King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it … - Ezra 6:1-2

Today's Scripture Reading (September 30, 2023): Ezra 6

Hamadan. The modern city is the capital of the Iranian province that bears the same name. The city sits in a green mountainous region and exists at an altitude of 1,850 meters or 6,069 feet. In comparison, Denver, Colorado, often called the Mile High City, exists at an elevation of 1,610 meters or 5280 feet. (The peak elevation of a Denver neighborhood is 1730 meters or 5,690 feet.) All of this means that the highest part of Denver is still lower than the city of Hamadan. The population of the Modern city of Hamadan is just short of 800,000 people (again, compared to the 715,000 that make their home in Denver, Colorado.)

But Hamadan is also an ancient city. Continuing the comparison with Denver, Colorado, the North American city, like virtually all North American cities, is relatively young. Denver was first named on November 17, 1858, as Denver City, Kansas Territory, named after the Kansas Territory Governor James W. Denver. Hamadan has been in existence since the 600s B.C.E. but may have been inhabited from as far back as the 1100s B.C.E. Hamadan is a city that was also known as Ecbatana.

Ecbatana or Hamadan in ancient times was important because of its elevation. The city's elevation made it an excellent place to preserve leather, the documents on which important decrees and events were recorded. And so, essential documents would often be transferred from lower elevations to Hamadan so that they could be preserved.

Ezra says that King Darius ordered a search for a document concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem at the request of Governor Tattenai in Babylon. The reality is that at least forty years have passed since the passing of the decree and this search. (Cyrus reigned from 559 to 530 B.C.E., and Darius reigned from 522 to 486 B.C.E.) But Darius didn't treat this as an unimportant matter. It would have been easy to do a cursory search in Babylon and then send a message back that no documents could be found. However, in a day when there were no computers to make a search like this a little easier, Darius appears to have made a diligent attempt to find any documents concerning Jerusalem that a previous administration had authored.

And when nothing was found in Babylon, Darius went beyond. He sent word for the same kind of search to be conducted at Hamadan or Ecbatana on the chance that the document had been considered important enough to be transferred there. And sure enough, the records were found because of the diligent search commanded by Darius. After the meticulous investigation, Darius had a message to send to Governor Tattenai, the person leading the province in the area of the Trans-Euphrates.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Haggai 1

At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and to finish it?" – Ezra 5:3

Today's Scripture Reading (September 29, 2023): Ezra 5

We live in a politically polarized world. That shouldn't be news to any of us. But what gets lost in such an environment is the simple fact that not everyone who believes differently from us is demonic or trying to pull something over on us. As adults, I know that is a huge assumption, we can honestly hold different opinions and yet still be friends. And this is true even with our big-ticket items. But the truth is that that is a challenging concept to get across to the people around us. Over the past few years, it has been an essential challenge to me, and I have felt the impact of being demonized by those who believe differently. Politically, I am a conservative who does not like how the conservative movement has been going in the past few years. But that does not mean that reasonable people cannot be supporters of the current conservative movement. It also does not mean that all liberals are morally deficient. That just isn't true. Our political beliefs are an area where we can honestly say that there are good people on both sides of the argument. (As opposed to a particular American politician who commented that good people were on both sides of a White Supremacy rally. White Supremacy is a moral issue on which the church needs to take a stand.)

Tattenai is the governor of the Trans-Euphrates province of the Achaemenid Empire. The Trans-Euphrates is also known as the Eber-Nari region, or the area "Beyond the River," specifically "Beyond the Euphrates River." Because it was a term used by Empires that existed on the East side of the Euphrates, the phrase "Trans-Euphrates" was used for civilizations found on the West side of the Euphrates River, which would have included Judah. The Inhabitants of Jerusalem and Israel were often thought of as people who came from "Beyond the River."

So, Tattenai asks, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and finish it?" It is not a question that comes with any defiance or disapproval. It is not like the opposition the Jerusalem rebuilding program had received from the Samaritans fifteen years earlier. It was a question coming from a politician who knew that he would have to give an answer to his superiors over what was taking place in Jerusalem. In our modern world, he would have been a civil servant who was just trying to ensure that all of the documents had been submitted and that i's were dotted and the t's were crossed. It is a practice that might be frustrating at times for us, but it is not purposefully defiant.

All of this should teach us that not everyone we think is opposing the move of God is doing so out of a deliberate bent toward evil. Some, like Tattenai, are not fighting the move but making sure things are being done correctly out of a sense of responsibility and duty.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezra 6

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, "Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here." - Ezra 4:1-2

Today's Scripture Reading (September 28, 2023): Ezra 4

When I was a lot younger, I had a Mormon friend who was the "gatekeeper" at the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints Temple in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. It was a pretty important position. I should admit that "gatekeeper" is my term, not hers. Her job was to sit just inside the Temple's front door and check the credentials of everyone who entered the building to ensure they were credentialed and permitted to enter. It was an esteemed position, and once a month, she made the trip to the Temple to do her job.

