Podcasts about abrahamic

An Abrahamic Aventus traces Advent back to Abraham's long, aching wait beneath the stars, where God swore His promise in blood and taught His people to live obediently between promise and possession. This sermon shows Christmas as the arrival of the promised Seed—and calls the Church to wait, not in doubt, but in covenant confidence, as Christ's kingdom steadily claims what God pledged to Abraham.

Go from sexual shame to liberation with Mia's Sex Witch Course for 10% Off https://miamagik.mykajabi.com/sexwitch use code SAHARA   In this episode, I'm sitting down with one of my besties, Mia Magik, for what became the hottest, most raw conversation we've ever had on this podcast.   We didn't plan for this conversation to go where it went. But when you put two witches in a room who are done with surface-level spirituality, this is what happens.   We start with the witch wound—why so many of us feel like outcasts, why we're terrified of our own power, and how the systematic elimination of indigenous healers, wise women, and medicine keepers still affects us today. This isn't just history. It's in our DNA.   Then we follow the serpent path. The very symbol that's been vilified—the snake, the feminine, the blood, the earth—and how reclaiming it is the key to unlocking our full power.   And then... we get into it. Sacred sexuality. Sex as ritual. Sex as healing. Sex as alchemy.   We explore:

Abrahamic religion is being used to bring about a holy war in the name of, depending on who you ask, one God or another. The conflict between Christians and Muslims, inflamed by agents like Jake Lang, is only one part of a much larger plan that involves the psychotic and paranoid delusions of rabbinical Judaism hell-bent on destroying gentiles, even goy-Jews who dare step out of line. *The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.WEBSITEFREE ARCHIVE (w. ads)SUBSCRIPTION ARCHIVE-X / TWITTERFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMYOUTUBERUMBLE-BUY ME A COFFEECashApp: $rdgable PAYPAL: rdgable1991@gmail.comRyan's Books: https://thesecretteachings.info - EMAIL: rdgable@yahoo.com / rdgable1991@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

'Tis the season for celebrating traditions of the great Abrahamic faiths. Christmas markets and Hannukah parties. Increasingly, however, adherents to sharia – which is actually not a religion, let alone one the Bible's Abraham would embrace – are emulating Mohammed's jihad against Christians and Jews. It's a reasonable bet that those jihadis are inspired – if not actually enabled – by the Muslim Brotherhood or its myriad allies, front groups, “chapters” and “subdivisions.” So are others pursuing in pre-violent ways what President Trump calls “civilization erasure.” Consequently, President Trump has to decide if he'll do nationally what Texas and Florida's governors have done in their states, namely, ban the Brotherhood. He's asked his Secretaries of State and Treasury to advise him. Today, our Victory Coalition is, too, with a report called, “The Choice: ‘Ban the Brotherhood' or Face ‘Civilization Erasure' Here.”  Read it at for free at BantheBrotherhood.org. This is Frank Gaffney.

Psalm 72 - Speaker: Will Galkin - Psalm 72 begins with King David praying that his son would be a good and righteous ruler. But it is not long into the psalm before the reader realizes that Solomon, or any other king, could never fully live up to what David is praying for. The very idealism of the prayer pushes us to look beyond every earthly ruler for its fulfillment. When Psalm 72 is read in light of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants, it becomes clear that David's prayer can be fulfilled only in Christ. He alone is the rightful object of all praise, because he is the King who rules with righteousness, brings lasting peace, governs with compassion, and is worthy of all glory.

We dive into the harrowing reality of femicide and gender-based violence, questioning the role of patriarchal societies and religious dogma in upholding the subjugation and objectification of women. We examine how Abrahamic religions maintain ancient customs that often treat women as property, noting this degradation has existed for thousands of years. The discussion analyzes the ethical flaws in systems that place restrictions on women based on how men behave (a classic case of victim blaming). Finally, we explore whether legislative changes—such as Italy defining femicide—truly address the core cultural problem of pervasive gender oppression.News Source:Italy Implements Femicide Law and UN Report on Global Violence Against WomenBy [Author not provided] for CNN and YouTube[Date not provided]

When faith feels thin and church life shows more thorns than fruit, where do you turn for steady ground? We open Hebrews 6:9–18 and find a surprising lift: God remembers every act of love, calls us to serve until the end, and anchors our hope with an oath He swore by His own name. This isn't self-help; it's soul ballast. We move from the everyday trenches of showing up for people in our local church small groups to the towering heights of the Abrahamic covenant and the God who cannot lie.We start with the “better things that accompany salvation,” clarifying why diligence matters and why love toward the saints should be our first reflex. The conversation gets practical about how real care happens in close-knit community, not just from the pulpit or staff. If you've ever wondered whether unseen service counts, Hebrews answers with a firm yes—God is not unjust to forget your work or your love for His name.Then we climb into the theology that makes this hope unshakable. God promised Abraham land, a great nation, and blessing to all nations, and he ratified those promises by swearing an oath on Himself. That one-sided covenant underwrites our New Testament confidence: the Body of Christ's future doesn't hinge on human strength, but on divine faithfulness. Waiting, like Abraham did, becomes an act of trust, not a mark of failure.Finally, we explore Jesus as our true refuge and the anchor of our souls, the forerunner who has entered behind the veil as our High Priest. Hope isn't a mood; it's a mooring. When life rattles your confidence, this passage invites you to take hold of the hope set before you—sure, steadfast, and secured by Jesus Christ. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review to help others find these conversations.Support the showThank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners. You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

In the third episode in the series, Beloved: The Journey of Leaving Egypt, Entering Wilderness, and Awakening as New Creation, our host, Donald E. Coleman, reveals how Abraham's journey is the archetype for every believer's spiritual path. What Abraham walked physically, we now walk spiritually.From famine to Egypt, from wilderness to promise, Abraham's story uncovers the hidden rhythms of God's Agape, leading us from old identities into new creation. With deep spiritual insight and contemplative tenderness, Donald helps listeners understand modern Egypt—the systems, pressures, and saboteur-driven identities shaping the soul today—and invites them to walk the same faith-filled journey Abraham walked.Prepare for a teaching that connects ancient Scripture to your present moment with unusual clarity and compassion."Have Questions, Send us a Message" This podcast is a production of The Center for Biblical Coaching and Leadership. If this episode has been useful or inspiring to you in any way, please share it with someone else. Lastly, please follow the show and write a review.If you want to go deeper on this journey, visit www.tcbcl.org to learn how we're walking this path together through biblical coaching, spiritual formation, and the ROOTED Global Movement.

Genesis 15; Joshua 21:43-45 Theme: Our need for homeland in the presence of God is marvelously answered through the covenants of Christ. 1) Covenant, the pathway home - The Noahic covenant - The Abrahamic covenant - The Mosaic covenant - The Davidic covenant 2) Scripture's story

Haman, infamous as the antagonist in the book of Esther, appears as a villainous figure in virtually all varieties of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this “biography” of Haman (Princeton UP, 2025), Dr. Adam Silverstein traces the evolution of this villainous character from the ancient Near East to modern times, drawing on sources in a variety of languages and from diverse genres. Dr. Silverstein considers the evidence for a historical Haman and analyzes the abundance of material that documents what those who read the Bible and the Qur'ān have thought about him over the past two millennia.With this book, Dr. Silverstein offers an essential and original account of the rich diversity and openness of Abrahamic civilizations throughout history. Taking Haman as a case study, Dr. Silverstein guides the reader through diverse intellectual terrains, covering ancient Near Eastern cultures, pre-Islamic Iranian literature, Abrahamic scriptures and their interpretation, late antiquity, Islamic history, and interfaith relations. He shows how the figure of Haman has both united and divided Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities, who collaborated fruitfully in their efforts to grasp the meaning and significance of their holy books, but who also deployed the “Haman” label polemically against each other. Dr. Silverstein also considers Haman's prebiblical origins, raising the possibility that the book of Esther was receiving and reconfiguring Haman no less than later works were, with Esther's villain taking his place in a long line of reimagined Hamans.Haman: A Biography is the first book-length study to contextualize an Abrahamic character not only within Jewish and Christian traditions but also with reference to the character's prebiblical background and reception in Islamic cultures. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Haman, infamous as the antagonist in the book of Esther, appears as a villainous figure in virtually all varieties of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this “biography” of Haman (Princeton UP, 2025), Dr. Adam Silverstein traces the evolution of this villainous character from the ancient Near East to modern times, drawing on sources in a variety of languages and from diverse genres. Dr. Silverstein considers the evidence for a historical Haman and analyzes the abundance of material that documents what those who read the Bible and the Qur'ān have thought about him over the past two millennia.With this book, Dr. Silverstein offers an essential and original account of the rich diversity and openness of Abrahamic civilizations throughout history. Taking Haman as a case study, Dr. Silverstein guides the reader through diverse intellectual terrains, covering ancient Near Eastern cultures, pre-Islamic Iranian literature, Abrahamic scriptures and their interpretation, late antiquity, Islamic history, and interfaith relations. He shows how the figure of Haman has both united and divided Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities, who collaborated fruitfully in their efforts to grasp the meaning and significance of their holy books, but who also deployed the “Haman” label polemically against each other. Dr. Silverstein also considers Haman's prebiblical origins, raising the possibility that the book of Esther was receiving and reconfiguring Haman no less than later works were, with Esther's villain taking his place in a long line of reimagined Hamans.Haman: A Biography is the first book-length study to contextualize an Abrahamic character not only within Jewish and Christian traditions but also with reference to the character's prebiblical background and reception in Islamic cultures. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

