A quick reference guide, with my last 49 (7×7) posts listed and accessible.
Braggart
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Growing up, I occasionally heard and eventually internalized a mom-ism about appropriate humility: “Don’t toot your own horn.” Classmates would put it more tersely: “Don’t brag.” I learned that scripture says the same thing and even provides a few stories featuring obnoxious braggarts. These stories … Continue reading Braggart
What is the Kingdom of God?
Tuesday, April 19, 2022 A few days ago a friend of mine emailed to ask me what exactly the Kingdom of God is. My friend’s question shows his familiarity with the first three books of the New Testament (also known as the Synoptic Gospels), because Jesus constantly talks about … Continue reading What is the Kingdom of God?
Risen Indeed
Saturday, April 16, 2022 What time is it? What day is it? What does the future hold for us? Does anyone know what the future holds? What can we actually know? Whose claims about the future should we accept? Which voices should we heed? As for the future … Continue reading Risen Indeed
Courtesy of Constantine
Monday, April 11th, 2022 Subtitle: Constantine, Constantine, and Two of the Four Greatest Bible Manuscripts Categorize this under ’tis strange and yet true. Curiously, one name keeps popping to the surface as I research the history of the B-I-B-L-E: Constantine. If you wonder if I am referring to the … Continue reading Courtesy of Constantine
Israel’s Relevance or Irrelevance
Saturday, April 2, 2022 Is Israel currently relevant or irrelevant? Some time ago, I had a conversation with someone in a position of ecclesiastical authority (read: a pastor) about the relevance of Israel. He was challenging the notion of Israel’s current redemptive and prophetic relevance. His basic argument (if … Continue reading Israel’s Relevance or Irrelevance
A Biblical Umbilical Connection
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 When we as believers turn to God in prayer, we are like the one “lucky” lottery-selected priest who would enter the tabernacle or the temple of God twice a day to offer smoky, fragrant incense before the veil of the Holy of Holies. In fact, … Continue reading A Biblical Umbilical Connection
The Demise of Milady Babylon
Friday, March 11, 2022 Milady Babylon’s days are numbered. Some will say that Milady Babylon’s days are long past, that yes, certainly, her days were once numbered; but those days have long since expired. They would contend that Milady Babylon is already deceased and that she has already passed … Continue reading The Demise of Milady Babylon
Are You Distracted from the Battle by the War?
Thursday, March 10, 2022 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12 – New International Version Many people are preoccupied with the wrong war, … Continue reading Are You Distracted from the Battle by the War?
Paul’s Prayer for the Philippians
Wednesday, March 9, 2022 And this is my prayer [for y’all]: that your love (ἀγάπη) may abound more and more, with knowledge and discernment, so that y’all may approve what is superior, and so y’all may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit … Continue reading Paul’s Prayer for the Philippians
Support Staff
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 Have you ever heard about the time the vagabond tribes of Israel went to battle against the Amalekites? For some curious reason it was crucially important for Moses to continuously hold up his wooden staff (“the staff of God”) during the battle. If his arms … Continue reading Support Staff
City of Kyiv, Official Flag
Tuesday, March 1, 2022 On a hunch, I went online to find out what the name Kyiv means in Ukrainian. It is named for someone named Kyi, one of its founders, whether legendary or historical. More interesting to me, though, was the emblem on Kyiv’s official flag. It depicts … Continue reading City of Kyiv, Official Flag
The Quotable Solzhenitsyn
Monday, February 28, 2022 Weeks before the current war between Russia and Ukraine began, I started reading Alexandr Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago. Now, with the most recent Russian belligerance (courtesy of Vladimir Putin), the book has proven to be very, very timely. Although it harkens back about fifty plus … Continue reading The Quotable Solzhenitsyn
Four Words
Sunday, February 27, 2022 The first four words of Isaiah 43:10 are etched in white capital letters into the black tile walls of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: YOU ARE MY WITNESSES. And, lest you have any doubt that the reference is indeed to that passage of scripture, … Continue reading Four Words
Ears or Body?