At the time of this interaction, I worked at a Drug Store, and our desks were across from each other in the back room, just off of the store's pharmacy area. And, as we sat and worked, we often discussed religion and what each of us believed. One of the comments she would often make is that we have faith in the same things. The message was we are on the same side, so why not come to my side?

The problem with her statement is that it is untrue and not just on my side. There were some profound differences between what she believed and what I believed. The evidence was that despite her claim that we believed the same things, she didn't think I would go to heaven because of my beliefs, and she would never have been able to let me into the Temple that she guarded. We didn't believe the same things.

Several years ago, I preached a three-week series on the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. I felt I had a reasonably good handle on Judaism and Christianity but spent much time researching Islam's roots. One of the things that I learned was that before Islam, Muhammad's people existed as a loose collection of tribes, often warring with everyone, including each other. Muhammad looked at the Christians and Jews and saw a unified force. The Prophet believed that he and his tribes were Ishmael's descendants and heirs to Abraham's promise through the Patriarch's oldest son. But the other Abrahamic religions had a book. The Jews had the Tanakh, or the Hebrew Bible, commonly called the Old Testament, and the Christians had the New Testament. Muhammad was in awe of these "People of the Book." In the earliest Islamic beliefs, Muhammad maintains that the descendants of Ishmael should exist in peace with the People of the Book. But Muhammad also wanted a book; he wanted to be like us, People of the Book.

No matter what you believe about the Qur'an, it is the Book for which Muhammad had prayed. However, the relationship between Islam and the People of the Book deteriorated. And so, later prophecies teach violence to all who stand against Allah, including the People of the Book. It is a path that seems to be a constant in life. Enemies at first want to prove they are like you, but if that fails to get you to move to their side, then they turn to violence.

The words of the opponents of Zerubbabel and Joshua are essential. "Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here." The claim is substantial because it moves past the Babylonian Exile to the Assyrian Exile. In 721 B.C.E., Assyria defeated Israel and took them into captivity. In Christian jargon, Israel became the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Except that they weren't really lost, just watered down. Some people had been taken, but a steady stream of foreigners had been put in their place. The Israelites that remained married the foreigners and the genetic code of the Israelites was mixed with these foreigners. And not just genetics; they became religiously mixed.

Esarhaddon, King of Assyria, reigned from 680-669 B.C.E., half a century after Assyria's destruction of Israel and more than two centuries before the events of Ezra 4. And so, the enemies of the returning exiles came to Jerusalem with the message that they were like them, moving in the same direction, and wanted to help. But the truth was that they weren't on the same side, and all these people wanted to do was be present to sow discontent into the people of the returning nation. It is an old strategy. And one we still use today.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezra 5

Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. - Ezra 3:4

Today's Scripture Reading (September 27, 2023): Ezra 3

What is it that keeps you away from worship? It is a tricky question, but what are the reasons why you don't go to church? I am not sure what the right reasons might be; maybe that is a ride we all have to journey for ourselves. But perhaps the question should be, is it easy to stay away from times of corporate worship? I believe that the church needs a rebirth. And that means we have to find a reason to come together to worship and change this world in which we live. I also believe that only the church can provide the change that this world means. But, just like in a Spiderman Movie, the world has gathered to stop us from making the needed change.

Israel was living in a difficult time. They had grown away from the worshipping roots they had developed in the early days of the Exodus. Jerusalem lay in ruins, and all around them lived the enemies of the nation, enemies who did not want the return of a worshiping Israel. They did not want to see the Temple rebuilt or the city walls re-established. As a result, the people lived in fear.

However, the people agreed with their leaders that they would worship regardless of the obstacles. They weren't about to let fear stop them. Sometimes, I wonder what would happen in North America if we were forbidden to exercise our faith. Would we, who stay away from church because the weather is too nice or nasty or because we have other things to do, still worship? I am not sure that I know the answer.

As I was thinking about that question, a story told by Pastor Wayne Cordeiro came to mind. Wayne is the founding pastor of New Hope Oahu. Pastoring in Hawaii is a tough job, but I guess someone has to do it. (Sometimes, my sarcasm doesn't come through.) Wayne Cordeiro tells the story of a trip he made to China many years ago. He landed in China and was taken to the place where he would meet with a group of pastors over the next few days. Some of the Pastors had spent 13 hours to come to this meeting place. And when they arrived, it was hot and the room they had contained no air conditioning or furniture.

