The Fall of Greece

If you've studied scripture very long at all, you've likely come across several teachings about Daniel 2.  In Daniel 2, the king of the Babylonian empire has a dream regarding a statue (artist's depiction on the left).  As God's chosen servant, God reveals to Daniel what the meaning of the dream is.  The statue represents several successive empires that (will) exist throughout the course of history.  It appears to me that the order of succession most widely accepted by scholars is:

• Head of Gold - Babylonian Empire
• Chest and arms of silver - Medo-Persian Empire
• Waist and thighs of brass - The Grecian Empire
• Legs of Iron - The Roman Empire
• Feet and 10 toes of iron mixed with clay - ?

Is the final empire here, already, on earth?  Some (a large portion) scholars believe that the final empire will be the one that the Beast of Revelation will preside over.  And some (a large portion) scholars believe that final empire to be a "revived Roman empire" of some sort.

Superbowl Symbolism

I couldn't help but notice the pagan/Roman/Egyptian symbolism in Madonna's 1/2 time show tonight.  I don't think any of this was by accident.  The first thing I noticed was what looked like homage to Baphomet. The opening sequence depicts some sort of Egyptian deification of a Bamphomet with the Roman empire serving as slaves to the horned one upon the throne (an Egyptian throne?).

Today's Pharisees - Part 2 ('Set Apart' in Modern Times)

This is the continuation of a train of thought I started last August (2010).  If you haven't already, click here to read part 1.
 
Thou Shalt Split the Church

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"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."  John 13:34

Jesus said the world would know who his disciples were by the love that the disciples would have for one another, but if we take a look across the landscape of Christianity today, you will find hundreds, if not thousands of denominations across the globe:

• Denominations that consider tobacco cessation in their doctrine due to it's addictiveness, but say nothing of caffeine.
• The 'infallible' heads of the largest denomination that say hell is not a place, but a state of being, all while performing worship before idols.
• Denominations that teach that prophesy, healing, tongues, etc. will likely lead to apostasy but support the necessity of a Holy Spirit baptism.
• Denominations that teach that without prophesy, healing, tongues, or some other charismatic display, a believer has never really received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
• And on and on...

Pardon my 'French', but what the heck are we 'true Christians' supposed to do?  I mean... it isn't like these denominations agree with one another.