Podcasts about seleucids

Series: Signs & GloryTitle: “Are we ready to celebrate AND surrender to Jesus?"Scripture: John 12:9-2511:47-48,Psalm 118:19-26,Zechariah 9:9-10,Luke 14:25-33,2 Corinthians 4:16-18Bottom line: We will follow Jesus in celebration AND surrender when we see him clearly.INTRODUCTIONCONTEXTSERMON OUTLINECONCLUSIONNOTESOUTLINESQUESTIONS TO CONSIDER DISCUSSION QUESTIONSMAIN REFERENCES USEDOpening prayer: Lord God, help us grow to be and do like Jesus, while abiding in him and leading others to do the same. INTRODUCTIONTitanic compartmentalization.Bottom line: We will follow Jesus is celebration AND surrender when we see him clearly.Outline (Kent Hughes)I. The King Presented (12-19)Context - 3 groups come and intercept Jesus and his followersPilgrims coming to purify themselves before the PassoverLocals and pilgrims who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the deadReligious leaders furious and bent on execution for blasphemy"Hosanna" = Save! (Ps 118)Donkey's colt (Zech 9:9-10)Delayed understanding"The whole world has gone after him."II. The King Pursed (20-22)Greeks = Gentile truth seekers"We would like to see Jesus" --continuous senseIII. The King's Proclamation (12:24-26)Jesus' response to their inquiry but to everyoneTo live you must die--to do this life that you will live in this life and beyondDies "alone" - “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” ‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬To die alone is to die but not be buried in the ground. To die and be put into the ground leads to life in this parable.https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.12.24.ESVNo exceptionsDie => Follow => Serve => HonorCrown preceded by the cross/crucifixionFor JesusFor usAdditionalThe Triumphal Entry of Jesus is one of the most well-known events in the Gospels, and it's rich with meaning. It's recorded in all four Gospels: Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19.Here's the basic scene:It happens at the beginning of what we now call Holy Week, (Sunday) just a few days before Jesus' crucifixion (Friday). Jesus is approaching Jerusalem, and as He nears the city, He sends two of His disciples to find a donkey and her colt, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 — “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.”Riding a donkey (instead of a war horse) was deeply symbolic. It showed that He came not as a conquering military leader but as the humble, peaceful Messiah. As He rides into Jerusalem, crowds gather and spread their cloaks and palm branches on the road. They shout:“Hosanna to the Son of David!”“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”“Hosanna” means “save us,” so they were both praising Him and calling out for deliverance. The crowd was hoping for a political savior to overthrow Roman rule, but Jesus had come to bring a far greater salvation — freedom from sin and death.This moment is full of contrasts:He's welcomed as a king, but within days, He will be rejected and crucified.The crowds are shouting praise, but soon many will shout, “Crucify Him!”It fulfills prophecy and shows Jesus embracing His mission, knowing exactly where it will lead.It's called the “Triumphal Entry,” but the triumph is not in immediate victory — it's in Jesus walking the path of suffering for our salvation. The Triumphal Entry is saturated with Old Testament echoes and themes that quietly (or loudly!) proclaim Jesus as the true King, the Messiah, and the sacrificial Lamb. Let's unpack a few:Zechariah 9:9 — King Comes on a Donkey“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”Jesus intentionally fulfills this prophecy. Kings sometimes rode donkeys in the ancient Near East to symbolize peace. When Solomon was crowned, he rode King David's mule (1 Kings 1:33–35). So Jesus riding a donkey is a royal claim — but a humble, peaceful one. He's not coming as a warlord; He's coming as the Prince of Peace.Psalm 118:25–26 — The Hosanna PsalmThe crowd shouts:“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”This is a direct quote from Psalm 118, a psalm used in pilgrim festivals, especially Passover. “Hosanna” originally meant “save us now!” — it's a plea for salvation and a cry of praise. Psalm 118 also speaks of the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone, which Jesus applies to Himself later in the week (Matthew 21:42).Palm Branches — Victory and KingshipPalm branches were symbols of victory and kingship, often associated with Jewish nationalism (think of the Maccabean Revolt about 150 years earlier, where palm branches celebrated military victory). The crowd is treating Jesus like a conquering hero, anticipating national deliverance from Rome.(See notes below for more)Transition:"So, when Jesus rides into Jerusalem, He's not just making a political statement — He's weaving together centuries of prophecy, promise, and hope. He is the promised King, the humble servant, the Passover Lamb, the cornerstone, and the very presence of God returning to His people.And of course, all of this sets the stage for the cross. The King enters not to take power by force, but to lay down His life." -ChatGPTConclusion:Bottom line: I can trust God with everything, even when in need, because he provides, he cares, and he is with us.George Mueller, champion of orphans in England when asked, "What has been the secret of your life?" hung his head and said, "There was a day when I died." Then he bent lower and said, "Died to George Müller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of brethren or friends." -Hughes, p. 307-308What about you?Do you celebrate Jesus but not surrender to his rule and reign? The latter undoes the former. Peter puts it all in perspective in his first sermon:““Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭36‬-‭39‬ ‭NIV‬‬InvitationHow do we respond? Answer 2 questions:Take out a card or piece of paper right now. Write down the answer to these questions: What is God saying to me right now?What am I going to do about it? Write this down on a sheet of paper. What I hear you saying, Lord, is ___________________.[my name] is going to believe/do __________________________________________________ as a result.Finally, share this with your Home or Mission group this week when you gather as a testimony about what God is doing in your life. You don't have to get too specific to give him praise.Lord's Supper, 1 Cor 11:23-26 is good passage.Also, say something like, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." (past, present, and future)PrayNOTES"George Müller (1805–1898) was a Christian evangelist and the founder of the Ashley Down orphanages in Bristol, England. Originally from Prussia (modern-day Germany), Müller lived a rebellious youth but experienced a profound conversion in his early twenties. Moved by compassion and a deep trust in God's provision, he established homes for orphaned children at a time when many were homeless and destitute.What set Müller apart was his radical reliance on prayer. He famously never solicited funds directly but trusted God to provide for the needs of thousands of children under his care. Over his lifetime, Müller cared for over 10,000 orphans, established schools, and distributed vast numbers of Bibles and tracts. His legacy continues as a testimony to God's faithfulness and the power of prayerful dependence.If you want, I can also give you some powerful quotes or stories from his life!Of course — here's a quick bio on George Müller:George Müller (1805–1898) was a Christian evangelist and the founder of the Ashley Down orphanages in Bristol, England. Originally from Prussia (modern-day Germany), Müller lived a rebellious youth but experienced a profound conversion in his early twenties. Moved by compassion and a deep trust in God's provision, he established homes for orphaned children at a time when many were homeless and destitute.What set Müller apart was his radical reliance on prayer. He famously never solicited funds directly but trusted God to provide for the needs of thousands of children under his care. Over his lifetime, Müller cared for over 10,000 orphans, established schools, and distributed vast numbers of Bibles and tracts. His legacy continues as a testimony to God's faithfulness and the power of prayerful dependence." -ChatGPTKey Themes in the PassageJesus' fame is peaking — His miracle with Lazarus draws crowds and stirs belief.Conflict intensifies — The religious leaders feel threatened and plan to destroy both Lazarus and Jesus.Messianic hopes rise — The crowd greets Jesus as King, but their expectations are political and immediate.Fulfillment of prophecy — Jesus knowingly fulfills Scripture, showing He is the promised King, though His kingdom is not what they expect.Misunderstood glory — Even the disciples don't grasp the full meaning until after the resurrection. -ChatGPTGenesis 49:10–11 — The King from JudahJacob's blessing over Judah includes a fascinating image:“The scepter will not depart from Judah… He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch.”The image of the donkey and colt ties Jesus back to this prophecy of a ruler from the tribe of Judah — which Jesus is.Timing: Passover Lamb Selection DayThis one is stunning. Jesus enters Jerusalem on the 10th of Nisan, the day Jewish families selected their Passover lambs (Exodus 12:3). He is, in effect, presenting Himself as the Lamb of God, chosen for sacrifice. John the Baptist had already called Him this in John 1:29 — “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”God's Glory Returning to the Temple (Ezekiel 43:1–5)Ezekiel saw a vision of God's glory returning to the temple from the east. Jesus, the embodiment of God's glory, approaches Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives to the east (Luke 19:37). There's a sense that God is coming back to His house — though, heartbreakingly, many will not recognize Him. -RC SproulFrom RC Sproul“In the intertestamental period, something took place that would define the Jewish people in terms of their national identity for centuries to come. In the second century BC, the temple was desecrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, leader of the Seleucid Empire. In response, a Jewish man named Mattathias, who was committed to the ancient covenant of Israel, determined to rescue the temple and the nation from the invasion of the Seleucids. Mattathias became the leader of a guerrilla group that fought against the Seleucids. When he died, the leadership of this insurrectionist movement passed to his son Judas, who became known as Judas Maccabaeus, which means “the hammer.” Judas Maccabaeus became a national hero, a Hebrew Robin Hood, who wreaked havoc among the troops of the Seleucids. He put so much pressure on the Seleucids that in 164 BC they released the temple for the Jews to practice their own faith. That event was met with so much celebration that a new feast was instituted called the Feast of Dedication or the Feast of Lights. We know it as Hanukkah, which is celebrated even to this day. Later, Judas' brother Simon Maccabaeus actually drove the Seleucids out of Jerusalem altogether, and when that happened he was acclaimed a national hero and was celebrated with a parade, something like a ticker-tape parade in New York. In that parade, the Jews celebrated his victory with music and with the waving of palm branches. At that point in Jewish history, the palm branch became significant .. as a sign and symbol of a military victory, of a triumph. In fact, that symbolism became so deeply rooted in the Jewish consciousness that when the Jews revolted against the Romans in the decade of the sixties AD, they dared to mint their own coins with the image of a palm branch, because it is their national symbol of victory. When the people waved their palm branches to welcome Jesus, they cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!” (v. 13b) Why did they say this? The word hosanna is derived from a Hebrew word that literally means “save now.” Both this plea and “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD” are found in the hallel, a series of psalms that were sung every morning at the Feast of Tabernacles. The series starts with Psalm 113 and goes through Psalm 118. In Psalm 118, we find these words: Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD, through which the righteous shall enter. I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. (vv. 19–26) Every Jewish pilgrim was familiar with the words from the hallel, so when the crowds came out to see Jesus, they naturally used those words. The plea “Save now” near the end of the quoted passage is the English translation of the root word of hosanna. The words “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD” and the additional description shouted by the people, “the King of Israel!” indicate that the people looked to Jesus for salvation, though most likely in a military sense.”John - An Expositional CommentaryR.C. SproulOUTLINESSee above.QUESTIONS TO CONSIDERWhat do I want them to know? Why do I want them to know it?What do I want them to do?Why do I want them to do it?How do they do this?DISCUSSION QUESTIONSDiscovery Bible Study process: https://www.dbsguide.org/Read the passage together.Retell the story in your own words.Discovery the storyWhat does this story tell me about God?What does this story tell me about people?If this is really true, what should I do?What is God saying to you right now? (Write this down)What are you going to do about it? (Write this down)Who am I going to tell about this?Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcastAlternate Discussion Questions (by Jeff Vanderstelt): Based on this passage:Who is God?What has he done/is he doing/is he going to do?Who am I? (In light of 1 & 2)What do I do? (In light of who I am)How do I do it?Final Questions (Write this down)What is God saying to you right now? What are you going to do about it?MAIN REFERENCES USED“John,” by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word Commentary, Edited by Kent HughesExalting Jesus in John, by Matt Carter & Josh WredbergThe Gospels & Epistles of John, FF BruceJohn, RC SproulJohn, KöstenbergerThe Gospel According to John, DA CarsonThe Light Has Come, Leslie NewbiginThe Visual Word, Patrick Schreiner“Look at the Book” by John Piper (LATB)“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)Outline Bible, D Willmington (OB)NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/Chronological Life Application Study Bible (NLT)ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.orgThe Bible Project https://bibleproject.comNicky Gumbel bible reading plan app or via YouVersionClaude.aiChatGPT Google Gemini

We look at the division of Alexander the Great's empire. Then we discuss how the Jews lived under the Seleucids and Ptolemies.

Advent: I Will Draw Near to You - Malachi 4.4-6 Jobey McGinty At the close of the Old Testament, God leaves His people in suspense for 400 years before the arrival of John the Baptist and Jesus. During this period, significant events unfolded, such as the Maccabean Revolt led by Judas Maccabaeus against the Seleucids. And when the curtain opens on the New Testament, we again find Judea under occupation...this time by the Romans. And the Jews are desperate for a Judas Maccabaeus type of Messiah to come along and give the Romans the boot. And when Jesus entered Jerusalem they thought the time had finally come...but they were quickly disappointed by a Messiah who encouraged them, instead, to love and serve their enemies. He had come for a far greater purpose: to conquer a far bigger regime than the Romans. Just like the Jews, we often have our own expectations and desires for what Jesus "should" be...and it mostly boils down to a Santa Claus messiah who will right our personal frustrations and cater to our needs. But He has far greater plans for you and I! He is greater than Judas Maccabaeus...better than Adam, Elija, David, and all others before Him...and He is better than you and I. He stands righteous, in our place, before the Father above, presenting us washed in His blood and acceptable in His sight!

In the mid second century BCE, the people of Judea did the impossible… the ended centuries of foreign rule by expelling the Seleucids and reviving the divine Judean kingship. To celebrate their victory, they wrote stories which pretended to predict this achievement and cast a legendary hero from Canaanite mythology as their prophet. The result included angels, foreign gods, dragon-slaying, and great beasts that would reappear in Revelation.

This week on the pod, soon-to-be UChicago PHD Eduardo García-Molina drops into discuss the Seleucids, how he learned to love them through Rome: Total War, and what video games can teach us about ourselves through the ways they present the ancient world. Hydrologic Cycle from CMU is on Kickstarter now! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cmu/hydrologic-cycle?ref=discoveryBeyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning can be both playful and compelling. Check them out here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulationsCheck out CMU's game offerings here: https://cmichpress.com/shop/Sign up for an online game design class here: https://www.cmich.edu/academics/colleges/liberal-arts-social-sciences/centers-institutes/center-for-learning-through-games-and-simulations/certificate-in-applied-game-designAll episodes of my podcast are available here: https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/Enjoy my work? Consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/beyondsolitaire or getting me a "coffee" on Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/beyondsolitaireContact Me: Email: beyondsolitaire at gmail.comTwitter: @beyondsolitaireInstagram: @beyondsolitaireFacebook: www.facebook.com/beyondsolitaireWebsite: www.beyondsolitaire.net

Every immigrant, every minority, and every colonized person living under a human boot faces the same dilemma: how to live without imitating or accepting the ways of the human gods that impose their glory.“We have,” a wise poet once said, “on this earth what makes life worth living.”Scripture, Fr. Paul has explained many times, forged a path for living in the ancient world by refusing to accept the glory of Alexander, the Seleucids, and all who came after them by pushing back.Not by working within their system. Not by playing their game or thinking like them. Least of all by adopting their language. With no hope, from under their boot, Scripture came up with biblical Hebrew to force the Greeks to submit to the Scriptural God.They did not study Greek or capitulate to Greek culture in order to convince or get ahead in Greek society and maybe attract a few wealthy people to their secret cult. You're thinking of the harlots in 1 Corinthians. Don't be like the harlots in 1 Corinthians. You become what you accept. So, reject everything and become nothing, like the biblical prophets. Trust me. When you are nothing you have more free time to study Semitic triliterals. The more you know Semitic, the better your chance of hearing God speak.So when in Rome, smile at the Romans, the Greeks (or the freedom-loving ice cream people), politely ignore them and do what Paul says. (Episode 320) ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode: 400 silent years, Seleucids, Antiochus, Corruption, Jason High Priest hood, 2 Maccabees, Hasmoneans, Sadducees, Pharisees, Antipas, Herod, time of Christ. Become a supporter and get unlimited questions turned into podcasts at: www.patreon.com/theologyandapologetics YouTube Channel: Theology & Apologetics www.youtube.com/channel/UChoiZ46uyDZZY7W1K9UGAnw Instagram: www.instagram.com/theology.apologetics Websites: ezrafoundation.org theologyandapologetics.com

Murray answers a question from a 12-year-old fan from Italy, Greg - How many casualties were there really at Magnesia? The Roman sources say 53,000 for the Seleucids and only 350 Romans died. Is This true? Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast  

In the Battle of Beth Zechariah, the Seleucids defeated the Hasmoneans by using war elephants, but not before the Maccabee Eliezer did something that will be remembered forever.

The rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem on November 21, 164bce (25 Kislev 3597) stands as a pivotal moment in Jewish history, marking both a spiritual and military triumph. This event, deeply entwined with the Maccabean Revolt, led to the establishment of Hanukkah, a festival celebrating Jewish resilience and faith. The Maccabean Revolt (167-160bce) was a Jewish uprising against the Seleucid Empire and the Hellenistic influence on Jewish life. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king, imposed strict bans on Jewish religious practices, leading to widespread discontent. The revolt was ignited when a rural Jewish priest, Mattathias, and his five sons, including Judah Maccabee, refused to worship Greek gods. This act of defiance sparked a widespread rebellion. Under the leadership of Judah Maccabee, the Jewish insurgents waged a guerrilla war against the Seleucids. By 164bce, they had achieved significant victories, culminating in the recapture of Jerusalem and the Temple. The Temple, desecrated by the Seleucids who had converted it into a shrine to Zeus, was in dire need of spiritual cleansing and rededication to restore its sanctity as the heart of Jewish worship. The rededication of the Temple was a profound moment of renewal for the Jewish people. According to the Talmud, when Judah Maccabee and his followers sought to relight the Temple's Menorah, they found only a small flask of oil, enough for one day. Miraculously, this oil burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare more oil. This miracle underscored not just a military victory but a spiritual resurgence, symbolizing the enduring light of Jewish faith against overwhelming odds. In commemoration of this miracle and the rededication of the Temple, the festival of Hanukkah was established. Hanukkah, meaning “dedication” in Hebrew, is celebrated for eight days in honor of the miraculous eight days the Menorah burned. It is a time of joy and gratitude, observed by lighting the menorah, reciting prayers, and reflecting on the themes of freedom and resilience. The rededication of the Temple and the events leading up to it are more than historical events; they are embodiments of the enduring spirit of a people striving to preserve their identity and faith against formidable challenges. The story of the Maccabean Revolt and the miracle of Hanukkah continue to inspire, symbolizing hope, courage, and the triumph of light over darkness. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/plausibly-live/message

It doesn't feel like that long ago that we were here last, but Syrian War III is here- seven years after the first settled on Syrian War II. Get ready to see Ptolemy III rampage through Syria and the Middle East in a way Egyptian kings haven't done since Thutmose III more than a thousand years previously. Something tells me it's not going well for the Seleucids... Sources for this episode: Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur (eBook). Casson, L. (1993), Ptolemy II and the Hunting of African Elephants. Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-2014) 123: 247-260. Drower, M. S. and Dorman, P. F. (2023), Thutmose III (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023). The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2019), Horemheb (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023). Gilbert, N. (2010), African elephants are two distinct species. Nature. Gowers, W. (1947), The African Elephant in Warfare. African Affairs 46(182): 42-49. Gowers, W. (1948), African Elephants and Ancient Authors. African Affairs 47(188): 173-180. Grainger, J. D. (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook). Mariette, A. (1892), Outlines of Ancient Egyptian History. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Murison, R. G. (1951), History of Egypt. Edinburgh. T. & T. Clark. Philips, A. K. (1977), Founder of the XIXth Dynasty? O: Cairo 25646 reconsidered. Orientalia 46(1): 116-121. Rawlinson, G. (1871), A Manual of Ancient History, From the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. Comprising the History of Chaldea, Assyria, Media, Babylonia, Lydia, Phoenicia, Syria, Judaea, Egypt, Carthage, Greece, Macedonia, Parthia, and Rome. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers. Redford, D. B. (2003), The Wars in Syria and Palestine of Thutmose III. Leiden/Boston: BRILL. TED-Ed, YouTube (2014), The pharaoh that wouldn't be forgotten (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023). Watson, J. S. (1853), on Attalus (date unknown), Justinus: Epitome of Pompeius Trogus' Philippic Histories (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023). Author unknown, The Calculator Site (date unknown), What is 5'2'' in cm? (Accessed 01/11/2023). Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Battle of Raphia (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).

The prophecy concerning the Ptolemies and the Seleucids. Daniel 11-5-10. -Remake of 2002 series-

In part 2, Judah the Hammer becomes a living legend after tying together a string of unlikely victories against the Seleucids. These victories turn the ragtag Hebrew warriors into an outstanding guerilla army. I'm joined by Mark Pimenta from the podcast Warlords of History.

The second half can get pretty trippy if you don't realize what all the metaphors mean. Join Clay and Ross and they shed some light on this apocalyptic text.