The pastors gathered and sat on the floor. It was in this place that Wayne had been asked to teach.   At one point, Wayne asked his new friends how many people they oversaw. The pastors gathered together and came up with the answer. This group of men and women represented 22 million Chinese Christians. He then asked them what would happen to them if they were caught. They replied that they would be arrested and he (Wayne) would be deported within 24 hours. They would spend the next three years in jail. Then Wayne asked the following question: how many of these pastors had already spent time in prison, and many in the room raised their hands. At the end of their time together, Wayne asked them how he could pray for them, and the response that came back was, "We know that you enjoy freedoms that we don't, that you have the freedom to read the Bible and go to church and not fear. We ask that you pray that we will become like you."

Wayne looked at this group of Pastors, sadly shook his head, and replied, "I will not pray that prayer." The faces that looked back at him were shocked. Wayne continued;

In your country, you travel 13 hours or more by train or bus just to attend church. In my country, it is often too far if the church is more than 15 minutes away. In your country you come and sit on the floor, in my country we complain if the seats aren't padded. In your country you come and sit in a hot room, in my country we won't come if there is no air conditioning. In your country, you come knowing that the act of coming might put you in jail; in my country, we worry about what the neighbors might think if they knew that we went to church. In your country, you have memorized large portions of the Bible. In my country, there are an average of two Bibles per family, and few are ever being read. I will not pray that you will become like us; I will pray that we become more like you.

I worry that we have become a church of rights. People leave the church because I have said something with which they don't agree. Pastors have ceased being spiritual leaders like Joshua, leading their people into uncomfortable truths; they are spiritual cheerleaders, cheering on the home team. You don't want to hear uncomfortable truths from me. You would rather hear the more comfortable lies. Harsh, maybe. But I believe that it is true.

Where would we be if it was illegal to come to church? If donations to the church were suddenly penalized instead of honored. Are we willing to hear the harsh truths about our spiritual lives? I don't know, but I fear the answer might be no. We want to come, celebrate, and go home feeling good. What we don't want is what we need: to be spiritually challenged. We want to stay just as we are and have a spiritual leader who will make us comfortable and tuck us into our lives. And a whole bunch of us are out there waiting to fulfill that role if your current leader refuses to do it. But that is not what we need. It wasn't what Israel needed. And that isn't true worship.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezra 4

When they arrived at the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, some of the heads of the families gave freewill offerings toward the rebuilding of the house of God on its site. – Ezra 2:68

Today's Scripture Reading (September 26, 2023): Ezra 1 and 2

It was called the Achaemenid Empire, an empire founded by Cyrus the Great. One of the things that Cyrus and his Empire are remembered for is that they returned the exiles taken from their homes by the Babylonians to the various places where they belonged. This "return" included the Jews who were authorized to go home to Jerusalem and the surrounding area, but they were not the only exiles who were returned. All exiles from various places in the empire were given the opportunity to go home. However, not everyone received the decree of Cyrus happily. After all, it had been five decades since these people had lived anywhere other than Babylon or Persia. These exiles were a different generation from the ones who had been unwillingly taken from their homes, a generation that did not remember Jerusalem and didn't remember the temple. They had built homes in Babylon and had children and grandchildren. They were content right where they were. As a result, they had no desire to return to Canaan; this place was home.

As I considered this journey, I began to remember some of my own. I was born in Newmarket, Ontario, a town just outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At the age of eight, my family moved to Calgary, Alberta, the home of the Calgary Stampede. When I was sixteen, we moved to Sundre, just southwest of Red Deer, Alberta. From Sundre, I moved back to Calgary, then to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where I met my future wife, Nelda, and then back to Calgary. I spent twelve years in Claresholm, Alberta, an hour south of Calgary, where both my children were born. And then, twenty-seven years ago, we moved to Edmonton, Alberta, the home of West Edmonton Mall and the Edmonton Oilers.

I have great memories of all of those places. A church in Claresholm was recently going through a pastoral transition, and I met an old friend who suggested maybe it was time for me to return to Claresholm to finish my career. It was a bit of a tempting offer to return to a place I knew with some old friends. But the problem is that Claresholm is not my home. Newmarket is not my home. Once, these places were home, and I was happy, but not now. Calgary is not my home. Edmonton is my home. I have lived longer in Edmonton than I have in any other place. I have friends here who are special to me, but even more importantly, this is where my children and grandchildren live. This is home. It wasn't always, but it is now.

Cyrus gives the decree, and the people receive it, but many don't want to return to where they once called home. Babylon, or some other town within the emerging Achaemenid Empire, had become their home. Some were now living in Persian-dominated territory. They already lived in the places where their children were born and their grandchildren lived. These places were home, not Jerusalem.

And yet God had set this in motion before the first exile left Judah. It is a struggle that we all sometimes have to suffer through. But our service to God is a responsibility. Christians are not the ones who chase after God's hands, always seeking gifts from him like a child greeting a traveling parent with words like "What have you brought for me this time?" We seek after his face; his presence is enough for us, and we live lives of responsibility to him. Some received the declaration from Cyrus and made the tough decision to become part of the remnant that would return and rebuild what was once Israel. They gave of themselves and what they had to support the project and the return home. They would give their sweat and treasure to rebuild the land of their ancestors because they believed that this was what God wanted from them.