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 Body or ears? Ears or body? Just the ears or the whole body? Originally, did the verse say body? Or did the verse originally say ears? When first written, did the author write body or ears? That is today’s contentious theological question. What did the … Continue reading Ears or Body?
A Reading Recommendation
Saturday, February 19, 2022 If you could assign and compel all your friends to read one hundred books, which books would make your list of required reading? One book I would very seriously consider including on my list is the abridged version of The Gulag Archipelago, by the Russian … Continue reading A Reading Recommendation
Ruth: History or Allegory?
Thursday, February 17, 2022 Is this biblical book allegory, or is it history? Since the two major characters in the Book of Ruth seem to resemble and perhaps prefigure the Bride of Christ and Christ himself, a question arises as to whether the Book of Ruth can and should … Continue reading Ruth: History or Allegory?
Night: An Overdue Book Report
Friday, February 4, 2022 Your assignment: Write a brief book report from a biblical and Christian perspective about the autobiographical book Night, by Elie Wiesel, a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps. Hello Professor, if you are still living, I hope this note finds you well. … Continue reading Night: An Overdue Book Report
A Lion Before, A Serpent Behind
January 11, 2022 Numbers 10:11-28 details the (divinely?) prescribed processional order of the nomadic twelve and a half tribes of Israel. They first assumed this exact processional order upon leaving Mount Sinai, and thereafter did the same whenever they would decamp and follow the pillar of cloud during their … Continue reading A Lion Before, A Serpent Behind
A Militant, Jealous, Gracious God
January 8, 2022 In the Book of Revelation, death is often not death. Regrettably though, even the best interpreters have failed to notice this twist. Instead, they usually just assume that references to death must mean literal, physical death. But the unquestioned assumption that Apocalyptic death must be the … Continue reading A Militant, Jealous, Gracious God
Ezekiel Versus Jesus
December 17, 2021 A “dead man walking” mournfully foretold the forthcoming doom of his onlookers, their children, and the entire city. His prophecy of eventual doom might have come as a surprise to those who overheard it, because it seemed to contradict what another prominent prophet had once promised … Continue reading Ezekiel Versus Jesus
A Privileged Position
December 15, 2021 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in … Continue reading A Privileged Position
Is the Lord’s Prayer Jesus’ Prayer?
December 13, 2021 Is the Lord’s Prayer the Lord’s prayer? Did Jesus himself compose the Lord’s Prayer? If asked those questions, I would respond, “Well yes, Jesus did compose the Lord’s Prayer, but not from scratch. Instead, he repurposed and rearranged some common, well-known prayers that his Jewish audience … Continue reading Is the Lord’s Prayer Jesus’ Prayer?
Subtle and Oblique by Design
Saturday, November 13, 2021 What did Jesus indicate? Shop talk. Get ready for some theological shop talk. I must necessarily get detailed and somewhat technical in this post. A single word will examined. I want to make a case for translating and interpreting an old Greek word in … Continue reading Subtle and Oblique by Design
Because Peter Says So
Wednesday, November 3, 2021 Is Moses a historical figure, as opposed to merely a literary character? Did Moses really live? If he did actually live, did he really lead the Children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt? And are all the plagues and miracles recorded in the Book … Continue reading Because Peter Says So
In the Depths of the Dungeon
Wednesday, October 13, 2021 Based on Genesis Chapter 40 Although he was stuck in prison for who-knows-how-long, Joseph had not been abandoned. Given his helplessness and the uncertainty of his situation, Joseph was undoubtedly tempted to despair. However, God was there with him — with him and for him. … Continue reading In the Depths of the Dungeon
The Snatcher and His Favorite Son
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 Wrestling for A Blessing On the eve of a dread and potentially deadly family reunion with his hairy twin brother (his long-estranged, vowed-to-violent-vengeance twin brother Esau), Jacob the Snatcher arranged for himself to be all alone for what might possibly be his final night on … Continue reading The Snatcher and His Favorite Son
