He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.' – Daniel 7:23

Today's Scripture Reading (November 5, 2026): Daniel 7

On August 6, 1945, a uranium gun-type fission bomb was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb, a plutonium implosion-type fission bomb, was detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Most people don't realize the two bombs had subtle but real differences in how they were built. We simply think of them under the general title of "Nuclear Weapons." The reason is that, although the weapons differed, both were unlike any weapon ever used and shared more similarities with each other than with any other historical weapon. They were a new kind of bomb and a new way to destroy the enemy.

August 6 and 9, 1945, are the only times in the history of the world that weapons such as these have ever been used. At the time, the use of these weapons was seen as the only viable way to defeat Japan and end the war in the Pacific without a long, drawn-out fight that would kill millions of people on both sides. The island nation was well protected by nature, and the casualties from a traditional military assault on the nation would have been too high to consider. Yet, with Germany and Italy defeated in Europe, only Japan remained to fight the United States and its allies. The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought Japan to the negotiating table in an effort to sue for peace, something they were reluctant to do before Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the official date of the surrender of Japan to the Allied forces is September 2, 1945, the Japanese actually surrendered unconditionally on August 14, 2014, only five days after the bombing of Nagasaki.

The moral question about the use of nuclear weapons in Japan has been asked ever since the bombs were dropped, and we seem no closer to an answer. Hiroshima is regarded as a city of peace today, and its mayor serves on a council of mayors dedicated to eliminating the world's nuclear arsenal.

Many theories have abounded as to the identity of the nation Daniel describes in this chapter. This strange description of a nation with ten horns has led to many interpretations. But the key is that this nation would head an empire unlike any seen before. This kingdom would be different and far more powerful than any that came before it. This Empire would be as different from the nations that went before as the bombs used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were different from the bombs used in Japan in the weeks leading up to the August attack. This Empire would be different and much more destructive.

Some empires that have been suggested as fulfilling this prophecy include the Roman Empire, the Turkish Empire, and even the European Union. Of these possibilities, I favor the theory that the fourth beast was the Roman Empire, especially after the fourth century, because after that time Rome came under the control of the Christian Church and its hatreds and fears. Rome then began to crush its enemies, not just physically but also spiritually and morally. Let me make this clear: this was not our finest hour. We (the Christian Church) did things we should never have done, and we were involved in things in which we should never have been involved. We forgot we needed to follow Christ, and in doing so, we became like an anti-Christ.

Daniel's prophecy contains a warning. The warning is this: whenever we crush others, no matter who they are, we are not fulfilling God's will. We resemble the fourth beast in Daniel's prophecy and become not like Christ but an anti-Christ.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 8

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. – Daniel 6:19

Today's Scripture Reading (November 4, 2026): Daniel 6

George III (1738-1820) ascended the English throne on October 25, 1760. In his accession speech to the English Parliament, which was actually written by lawyer and politician Phillip Yorke, the first Lord of Hardwicke, George inserted a phrase he had written himself, and it is unclear whether it was ever approved by those who advised the king. The phrase was "born and educated in this country, I glory in the name of Britain." It was meant to announce that, unlike the other Hanoverian kings before George, who were often accused of being more German than British, George was a product of Britain. In fact, George III was the first Hanoverian king to live his entire life in Britain; he had never even been to Hanover, an area on the European mainland that is now part of Germany. George was also the first Hanoverian king who spoke English as his native language. This new kind of sovereign is the image George hoped the people would see: a new kind of king and a real British Monarch.

However, we remember George not for what he said but for what he did. In North America, we remember George III as the king whose tyranny sparked the American War of Independence. He wanted to interfere with the colonies to raise more money for himself. Maybe, if we are honest, we know it is terribly unfair to sum up a person's life based on a one-sided perception of an event.

George III also defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. What impressed people during Britain's war with Napoleon and France was that he was personally ready to defend his nation. George went down to review the troops defending the Island. Newspapers reported that if the French army stepped onto British soil, George was ready to fight for his country at the head of the British forces. His supplies were packed, and according to the newspapers, George was never more than half an hour from the fight. He was a king who wouldn't send someone else to do what he didn't want to do. He would be there. In his prime, George is seen as a real British king, not because of what he said, but because of what he did.