Murray answers a question from a 12-year-old fan from Italy, Greg - How many casualties were there really at Magnesia? The Roman sources say 53,000 for the Seleucids and only 350 Romans died. Is This true? Join us on Patron patreon.com/ancientwarfarepodcast  

Thursday, 15 December 2022   So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. Acts 13:4   In the previous verse, those in Antioch fasted and prayed. They then laid “the hands on” Barnabas and Saul and sent them away. The narrative continues with, “So, being sent out.”   Rather, the participle is aorist. Also, there are two introductory conjunctions. It more correctly says, “They, indeed, therefore, having been sent out.”   Luke uses a word new to Scripture, ekpempó. It signifies to send out or send forth. This is just what occurred. They had been purposefully called to depart from one place and to go forth as directed. And this was, as Luke records, “by the Holy Spirit.”   As can be seen, it was not only that the Holy Spirit had called them (verse 2), but He also is directing them. Their movements are according to His will as He leads. Further, the written record set forth by Luke, which he was inspired to document, is a record of those movements and events also specifically directed by the Holy Spirit.   Everything about what we are reading is a carefully directed and documented set of events intended to show us God's workings in the establishment and expansion of the church. It is also a clear and unambiguous record of why the focus of the gospel diverted away from the Jews and toward the Gentiles. Consider this as the chapter continues to unfold. For now, that record continues with their travels as “they went down to Seleucia.”   The name Seleucia comes from Seleukos, a Syrian king. The name is found only this once in Scripture but traveling through here appears to be implied again in Acts 14:26 and Acts 15:30, 39. Of the city, S.M. Christie notes –   “The seaport of Antioch from which it is 16 miles distant. It is situated 5 miles North of the mouth of the Orontes, in the northwestern corner of a fruitful plain at the base of Mt. Rhosus or Pieria, the modern Jebel Musa, a spur of the Amanus Range. Built by Seleucus Nicator (died 280 BC) it was one of the Syrian Tetrapolis, the others being Apameia, Laodicea and Antioch. The city was protected by nature on the mountain side, and, being strongly fortified on the South and West, was considered invulnerable and the key to Syria (Strabo 751; Polyb. v.58). It was taken, however, by Ptolemy Euergetes (1 Macc 11:8) and remained in his family till 219 BC, when it was recovered for the Seleucids by Antiochus the Great, who then richly adorned it. Captured again by Ptolemy Philometor in 146 BC, it remained for a short time in the hands of the Egyptians. Pompey made it a free city in 64 BC in return for its energy in resisting Tigranes (Pliny, NH, v.18), and it was then greatly improved by the Romans, so that in the 1st century AD it was in a most flourishing condition.”   As Seleucia is the port from which those at Antioch would head out, they first went there “and from there they sailed to Cyprus.”   Cyprus is a large island in the eastern Mediterranean and, due to its high mountains, is said to be close enough to the coast to be seen on a clear day. Used here is another new word in Scripture, apopleó. It literally signifies, “to sail away.” The word is only used by Luke. He will use it four times in Acts along with various other words that refer to sailing. In their sailing away from Seleucia, they sailed to Cyprus. Of this location, Howson says –   “Four reasons may have induced them to turn in first to this island: (1) Its nearness to the mainland; (2) It was the native place of Barnabas, and since the time when Andrew found his brother Simon, and brought him to Jesus, and ‘Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus,' family ties had not been without effect on the progress of the Gospel. (3) It could not be unnatural to suppose that the truth would be welcomed in Cyprus when brought by Barnabas and his kinsman Mark, to their own connections or friends. The Jews were numerous in Salamis. By sailing to that city, they were following the track of the synagogues; and though their mission was chiefly to the Gentiles, their surest course for reaching them was through the proselytes and Hellenizing Jews. (4) Some of the Cypriotes were already Christians. Indeed, no one place out of Palestine, except Antioch, had been so honorably associated with the work of successful evangelization.”   His reasons are well stated except for the comments that “their mission was chiefly to the Gentiles.” That must be presupposed, and it is not borne out by the narrative. As of this point, nothing has been said of evangelizing the Gentiles. The only clue that it is so is what was stated at Paul's calling in Acts 9 –   “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.'” Acts 9:15   But even these words include three categories. The reason for bearing the Lord's name before Gentiles is not stated. Since the words of that verse, nothing about Paul evangelizing Gentiles has been noted. So far, he has only been seen having contact with Jews.   Life application: Interestingly, the Holy Spirit is mentioned four times in this chapter. The first time was in verse 2 where the calling of Barnabas and Saul was made. The next is verse 4 where they are being sent out. In verse 9, it says that Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, will rebuke a Jew who is with a high-ranking Roman official. The final time will be in verse 52 where it will note that the disciples, which includes Gentiles, are “filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”   Watching how this chapter unfolds, and then continuing to watch how the rest of Acts unfolds, it becomes perfectly clear that we are being shown why there is a transition from the Jews to the Gentiles in the furtherance of the gospel. There will be great hostility by the Jews towards the notion that Jesus is their Messiah. On the contrary, there will be an opening of arms towards Him by the Gentiles.   This same state has continued for two thousand years. Only in the most recent of times has that begun to change. The past fifty years have seen a great increase in the number of Jews who have accepted that Jesus is their Messiah. But out of church history, that is an insignificant number. For the gospel to extend to all nations on earth, it was necessary for the Gentiles to spread it. God knew this and He has given us the book of Acts to show this transitional phase from Jew to Gentile. Paul is the key to its coming about.   Be attentive to this as Acts continues and you will more rightly understand why the Jewish nation, Israel, was not used for this purpose. And yet, God has not fully abandoned them. When the time is right, they will again become a central point of focus in carrying this spiritual banner that has for so long been carried by the Gentiles. That is something that is beginning to occur before our very eyes.   Lord God, Your infinite wisdom is so perfectly revealed in Your word. Every detail of redemptive history is seen to be under Your control. As this is so, we can know that the steps we take to share the gospel must also be fully known by You. That sure takes the pressure off us as we go forth, knowing that You already know those who will come to saving faith in Jesus. Help us to get out and to speak this message clearly so that our efforts will be fruitful. Yes, use us according to Your wisdom. Amen.

Historical Context of the Nativity - God's covenant with Israel o The Promised Land was given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the Jews would be Yahweh's people, and Yahweh would be their God. o However, Israel was disobedient, and worshipped other gods, and did many other wicked things besides, so God then handed Judah and Israel over to their enemies. - Babylonian Captivity o The Assyrians captured the northern kingdom of Judah in 721 BC; the Babylonians conquered Israel in 597 BC; both of these events came to pass just as God had sent the prophets to forewarn and promise the people. o With these two successive conquests, of Judah and Israel, many Jews were killed, or carried into foreign lands, or fled, or else were ruled over in their ancestral homeland by foreigners. o The Babylonians and Assyrians both were conquered and subsumed by the Achaemenid Persian empire. - Hellenization o With Alexander the Great's defeat of the Persians, his empire took possession of Judea. o After the death of Alexander, four of his generals divided the empire, and the part containing what had formerly been Israel was ruled by the Seleucids starting in 281 BC. o The Seleucid King Antiochus Epiphanes, ruling from 175-164 BC, persecuted the Jews, desecrating the temple in Jerusalem, and forcing the high priest and other devout Jews to eat pork, which they were forbidden to do. o This led to what was known as the Maccabean revolt in 167-160 BC, in which the Jews led by a certain warrior group called the Maccabees drove the Seleucids out, and established nominal Jewish self-government in the region again from about 110-63 BC. o A characteristic of this government, called the Hasmonean dynasty, was a reduction in the influence of both Hellenism and Hellenistic Judaism. - Roman Conquest o The Hasmoneans were conquered by the Roman general Pompeius in 63 BC, thus ending, until modern times, meaningful Jewish self-rule. o As a client kingdom of the Roman empire, particularly under Herod the Great after the Roman Senate declared him “King of the Jews” in 37 BC, Judea was effectively under Roman rule. - Herod the Great o As a vassal of the Roman empire, Herod got his position because of his father's close relationship with the Roman general and dictator Julius Caesar. o To give you an idea of how ruthless he was, his mother-in-law was a part of the Hasmonean dynasty, and plotted at one point to restore the former dynasty to power by installing Aristobulus III, a member of her family, as the high priest, then sending him off to meet with Mark Antony, who was then in the midst of fighting a civil war with Octavian over who would be the Roman emperor after the assassination of Julius Caesar. § Herod was just so sure Aristobulus III would replace him as King of the Jews if he met with Antony that he arranged for the assassination of Aristobulus. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/support

The anchor was the most recognizable image associated with the Seleucids, who used it as their dynastic seal to symbolize their royal authority. Its origins are interwoven into the stories of the dynasty's founder, Seleucus I Nicator, as omens and prophecies associated the anchor with his imperial destiny. These stories might have been tied to the now-lost Seleucus Romance, but the anchor continued to be used by later monarchies, a testament to the lasting appeal of Seleucid kingship in the Near East and Central Asia. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/11/05/bonus-anchors-aweigh-the-seleucid-anchor-and-imperial-iconography/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/bonus-anchors-aweigh-the-seleucid-anchor-and-imperial-iconography-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

How do we understand a prophecy that reads just like the Middle Eastern history of the 4th century BC? Is it possible that it was composed much later than we think? Steve Coleman reveals how we know Daniel's writings were actually written by him.

         Overwhelming Odds And A Miracle  The First HanukkahMattathias dies, leaving his son Simon as head of the Hasmonean family and his son Judas Maccabeus as leader of the army--a euphemism for a force of about 6K. Judas and his men rely on God and shrewd tactics. They fight a classic guerrilla war, consistently outflanking, outmaneuvering, and outsmarting Seleucid forces ten times larger. More fighters join the resistance.Finally, after three years of fighting, they are able to beat back the Seleucids, leaving only a garrison ensconced in the heavily fortified citadel near theTemple. Judas and his men find the Temple in shambles and set about to repair it. Finding only one day's worth of untainted oil, they begin an eight-day celebration, and the oil burns without ceasing. It's a miracle, the very first Hanukkah!1&2 Maccabees overlap, so refer to the Maccabees Chronology to guide your reading.A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. More info at EversBibleClass.com.

        The Persecution Begins  The Abomination That Causes DesolationThings are about to get bad. The High Priest Menelaus goes to Antioch and instigates murder and bribery. He gets caught, but he uses his ill-gotten riches to make the charges roll off his back. Antiochus IV Epiphanes attacks Egypt and is humiliated by the Romans. Enraged, he vents his anger on Jerusalem. After ransacking the Temple (with the help of the high priest!) and setting up “the abomination that causes desolation,” he returns to Antioch where he begins an aggressive campaign to Hellenize his empire.And that spells disaster for the Jews. Forced to worship the Greek pantheon and desecrate all that is holy to Israel, many Jews forsake their faith rather than face torture and death. But many others would rather be martyred than renounce YHWH. One family in particular, the Hasmoneans, fight back hard. The father, Mattathias, is a local priest. He has five sons, one of whom is Judas Maccabeus. Judas the Hammer. Here come the Maccabees!The Hebrew Bible ends around 400 BCE. There are no more tribes of Israel--only scattered families which are gradually coalescing into geographic communities. Around 330 BCE, Alexander the Great conquers the world but dies suddenly, leaving the world in chaos. After 40 years of infighting, the world settles (more or less) into four major kingdoms: Macedonia, Thrace, Egypt, and the Seleucid Empire. Judea (named Palestine by the Romans who were themselves a rising world power) is fought over by Egypt and the Seleucids. The Seleucids eventually win. As the story of the Maccabees opens, the high priest has become a political appointee of the Seleucid king. It is a position of power that goes to the highest bidder. Prepare yourself for a whirlwind of politics and intrigue.1&2 Maccabees overlap, so refer to the Maccabees Chronology to guide your reading.A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. More info at EversBibleClass.com.

       Beginning Maccabees  How It StartsThe Hebrew Bible ends around 400 BCE. There are no more tribes of Israel--only scattered families which are gradually coalescing into geographic communities. Around 330 BCE, Alexander the Great conquers the world but dies suddenly, leaving the world in chaos. After 40 years of infighting, the world settles (more or less) into four major kingdoms: Macedonia, Thrace, Egypt, and the Seleucid Empire. Judea (named Palestine by the Romans who were themselves a rising world power) is fought over by Egypt and the Seleucids. The Seleucids eventually win. As the story of the Maccabees opens, the high priest has become a political appointee of the Seleucid king. It is a position of power that goes to the highest bidder. Prepare yourself for a whirlwind of politics and intrigue.1&2 Maccabees overlap, so refer to the Maccabees Chronology to guide your reading.A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. More info at EversBibleClass.com.

The Story of God's People Stuck in the Middle of a Mess They Didn't Make! Today, Pastor Michael is continuing his study on Daniel and today we're in Chapter 11. Even if you've been reading the Bible a long time, Daniel 11 is one of those complicated chapters.  Thankfully, Michael starts out with prairie dogs and that has to be a good thing.  His prairie dogs are living happy in their prairie dog home, only to find a herd of Bison to the north and south of their home.  They are seriously hoping these buffaloes move along.  A humungous bull buffalo steps out from each side and have a huge fight.  Big problem for the prairie dogs!  This fight is taking place right in the middle of their prairie dog town! So, this fight, goes on for years.  Whenever one buffalo dies, another one replaces him.  So, the buffaloes and prairie dogs are in a generational issue; why on earth didn't the prairie dogs just leave?   They didn't leave because there were buffaloes everywhere!  No matter where they went, they'd run into more buffalo.  No where to go.  Plus they're little prairie dogs; what can they do to big buffaloes?  In the end, they were ‘getting by'.   One day, a big buffalo from the northern side comes into the fight and finally notices the prairie dogs.  And he starts stepping on the prairie dogs!  Andy, is the big, mean buffalo and he is the worst!  The prairie dogs finally band together, band up, and for a little while, Andy is gone.  But there is a story, in prairie dog lore that there will be a new, meaner buffalo that will be forthcoming, some day. This, in a nutshell, is the story of Daniel 11.  But without the prairie dogs. In the analogy, however, the prairie dogs are God's people, trying to make a life.  The buffaloes are the two kingdoms of Greece, always fighting in the Promised Land, wreaking all kinds of havoc to the Jews.  Who were stuck in the middle of a situation that was mostly out of their control. (CSB Baker Illustrated Bible Study Notes) 11:2–20. The detailed description of the interrelationship between the kings of the south and the kings of the north in Dn 11 has long challenged biblical scholars. The angel reveals to Daniel that three more kings (Cambyses, Smerdis, Darius Hystaspis?) will rule over Persia. The fourth (Xerxes I?) will try to incorporate Greece into the Persian Empire. Upon the death of Alexander the Great of Greece (“a warrior king,” 11:3), his kingdom was divided into four parts: Macedonia, Thrace, Syria (“the king of the North,” or the Seleucids), and Egypt (“the king of the South,” or the Ptolemies). Daniel 11:5–20 relates the rivalry and wars between the Ptolemies and Seleucids until the appearance of Antiochus Epiphanes. The heart of this story, is everyday people.   As people today, we also find ourselves in situations we didn't create and that we have to live in.  We can be stuck in struggles that we didn't cause, decisions made by people unattached to us.  The lesson here is pertinent to us today, just as it was to the Jews so many millennia ago. And everyday people can take heart in the fact that struggles and trials do not destroy faith.  It only destroys what we think is faith.   Verses can be found today in Daniel 11 and Romans 8: 28. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Daniel 11 Part 3: Antichrist Future | There is nothing else anywhere - not in any other holy book, not in any history books, not even anywhere else in the Bible - quite like Daniel 11. In one chapter, we have 135 specific and detailed prophecies covering 375 years of future history.Journey 3 | Foundations. Our third journey brings us to back to the foundations of the faith, and delivers some of the greatest stories and characters in the Bible. Genesis recounts the back story for all mankind and begins God's plan for redemption. Daniel presents phenomenal prophecies and the big picture of God's Kingdom, and Romans lays out the heart of the gospel with powerful answers to tough questions. This is Foundations. (84 days)Teacher: Kris LanghamAbout TTW: When the Bible is confusing, Through the Word explains it with clear and concise audio guides for every chapter. The TTW Podcast follows 19 Journeys covering every book and chapter in the Bible. Each journey is an epic adventure through several Bible books, as your favorite pastors explain each chapter with clear explanation and insightful application. Understand the Bible in just ten minutes a day, and join us for all 19 Journeys on the TTW podcast or TTW app!Get the App: https://throughtheword.orgContact: https://throughtheword.org/contactDonate: https://throughtheword.org/givingDaniel 11 Themes: History, Greece, Rome, Prophecy, AntichristDaniel 11 Tags: history, Persia, Greece, Alexander the Great, Seleucids, Ptolemies, ptolemy, Egypt, Damascus, King of North, King of South, Antiochus Epiphanes, Antichrist, Jerusalem, temple, abomination, desolation, end timesKey Verses: Quotes: Audio & Text © 2011-2021 Through the Word™ Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.Bible Quotes: The Holy Bible New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

Daniel 11 Part 2: Antichrist Past | There is nothing else anywhere - not in any other holy book, not in any history books, not even anywhere else in the Bible - quite like Daniel 11. In one chapter, we have 135 specific and detailed prophecies covering 375 years of future history.Journey 3 | Foundations. Our third journey brings us to back to the foundations of the faith, and delivers some of the greatest stories and characters in the Bible. Genesis recounts the back story for all mankind and begins God's plan for redemption. Daniel presents phenomenal prophecies and the big picture of God's Kingdom, and Romans lays out the heart of the gospel with powerful answers to tough questions. This is Foundations. (84 days)Teacher: Kris LanghamAbout TTW: When the Bible is confusing, Through the Word explains it with clear and concise audio guides for every chapter. The TTW Podcast follows 19 Journeys covering every book and chapter in the Bible. Each journey is an epic adventure through several Bible books, as your favorite pastors explain each chapter with clear explanation and insightful application. Understand the Bible in just ten minutes a day, and join us for all 19 Journeys on the TTW podcast or TTW app!Get the App: https://throughtheword.orgContact: https://throughtheword.org/contactDonate: https://throughtheword.org/givingDaniel 11 Themes: History, Greece, Rome, Prophecy, AntichristDaniel 11 Tags: history, Persia, Greece, Alexander the Great, Seleucids, Ptolemies, ptolemy, Egypt, Damascus, King of North, King of South, Antiochus Epiphanes, Antichrist, Jerusalem, temple, abomination, desolation, end timesKey Verses: Quotes: Audio & Text © 2011-2021 Through the Word™ Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.Bible Quotes: The Holy Bible New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

Daniel 11 Part 1: Prophecy with Precision | There is nothing else anywhere - not in any other holy book, not in any history books, not even anywhere else in the Bible - quite like Daniel 11. In one chapter, we have 135 specific and detailed prophecies covering 375 years of future history.Journey 3 | Foundations. Our third journey brings us to back to the foundations of the faith, and delivers some of the greatest stories and characters in the Bible. Genesis recounts the back story for all mankind and begins God's plan for redemption. Daniel presents phenomenal prophecies and the big picture of God's Kingdom, and Romans lays out the heart of the gospel with powerful answers to tough questions. This is Foundations. (84 days)Teacher: Kris LanghamAbout TTW: When the Bible is confusing, Through the Word explains it with clear and concise audio guides for every chapter. The TTW Podcast follows 19 Journeys covering every book and chapter in the Bible. Each journey is an epic adventure through several Bible books, as your favorite pastors explain each chapter with clear explanation and insightful application. Understand the Bible in just ten minutes a day, and join us for all 19 Journeys on the TTW podcast or TTW app!Get the App: https://throughtheword.orgContact: https://throughtheword.org/contactDonate: https://throughtheword.org/givingDaniel 11 Themes: History, Greece, Rome, ProphecyDaniel 11 Tags: history, Persia, Greece, Alexander the Great, Seleucids, Ptolemies, ptolemy, Egypt, Damascus, King of North, King of SouthKey Verses: Quotes: Audio & Text © 2011-2021 Through the Word™ Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.Bible Quotes: The Holy Bible New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

