Thank you

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Jul 13, 2014 at 04:19

Thank you for your compliment. I once had a young pastor, who told me to read:

1. the New Testament, ten times, then

2. the Old Testament / TaNaKh, several times, then

3. history books, so I could put what I had read into context, then

4. devotional Christian literature, then

5. the newspaper and other books.

By the time I had read the NT only five times, I got a new pastor, and asked him if he thought it would be OK it I started reading the OT. He said it seemed OK to him, and I did. I found that reading on lunch breaks, at the bus stop, etc., I could get through the NT in about 6-8 weeks, and the OT in about six months. After reading the OT three times, I bought a used Columbia World History; and I have continued in this vein ever since. I recommend this method, and slight variations of it, to others.

Concerning the identity of the "ten horns", we are so close to each other's understanding, there is no need to haggle. I am mainly concerned that people understand that they, along with the various beasts of Daniel 7, point to the broad sweep of history and not to some magical "End Times" scenario. That is where we differ. The period of the PROMINENCE of the "ten horns", namely, the Colonial Age of Britain, France, etc., is past.

The time we are now living in, is the days of the "eighth" ruler after the "seven heads", that "eighth" being "the beast itself". That's rather mysterious. It depicts the seven heads of Revelation (corresponding, in part, to the beasts of Daniel 7) as successive rulers, with the ten horns as contemporary rulers; yet the "eighth" does not have a head, nor a crown. All these kingdoms represent the world system, political and economic. In the past, such systems were ruled by kings, emperors and presidents. The eighth is not; it is a union, like NATO, GATT, the G-8 or the UNSC -- or even the "Western European Union" you seem focused on; though I doubt its relevance. It may even represent "democracy", the "rule by the people"; though even in democracies, the people actually wield little power: They are controlled by people with money, who run a "shadow democracy" of their own.

We'll see.

Shalom shalom :-)

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".