Haman, infamous as the antagonist in the book of Esther, appears as a villainous figure in virtually all varieties of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this “biography” of Haman (Princeton UP, 2025), Dr. Adam Silverstein traces the evolution of this villainous character from the ancient Near East to modern times, drawing on sources in a variety of languages and from diverse genres. Dr. Silverstein considers the evidence for a historical Haman and analyzes the abundance of material that documents what those who read the Bible and the Qur'ān have thought about him over the past two millennia.With this book, Dr. Silverstein offers an essential and original account of the rich diversity and openness of Abrahamic civilizations throughout history. Taking Haman as a case study, Dr. Silverstein guides the reader through diverse intellectual terrains, covering ancient Near Eastern cultures, pre-Islamic Iranian literature, Abrahamic scriptures and their interpretation, late antiquity, Islamic history, and interfaith relations. He shows how the figure of Haman has both united and divided Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities, who collaborated fruitfully in their efforts to grasp the meaning and significance of their holy books, but who also deployed the “Haman” label polemically against each other. Dr. Silverstein also considers Haman's prebiblical origins, raising the possibility that the book of Esther was receiving and reconfiguring Haman no less than later works were, with Esther's villain taking his place in a long line of reimagined Hamans.Haman: A Biography is the first book-length study to contextualize an Abrahamic character not only within Jewish and Christian traditions but also with reference to the character's prebiblical background and reception in Islamic cultures. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Haman, infamous as the antagonist in the book of Esther, appears as a villainous figure in virtually all varieties of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this “biography” of Haman (Princeton UP, 2025), Dr. Adam Silverstein traces the evolution of this villainous character from the ancient Near East to modern times, drawing on sources in a variety of languages and from diverse genres. Dr. Silverstein considers the evidence for a historical Haman and analyzes the abundance of material that documents what those who read the Bible and the Qur'ān have thought about him over the past two millennia.With this book, Dr. Silverstein offers an essential and original account of the rich diversity and openness of Abrahamic civilizations throughout history. Taking Haman as a case study, Dr. Silverstein guides the reader through diverse intellectual terrains, covering ancient Near Eastern cultures, pre-Islamic Iranian literature, Abrahamic scriptures and their interpretation, late antiquity, Islamic history, and interfaith relations. He shows how the figure of Haman has both united and divided Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities, who collaborated fruitfully in their efforts to grasp the meaning and significance of their holy books, but who also deployed the “Haman” label polemically against each other. Dr. Silverstein also considers Haman's prebiblical origins, raising the possibility that the book of Esther was receiving and reconfiguring Haman no less than later works were, with Esther's villain taking his place in a long line of reimagined Hamans.Haman: A Biography is the first book-length study to contextualize an Abrahamic character not only within Jewish and Christian traditions but also with reference to the character's prebiblical background and reception in Islamic cultures. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Haman, infamous as the antagonist in the book of Esther, appears as a villainous figure in virtually all varieties of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this “biography” of Haman (Princeton UP, 2025), Dr. Adam Silverstein traces the evolution of this villainous character from the ancient Near East to modern times, drawing on sources in a variety of languages and from diverse genres. Dr. Silverstein considers the evidence for a historical Haman and analyzes the abundance of material that documents what those who read the Bible and the Qur'ān have thought about him over the past two millennia.With this book, Dr. Silverstein offers an essential and original account of the rich diversity and openness of Abrahamic civilizations throughout history. Taking Haman as a case study, Dr. Silverstein guides the reader through diverse intellectual terrains, covering ancient Near Eastern cultures, pre-Islamic Iranian literature, Abrahamic scriptures and their interpretation, late antiquity, Islamic history, and interfaith relations. He shows how the figure of Haman has both united and divided Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities, who collaborated fruitfully in their efforts to grasp the meaning and significance of their holy books, but who also deployed the “Haman” label polemically against each other. Dr. Silverstein also considers Haman's prebiblical origins, raising the possibility that the book of Esther was receiving and reconfiguring Haman no less than later works were, with Esther's villain taking his place in a long line of reimagined Hamans.Haman: A Biography is the first book-length study to contextualize an Abrahamic character not only within Jewish and Christian traditions but also with reference to the character's prebiblical background and reception in Islamic cultures. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.

Haman, infamous as the antagonist in the book of Esther, appears as a villainous figure in virtually all varieties of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this “biography” of Haman (Princeton UP, 2025), Dr. Adam Silverstein traces the evolution of this villainous character from the ancient Near East to modern times, drawing on sources in a variety of languages and from diverse genres. Dr. Silverstein considers the evidence for a historical Haman and analyzes the abundance of material that documents what those who read the Bible and the Qur'ān have thought about him over the past two millennia.With this book, Dr. Silverstein offers an essential and original account of the rich diversity and openness of Abrahamic civilizations throughout history. Taking Haman as a case study, Dr. Silverstein guides the reader through diverse intellectual terrains, covering ancient Near Eastern cultures, pre-Islamic Iranian literature, Abrahamic scriptures and their interpretation, late antiquity, Islamic history, and interfaith relations. He shows how the figure of Haman has both united and divided Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities, who collaborated fruitfully in their efforts to grasp the meaning and significance of their holy books, but who also deployed the “Haman” label polemically against each other. Dr. Silverstein also considers Haman's prebiblical origins, raising the possibility that the book of Esther was receiving and reconfiguring Haman no less than later works were, with Esther's villain taking his place in a long line of reimagined Hamans.Haman: A Biography is the first book-length study to contextualize an Abrahamic character not only within Jewish and Christian traditions but also with reference to the character's prebiblical background and reception in Islamic cultures. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

In this message Pastor Brandon walks through the doctrine of the remnant and shows why it is essential for understanding Israel, the church, and God's prophetic plan. Beginning with Elijah and the seven thousand who did not bow the knee to Baal, he traces how Isaiah develops the remnant theme and how Paul explains it in Romans chapters 9 through 11. Pastor Brandon explains what a remnant is, why it is pictured as a torn piece of cloth, and how God always preserves a believing minority inside the larger nation of Israel and inside the visible church. He exposes the roots of replacement theology and supersessionism, showing how they grew out of the early church breaking from its Jewish roots and how they often flow into anti Jewish attitudes today. From there the study unpacks key covenants that still belong to ethnic Israel, including the Abrahamic covenant, the land covenant, the Davidic covenant, and the new covenant. Pastor Brandon explains why these promises cannot be transferred to the church, how Gentile believers share in the spiritual blessings of the new covenant without replacing Israel, and why the survival and future salvation of Israel depend on the remnant that God preserves. The message also looks at the stump of Jesse in Isaiah 11, the humbled and almost cut off Davidic line, and how Messiah Jesus rises from poverty and obscurity to fulfill the promises to David. Along the way you will see how all of this connects to Christmas, the birth of Christ, and his future reign on David's throne in the millennial kingdom. This lesson will help you: • Understand the doctrine of the remnant of Israel   • Answer claims that the church has replaced Israel   • See how Romans 9 through 11 protects God's character and faithfulness   • Recognize modern forms of replacement theology and Christian antisemitism   • Grow in discernment as part of the faithful remnant in the church today   For more information about Rock Harbor Church and our ministry, please visit our website at rockharborchurch dot net. Keep looking up. Our redemption draws near.

Send us a textThis conversation delves into the principles of disciple making movements, emphasizing the importance of targeting family units (Oikos) for sustainable growth. The speakers discuss biblical foundations, cultural relevance, and practical strategies for reaching entire households rather than individuals. They share compelling case studies that illustrate the effectiveness of this approach, highlighting the role of influential family members in facilitating faith transitions. The discussion concludes with insights on ensuring sustainability and applying these strategies in personal contexts.TakeawaysTo ignite a sustainable movement, shift focus from individuals to families.The biblical basis for family-focused faith is rooted in the Abrahamic covenant.The Book of Acts reinforces the importance of the Oikos structure.Targeting families allows for quantitative and qualitative advantages in disciple making.In high resistance cultures, family units provide social support and resilience.Authentic transformation in leaders is crucial to avoid superficial compliance.Case studies illustrate the power of patience and enduring witness.Targeting influential leaders accelerates the spread of faith within families.Sustainability relies on existing social structures and trust within families.Group baptisms enhance support and reduce individual risk in high resistance areas.*This episode has been generated with AI Support the show

In this message Pastor Brandon walks through the doctrine of the remnant and shows why it is essential for understanding Israel, the church, and God's prophetic plan. Beginning with Elijah and the seven thousand who did not bow the knee to Baal, he traces how Isaiah develops the remnant theme and how Paul explains it in Romans chapters 9 through 11. Pastor Brandon explains what a remnant is, why it is pictured as a torn piece of cloth, and how God always preserves a believing minority inside the larger nation of Israel and inside the visible church. He exposes the roots of replacement theology and supersessionism, showing how they grew out of the early church breaking from its Jewish roots and how they often flow into anti Jewish attitudes today. From there the study unpacks key covenants that still belong to ethnic Israel, including the Abrahamic covenant, the land covenant, the Davidic covenant, and the new covenant. Pastor Brandon explains why these promises cannot be transferred to the church, how Gentile believers share in the spiritual blessings of the new covenant without replacing Israel, and why the survival and future salvation of Israel depend on the remnant that God preserves. The message also looks at the stump of Jesse in Isaiah 11, the humbled and almost cut off Davidic line, and how Messiah Jesus rises from poverty and obscurity to fulfill the promises to David. Along the way you will see how all of this connects to Christmas, the birth of Christ, and his future reign on David's throne in the millennial kingdom.

Episode Topic: MosesMoses serves as a model to the prophet Muhammad in the Qur'an, represents the tribe of Israel in the Hebrew Bible and prefigures Jesus in the New Testament. With no external, historical sources to rely on, how do the three Abrahamic religions read Moses, a figure whose meaning is discerned by faith?Featured Speakers:-Gabriel Said Reynolds, professor, University of Notre Dame-Francesca Murphy, professor, University of Notre Dame-Tzvi Novick, professor, University of Notre Dame-Mun'im Sirry, professor, University of Notre DameRead this episode's recap over on the University of Notre Dame's open online learning community platform, ThinkND: https://go.nd.edu/3ba27b.This podcast is a part of the ThinkND Series titled Minding Scripture.Thanks for listening! The ThinkND Podcast is brought to you by ThinkND, the University of Notre Dame's online learning community. We connect you with videos, podcasts, articles, courses, and other resources to inspire minds and spark conversations on topics that matter to you — everything from faith and politics, to science, technology, and your career. Learn more about ThinkND and register for upcoming live events at think.nd.edu. Join our LinkedIn community for updates, episode clips, and more.

