“The chapter might be treated in Bible classes. We do not see how it could be used for a sermon or for sermons.”

1. The _________________ of history

“In Luke 3:1-2 the evangelist almost seems guilty of overkill; he runs through Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod, Philip, Lysanias, Annas, and Caiaphas, and then comes to what matters: ‘the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.’ It’s as if, Luke says, “The big news is that the word of God came to the people of God – all the name dropping was just background.”

2. The _________________ of history

“This summary gives us a profound perspective on history. On one level it is the continual story of wars and rumors of wars, as one human empire after another seeks to gain power by cunning or force. Yet though the tide in the affairs of men comes in and goes out, in the end it accomplishes precisely nothing. The balance of power in earthly politics may shift but it never comes to a permanent rest. On the one hand, therefore, Daniel 11 shows us the fallen world pursuing the wind and finding it elusive. What do power and politics gain for all their toil?”

3. The _________________ of history

4. The _________________ of history