Embrace the Paradox of Choice versus Destiny A theological conundrum is the concept of free will versus predestination. While the Bible teaches that we have the ability to make our own choices (we have free will), it also says that things are predetermined (predestined). Which is it? It is both, presenting us with a delightful […]
Daniel Foretells the Future Daniel 7:13–14 “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14) The prophet Daniel lived some five centuries before Mary. You may know the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, where God protected him overnight after […]
Discover the Truth About Our Creator’s Sovereignty Most people recognize God as sovereign. Yet they may not have a good understanding of what that word means. And because of their misperception, God often gets blamed for things he didn’t do. Sovereign in the Bible The word sovereign shows up 295 times in the Bible, mostly […]
It’s Just an Angel Our perceptions of angels are likely skewed by paintings we have seen. While many of these paintings are great works of art, they cannot begin to capture just how breathtaking and astounding angels must be. Consider Daniel’s angelic encounter: “His body was like [a precious gem], his face like lightning, his […]
Daniel and His 3 Friends In my last post, Three People Given a New Name by God, we looked at God renaming people to give them a new identity. Today we will consider the opposite: people whose names were changed in order to strip away their identity. I’m talking about a young man named Daniel […]
Discover How One Person Can Make a Difference In the book of Ezekiel, God said he looked for one person who could make a difference. One person who could build up the wall and stand in the gap for his people. But God could find no one. What if he had found someone? Instead of […]
The phrase “the abomination that causes desolation” occurs five times in the Bible. Daniel mentions it three times in his prophecies of future events (Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:31, and Daniel 12:11). People speculate what he means—such as the destruction of the temple or something foreshadowing the end of the world—but whatever the interpretation, the important […]
Most of the time when angels are mentioned in the Bible, their names are not given. Apparently, their names aren’t important; their message is what matters. However, the names of four angels are mentioned: Michael The only archangel in the Bible is Michael. Jude reveals Michael argued with Satan about the body of Moses (Jude […]
Jesus Opens the Scroll In Isaiah’s prophecy, there’s a reference to words in a scroll. But no one can read the contents because the scroll is sealed. Later, God tells Daniel to take the words of his prophecy and seal it in a scroll until the end of time. In Revelation, God gives John a […]
The discussion of the text that is not found in all Bibles concludes by addressing the books of Daniel and Esther. In some versions of the Bible, the book of Daniel contains 12 chapters, while in others there are 14. These two chapters are both interesting and insightful. Daniel 13 is the story of upright […]