Dr. Eckman leads discussion of Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts, a dream with striking similarities to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2: Both outline the 4 great kingdoms of the world, and the 5th kingdom-to-come which is far superior.
The deep-seated commitment to the pursuit of personal autonomy, the vital center of the Postmodern, Postchristian American culture, has produced several effects. The Millennials, who passionately have bought into this commitment, have no loyalty to institutions. For that reason the local church, even if they are Christians, is not that important to them. Technology has enhanced this pursuit of autonomy, enabling millennials to create and fashion their own digital reality. . . But, embracing the pursuit of autonomy as the chief goal of life has also produced dysfunction, disorientation and confusion. Many millennials are experiencing an identity crisis. In this Perspective, I want to focus on two major illustrations of the growing evidence of this identity crisis in early 21st-century American culture.
Dr. Eckman leads in-depth discussion of Daniel & the Lion’s Den.
In mid-July 2015, Iran and six world powers plus the European Union (EU) announced an historic agreement that seemingly postpones Iran?s capacity to build nuclear weapons. Arguably, Iran has suffered economically and financially under a series of sanctions the world community has imposed over the last several years. This agreement will lift those sanctions in exchange for a postponement of Iran?s nuclear weapons development. But it is also arguable that the agreement legitimizes Iran as a threshold nuclear state.
The Writing on the Wall: God uses Daniel to tell King Belshazzar that he has not glorified & honored God with his actions as King, just as his ancestors did, and that the days of his Kingdom are over.
King Nebuchadnezzer’s remarkable royal proclamation glorifying God is an account of mysterious dream, Daniel’s interpretation, and God’s fulfillment of the dream raise interesting questions, including discussion of Nebuchadnezzer’s place in heaven.
As she feasted on a luncheon salad and sipped wine, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood?s senior director of medical services, nonchalantly discussed how she methodically conducted late-term abortions to collect and preserve key fetal tissue and body parts. She declared that there is a great demand for fetal livers, but ?A lot of people want intact hearts these days.? To preserve intact fetal organs, Dr. Nucatola stated that ?We?ve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, so I?m gonna crush that part. I?m gonna basically crush below, I?m gonna crush above, and I?m gonna see if I can get it all intact?. . .This chilling video was released by the Center for Medical Research, an activist group seeking to expose Planned Parenthood for its abortion work and its nefarious disregard for prenatal human life.
Nebuchadnezzar built an idol of himself, and threw Daniel into the fire for not worshipping. Dr. Eckman leads discussion on how God changed Nebuchadnezzar’s heart.
The defense of Christianity and its claims has always been important throughout the history of the church. However, today the need to defend genuine, biblical Christianity is more important than ever. The Millennials of Postmodern, Postchristian America value personal autonomy more than anything else and give evidence of a significant lack of trust in all institutions, including the church. Millennials are therefore spiritually vulnerable.
The existential threat to Israel is real and has been since Israel was founded as a modern nation-state in 1948. The four major wars Israel has fought plus the numerous terrorist threats have defined Israel since its founding. But there is a new aggression being leveled at Israel?an economic aggression in the form of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign. Members of the European Union (EU) are working to develop economic sanctions designed to force Israel to accept political concessions such as ending the blockade against Hamas in Gaza. Further, major EU banks and financial firms have blacklisted various Israeli banks because they operate in the West Bank.
