Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

Rev. Rick Jones, Chaplain and Vice President of Spiritual Life for the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, in, Minot, ND, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Daniel 5.New royalty enters the picture: King Belshazzar; not to be confused with Daniel’s Babylonian name Belteshazzar. Belshazzar, history has revealed, is the son of King Nabonidus and crown prince of Babylon. Proving his unsuitability for rule, Belshazzar is partying and getting drunk while Persian soldiers are besieging the walls of Babylon. On the last night of his reign, a disembodied hand writes a mysterious message on the wall. Who in Babylon can interpret it?

Rev. Dr. David Duke, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Newfane, NY and adjunct professor of Old Testament at Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, ON, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Daniel 4.This chapter is unusual because it’s mostly a letter written by King Nebuchadnezzar himself and from his point of view. Evidently this is a document the King wanted spread around the world, but God has inspired Daniel to preserve it in Scripture for a reason. The subject of the letter is a second cryptic dream and Daniel’s interpretation. It’s a dream that portends disaster. The focus of the chapter is God confronting King Nebuchadnezzar about his pridefulness and what happens to the king as a result. But could it mean more? Could this point forward to Jesus?

Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Daniel 3.After Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a mighty statue, the king seemingly got the idea of fashioning a giant statue—of himself—covered in gold. Nebuchadnezzar erected this towering idol in honor of his kingdom and gods, but it was really a 90-foot incarnation of the king’s sinful pride. This chapter begins with the king calling together all the officials in the kingdom to dedicate the massive idol. This edict was then spread throughout the kingdom: everyone must bow down and worship the statue or endure the fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Jews whom the king had previously promoted to high positions, refused to obey. Will they survive the fiery furnace? What does this mean for us?

Rev. Delwyn Campbell, pastor and LCMS strategic mission developer in Gary, IN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Daniel 2.With the introductions out of the way, Daniel now reveals how King Nebuchadnezzar was plagued with a dream he couldn’t understand. His many advisors and magicians failed to either make known or interpret the dream. The prophet Daniel turns to the one true God to help him interpret the dream, then discloses its meaning to the king. Despite the prediction that the king would go mad, Nebuchadnezzar is delighted with Daniel and promotes him and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to high positions in the kingdom. Does Daniel’s interpretation of the dream come true?

Rev. Ryan Fehrmann, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Wausau, WI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Daniel 1.In this chapter, we are introduced to Daniel and his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah after they are taken captive by the Babylonians. The book of Daniel is both a Sunday School favorite and a deep apocalyptic discourse. Tales of Daniel and his friends surviving a fiery furnace and Daniel emerging unharmed from a lion’s den point to God’s ability to protect his people. But Daniel also writes of mysterious dreams which carry a foreboding warning, a disembodied hand that writes a cryptic message on the wall, and visions of beasts which predict the falling of great kingdoms. Could there be much more to Daniel’s message than you were taught in Sunday school?

Mysterious dreams carry a foreboding warning. A disembodied hand writes a cryptic message on the wall. Visions of beasts predict the falling of great kingdoms. And an apocalyptic prophecy foretells the end of time. Thy Strong Word now opens up the Book of Daniel and delves into the life of one of God’s prophets exiled in a Babylon. He speaks truth to power in a way that proclaims the providence and power of God. Daniel’s writings also leave for us visions of the Antichrist and God’s ultimate redemption of his people.Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

Rev. Joshua Heimbuck, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Ashland, OR, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 16:1-23.Chapter 16, the last chapter of St. Paul’s first epistle to the church in Corinth, is a mix of different topics. Paul makes an appeal for financial aid to help the saints in Jerusalem who were facing famine and other hardships. He also explains his desire to travel to Corinth and spend some time with the Christians there. But like Detective Columbo about to leave after a questioning, St. Paul does have just one more thing to teach. He uses the last bit of space on the scroll to give a final word of instruction about remaining strong in the faith followed by his final and personal greetings. Despite the routine nature this apparent post script, there’s still much to discover about God’s will for the Corinthians and us. In this last episode of 1 Corinthians, Pastors Booe and Heimbuck examine each part, one by one, to see what we can learn.

Rev. Jason Schockman, pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Oconomowoc, WI joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 15:35-58.The goal of the Christian is not to die and go to heaven. This is the popular understanding among unbelievers and believers alike, but it’s an incomplete view of God’s will for humans. In the garden of Eden, God made us body and soul. In death, the body is separated from the soul. This results in an incomplete human. So, while heaven is great, it’s not the end of the world. There’s more waiting for those who have faith in Jesus: resurrection and an enteral home with God in the new heavens and the new earth. In this episode, Pastors Booe and Schockman conclude the conversation on resurrection with the reassurance that there’s more to life than this life and more waiting for us after death than floating in the clouds with harps for eternity.

Rev. John Lukomski, co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 15:12-34. Find Wrestling with the Basics at kfuo.org/WrestlingWithTheBasics.The resurrection conversation continues as the pastors turn to the middle section of chapter 15. Evidentially, some in the Corinthian congregation did not believe in resurrection. The Greeks famously didn’t believe in the resurrection of the body. Pagans believed the spirit was holy, but the flesh something to be escaped and discarded. Building upon the resurrection of Jesus, St. Paul assures them that since Jesus was raised there would be a resurrection for people, too. Plus, Jesus’ rising is good news! Resurrection means the end of the curse and victory over death. In this episode, Pastors Booe and Lukomski talk more about resurrection, plus address one strange comment St. Paul makes about baptism.

Rev. Aaron Stinnett, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Smithfield, RI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 15:1-11.It all happened according to the Scriptures. In this first part of chapter 15, St. Paul now turns from the topic of orderly worship to the object of that worship: Jesus Christ. Specifically, the gospel which proclaims that Jesus died to save us from our sins, but he did not remain dead. Jesus rose again from death and appeared to the Apostles and many other witnesses. This all happened, St. Paul assures his hearers, according to the Scriptures. This is important since St. Paul wants it to be clear that his message about Jesus is not his own invention, but an eternal doctrine worth guarding. Namely, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is God’s means by which he rescues and redeems the world. In this episode, Pastors Booe and Stinnett begin the conversation about resurrection. A topic which will continue across three episodes.