Episode 101 Let's talk about reincarnation, end times prophecies, and the shapes of our stories today. Kendra helps us to think deeply about how the shape of time informs the shape of our story and the ways that we make meaning in the universe.    Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast   More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/   produced by Zack Jackson music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis    Transcript  This transcript was automatically generated by www.otter.ai, and as such contains errors (especially when multiple people are talking). As the AI learns our voices, the transcripts will improve. We hope it is helpful even with the errors.   Zack Jackson 00:04 You are listening to the down the wormhole podcast exploring the strange and fascinating relationship between science and religion. This week our hosts are Zack Jackson, UCC pastor and Reading Pennsylvania and I am most productive when everyone else is asleep at night,   Ian Binns 00:22 Ian Binns Associate Professor of elementary science education at UNC Charlotte, my most productive time of the day, sadly varies. Because of my ADD, I cannot pick a particular time and say that's it. It just says that it happens. And when it does I get really frustrated if people get me out of that moment, because it takes hours to get into it. So, yeah,   Kendra Holt-Moore 00:51 Kendra Holt, more assistant professor of religion at Bethany College in Lindsborg Kansas. And I used to be able to say, I was most productive at night, because I am a night owl, but the older I get, the more that varies. And I also don't feel like there is a particular time that works best if you just let the Spirit lead.   Zack Jackson 01:15 Just tired all the time. Yeah.   Kendra Holt-Moore 01:19 Constant exhaustion, and just snippets of bursts of energy. So why high? You ask?   Zack Jackson 01:38 I was asking, I was asking it very hard in my head. Anticipating that why, why Kendra answer? Why, why?   Kendra Holt-Moore 01:48 Why? Why ever? Why? Well, let me tell you, I have an answer for you. Oh, thank God. So we, we thought that today, we would talk about shapes of time, who. So shapes of time. So just to kind of start out so whenever I teach students, typically it's in like a world religions or an intro to religion class this semester. It was a world religions class, but when I'm having a conversation, in a classroom with students about different, you know, religious traditions, and how, like, what are some of the things that we can compare safely without sort of centralizing religious traditions. And one fun conversation I like to start with somewhere near the beginning of the semester, is to talk about shapes of time. And what I mean by that is, you know, cyclical versus linear conceptions of time, or, you know, some might argue also, like spiral shapes of time. And so the way this looks when I bring it up to my students is I, I typically use for my examples, Hinduism, or Buddhism, and Christianity. And I draw up on the board, just, you know, a simple like circle, and a simple, like, horizontal line, as just like two examples of shapes the circle and this horizontal line. And I talked about how, you know, time is something that we sort of take take for granted, as it's just sort of permeates everything, but we don't, we're not always like thinking about how our understanding of time, you know, like, really impacts us necessarily, or maybe I shouldn't speak for you all, but I don't always think about how time itself is like impacting my day to day, except when I'm trying very hard to get something done. And time is just slipping away that moment, or I become conscious of time, but on a grand scale. It's something that's sort of taken as just the way things are. And the way that we think about time, is I think we kind of it's easy to sort of assume, that are sort of grand notions of time and how time unfolds, that that there's nothing too complicated or like interesting about that necessarily. And, and so when I draw up this like circle and line on the board for my students, one of the conversations that I'm trying to get started is how we across like, religious and cultural traditions, we actually have very different understandings of, of of time. Time and by time I'm not not talking in this moment necessarily about like, scientific like theory of relativity, you know, kind of technical explanations of like space time. But like, cultural and social understandings of like what will happen, what has happened, what is happening and what will happen to us socially and culturally. And, and so, the circle on the board then is what I offer as like a Hindu or Buddhist example of cycles of time with regards to reincarnation and how, you know, the human soul if we're talking about Hinduism, but not not really a soul, if we're talking about Buddhism, but the the person, and the person's existence, moves through a cycle of time that is stuck in this cycle of reincarnation, of, of birth, life, death, rebirth, and that this is, the circle is, is known as samsara, if you're using a Hindu terminology and conceptions of time in samsara, is a cycle that you want to get out of. So samsara is like the way things are, from a Hindu or Buddhist perspective, in terms of thinking about time and how we exist in time, but samsara is not desirable, there are ways that you can build up better karma and be reincarnated in a way that is better or worse, contingent upon, like what kind of karma you built in your current life. But ultimately, the goal in in that version of cyclical time is to get out of the cycle to be released from the cycle. But the cycle can go on and on and on. And you can have, you know, hundreds and hundreds of reincarnations, and there's no like you, you have to there are certain practices and things you have to do in order to be released from the cycle. And, and so, you know, one of the we can put this in the show notes, but there's an article that has like some helpful kind of visuals, but I want to just kind of talk about, like, the way that this cycle of time for Buddhism is represented. And it's the Buddhist wheel of life. And you there are a lot of different I mean, if you just Google that, like, you'll find all kinds of really colorful, vibrant images that come up of this wheel of life. But the wheel of life, you can see like there are different realms, in the Buddhist wheel of life. And those are sort of the possibilities for how you reincarnate into the cycle of samsara. And so you can see like, why now, hopefully, like there's this distinction between like a cycle versus linear time, because there's not, there's not like one specific end goal that is clear to you, from the perspective of your current life, if you have the cyclical notion of time. I mean, yes, like ultimate release from it, you can see that as an end goal, but like the reincarnation cycle, it means that you, you will, again, experience what you have already experienced, you will again, experience birth, which is something that you already have experienced in the past, you will again experience you know, life insofar as you have experienced it, and you know, death will happen again and again. And again, it's not a single kind of destination point until you have achieved the right tools and practices to get out of that cycle. And so you can kind of think about like, how that might inform a person to like navigate through life itself. The other so like the linear line on the board, I uses Christianity, but I think it also applies pretty well to like the Abrahamic traditions in general of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, but I use Christianity in particular, because there's so much that has been written about Christian like apocalyptic. You know, eschatology, which is a fancy word meaning, like, study of in things, or you know, like end of time, and, and another, there are some images that we can also share, I think in the show notes of this version of Christian eschatology called Christian dispensationalism. There are different ways to kind of label this to like you may have heard Christian primo lineal dispensationalism, post millennial dispensationalism, however you slice it, it is a mouthful of a thing to say dispensationalism. But there are images, we can share that kind of show that in this version of Christian eschatology, it's not how everyone sees the end of time. But in this version of Christian eschatology that's popular in, especially some circles of like, Christian, like fundamentalism, types of theology or, you know, like some evangelical theologies, there are seven dispensations of time, and that time moves in a linear fashion. And a dispensation is just like a stage of time, I think that's the way I would describe it more simply because dispensation is also kind of a buzzy word. In this context, but there are, you know, like stages of time, that kind of unfold in this linear fashion, but the point is that we're not moving in a cycle with this conception of time, we're moving towards an end point that is the apocalyptic end of time. And after the end of time, eternity unfolds forever and ever. And it just kind of goes on in this linear, like, one, one way, there's a path a direction, and we move in that direction. And it's kind of inevitable, like, you can't really stop it from unfolding it's going to happen. And, you know, the some of these dispensations for Christian dispensationalism you have, like, the age of innocence, and that's, like, you know, Adam and Eve, you have you go up through like, 234567. But if the, I mean, I could like list all of those, but I'm, kind of move quickly. I'm timing myself this time, so that I'm not going like way over.   Zack Jackson 11:59 So it's like innocence. No innocence. Gods here, Gods there. Now it's Israel. Now. It's now it's Jesus. Now it's Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's also inherently kind of anti semitic. Yeah, in that dispensationalism, leaves Jews behind, but go on.   Kendra Holt-Moore 12:17 So yeah, you have like innocence, stage one, stage two conscience, stage three, human government, stage four, promise, stage five, loss, stage six, Grace, stage seven kingdom age. And there are, you know, specific things that happen in each of those stages that kind of map on to biblical stories, and the stages that map on to like the time of Moses, and, um, you know, just like the time of Abraham. And all of these stages as they unfold, it's like, sort of this like, progression of like God's plan for time. And the way that that ends, is with this seventh dispensation, the kingdom age where Jesus returns and rains on Earth for 1000 years, and, you know, brings peace, and, you know, after that time is kind of over, there's like the final judgment, the white throne judgment, and then time ends and eternity begins. And that, that's kind of the the ending of this, like premillennial dispensationalist. Christian theology again, sorry, for the long buzzy terminology. But the point is that this version of time, is, is is different, like it's, it has that linear shape to it. And one of the things that I think is kind of interesting about this understanding of time, and it's, there's this like piece of inevitability. And it's not the only version of like, like, this is, I think, kind of a common kind of trope in like apocalyptic literature and thought is like, the apocalypse is coming, eventually, like, it's inevitable. And that means that you can't fight it and in some ways, believing in the inevitability of the apocalyptic moment of end of time can make some people sort of lean into that and welcome that end of time moment, if it means that the there sort of conception of time will actually like, ultimately benefit them. So for example, in like this Christian dispensationalist, Premillennialism version of the entire time. Christians who hold this, believe that they'll be gone there'll be sort of taken away by God out of out of the earth out of time so that they don't have to experience the violence and trauma of the apocalypse at Self, and that they will be, you know, held close, near and dear and safe with God and protected from the end of times. And so what this means is you have Christians who hold to this kind of eschatology are, I think more likely to say things like, well, let's just like let it all burn, because we're not going to be here anyway, like, only the unsaved will be sort of judged and condemned, but you know, Christians will be safe. So any violence that happens ultimately, it's, it's not going to affect us in the end and this kind of eternal way. And, and so I think the kind of extreme response through that kind of lens of time is, it can doesn't always have to, but it can lend itself to apathy, and even like a condoning of, you know, destruction and violence. And this is me sort of using that as an example, because there was actually an article that was published very recently in the Atlantic about this language like cautioning against the language of a new civil war that's like impending in the United States. And that the whole article is pretty interesting. But there's this line that caught my eye. And it says, you know, a several paragraphs down. And I'll just kind of like read the couple of sentences for free all that says, quote, There is a very deep strain of apocalyptic fantasy in fundamentalist Christianity, Armageddon may be horrible, but it is not to be feared because it will be the harbinger of eternal bliss for the elect and eternal damnation for their foes, on what used to be referred to as the far right, that perhaps should now simply be called the armed wing of the Republican Party. The imminence of Civil War is a given and quote, and, and that caught my eye because it's really talking about a shape of time. And, you know, like, the question that kind of arises from that, for me is like, what, what are practical implications in our behavior? When we think about, like, what our own shapes of time are? Do we have notions that lead us to an inevitable end? Is that something that we experienced over and over again? And like, is that just sort of philosophy or theological pondering? Or does that kind of impact us on this, like, deep on the ground level? And, and so that, that was, that was kind of where, where my mind was going, when I think about this, the shape of time? That's kind of why I have to start us here. No, well,   Ian Binns 18:09 says while you were talking about it, especially the last part, and I mean, y'all know, I don't have the theological background that you guys do. So a lot of times the words that are used in cotton, what are you talking about, but they may me just all of a sudden just reminded me of the Left Behind series? Yes, that was written the book series, right. And so   Kendra Holt-Moore 18:31 that is a great example, and that you have given us and reminded us that is Christian premillennial dispensationalism. Yeah. So now, translation, aka left behind,   Ian Binns 18:43 right, well, and I find it fascinating. So what's interesting is that I actually got into Reading this series in like 2000, it was when I was in the Peace Corps. And so when I was in the Peace Corps in Jamaica, and the main office in Kingston, I was had a library that we could go and just get books from and blah, blah, take with us back to our home and everything and and so I think that was the time I started getting into this series, because I saw it and I was calling God sounds kind of interesting. And so I started Reading it. And I was not very strong in my faith. Want to take that back. That's actually when I first started a Bible study, but it was a different time in my life, right? So I was 23 years old, 2223 different time of my life, different things going on. And I now that I looked it up, and just looked up left behind again to remind myself some of it and I'll be honest, I did not finish this series because I found it to be this is just my opinion. Some of the writing you know, again, I was not familiar with the language, the terminology that was being used and the description that you just provided Kendra, but there were parts of the books I found as I was going further for the series that I would skip hold sections because it felt like it was Reading the same thing I read in the book before, right? Like these long sermons from a character or whatever. And so it but I, I'm curious how would I approach the series now at this point in my life and at this point in my spiritual journey, right and starting to have a better understanding of time and just religion in general and what the underlying me I mean, I get what the meaning was, but like, talk about dismiss, dismiss, what is the word again? dispensationalism.   Zack Jackson 20:33 There you go. That word can you can approach that book series straight into the recycling bin if you'd like. Yeah,   Ian Binns 20:38 I don't think we have them anymore. I think like I ended up buying several of them and got rid of them.   Zack Jackson 20:42 That's Yes, pre trim these Corinne. Aspen's pre trib, premillennial dispensationalism is what that is essentially, with the millennial in the millennial and the pre millennial post millennial mid millennial that has to do with in Revelation talks about how there will be 1000 year reign of Christ. Before then Satan is allowed to return cause havoc, and then the final judgment. And so then the thought is the question is, when does that happen? So the pre millennial is that that hasn't happened yet. And that there will be this great time and then there'll be blah, blah, blah, then there's post millennial that's like, hey, no, that's where we are. Right now that this this kingdom age? Is is the millennial reign of Christ that the the age of the church or maybe that we're almost there. And then the trim part of that is not the trip. Yeah, the is the trick Great Tribulation, as in tribulation, right? The seven year tribulation that is foretold in Daniel and in Revelation. And at what point would the people of God be raptured out of it, so that only the unrighteous should suffer? There's some interpretations that Oh, before the tribulation, all the elect will be taken out. And that's what left behind is, there's some thought that it's midway through taken from a couple of phrases from Daniel, and then there's some that everyone will have to live through the whole thing only until the end, will then there'll be judgment on it all. And I mean, I was steeped in this stuff, my seventh grade Bible teacher had a timeline on the wall of the n times, with like, how many months in between events would happen, you know, the, the two witnesses would show up here, one of them would die, and then they'd raise and then there'd be, you know, the Antichrist would rise and he would have a mortal wound, and then he'd be healed. And then he'd be like, all along the way. We knew what the mark of the beast was going to be. And when it was going to happen, it was actually supposed to start happening on y2k. But then apparently, enough, people prayed and God delayed God's hand. Or so that's what they told me when it didn't happen. But it's, it's ironic to me that this group of people has latched on to second temple apocalyptic literature, which is this period of time, it's like a 300 year period, during the Second Temple of Jerusalem, where this genre starts to arise. They've taken that and applied it directly to this sort of straight line timeline that you're talking about Kendra, that, you know, this thing hasn't happened yet. But here are the signs to know when it's going to happen and what it's going to look like. And that goes from A to B to C to D onward until the end, it's a straight line. When that is the exact opposite of the way that second temple apocalyptic literature is written and met to be read. If you look at Daniel and parts of Jesus's little Apocalypse on the on the mountain and and the book of Revelation, and you know, all of the ones that didn't make it into the the Hebrew and Christian canons, they're all using coded language for things that are happening in the moment. Now, there's a great, great part in Daniel, in which they're talking about kings of the north, and kings of the south and marriages that between them and wars between them. And it's very clearly talking about the battles between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies. And like, historically, we know this, this is lining up exactly what it is until the desolation of the abomination of desolation. And then there's a straight war and then God comes down with his angels and saves the day. Which we know didn't happen, at least not in any kind of final sort of a way. So then, what do you do with that? Well, that's how all of them are written. They're all written with this great symbolism of things of awful apocalyptic sort of images. And, in the end Godwin's, and I say apocalyptic that word means to reveal to pull back the curtain. And so what that whole genre is doing is it says hey, You see these things happening in real life, but I'm going to pull back the curtain and show you the spiritual realities behind them. So you think Rome is this unstoppable force, but hey, pull back the curtain, and it's actually just this ugly dragon. And the ugly Dragon is going to be thrown into the pit of fire. So these books were meant to be read by people who are currently suffering, so that they can put themselves in the story. And then see that in the end, God rescues them. So in a way, second temple apocalyptic literature is like a green screen, in which generation upon generation upon generation can stand in front of it and put themselves in the story. So the, the beast from Revelation is originally Nero. And then, you know, it might be Domitian. And then it might be valerian. And then it might be Stalin, you know, like, you can put you can make the beast, any number of things, as it has been, I mean, Martin Luther said, that was the pope at one point. And, you know, for all intents and purposes, for him, it was, because that's the point is these, these, these prophetic visions are cycles of things that they're true because they keep happening. And then the point is, you get to put yourself in it, and then you get to see that God is faithful, and that you'll be brought through it at the end. And so to take that kind of genre of literature, and then to take that, that circle down that spiral, and to just stretch it out and say, All right, this is what it means. This is the start. And the end of the end times is just a It's such, it's so dishonest, and disingenuous. And it's it. It does violence to the Scriptures themselves.   Kendra Holt-Moore 26:54 It also sounds a little bit like, I don't know if you necessarily intended it this way back, but like the, it seems like people when they're in the moment, especially with this dislike genre of like apocalyptic literature, being in it. The those like apocalyptic tropes, like they, it feels linear, because it's like, the cycle that you are experiencing, but you don't see it as a cycle. And, you know, obviously, like we've kind of used the premillennial left behind type eschatology is that but like, the, it's kind of easier to identify the genre of literature as a cycle, if you're sort of using hindsight to see that this happens again, and again, and again. Is that Is that how you would characterize   Zack Jackson 27:48 that's a really good insight there. It doesn't feel like a cycle while you're in it. But I think that's the power of once you realize that it is. So then, you know, everything looks bleak right now in the world. It does. And it seems like the cups, the bowls of judgment are being poured out upon us all. So then to be able to keep turning through the book of Revelation to get to the part where death itself, hell itself is thrown into the pit of fire and destroyed. And then every knee boughs and every tongue confesses, and all things are made new, and there's streams of living water and to be able to get to that point. Is there some some comfort in that?   Ian Binns 28:35 Well, it seems like in and I want to go back to that series for a minute. That's right, the Left Behind series that, you know, you talked about zakat being kind of a way, he's I think this is what you were saying a way of it, almost, you know, it seems to me to the way it was written was to help people relate to it, right, and then see that there'll be saved at the end and those types of things. And that's a very generalization, overgeneralization, I guess. But it's interesting while Reading more about the series, the efforts to turn them into films, and how they keep trying to reboot it. And they're actually in the process of doing that now, of redoing the series again, to see if that gets get more attention to it, I guess, and to get more people on board, this particular series, I just find that fascinating of what it is they seem to be trying to do, and I'm part of that part of me will be curious to see how will they try to connect or will they tried to connect it politically? Right in some way that you know, I saw I remember in 2011, or something, I guess it was when Obama was running the second time. I think that was right. Yeah. Chuck Norris and his wife came out talking about that election and that proclaim that if Obama won reelection, it would begin the 1000 years of darkness Oh, yeah.   Kendra Holt-Moore 30:07 This is a political strategy because it works because it's drama. And it's like, you know, the religious affiliation of these stories. They're all encompassing, and it just moves people. And ah, yes, yes. The fact   Zack Jackson 30:24 that people think that this is the worst that humanity has ever been blows my mind like, have you read history? We used to murder people for sport. We're not. Yeah, there's not so bad things are not as bad as you think they are.   Ian Binns 30:39 Yeah. But it's just fascinating how they, they, you know, a percentage of the population kind of latches on to that messaging. And they're a powerful group of people, because especially when you talk about politics, you know, they vote, you know, you get them to vote. And that's how a lot of times, some of the bigger elections they win is because people know that if we can get the more fundamentalist, Christian and evangelical Christians out to vote that most likely they'll vote for the Republican candidate. And, you know, they go out numbers that can help. And so by tying in that argument that they use obviously didn't work because Obama won a second term. But I just found that so interesting that that was a perspective they were trying to use as a way to encourage people to vote is if you don't vote, if you don't vote for Romney, then the 1000 years of darkness will again,   Zack Jackson 31:37 evangelicals going if you don't vote for the Mormon, then that's outside years of darkness. Right? Which, you know, that's not a personal knock against Mormons, but just the those same evangelicals would not consider a Mormon, a Christian normally. But how do you come back from that, by the way, like, once you've gone totally nuclear, that the world is going to end and Satan himself will reign if this man gets elected? Like, how do you then say something about someone else? Like there's no higher? You can't go higher than that you've already gone nuclear. So   Kendra Holt-Moore 32:16 worse than the Antichrist, right?   Ian Binns 32:18 What do we do? Yeah, it's just seems like such an interesting way to live. And as I said, in fact, they're trying to redo this series again. And they're using the actor Kevin Sorbo. Who did, Hercules, right. No,   Zack Jackson 32:37 yes. And then every low budget Christian movie since then.   Ian Binns 32:41 Yep. And so and he is someone the right has, you know, latched on to and he that's he's found his niche. And so he's gonna star and direct in the new movie, I will only   Zack Jackson 32:52 watch it if Lucy Lawless is in it, as well as Xena Warrior Princess, not as anyone else.   Ian Binns 33:00 Yeah. Doubtful. It'll happen without   Zack Jackson 33:03 a man can dream.   Ian Binns 33:15 This right, anyway, sorry. I know, I keep going on tangent. But I just found fascinating.   Kendra Holt-Moore 33:19 I didn't know that I didn't realize that they were trying to like reboot the   Ian Binns 33:24 and this is from last month. Hmm.   Kendra Holt-Moore 33:27 Okay. Well, there you go. So I was, you know, talking, talking through this, you know, the shape shapes of time. And, you know, I kind of our plan for today's recording with my husband, Chad. And he told me of a helpful kind of connection that might be familiar to, to many of you, but there is a piece Well, first of all, there's a writer, he was an American writer, Kurt Vonnegut, who recorded I think it was kind of like a short lecture, but also published in several places about his early writing his like, I think it was his thesis on the shapes of stories. And so I just, I think that's a really interesting kind of connection here, as we're talking about the shapes of time. Like, are we really just talking about the shapes of stories, and Kurt Vonnegut had this whole sort of, like, charting out of different shapes of stories. And so, you know, he was like, writing and publishing has like a lot of novels and was thinking about, like, the structure of a narrative. And I think you can find, you know, his, his lecture online. I think it's like a 30 minute piece, but, you know, he talks through how, you know, when you're talking about like, any kind of job of story, there's like this stair step ladder where you're climbing upward things are going swimmingly. You know, the lovers, they fall in love, and they're like having a grand time. And they're, you know, giving each other flowers and walking, holding hands through the park. And, and then something happens. And this stair step ladder going upwards, suddenly crashes into a, you know, a desolate trough. And that trough, there's this low point, and then you have a low point that requires a creative solution, and then you start moving up on the incline again, and you know, maybe it flattens out, there's a plateau. And then maybe there's like another, a deeper crash, a deeper trough. And then the end of the story can maybe resolve coming again, out of the trough back up into an incline, that just keeps going up and up and up, and you have like your happy ending. And you know, I'm doing some heavy like paraphrasing of this shapes of stories, not something I had seen of his before. But like the point being that you can draw on like the same way that in my classes I draw like the circle and horizontal line to represent time qurbana gets it there's like a bunch of different shapes that you can put up on the board, variations of these shapes to you can have this staircase that goes up and then crashes down and then rises back up again, you can have something that looks more like a wave that bounces up and down, and up and down, and up and down, and up and down and just has, you know, twists and turns. And you can have a story that's just maybe it is a single horizontal line. And it's maybe a boring story where there's just nothing happens. And it's just plateau from beginning to end. And I you know, there are like shapes of stories that we are drawn to, and why are we drawn to those stories? Why would we prefer a story that has the, you know, peaks and valleys versus a story that's just a flat plateau all the way through? Is there you know, an excitement that comes with different shapes of stories? And like, why do we crave certain kinds of resolution at the end of a story. And it just is like, I think a really interesting and kind of perfect, like frame that Vonnegut's sort of offered that I think really maps on to the way that we think about these like big conceptions of time out of our cultural religious lenses, and that it seems that we, like we crave order, we crave orderliness. In the midst of you know, seeming chaos, that we want to feel like we have control, we want to feel a sense of meaning. And, and so, you know, I think like one way to sort of put put these shapes of time or shapes of stories and bring them together is that that's part of what's being offered to us. And you know, for better or worse, because the shapes are different. And they mean different things to different people. But I think the motivation of latching on to certain stories, is that sort of comfort that and like sense of belonging that we derive from particular shapes. So I don't know. I'm curious what what y'all think about that?   Zack Jackson 38:39 Yeah, reminds me of the end of the gospel of Mark. Which, yeah, Mark was written in the style of a Greek epic, which they don't all have perfect, happy endings. And the earliest manuscripts, it ends with, you know, the, the women come to the tomb, they find that it's, it's empty. There's, there's an angel who's like, Hey, check it out. He's not here. He's gone. He risen Hallelujah. And it ends with Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid. And that's how the book ends. But that only lasted like a couple 100 years, because then people added on to the end of it. And so all of the later manuscripts and like the ones that are like King James is based on the Latin Bibles, they all have this other lesson versus that's all like wrapping up the story, you know, the, like the end of the Lord of the Rings, where it's like, alright, well, then he appeared to two more of them. And then he appeared to everyone. And then he said, Go into all the world and preach the gospel. And then he said, I love you. I'm happy. I'll see you later. I left lunch in the fridge and everything got wrapped up in the end, and it was like they could not stand for the story tonight. And on a high note that it had to end there, or else they just felt weird about it.   Kendra Holt-Moore 40:07 I love that as an example, because it's like you go from a story shape that kind of trails off at the end and this sad sort of dangling like downward slope of trembling and fear to like the sharp upward incline of happiness and resolution, very different, very different emotional responses to   Zack Jackson 40:27 the last chapter of Ecclesiastes does the same thing. Where it's like some some later editor was like, this is just this needs, this needs a pick me up at the end, nobody's ever people are going to finish this and just be upset. So we need like, a happy ending, tacked on to the end of the bow on it. Right. And then they did the same thing to I Am Legend. Anybody ever see that? The book, the short story ends totally differently. It ends with this great like Twilight Zone esque reveal. And it's like dark, and it just ends. But Hollywood was like we can't do that we have to have a resolution, we have to have some kind of happy ending, people have to leave the theater feeling good in some way, shape, or form. Like they didn't just Well, anytime   Ian Binns 41:14 you think about with storytelling, you know, as we've already said, that having that nice ending is what people human nature is what we want, right? We want to build a wrap up something type deal. And so, you know, John, my son, John and I are right now watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then release order. And so he came, you know, maybe a month or so ago, he was just like, Hey, Dad, I really want to my friend watched Black Widow, I want to see Black Widow. And I said, Okay, that's great, but we're not seeing the others. It's not gonna make you're gonna miss some things. Oh, yeah. So what are you ready to start watching these? And he's like, oh, yeah, absolutely. So we started and we're watching an order of release, not chronological order. And so it makes me think about, you know, he and I were talking the other day, and yesterday, he was kind of trying to make sense of how they're all connected. We've gotten all the way through phase two, we just started Civil War last night. Captain America Civil War, right. And it makes he was talking about how they're all connected and stuff like that. But are they really like Captain America? The second one is really a sequel and what that means and, you know, part one, part two, and it made me think about Avengers. The third and fourth one, right. So Infinity War the way it ends, and then you have in game and and it was kind of pitched as a part one, part two aspect of things because Part One does not end. All happy go lucky as part two does at least the ends were things more wrapped up part one ends with a major cliffhanger. Right. And you think about films like that, like, for example, the last two Harry Potter movies, the four books seven. You know, they're both the Deathly Hallows, but it was part one, part two, part one did not end on a high note as part two debt. And so it ended with something that you're just kind of like, well, what and so but you knew it Part Two was comment. So the story wasn't over yet. Is my point. Right? And we love it for the story to be over and happy, as you said, and I think the two examples you gave from Scripture is just fascinating. I was not quite aware that they did that with Ecclesiastes, but I didn't know that. That's how Mark changed is that here was the original version, then they added on some things too, which I've always found really interesting. And to me, that was take that as a what does that say about the Bible? Right, you know, and those types of things, but anyway,   Zack Jackson 43:51 most people want to believe that things are gonna work out well for them. And when we are in a storyline, we put ourselves in that story. And we, you know, we then want the characters to come out on top, you know, unless you are a person who is just super pessimistic, you know, you know, somebody like, like, I don't know, Adam, who picked out Pan's Labyrinth for his movie early last year. And that movie ends spoiler alert, with like, a dead child. And yeah, it's like, oh, that's an awful ending. You know, something like Requiem for a Dream that just ends with awful tragedy. Some people like that, and I don't know why. Honestly.   Kendra Holt-Moore 44:47 I think it's like I think some, some of those stories can be really cathartic. Like, it's not that they're happy, but they reflect Something that you experience. And I think, like the cathartic experience of watching something that's super, super sad. I think what that gives people to some extent is a feeling that you're not alone and experiencing like deep sadness or trauma and that there's like a path. I mean, I guess if the story ends in, you know, death, I'm not sure that that maybe is a different message. But some of the stories that are really sad, there's still kind of a way forward through healing. And healing is really hard. And not, you know, it's not like a simple, straightforward, like, wrapped up in a bow type of process. And it's just, I think there's something that's comforting in seeing that being reflected in all its like ugliness and darkness, that kind of counter intuitively facilitates a kind of healing or a feeling of being seen. But that's a very different kind of story that I think then, you know, what we've been talking about with the sort of nice resolution that is happy, but it's, yeah, it's a different shape, with a different kind of purpose, I think. And then there's also the kind of, you know, like, storytelling problem, where people don't want the story to end. And so the story just like drags on and on and like, you think of like, a TV show that is, like, 10 seasons too long. And it's like, why didn't you just have a plan to do this? Well, in three seasons, phrase, and on and on, and on, and on, and on, and on and on.   Ian Binns 46:46 We gave that up a long time ago.   Kendra Holt-Moore 46:50 But yeah, like, Why, what's the kind of motivation of that shape, and I think it's, it's like, related to the desire to want things to work out well, in the end. But I think people also want to keep experiencing that, that like, happy moment or resolution until, like, feel part of a story for as long as possible. When, you know, really, like all stories, they do come to an end or they at least change over time. And so there's like, I think, I think we all kind of have an impulse or like motivation to find like permanence in like goodness, or permanence and like stability. And that can like influence the way that we tell stories and sort of drag them on in hopes that we can be part of them for for longer   Ian Binns 47:54 well, and so if I can we talk about in the feeling of happiness, and just feeling good, you know, John and I, in this journey of Washington, these films together and we're having a great time doing it, you know, I mean, he's really getting into it, and we're having a lot of fun. But I remember sometimes he would talk to me about what was your favorite one and your least favorite and Babalon and I had told him that you know, we're not done with civil war yet. We're gonna finish it today. But that when I saw that film, I didn't want to watch it again. Like that even though you know the way it ends it's okay, it was still a you know, for two for what over 12 films or something like that so far up to that point. It's like all the heroes maybe they don't get along at times but they're still kind of on the same side and then all of a sudden you see in this one that wait a minute to the biggest characters are now on opposite sides fighting each other. And I struggled with that I gotta be honest watching that that was tough to watch because it made me sad and like oh, this is something I'm supposed to be able to just escape into and not worry and bola and all sudden this happens and and so that was tough. And so I like how they work with it later. But that is interesting to me. How you know so watching some of it last night I'm glad we're doing it. But even he was describing this morning so what do you think so far? And he's like, I like it. But I mean it's it's really good and the plots interesting but also don't like it because we've not gotten to the big fight yet. We stopped bright for that. And we had to because bedtime fight we had we'd have to watch the rest of the film. Right and so as I said, we'll finish it today. But he just was like, but I don't like the fact that they're they're starting to not really get along because he you know, we both love Iron Man and Captain America alright, and we just but all these characters you get attached to all of them. And so it's just interesting. What that how this all relates Hmm. So   Zack Jackson 50:01 yeah, superhero movies in general, kind of have the same shape as the New Testament. Where it's like, yeah. Which is like he does the shaped Zack. I will, I will paint you a picture auditorially Yes, please. So it begins, they all begin with humble origins, an underdog story of somebody with great promise and potential, who needs to go through a hero's journey in order to find their full potential. They discover their powers, they go up against the powers that be there's some some small successes, there's some small losses. And then there's the final, there's the big confrontation in which they lose. They always have to lose at least somewhat. They need to be beaten into the ground. You know, oh, no, Iron Man is falling out of the sky, because he's all frozen. And you know, Captain America shield is broken like that. You need to be broken in some way. But then, when all hope seems last look on the horizon. And there's no, no, that's Gandalf coming over helm steep, but I was really good to the same kind of deal, right? Then there's this dramatic resurrection. And then boom, there we are. There's the happy ending that death is no more Oh, oh, Death, where is thy staying? Oh, grave, where's the victory? You know that, how we have this final win. And then then the same cycle repeats again, with the early church and the book of Acts. And then we get through these letters. And then the book of Revelation does the exact same story arc of like this humble beginnings, and then these troughs, and then at the end, there's this great victory, and it always ends on a happy note. And all of the stories in the New Testament follow that same underdog hero's journey, sort of story arc.   Kendra Holt-Moore 52:09 Shapes,   Zack Jackson 52:10 which is maybe why, maybe why I like superhero movies? I don't know. Yeah, it all   Kendra Holt-Moore 52:15 comes together.   Ian Binns 52:18 It makes you think about the matrix as well. Right? We're recording this. So less than a week before the fourth Matrix film comes out matrix resurrections. And I think that's gonna be really interesting. I'm actually excited about I really liked the series there had issues with the second and third movie. But I still liked the storyline, and the, you know, what it stood for, and stuff I thought was very interesting. But that's kind of like a superhero. Movie, or series as you just described, right. Um, and also even like the, with Star Wars, and the three separate trilogies. Yeah. Right. They help kind of follow that same, same description that you just gave us about superhero movies. And so yeah, I think it's gonna be very interesting, how they, how they bring all that together in this fourth movie of the matrix. Series. I don't know   Kendra Holt-Moore 53:13 beaking of shapes and superheroes in the Bible. Zack, do you want to tell us about a dead Christian story our How's that for a transition?   Zack Jackson 53:34 That is a wonderful transition. Because I still don't have a theme song.   Kendra Holt-Moore 53:43 Tried it? Let's try to workshop that. Okay. Did Christian Story Hour? Do you want something spooky? Um, or like uplifting? Or like Halloween theme music type of you know, intro I don't know. I'm   Ian Binns 53:58 gonna make me believe   Zack Jackson 54:00 I'm kind of I'm kind of I'm kind of into the the sort of ironic theme music something chipper and cheery like a like a, like a Mattress Company jingle.   Kendra Holt-Moore 54:16 Oh, yeah, that's perfect.   Zack Jackson 54:18 You got 805 80 to 300 M Pa. That kind of Well, welcome to part two of the dead Christian story our a part at the end of every fifth episode, in which I share with you one of my favorite stories from Christian hagiography. What is hagiography you ask? Well, I'll tell you. These are stories of dead Christians. And they are most of the time totally over the top. And I want you to take all of these with a giant grain of salt because they are not historically accurate and they aren't meant to be They are stories of heroes. And so that's what they're just meant to be. So just let them be hero stories, okay, and stop thinking too much about it because it's great. And I love them. This one comes from St. Lawrence. And St. Lawrence is the name of the borough where I live, which is named not at all after the actual St. Lawrence, but after a brand of stockings that the local knitting mill made in the 40s. But St. Lawrence, capitalism, right, it's too bad, because it's a great story. And I actually, this is the only dead Christian. That whose icon I own, I have, I have St. Lawrence in my kitchen, he holds my, my coffee scoops. And I'll tell you why in just a second, because it's great. So I'm going to take you all the way back to the mid to 50s. So this is like 200 years after Jesus. And Christianity is still kind of an underground sort of deal. But Christians in Rome, were starting to get maybe a little bit too powerful, a little bit too influential. You know, the whole thing was just kind of like back to Emperor valerian, he wasn't really having a whole lot of these Christians. So he issued an edict that all Christians in Rome must offer a sacrifice to Roman gods, or else lose their titles and land and standing. And anyone who persisted should be put to death. This was something that Roman emperors did from time to time, because they knew that Christians weren't going to do it, because Christians were stubborn. And they were in those days, kind of countercultural. pacifistic, anarchists, who loved to give the middle finger to the government. If you can imagine such a thing, that's what the church was like back then. And they were not, under any circumstance going to acknowledge of Roman God as any kind of God because they were like, it's Jesus, or nothing. Sorry, I'll die before I'll do that. And so the Romans were like, Great, then we'll kill you. So in 258, the Emperor valerian issued an edict that all of the bishops, priests and deacons of the Roman church should immediately be put to death, and all of their treasures confiscated because obviously, they would not make those sacrifices to Jupiter and such. So they started hunting down all the church leaders. And after they killed the Pope, and some of the most prominent leaders, their prefect of Rome, went after the arch deacon of the church, and demanded that he turn over all the treasures of the church. Now, deacons, for those of you who are not super into churchy stuff are the class of, of officers within the church who are tasked with feeding and taking care of the poor and the widows, the orphans, the lepers, anyone who has who has no social safety net in society. The deacons were the ones who went out and found these people and took care of them and help them so indirectly, they're also the people in charge of whatever finances the church has, which at those times was not a whole lot. But that was their job. And this fella named Lawrence was the first Deacon appointed of this church, and he was kind of in charge. So the Roman prefect went to him. And they were like, hey, Lawrence, so I gotta kill you. And I'm sorry about that, but I got to do it. However, if you turn over all of the treasures of the church to me right now, I might give you a head start. So you can get out of dodge, right? Because the prefect wants to take a cut, before he gives the rest of the Emperor. So he's, you know, he's trying to make it a little sweet for himself. So Lawrence is like, Alright, sure, I'm in, give me three days. At this point. I'm sure the prefect is like wait a second. What are these Christians? They're they're jackasses. So what, why is why is this guy on board, but whatever, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna think too hard about it. I'm gonna get some cash money. So three days later, Lawrence shows up in front of the prefix office. And trailing him is a crowd of the dirtiest people, the widows, the orphans, the lepers, the poor, the crippled the sick, following behind him in this crowd, and he says to the prefect, Behold, the treasures of the church. Yeah, because he had taken those three days and had liquidated all of the church's assets and had then just redistributed them to the poor in Rome. So the church had no money after that. And he said, we are far more wealthy than your Emperor will ever be. So as you can probably Guess the prefect was not a fan. And so instead of beheading him, as they did with the Pope, and everyone else, he's like, I'm gonna make this guy suffer. So we strapped them to a grid iron, and put him over a bed of hot coals to slowly cook him to death. And after a while of excruciating pain, he said to Lawrence, what do you have to say for yourself now? And Lawrence looked at him, and he said, I'm done on this side, turn me over. And for that, they made him the patron saint of cooks. And so the icon I have of him in my kitchen is of him happily standing there with this big smile on his face, holding a big gridiron with like a bunch of garlic and onions in his other hand, as if he was like the church chef, because he's the patron saint of cooks. And somebody told the icon maker, go ahead and make me a picture of St. Lawrence, the patron saint of cooks. And they're like, Yeah, sure, I'll give him a bunch of food and stuff. Because apparently he was a chef. He was not a chef. He was cooked alive on a gridiron. He is also the patron saint of comedians, which feels a lot more appropriate. Because dude was a smartass. And I kind of love him.   Ian Binns 1:01:24 The patron saint of chefs, even though he was cooked alive.   Zack Jackson 1:01:28 Yeah, the patron saint of dentists also got her teeth kicked out. So the people who come up with these things have a sort of sense of cruel irony, I think. Yeah,   Kendra Holt-Moore 1:01:37 very much. So   Ian Binns 1:01:38 I would say so. Yeah. I love that.   Kendra Holt-Moore 1:01:41 Is there a like a closing like, outgoing theme music that that we'll have for the fit too, because I feel like it really needs that. Oh,   Ian Binns 1:01:51 well, maybe something about magical breasts this time though.   Zack Jackson 1:01:55 No magical breast this time. Just a smart Aliki Deacon who got cooked alive and then later turned into the patron saint of yummy garlic and onions.   Ian Binns 1:02:08 Yeah, that was, yeah, amen.   Zack Jackson 1:02:12 Amen. Okay. So the next time you're having a barbecue, pour one out for St. Lawrence, and maybe give the middle finger to the government hits what he was with St.   Ian Binns 1:02:24 Lawrence for being cooked alive. Hey, go. Thank you.

