13-19:36, Isaiah 36-37, and 2 Chronicles 32:1-23. In addition, we have several versions of Sennacherib’s own report on the event, plus reliefs carved out in stone that…
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DIY Habakkuk
After the excitement of last month’s issue dealing with blood moons and other “cataclysmic” events, it’s time for something more down-to-earth. In a very real way, this issue is about the book of Habakkuk. At the same time, I am not going to tell you anything about it. This is a DIY, a do-it-yourself issue.…
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Blood Moons Rising: The World Is About to End
We are finally going to get what so many of us have been eagerly awaiting: the end of the world. It is near, and this time it is for real. The harbinger of the apocalyptic mega-event is the fourth and last of an exceptional series of lunar eclipses, also called blood moons, which is to…
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115 Articles: Which Ten Are Most Helpful? (Reading the IVP Dictionary 4)
Yeah! Mission accomplished. I managed to complete my reading project in the ten weeks I gave myself for it. This will therefore be my final report. So I managed to accomplish the mission; but did I fulfil my objectives? As stated in the initial letter on the project, they were: I can only speak for…
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From “Isaiah” to “Sin” in 360 Pages (Reading the IVP Dictionary 3)
This is another “extra edition”, to keep you up to date on my reading project: the IVP Dictionary of the Old Testament Prophets. The short version is included in the title: from “Isaiah” to “Sin” in 360 pages. With about 200 pages left to go, I am on track to finish on time, two weeks…
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The Prophetic Books: Cut and Paste? (Reading the IVP Dictionary 2)
The good news is: I am on track with my reading, even a little bit ahead of schedule. There is bad news too, and there is a change of plan because of it (see below). Reading this dictionary, I am beginning to accumulate a fair bit of frustration with the contributing scholars. A number of…
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My First Special Project: I Am Reading the IVP Dictionary of the Old Testament Prophets (IVP 1)
Finally! I have been waiting to do this for a long time. And I am inviting you to be part of the learning experience. I will summarize the framework for this project below, but this four-minute video does a better job than written words can do, so please watch it and then come back to…
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Zechariah 9-14: Does It Make Any Sense?
Once again I have been asked to teach the book of Zechariah in an SBS this month. I suspect because no one else was eager to take it on. I can understand why. This is an intimidating book with some very confusing passages in it. I have often thought it may be the most difficult…