How to Spot a Creep
Monday, September 27, 2021 Jude _:4 The Epistle of Jude, the next-to-last book of New Testament, has only one chapter. Its fourth verse says: For certain individuals have crept in unnoticed, those who long ago were designated for such condemnation, irreverent sorts, who pervert the grace of our God … Continue reading How to Spot a Creep
The Smug and the Lazy
Friday, September 17, 2021 Two problematic, contrary strains exist within American Evangelicalism. The first is a smug, smarter-than-thou, prejudicial and elitist intellectualism. The second is a lazy can’t-and-won’t-be-bothered-to-think anti-intellectualism. Both are bad. Both are a persistent threat to the growth of a disciple’s faith. Which is the more … Continue reading The Smug and the Lazy
His Message to Smyrna
Thursday, September 16, 2021 Ninety-nine years have passed since it occurred. But I only learned of it within the last week. Yesterday I finished reading a book by Lou Ureneck about the Great Fire of Smyrna in September, 1922. If I were to place a small bet, I would … Continue reading His Message to Smyrna
Remember Lot’s Wife
Friday, August 13, 2021 Are you a Bible quiz whiz? How many Bible verses do you know by heart? Today, we will learn not one, but two Bible verses by heart, and in almost no time at all. Then you will be well on your way to that most … Continue reading Remember Lot’s Wife
A Prayer for Homicidal In-Laws
Thursday, August 5, 2021 Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away a newly-wed groom woke to a very bad morning. The kingdom’s evil king had sent his henchmen to watch the house of the newly-wed groom. They had orders to kill the groom that morning. However, … Continue reading A Prayer for Homicidal In-Laws
Fire Flung from Heaven, Part One
Sunday, August 1, 2021 Shall we just skip Chapter Seven entirely and ignore it away? Maybe it does not matter too much. Just one of Revelation’s twenty two chapters can be overlooked; right? Perhaps it does not contribute much content to the book. No? Well, I mean, after all, … Continue reading Fire Flung from Heaven, Part One
A Scientist and a Fisherman
Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Curiously enough, interpreting the Book of Revelation rather resembles a science project. An interpreter starts with a hunch, a hunch that he (he, because by he in this scenario I mean me) needs to first articulate and craft into a clearly-stated hypothesis. Once the interpreter … Continue reading A Scientist and a Fisherman
Opus Alienum Dei
Monday, July 19, 2021 Opus Alienum Dei translates from Latin as the “alien works of God” or the “strange works of God.” Here I use the phrase in an interpretive sense, where and when it is applied to five pivotal historcial events which, at first glance, hardly seem like … Continue reading Opus Alienum Dei
Six Seals of the Apocalypse
Wednesday, July 7, 2021 About 95AD/CE on the small Aegean Island of Patmos, Jesus Christ appeared in a vision to a man named Johan, an exiled political prisoner. Not long before, the Roman Emperor Domitian had ordered that Johan be exiled from the City of Ephesus to the Island … Continue reading Six Seals of the Apocalypse
Heptads of History
Monday, July 5, 2021 To make sense of the Book of Revelation, a careful reader must necessarily grapple with four consecutive, structural sets of seven: four literary heptads in succession. The word heptad is specialized shorthand for structural sets of seven; it derives from the Greek word ἑπτά, which … Continue reading Heptads of History
The Poet’s Hidden Treasure
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 Within the last few days, I came across an online article about a poem that serves as a treasure-hunters’ guide. The poem contains a variety of clues about where a buried treasure can be found. Doubtless, a number of people will be motivated to decipher … Continue reading The Poet’s Hidden Treasure
Hearsay
Friday, June 25, 2021 After a worship service a few weeks ago, I deliberately lingered in the pews to socialize for a while. An attorney friend approached me, as he occasionally does. He always makes for an interesting conversation partner. Sometimes, though, we disagree about this or that. A … Continue reading Hearsay
God Cannot
Wednesday, June 23, 2021 Although He strongly desires to do so, sometimes God will not intervene in a situation unless a mediator — an intercessor —approaches the Throne to request His intervention. And although it may sound unorthodox (and perhaps even heretical), it may even be accurate to say … Continue reading God Cannot