In this episode of the Red Eye Report, we discuss the Demiurge and the Abrahamic Mind Virus. Also in the show, we discover Teddy has no idea who Ken Burns is.    Download the Red Eye Report wherever you get your podcasts.  theredeyereport.com facebook.com/redeyereport

Most assume that the difference between Greek literature and the Semitic Scrolls, written in Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Qurʾanic Arabic, lies in narrative. It does not. Narrative is the veil, a carrier wave for what remains unseen. Everything hinges on lexicography. The decisive divide is grammatical.Greek “meaning” is a conceptually “built” construct, grounded in philosophical abstraction and analytic inference. Semitic function emerges from triliteral consonantal roots that test, constrain, and judge the observer. Greek vocabulary operates within a narrow conceptual field, like a teenager wearing a VR headset, viewing an AI paradise while sitting in a garbage heap. Semitic vocabulary operates within an open functional field. The same teenager with the headset removed, discovering he sits in an open field among living, breathing things, where biblical roots carry behavioral consequences.This becomes immediately visible in Luke 8:47. The single Greek verb λανθάνω (lanthano) activates a constellation of six distinct Hebrew roots:ע־ל־ם (ʿayin-lamed-mem, hiddenness)מ־ע־ל (mem-ʿayin-lamed, covert breach)צ־פ־ן (ṣade-fe-nun, stashing, treasuring)ע־ד־ר (ʿayin-dalet-resh, missing from the count)כ־ח־ד (kaf-ḥet-dalet, concealment from the king)ר־א־ה (resh-ʾalef-he, divine seeing)That Scripture draws on such a wide Semitic field to express “not escaping notice” shows how seriously the biblical tradition treats hiddenness and uncovering. Each root contributes a different functional angle: what is hidden to humans, what is hidden in betrayal, what is hidden as hoarded, what is missing from the tally, what is concealed from authority, and what is seen by God. The phenomenon is not Greek versus Hebrew. Multiple Semitic operations of judgment underwrite a single functional moment in Luke. This density is lexical, not narrative, let alone speculative. It reflects how the Semitic system encodes the living, breathing reality around us.Across the Abrahamic scrolls, these triliteral roots operate like living tissue. They replicate, invert, intensify, and map action to consequence. Hidden sin is traceable in Hebrew because ע־ל־ם (ʿayin-lamed-mem) is not a metaphor but a function. It moves. The Qurʾan does the same with خ-ف-ي (khāʾ-fāʾ-yāʾ) and غ-ف-ل (ghayn-fāʾ-lām). Luke's Greek lexicon operates because a biological Hebrew bone structure undergirds the scroll. Without that structural field, no instance of λανθάνω (lanthano) conveys, or is able to convey, the full weight of divine accounting. However, once the field is “seen” Scripturally, “with the ears,” the semantics are relentless. The Pauline scales (not scales of measurement) fall off. (Acts 9:18)Only a Hellenist, in our time a Westerner, is fooled by what they can see, or worse, by what they imagine they can explain. A true Semite has ears to hear. Through hearing, the blind learn to see, and the deaf and the mute are healed.The unseen, الغيب (al-ghayb) and נֶעֱלָם (neʿlam), is not mysticism. It is judgment. It is the Lord's test. Hiddenness is God's domain. Covering belongs to God; uncovering belongs to God; the scales of measurement, المِيزَان (al-mīzān) belong to God; the tally belongs to God. The Qurʾan repeats the decree of Luke, that the Lord is not unaware of what you do. Previously, Ecclesiastes insisted the same. Every hidden deed is brought into judgment. (Ecclesiastes 12:14) Luke and Matthew proclaimed that what is concealed will be shouted openly. (Matthew 10:26; Luke 12:2) This mechanism is not literary ornamentation. It is the biological operating system of the Abrahamic scrolls, coded in living, breathing triliteral grammar.The problem for the now dominant West is that Greek thought presupposes that meaning originates in the human mind. The human city becomes the center, the planted earth becomes a concretized static, or idolized center, human proportion becomes the measure, and vision, human sight, becomes epistemology. Once vision governs understanding, enlightenment becomes darkness, because the logos of the human being projects its categories outward.Scripture dismantles this, not because the Greeks lacked intelligence, but because the entire Greek system assumes the human observer as the reference point.Scripture forbids this. Every consonant is intentional. Greek has letters that should not exist because they collapse two sounds into a single symbol. To the Semitic ear, as Fr. Paul Tarazi explains, “psi, xi, and the Greek chi” expose that Greek writing is constructed, not found. The Greek alphabet was designed, not discovered. It is man-made. It does not correspond to what is heard in nature. The living and moving, breathing triliteral system prevents human projection by preventing morphological collapse. The scriptural lexicon forces the hearer to receive what is written in creation. In Scripture, projection is stripped away and reality is conveyed as inscribed. The effect is destabilizing. Idols disappear. The hearer is confronted by what is found, confronted by reality.God is not mocked.Hearing is the anchor. The Greek philosophical tradition debates whether vision originates in the eye or in the object, a question already speculative. Scripture never entertains such speculation. Hearing is unilateral. The hearer does not hear the self. The hearer receives. Scripture is heard, not inferred, not theorized, not constructed, not “built”. The Qurʾan operates the same way. قَرَأَ (qaraʾ, to recite), أَذَان (adhān, the call), أُذْن (udhn, ear, instrument of hearing). Sound poured into another's ear. Scripture is submission through hearing what is found unbound by the logos of man. Cosmology heard, not seen, let alone imagined. Functional. Simple, not simplistic.All of us are shaped by whatever language we hear in our environment from the time we are born, and Scripture is the only speech that shatters that formation, continually scattering us out of our own projection, the palaces and temples we build in our mind, into the hearing of the biblical God who speaks in the wilderness. It cannot and must not be “about” narrative. It must function as the living words themselves, the breathing lexicon of God. He must control our literal vocabulary.Scripture is heard, not built.It is found, not fashioned by man's logos.Western thought resists this simplicity because the God of Abraham leaves no hiding place for Greek temples. No hiding place for sin.This week, I discuss Luke 8:47-48. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this powerful continuation from last week's episode, Kevin expands the analogy of life as a game and reveals why psychological warfare isn't just a tactic used by others - it is the structure of the game itself. In a world made of energy, narrative, repetition, and belief, the true battlefield is not physical but cognitive. And the antidote - the only antidote - is cognitive mastery.Kevin begins by reframing the physical world as the byproduct, the “spice,” of a deeper energetic and consciousness-based reality. While life appears to unfold in space and time, the real game is psychological, and the pieces on the board are narratives, information, perception, and belief. From the Age of Aquarius to the accelerated revelation of truth, Kevin explains how modern culture exposes its mechanisms everywhere - from Hollywood films to the news cycle to the design of the systems we live in.He revisits the illusory truth effect, a cognitive phenomenon proven by research showing that anything repeated often enough - true or false - becomes “truer” simply through familiarity. That repeated exposure forms neural pathways which harden into beliefs, even when later evidence contradicts them. And without cognitive mastery, the C-line of your model becomes an open gate, allowing the world to write your T-line for you.To show how deep this goes, Kevin walks through three pillars of the matrix: government, religion, and corporations. Using bold, historically grounded examples, he demonstrates how narratives become mass conditioning. From the Gulf of Tonkin to the JFK assassination, he illustrates how national stories shape perception long after their factual foundations have fallen away. He compares modern political and media structures to The Hunger Games, cautioning listeners not to confuse narrative with lived reality.From there, he shifts to religion - particularly the Abrahamic traditions - discussing how language, translation, withheld information, and ideological frameworks created an unseen but omnipresent narrative structure shaping Western consciousness. He introduces the “Redeemer Complex,” a narrative so ingrained in Western culture that it becomes the invisible water we swim in - impossible to see without stepping outside of it.Kevin then turns to corporations, explaining how marketing and advertising use psychology, repetition, and scarcity narratives to engineer desire, identity, and behavior. He breaks down the “Rule of Seven” and how companies leverage cognitive patterns to make their story feel like your own internal truth.Throughout, Kevin emphasizes that none of this is about vilifying systems or people. The matrix is neutral - even supportive. It exists as a compensatory mechanism for unconsciousness, a form of grace within the human game. The goal is not rebellion but awareness, not resistance but mastery.Your liberation lies in one thing: elevating your alpha, mastering your mind, and choosing your own narrative. No story outside of you is true - unless you accept it. Cognitive mastery is how you become in the world, but not of it.

This week on Cultivating Place, we look towards the heart of the thankful season in memory of the enormous, fierce, and grateful soul of Rabbi Arthur Waskow, who passed from this world on October 20th, fighting for the beauty of the world right up to the end. In his honor, we revisit our 2021 conversation with him, focusing on the sacred in the everyday and in the seasonal.  Rabbi Waskow was the co-founder of The Shalom Center in Philadelphia, which equips spiritual leaders with the awareness and skills needed to lead a "transformed and transformative Judaism that can help create a world of peace, justice, healing for the earth, and respect for the interconnectedness of all life."  A long-time activist for social and environmental justice, Rabbi Waskow is also the author of Seasons of our Joy, which brings reverent renewal to the ancient agricultural and season-based celebrations of the Abrahamic religions.  Enjoy, and give thanks for such souls in this world. Photo cover art from the 2012 Edition of Seasons of Our Joy, The Jewish Publication Society. Illustration from paper cuts by Martin Farren and Joan Benjamin-Farren; Photo of Rabbi Waskow benching Luvav from Slate.com; and Photo In Conversation, by Jennifer Jewell, 2021. Cultivating Place now has a donate button! We thank you for listening over the years, and we hope you'll continue to support Cultivating Place.We can't thank you enough for making it possible for this young program to grow and engage in even more conversations like these.The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud and iTunes. To read more and for many more photos, please visit www.cultivatingplace.com.

