four cubits and a span: apocalyptic

Browsing Category " apocalyptic "

eschaton (2019/11/03)

apocalyptic, eschatology, podcast, prophecy

Just one passage this week, as I've been busy working with the writer of a new blog series, One Woman's Journey: A Call to Reflect, which I'm really excited to host here on the four cubits and a span blog. If you haven't read part 1 yet, you should definitely go and read it right now. On the podcast this week, we're looking at the final chapter of Daniel, and the Second Temple-era revelation of personal resurrection.

Don't forget, you can now register for the Living Faith Study Day 2019 on EventBrite! It's a gathering for those exploring their relationship to faith, the Bible, and community. There'll be four thought-provoking topics packaged in short talks, with ample time for questions and discussion. I'll be giving one of those talks, "Christian Ethics and Social Justice: The Gospel of the Human Jesus". It's going to be a great day for building faith, and for taking the Bible seriously - both in its ancient context, and in the present day.

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ethics and self-awareness (2019/06/02)

apocalyptic, conquest, divine violence, eschatology, gospel, history, podcast, prophecy, racial justice, reception history, second temple judaism

This week's episode opens up a conversation about the ethical implications of divinely-mandated violence and genocide in the conquest narrative in Joshua, and the real world danger of a superficial, white European reading of the text.

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message, myth, and truth (2018/12/24)

apocalyptic, history, Jessica Miller, podcast, priesthood, prophecy, second temple judaism, wisdom

And we're back, with thanks to my friend Jessica for being the podcast's first live-in-person co-host! This week we go to Job, Malachi, and Revelation to talk about biblical literature, history, mythical creatures, and the end of the world.

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life and taxes (2018/11/18)

apocalyptic, christian life, lament, law, podcast, prophecy, social justice

This week, Nehemiah brings some prophetic fire to his governorship of Jerusalem, as he literally lays down The Law on the ruling class. Hope for a better future infuses all three passages for this Sunday, via lament (in Joel) and peace (in 1 Thessalonians).

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confidence and redemption (2018/07/01)

apocalyptic, gospel, monarchy, podcast, prophecy, social justice, text

What's going on with King Saul, and what's going on with the text of the book(s) of Samuel? And could Isaiah be any more inspiring, or any more foundational for the message of Revelation? (TL;DL: nobody knows, weird stuff, no, and no, respectively.)

rebirth and reiteration: out-takes

apocalyptic, out-takes

Another 'anchor point' of the Revelation narrative is the release of destructive forces from an abyss by an agent of God bearing a key. Here's one possible way of reading this bit of narrative in the context of the wider apocalyptic story of the book.

rebirth and reiteration (2018/06/24)

apocalyptic, history, podcast, prophecy

The Bible Companion drops an enormous chunk of Revelation on us this week, almost as though it just wants the Apocalypse to be over. So, there's a double-length NT segment this week as we get stuck in to the narrative and its dual contexts: the Hebrew Bible prophets, and the letters to seven early Christian churches that open the book.

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history and commentary (2018/05/20)

apocalyptic, conquest, history, law, monarchy, podcast, prophecy, text

In the first of two weeks tackling one of the most difficult issues in the Hebrew Bible, we dive into the Canaanite genocide narratives in Joshua. Beginning with Jericho, we look at the historical and ideological background of the text and try to figure out where God is in this narrative. Isaiah 10 features Jerusalem unbowed, unbroken, and triumphant over Assyria; and in 2 Thessalonians there's a text critical issue to examine.

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