Andrea Berlin is the James R. Wiseman Chair in Classical Archaeology and a Professor of Archaeology and Religion at Boston University. Her research focuses on the archaeology and history of the Achaemenid, Hellenistic, and Roman East, Ceramic Studies, Second-Temple Judaism, and the archaeology of Israel. In this episode, we discuss the book The Middle Maccabees of which she is a co-editor and a contributing author. The book examines the beginnings of the independent Jewish state founded in the second century BCE and frames it within the wider world of conflicts between the Ptolemies of Egypt, the Seleucids of Syria, and the Romans. You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.

At its height, the Seleucid Empire stretched from Thrace (modern day Bulgaria) to the Indus River Valley. Emerging from the tumultuous ‘Successor Wars' that followed Alexander the Great's passing, for over a century it was a superpower of the eastern Mediterranean. This, however, ultimately led it into conflict with Rome at the beginning of the 2nd century BC. The result was a devastating defeat for the Seleucid King Antiochus III ‘the Great' at the Battle of Magnesia, fought around this time of year in either December 190 BC or January 189 BC. Following the battle, the Seleucids were humbled by a damaging treaty, but what happened next? What followed for the Seleucids, having been humbled by the Romans? Did they descend from superpower to suppliant? Or did they experience a resurgence? In today's podcast, Eduardo Garcia-Molina, a PHD Classics student at the University of Chicago, argues the latter. Focusing in on the reign of Antiochus IV, Eduardo highlights how the Seleucid Empire remained a powerful entity in the wake of Magnesia and their Roman defeat.If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hithttps://access.historyhit.com/?utm_source=audio&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Podcast+Campaign&utm_id=PodcastTo download, go to Android or Apple store:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.historyhit&hl=en_GB&gl=UShttps://apps.apple.com/gb/app/history-hit/id1303668247If you're enjoying this podcast and looking for more fascinating The Ancients content then subscribe to our Ancients newsletter. Follow the link here:https://www.historyhit.com/sign-up-to-history-hit/?utm_source=timelinenewsletter&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=Timeline+Podcast+Campaign See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we watch the Ptolemies and Seleucids battle over control of Israel, follow the intrigue of Jewish elites fighting for the position of High Priest, hear of the brutal Greek repression of Jewish practice, and see the rise of a rebellion.