As I struggled with this passage, the thought came to me that I am not a Christian because I am loved. Even though I know that if no one else loves me, God loves me, that does not define who I am. I am a Christian because I love; God's love travels through me to others.

A friend is always asking why Christians are so entitled and why we think we are perfect. My answer is always the same: that shouldn't be who we are. We are a people of responsibility. We love even when no one else seems to love. We serve even when no one else serves. We reflect the person of Jesus to those around us. This is who we are and what makes us Christian.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezra 3

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. – Daniel 12:2

Today's Scripture Reading (September 25, 2023): Daniel 12

Oscar Wilde commented, "We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell." It is a thought-provoking concept. We are the designers and builders of our own hell, at least the one through which we suffer in this life. And I do agree with Wilde. I think even we, as Christians, construct a hell here on earth so we have a place to go and suffer. And we find ourselves in these mini hells too often. But the real tragedy is that we have no reason to go there. Maybe we just have an inborn need to have a place to go to suffer.

The Hebrew Bible doesn't have an organized understanding of heaven and hell. But this is one of the most straightforward statements of the concept of eternal life found in the books of our Old Testament. Those who sleep in the dust will rise, and some will be raised to eternal life while others will be condemned to suffer in shame and everlasting contempt.

The first readers of this vision were suffering in exile. There might have even been an understanding, like we often have today, that they had suffered enough in their own self-created hells that there was no need for an everlasting one. But Daniel needs the people to understand that how they handle themselves in exile is essential to the life to come. We all suffer, sometimes because of the actions of others and other times in our self-imposed purgatories. But either way, what we go through here in this life is somewhat unconnected to what's to come. And Daniel wants us to understand that we can follow God regardless of what the circumstances might be around us.

I have no idea what "Hell" might be like. But my concept of hell is that it is a place utterly devoid of God and his love. And I don't think that we have any idea of how terrifying such a place might be. But for those of us who insist on going through life without him, we will be condemned by our own actions and choices to exist in eternity without him. And without God, there is no redemption or possible escape from our little hells, let alone one that Daniel says is our place of shame and everlasting contempt.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezra 1 and 2

His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. – Daniel 11:31

Today's Scripture Reading (September 24, 2023): Daniel 11

Antiochus IV Epiphanes was born in 215 B.C.E. He was the son of the Seleucid King, Antiochus III the Great. As was common practice then and the result of various treaties, the young prince Antiochus IV was surrendered to Rome as a political hostage to ensure peace between the Romans and the Greek Seleucid Empire. Antiochus III died on July 3, 187 B.C.E., and was succeeded by Seleucus IV Philopator, the brother of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. At that time, Antiochus Epiphanes was returned by Rome to Athens in exchange for Demetrius I Soter, the son and heir of Seleucis IV Philopator. Political intrigue continued in the Seleucid empire, and the King was assassinated. Because the King's rightful heir was a captive in Rome, Antiochus IV Epiphanes claimed the throne of the Seleucid Empire. Later, Antiochus IV had the young Demetrius assassinated, solidifying his claim to be the Seleucid Empire's King.

I know it is a long story, but Antiochus and how he came to the throne is important. It is at this moment that some believe the prophecies of Daniel could be explained. Antiochus Epiphanes has become one of the prime villains of the Jews. His ascension to the Seleucid Throne changed everything. Antiochus would stop the practice of the Seleucids from honoring the Jewish people and their religion. Until his reign, the Greeks were benevolent overseers of the nation, allowing the Jews to practice their religion without interference. But Antiochus Epiphanes ended that practice and set up the conditions which would facilitate the following Jewish rebellion. He started by forbidding many of the daily practices the Jews followed, an action that was foretold by Daniel, saying that he "will abolish the daily sacrifice." But then he began to sacrifice pigs at various places in the Temple, including the altar, and the stakes were raised by sprinkling the pig blood throughout the Temple. The significance of Antiochus IV's action was that pigs were unclean animals according to Jewish Law; therefore, their blood made the Temple unclean. But he didn't stop there. He also forced the High Priest and various other high-ranking Jews to eat the pig flesh, something that went against the Jewish food laws. The sacrifice of the pigs and the sprinkling of the blood throughout the Temple made Jewish worship there impossible. And ever since Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Great Swine he sacrificed at the Altar of the Temple, has been called the "abomination that causes desolation." It was the sacrifice that made the Temple area unclean. 

But is it? Is the "abomination that causes desolation" Antiochus Epiphanes's Great Swine? Was the Great Swine the reason why Daniel was written? It might surprise some to know that Jesus says no. Antiochus IV Epiphanes may fit the prophecy well, but Jesus makes this remark almost two centuries after the time of the Seleucid King.

