The genius of the book of Daniel is its proclamation of the Kingdom of God, its prophecies setting forth the victory of Christ in history over all humanistic/statist pretensions to sovereignty—to ultimate authority. Its message, therefore, has political implications: Christ, the King of kings, is sovereign over the state, commanding all kings and governments to bow the knee to … [Read more...]
Books of the Bible
This teaching stream explores various Books of the Bible and how to interpret them.
Because the Holy Scriptures have been inspired and superintended by the Holy Spirit they command our attention. As God’s Word they are worthy of serious study and exegesis. Using the normal laws of grammar and language, these studies therefore will apply the hermeneutical (i.e. interpretive) principle of context so as to accurately exegete – draw out – the meaning of the text.
Read more: Interpreting the Bible
Sovereignty & Unjust Suffering: Studies in Daniel, Part 2/2
Through the grid of God’s sovereignty, Daniel provides not only a practical philosophy of suffering for the Christian but also a foundation for action. Paul could say to the church in Colossae, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of his body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Col. … [Read more...]
Sovereignty & Unjust Suffering: Studies in Daniel, Part 1/2
Divine Sovereignty & Christian Suffering In view of Christian experience and, indeed, that of Daniel, it must be asked as to how one responds to 'unjust suffering'. While 'unjust suffering' can manifest in many forms, the focus of this article is on persecution. Perhaps the best way to view ‘unjust suffering’ in the book of Daniel is through the words and teaching of … [Read more...]
Sovereignty & The Pagan Power-State: Studies in Daniel
Divine Sovereignty: asserted by Daniel Every chapter of this book clearly asserts the sovereignty of God. In referring to the lesson of fulfilled prophecy that Daniel provides for the church, the translator’s preface to Calvin’s commentary on Daniel points out that, “they [fulfilled prophecies] display His ceaseless dominion over the wills of Sovereigns and over the destinies … [Read more...]
“Predictive Prophecy” In The Book Of Daniel: The Challenge to Rationalism
Presuppositions & Prophecy The issue of "predictive prophecy" has provided a stumbling-block for rationalistic interpreters from the Neoplatonic critic, Porphyry, to German Higher Criticism of the nineteenth century, and even down to the contemporary critic of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. To accept the validity of “predictive prophecy” is tantamount to … [Read more...]