The shepherds who were there when Jesus was born were looking up at the stars, just as Abraham had been all those centuries before, when God made him the most amazing promise. Yeah, they were looking up and also back to that amazing promise, that through Abraham God would bless all the nations. Christmas Night is, I think, the most amazing night. You know we sing that song, "O holy night, the stars, the stars are shining", and you think of the shepherds and the angels and Mary and Joseph and that baby, Jesus, God in the flesh. Part of me wishes I were there. I wish I was there and could see it and be part of it, and yet there's another part of me that's glad I know Jesus the way He always intended me to know Him – that is through the presence of God, the Holy Spirit in me. When we strip away all the rubbish of Christmas, and please; I don't mean to denigrate the whole giving presents, families getting together, celebration, holiday – they are all good things. But there's this dimension to Christmas which is a Santa Claus, which is trying to fool our kids into thinking that these presents were brought by a guy in a red suit and reindeer and down a chimney that we don't have, and … you know … there's that sort of big con thing, and all the big department stores, all the shops are on the bandwagon to make money and the whole success of Christmas is measured by the retail sales figures … Give me a break! That's the part of Christmas that I think: Aren't we missing the point here? When we strip away all of that rubbish, Christmas itself is the most wonderful of all celebrations. But it's struck me how often we skip over the beginning of the New Testament, the very first chapter, the first verses in the first chapter. It begins like this: An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David and the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac and Isaac was the father of Jacob and Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. And it just goes on, and it goes that Uzziah was the father of Jotham and Jotham was the father of Ahaz and on and on and on. And Eliud was the father of Eleazar, and I think, "Hang on a minute. If I was going to write the first chapter in the first book of the New Testament, which is about the story of the coming of the Saviour – of Jesus, would I have picked that?" I mean, excuse me, but it's pretty boring, isn't it? You and I look at it and we go, "Hang on. Why is it that You start the New Testament – this wonderful story about the coming of Your Son – with a long, tedious list of Perez and Zerah and Tamar and Hezron and … Why do You do that God?" I mean, when was the last time (if you happen to be a churchgoer) you went to church (you know how they have the Bible-reading before the guy or the woman get up and preach), when was the last time you heard someone read through a genealogy? So here we have it. If we put Matthew and Jesus and Christ together, this is kind of what God I think is saying in this opening chapter. Here's a gift from God – His anointed Saviour, Jesus, and that got me to thinking: Why a genealogy? What is God saying to us when He talks about Christmas through this long, tedious genealogy? It's the bit that you and I want to rush over. When you get to a genealogy in the Bible, and there are a few of them throughout the Bible, I mean, I know I don't tend to read them word for word. I say, "Ok. There's a genealogy; are there any interesting people there that I know? Ok, let's move on", but God chose a genealogy to open up the book of Matthew – the first book of the New Testament. What was He saying? Genealogies, it turns out, were significant to the Jews. They were about the purity of lineage. There were three things that were important: Firstly, land and residency. They wanted to know that a Jew was a Jew; they wanted to know that this person had a right to be a resident and to own land. The second thing they needed to know was where there were priests involved because there were some people in the Jewish nation who were set aside to be priests, and their priestly authority came from their lineage (their heritage), and the third where it was really important was legal standing. Where there was a claim to royal succession, they wanted to know legally that a person was entitled to be the king if that's what he claimed, and the public records were kept by the Sanhedrin, the sort of quasi-religious/secular ruling body, in the temple in Jerusalem. So this isn't just a boring list of names to the Jews, but this lineage is quite fascinating and there are three main characters in the lineage. It begins with Abraham. Abraham is the father of the Israelite nation. Halfway through, it talks about King David – the greatest king that Israel ever had, and then right at the end it comes to Jesus – the son of God. And in the case of Abraham and David, I believe what Matthew is doing is pointing back to the promises that God made to Abraham and David. We're going to specifically go and have a look at those promises today. Let's flick back and have a look at what God said to Abraham. If you have a Bible, open it at Genesis 12:1. This is what God said to Abraham: The LORD said to Abraham, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse'. And here's the blessing in the tail of the blessing: And in you, all families of the earth shall be blessed. So, about 1,950 years before Jesus was born, God makes this initial blessing to Abraham – that in him, through his lineage, through his seed, all of the nations in the world will be blessed. Man! You know, Abraham was an old man. He was seventy-five when that promise happened; he didn't have his first kid until he was a hundred years old. Here was this man: His heart was aching for the land that God had promised him and the son that God had promised him, and … he was just aching. And just a few pages on, if you go to Genesis 15:5, God brings Abraham outside and says: 'Look towards the heaven and count the stars if you're able to count them.' Then He said to Abraham, ‘So shall your descendants be.' And Abraham believed the LORD, and the LORD accounted that to him as righteousness. What a beautiful picture! What a beautiful, tender encounter with God. Here's this man Abraham who got a promise from God that he cannot begin to understand how it will be fulfilled, and he's standing under the same sky, the same stars that were shining on that night two thousand years later in Bethlehem, and the Jews knew about that promise. It was the beginning of their belief in a Messiah, someone that God would send to set them free. There was another key promise. Halfway through that genealogy in Matthew, he talks about King David who is part of Jesus' lineage, and the crux of that promise happens in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. This is what it says:  ‘When your days are fulfilled' (says God to David) ‘And you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom' (so here God is promising him a son; that son was Solomon). ‘He shall build a house for My name' (which Solomon did; he built the temple, but have a listen to this) ‘And I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever' and ever and ever – for all eternity. ‘I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to Me. When he commits iniquity' (which Solomon did), ‘I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use' (with blows inflicted by a human being) ‘But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before Me; your throne will be established for ever.' That is an eternal promise, and remember: When Israel was looking forward to the first Christmas (which they didn't really know was coming), they had just spent half a millennium without a king; without the promised king, so they were looking for this promise to be fulfilled. They were looking for their king back – God's anointed Messiah, which is how kings were referred to in Israel. So here are two promises together: A king who will rule forever, who will be a blessing to all the nations. So, what happens next? Well, we talked about it. We talked about it last week if you were with me. Solomon was a good king, but he went off the rails, and after him, Israel split in two. There was the north, which was called Israel; there were ten tribes. There was the south, which was Judah and Benjamin, and they worshipped idols and they did things that were wrong and God sent prophets to call them back – to warn them of a coming judgment. They gave Israel this message: Come back to your God. Remember the covenant (the promise): I'll be your God; you'll be My people. I will establish your throne for ever and ever … Do they listen? No. You look around the world today, and God is calling people back to Him; a lot of them, do they listen? No. So, as we talked about last week, in 586 BC, the Babylonians came (the world-power); they destroyed Jerusalem; they took the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, into exile; they virtually annihilated the north Israel, and the monarchy was destroyed – this line, this line of kingship, where there had been a promise to David that his son Solomon will have a line that is established for ever. Well, Zedekiah was the last king. The Davidic line was broken. What happened to the promise? There was a lot of confusion and fear. "Has God failed? Has He left us? What's going on?" and 70 years later they come back. But after the Babylonians, the Ptolemaits and the Seleucids, and then a brief period in 167 BC. After Antioch had desecrated the temple by sacrificing pigs, there was a Maccabean revolt, and for 127 years they were free – free for the last time until 1945. The Romans rolled in, 40 BC; Herod the Great was there till 4 BC, then Herod Antipas in Galilee … I mean, all these other people were ruling this free nation of Israel that were God's people. They were supposed to be living in the promised land. For a half a millennium they have no king. For us, that'd be like having no democracy. They have a Roman emperor; they have a false king Herod; they have the Sanhedrin, which is a corrupt body of religious leaders that are in bed with the Romans; they have a governor, and this messy corrupt Malay, full of religious political corruption. We see it when Jesus was ultimately put on trial. He went first to the chief priest; then to the Sanhedrin; then to Pilate; then to Herod Antipas; then back to Pilate again. Brutal, corrupt regime. God's people who were meant to be free, who were brought out of Egypt to be free, are oppressed, but they remembered God's promises to Abraham and to David. They remembered the Red Sea; they remembered the freedom they were supposed to have, so what do you think they were looking for? They were waiting for the promised Messiah. What did He look like? Well, John the Baptist tells us in Luke 3:15: As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John whether he might be the Messiah (so, John the Baptist who came before Jesus, people were thinking maybe he's the one, and John said no, hang on) ‘I baptise you with water, but there is One more powerful coming after me, one whose sandals I'm not fit to tie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire.' And again as we looked at last week: Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?' And some said, ‘Well, John the Baptist. Maybe you're Elijah. Maybe you're Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.' The people expected a Messiah! They desired one! They were waiting for one! They were hoping for one, but it's a bit like the end of the world today; it was kind of mixed up. What would He look like? How would He come? There were lots of Jesuses wandering round. There were lots of people wandering round at the time, claiming to be the Messiah. There was a lot of hype. Pick the right one. Which one is the one that God has chosen for us? And then, then we have Matthew's gospel, written about 60 or 70 years AD, after Jesus, and there was a whole tussle between Jews and Christians. He wasn't the Messiah; yes He was, no He wasn't, yes He was … So Matthew is writing into this situation, 60 or 70 years AD, and he decides to begin with a genealogy – a genealogy that establishes that Jesus is descended from Abraham, down through David, down through Mary, and Jesus. "So you don't believe me?" says Matthew, "Go and check it out. Go to the temple; go and check the archives; look at what's on the public record", because it was a matter of public record. The record of generation to generation to generation was stored by the Sanhedrin in the temple. So here, Matthew is writing down this genealogy to a bunch of people who could have gone to the temple and disproven him, and interestingly, while Matthew writes the genealogy of Jesus through His mother Mary (we'll talk about that specifically in a minute), Luke writes His legal or royal succession entitlement. He writes it through His father Joseph. Now, we know that Jesus wasn't fathered by Joseph, but legally in that society, it was a patriarchal society, so if Jesus claimed a right as a king, then that right had to be established through His patriarchal line – through His father which, to people, was Joseph. So the genealogy is about establishing on the reliability of the public record that Jesus is descended from Abraham, through David, through Solomon, and has a right to claim to be the Messiah. The genealogy links Jesus back to God's promises – God's vast plan. God is saying to us through the genealogy: "He is the One that I chose; that I predicted through My prophets; He is the One"! Well, so what? So what for you and me, here today? There are a couple of answers to the so-what question. The first one is this: God keeps His promises, but not always the way we expect. In this huge historical sweep, as we read the list of prophecies – you know, all the prophecies that were made; I read a few of them out last week, here are a few of them: That He will come from a woman's womb; that He will be born to a virgin; that He will be born in Bethlehem; that murder will surround His birth; that He will be given the name God is with us; that He will be given gifts; that He will be taken to Egypt and that. All of these things were prophesied centuries before His birth, just like the promises to Abraham and to David, and all of these things came to pass. O holy night, the stars, the stars are shining … As the people who were there when Jesus was born were looking up at the stars, as the shepherds were looking up at the stars, they were looking up, back to the promise that God made to Abraham 1,950 years before: That through him, God would bless all the nations, and here we are two thousand years after the birth of Christ, four thousand years after that promise was made to Abraham, and we are the ones who are being blessed through Abraham – through his lineage; through his Jesus who came to die for you and me, to give us eternal life. The promise is fulfilled in Jesus here and now, to you and to me, and God makes some more promises. He promises that if we believe in this Jesus, we will have eternal life. We'll be marked with a seal of His Holy Spirit; with the presence of God in us; with God's power; with a God who is with us. He will never leave us. He will never, never leave us, and He will come again – Jesus. They are all the promises that are yet to come, and we can look back through this lineage, back to the promises made through the prophets; through Abraham; through David, and say, ‘Hang on a minute. God is a God who fulfills His promises. God is a faithful God'! This isn't blind faith; yes it's a leap; yes, ultimately we have to take a step of faith, but we can take that step of faith by looking at the promises that God delivered on … through this genealogy; through what He began the New Testament with, and when the devil comes to accuse you and me, we can say to the devil, "Read this and weep, because I am standing on the promises of God in Jesus Christ". There are so many things that cry out and say, "I am the Messiah!" and by beginning Matthew's gospel with this genealogy, God is saying, "No you're not. This is My Messiah. This Jesus is My Messiah". And the other part of this genealogy that is really profound is that, as you look back in the names in this genealogy, there are some people in there that were prophesied about. There were some people who were even unknown – sixteen of them. There are kings, there are paupers; there are Jews, there are Gentiles; there are good, there are bad, but there is no distinction because all sin and fall short of the glory of God. I mean David, King David was a good guy, but he committed adultery and murder. Interestingly there are five women in this genealogy. Now women were never, never listed in genealogies. You and I know that the most reliable form of genealogy is the matriarchal genealogy because you always know who someone's mother was, but you may not always know who someone's father is, but Israel was a patriarchal society, so genealogies were always expressed in terms of men. Women were almost considered to be chattels. It's sad, but it's true. They had no legal rights; they couldn't own land; they couldn't inherit anything; they couldn't testify in a court of law, and they were never, never listed in genealogies, and yet, Matthew lists five women in the genealogy of Jesus, and they are remarkable for what they weren't. The first one in verse 3 is Tamar. Well, she pretended to be a temple prostitute. She was Judah's daughter-in-law, and she went to bed with him. She committed adultery with him. You can read about it in Genesis 38. The second is Rahab (in verse 5). Well, she was a prostitute from Jericho. You can read about her in Joshua 2:1-7. The third one (in verse 5 here in Matthew) is Ruth. Well, she was a Moabite. She was an enemy. Have a listen to what the Old Testament says about Moabites. Deuteronomy 23:3: An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD for ever. So Ruth was an enemy of the state, and she's in Jesus' genealogy. Verse 6: The next one is the wife of Uriah, who was Bathsheba. Bathsheba was notable because King David committed adultery with her. He had Uriah murdered; his first child with Bathsheba died; David's second child with Bathsheba was Solomon – the next king of Israel. It's a testimony of God's grace. You can read about it in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. And the last woman is Mary in verse 16 – this woman who has conceived a son out of wedlock. I believe, firmly, that that child was conceived by the Holy Spirit, but in that society, that brought enormous shame and scandal on her. So here are these five women – women of immorality, women of scandal each one of them, and yet they're in Jesus' genealogy. Jesus is the only person who could choose His ancestors, who could choose when He would be born and how He would be born, and He chooses these five women in His genealogy. What is God saying to us in all of that? I believe He's saying this: There is no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, no male or female, no black or white, because all are one in Jesus Christ. Have you ever felt as though you are not good enough to be part of Christ's family? I have. We need to think again. This genealogy is not only a genealogy of authenticity – of who Jesus is; it is a genealogy of grace. It is a genealogy of inclusion. It says to us that Christmas is for everyone; for each one of us, for you and for me. Listen to me: Every Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness so that everyone who belongs to God (listen again). So that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient and equipped for every good work. This genealogy is far from boring; this genealogy is food for my soul. This genealogy is Christmas brought alive! This genealogy is a feast for my heart, because it says to me that Jesus is the Christ. You and I can stand on the historical record and know He is the Christ. This genealogy says that God keeps His promises – to Abraham, to David, to you and to me, over millennia, and this genealogy lets us tell the difference between false Messiahs and our Jesus. Ain't boring is it? Pretty exciting. It's a message about Christmas. It's a message about the exciting new thing that God has done in the person of Jesus Christ. My prayer for you is that this genealogy will be a message that sets your heart on fire for God. I pray that in Jesus Christ's name.

Here we are … looking forward to Christmas … again. Can you believe it? But turn the clock back to that first Christmas. What were people looking forward to back then and what does that mean for us today? Let's find out. Well it's that the time of year again. Here we are just a few weeks out looking forward to Christmas. Again. Can you believe it? They just seem to roll around so quickly. Well, what are we looking forward to when we look forward to Christmas? Maybe it's a rest or a holiday. Maybe you're looking forward to the family gathering or the presents or maybe there's something more. Looking forward to Christmas it's kind of a funny thing. You know over the years as I've grown up we're you're a kid it's different you look forward to the presents you look forward to the excitement you look forward to all that summer holidays stuff. But I guess for me as I've grown up and you're in the workforce you don't get the sorts of holidays you used to get when you were a kid at school. To tell you the truth as I look forward to Christmas of course living in the southern hemisphere it's summer for us. As I look forward to Christmas the biggest thing that my body looks forward to quite frankly is a rest. You know, just the ability to stop producing and stop doing and just have a time with my wife and my daughter and my family. Just to rest for a few weeks over that period. Yet somehow in these weeks leading up to Christmas, we seem to race around and rack up bills on the credit cards busy preparing for what? My hunch is that we almost never stop and think what am I really looking forward to when it comes to Christmas? Let's be honest, I'm being honest with you. One of the biggest things I look forward to is that the notion of just having a rest. And that's natural that, that's ok. But I wonder in all the racing around, all the doing all the stuff that we're involved in, I wonder whether sometimes it's just not easy to miss what's happening at Christmas to miss what God always intended should happen at Christmas. That whole issue of what are we looking forward to it is as valid a question today as it was back 2000 years ago at the first Christmas. Let's just step back in time for a minute and look at what was happening for the nation of Israel when they were approaching whether they knew it or not the very first Christmas. The 2000 years of the life of Israel leading up to the birth of Jesus so that's beginning about 4000 years ago when God first spoke to Abraham the Father of the Israelite nation. Well, that 2000 leading up to the birth of Christ... it was a real rollercoaster ride. They had some big ups and some big downs. They'd began their lives as a nation in slavery in Egypt and then God released them from that and took them to the desert under Moses leadership for 40 years. Then he took them into the promised land, the land of Israel where they had to fight to take possession of the land. And over the next several hundred years they had some real blessings and abundances as they lived their lives for God as they lived their lives as God had always intended them to live those lives. As I said it was the land flowing milk and honey. It was a nation blessed they had some great Kings. They had some lousy Kings too. And over the coming centuries, God sent prophets to them. Men whose job it was to speak God's will into the life of the nation of Israel. Often we think of a prophet as being someone who predicts the future and in part, the prophets did that but only about 5% of the prophetic writings are about predicting the future. The other 95% are about speaking God's love and God's warnings and God's encouragement into the lives of His chosen people, the nation of Israel. Sometimes what the prophets on behalf of God was really encouraging. Things like, look there is a big battle coming up but let God fight this battle for you. This is God's battle, let him fight just stand and watch and see what He will do for you. That's pretty encouraging stuff. But sometimes, sometimes the prophets had some dire warnings. So often the Kings of Israel or the people or the priests strayed away from God. They married into the nations around them. They ended up worshipping idols, they ended up doing all sorts of things that just weren't God's will for them. And so God often sent messages through his prophets when the people had strayed from God to warm them, to call them back. Those were very difficult and tough messages and some of them were messages of judgment. But as well as the real prophets, those that were genuinely appointed by God, speaking into the life of Israel, there were also some self-styled false prophets. They were saying everything is ok just hang loose enjoy life do you what feels good. In fact, we know that there were some false prophets when one of the greatest prophets Isaiah was prophesying God's judgment to the nation of Israel because they were worshipping idols. These other prophets were saying "No, no, no everything's fine." It's a bit like today really. Here we are in the West about 70% of people say they believe in God, a god of some sort and in this media generation that we have everyone and everything seems to be about talking at us. And some of them we know, we listen to that voice and they have a genuine ring about them. You listen, you think man I think God is talking to me through that person or through that voice and others, others laugh and chortle at what God's saying. They look at God's people and say what a bunch of losers. Look really the answers out here buy that new car, spend the money, get the career, go on the fantastic holiday None of those things are bad, none of those things in themselves are bad, until they displace our first love. That beautiful relationship that God wants us to have with Him. So in a sense, even though the society was different and the times were different there is a strong parallel between what was going on in Israel way back then in those hundreds and thousands of years leading up to the birth of Jesus and what's going on in our society today. In about 596 or 597 BC there was a really ugly thing that happened. A number of the prophets had been prophesying to Israel saying look if you don't get your act together here, if you don't start living the life God wants you to lead, if you don't start honouring God first and seeing that justice is done in the land and loving the people around you, there is a terrible judgment that is going to fall on you. And we know historically that in 596 or 597 BC that the Babylonians came and they took over Israel, they took over Jerusalem they razed Jerusalem l to the ground they destroyed the temple and they took Israelites into captivity for 70 years as slaves in Babylon. And in a sense from that point onwards it was downhill all the way. The last King that reigned, reigned just at that point and after that there was no more King for Israel. So here was Israel God's chosen people, God lived in the temple he was doing wonderful things for them but he called judgment down upon them. And after the Babylonians sure they came back into Judea and back into Jerusalem they rebuilt the temple but they were never under self-rule again except for a brief period. The Babylonians were the world power and then the Persians and then the Ptolemites and the Seleucids from 597 BC right through to 167 BC what 400 something years, Israel was an occupied territory. It was an occupied country out of the occupation, out of the pain out of the oppression, God has appointed a number of prophets to speak about a Messiah, a king someone who would come and bring freedom and peace. A messiah means literally God's anointed one. The kings of Israel were referred to as messiahs they were God's anointed ruler. And so the prophets time and time again were pointing at some ruler that would come and bring freedom back to the captives. That would set them free from all of this pain and occupation. And as we look through the Old Testament which was written over a period of about 1400 or 1500 years, there are no less than 120 predictions and prophecies pointing forward to this one messiah, to this thing that we now call Christmas. Let me just go through a few of those prophecies because they are really amazing. We're just going to quickly skim through just a few of them. Next week, we'll have a look at a couple of them in quite a bit of detail. But listen to some of the prophecies. In Exodus Chapter 12 it was prophesied that when Jesus was crucified that none of his bones would be broken. That is so specific and it was true. That's exactly what happened. There were prophecies that he would be a blessing to the Gentiles. Now that's a really radical thing because Israel understood that God was the God of the Jews not the God of the Gentiles and yet there were multiple prophecies that this new Messiah would be a blessing to the Gentiles. The throne David, the kingship would be established forever. That he would declared the son of God, that He would be raised again, that his hands and feet would be pierced, that he would be mocked and insulted that soldiers would cast lots for his coat. All those things actually happened. The prophecies that He would be betrayed by a friend, that he would speak in parables, that he would be born of a virgin, Isaiah 7:14, that he's be full of wisdom and power, that he would reign in mercy that he'd be rejected, suffer that he'd be silent when accused, that he'd be crucified with transgressors with the other two criminals that were crucified with Jesus on that same day. Isaiah 53:12: That he'd be buried among the rich Which is exactly what happened. That is an incredible array of predictions, well over 120 of them, hundreds even thousands of years before Jesus was born in such detail. There was a prophecy there to that He would be born in Bethlehem. Now some people say well you know Jesus could read the scripture like anybody he could organize to make sure that all of these prophecies were fulfilled. It's pretty hard to organize what town you are going to born in, It's just a little bit hard to organize how you are going to die, just a little bit hard when you are hanging on the cross to organize some soldiers to cast lots for your clothes. So these predictions are really amazing. In Amos 8:9 said the sun would be dark he said on that day says God I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. Zechariah predicted that Jesus would be sold for 30 pieces of silver. This is remarkable stuff. What has it got to do with Christmas though? Berni, what are you raving on about with all this Israeli history? Well, God was making promises. God is a God of promise. And God was making promises that maybe the people didn't fully understand. But he was pointing forward to something and that is something we today call Christmas. It's the coming of the Messiah. But then after centuries of the prophets speaking to Israel, after literally centuries, all of a sudden, bang, they stopped speaking. Malachi and Ezra and Nehemiah were actually the last of the prophets they stopped speaking on behalf of God in about 450 BC. After centuries God stops speaking. And there was Persian occupation and the Greeks and this brief period of independence and then the brutal Roman occupation from 40 BC onwards. So here are these people in the middle of the adversities of life in one sense just like you and me in their own context they had all this stuff going on, all this cacophony and noise. What were they looking forward to when this first Christmas was just around the corner. They had the promises of the prophets ringing in their ears. A Messiah! An anointed one someone, who would come and bring peace, someone who would set them free. What are they looking forward to? What are they looking to get out of God's promises through the prophets? What would you and I be looking forward to? Freedom, safety, abundance, a good life. God promised that He would be their God, they would be his people. That they would be blessed and that they would have plenty and that they would have a good life. But there was a sense of confusion, they weren't sure. They had seen this false promise of that brief period of freedom. They saw the Romans they knew they hadn't had a king for half a millennium. What form would this salvation take? How would it come? Let's just wind the clock forward for a moment and just take a look at the confusion that reigned about how this salvation would come. Jesus was well through his public ministry he'd performed miracles, he'd walked on water, he'd healed the blind and the sick. He'd done amazing things. And here in Mathew's gospel 16:13 if you have a bible open it up there. Jesus says this to his disciples: Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi he asks his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?' And they said, ‘Well some say John the Baptist but others say Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' And he said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?' And Simon also called said Peter answered ‘You're the Messiah, you're the Son of the living God' And Jesus answered him ‘Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah because flesh and blood hasn't revealed this to you but my Father in Heaven.' See even after Jesus has been alive and doing these amazing things, there is this incredible confusion about whether Jesus is the Messiah or not. And here's the crux of what they were thinking. They expected God to do something because the prophets had told them there would be a Messiah. But they thought of it in traditional terms. They were expecting a prophet. They were expecting maybe a King who was a warrior like David. Someone who would raise up an army and throw the Romans out and all of a sudden there would be freedom in the land again. But God wasn't doing something traditional; God was doing a new thing. When he sent his Son Jesus to come and be here with us on this earth he was doing a startling, surprising new thing. Listen Isaiah wrote 43:19: God says see I'm doing a new thing. Now it's springs it up don't you see? I'm making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Jeremiah 31:21 writes this: The Lord will create a new thing on earth. A woman will surround a man. In other words, here Jeremiah pointing forward to the virgin birth. And again in Jeremiah 31:31 talks about a new covenant and new promise. God is going to do something new was the promise of the prophets but somehow the people married that up with the notion of having a Messiah a new king, someone that would lead them out of captivity into salvation and freedom. God was making a promise a fresh, new, exciting startling promise that was fulfilled on that Christmas. A promise would bring someone to be the saviour, to bring freedom to bring life but not in the way that people expected. So here are these people looking forward to something, a promise from God but what? They were looking from within their condition, their lives. What they'd known of God's promises, what they saw of the oppression of the Romans they were looking for a prophet, they were looking for a warrior king. And even after the miracles, the death, the resurrection his closest disciples still didn't get it. What about you and me? As we look forward to Christmas, how much is our present condition here and now cloud our expectations of what God is doing at Christmas. Maybe we are looking forward to a better life or a better job or some more money or some peace or some rest or some freedoms from the things that oppress us. There are so many people walking this world today who are as oppressed as the nation of Israel was under the rule of the Romans. We all have needs in our lives and there are people who have desperate needs in their lives to be free. So here was Israel to looking forward to God's promise from their perspective through their framework and here we are looking forward to God's promise through what? Through our reality, through our human eyes through our life, through our needs, through the framework of all the things we see going on around us. And we look at God meeting those needs in traditional human terms. Israel was looking for a prophet. Israel was looking for a warrior king like David to fight the Romans. God, God is doing a new thing. Because we people know matter what we believe are so often trapped in the reality of our circumstances. We're myopic, our vision is clouded by the framework our frame of reference of here and now, of job and family and all those things we can see and touch and feel. But Christmas, Christmas is about a new thing. Christmas isn't a Santa Claus, Christmas is the coming of the Son of God. People sometimes say, "Berni you are such a wowser, you are trying rob us of the magic of Christmas." No, no, I'm here to tell you there is something better than the magic of Christmas. It's the miracle of Christmas and the miracle of Christmas can only be found in that baby Jesus who was lying in that manger. It's surprising, it's a new birth. Jesus later said when he was grown up he said to Nicodemus unless you are born again, you can't see the kingdom of heaven. Christmas is about a new start in life. There's a sense in which faith isn't enough, I mean Israel by and large believed in the promises of God but their judgment and their view and their understanding was clouded by their realities, their day-to-day realities. We need to go from believing to knowing. To knowing the surprise and the miracle of Christmas, to knowing this new thing. And by knowing I mean experiencing, tasting. In my life, here and now circumstances will not stop Him. Look at the Israelites, they'd gone from occupation to occupation so many countries had rolled over the top of them and now it was the Roams. There was religious corruption going on at the time. The people were misguided but those things did not stop Jesus from coming. He came anyway. In fact, He came because of them because in the middle of all of that there was hurt, there was need. People didn't get it straight away, people didn't get it when they saw him walk on water and do miracles. The disciples didn't even get it after living with him for three and a half years. But He still came. And no matter what our circumstances are, no matter how myopic our view is of Christmas, Jesus will breakthrough. Jesus will heal the broken-hearted He'll heal the sick, He'll touch us so that the weak can say I'm strong. The poor can say I'm rich. Jesus is the answer and that can be as much as a surprise to someone who is believed for a long time and never experienced, as it is to someone who never heard the message of Jesus Christ before. It's a surprise. Jesus came to bring us a new life. But Berni you don't understand, God's stopped talking to me such a long time ago. I can't believe as much as what you're saying about Him. I just can't. For fifteen hundred years God spoke to Israel through the prophets and then for 450 years there was silence. They were enslaved, their land was occupied. They had a brief period of peace and freedom and the Romans arrived again. And for 450 years there was dead silence. Where is God? And that silence was only broken by the cry of a baby in that stable in Bethlehem. God's speaking in a new way, a surprising way in an unexpected way, proclaiming freedom and healing and mercy and not rules. Not to re-establish the kingdom of Israel but to usher in the kingdom of God. Into my life, into your life, into our realities and to see that happen and to make that happen he allowed himself to be crucified to pay for our sins. It's a new thing, it's a surprising thing, it's for you and for me. So let me ask you something. As you look forward to this Christmas what are you looking forward to? What if there's something more. What if this Jesus wants to break into your reality and touch your heart and set you free. What are you looking forward to?