"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again (Matthew 24:15-20).

The Abomination that causes Desolation is still in our future and will be much worse than the Great Swine sacrificed in the Temple. But the Abomination will arrive; the question is simply when it will finally appear.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 12

I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. – Daniel 10:7

Today's Scripture Reading (September 23, 2023): Daniel 10

One of my favorite shows as a kid was “The Hilarious House of Frightenstein.” The Canadian Children’s Show starred Billy Van in many roles but also starred Vincent Price, among several others. One of the Characters that appeared on the show was that of “The Librarian,” played by Billy Van. The Librarian would tell children’s stories like “Humpty Dumpty” or “Mary Had a Little Lamb” as if they were horror stories designed to scare young children (“Are you scared yet?”) and is mystified when his audience doesn’t seem to be disturbed by the stories he tells. Ah, but in the end, the act of reading is what is important, regardless of whether the story being read scares you.

When I was young, nothing seemed better than huddling around a fire outside at night and telling ghost stories. I still remember some of the stories that were told and have been passed around by generations around similar fires. Oh, maybe some updates have been included that were missing when the story was told a hundred years ago, but the main plot points remained the same, along with the intention of the story to scare people when there is really nothing of which to be frightened. It is another version of the Librarian all over again.

Daniel was in a state of mourning when he received this vision. The vision pertained to a great war. Daniel looked out over the landscape and saw what looked like a man standing on the banks of the Tigris River. But Daniel stresses that this was a vision that had been given to him. Those who were with him did not see the vision. The vision did not appear on the landscape in any communal way. It was a dream that had been given exclusively to him.

However, those who were with him were scared, even though they saw nothing, and went and hid. One biblical authority commented, "Of course they couldn’t see the vision if they were hiding from it.” But that misses the point. They weren’t children hiding from a scene they didn’t want to see. There was nothing to see, yet they were still terrified. They ran and hid but had no idea what it was from which they were hiding. For Daniel, this was proof of the validity of the vision; not that his friends saw what he saw, but they felt a terror in their chests that caused these adults to run and hide like children.

It was the scare of the Librarian or the campfire without the story because no story was needed, only the presence of something they couldn’t see or understand. The presence of this something was enough to send them running to places where they hoped they would not be found, but it also testified to the authenticity of Daniel’s vision.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 11

Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. – Daniel 9:7

Today's Scripture Reading (September 22, 2023): Daniel 9

Dolly Parton might have the best response I've heard to a dumb blonde joke. Yes, I have told my share of dumb blond jokes, even though some of the most intelligent people I know happen to be blond. Dolly's response to a dumb blond joke? "I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb - and I'm not blonde either." I like the response.

But Dolly is also speaking a truth that is true for all of us, and that truth is that we are all hiding something. What is that something? Well, that is none of your business. Dolly's response reminded me of a well-meaning lady who brought me a magazine article she wanted me to read to an evening Ash Wednesday Service several years ago. Ash Wednesday is a day that the Christian Church has set aside as a day when we recognize our mortality. On Ash Wednesday, we face death as a universal reality; in light of that mortality, we are encouraged to confess our sins to God. And on this night, I received an article that revealed what this lady believed was my sin. And it was a sin that I share with Dolly. The article was written by a Pastor who had realized that his habit of coloring his hair was a sin, one of which he needed to confess. Yes, there are things that I might try to hide, but coloring my hair is not one of them. In my twenties, I was cured of that sin when I attempted to join the "dumb blond" club with a home coloring kit but turned my hair red instead of the desired blond color. At the time, my contemporaries ruthlessly kidded me, and that was the last time I tried to color my hair.

To be blunt, I think there are many things that, as Christians, we need to confess to whomever it is that we trust and want to be accountable, but I am not sure whether or not we dye our hair really makes the list.

As Daniel continues his prayer, he comes to the place where we all should find ourselves. God, you are holy and righteous; we know we are not. Anything good that we have received we do not deserve. We understand that we have suffered because we have disobeyed you. And for that reason, we are covered with shame.

I am sure that the pastor who had felt convicted over the color of his hair had an important point, but sometimes I think these little things are a smoke screen so that we don't have to confess the sins that we really need to confess. So, my prayer continues to be, "Father, I know I have not loved when I should have loved. I have squandered our time on petty things instead of correcting what is important. Dad, I need your presence wherever we go, yet I leave you behind. In the days of Daniel, we were unfaithful. And we still haven't found our faithfulness. Forgive me, Lord, and help me to be faithful."

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 10

As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end." – Daniel 8:17

Today's Scripture Reading (September 21, 2023): Daniel 8

I love to talk to people about "End Times Theology," as long as I don't have to drink the Kool-Aid in the process. That might surprise some of my friends. I know that some people genuinely hate the "End Times" conversation. And that is okay, too. But I think the real problem is the talking heads on television who preach their guesses about the future as if they are reporting on events that have occurred that day. The result is a generation of people who genuinely believe that you can draw a straight line between the Bible's prophecies and today's events. But prophecy doesn't work that way. And so, all of my friends who have built up this kind of relationship between prophecy and the day's news are doomed to be frustrated.