One subplot in the tale of "Daniel and the Lion's Den" concerns the role of King Darius. Throughout Daniel's career in Babylon, he was an honored leader. When Babylon fell, it would have been normal for the leaders of the defeated Empire to be, at the very least, removed from office, if not killed, by the conquering Empire, in this case, the Medes and Persians. Daniel's story took a different turn. Now Daniel had risen again, this time under the leadership of the Median Empire. His role in the Empire was so great that Darius was personally invested in Daniel's life. Darius had been tricked into issuing a decree that put Daniel's life at risk; the king spent a sleepless night worrying about Daniel, and now he rushes to be with him. We know that the king was an older man. As king, it would have been quite proper for him to send someone else in his stead. But the king refuses to do that. He leaves the comforts of his palace and, in what was probably both an undignified and a humorous scene, hurries to the lion's den to see what happened during the night. This act would define both the king's reign and Daniel's life.

Words are nice, but our actions often carry the real message. If we want to know who we are, whether we are King Darius of the Median-Persian Empire, King George of Britain, or the person down the street, the question that needs to be asked is never what we said; it is always what we did?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 7

Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. – Daniel 5:29

Today's Scripture Reading (November 3, 2026): Daniel 5

Abraham Lincoln is thought to have said, regarding the public opinion that surrounded his political career, that

If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how — the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what's said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. (Abraham Lincoln)

The journalist Henry J. Raymond attributed the quote to Lincoln shortly after the President was assassinated in 1865. The quote highlights what might be one of the Civil War President's most important character traits (after his honesty): his commitment to doing his best. At every step of the way, Lincoln did what he believed was best. But the best was not always easy. There is no indication that Lincoln wanted to be the President who would lead the nation through a Civil War. However, Lincoln could not conceive of a nation that could exist as both slave and free. Lincoln was convinced that slavery was wrong and that, if he were going to do his best, he would have to stand against it. No matter what public opinion thought of his actions, he could only do his best.

Lincoln's desire to give everything he had to the presidency is one reason he is consistently ranked among the top three Presidents of the United States, despite having extremely low approval ratings during his presidency (disapproval of his policies in the South contributed to those low ratings). Still, even when he was wrong, he tried his best.

That is what makes Belshazzar's story so tragic. Belshazzar's claim to fame is presiding over the Babylonian Empire's demise. History tells the story of a king who partied as his enemies entered the city. The enemy met little to no resistance when they entered Babylon because Belshazzar wasn't doing his duty. From a historical perspective, what is even worse is that he knew the Medes were coming; his scouts had already informed him of their presence in the empire and their approach to the city. Yet Belshazzar did nothing.

Biblically, we have what is almost an absurd image. While the royal party raged, the king was frightened by a vision, a literal instance of seeing the writing on the wall. Daniel comes and interprets the writing. The news isn't good; the enemy is coming (which Belshazzar already knew), but still Belshazzar makes no move. The Babylonian king does nothing; there seems to be no "best" in Belshazzar. Instead, he honors Daniel, raising him to the rank of the kingdom's third-highest ruler, and then he continues the party, waiting for his death.

For a time, the reason Daniel was made the third-highest ruler in the kingdom was a mystery. But the mystery has been solved. Daniel was elevated to third-highest ruler because Belshazzar appears to have been the second-highest ruler. The ultimate ruler, Belshazzar's father, King Nabonidus, was still alive, so Belshazzar was the crowned prince of Babylon and the empire's second-highest authority. In fact, Nabonidus was doing his best in battle and sent his son a message that the Persians were coming so his son could act, either fight or flee. But instead of doing his best, Belshazzar decided to party – and die. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 6

For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. – Isaiah 54:7

Today's Scripture Reading (November 2, 2026): Isaiah 54

I remember standing outside the door of one of my children's rooms, listening to the sobs on the other side. They were being punished for bad behavior, but in those moments, it felt like I was being punished too. Sometimes, as parents, we have to do the things we don't want to do. To be honest, that is probably the part of being an adult we like least. We recognize that saying no and listening to the crying are part of parenting, even if we don't like playing the bad guy.