How can you write science-based fiction without info-dumping your research? How can you use AI tools in a creative way, while still focusing on a human-first approach? Why is adapting to the fast pace of change so difficult and how can we make the most of this time? Jamie Metzl talks about Superconvergence and more. In the intro, How to avoid author scams [Written Word Media]; Spotify vs Audible audiobook strategy [The New Publishing Standard]; Thoughts on Author Nation and why constraints are important in your author life [Self-Publishing with ALLi]; Alchemical History And Beautiful Architecture: Prague with Lisa M Lilly on my Books and Travel Podcast. Today's show is sponsored by Draft2Digital, self-publishing with support, where you can get free formatting, free distribution to multiple stores, and a host of other benefits. Just go to www.draft2digital.com to get started. This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Jamie Metzl is a technology futurist, professional speaker, entrepreneur, and the author of sci-fi thrillers and futurist nonfiction books, including the revised and updated edition of Superconvergence: How the Genetics, Biotech, and AI Revolutions Will Transform Our Lives, Work, and World. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes How personal history shaped Jamie's fiction writing Writing science-based fiction without info-dumping The super convergence of three revolutions (genetics, biotech, AI) and why we need to understand them holistically Using fiction to explore the human side of genetic engineering, life extension, and robotics Collaborating with GPT-5 as a named co-author How to be a first-rate human rather than a second-rate machine You can find Jamie at JamieMetzl.com. Transcript of interview with Jamie Metzl Jo: Jamie Metzl is a technology futurist, professional speaker, entrepreneur, and the author of sci-fi thrillers and futurist nonfiction books, including the revised and updated edition of Superconvergence: How the Genetics, Biotech, and AI Revolutions Will Transform Our Lives, Work, and World. So welcome, Jamie. Jamie: Thank you so much, Jo. Very happy to be here with you. Jo: There is so much we could talk about, but let's start with you telling us a bit more about you and how you got into writing. From History PhD to First Novel Jamie: Well, I think like a lot of writers, I didn't know I was a writer. I was just a kid who loved writing. Actually, just last week I was going through a bunch of boxes from my parents' house and I found my autobiography, which I wrote when I was nine years old. So I've been writing my whole life and loving it. It was always something that was very important to me. When I finished my DPhil, my PhD at Oxford, and my dissertation came out, it just got scooped up by Macmillan in like two minutes. And I thought, “God, that was easy.” That got me started thinking about writing books. I wanted to write a novel based on the same historical period – my PhD was in Southeast Asian history – and I wanted to write a historical novel set in the same period as my dissertation, because I felt like the dissertation had missed the human element of the story I was telling, which was related to the Cambodian genocide and its aftermath. So I wrote what became my first novel, and I thought, “Wow, now I'm a writer.” I thought, “All right, I've already published one book. I'm gonna get this other book out into the world.” And then I ran into the brick wall of: it's really hard to be a writer. It's almost easier to write something than to get it published. I had to learn a ton, and it took nine years from when I started writing that first novel, The Depths of the Sea, to when it finally came out. But it was such a positive experience, especially to have something so personal to me as that story. I'd lived in Cambodia for two years, I'd worked on the Thai-Cambodian border, and I'm the child of a Holocaust survivor. So there was a whole lot that was very emotional for me. That set a pattern for the rest of my life as a writer, at least where, in my nonfiction books, I'm thinking about whatever the issues are that are most important to me. Whether it was that historical book, which was my first book, or Hacking Darwin on the future of human genetic engineering, which was my last book, or Superconvergence, which, as you mentioned in the intro, is my current book. But in every one of those stories, the human element is so deep and so profound. You can get at some of that in nonfiction, but I've also loved exploring those issues in deeper ways in my fiction. So in my more recent novels, Genesis Code and Eternal Sonata, I've looked at the human side of the story of genetic engineering and human life extension. And now my agent has just submitted my new novel, Virtuoso, about the intersection of AI, robotics, and classical music. With all of this, who knows what's the real difference between fiction and nonfiction? We're all humans trying to figure things out on many different levels. Shifting from History to Future Tech Jo: I knew that you were a polymath, someone who's interested in so many things, but the music angle with robotics and AI is fascinating. I do just want to ask you, because I was also at Oxford – what college were you at? Jamie: I was in St. Antony's. Jo: I was at Mansfield, so we were in that slightly smaller, less famous college group, if people don't know. Jamie: You know, but we're small but proud. Jo: Exactly. That's fantastic. You mentioned that you were on the historical side of things at the beginning and now you've moved into technology and also science, because this book Superconvergence has a lot of science. So how did you go from history and the past into science and the future? Biology and Seeing the Future Coming Jamie: It's a great question. I'll start at the end and then back up. A few years ago I was speaking at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which is one of the big scientific labs here in the United States. I was a guest of the director and I was speaking to their 300 top scientists. I said to them, “I'm here to speak with you about the future of biology at the invitation of your director, and I'm really excited. But if you hear something wrong, please raise your hand and let me know, because I'm entirely self-taught. The last biology course I took was in 11th grade of high school in Kansas City.” Of course I wouldn't say that if I didn't have a lot of confidence in my process. But in many ways I'm self-taught in the sciences. As you know, Jo, and as all of your listeners know, the foundation of everything is curiosity and then a disciplined process for learning. Even our greatest super-specialists in the world now – whatever their background – the world is changing so fast that if anyone says, “Oh, I have a PhD in physics/chemistry/biology from 30 years ago,” the exact topic they learned 30 years ago is less significant than their process for continuous learning. More specifically, in the 1990s I was working on the National Security Council for President Clinton, which is the president's foreign policy staff. My then boss and now close friend, Richard Clarke – who became famous as the guy who had tragically predicted 9/11 – used to say that the key to efficacy in Washington and in life is to try to solve problems that other people can't see. For me, almost 30 years ago, I felt to my bones that this intersection of what we now call AI and the nascent genetics revolution and the nascent biotechnology revolution was going to have profound implications for humanity. So I just started obsessively educating myself. When I was ready, I started writing obscure national security articles. Those got a decent amount of attention, so I was invited to testify before the United States Congress. I was speaking out a lot, saying, “Hey, this is a really important story. A lot of people are missing it. Here are the things we should be thinking about for the future.” I wasn't getting the kind of traction that I wanted. I mentioned before that my first book had been this dry Oxford PhD dissertation, and that had led to my first novel. So I thought, why don't I try the same approach again – writing novels to tell this story about the genetics, biotech, and what later became known popularly as the AI revolution? That led to my two near-term sci-fi novels, Genesis Code and Eternal Sonata. On my book tours for those novels, when I explained the underlying science to people in my way, as someone who taught myself, I could see in their eyes that they were recognizing not just that something big was happening, but that they could understand it and feel like they were part of that story. That's what led me to write Hacking Darwin, as I mentioned. That book really unlocked a lot of things. I had essentially predicted the CRISPR babies that were born in China before it happened – down to the specific gene I thought would be targeted, which in fact was the case. After that book was published, Dr. Tedros, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, invited me to join the WHO Expert Advisory Committee on Human Genome Editing, which I did. It was a really great experience and got me thinking a lot about the upside of this revolution and the downside. The Birth of Superconvergence Jamie: I get a lot of wonderful invitations to speak, and I have two basic rules for speaking: Never use notes. Never ever. Never stand behind a podium. Never ever. Because of that, when I speak, my talks tend to migrate. I'd be speaking with people about the genetics revolution as it applied to humans, and I'd say, “Well, this is just a little piece of a much bigger story.” The bigger story is that after nearly four billion years of life on Earth, our one species has the increasing ability to engineer novel intelligence and re-engineer life. The big question for us, and frankly for the world, is whether we're going to be able to use that almost godlike superpower wisely. As that idea got bigger and bigger, it became this inevitable force. You write so many books, Jo, that I think it's second nature for you. Every time I finish a book, I think, “Wow, that was really hard. I'm never doing that again.” And then the books creep up on you. They call to you. At some point you say, “All right, now I'm going to do it.” So that was my current book, Superconvergence. Like everything, every journey you take a step, and that step inspires another step and another. That's why writing and living creatively is such a wonderfully exciting thing – there's always more to learn and always great opportunities to push ourselves in new ways. Balancing Deep Research with Good Storytelling Jo: Yeah, absolutely. I love that you've followed your curiosity and then done this disciplined process for learning. I completely understand that. But one of the big issues with people like us who love the research – and having read your Superconvergence, I know how deeply you go into this and how deeply you care that it's correct – is that with fiction, one of the big problems with too much research is the danger of brain-dumping. Readers go to fiction for escapism. They want the interesting side of it, but they want a story first. What are your tips for authors who might feel like, “Where's the line between putting in my research so that it's interesting for readers, but not going too far and turning it into a textbook?” How do you find that balance? Jamie: It's such a great question. I live in New York now, but I used to live in Washington when I was working for the U.S. government, and there were a number of people I served with who later wrote novels. Some of those novels felt like policy memos with a few sex scenes – and that's not what to do. To write something that's informed by science or really by anything, everything needs to be subservient to the story and the characters. The question is: what is the essential piece of information that can convey something that's both important to your story and your character development, and is also an accurate representation of the world as you want it to be? I certainly write novels that are set in the future – although some of them were a future that's now already happened because I wrote them a long time ago. You can make stuff up, but as an author you have to decide what your connection to existing science and existing technology and the existing world is going to be. I come at it from two angles. One: I read a huge number of scientific papers and think, “What does this mean for now, and if you extrapolate into the future, where might that go?” Two: I think about how to condense things. We've all read books where you're humming along because people read fiction for story and emotional connection, and then you hit a bit like: “I sat down in front of the president, and the president said, ‘Tell me what I need to know about the nuclear threat.'” And then it's like: insert memo. That's a deal-killer. It's like all things – how do you have a meaningful relationship with another person? It's not by just telling them your story. Even when you're telling them something about you, you need to be imagining yourself sitting in their shoes, hearing you. These are very different disciplines, fiction and nonfiction. But for the speculative nonfiction I write – “here's where things are now, and here's where the world is heading” – there's a lot of imagination that goes into that too. It feels in many ways like we're living in a sci-fi world because the rate of technological change has been accelerating continuously, certainly for the last 12,000 years since the dawn of agriculture. It's a balance. For me, I feel like I'm a better fiction writer because I write nonfiction, and I'm a better nonfiction writer because I write fiction. When I'm writing nonfiction, I don't want it to be boring either – I want people to feel like there's a story and characters and that they can feel themselves inside that story. Jo: Yeah, definitely. I think having some distance helps as well. If you're really deep into your topics, as you are, you have to leave that manuscript a little bit so you can go back with the eyes of the reader as opposed to your eyes as the expert. Then you can get their experience, which is great. Looking Beyond Author-Focused AI Fears Jo: I want to come to your technical knowledge, because AI is a big thing in the author and creative community, like everywhere else. One of the issues is that creators are focusing on just this tiny part of the impact of AI, and there's a much bigger picture. For example, in 2024, Demis Hassabis from Google DeepMind and his collaborative partner John Jumper won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry with AlphaFold. It feels to me like there's this massive world of what's happening with AI in health, climate, and other areas, and yet we are so focused on a lot of the negative stuff. Maybe you could give us a couple of things about what there is to be excited and optimistic about in terms of AI-powered science? Jamie: Sure. I'm so excited about all of the new opportunities that AI creates. But I also think there's a reason why evolution has preserved this very human feeling of anxiety: because there are real dangers. Anybody who's Pollyanna-ish and says, “Oh, the AI story is inevitably positive,” I'd be distrustful. And anyone who says, “We're absolutely doomed, this is the end of humanity,” I'd also be distrustful. So let me tell you the positives and the negatives, and maybe some thoughts about how we navigate toward the former and away from the latter. AI as the New Electricity Jamie: When people think of AI right now, they're thinking very narrowly about these AI tools and ChatGPT. But we don't think of electricity that way. Nobody says, “I know electricity – electricity is what happens at the power station.” We've internalised the idea that electricity is woven into not just our communication systems or our houses, but into our clothes, our glasses – it's woven into everything and has super-empowered almost everything in our modern lives. That's what AI is. In Superconvergence, the majority of the book is about positive opportunities: In healthcare, moving from generalised healthcare based on population averages to personalised or precision healthcare based on a molecular understanding of each person's individual biology. As we build these massive datasets like the UK Biobank, we can take a next jump toward predictive and preventive healthcare, where we're able to address health issues far earlier in the process, when interventions can be far more benign. I'm really excited about that, not to mention the incredible new kinds of treatments – gene therapies, or pharmaceuticals based on genetics and systems-biology analyses of patients. Then there's agriculture. Over the last hundred years, because of the technologies of the Green Revolution and synthetic fertilisers, we've had an incredible increase in agricultural productivity. That's what's allowed us to quadruple the global population. But if we just continue agriculture as it is, as we get towards ten billion wealthier, more empowered people wanting to eat like we eat, we're going to have to wipe out all the wild spaces on Earth to feed them. These technologies help provide different paths toward increasing agricultural productivity with fewer inputs of land, water, fertiliser, insecticides, and pesticides. That's really positive. I could go on and on about these positives – and I do – but there are very real negatives. I was a member of the WHO Expert Advisory Committee on Human Genome Editing after the first CRISPR babies were very unethically created in China. I'm extremely aware that these same capabilities have potentially incredible upsides and very real downsides. That's the same as every technology in the past, but this is happening so quickly that it's triggering a lot of anxieties. Governance, Responsibility, and Why Everyone Has a Role Jamie: The question now is: how do we optimise the benefits and minimise the harms? The short, unsexy word for that is governance. Governance is not just what governments do; it's what all of us do. That's why I try to write books, both fiction and nonfiction, to bring people into this story. If people “other” this story – if they say, “There's a technology revolution, it has nothing to do with me, I'm going to keep my head down” – I think that's dangerous. The way we're going to handle this as responsibly as possible is if everybody says, “I have some role. Maybe it's small, maybe it's big. The first step is I need to educate myself. Then I need to have conversations with people around me. I need to express my desires, wishes, and thoughts – with political leaders, organisations I'm part of, businesses.” That has to happen at every level. You're in the UK – you know the anti-slavery movement started with a handful of people in Cambridge and grew into a global movement. I really believe in the power of ideas, but ideas don't spread on their own. These are very human networks, and that's why writing, speaking, communicating – probably for every single person listening to this podcast – is so important. Jo: Mm, yeah. Fiction Like AI 2041 and Thinking Through the Issues Jo: Have you read AI 2041 by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan? Jamie: No. I heard a bunch of their interviews when the book came out, but I haven't read it. Jo: I think that's another good one because it's fiction – a whole load of short stories. It came out a few years ago now, but the issues they cover in the stories, about different people in different countries – I remember one about deepfakes – make you think more about the topics and help you figure out where you stand. I think that's the issue right now: it's so complex, there are so many things. I'm generally positive about AI, but of course I don't want autonomous drone weapons, you know? The Messy Reality of “Bad” Technologies Jamie: Can I ask you about that? Because this is why it's so complicated. Like you, I think nobody wants autonomous killer drones anywhere in the world. But if you right now were the defence minister of Ukraine, and your children are being kidnapped, your country is being destroyed, you're fighting for your survival, you're getting attacked every night – and you're getting attacked by the Russians, who are investing more and more in autonomous killer robots – you kind of have two choices. You can say, “I'm going to surrender,” or, “I'm going to use what technology I have available to defend myself, and hopefully fight to either victory or some kind of stand-off.” That's what our societies did with nuclear weapons. Maybe not every American recognises that Churchill gave Britain's nuclear secrets to America as a way of greasing the wheels of the Anglo-American alliance during the Second World War – but that was our programme: we couldn't afford to lose that war, and we couldn't afford to let the Nazis get nuclear weapons before we did. So there's the abstract feeling of, “I'm against all war in the abstract. I'm against autonomous killer robots in the abstract.” But if I were the defence minister of Ukraine, I would say, “What will it take for us to build the weapons we can use to defend ourselves?” That's why all this stuff gets so complicated. And frankly, it's why the relationship between fiction and nonfiction is so important. If every novel had a situation where every character said, “Oh, I know exactly the right answer,” and then they just did the right answer and it was obviously right, it wouldn't make for great fiction. We're dealing with really complex humans. We have conflicting impulses. We're not perfect. Maybe there are no perfect answers – but how do we strive toward better rather than worse? That's the question. Jo: Absolutely. I don't want to get too political on things. How AI Is Changing the Writing Life Jo: Let's come back to authors. In terms of the creative process, the writing process, the research process, and the business of being an author – what are some of the ways that you already use AI tools, and some of the ways, given your futurist brain, that you think things are going to change for us? Jamie: Great question. I'll start with a little middle piece. I found you, Jo, through GPT-5. I asked ChatGPT, “I'm coming out with this book and I want to connect with podcasters who are a little different from the ones I've done in the past. I've been a guest on Joe Rogan twice and some of the bigger podcasts. Make me a list of really interesting people I can have great conversations with.” That's how I found you. So this is one reward of that process. Let me say that in the last year I've worked on three books, and I'll explain how my relationship with AI has changed over those books. Cleaning Up Citations (and Getting Burned) Jamie: First is the highly revised paperback edition of Superconvergence. When the hardback came out, I had – I don't normally work with research assistants because I like to dig into everything myself – but the one thing I do use a research assistant for is that I can't be bothered, when I'm writing something, to do the full Chicago-style footnote if I'm already referencing an academic paper. So I'd just put the URL as the footnote and then hire a research assistant and say, “Go to this URL and change it into a Chicago-style citation. That's it.” Unfortunately, my research assistant on the hardback used early-days ChatGPT for that work. He did the whole thing, came back, everything looked perfect. I said, “Wow, amazing job.” It was only later, as I was going through them, that I realised something like 50% of them were invented footnotes. It was very painful to go back and fix, and it took ten times more time. With the paperback edition, I didn't use AI that much, but I did say things like, “Here's all the information – generate a Chicago-style citation.” That was better. I noticed there were a few things where I stopped using the thesaurus function on Microsoft Word because I'd just put the whole paragraph into the AI and say, “Give me ten other options for this one word,” and it would be like a contextual thesaurus. That was pretty good. Talking to a Robot Pianist Character Jamie: Then, for my new novel Virtuoso, I was writing a character who is a futurist robot that plays the piano very beautifully – not just humanly, but almost finding new things in the music we've written and composing music that resonates with us. I described the actions of that robot in the novel, but I didn't describe the inner workings of the robot's mind. In thinking about that character, I realised I was the first science-fiction writer in history who could interrogate a machine about what it was “thinking” in a particular context. I had the most beautiful conversations with ChatGPT, where I would give scenarios and ask, “What are you thinking? What are you feeling in this context?” It was all background for that character, but it was truly profound. Co-Authoring The AI Ten Commandments with GPT-5 Jamie: Third, I have another book coming out in May in the United States. I gave a talk this summer at the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York about AI and spirituality. I talked about the history of our human relationship with our technology, about how all our religious and spiritual traditions have deep technological underpinnings – certainly our Abrahamic religions are deeply connected to farming, and Protestantism to the printing press. Then I had a section about the role of AI in generating moral codes that would resonate with humans. Everybody went nuts for this talk, and I thought, “I think I'm going to write a book.” I decided to write it differently, with GPT-5 as my named co-author. The first thing I did was outline the entire book based on the talk, which I'd already spent a huge amount of time thinking about and organising. Then I did a full outline of the arguments and structures. Then I trained GPT-5 on my writing style. The way I did it – which I fully describe in the introduction to the book – was that I'd handle all the framing: the full introduction, the argument, the structure. But if there was a section where, for a few paragraphs, I was summarising a huge field of data, even something I knew well, I'd give GPT-5 the intro sentence and say, “In my writing style, prepare four paragraphs on this.” For example, I might write: “AI has the potential to see us humans like we humans see ant colonies.” Then I'd say, “Give me four paragraphs on the relationship between the individual and the collective in ant colonies.” I could have written those four paragraphs myself, but it would've taken a month to read the life's work of E.O. Wilson and then write them. GPT-5 wrote them in seconds or minutes, in its thinking mode. I'd then say, “It's not quite right – change this, change that,” and we'd go back and forth three or four times. Then I'd edit the whole thing and put it into the text. So this book that I could have written on my own in a year, I wrote a first draft of with GPT-5 as my named co-author in two days. The whole project will take about six months from start to finish, and I'm having massive human editing – multiple edits from me, plus a professional editor. It's not a magic AI button. But I feel strongly about listing GPT-5 as a co-author because I've written it differently than previous books. I'm a huge believer in the old-fashioned lone author struggling and suffering – that's in my novels, and in Virtuoso I explore that. But other forms are going to emerge, just like video games are a creative, artistic form deeply connected to technology. The novel hasn't been around forever – the current format is only a few centuries old – and forms are always changing. There are real opportunities for authors, and there will be so much crap flooding the market because everybody can write something and put it up on Amazon. But I think there will be a very special place for thoughtful human authors who have an idea of what humans do at our best, and who translate that into content other humans can enjoy. Traditional vs Indie: Why This Book Will Be Self-Published Jo: I'm interested – you mentioned that it's your named co-author. Is this book going through a traditional publisher, and what do they think about that? Or are you going to publish it yourself? Jamie: It's such a smart question. What I found quickly is that when you get to be an author later in your career, you have all the infrastructure – a track record, a fantastic agent, all of that. But there were two things that were really important to me here: I wanted to get this book out really fast – six months instead of a year and a half. It was essential to me to have GPT-5 listed as my co-author, because if it were just my name, I feel like it would be dishonest. Readers who are used to reading my books – I didn't want to present something different than what it was. I spoke with my agent, who I absolutely love, and she said that for this particular project it was going to be really hard in traditional publishing. So I did a huge amount of research, because I'd never done anything in the self-publishing world before. I looked at different models. There was one hybrid model that's basically the same as traditional, but you pay for the things the publisher would normally pay for. I ended up not doing that. Instead, I decided on a self-publishing route where I disaggregated the publishing process. I found three teams: one for producing the book, one for getting the book out into the world, and a smaller one for the audiobook. I still believe in traditional publishing – there's a lot of wonderful human value-add. But some works just don't lend themselves to traditional publishing. For this book, which is called The AI Ten Commandments, that's the path I've chosen. Jo: And when's that out? I think people will be interested. Jamie: April 26th. Those of us used to traditional publishing think, “I've finished the book, sold the proposal, it'll be out any day now,” and then it can be a year and a half. It's frustrating. With this, the process can be much faster because it's possible to control more of the variables. But the key – as I was saying – is to make sure it's as good a book as everything else you've written. It's great to speed up, but you don't want to compromise on quality. The Coming Flood of Excellent AI-Generated Work Jo: Yeah, absolutely. We're almost out of time, but I want to come back to your “flood of crap” and the “AI slop” idea that's going around. Because you are working with GPT-5 – and I do as well, and I work with Claude and Gemini – and right now there are still issues. Like you said about referencing, there are still hallucinations, though fewer. But fast-forward two, five years: it's not a flood of crap. It's a flood of excellent. It's a flood of stuff that's better than us. Jamie: We're humans. It's better than us in certain ways. If you have farm machinery, it's better than us at certain aspects of farming. I'm a true humanist. I think there will be lots of things machines do better than us, but there will be tons of things we do better than them. There's a reason humans still care about chess, even though machines can beat humans at chess. Some people are saying things I fully disagree with, like this concept of AGI – artificial general intelligence – where machines do everything better than humans. I've summarised my position in seven letters: “AGI is BS.” The only way you can believe in AGI in that sense is if your concept of what a human is and what a human mind is is so narrow that you think it's just a narrow range of analytical skills. We are so much more than that. Humans represent almost four billion years of embodied evolution. There's so much about ourselves that we don't know. As incredible as these machines are and will become, there will always be wonderful things humans can do that are different from machines. What I always tell people is: whatever you're doing, don't be a second-rate machine. Be a first-rate human. If you're doing something and a machine is doing that thing much better than you, then shift to something where your unique capacities as a human give you the opportunity to do something better. So yes, I totally agree that the quality of AI-generated stuff will get better. But I think the most creative and successful humans will be the ones who say, “I recognise that this is creating new opportunities, and I'm going to insert my core humanity to do something magical and new.” People are “othering” these technologies, but the technologies themselves are magnificent human-generated artefacts. They're not alien UFOs that landed here. It's a scary moment for creatives, no doubt, because there are things all of us did in the past that machines can now do really well. But this is the moment where the most creative people ask themselves, “What does it mean for me to be a great human?” The pat answers won't apply. In my Virtuoso novel I explore that a lot. The idea that “machines don't do creativity” – they will do incredible creativity; it just won't be exactly human creativity. We will be potentially huge beneficiaries of these capabilities, but we really have to believe in and invest in the magic of our core humanity. Where to Find Jamie and His Books Jo: Brilliant. So where can people find you and your books online? Jamie: Thank you so much for asking. My website is jamiemetzl.com – and my books are available everywhere. Jo: Fantastic. Thanks so much for your time, Jamie. That was great. Jamie: Thank you, Joanna.The post Writing The Future, And Being More Human In An Age of AI With Jamie Metzl first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Are today's Jews the same people the Bible speaks of? What does Scripture mean when it mentions those “who say they are Jews, but are the synagogue of Satan”? Is modern Israel a continuation of ancient Israel, and does the Abrahamic covenant still apply? Does today's Israeli state fulfill prophecy, or has God replaced the Jewish people? And how are social media influencers shaping this debate? We'll answer these questions and more on today's Endtime Show! ⭐️: True Gold Republic: Get The Endtime Show special on precious metals at https://www.endtimegold.com📱: It's never been easier to understand. Stream Only Source Network and access exclusive content: https://watch.osn.tv/browse📚: Check out Jerusalem Prophecy College Online for less than $60 per course: https://jerusalemprophecycollege.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Hall of Mysteries, Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq delves into one of the most controversial and hidden doctrines in Islam: the Rajʿa (the Return, or reincarnation). While many Muslims – and even Jews and Christians – deny that reincarnation has any place in the Abrahamic faiths, the narrations of the Prophet Muhammad and his family tell a very different story.