Daniel sees a man, and that man speaks to the Angel Gabriel and tells the Gabriel to unwrap the mystery of the vision. In response, Gabriel begins with, "The vision concerns the time of the end." And that might not be all that much of a surprise. It is so clear to some that they have moved the words of the prophecy from being written in the later years of the sixth century B.C.E. to being written in the middle years of the second century B.C.E. The reason? The description is so close to the events that actually took place in the second century under the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes.

But that also introduces a problem. If this is about the end times, how could it be about Antiochus Epiphanes? Some have even argued that, according to these visions, Antiochus Epiphanes is the Antichrist. Maybe the existence of several characters in history who seem like they could have been the Antichrist is the basis for the Italian Theologian Joachim of Fiore (1130-1202 C.E.) to speculate that there are a series of Antichrists that lead up to the Great Antichrist of which the Bible speaks. For Joachim, these Antichrists would have included Antiochus Epiphanes, Nero, Muhammad, and even Joachim's contemporary, the Islamic general Saladin.

What we need to understand from this passage is that this prophecy concerns the end of all things. It is what God wanted Daniel, and by extension, us, to understand. And prophecy is shrouded with mystery, but at the same time, when the prophecy takes place, well then, we will understand.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 9

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. – Daniel 7:1

Today's Scripture Reading (September 20, 2023): Daniel 7

Roy Jenkins penned his acclaimed biography of Winston Churchill in 2001. Jenkins closes his biography by comparing him favorably with W. E. Gladstone, a British politician who served as Prime Minister for twelve years in four non-consecutive terms. And then Jenkins says this:

I now put Churchill, with all his idiosyncrasies, his indulgences, his occasional childishness, but also his genius, his tenacity and his persistent ability, right or wrong, successful or unsuccessful, to be larger than life, as the greatest human being ever to occupy 10 Downing Street.

There is no doubt that Winston Churchill was a complex person, and sometimes he was hard to understand. But he also seemed to be a person who was created to meet his time in history, and that time was the Second World War. Everything he had gone through in life seemed to prepare him for his moment: his war. During World War II, there is no doubt that the United Kingdom and the Western World needed his leadership. But it is also true that we struggled with what to do with him outside of the war years. And when we study Winston Churchill, we not only need to know the various events of his life that shaped him, but we also need to understand his philosophies and what he believed to be true.

That is true of all of us. The events of our lives are essential, but so are our beliefs. To understand the whole person, we need to know the events of their lives and the things they believed or learned while on their journey.

The biblical Book of Daniel could be divided into two books. The first six chapters tell of the events of Daniel's life. Here, we learn about what Daniel did, starting with the choices he made when he was first brought to Babylon as a teenager and continuing through his adventure in the lion's den when he was older. It is the story of what Daniel did. But the last six chapters tell us of four visions that Daniel received. The first one he received in the first year of Belshazzar. As previously discussed, Belshazzar is a bit of a problem because he never was king unless he co-reigned with his father, Nabonidus. But even with a lack of specificity about when the first year of Belshazzar might have been, we can date this vision to between chapters four and five of Daniel.

Daniel says that in this first vision, he wrote the substance of the vision. Daniel could have given us more detail, but the Holy Spirit had forbidden that report. So, in his first vision, he provides us with an overview of the vision's impact on Daniel. We may wish we had a more detailed report, but this is what God wanted us to have.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 8

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom. – Daniel 6:1

Today's Scripture Reading (September 19, 2023): Daniel 6

The Bible presents us with several mysteries, and the identity of Darius the Mede is one of them. Darius is one of the reasons why some scholars question the historicity of the Book of Daniel, often preferring to label it political fiction. Yes, Daniel existed, but the stories we know about him today are seen by these experts as exploits that have been made up to counter or speak to the problems that existed in the second Century B.C.E. Why is Darius problematic? Because we don't know of a Darius that lived during this period. The King that followed Belshazzar, the prince of Babylon, was Cyrus, not Darius. And most seem to believe that Daniel likely died in Persia during the reign of Cyrus.

All of this leaves us with a problem: who exactly is Darius? Several solutions have been suggested. The first is that Darius was a local name that Cyrus used, so it is Cyrus of which this passage speaks. The problem is that we have absolutely no proof of that. But just because we can't prove it from our historical position doesn't mean it isn't true. The same arguments hold for Cambyses II, the son of Cyrus, and Gubaru, a general in the employ of Cyrus, who defeated Babylon for Cyrus. Cyrus gave Gubaru leadership over Babylon with far-reaching powers in that portion of his empire. However, it is the latter that seems to have captured the imaginations of historical scholars. If there is a leading candidate for Darius the Mede, Gubaru might be the most logical choice.

