Top 10 Posts of 2023

We could probably sum up the inadvertent theme of this year’s top ten new posts with the words, “Jews, More Jews and Book Reviews”. If only I had managed a book review of something related to the people of Israel, we could have done it all in a single post.

There’s no denying how personal politics became in 2023. Everybody has an opinion, informed or otherwise. Without further ado, here are our ten most-read new posts of 2023.

10. Taking Sides (October 24)

Haman the Amalekite could not wipe out the Jews. Adolf Hitler could not wipe out the Jews. The Arab armies could not dislodge Israel in 1948-49, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 or 2006, and Hamas did not succeed in doing so on October 7. No matter how loudly we cheer and no matter for whom we cheer, God is going to do what God is going to do. His word assures us of that.

By Tom

9. The Language of the Debate (7) (April 18)

Does Western society despise gay couples in the way first century Jews looked down on the “tax collectors and sinners” with whom the Lord Jesus ate? Frankly, it’s the polar opposite, but you wouldn’t know it from the way some Christians write about the issues. Today, when people from a protected class do wicked things, different standards apply.

By Tom

8. But the Jews … (May 17)

Modern Christendom is largely unoffended by comparisons to Judaism, and there’s no denying there are similarities. However, the New Testament paints a starkly different picture of the relationship between these two so-called “Abrahamic religions” than the folks who coined the much-misused modern expression “Judeo-Christian”. First century Jews did not like any suggestion that their religion and Christianity were similar. Not one bit.

By Tom

7. The Aliens Have Landed and They’re In My Bible (March 1)

I probably did more book reviews this year than any year previous. As one might expect, some of the books I read in 2023 were great, some were a mixed blessing, and one or two were double baggers. Mashing up Sigmund Freud’s Oedipus Complex with the word of God is one of the worst ideas I’ve ever come across, provoking me to dial the intensity up to eleven.

By Tom

6. Turnabout is Fair Play (April 5)

The late Michael Heiser, writer of The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, spent much of his later life exploring the divine council worldview, a way of looking at scripture that recognizes the supernatural elements that shaped the devout Israelite mindset well into the first century. The final post in our long-delayed Divine Council Series explores why Heiser’s non-literal leviathan does not work.

By Tom

5. What Does Your Proof Text Prove? (25) (March 21)

How graphic is the language of scripture? When required, the word of God can be very frank indeed, but that is not always the case. Josh Butler offers an example of a shocking Hebrew expression that turns out to be nowhere near as graphic as he thinks.

By Tom

4. Good Seed and the Outer Darkness (February 19)

Comparing scripture with scripture is a fundamental biblical concept. Still, we need to be careful about mashing together different scriptural ideas just because they come packaged in the same language. Some comparisons are valid; others are not. This post explores the use of the expression “sons of the kingdom” in scripture. Not all sons are of the same sort.

By Tom

3. Mining the Minors: Nahum (7) (March 25)

Both historically and biblically, diversity is the opposite of strength. In empire building, diversity works for you … until it begins to work against you.

The modus operandi of empire building is perpetual expansion and absorption of new people groups, whether through conquest or immigration. At some point, those so absorbed inevitably begin to influence the empire in favor of their own ethnicity and agendas. In this post, Nahum points out this principle to the king of Nineveh, whose Assyrian Empire was at that time well past its best-before date.

By Tom

2. Evidence for the Rapture in Revelation [1] (March 12)

The doctrine of the rapture of the church is explicitly set out only in 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians. Of course, that doesn’t mean there is no confirming evidence for it elsewhere, and Revelation is probably the best place to start looking. We did a bunch of “rapture” posts this year, and this was by far the most viewed. The first instalment of a two-parter.

By Tom

1. Implications of the Divine Council Worldview (March 29)

The divine council worldview popularized by Michael Heiser may not be the most important subtheme of scripture, but it’s certainly highly relevant in the present moment, and the pageviews for this series, and particularly this post, reflected it.

By Tom