Chanukah is fast approaching as I record this episode. We're all familiar with the Maccabees fighting the Seleucids over forced Hellenization, but how many of us remember that the dividing lines were also between Jews who adopted Hellenism and those who opposed it. Within a generation, even descendants of the Maccabees had Greek names. We can see this dividing line in the New Testament itself between Hebrews and Hellenists and this friction may represent a key to understanding the divergent paths which may have eventually contributed to the rise of Christianity we know in later centuries. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/juan-marcos-gutierrez0/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/juan-marcos-gutierrez0/support

Antiochus the Madman dies, the Seleucids loosen their grip, and the Jews take another step toward freedom. Bonus: Joel provides some background with a sketch of Seleucid history.

9:20-21 Despite the continued judgments of God, the people refuse to repent! ( What sin in your life are you refusing to repent from?) 10:9 The scroll is the word of God. It is sweet because it promises eternal life to those who will walk with God, but it can make you sick when you realize that you must change, and that others will be lost who refuse to walk with God. 11:1-2 references Daniel 9:27. (“Daniel” is another example of Apocalyptic Literature, like Revelation. Apocalyptic Literature basically says, “Bad stuff's going to happen, as it has in the past, but persevere because God will save his people in the end.” Daniel, in earlier chapters of that book, reminds his readers that the Israelites have survived everybody from the Babylonians to the Seleucids. Here, in Revelation 11:2-3, the writer piggybacks on this theme with the “42 months”, (the length of time of the Seleucid King Antiochus' reign of terror before he was overthrown by the Jews, to show that the People of God, who were undergoing Roman persecution at the time of its writing, will similarly triumph with eternal life. 11:7 You may have to be a martyr for your faith! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/catholicbiblestudy/support

The actual content of the vision disclosed by the heavenly messenger to Daniel occupies Daniel 11 and the first part of Daniel 12. Although the meaning of many of the details is not easy to sort out, the main lines of thought are reasonably clear.The Persian Empire is in view in 11:2. The standpoint of the vision, according to 10:1, is the reign of Cyrus. Who are the other four kings? The Persian Empire lasted two more centuries and produced nine kings (not counting usurpers between Cambyses and Darius I). Are the four the most prominent? The ones mentioned in Scripture (Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes [=Ahasuerus], Artaxerxes)? We do not know.The Greek conqueror (11:3–4) is Alexander the Great, and the four kingdoms into which his empire was broken up have already been mentioned (Daniel 8; see meditation for October 23). The running struggles between the king of the south (the Ptolemies) and the king of the north (the Seleucids) found Jews squeezed between the two. Eventually the north prevailed (11:5–20). The one who sent out the tax collector (11:20) is almost universally recognized to be Seleucus IV, who died in 175 B.C. The “contemptible person” (11:21–39 [or possibly 21–45]) is undoubtedly Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Seleucid monarch we have met before (October 23).Readers of this book who love history should read Josephus, I Maccabees and II Maccabees, and contemporary reconstructions of the dramatic events of that period. There is no space here to survey that turbulent history. Yet we must ask why Scripture devotes so much space to it. From certain perspectives, Antiochus IV Epiphanes was not very significant. So why all this attention?There are at least two reasons. First, at one level Antiochus attempted something new and profoundly evil. The oppression the Jews had suffered up to this point was diverse, but it was not like this. The ancient Egyptians had enslaved them, but did not try to impose their own religion on them. During the period of the judges, the Israelites were constantly running after pagan deities; when the pagans prevailed they imposed taxes and cruel subjugation, but not ideology. With the exception of one brief experiment by Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 3), Assyria and Babylon did not forcibly impose polytheism. But here is Antiochus IV Epiphanes outlawing Israelite faith, killing those found with any part of Torah in their possession, militarily imposing and coercing a pagan worldview. The people suffer, and God eventually saves them. Second, canonically this brutal period of history becomes a model, a type, of ideological oppression, suffering, and martyrdom against the church. What New Testament passages reflect this? This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson's book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan.

Two years after the vision of chapter 7, Daniel had his vision of the ram and the goat (Dan. 8). The text from Daniel 2:4 to the end of 7 was written in Aramaic (a cognate of Hebrew, widely used in the late Babylonian and Persian Empires). Both chapter 2 and chapter 7 provide visions that sweep through from the Babylonian period to the dawning of the kingdom of God; both of these chapters also provide some identification of the referents of the figures in their respective visions. None of the remaining chapters in the book of Daniel includes the same sweep, including the chapter before us. Here the focus is on just two beasts/kingdoms, which turn out to be the middle two of the four specified in chapters 2 and 7. Some observations:(1) The ram has two horns, one more prominent than the other. The ram represents the Medo-Persian Empire (Dan. 8:20); the more prominent horn, of course, is Persia. This has a bearing, you may recall, on how chapter 2 is interpreted (see meditation for October 17). The shaggy goat is Greece. Philip of Macedon united the Greek city-states, and his son Alexander the Great (referred to as “the first king” of Greece, Dan. 8:21) established the Greek Empire, expanding its limits to the borders of India. Along the way he prevailed against Persia. Upon his premature death, the empire was divided up under his four most powerful generals (Dan. 8:8, 22). Only two of them affect biblical history, the two that established the dynasties between which little Israel, “the Beautiful Land” (Dan. 8:9), was squeezed: the Ptolemies in Egypt to the south and the Seleucids based in Syria to the north. In the second century B.C., the Seleucids prevailed, and one particular Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, became extraordinarily brutal and oppressive. He made the observance of Jewish religion a capital offense, defiled the rebuilt temple, and for three-and-a-half years (roughly 1,150 days, embracing 2,300 morning and evening sacrifices, Dan. 8:14), 167–164 B.C., wreaked havoc in the land until the guerrilla warfare led by the Maccabees forced him out of Israel and back to Syria.(2) The vision presents itself as dealing with the “distant future” (Dan. 8:26), i.e., almost four centuries after Daniel's time. It deals with “the time of the end” (Dan. 8:17). That expression means different things in different contexts. The “end” can refer to the end of the Lord's forbearance at a particular time in history (e.g., Ezek. 7:2–3); here, the “end” is probably with respect to the question asked in verse 13.(3) The last verse of chapter 8 testifies that deep dealings with God, and the reception of genuine revelation, may exact a physical toll. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson's book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan.

For the first time since Antiochus I's flight westwards after his father's death in 281 BCE, we're going to see the Seleucids intervene in Europe and attempt to win back some territory on the other side of the Bosporus. Specifically, we're going to focus on Antiochus II's hostility with Byzantium (the settlement which will become Constantinople about six hundred years from now)- as well as a campaign fought in Thrace. Sources for this episode: 1) Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur. 2) Ehrlich, B., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2021), Istanbul (online) [Accessed 01/08/2021]. 3) Grainger, J. D., (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook) [Accessed 04/01/2021]. 4) Ilıev, J. (2013), The Campaign of Antiochus II in Thrace, History Studies International Journal of History 5(1): 211- 222. 5) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Cypsela (Thrace) 6) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown) Polyaenus (online) [Accessed 09/08/2021].

The Second Syrian War has begun! However, rather predictably, it will not simply be a contest between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids; the Antigonids are going to get sucked into the hurricane of battle as well. So, this week, we're going to recap the relationship between the Antigonids and the other major powers and discuss the alliance between Antigonus II and Antiochus II against their mutual enemy... Sources for this episode: 1) Bevan, E. (1902) The House of Seleucus (Vol I.). London: Edward Arthur. 2) Grainger, J. D., (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook) [Accessed 04/01/2021]. 3) Heinen, H., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019), Ptolemy II Philadelphus (online) [Accessed 17/06/2021]. 4) Volkmann, H., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019), Antigonus II Gonatas (online) [Accessed 15/06/2021]. 5) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Antigonus II Gonatas (online) [Accessed 19/06/2021]. 6) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Battle of Cos (online) [Accessed 19/06/2021]. 7) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Demetrius I of Macedon (online) [Accessed 15/06/2021]. 8) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Demetrius the Fair (online) [Accessed 15/06/2021]. 9) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Seleucus I Nicator (online) [Accessed 15/06/2021]. 10) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown) Stratonice of Syria (online) [Accessed 15/06/2021]. 11) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Syrian wars (online) [Accessed 19/06/2021].