But there is one other possibility. Is it possible that Daniel lived longer than we think he did and survived into the reign of Darius the Great? Darius the Great's reign over the empire began on September 29, 522 B.C.E. But that is only seventeen years after Cyrus defeated the Babylonians and took over that portion of the kingdom, which would have included Judah and Israel. Possible? Sure. And if Darius the Great is the identity of Darius the Mede, then Daniel skipped over the reigns of Cyrus, Cambyses II, and Bardiya to tell the story of Daniel in the Den of Lions during the time of Darius the Mede.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 7

While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. – Daniel 5:2

Today's Scripture Reading (September 18, 2023): Daniel 5

Perkin Warbeck was born in 1474 C.E. Perkin was the son of Jehan de Werbecque and Katherine de Faro, although if you could have a conversation with him, that is not the story he would tell you. When he was about sixteen years old, Perkin began to say that he was the son of King Edward IV of England and his Queen, Elizabeth Woodville. Warbeck also changed his name; Perkin Warbeck was placed in the background, and the young man began claiming he was Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. The significance of the claim was that Richard of Shrewsbury was the younger brother of King Edward V. And if King Edward was dead, which was widely believed, then the throne belonged to Richard of Shrewsbury. Edward and Richard were the "Princes in the Tower," the two sons of King Edward IV. Enough people believed that Perkin really was Richard to allow him to make a couple of attempts to take the throne of England. But both failed. The reality is that, despite there being no evidence of either of the boys after their disappearance, both boys were most likely murdered by their Uncle, Richard III, who became King in their place. How long they lived in the Tower of London before their deaths is unknown, only that the two boys were never seen again.

Eventually, the charade fell through, and Perkin Warbeck was arrested and placed in the Tower of London, where the child he had pretended to be had died. After a few attempts to escape, Perkin Warbeck was hung for pretending to be Richard of Shrewsbury and trying to steal the throne from the current occupant, Henry VII of England.

The story of Belshazzar has several problems attached to it that historians have struggled to solve. Some simply believe this story to be a work of religious fiction written in the second century B.C.E., almost four hundred years after the events of the story it attempts to tell. The first significant issue contained within the tale was that Belshazzar was never King of Babylon. His father was the last king of Babylon. Some have wondered if maybe Belshazzar shared the throne with his father for a time, a common practice during this era. In fact, many of the Kings of Judah began their time on the throne by sharing it with their fathers.

But this brings us to the second major problem. Belshazzar's father was not Nebuchadnezzar; it was Nabonidus. Nabonidus's origins are highly obscured by mystery, but it is believed that he was not closely related to the House of Nebuchadnezzar. Nabonidus says of his origins,

            I am Nabonidus, the only son,

who has nobody. In my mind there

was no thought of kingship.

Nabonidus and his son have a bit of a rocky relationship, but it was Nabonidus who was the last King of Babylon, not Belshazzar. Maybe Belshazzar could be considered a Pretender, even though he was the Crown Prince of Babylon. But he would never be the King he wanted to be, regardless of how hard he tried to be that King.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 6

To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. – Isaiah 54:9

Today's Scripture Reading (September 17, 2023): Isaiah 54

What does it mean when we promise to change our ways and not do something again? Does it mean that we will stop pursuing a particular goal, or is it just that we are willing to find another path to the goal? I love sports, and in sports, the goal is to win. And, occasionally, someone is caught doing something illegal in pursuit of that goal. For some, it might be taking performance-enhancing drugs to excel at the sport. Or maybe it is a coach willing to pay players to come to his university and play for the team. When these people are caught, they often commit that if they are allowed to return to the sport, they will refrain from the behavior that got them in trouble in the first place.

But what does that mean? Because the goal has not changed, they still want to win. Some who have used performance-enhancing drugs refrain from that drug but find the temptation of another drug, which is still illegal but maybe harder to detect in the user, too much to resist. I know of one coach who stopped paying players to come to his university. However, he began spending money on their mothers instead, hoping that mom might influence their kids to go to his university, an action still prohibited under College Sports Recruiting rules. Some offenders keep up their behavior and hope they won't get caught again.

God speaks to Israel as they live in their exile. And God makes this statement, "In the days of Noah, I committed that I would never destroy the world with a flood again. But that doesn't mean I am looking for another way to destroy the world. The day isn't coming when I will destroy the world with fire (which is good news for those of us who have suffered through a record-setting fire season). My commitment to never destroy the world with a flood is a commitment I will allow my anger to pass. And that is good news for my people living in exile because it means my anger will pass, and I will restore you."

