Kingdom of God Now

Hebrews: Chapter 11

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The Epistle is addressed to a community of Hellenistic Jewish Christians, likely residing in Rome or Italy during the mid-60s AD. This was a precarious "twilight period" shortly before the destruction of the Temple (AD 70) and the onset of

Daniel: Chapter 10

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The vision is dated to the "third year of Cyrus king of Persia" (c. 536/535 B.C.). This chronological marker is not merely calendar data; it is the causal key to the chapter's somber tone. Two years

Psalms 5

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: This psalm is an individual lament and prayer for protection, traditionally ascribed to David. A critical, often overlooked detail in the superscription is the musical instruction "for pipes" (Hebrew el-hannahiloth). Unlike the bright, rhythmic strumming of the lyre or harp,

Hebrews: Chapter 10

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The letter is addressed to a community of Jewish Christians, likely in Rome or Italy (approx. 60–65 AD), who were facing a crisis of confidence. These believers were not merely "backsliding" morally; they were intellectually and theologically wavering under

Hebrews: Chapter 9

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The Epistle to the Hebrews is addressed to a community of Hellenistic Jewish Christians, likely residing in Italy or Rome, during the turbulent decade of the 60s AD. This was a "twilight era"— Christ had ascended, but the Jerusalem Temple

Daniel: Chapter 9

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The narrative is precisely dated to "the first year of Darius son of Xerxes" (v. 1), placing the events immediately following the pivotal fall of Babylon to the Medo-Persian empire (c. 539/538 B.C.). The audience is the Jewish

Psalms 4

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: This is an individual psalm of confidence, traditionally attributed to David, which functions as a liturgy for evening prayer during a time of acute crisis. The setting is likely the Absalom rebellion, a period where David was forced from the throne and

Hebrews: Chapter 8

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The Epistle is addressed to a community of Jewish Christians, likely in Rome or a major Diaspora hub, during the volatile period of the mid-1st century (c. 60–68 AD). These believers were enduring a "great conflict full of suffering"

Hebrews: Chapter 7

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The letter addresses a weary community of Jewish Christians, likely in Rome or Italy (c. AD 60-70), who were facing social ostracization and the looming threat of persecution. This pressure tempted them to abandon their confession of Jesus and regress into the

Daniel: Chapter 7

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The vision is dated to the "first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon" (c. 553 B.C.), chronologically locating it between chapters 4 and 5. The original audience is the Jewish exilic community living in the heart of the Babylonian

Psalms 3

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The superscription of this psalm anchors the poetry in a specific, bloody chapter of Israelite history: "A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom." This refers to the events recorded in 2 Samuel 15–18, a period

Hebrews: Chapter 6

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The Epistle to the Hebrews is addressed to a specific community of Jewish Christians, likely residing in Rome or an Italian urban center, prior to the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD. This community was facing a crisis of endurance.

Hebrews: Chapter 5

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The epistle addresses a community of Hellenistic Jewish Christians, likely residing in Rome or Italy (cf. 13:24). They are not new converts but established believers who have become "sluggish" (6:12) due to social marginalization and the looming threat

Daniel: Chapter 2

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The events occur in the "second year" of Nebuchadnezzar's reign (c. 603 B.C.), creating an immediate tension with the three-year training period mentioned in Chapter 1. This is resolved by the Babylonian accession-year dating system, placing these

Psalms 2

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: This Royal Psalm likely functioned as a coronation liturgy used during the enthronement of a Davidic king in Jerusalem. In the geopolitical landscape of the Ancient Near East (ANE), the death of a monarch was a moment of fragility; vassal states frequently

Psalms 95

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: This psalm serves as a dynamic entrance liturgy, likely employed during Israel’s major pilgrim festivals, most notably the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). The setting is the procession of the covenant community as they move from the outer environs into the sacred

Hebrews: Chapter 4

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The Epistle is addressed to a weary community of Jewish Christians, likely in Italy (possibly Rome), who are facing the "shame" of following a crucified Messiah outside the legal protection of authorized Judaism (religio licita). These believers are spiritually exhausted

Hebrews: Chapter 3

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The Epistle to the Hebrews is generally understood as a "word of exhortation" (a homily sent as a letter) addressed to a community of Jewish Christians, likely in Rome or a major urban center, during the mid-to-late first century (pre-AD

Daniel: Chapter 1

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The narrative of Daniel 1 is anchored chronologically in the "third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah" (605 BC). This precise dating places the events in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Carchemish, a geopolitical watershed

Overview: Daniel

The Synopsis The Book of Daniel serves as the quintessential manual for "faithful subversion" and a theological survival guide for living under the shadow of pagan empire. Set against the bleak backdrop of the Babylonian Exile, the book functions as a literary diptych: the first half (Chapters 1–

Psalms 1

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: Psalm 1 functions as the deliberate "gateway" or "overture" to the entire Psalter. While many psalms originated in the liturgical life of the Temple—serving as scripts for corporate worship and sacrifice—Psalm 1 is distinctively classified as

Overview: Psalms

The Synopsis The Book of Psalms (Hebrew: Tehillim, meaning "Praises") functions as the divinely inspired prayer book and hymnal of ancient Israel, serving as a microcosm of the entire Old Testament—often called a "Little Bible." It is a sophisticated collection of 150 poems that navigate

Hebrews: Chapter 2

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The Epistle is addressed to a community of Jewish Christians, likely in Rome or a major Italian city, during the mid-to-late 60s AD. This group faced a "crisis of belonging" driven by external pressure. In the Greco-Roman world, the refusal

Hebrews: Chapter 1

Historical and Literary Context Original Setting and Audience: The Epistle to the Hebrews is a masterpiece of rhetorical and theological sophistication, likely composed in the mid-to-late 60s AD. The internal evidence points to a specific community of Jewish Christians—most likely in Rome—who were facing a "crisis of

Overview: Hebrews

The Synopsis The Book of Hebrews is a sophisticated, high-priestly "word of exhortation" (13:22) that functions as the essential "interpreter’s key" for the Levitical system. Its core message is the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ—the Son of God who is superior