Isaiah again seems to return to the circumstances surrounding the Babylonian exile of Judah as he writes these words. It is doubtful that the verse means exactly what we read in our English Bibles. This passage probably should be interpreted the way we should interpret Jesus' words from the Cross: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me" (Matthew 27:46)? I believe we are committing an error if we allow ourselves to see Jesus as truly forsaken by God on the Cross. Jesus was fully human and fully God, and in that moment his human side could not feel God's love. Sometimes, in our own lives, we can know God's love intellectually but, because of the pain we are in, we cannot feel that same love emotionally. And whether we want to admit it or not, we are emotional beings. In that moment on the Cross, Jesus could not feel God's love; therefore, the sentiment he expressed was true only to the extent of how he felt.

Similarly, Isaiah is speaking to the outcasts of Judah. He says that "for a brief moment I allowed you to feel like I had abandoned you, for a brief moment I allowed you to believe the unbelievable, that I had left you to fend off the world with your strategies, but the truth is that I was standing outside the door the whole time." And when the moment has passed, I will open the door with great compassion and invite you back into my purpose.

For Israel, this period of feigned abandonment by God would produce a change in character, exactly what any good parent hopes for during punishment. We hope this time alone would help the child grow into a better person. For seventy years, God would leave Israel in Babylon, but after those seventy years, God's compassion would compel him to open the door and bring Judah home.

We all go through times of pain when it feels as if God is far away. Yet that is only our emotional understanding. The truth is that he has never been far away. He is listening just outside the door, and at any moment his compassion will compel him to rush in and bring us home.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 5

By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. – Isaiah 53:8

Today's Scripture Reading (November 1, 2026): Isaiah 53

I recently read a bit about the church's history with slavery. What amazed me was that the universal church really did not take a stand on the issue of slavery until very late in the process. Part of the history included a story about two pastors from the same denomination, men who would have had to stand on the same platform at any of the denomination's major functions. On the surface, the two men were friends, but a deep divide separated them. One of the pastors was a slave owner, while the other was an abolitionist. In the book, these two men are held up as an ideal of how people of good character can form a friendship despite significant differences.

However, as I read the story, I began to see something different. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that slavery is wrong. There is also no doubt in my mind that the church did not take a stand against slavery as early as it should have. Our story has been the story of the abolitionist pastor standing on the platform with the slave owner, neither one able to push the issue and say that the other was wrong. The only way I can imagine this relationship working is if both pastors put away their personal beliefs about slavery. In some areas of life and belief, that is indeed laudable. However, we deserve to be chastised for not standing up against the evils of this world, even when they come disguised as religious belief. According to the Bible, we are called to act whenever someone is oppressed. We stand for those who can't.

For the most part, the Bible is God's instructions to the world's oppressed. This message about the oppressed may be why the affluent sometimes struggle to understand the Bible. If there is one constant, it seems to be that God stands with the oppressed and with those who are judged. I realize that often the oppression and judgment of policies in the past seem to be clearer to us than any current oppression. Still, we need to work to recognize oppression in our current beliefs. We need to stand up for those who suffer under judgment in our world, wherever we find them.

Isaiah describes the Suffering Servant, whom the Christian Church recognizes as Jesus, as being carried away by both oppression and judgment. Yet no one in his generation stood up to defend him. For Isaiah, this seems to be the greatest sin: refusing to care for those who need someone to stand in their stead, even if that means entering uncomfortable territory. For Isaiah's Suffering Servant, this oppression and his generation's inaction meant he would be separated from life. What made this even worse was that the Suffering Servant was being judged for sins that were not his own. The sins he suffered for belonged to the people who were willing to stand by and let him die.

Oppression is a constant in our world. But the church's reality is that we need to stand against oppression, wherever it is found, and against the oppressor, regardless of whether they are like us or not. We also need to repent for the people we oppress, so we might be considered part of the Kingdom of God movement.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 54