The 72 Hour Sign of Jonah
Tuesday, June 15, 2021 If you happened to read or listen to my last post, you may remember that I promised to write a post about “the duration of internalization.” In case you do not recall what I meant by that very catchy, rhyming phrase — “the duration of … Continue reading The 72 Hour Sign of Jonah
The BBC & Jonah
Saturday, June 12, 2021 Last night while browsing the BBC news, I came across an article about a scuba diver who was momentarily “swallowed” by a Humpback whale off the coast of Massachusetts. This morning, after handing her a cup of coffee, I told my wife about the article. … Continue reading The BBC & Jonah
Jesus Christ and General Jackson
Thursday, June 10, 2021 Back in April 1945, Vice President Harry S. Truman received a phone call. He was told to come “quickly and quietly” to the White House. Without being explicitly told, Truman realized that the frail and ailing president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, must have just died. When … Continue reading Jesus Christ and General Jackson
Sacrificial Love
Tuesday, June 8, 2021 The true measure of how much someone loves us is the extent to which they will embrace genuine sacrifice for us. We know that intuitively. We know that someone loves us if and when that person will sacrifice of their time, their resources, their attention, … Continue reading Sacrificial Love
Parrot Polycarp
Thursday, June 3, 2021 Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna was a mere middle man. Polycarp stuck slavishly to Paul. Polycarp demonstrated little to no originality. For the most part, he just parroted whatever the Apostle Paul once said. When he wrote his pastoral epistle to the Church in Philippi, Bishop … Continue reading Parrot Polycarp
Safe Assumptions
Wednesday, June 2, 2021 By its very nature, the Book of Revelation is cryptic. Like a secret code, it is meant to be progressively figured out. Like a jig-saw puzzle, it is meant to be pieced together until it slowly coalesces into an increasingly coherent whole. That should be … Continue reading Safe Assumptions
A Bad Guest
Tuesday, June 1, 2021 This past weekend my wife and I attended a long-delayed wedding. For well over six months, the dread virus had prevented the betrothed couple from publicly exchanging their wedding vows. Nonetheless, after patiently (or impatiently) enduring the pandemic-imposed pause, they had made it to the … Continue reading A Bad Guest
Chapter 15 – Eschatological Exodus
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 To start, I should probably give credit where credit is due. The term Eschatological Exodus does not originate with me, but, as far as I know, with (the now semi-retired) Professor Richard Bauckham from Her Majesty’s United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Personally, … Continue reading Chapter 15 – Eschatological Exodus
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About Me
Hello there, Dearest Visitors!
Here in creative confines of cyberspace I call myself the DeKrakenator, which has nothing to do with the terrifying underwater Kraken creatures, but is just a theatrical spin on my surname. I am an aspiring theologian: I aspire to know Jesus Christ and make him known. About twenty years ago I acquired a degree or two from the most reputable seminary in all of human history, a multi-denominational seminary in Pasadena, California, located not far at all from the Rose Parade route. My family and I live far, far away from there now, though, as events served to transplant us somewhere in the northern reaches of fly-over America. We are members (in good standing, currently, hopefully) of a local, multi-ethnic evangelical church. At that same local church, I occasionally attempt to make myself useful, albeit with varying degrees of success. Over the years, I have gathered a lot of theological and historical books. Impressively, I have even read some of those books. Someone once told me that dogs, with their keen sense of smell, can judge character well. So, for what it’s worth, dogs seem to like me. At least, ours do, provided I feed them. I have dabbled in photography, but am not especially photogenic myself. Bald is not necessarily beautiful. When the pandemic put everyone in lockdown, I was bored, so I took up blogging. I hope you find my blog intensely thought-provoking, utterly compelling, and immensely edifying. If you do, you ought to immediately subscribe to it. That is all I have to say about me and my blog. Thank you for your attentiveness.
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