One of the many great things about "No Kings" is the variety of messaging we saw. Which means a variety of thoughts. For the progress side of America this is both good and bad because messaging can be scattered. As historically, there will always be the "free Tibet" Berkeley hippies there with those fighting for civil rights, affordable healthcare, and upholding the constitution. For the regress side of America, they're messaging is often more homogenized because there is less variety of thought. This unfortunately means its messaging can be parroted and echoed quicker. When we look at the phenomenon of theocratic fascist cults, whether they arise in the deserts of the ancient world or the digital jungles of the modern mind—we are observing the triumph of ideology over experience. These people, who we've said it before and we'll never stop saying it, in their latest incarnation, are in a fascist MAGA cult, nested in a regressive red cult, nested in a faux Abrahamic supremacist religious cult. So these thrice cult fervent disciples speak in unison because the narrow structure they inhabit demands it. Language, that great frontier of the individual spirit, within these tight canyons is commandeered, reduced, and weaponized into a tool of control. The spontaneous bloom of personal insight is replaced by the same dozen tired selfish asshole tropes, "You Marxist", "You Communist", "We're a Republic, not a democracy", "You wanna raise my taxes", etc... SNORE!!!These insight sub-episodes are mirrored on our primary YouTube channel which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@NilesHeckman/videos

A @Christadelphians Video: Who truly owns the land in the Middle East? As global powers push for a "two-state solution," we turn to the Bible for an outstanding and thought-provoking perspective on this critical issue. This expositional Bible talk provides a revealing look at what scripture says about the land of Israel, Jerusalem, and the divine purpose behind today's headlines. We examine the ancient promises made to Abraham and their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, offering an insightful and inspiring understanding of current events. Discover why the nations are being judged for dividing God's land and the wonderful future that awaits when God's kingdom is established on earth.**Chapters / Timestamps:**00:00 - Introduction: The Middle East in Today's Headlines00:57 - The Historical Two-State Solution: The 1947 UN Partition Plan02:16 - The Prophetic Time Stamp: Joel 3 and the Return from Captivity03:37 - God's Judgment on the Nations: "They Have Divided My Land"04:25 - The Abrahamic Promise: The Land Given to Abraham and His Seed06:02 - The Singular Seed: Galatians 3 Reveals the Promise is to Christ06:56 - Our Inheritance in Christ: The Ultimate Solution for the Land07:28 - Jerusalem: A Burdensome Stone for All Nations (Zechariah 12)08:44 - The One Kingdom Solution: The Kingdom of God (Daniel 2)09:20 - Conclusion: Thy Kingdom Come**Bible Verses Featured in This Presentation:**

Words In Scripture Explored – Covenant Gday and welcome to Words In Scripture Explored! The word for today is Covenant. Look at your money! On British money are the words "I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of five [ten/twenty/fifty] pounds. In fact you can even take old British banknotes to the Bank and cash them in for modern money! Promises!! That’s what a covenant is – a promise between two parties. Covenants in the Bible Covenants were common in all kinds of life, and not just between God and humanity. For instance where a powerful nation had taken over a weaker nation, a covenant was in place to give benefits from the powerful nation to the weaker nation, such as protection as well as sanctions if the weaker nation rebelled. About God’s Covenants Each covenant between God and humanity showed God promising to do something and commands for mankind to follow! When an Old Testament covenant ended in failure, it was always due to mankind’s inability to obey God! Such as when Adam & Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thereby breaking the covenant made with God. The Edenic Covenant was therefore terminated and now God needed to make another covenant with Adam (Genesis 3v14-21). In the Old Testament we have six covenants between God and humanity: Edenic, Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and the Davidic. They all had several things about them: God always took the initiative. God always gave His solemn promise to fulfil His promise. God always waited for a free response from humanity, without coercion or force. New Covenant As a Christian Disciple today, you are living under the the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31v31-34) Four features of this covenant are: God transforming you; God being your God and you being His; God living inside you and leading you; your sins are forgiven and removed This new covenant is sealed only through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. His blood ensures the truth of this New Covenant. There is no other way for this New Covenant to be sealed except through Jesus’ blood alone. This New Covenant finalizes what the Mosaic Covenant could only point to: the follower of God living in a righteous life conforming to God's holy character. Whenever you celebrate Communion or the Lord’s Supper, you celebrate this New Covenant between God and yourself, for it symbolizes this New Covenant, which guarantees salvation! So go tell somebody else today about how God will make them new, forgive them, live inside them, and transform them, if only they come to Him in repentance.

Send us a textWhat if the phrase you've been taught to cherish—“Judeo-Christian”—actually blurs the gospel more than it clarifies it? We take on one of the most charged topics in the church today: how to think biblically about Israel, the Church, and the unfolding promise of God without caving to political slogans or tribal pressure. With open Bibles and steady pacing, we examine covenant theology vs dispensationalism, trace the seed of Abraham to Christ, and ask who “God's chosen people” really are according to Romans 9, Matthew 5, and the story of Scripture.We walk through the Old Testament's continuity with the New, highlighting Christophanies and the progressive revelation of the covenants—Edenic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New—unified in Jesus. Along the way, we reckon with modern Zionism's surge, the origins of the word Jew, and why many churches drift into syncretism when Israeli symbols are platformed as if they share equal footing with the cross. We also tackle the role of rabbinic tradition—Talmud, Mishnah, Midrash—and why contemporary Judaism is not simply “Old Testament minus Jesus,” but a different authority structure that often contradicts the Bible and rejects Christ.None of this is a political screed. It's a call to clarity, courage, and love. We argue for a Christ-centered approach that honors Scripture's storyline, resists proof-texting, and refuses to baptize any modern nation as covenantally chosen. Most importantly, we urge Christians to evangelize both Jew and Gentile with humility and urgency, embracing the watchman's responsibility: warn faithfully, love deeply, and trust God with the outcome.If you're ready to replace slogans with Scripture and sentiment with substance, this conversation will sharpen your mind and steady your heart. Listen, test everything in the Word, and tell us where you land. Subscribe, share with a friend who's wrestling through this, and leave a review to help more people find thoughtful, Bible-first conversations like this.Support the show