It was a promise that Israel needed to hear. God would restore Israel. It was a commitment that other prophets had made, but Isaiah adds his voice here. This is not the way that Israel ends. God is not looking for another way to destroy the world. He won't do it. That doesn't mean we won't have hard times, and Israel was going through one of those periods of struggle as Isaiah spoke the words. But this time would end. God had promised it to Noah, and the promise still stood, and that was a commitment in which the Israelites could have faith.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 5

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 53:6

Today's Scripture Reading (September 16, 2023): Isaiah 53

Former President Dwight Eisenhower commented, "The search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions." One reason is that the search for a scapegoat isn't a search for guilt; it is a search for someone on whom the blame can be placed. Since a scapegoat doesn't have to be guilty, just someone on whom a plausible charge can be laid, it is easier to find someone who fits the bill. Anyone is a possible charge, especially if it takes the focus off of the real guilty party. It is an activity that modern-day politics has perfected. And often, the guilt they are trying to cover is their own.

But politicians aren't the only ones who hunt for the elusive scapegoat. It is an area that we struggle with throughout our society. I have had enough tense private conversations with people who wanted nothing more than to lay blame somewhere other than with themselves, where the guilt belonged. It is not my fault; it is his fault or their fault. It's the fault of the government, the church, or some other organization. It's the Muslims or the LGBTQ community; whatever might be wrong, it is their fault.

When speaking to people in crisis, they are often not listening to me. But, if they were listening, they might hear me tell them there is no healing until we get to the place where we can say this is my fault. I do not believe that we need to go into detail with each other about the ways that it is our fault unless we are genuinely coming to that recognition, but true healing comes out of an admission, not that "you" are to blame, but that "I" am to blame. Trust me, it is a hard lesson to learn.

I have had a few conversations with friends about the idea that when everything goes right, it is because of God, and when everything goes wrong, it is because of me. And I have to admit that I do believe that, to a degree. When things go right, it is because of Christ in me. When everything is correct, I understand Paul's words from my heart. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20). But I also recognize that the one who lives in me is also the one who was rejected, and so sometimes, if I am following him, I will feel that rejection. And deep down, I will have to lean on the fact that the Servant I serve will understand. The Servant I serve will know my sorrow.

The central message of this Servant Song is this: when I reach that point of understanding that I am to blame, that there is no scapegoat at which I need to point, the Father comes and lifts that blame off of my shoulders and places it onto the shoulders of the Servant. Because we all, like stupid sheep, have gone astray. We have gotten lost, but the Servant, or the Shepherd, is still looking for us and won't give up on us.

He took my blame. He took your blame, too. This is the significance of Christ. Jesus did not come like Moses and free us from physical slavery. He did not come with the military genius of a David and raise us to live as conquerors. Because we are more than conquerors, and Christ came to release us from our guilt and shame, to love us when we didn't believe that we were worthy of being loved, and to give us great expectations for a future.

"No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:37-39).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 54

Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor, Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again. Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, Daughter Zion, now a captive. – Isaiah 52:1-2

Today's Scripture Reading (September 15, 2023): Isaiah 52

A few years ago, a Twitter (now X) acquaintance had a nickname for me; he called me "The Per Verse Pastor." Say that quickly, and it doesn't sound good. But I understood his complaint, and I have admitted that to him. His objection was that I handle the Bible one (or sometimes two or even three) verses at a time. But the problem is that the Bible wasn't written that way. In fact, the verse numbers and chapter breaks are not part of the original document. They were added later, and sometimes, we really don't understand why they are inserted where they are.

Maybe a good case in point is this chapter of Isaiah. The reality is that verses 1-12 of this chapter really should be added to the previous chapter of Isaiah. And verses 13-15 are an excellent introduction to Isaiah 53. The result is a chapter that maybe shouldn't exist, yet it does for some unknown reason.

But the problem is much deeper than that. I go verse by verse more out of convenience than for any other reason. But even then, I often recognize that I must go beyond the scripture passage under examination to get to the passage's true meaning. And that is true in these two verses. We can't make proper sense of this passage without looking back at what the prophet wrote in Isaiah 47.

"Go down, sit in the dust,
    Virgin Daughter Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
    queen city of the Babylonians.
No more will you be called
    tender or delicate.
Take millstones and grind flour;
    take off your veil.
Lift up your skirts, bare your legs,
    and wade through the streams.
Your nakedness will be exposed
    and your shame uncovered.
I will take vengeance;
    I will spare no one" (Isaiah 47:1-3)

The parallels between the two passages are significant. While the prophet speaks of Babylon's nakedness, Jerusalem is clothed in splendor. While Babylon sits in the dust, Jerusalem is instructed to shake the dust off. While Babylon sits on the ground, Jerusalem assumes her position on a throne. Zion might now be a captive and Babylon the master, but the time is coming when everything will change.

Of course, this is a Jerusalem we have not seen yet. It is a spiritual Jerusalem or New Jerusalem. It is a version of the Holy City that we don't know, but one day, we will.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53