Episode 122 – Perfectly Quiet – The Intertestamental Period 8 Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. Script: (Bible quotes from the Good News Translation) The LORD Almighty answers, “I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant.” But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Malachi, Chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, Good News Translation ******** VK: Hello. I’m Victoria K. Welcome to another episode of Anchored by Truth. Today we are concluding our look at “The Intertestamental Period” - the 400-plus year period between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Next time we will begin a new series we call “But what about?” which will explore various topics found in the Bible that people sometimes find puzzling. For instance we are planning on doing one or two episodes on “but what about heaven and hell” and “but what about angels and demons.” But, for today, we’re going to close out this series on the intertestamental period. I’m in the studio today with RD Fierro, author and Founder Crystal Sea Books. RD, would you care to say a word of greeting and introduction? RD: Greetings to all the Anchored by Truth listeners. We really appreciate you taking some time to be with us for this episode. We know that anyone who takes the time to listen to Anchored by Truth only does so because they have a sincere interest in knowing the Bible better because the single focus of Anchored by Truth is to demonstrate, as our opening says, that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God. That truth used to be commonly accepted but it’s not today. So, to hold to that truth requires both commitment and courage. VK: RD, throughout this series we’ve been talking about the intertestamental period. And I think we’ve seen that even though no new books of the Bible were being produced during this period that this was a key period in Biblical history. Can you give us an overview of why you thought it was so important for us to take an in-depth look at this period? RD: Sure. The short answer is that the intertestamental period was the period in which a number of Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled. If we don’t know anything about the intertestamental period’s history, we will miss important instances of prophetic fulfillment. Also, during the intertestamental period changes occurred in and around Israel that affected the world in which Jesus lived His earthly life. If we don’t understand those changes we miss important events that prepared the world for the arrival of the Messiah. So, to close out our series I want to emphasize those points by thinking about two hypothetical scribes – one scribe who lived at the very beginning of the intertestamental period and one scribe who lived at its end. Let’s call our first scribe, Ariel and our second scribe Zedekiah. VK: We think of a “scribe” as someone who is a writer or a stenographer but you’re using the term as it was used in the Bible. A scribe was someone who was an expert in the Jewish scriptures and law. RD: Right. So, let’s say Ariel was a scribe who lived in Jerusalem around 425 B.C. I want to think about the world in which Ariel lived and, more importantly, what Ariel knew about the progress of the plan of redemption. VK: Well, first, Ariel knew that there was a plan of redemption because the plan had been launched in Genesis, the first book of the Jewish scriptures which we now call the Old Testament. And, at the time Ariel lived all of the books of the Old Testament had been written though scholars differ on when the first compilation was actually made. But in Ariel’s day the final books of the Old Testament, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi, had just been completed. So, at least all the books would have been available in one form or another. RD: Yes. The books had all been written though as you say the first complete compilation into a single volume as we know the Old Testament would not have been available. For instance, in the Jewish scriptures the books we call Ezra and Nehemiah were generally thought to have been a single book and even in the various compilations that were produced the order of the books sometimes varied. But the main point is that Ariel has access to the entire Old Testament. As such, and since Ariel is an expert on those books, Ariel would have known that a large number of the Old Testament prophecies had been fulfilled. VK: Such as the prophecy contained in Isaiah 44:28 where God told Isaiah “When I say of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,’ he will certainly do as I say. He will command, ‘Rebuild Jerusalem’; he will say, ‘Restore the Temple.’” Ariel lived at a time when he had seen, or more probably his grandparents had seen, the Persian Emperor, Cyrus, conquer the Babylonian Empire. Very shortly after he did so Cyrus issued a decree that allowed the Jews in exile in Babylon to return home and to begin rebuilding their temple. RD: Right. Ariel, his parents and his grandparents, had seen a number of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled during their lifetimes. They had seen that, even though the Babylonians did not initially destroy Jerusalem, they finally did as prophesied by Ezekiel. They had seen that the Babylonian exile had lasted about 70 years as prophesied by Jeremiah. They saw the Babylonian Empire fall to a confederation of the Medes and Persians as prophesied by Daniel. And they had seen Babylon fall in the exact way Isaiah had foretold. In Isaiah 44:27 God has said, “When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry up!’ they will be dry.” The way the Medes and Persians bypassed Babylon’s impregnable walls was by diverting the Euphrates River that flowed under the wall. Then, when the river bed was dry they just marched under the wall into the city. VK: And our fictional scribe, Ariel, now lived in a mostly rebuilt Jerusalem. The temple had been finished around 515 B.C. but the walls of Jerusalem weren’t finished until 445 B.C. So, Ariel lived in a walled city although it wasn’t nearly as grand as the pre-exile city had been. And Ariel lives in a city that is part of the Persian Empire. Israel is not an independent nation although they are enjoying some degree of autonomy in their daily lives and religious practices. RD: Right. So, Ariel has seen a number of prophecies contained in his scriptures come true. But Ariel also knows that there are a large number of prophecies he can read about that haven’t come true. The prophet Daniel has prophesied that the Persian Empire will be conquered by the Greeks, but in Ariel’s lifetime the Persian Empire is at the height of its power. Greece is just a disjoined group of warring city states that aren’t a single country much less a threat to the mighty Persian Empire. And, as Ariel looks out over his city from the temple mount, the biggest prophecy of all – that a Messiah would come to deliver His people – remains completely unfulfilled. VK: And maybe worse for Ariel he has the prophecy from chapter 9 of Daniel to deal with. That prophecy said that 483 years had to elapse from the date a decree was given to rebuild Jerusalem and restore its moat and city square before the Messiah, the Chosen One, would arrive. And to compound this dilemma there were four separate decrees issued by Persian emperors that had to do with rebuilding either the temple or the city. So, Ariel can’t really even be sure which decree is the one that starts the 483 year time clock ticking. RD: Correct. But, Ariel has seen a number of very specific prophecies fulfilled so Ariel has good reason to believe that the other prophecies he knows about will also come true. But Ariel has no idea that the most recent books he has seen added to his scriptures, Ezra-Nehemiah and Malachi, are going to be the last of God’s special revelation for a very long time. VK: A period of over 400 years. That’s almost 200 years longer than the United States has been in existence. Hopefully, Ariel has a comfortable life because neither his children, grandchildren, nor great grandchildren are going to see the prophetic fulfillment of many prophecies which are very important to them. RD: So, now let’s leap forward to Zedekiah, our hypothetical scribe who lives at the very end of the intertestamental period. Like Ariel, let’s say Zedekiah lives in Jerusalem and he lives at the time that John the Baptist has just appeared on the scene. John the Baptist has just started his pubic ministry and is just starting to create a buzz among the common people. Zedekiah isn’t a skeptic but Zedekiah, as an expert in the scriptures, feels that he has to be far more cautious before he places his trust in this strange guy who lives in the desert, wears a camel hair coat, eats locusts and honey, and is telling everyone they need to repent because the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Let’s see what Zedekiah knows that Ariel didn’t. VK: Well, Zedekiah now knows that just about every prophecy in the book of Daniel has been fulfilled with a staggering amount of precision. Unlike Ariel, Zedekiah has seen the Persian Empire fall to the Greek Empire. And Zedekiah knows that that conquest occurred within a remarkably short time period – just over a decade. Zedekiah also knows that there was only one great king of the Greek Empire, Alexander the Great. Zedekiah knows that the prophecy that said Alexander’s empire would be split into four parts has come true. And Zedekiah also knows that the Greek Empire has been replaced by the Roman Empire. So, Zedekiah can see the series of four world empires prophesied by Daniel in chapters 2, 7, and 8 of his book has all been fulfilled. RD: And Zedekiah has seen that the prophecies in Daniel chapter 9 through 12 have been partially fulfilled. Zedekiah has seen that the struggle between the king of the north and the king of the south described so clearly in chapters 11 and 12 has unfolded just as prophesied in the conflicts between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids. So, Zedekiah can see that a great many more prophesies contained in the Old Testament have been fulfilled between Ariel’s time and his time. VK: And this was one of the big reasons we undertook this examination of the intertestamental period. If we don’t know anything about the intertestamental period we miss seeing an amazing number of prophetic fulfillments. RD: Right. But, like Ariel, Zedekiah has not seen any of the prophecies related to the coming of the Messiah being fulfilled. Like Ariel, Zedekiah is still awaiting the promised Anointed One who will deliver his people. But unlike Ariel Zedekiah can see that the prophesied 483 time period between the delivery of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and the arrival of the Messiah has largely elapsed. Zedekiah knows that it has been more than 400 years since Darius and Artaxerxes issued their decrees concerning Jerusalem. So, Zedekiah could have good reason to believe that the arrival of the Messiah might be very close at hand. VK: Just as Nicodemus seems to have. Nicodemus said plainly to Jesus that they, the Jewish leaders, knew Jesus had come from God because of the miracles Jesus had done. The perceptive Jews of Nicodemus’ day knew all that our hypothetical Zedekiah did. And, when the Jewish leaders saw John the Baptist begin his ministry apparently many of those leaders wondered exactly that. In the first chapter of his gospel John says that the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites out to ask him whether he was the Messiah. John of course said that he wasn’t. But he did say that he was the Elijah-type messenger that Malachi prophesied would arrive just before the Messiah. RD: Right. So, Ariel and Zedekiah both stood at crucial intersections of history. Ariel stood at the intersection where a 1,000 year period of God’s special revelation came to a close and period of revelatory silence was about to begin. In Ariel’s day it had been a little over a thousand years since Moses had first assembled or written the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Bible. And the 400 to 450 year period of the intertestamental period was about to begin. Zedekiah stood at the end of that period and where a new period of special revelation was about to begin. It would begin first with John the Baptist breaking the period of revelatory silence. John obviously was receiving communication directly from God because he told his followers he was able to identify Jesus as the Messiah because of the sign he had been given that the Spirit would come down and rest on Him. VK: But John the Baptist wasn’t the only one that God was communicating with directly in that day. John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, had a visit from Gabriel. Gabriel told Zechariah of the coming birth of John the Baptist. And there were two elderly people, Anna and Simeon, who received messages from God about Jesus and recognized Jesus as the Messiah when he was a baby. RD: Correct, but Anna and Simeon’s messages from God were more for the purpose of authentication than proclamation. And Zechariah’s message was more for preparation. It was John the Baptist who came forth in the mold of the Old Testament prophets and really broke that extended period of prophetic silence. What I want us to see is that the intertestamental period created those prophetic intersections. The opening of the intertestamental period inaugurated a period of prophetic silence, the close marked the end. What I think is useful for us today is to examine what the people who lived at those intersections knew and how what they knew affected their faith. In part, I think this is useful because it is fair to say that we live in another period of prophetic silence. VK: What you mean is that the canon of scripture closed almost 2,000 years ago, right? It’s not that we don’t have a special revelation from God. We do. It’s called the Bible. But the period we live in resembles the intertestamental period because new special revelations are not being added currently. Do I have that correct? RD: Exactly. In fact, it’s been almost 2,000 years since the last book of the New Testament, Revelation, was written. So, this period of revelatory silence has gone on 4 to 5 times longer than the intertestamental period. But during this period we have seen additional prophecies fulfilled. Some of these were prophecies contained in the Old Testament but some were provided in the New Testament. VK: Such as? RD: Such as Jesus prophesying about the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. VK: You’re thinking of Mark, chapter 13, verses 1 and 2. “As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings! Look at the impressive stones in the walls.” Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!” RD: Yes. Jerusalem was completely destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman general, Titus, who later became emperor. But let’s get back to Ariel and Zedekiah for a moment. As we mentioned in their hypothesized settings both knew about prophecies of a coming Messiah but neither had seen His arrival. But if Zedekiah lived for a few more years after he saw John the Baptist appear on the scene Zedekiah would have seen dozens more Old Testament prophecies come true in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It’s just that Zedekiah, like most Jews of his time, would have seen the prophecies come true in an unexpected way. VK: Faithful Jews like Zedekiah very much expected the Messiah to be a conquering political and military figure. But in His first coming Jesus came to conquer sin and death – arguably a task that’s immeasurably harder than just conquering a country or empire. RD: Yes. So, as we stand in our own period of revelatory silence we have the advantage not just of seeing that the vast majority of Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled, but also many from the New Testament. But like Ariel and Zedekiah there is one great prophetic hope that we have and for which we are still awaiting fulfillment. VK: I’m sure you mean the second coming of Jesus. Believers have been looking forward to that since Jesus’ ascension and the angels asked His disciples why they kept looking at the sky. Then they added, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Ever since that minute believers have wondered when He would come again. RD: That is the hope I’m thinking about. There are many different opinions on many matters relating to eschatology but all commentators are agreed that at some point Jesus will make a physical return to the Earth. And when He does He will usher in the time of final judgment and separation of believers from unbelievers. So, we, in our day, are different from Ariel and Zedekiah in that they were looking forward to the first coming of the Messiah. We look back to Jesus’ first coming. But we are the same as Ariel and Zedekiah in looking forward to the Messiah righting all wrongs, providing rewards to His servants, and restoring the heavens and earth to an uncorrupted state. That’s one of the reasons I think it is a good idea for contemporary believers to study previous periods of Biblical history like the intertestamental period. We can get so lost in our own time and troubles we can forget that God’s plan of redemption is still firmly on track and that He will complete it at a time that He has already chosen. VK: So, what you’re saying is that in order for us to persevere in our faith we need to have an eternal perspective. We need to see beyond the trials and temptations that surround us day-to-day. It’s certainly not that those trials and temptations are unimportant but if we want to be victorious over them we need to remember that it is God who will provide the victory. But how can we be confident that God will provide the victory if we don’t have confidence in God’s promises. And the place where God’s promises are contained is the Bible. So, we need to ensure that we are firm in our minds that the Bible is God’s word. It’s one thing to answer yes to the question, “is the Bible the word of God?” But it’s another thing to be able to answer the follow up question of “why do you believe that?” RD: And, oddly enough, studying the intertestamental period increases our confidence in the two testaments. And thinking about the challenges believers faced at each point in redemptive history helps us be much more secure and effective in our own place in redemptive history. Christianity is a faith rooted in time and place. It’s not a faith that asks its believers to suspend their critical facilities. To the contrary, as we discussed in a previous episode of Anchored by Truth we are commanded to love God with all our minds. A huge part of the confidence believers should have is knowing how we today fit into the unfolding of redemptive history. VK: So, are we more like Ariel or Zedekiah? RD: I think we’re more like Zedekiah. At our place in history we haven’t had a direct revelation from God in almost 2,000 years. Zedekiah knew God had been quiet for over 400 years but right before John the Baptist started his ministry Zedekiah had no way of knowing when God would break His silence. VK: Oh. I think I see where you’re going with this. When God did break His silence He gave the world so much more than just another earthly political leader. God gave the world the means to transcend the sin and death that had plagued mankind since the garden. So, while Zedekiah wouldn’t know it until after the resurrection something far more amazing than just a military conquest was right around the corner. RD: Precisely. I’m well aware there are a wide variety of views on eschatology in our day and time. Probably the dominant view in our day and time is that the next event of redemptive history is the rapture – the removal of the church before the great tribulation. But not all Biblical scholars believe there will be a rapture or a literal millennium of Christ’s reign on this earth. But all Christians agree that Christ’s physical return to the earth is an event that we can and should anticipate eagerly. And as Jesus emphasized, other than the Father, no one knows the day and time that will happen. It could be tomorrow. It could be today. VK: So, we need to be about the business of ensuring that we are ready for Him to return. That’s not something that anyone else can do for us. We must do it for ourselves. That’s the reason regular Bible study and meditation are essential to our maturity as Christians. Other people can answer questions and point us to helpful resources but we are the only ones who can absorb it and apply what we learn to our lives. RD: Amen. Today we used Ariel and Zedekiah as hypothetical examples of people who lived at particular times in Biblical history. But there were real people who did live at those times and places who had the same kinds of questions that we do. Zedekiah lived in an era when God’s prophetic silence was broken but it’s interesting to think about what Zedekiah might have wondered right before that happened. Did Zedekiah wonder whether God was ever going to keep His promise to send a Messiah? Did he wonder whether God’s revelation was ended for all time? His scriptures told him differently but did he believe them. Our Bible tells us Jesus is coming again. We live in an era when we’ve seen a physical nation of Israel restored to its homeland. So, we’ve seen things that some people only dreamed about for over 1,900 years, but never happened. What’s next for us? The one thing we know for sure is that Jesus is coming again. We have hundreds of fulfilled prophecies from the Bible that assure us that at some point God will interrupt the daily activities of this world in an amazing and powerful way. We too could be the people who witness that. VK: Sounds like a great time for a prayer. Today let’s listen to a prayer of for our kids who will soon be starting school because we certainly want God to both guide, inspire, and protect them. ---- CHILDREN STARTING SCHOOL VK: We’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.” If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not famous but our Boss is!” (Bible Quote from the Good News Translation) Malachi, Chapter , verses 1 and 2, Good News Translation

Who were the Seleucids?? The largest and most diverse empire of the Hellenistic world, and yet so under-appreciated and overlooked... What do we know about this empire and why do we know so little? This week's podcast is with Derek L., the host and creator of the Hellenistic Age Podcast about this vast and vastly overlooked period of history.Now, if you find the rise and fall of empires fascinating, then we do have very exciting news... We have officially launched tickets to Classical wisdom's symposium 2021: the end of empires and the fall of nations, taking place august 21st and 22nd.  We are thrilled to have an amazing line up of some of the most brilliant minds to discuss history, philosophy and mythology. Join Niall Ferguson, Edith hall, Donald Roberson, Paul Cartledge, to name just a few! Make sure to secure your tickets at: https://classicalwisdom.com/symposium/. Best of all - we want to make sure anyone and everyone can join us for this star studded event. If you can't afford the ticket price, just email us at info@classicalwidsdom.com and we will help you out! You can learn more about the Hellenistic Age with Derek's podcast at: https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/Or follow him on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod

The Antigonids are back! This time, we'll witness Antigonus II re-establish his control over Macedon and marry the daughter of Seleucus and Stratonice- reaffirming the alliance between the Seleucids and the Antigonids. Just in time, too- as happens pretty much constantly during the Hellenistic period, war is about to break out again with Egypt... Sources for this episode: 1) Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur. Quote: p.145. 2) Grainger, J. D., (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook) [Accessed 04/01/2021]. 3) Rawlinson, G. (1869) A manual of ancient history from the earliest times to the fall of the Western Empire, comprising the history of Chaldea, Assyria, Media, Babylonia, Lydia, Phoenicia, Syria, Judea, Egypt, Carthage, Persia, Greece, Macedonia, Rome, and Parthia. Oxford: Clarendon Press. (eBook) [Accessed 02/03/2021]. 4) Volkmann, H., Encyclopaedia Britannica (2019) Antigonus II Gonatas (online) [Accessed 27/03/2021]. 5) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Antigonus II Gonatas (online) [Accessed 27/03/2021]. 6) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Apama II (online) [Accessed 27/03/2021]. 7) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Berenice I of Egypt (online) [Accessed 27/03/2021]. 8) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Demetrius II Aetolicus (online) [Accessed 27/03/2021]. 9) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Magas of Cyrene (online) [Accessed 27/03/2021]. 10) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Stratonice of Syria (online) [Accessed 14/07/2021].

Around the time of the Gallic invasion of Europe under Brennus in 278, a group of Gauls under Leonnorius or Lutarius headed east to Thrace. This wouldn't have been a problem for the Seleucids, had Nicomedes of Bithynia- the head of the anti-Seleucid coalition- not invited the Gauls into Anatolia. This week, Antiochus has to deal with the consequences... Sources for this episode: 1) Bevan, E. R., (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur. Quotes: p.137, 138, 139. 2) Bevan, E. R. (1927), The House of Ptolemy, London: Methuen Publishing. Available at: LascusCurtis [Accessed 08/02/2021]. 3) The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020), Antiochus I Soter (online) [Accessed 26/03/2021]. 4) Strootman, R. (2013), Antiochus I Soter. The Encyclopaedia of Ancient History (1st edition), p.473- 475. London: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 5) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Antiochus I Soter (online) [Accessed 26/03/2021]. 6) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Leonnorius (online) [Accessed 23/03/2021]. 7) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Nicomedes I of Bithynia (online) [Accessed 23/03/2021]. 8) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Seleucus II Callinicus (online) [Accessed 26/03/2021]. 9) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Zipoetes II of Bithynia (online) [Accessed 23/03/2021]. NOTE: The Encyclopaedia Britannica states that the Gauls crossed over into Anatolia independent of their enlistment by the anti-Seleucid league. However, as I haven't seen this interpretation elsewhere, I've not included this in the main narrative.

Alexander the Accursed's conquest of Persia, not only shocked the world but devastated it. In the blink of an eye the young Greek warlord changed the world. After Alexander's unexpected death his generals tried to stabilize what he left behind. This episode discusses the successor states of the Achaemenid Empire, the Seleucids, the Parthians and the Sassanids. Finally after 1,300 years of struggle Iran finds its identity again, Right before Muhammad the prophet of God changes Iranian culture forever.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/abriefhistory?fan_landing=true)

More Apocalypse! Jeff and Tyler dive into the Hebrew Bible book of Daniel. This is one of the original apocalyptic texts in the Bible and there's a lot to unpack. The more we can understand the symbols in this book, the more the book of Revelation and other apocalyptic texts start to make sense! Email questions about this or anything to thekindfaith@gmail.com SHOW NOTES: [00:12] Introduction. Review of apocalyptic, and background for Daniel. [03:40] unpacking Daniel 7 [06:03] Why is Alexander the Great the G.O.A.T. ?! [17:04] The role of Daniel in later Jewish and Christian interpretation. The importance of the “beast” symbol. [22:40] The Son of Man Vision and Jesus. Suffering leads to victory? MORE DETAIL: [00:12] Background on Daniel (see Jeremiah 29) Daniel and friends are examples of how to “seek the welfare” of Babylon while staying faithful to God. Daniel 7-12 is the main “apocalyptic” section of the book. [03:40] Daniel chapter 7. The Revelation takes up so many of these same images—winds, beasts, clouds etc. [06:03] Alexander the Great is in the background in most of these images. Especially Daniel 8. Alexander conquered the world by the age of 32; then his kingdom was immediately split into 4, with one eventually coming to power. In the original understanding of these texts the “fourth beast” of chapter 7 is most likely Alexander (320's BC), leading to the Seleucids, leading to Antiochus IV Epiphanies (160's BC). Antiochus' persecution of the Jews would have been one of the worst things the people could imagine. It's the reason we have the book of the Maccabees, where we get the story of Hanukkah. [17:04] How Daniel continues to speak today even if it's original focus was on Alexander the Great etc… Jesus and other early Christians and Jews continued to re-read Daniel in new fresh ways. “Beasts” link us back to Genesis 1 and 2… [22:20] The Son of Man. the one to finally rule over the beasts like Genesis 1 pointed to. This all points to Jesus! Matthew 26:64 is Jesus quoting Daniel 7. “Coming on the clouds” in NOT a description of transportation, but an image about power and authority. How does suffering, and particularly the suffering of the Son of Man lead to God's victory? It's all there in Daniel!

After rampaging his way around the closer eastern provinces, Seleucus' peace deal with Antigonus allowed him to gaze further east and start greedily dreaming about conquest further afield. On the podcast today, we will see Seleucus copy both Alexander the Great and the Persians by invading India. But, as we saw in episode 4, he doesn't face the disunited political scene that they did. It's time for the Seleucids and the Maurya to butt heads... Sources for this episode: 1) Bevan, E. R. (1902), the House of Seleucus, Vol. I. London: Edward Arnold. 2) Cooke, F., Dingle, H., Hutchinson, S., McKay, G., Schodde, R., Tait, R. and Vogt, R. (2008), The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide. Sydney: Weldon Own Pty Ltd. 3) Hirst, K. K., ThoughtCo (updated 2018), The Mauryan Empire Was the First Dynasty to Rule Most of India (online) [Accessed 13/01/2021]. 4) Komnene, A. (c.1148), the Alexiad. Translated by Sewter, E. R. A. (1969). London: Penguin Classics, Penguin Books Ltd. 5) Kosmin, P. J. (2014), The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. (eBook) [Accessed 03/04/2021]. 6) Szczepanski, K., ThoughtCo (updated 2019), Biography of Chandragupta Maurya, Founder of the Mauryan Empire (online) [Accessed 13/01/2021]. 7) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Megasthenes' Herakles (online) [Accessed 14/01/2021]. 8) Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Seleucus I Nicator (online) [Accessed 10/01/2021].

The first mitzvah, or commandment, we are given as a whole people is the commandment to recognize Rosh Chodesh (literally meaning the head of the month — rosh is head, chodesh is month), or recognizing the new moon. A thousand years after this first commandment was given, during the Chanukah story, Rosh Chodesh was one of the practices banned in addition to keeping Shabbat (the Sabbath) and performing Brit Milah (circumcision). But why? That Rosh Chodesh is on the same level of two practices that are so sacred — Brit Milah and Shabbat — makes clear its significance. Ok so why do both G-d and the villains of the Chanukah story (the Seleucids, the Syrian-Greeks) care so much about us knowing when we've started a new month? On the basic level, taking away Rosh Chodesh takes away our ability to keep time and having a calendar. Not having a calendar means we don't have any of our chagim, our holidays and festivals. So without Rosh Chodesh, we also lose the ability to observe a whole lot of other mitzvot (commandments). But on a deeper level, Rosh Chodesh represents renewal. The word for month, Chodesh, is connected to the word for renewal, repair, newness — chadesh. Just as the moon wanes and dissolves into a sliver only to build itself back up to fullness, so do we. Just as the moon is in a constant state of movement, moving through stages, so are we. Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch comments that if we were to base our time on something fixed and immovable, we would get the idea that we, too are fixed and immovable. The Torah teaches us that we are, in fact, NOT. But making changes are hard so I'll give a small example. According to psychologists, it takes 21 days to break a habit. The Hebrew months are 29.5 days, so there's no direct parallel here, but it's close enough. Is there a small habit you'd like to work on? Nail biting, singing in public, leaving your dishes in the sink to “soak,” procrastinating your work, telling people you want to get coffee with them even if you don't really want to…. there are lots of things we as humans do that are subjectively deemed “bad.” But a reminder: no habit that you can be thinking of has any inherent moral value. You're not bad if you sing in Walgreens, you're just annoying. Kidding. With Rosh Chodesh, we don't celebrate the victorious moment (such as winning the fight between you and your subjectively “bad” habit). We celebrate the beginning of the lunar cycle — the resh-shaped (ר) sliver of the moon, not the gorgeous glowy orb that is a full moon (around the 15th of the month). We celebrate the quiet beginnings, the objectively non-exciting part of the cycle. Did you ever use Khan Academy in school? Khan Academy single handedly helped me to pass every math or stats class I ever took. The story of Khan Academy is cool — it was started by Sal Kahn (who I just found out is from Metairie, Louisiana????), an endlessly patient super genius who made tons and tons of amazing instructional educational videos online. I used to get Sal's newsletter (I call him Sal because I really feel like we're friends after all the #quality time we've spent together), and one of his pieces, called “Why I'll Never Tell My Son He's Smart” has stuck with me to this day. Here's an excerpt... For full text, email me at shirajkaplan@gmail.com or join my email list here. Khan Academy article mentioned Ed Sheeran being a bad singer in his childhood Ed Sheeran being an amazing singer in his new release "Afterglow" opening theme: reCreation by airtone (c) copyright 2019 Licensed --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/shira-kaplan/support

In this special one-off Podcast episode I'm joined by Dave Saunders and Richard Case to chew over one of the classic Successor armies - the Seleucids. In the pod we chat a bit about the history of the Seleucid dynasty, why they seemed to end up with quite such a good collection of toys in their armies, and then consider as many as 8 different options for putting the list together. Unfortunately we did have some recording issues with this one, so the sound is a bit spotty in places and it also ends a bit abruptly, but there's still plenty of list-building chat and playstyle suggestions for you to get your teeth into and help you get your own top- of- the-line Successor army onto the table.  This podcast also has a video version to watch on the Madaxeman YouTube Channel.      