See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. – Isaiah 52:13

Today's Scripture Reading (October 31, 2026): Isaiah 52

On November 11, 1843, Danish poet and author Hans Christian Anderson first published his fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling. The tale is a barnyard story about a misfit bird who is unlike the other birds. Because of the differences between this bird and all of the other birds, the misfit is abused by the other animals in the barnyard. In the story, the bird is chased from the barnyard and decides to live with the wild ducks and geese. However, even here in the forest, the torment that started in the barnyard continued. So, the Ugly Duckling moves on to find a home with an older woman, but her cat and hen continue the merciless teasing. So, once more, the duckling leaves. The duckling encounters a migrating flock of swans and is impressed by their beauty and majesty, but he is too small and too young to fly with them, so he wanders off again. A farmer finally finds the duckling cold and dying and brings it home, but the children are noisy, and the duckling is easily frightened, so he runs away again. That winter is miserable for the duckling, but he survives on what he can find to eat and hides in a cave for most of it. When spring arrives once more, he is confronted by the returning flock of swans. Lonely and tired, the duckling decides to join the swans, thinking it would be better to be killed by such beautiful birds than to spend the rest of his days alone. However, to his surprise, the swans do not kill him; instead, they accept him into their group without question. The duckling is bewildered until he sees his reflection in the pond and realizes he has grown into a beautiful swan. The story is often used to encourage children who are teased by their peers as a reminder that there is something special in them as well. Each of us harbors a swan inside, waiting to be released.

This verse starts a new prophecy for Isaiah. We know it as the "Suffering Servant" passage. Composed about 500 years before Christ's birth, it has been almost universally accepted as telling the story of Jesus. The passage talks about Jesus being beaten and mocked. It describes Jesus's humility; nothing in his appearance commended him to us. The "Suffering Servant" begins with this reminder: the Suffering Servant would do all that was asked of him, and in the end, he would not just be lifted up, but highly exalted. The one we could, for a while, find no beauty in would one day be the most beautiful sight the world could imagine.

The baby, born in a manger and born to die for the sins of the world, will one day be placed back on the throne of heaven to reign over all creation. In the end, the Bible says Jesus's story is the real tale of the Ugly Duckling, the Savior of the world who became like us and was abused by us, all to save us. And that is the real mystery of the incarnation and Christian life.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53

I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? – Isaiah 51:12

Today's Scripture Reading (October 30, 2026): Isaiah 51

Kings and empires die. It is simply a fact of life. I have to admit, sometimes I wonder why kings don't ask themselves one simple question: How will I be remembered when I am gone? What lasting legacy will I leave my people and my family, the ones who carry my name? But instead of asking that question, the more common one seems to be: How do I get what I want out of this life? And it is not just emperors asking; that is the question on our lips as well.

I admit that I have done things in my lifetime that have hurt my legacy. Even I am not immune to the temptation to simply want what I want. Sometimes, as Christians, we need reminders that the beginnings of our faith were humble: a baby born in a manger and a people called by God to serve the culture in which they lived. In the beginning, Christianity was anti-empire; it had no means to gain power and no ambition to do so. Christians were aliens, strangers in a strange land. Christians were persecuted, but that did not seem to change their outlook; after all, their founder had been executed on a cross. For Aristotle, dying in battle to defend the king and empire was the greatest example of courage and honor. For the early Christian, to die in non-violent service to Christ the King, to be executed because of Jesus's message, was the path of real courage and honor. In the early days of our faith, many Christians died that way. However, when Constantine rose to become Emperor of the Roman Empire, all of that changed. Strangers living in a strange land became chosen and honored residents, and, in a strange twist of history, the persecuted became the persecutors. In that moment, we lost the legacy we were meant to carry (and many would argue we lost our souls, too). Almost 1700 years after Constantine, the Christian church has never regained the legacy we lost in the early moments of the fourth century.

That might be why Jesus was born in a manger rather than in a warm room in the inn: to remind us of the legacy we were meant to carry. We are still aliens, strangers in a strange land. We were never meant to be lawmakers; we follow the law of Christ, which makes us servants to those around us. We are salt and light, members of the anti-empire, or anti-kingdom, a countercultural force standing against this world's darkness. We recognize that only our God is permanent. Kings and empires will always rise and fall (as much as some of us don't want to believe it; that includes the Christian Empire, which rose in the fourth century and has been slowly diminishing for the last few generations). All the things of man are like grass; they are here today and gone tomorrow. But Christ, born in a manger, executed on a cross, and rising again on the third day, is the only piece of permanence we have. And if he is for us, "then who can be against us" (Romans 8:31)?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 52