Discerning spirits, the nature of God, glorious sociality, the timing of the Second Coming, eternal marriage, and plural marriage. In this pivotal lesson, we jump into the deep end of Restoration doctrine, covering Joseph Smith's most profound teachings on the nature of God, our eternal potential, and the covenants that bind us forever. Summary: This episode explores D&C 129–132, revelations containing foundational and high-level doctrine for the Church. D&C 129: Discerning Spirits. The Lord provides "three grand keys" to distinguish a resurrected being, a righteous spirit, and the devil appearing as an angel of light. This section emphasizes the eternal reality of the body and the importance of discernment. D&C 130: Eternal Knowledge and Timing. Joseph records several "items of instruction," including the promise that "whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection," providing an "advantage in the world to come." He also recounts the Lord's gentle command to "trouble me no more" about the timing of the Second Coming. Crucially, we learn that the "same sociality" we enjoy here, "coupled with eternal glory," will exist in the world to come. D&C 131: The New and Everlasting Covenant. This section reveals that in the celestial glory, a man "must enter into this order of the priesthood [the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]" to obtain the highest degree and have an eternal "increase." D&C 132: Eternal Marriage and Law. This essential revelation lays out the foundational law of eternal marriage, which must be "sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise" and entered into by revelation through the authorized servant. We discuss the stark difference between marriages that "have an end when men are dead" and those that lead to "thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers." We also examine the difficult topic of plural marriage, seeing it as an Abrahamic test given by command to "restore all things." Call-to-Action: What kind of "knowledge and intelligence" are you working to secure for your resurrection? Share your study goals in the comments! If this message helped clarify the path to eternal lives, please like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to stay "Unshaken" in your faith. Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 7:04 Discerning Spirits in an AI World 19:02 Timing of the Second Coming 29:34 Education for Eternity 43:39 Eternal Relationships 1:08:34 Growing into Godhood 1:17:39 Plural Marriage 1:38:09 Abrahamic Tests 2:02:11 One-Liners

#mormon #christianity #islam #judaism Youtube link: https://youtu.be/wDWcKvxGQWkPodcast link: Click on link for podcast: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/6B7jSHyE8XbJoin us as we have a conversation about how Abrahamic religions are the most captivating physiological and financial scams the Black community have ever seen! Hashtags: #religion #god #islam #jesus #faith #love #christianity #church #bible #christian #spirituality #muslim #allah #atheist #peace #art #pray #prayer #quran #atheism #spiritual #india #jesuschrist #christ #hope #instagram #life #truth #catholic #amen

How did the Saints wrestle with the revelation on plural marriage in Doctrine and Covenants 132 and how can reading their own accounts inform our faith, and personal testimony?SHOW NOTES/TRANSCRIPTS English: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC246EN French: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC246FR German: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC246DE Portuguese: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC246PT Spanish: https://tinyurl.com/podcastDC246ESYOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/6Zb8xWjyIFgALL EPISODES/SHOW NOTESfollowHIM website: https://www.followHIM.co2021 Episode Doctrine & Covenants 129-132 Part 2https://youtu.be/BKG8_p8uYqMFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookBook of Mormon: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastBMBook  WEEKLY NEWSLETTER https://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletter  SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastTIMECODE:00:00 Part 2 - Sister Brittany Chapman Nash00:07 Don't need to have a testimony of plural marriage02:01 Context to a revelation for Emma Smith05:21 Emma rejected the revelation08:44 Joseph F. Smith's statement on this section11:44 Preaching publicly about this revelation14:09 Section 132 would have been different if delivered to body of the Saints17:26 Provenance of Section 13220:19 Joseph Smith restoring patterns from previous dispensations22:30 Not a statement about what God thinks about marriage27:25 Some motivations for marriage30:34 Pattern of women (and men) agreeing to plural marriage35:08 Having increase and Abrahamic sacrifice38:35 Finding peace through reading first-person accounts40:20 Marriage can be good or evil, depending on the people practicing42:26 No social or religious repercussions for those who did not practice46:51 Nephi killing Laban50:39 Let's Talk About: Polygamy by Brittany Chapman Nash53:27 The Saints reception of plural marriage56:22 Martha Craig Cox writing about the principle59:11 Consent is an eternal principle1:01:12 Reflections on living plural marriage1:04:21 The results of wrestling with difficult topics1:05:34 Moving forward with faith in Jesus Christ1:08:25 End of Part 2 - Sister Brittany Chapman NashThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika: Portuguese TranscriptsHeather Barlow: Communications DirectorSydney Smith: Social Media, Graphic Design "Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

It goes without saying that War is Peace, especially when the President of Peace continually threatens war or supports the same indirectly: from Gaza to Venezuela and now Nigeria. The President posted this threat to Nigeria over the Halloween weekend: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,' to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” In response, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded: “Yes sir… The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/01/politics/trump-pentagon-nigeria-action According to a 2024 report from “The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa,” there have been 11,000 incidents of extreme violence from October 2019 through September of 2023. The violence left 55,910 people dead in 9,970 deadly attacks — as well as 21,621 people abducted in 2,705 attacks. The total number includes civilian deaths, terror group deaths, and Nigerian Armed Forces deaths. Of the total deaths, 30,880 were civilians. Of the civilians, at least 16,769 Christians were killed, 6,235 Muslims were killed and 154 adherents of traditional African religions were killed. The religions of 7,722 victims are unknown. The report says further: “The ratio of Christians to Muslims killed rises significantly when the religious composition of the states is taken into consideration. Looking at the overall numbers, the ratio of Christians to Muslims killed was 2.7:1; the ratio of Christians to Muslims abducted was 1.4:1. However, when taking into account the relative sizes of the Christian and Muslim populations within the different states, the ratio of Christians to Muslims killed increases to 6.5:1, and the ratio of Christians to Muslims abducted to 5.1:1.” “Fulani Ethnic Militia are targeting Christian populations, while Muslims also suffer severely at their hands,” the Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, another analyst for The Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa, said in a statement. https://ewtn.co.uk/article-56000-killed-in-nigerias-ethnic-and-religious-violence-christians-disproportionately-affected/ https://orfa.africa/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26082024-ORFA-4-YEARS-REPORT.pdf Sure, Christians are being targeted, but so are Muslims. But in both cases, religion is not the driving factor behind the attacks and killings in Nigeria. Just as many Christians are killed in Nigeria over farmland, Israeli settler have been slaughtering Palestinian farmers, with no mention of their religion made in the news, for over half a century. A recent AP article confirmed with video evidence that Israeli terrorists beat farmers during the recent olive harvest in the West Bank. https://apnews.com/article/israel-settlers-west-bank-attack-annexation-1e9cbd6af6ea502fbfca5d9ffe949b0bFather Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of the Church of Christ the Redeemer in Taybeh, told ACI MENA: “The town, which the Gospel of John (11:54) refers to as ‘Ephraim' — the place Jesus withdrew to before his passion — is no longer safe for its people today… We do not live in peace but in daily fear and siege.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/265035/priest-warns-christian-town-of-taybe-in-holy-land-no-longer-safe-amid-settler-attacksIn July 2025 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country "deeply regrets that a stray ammunition" hit Gaza's only Catholic Church. A few weeks before Israeli forces assaulted Christians in Jerusalem on holy Saturday at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8ge7vllw9o.amp https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-forces-assault-christians-jerusalem-holy-saturdayIn 2024, Israel bombed a Catholic Church in Lebanon, Saint George's, destroying the offices of the parish and the residence of the local priest. They even slaughtered the rescue team.https://zenit.org/2024/10/11/israel-bombs-catholic-church-in-lebanon-and-attacks-un-blue-helmets/#google_vignetteIsrael has repeatedly bombarded Christian towns in Lebanon, specifically targeting Christian homes.  In 2024 they blew up the historic Shrine of Shimon, or the Shrine of Saint Peter. https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-forces-blow-shrine-shimon-south-lebanonIsrael has likewise been working to create sectarian divisions while carrying out sabotage operations or assassinations aimed at triggering internal conflicts in Lebanon. https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/gallery/2024/10/15/israel-kills-at-least-21-in-strike-on-christian-town-in-north-lebanonAfter regime change in Syria, a country that allowed religions to coexist relatively peacefully, the new Israel and US backed Islamic radical government began targeting Christians. In June 2025 60 people were injured in the attack at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias, in an eastern Damascus suburb. The violence has gotten so bad that Christians believe they will be the target of genocide in Syria now. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79q8p8qx1do.ampThe only thing worse than double standards and hypocrisy is a willingness to use oppressed minorities as political fodder. Democrats do this with blacks and gays, Conservatives do this with Jews and Christians. The only thing sicker than that is motivation for a holy war. To ignore the Israeli targeting of Christians, which has only intensified, and instead to focus on what is happening in Nigeria is disingenuous and repulsive.https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250819-the-zionist-project-a-danger-for-lebanon-and-its-christians/?ampPete Hegseth, tattooed with the Jerusalem cross, has all but made it official policy at the pentagon that his Christian warrior ethos will go to war with Islam wherever it can. It appears one of the first battles of this new holy war is set for Nigeria. Meanwhile, Nick Fuentes has called for a universal Catholic theocracy, not too dissimilar from Curtis Yarvin's, the guy who gives JD Vance his political philosophies, techno-monarchy.  https://divinity.uchicago.edu/sightings/articles/when-christ-and-trump-are-kingshttps://www.aiu.edu/blog/the-new-monarchy-the-neo-totalitarian-proposals-of-curtis-yarvin/It's understandable why some cling to extremist religious views when they have otherwise been assaulted with atheistic anti-humanism. The self-correction is also a manual over-compensation. Christians have gone from criticizing the Obama administration's targeting of their identity, claiming First Amendment rights, to calling for the banning of Islam and deportation of all Muslims. That sickness has now grown to include Hinduism too, and even other Christian denominations according to Nick. *The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tst-radio--5328407https://thesecretteachings.info/donate-subscribe/https://x.com/TST___Radio https://www.facebook.com/thesecretteachingshttp://tstradio.info/https://buymeacoffee.com/ryangableBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