Introduction Scripture divides into two great categories — milk and meat. Milk is the simple doctrine of the Bible, the center piece of which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The milk of the Gospel can be organized into four main categories: God, man, Christ, response. We share this with unbelievers. Workers all over the world have gone abroad to try to explain in culturally understandable ways. First, there is a God who made Heaven and earth, and therefore He has the right to rule as king over everything that He made. As our Ruler, He has given us laws by which we are to live. Those laws are very clear and simple, organized broadly into the Ten Commandments: “You shall have no other gods beside me. You shall not make any idols. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy; do all your work in six days and rest on the seventh, for God made heaven and earth in six days and rested on the seventh. Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Jesus taught that though we may not have committed murder physically, if we have murderous hearts we are in danger of the fire of hell. We may not have committed physical adultery, but if we have adulterous hearts, looking at one who is not our spouse lustfully, we are in danger of the fire of hell. He probed the inner workings of the heart, and then organized all of the law in two great commandments: the first and greatest is to “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” We do not keep these Commandments; we break them every day. It is grace from God to know the truth of that. The second great category is man, or the human race. We were created in the image of God to have a relationship with Him, to love and serve and walk with Him, but we fell into sin in Adam, our first father, who ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In him the entire human race fell. We were given a sin nature. When we were able to understand the law, we broke it — we violated the Ten Commandments and the two Commandments; we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. As a result, we are threatened with eternal death and hell. We can not save ourselves; we need a Savior. The third category is Christ. God sent his Son into the world, born of the virgin Mary; he lived every single day of his life sinless under the law of God. He obeyed every jot and tittle, every detail perfectly. No one but Jesus has fulfilled the two great Commandments. He loved God with all of his heart; he said, “I always do what pleases him.” Always. And He loved his neighbors as himself, especially by going to the cross for us. Though he had committed no sin and there was no deceit in his mouth, he went to the cross and stood under the fiery wrath of God, who is a consuming fire. He was condemned for us: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.” He offers the free gift of righteousness and full forgiveness of all sins to us. We are able to access that by repentance (turning from our sins) and faith (trusting in Christ). All of our sins can be forgiven. You may know that you have not crossed over from death to life, that you are not a Christian. You have just heard the Gospel, which is milk — that which a child can understand. If you look to the law and know that you are guilty, that you have sinned, and then look to Christ crucified and resurrected with the eyes of your heart, you will see your Savior. You do not have to move a muscle; if you will trust in Jesus, all of your sins will be forgiven. If you genuinely do that, a whole river of righteous acts will start flowing — a commitment to walk in newness of life. Meat is the harder stuff in the word to understand. Peter said about Paul’s writings in 2 Peter 3:16 that he writes some things “that are hard to understand.” (Ironically, some of the hardest statements in the New Testament are written by Peter.) These are beneficial truths — God wants us to know them, but we need spiritual teeth to chew them and it takes a while to understand. Eschatology, or end time teaching, is meat. Here are six reasons why it is hard to understand. First, eschatology is hard to understand because God intends it to be hard to understand. It is not an accident. We do not demand that he learn to make it simpler. He intends to speak to us in language difficult to understand. He wants only believers to get it. He could have written out an exact chronology with names and dates. Daniel 11 is a most astonishing chapter, displaying God’s ability in detail to predict the future. There are 106 uses of the helping verb “will” in the NIV (1984 version), indicating future events. God is showing off. He can give meticulous details about future events. But he did not intend to do that. Instead, he speaks in such a way that only believers will be able to understand, and not all believers equally, but those who need to understand the most will. Second, God has spoken end-time teaching to us in apocalyptic, prophetic, visionary language that is not easy to understand. He uses symbolism — beasts and horns and oceans and winds It is not immediately clear. It needs interpretation, similar to a parable. Third, he has scattered the salient points and Scriptures in different places, such as Matthew 24, 1 John 2, Daniel 7, and Revelation. It requires the work of theologians to put things together. Fourth, the issue of type and fulfillment is a problem. History is filled with events that act out a type of fulfillment of various prophecies that are dress rehearsals of the final. Many people want to stop there, as though they are the final fulfillment. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was clearly not the end — almost 20 centuries of history have occurred since then. But many godly commentators will claim that Matthew 24 is talking about the prophetic destruction of Jerusalem. As Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man,” we see many prophecies that are acted out in small ways, like dress rehearsals,. Hitler was a dress rehearsal, a type of antichrist, very tragic and difficult, but he died in the bunker and history has continued since his time. He was an antichrist, but not the one final Antichrist. Fifth, we have a story with complex chronology. It is hard to follow, not easy to understand. Sixth, current events and exegesis of Scriptures must be married, lined up simultaneously. Many generations have sought to line these things up, but because of so many misfires and predictions that didn't come true, some would discard the whole thing. We are looking at the big picture of eschatology to help bring context to our study of Revelation. Christianity is a unique religion in the world and this is apologetic material. When you are talking to Muslims, atheists, or Buddhists, this is a weapon of truth you can use. Christianity is the only prophetic religion in the world, ultimately. Judaism had prophecies, but it is derailed by not seeing their fulfillment in Christ. There are some Islamic pseudo-prophecies, but with research, you see they are not true. Buddhism and Hinduism do not care about current events at all. They are trying to escape this evil world by denial, saying it is all an illusion, so they make no attempt to make predictions of the future. Christianity alone does this. God said repeatedly in the book of Isaiah that He is the only one who can do it. Isaiah 46:10 says, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” He is talking about Cyrus the Great and Persia, but it is also a general true principle that He is the only one who knows the future. Isaiah 14:26-27 says, “This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” God makes a plan, and his sovereign power orchestrates that His plan will certainly take place. Christianity is the only religion that can accomplish His purposes. In Revelation 12, we saw, in apocalyptic visionary writing, a red dragon — the devil, Satan, that ancient serpent who leads the whole world astray. He pursues a glorious, radiant woman, who is best interpreted as Israel because she gives birth to the male child. From the Jews came the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all. Her radiance and glory imply that the children whom the heavenly Zion gives birth are believers in Christ, Jew and Gentile alike. The dragon, Satan, pursues the woman and her children in Revelation 12:17: “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring — those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” That rage has been going on for 20 centuries. There has been tribulation in every single century. That recapitulation — as it was so it will be — happens throughout history, but it ramps up at the end such that Jesus said in Matthew 24:21-22, “For then there will be great distress [or great tribulation] unequaled from the beginning of the world until now — and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” There will be days of tribulation so great nothing like them will have ever been seen in the history of the world. The events of the destruction of Jerusalem in the temple in AD 70 by the Romans do not line up with that pronouncement. The Romans did that all the time. Yes, they killed many Jews, but there remains a far worse future suffering. That section of Revelation 12 ends with the dragon in Revelation 13:1 standing on the shore of the sea, “a beast coming up out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.” This culminates in the Antichrist who is coming and whom we seek to understand today. The beast is a wicked worldwide empire culminating in one ruler over it who will enact these great persecutions in the name of the devil, though he does not understand that is what he is doing. The image of a beast, terrifying and powerful, emerging from the sea, who assaults the people of God and in some sense is able to conquer them, comes directly from the book of Daniel. Essential Lessons from the Book of Daniel The Beasts from the Sea and the Little Horn Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 are clearly connected. Revelation 13 begins with Satan the dragon standing at the seashore summoning the beast from the sea, who ultimately is the Antichrist. That image comes directly from Daniel 7 in which Daniel has a dream of four beasts that come up out of the sea. The sea is turbulent, the winds are ripping the ocean, shredding and churning it, and in succession one beast after another emerges from it. In Daniel 7, the beasts are interpreted as kingdoms, not individuals, including the fourth beast. But the horns of the fourth beast refer to the ruler of that wicked kingdom. In the end the potentate of that wicked kingdom is associated with the kingdom itself as in World War II in which Hitler was the enemy, as though killing him would end the whole thing. Everyone knew that there was a whole Nazi war machine, a whole empire, that had to be conquered, but Hitler was the head. It will be even more so in the days of the Antichrist. The supernatural control he will have over the empire will be unparalleled in history. In the end, the beast becomes one person but it starts as an empire. If there is not an empire behind him, there is nothing to fear. He is just a guy on the street corner saying things. But if he has a worldwide police state empire behind him, there is something to fear. The fourth beast is the most terrifying of all. It has 10 horns, like the beast in Revelation 13. In apocalyptic or visionary imagery, the horn is a king, an individual who holds focused power. One of the horns, called the little horn, grows up and supplants the other horns. It has the eyes of a man and speaks boastfully; it ultimately represents the Antichrist. He derives power comes from his mind and his skill and his mouth, not from his own stature. He is a conniver, a deceiver, able to supplant others by assassination and trickery and other devious methods. Methodologically, I can tell the story — what I think will happen going forward — and not cross reference any Scriptures, but I want to teach you to root everything in Scripture and that is what takes time. If nothing else, I want you to understand methodology and what Scriptures to look at and have you put the story together. Daniel 7:8 says, “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” The eyes represent intelligence and the mouth speaks with arrogance and boastfulness. In the middle of the vision, we have a significant prophecy about Jesus in the Old Testament. Jesus refers to it repeatedly when He called himself the Son of Man, His favorite title for himself. In doing so, he seems to be pointing his listeners to this portion of Daniel. The vision of what is happening on earth with the beasts and everything is suddenly interrupted to show what is happening meanwhile up in Heaven. We see a throne with Almighty God, the Ancient of Days, seated on it. This is God the Father, the first person of the Trinity. A river of fire flows from the throne. This is the judgment and wrath of God on empires who will persecute His people and who will not worship Him. This is one of the main lessons of the book of Daniel, which God taught to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:25: “…the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes.” No matter what Satan says, that he rules the whole world, he does not. God does, and He rules actively over everything. He is sovereign. It is comforting to us as Christians to ponder this vision of the throne of God and the river of fire flowing from it. The scene goes back to the horn, speaking arrogantly. Verse 11 says, “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.” The empire of the horn will be destroyed. It has been destroyed, but that is just a dress rehearsal, and it will be destroyed again with finality. The blazing fire represents Hell, as we see at the end of the book of Revelation. Isaiah 53 contains the most significant prediction of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice; Daniel 7:13-14 gives us the most significant prediction and prophecy of who Jesus is in His person. “In my vision at night, I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of Heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” The only explanation for this vision is Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, coming into the presence of God the Father, the first person of the Trinity. Jesus receives from God all authority in Heaven and earth, as we know from the Great Commission, and he has the right to set up a kingdom that will never end. All peoples and nations and men of every language will worship him — he is worthy. We believe in the incarnation, that Jesus is both the Son of Man — fully human, and the Son of God — fully God. He is not God the ultimate Father, King God — he is equal to and like Him but a separate person. What is given to the Son of Man is the very thing the little horn and the dragon want. They are in direct competition for this authority, glory, sovereign power, and for all peoples, nations and men of every language to worship him. But Jesus is will win. The Antichrist will not achieve his goal. The vision focuses on the fourth beast and the little horn. The key aspects of the little horn are his astonishing arrogance and blasphemy and his small stature. He rises up to dominate using the power God gives him to attack the people of God and slaughter them for a short time. Verses 19 says, “Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and its bronze claws — the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled under foot whatever was left.” That describes the worldwide empire — Rome was a type of this prophecy, but as it was in the days of Rome, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man, but even worse. Imagine a Gestapo-like police state that can crush any opposition in the world, both armies on the field and individuals and their personal freedoms. Verses 20-21 continue, “I also wanted to know about the ten horns on his head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell — the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them.” That is the point of Jesus’ various warnings to his disciples: “When you see your brothers and sisters being slaughtered, do not give in to the temptation to abandon your faith in me. Remember that I have told you these things ahead of time. Do not fear. Be strong. I am the Resurrection and the Life. You will live forever. You will be given a martyr’s welcome into Heaven and will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of your Father.” The beast is given power to wage war against the saints and defeat them physically on earth, “until [(verse 22) what a blessed word that is] the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment [a ruling from the supremest of all Supreme Courts] in favor of the saints of the Most High [your days, oh Antichrist are done], and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.” The little horn wages war and the Antichrist will kill many like he killed the two witnesses in Revelation 11. They were powerful, but God gives the beast from the Abyss the power to rise up, overpowers and kill them. Verses 23-24 say, “[The angel] gave me this explanation: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down, and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.” The Antichrist will be a king of kings. It makes sense. Right now we have many nations, each with its own potentate, ruler, president or prime minister. He will have the political and military skill to subdue all other kings to consolidate them all under one worldwide government. Verse 25 continues: “He will speak against the Most High [blasphemy] and oppress His saints and try to change the set times and the laws [he will try but fail to get longer than three-and-a-half years to make changes]. The saints will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time [“a time” is one year, “times” is two years, and “half a time” is half a year; together that is three-and-a-half years]. But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom and all rulers [that is us] will worship and obey Him [that is Jesus].” He will be perfected — the King of righteous kings and the Lord of righteous lords who have been saved by grace through faith. These kings and lords are not wicked usurper kings but people who worship him and rule their domains and the new Heaven and the new Earth under him. Seventy Weeks Daniel 9 puts the 70 weeks context. Daniel, in exile in Babylon, reads from the scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecy, which gives the clear prediction that the exile will last 70 years. He begins to pray in a marvelous way in Daniel 9:1-19, that God would fulfill His promise that He made in Isaiah and other places to restore the Jews back to the Promised Land and allow them to flourish again. God dispatches the angel Gabriel to give him the answer, which is the 70 weeks. He gives Daniel more than he bargained for — more than he can understand and more than we can understand. He goes far beyond the restoration of the Jews and the rebuilding of the temple written about in Haggai. He includes not only the time of the first coming of Christ who would be cut off, but also the end that Jesus spoke about — the abomination of desolation — which was future even to Jesus at the time. Daniel receives a timetable of seventy “sevens,” or seventy weeks. A “seven” is a seven-year period. Seventy seven-year periods is 490 years total. But they are divided in an unusual, difficult to understand pattern. That is why this is meat, not milk. In Daniel 9:24, Gabriel partially unfolds God’s timetable and purpose: “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your Holy City to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.” Christians see the words “atone for wickedness” and know immediately there has ever been only one atonement for sin and wickedness, which is the blood of Jesus Christ. That phrase refers to redemption through his blood. The other five items on that list include finish transgression, put an end to sin, bring in everlasting righteousness (eschatological glory), seal up vision and prophecy and anoint the Most Holy. He continues in verse 25: “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Anointed One [or Messiah], the ruler, comes, [that is a timetable between two specific points in time] there will be seven ‘sevens’ and sixty-two ‘sevens’.” It is not clear why the sixty-nine weeks are broken up into seven and sixty-two, but sixty-nine times seven years is 483 years from the issuing of a decree to rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah comes. Jerusalem was rebuilt in stages, so there would have been a number of such decrees. This particular one would have been issued sometime in the era of Medo-Persian rule. Some try to reverse-engineer to determine the exact time Jesus entered Jerusalem, even up to the eighth decimal point, though very few real-world things are measured with that precision (certainly not apocalyptic visionary prophecy). Like golf, these sixty-nine weeks get us on the green with about a one-inch putt. Was there anybody around 500 years after Persian rulers first decreed that Jerusalem be rebuilt who is worth our attention and study? The book of Hebrews argues that although we do not see the fulfillment of all prophecy, we do know one person who fits this description — Jesus. From the time when Persian rulers started to issue decrees that Jerusalem be rebuilt until Jesus the Messiah comes was 483 years. What about that last seven — why did he stop at sixty-nine? Verses 25-26 continue: “It [Jerusalem] will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the 62 sevens [equaling 69 sevens] the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing [Jesus was rejected and killed by the Jewish nation; He had no allegiance from the them]. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary [multiple times, not just once]. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.” That general statement is similar to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:6 and 8, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars … All these are the beginning of birth pains.” That covers the intervening time between the 69th week and the final 70th week. History will unfold with wars and rumors of wars and other events. Verse 27 says, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ [a repeated reference to three-and-a-half years — time, times and half a time; 1260 days; 42 months] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering [implying animal sacrifice and offering will be reestablished in a physical temple]. And on a wing [some versions add “of the temple”] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Jesus urged the reader of Daniel to read with understanding, which is not easy. In the middle of this seven-year period still to come, after he makes a covenant to establish animal sacrifice, he will stop sacrifices to set himself up, as Paul says, “in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” [2 Thessalonians 2:4] The Angel’s Message In Daniel 10, we meet a mighty angel who gives him a revelation, similar to the mighty angel in the book of Revelation. He gives Daniel all the content for Daniel 11 and 12. The angel says in Daniel 10:14, “Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people [the Jews] in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” He introduces Daniel to the name of the archangel Michael, whom he designates as the special prince, an archangel who protects the Jews as a nation, the same angel who fights the red dragon in Revelation 12. “Antichrists” and The Antichrist Daniel 11 reveals many antichrists but points to one final Antichrist who will come. Daniel 11 covers the history of the Jews under the domination of Gentile kings, first the Persians briefly, and then the Greeks. The Greeks were the successors of the first Greek king, Alexander, who rose to a height of power. At the height of his power he was cut off and his kingdom divided into fourths. He had no sons, so it was given to his four generals. Two of them in particular rule over what we know as modern day Palestine, or the Promised Land. The kings of the North were the Seleucids who ruled over the Syrian area. The kings of the South were the Ptolemies, who ruled over Egypt. They would meet in battle again and again in Israel or Palestine. The Jews were trampled on by these Greek kings as they fought each other for control. The drama of those battles gives us a picture of the future ultimate Antichrist. In Daniel 11:36-37, one of these literal Greek kings, whom we can identify as Antiochus IV, called Epiphanes because he claimed to be a God, lived about two centuries before Christ. He was arrogant and blasphemous, and openly defiled the Jewish temple by erecting a statue of Zeus and offering pig’s blood in the Holy of Holies. He was not the final Antichrist. He was a minor Greek king who died, and that was that. But his activities are predicted in both Daniel 8 and Daniel 11. Daniel 11:36-37 seem to go far beyond anything Antiochus ever did: “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. [He will be successful until the clock runs out on him.] He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.” Antiochus IV never did that. He actually honored the Greek gods, which is why he set up a statue of Zeus. Paul applies these words from Daniel 11 to a yet-future man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 with a near-paraphrase: “…for [the day of the Lord] will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness [who must be the Antichrist] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” That specific arrogant self-worship blasphemy did not happen when the Romans burned Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Titus, who burned it down, did not want it burned and tried to put the fire out, but it had gone too far. From the book of Hebrews, we know that God will never again accept animal sacrifice. The blood of bulls and goats is done, as far as God is concerned, but that does not mean there will not be a temple built. The man of lawlessness will set himself up in the temple the Jews are honoring, that they want rebuilt, which Paul calls “God’s temple.” He will proclaim himself to be God but is not God, any more than the building is God’s temple; but because the Jews think it is, it is a good platform for incredible blasphemy. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 says, “The lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” That is not apocalyptic or visionary. It is an epistle, telling us what will happen. A man of sin is coming who will set himself up in “God’s temple”, proclaim himself to be God, and do signs and wonders. People will be deceived and will worship him. Then Jesus will come back and will destroy him. The Final Generation and the Counting of the Days At the end of Daniel 12, you have a counting of days. The angels ask how long it will be, a question they ask frequently. In every case, the answer is that we cannot know the exact time of the end. There will be a generation of Christians who will know the exact day of Jesus’ return. This 42 month, or 1,260 day, or 3 1/2 year period has been spelled out repeatedly and so clearly that we are waiting for it to happen. Jesus told us that when the abomination of desolation is set up, to start the clock. We have an exact measure which we do not yet know where to begin, but the starting point will be known when it is time, and then we will know how long until Jesus returns. Even more fascinating, to add to the puzzle, the end of Daniel 12 mentions 1,290 and 1,335 days, 30 and 45 days beyond the 1,260 days respectively. Daniel wanted to understand what it all meant, but God told him it was not for him to understand and to seal up the prophecy until the time of the end. The people who live then will understand. For those living in the final generation, when they see the abomination of desolation, they can start the clock. Remember that if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect, they will be shortened. You will get to know how many more days remain because it will be horrible. Counting the Days Until the End Recall how Jesus said “As it was in the days of Noah so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” In Matthew 24:36, he says, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” In Acts 1:6-8, the apostles were told, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus even said, “No one knows, not even the son, but only the father.” We know he knows now; he knew when he ascended to heaven. He is telling us that no one knows now when that day will come. He was telling his disciples that he would not be returning later that afternoon. They had work to do, to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. We also have work to do. We are building an ark where people can be rescued from the wrath to come. As it was in the days of Noah, there is a place of refuge to go to. The ark we are building is not made of wood nor covered with pitch. It is the Gospel message, an invisible Church, into which you enter to find safety from the wrath to come. In Genesis 7:4, God said to Noah, “Seven days from now I will send rain on the Earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the Earth every living creature I have made.” A week, a month, a year before that statement was made, did Noah know the exact day of the flood? No. What was he supposed to do? Finish the ark. After that statement was made, did he know the exact time the flood would come? Yes, he was able to count down until the exact day. He knew the day the flood was to come, and so it did As it was in the days of Noah, there will be a counting down. It is not for us. We do not see the temple or the abomination of desolation set up in it. It is not the Roman Catholic church or cults or false leaders. Our job is to build the ark, to preach the Gospel, until the Lord returns. But there will be a generation that will need to know. They will understand the 1,260 days, the 1,290 days and the 1,335 days. Closing Prayer Father, thank you for the details that we have studied in the book of Daniel today, getting ready for Revelation 13. Lord, I thank you for all the things that we can learn from studying this incredible prophet. I thank you for the things that we learned in the book of Revelation. Give us perseverance to be able to chew on the meat and swallow. Help us to put together a chronology and an understanding of what is yet to come. But in the meantime, God, help us to build; help us to be like the missionaries we send overseas; help us to be godly parents. Help us to do our role of leading people to Christ. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the revolutionary Jewish leader Judas Maccabeus. Born in the second century BC, Judas led his followers, the Maccabees, in a rebellion against the Seleucid Empire, which was attempting to impose the Greek culture and religion on the Jews. After a succession of battles he succeeded and the Seleucid king granted the Jews religious freedom. But even after that freedom was granted the struggle for political independence continued, and it was not until twenty years after Judas's death that Judaea finally became an independent state. Thanks to an extensive, if often confused, historical record of these events, the story of the Maccabees is well known. Judas Maccabeus has become a celebrated folk hero, and one of his achievements, the restoration and purification of the Temple of Jerusalem after its desecration by the Seleucids, is commemorated every year at the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.With: Helen Bond, Senior Lecturer in the New Testament at Edinburgh University Tessa Rajak, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of ReadingPhilip Alexander, Emeritus Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of ManchesterProducer: Natalia Fernandez.