Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
There is no question about the fact that the book of Deuteronomy is full of literary allusion. But there is a serious problem, even a paradox, of understanding how that allusion works. To begin with, if we assume that Deuteronomy was written by Moses — with some editorial emendations added…
Genesis and Genetics in Blade Runner 2049 The power of science fiction, and what’s positive about it, is that you’re able to experience the worst-case scenario without actually having to live it. (Actor Ryan Gosling, who plays Officer “K”) (Warning: The following analysis contains spoilers for both Blade Runner films.)…
The battle of Gog and Magog is found in Ezekiel 38-39. My purpose in this brief essay is to propound an explanation for this passage that I have not encountered in any of my commentaries, but that makes more sense to me than any other. I offer it here in…
I. Varlam Shalamov in Kolyma Tales describes his experience of the Gulag, where he spent more than a dozen of years. In a story titled The Life of Engineer Kipreev Shalamov reflects on the theme of hope in the life of a prisoner: “Hope always shackles the convict. Hope is…
Genesis 14:14 says that Abram mustered his trained men, “born in his house,” to rescue Lot, and gives their number as 318. It is clear that the precise number is provided for some reason, but what is it? S. Gevirtz notes that 318 is the sum of all the prime…
And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I answered, "I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits" (Zechariah 5:2). Immediately following his vision of the outpouring of the Spirit upon the restoration community (4:1-14), Zechariah saw a flying scroll. The…
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Romans 1-2 are like a one-two punch, Paul's prophetic trap to bring his Jewish readers to a shock of repentance. First he gives a blistering indictment of the world. It's dominated by idolatry, sexual perversion, depravity and all unrighteousness (Romans 1:18-32). It's an indictment that every Jew would agree with.…
Nearly every commentator on Romans recognizes that 1:16-17 contains the theme of the letter. Paul boasts of His gospel because in it the righteousness of God is revealed, from faith to faith. Everyone agrees the verses are crucial. But there's little agreement about what the verses mean. In the medieval…
The day of the Lord has not come, Paul assures the Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). It will not come until two things happen: the apostasy and the revelation of the man of lawlessness (v. 3). Paul tells Timothy the same: In the latter days, some will fall away from the…
This essay was written by Rev. Ralph Smith, a missionary in Tokyo, Japan, and a regular contributor to Theopolis . Jeffrey Epstein called our bluff. Writing in the New York Times , James B. Stewart reports Epstein’s opinion that “criminalizing sex with teenage girls was a cultural aberration and that…
Paul introduces himself to the Roman church as an apostle, set apart for the "gospel of God." What is the good news? We don't have to guess because Paul tells us. It's a message rooted in the promises of the prophets in the Scriptures (Romans 1:2). It's about the Son…
The Sixth Word says, “Thou shalt not kill.” But the Bible doesn’t treat all forms of man-slaying equally. It doesn’t prohibit every form of killing. Scripture permits killing animals for food, self-defense (Samson kills a lion), or protection of property (David kills a bear that threatens his flock). Israelites were…
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