It goes without saying that War is Peace, especially when the President of Peace continually threatens war or supports the same indirectly: from Gaza to Venezuela and now Nigeria. The President posted this threat to Nigeria over the Halloween weekend: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,' to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” In response, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded: “Yes sir… The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/01/politics/trump-pentagon-nigeria-action According to a 2024 report from “The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa,” there have been 11,000 incidents of extreme violence from October 2019 through September of 2023. The violence left 55,910 people dead in 9,970 deadly attacks — as well as 21,621 people abducted in 2,705 attacks. The total number includes civilian deaths, terror group deaths, and Nigerian Armed Forces deaths. Of the total deaths, 30,880 were civilians. Of the civilians, at least 16,769 Christians were killed, 6,235 Muslims were killed and 154 adherents of traditional African religions were killed. The religions of 7,722 victims are unknown. The report says further: “The ratio of Christians to Muslims killed rises significantly when the religious composition of the states is taken into consideration. Looking at the overall numbers, the ratio of Christians to Muslims killed was 2.7:1; the ratio of Christians to Muslims abducted was 1.4:1. However, when taking into account the relative sizes of the Christian and Muslim populations within the different states, the ratio of Christians to Muslims killed increases to 6.5:1, and the ratio of Christians to Muslims abducted to 5.1:1.” “Fulani Ethnic Militia are targeting Christian populations, while Muslims also suffer severely at their hands,” the Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, another analyst for The Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa, said in a statement. https://ewtn.co.uk/article-56000-killed-in-nigerias-ethnic-and-religious-violence-christians-disproportionately-affected/ https://orfa.africa/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26082024-ORFA-4-YEARS-REPORT.pdf Sure, Christians are being targeted, but so are Muslims. But in both cases, religion is not the driving factor behind the attacks and killings in Nigeria. Just as many Christians are killed in Nigeria over farmland, Israeli settler have been slaughtering Palestinian farmers, with no mention of their religion made in the news, for over half a century. A recent AP article confirmed with video evidence that Israeli terrorists beat farmers during the recent olive harvest in the West Bank. https://apnews.com/article/israel-settlers-west-bank-attack-annexation-1e9cbd6af6ea502fbfca5d9ffe949b0bFather Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of the Church of Christ the Redeemer in Taybeh, told ACI MENA: “The town, which the Gospel of John (11:54) refers to as ‘Ephraim' — the place Jesus withdrew to before his passion — is no longer safe for its people today… We do not live in peace but in daily fear and siege.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/265035/priest-warns-christian-town-of-taybe-in-holy-land-no-longer-safe-amid-settler-attacksIn July 2025 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country "deeply regrets that a stray ammunition" hit Gaza's only Catholic Church. A few weeks before Israeli forces assaulted Christians in Jerusalem on holy Saturday at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8ge7vllw9o.amp https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-forces-assault-christians-jerusalem-holy-saturdayIn 2024, Israel bombed a Catholic Church in Lebanon, Saint George's, destroying the offices of the parish and the residence of the local priest. They even slaughtered the rescue team.https://zenit.org/2024/10/11/israel-bombs-catholic-church-in-lebanon-and-attacks-un-blue-helmets/#google_vignetteIsrael has repeatedly bombarded Christian towns in Lebanon, specifically targeting Christian homes.  In 2024 they blew up the historic Shrine of Shimon, or the Shrine of Saint Peter. https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-forces-blow-shrine-shimon-south-lebanonIsrael has likewise been working to create sectarian divisions while carrying out sabotage operations or assassinations aimed at triggering internal conflicts in Lebanon. https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/gallery/2024/10/15/israel-kills-at-least-21-in-strike-on-christian-town-in-north-lebanonAfter regime change in Syria, a country that allowed religions to coexist relatively peacefully, the new Israel and US backed Islamic radical government began targeting Christians. In June 2025 60 people were injured in the attack at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elias, in an eastern Damascus suburb. The violence has gotten so bad that Christians believe they will be the target of genocide in Syria now. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79q8p8qx1do.ampThe only thing worse than double standards and hypocrisy is a willingness to use oppressed minorities as political fodder. Democrats do this with blacks and gays, Conservatives do this with Jews and Christians. The only thing sicker than that is motivation for a holy war. To ignore the Israeli targeting of Christians, which has only intensified, and instead to focus on what is happening in Nigeria is disingenuous and repulsive.https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250819-the-zionist-project-a-danger-for-lebanon-and-its-christians/?ampPete Hegseth, tattooed with the Jerusalem cross, has all but made it official policy at the pentagon that his Christian warrior ethos will go to war with Islam wherever it can. It appears one of the first battles of this new holy war is set for Nigeria. Meanwhile, Nick Fuentes has called for a universal Catholic theocracy, not too dissimilar from Curtis Yarvin's, the guy who gives JD Vance his political philosophies, techno-monarchy.  https://divinity.uchicago.edu/sightings/articles/when-christ-and-trump-are-kingshttps://www.aiu.edu/blog/the-new-monarchy-the-neo-totalitarian-proposals-of-curtis-yarvin/It's understandable why some cling to extremist religious views when they have otherwise been assaulted with atheistic anti-humanism. The self-correction is also a manual over-compensation. Christians have gone from criticizing the Obama administration's targeting of their identity, claiming First Amendment rights, to calling for the banning of Islam and deportation of all Muslims. That sickness has now grown to include Hinduism too, and even other Christian denominations according to Nick. *The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe below underneath the show description.https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tst-radio--5328407https://thesecretteachings.info/donate-subscribe/https://x.com/TST___Radio https://www.facebook.com/thesecretteachingshttp://tstradio.info/https://buymeacoffee.com/ryangableBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-secret-teachings--5328407/support.

In religion and mythology, occultism and folklore, a demon (or daemon, daimon; from Greek daimôn) is a supernatural being that is generally described as a malevolent spirit; however, the original neutral connotations of the Greek word daimon does not carry the negative ones that were later projected onto it, as Christianity spread. In Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the derived Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism. In Western occultism and Renaissance magic, which grew out of an amalgamation of pagan Greco-Roman, Jewish and Christian tradition, a demon is considered a spiritual entity that may be conjured and controlled. - www.manaministries.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-x-zone-radio-tv-show--1078348/support.Please note that all XZBN radio and/or television shows are Copyright © REL-MAR McConnell Meda Company, Niagara, Ontario, Canada – www.rel-mar.com. For more Episodes of this show and all shows produced, broadcasted and syndicated from REL-MAR McConell Media Company and The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network and the 'X' Zone TV Channell, visit www.xzbn.net. For programming, distribution, and syndication inquiries, email programming@xzbn.net.We are proud to announce the we have launched TWATNews.com, launched in August 2025.TWATNews.com is an independent online news platform dedicated to uncovering the truth about Donald Trump and his ongoing influence in politics, business, and society. Unlike mainstream outlets that often sanitize, soften, or ignore stories that challenge Trump and his allies, TWATNews digs deeper to deliver hard-hitting articles, investigative features, and sharp commentary that mainstream media won't touch.These are stories and articles that you will not read anywhere else.Our mission is simple: to expose corruption, lies, and authoritarian tendencies while giving voice to the perspectives and evidence that are often marginalized or buried by corporate-controlled media

A @Christadelphians Video: Description: Despite the history of persecution against the Jews over many years, God has promised that one day the nations will look up to the Jews, wanting to follow them and worship their God. Many prophecies in God's word have already come true, so we can trust that this will come true too. **

Many people still blame rock music for the rebellious nature of the world today, and that the deal with the devil includes the weakening of morals to easily create a political movement to allow Luciferianism to destroy the Abrahamic religions. Furthermore, the demand for exorcisms appears to be on the rise in many parts of the world. A growing interest in spirituality and mystical experiences, particularly among young people, has also been cited as a reason for increased demand. But has it bred a Satanic acceptance over all? It depends on what you believe the trappings of Satan are. If you think that more people are aware of supernatural forces and the devil, then you are correct. Listen to Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis M-F from 7-10 pm, pacific time on groundzeroplus.com. Call in to the LIVE show at 503-225-0860. #groundzeroplus #clydelewis #satan #devil #exorcism #God

For centuries, a single line from Paul's letter to the Romans - “not all Israel is Israel” - has been used to rewrite the story of God's faithfulness.  But was Paul really declaring that the Church replaced Israel? Or was he weeping over his people, trusting that God's promises still stand? This episode takes a deep look into Romans 9–11 and Galatians 6, unpacking what Paul meant by “the Israel of God” and how a single mistranslated conjunction has shaped two millennia of confusion.  We'll explore the grief behind Paul's words, the endurance of God's covenants, and the modern drift that has led Christians to read prophecy as poetry and Israel's story as metaphor. As anti-Semitism rises and theology grows foggy, it's time to recover what the Apostle Paul never meant to erase: that Israel's unbelief doesn't cancel God's faithfulness - it magnifies it. Key Takeaways Paul's “anguish and unceasing sorrow” in Romans 9 reveals grief, not rejection. “Not all Israel is Israel” distinguishes the nation from its remnant, not Israel from the Church. God's covenants - Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New - remain active and irrevocable. “The Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16) refers to Jewish believers, not the Church replacing Israel. Translation shifts like changing “and” to “even” have fueled replacement theology. The Church's inclusion in God's plan never meant Israel's exclusion. When we forget Israel, we lose the storyline of our own salvation. Chapter Markers (Approximate) 00:00 – Why “Not All Israel Is Israel” Is Misunderstood 05:00 – Paul's Heartbreak and the Faithfulness of God 14:00 – Israel's Covenants Still Stand 22:00 – The Real Meaning of “The Israel of God” 30:00 – How History and Translation Warped the Story 40:00 – Why This Matters for the Church Today 46:00 – God's Faithfulness and the Invitation to Clarity God's promises to Israel were never revoked - they're being fulfilled before our eyes. The story of redemption still runs through Jerusalem. Don't just listen - learn to read Scripture the way Paul wrote it: with tears in your eyes and hope in your heart. Explore more resources at thejewishroad.com, join us on the journey to Israel, or become one of The Few - standing with us as we help the Church make sense of God's story for Israel and the nations.

In this powerful episode of Out of Zion, ICEJ USA President Dr. Susan Michael shares why your prayers for Israel matter more than ever. She dives into the biblical foundation behind this call to prayer—revealing God’s heart for Jerusalem and the Jewish people, the prophetic promises surrounding the Holy City, and the unbreakable Abrahamic covenant that still stands today. You’ll also learn why the enemy works to stop God’s plan for Israel and how you can stand in the gap as an intercessor for His people and His promises to be fulfilled. Get Your Free Resource: https://icejusa.org/shownotes Learn more about the Feast of Tabernacles at: https://icejusa.org/feast-tour Get Your Free Resource: https://icejusa.org/shownotes Learn more about the Feast of Tabernacles at: https://icejusa.org/feast-tour

The Rosetta stone, discovered 1799: The top and middle texts are in Ancient Egyptian using hieroglyphic and Demotic scripts respectively, while the bottom is in Ancient Greek. Allowed us to unlock hieroglyphics Covenant is to scripture interpretation the same way. Should we follow the Law? Keep the Sabbath? God in the OT can seem very harsh, and in the NT He's all about love--has He changed? Does God cause evil or not? OT: Amos 3:6 “ shall there be evil in a city and the Lord has not done it?” and Isa 45:7 “I form the light and create darkness: I make peace and create evil: I the Lord do all these things”. NT: 1 John 1:5 “God is light and in him is no darkness at all”. John 10:10: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb 13:8), and “God is not a man that he should lie or the son of man that he should change his mind” (Num 23:19). The difference has to do with the covenants in place at the time. How did David have the courage to face Goliath? He knew His covenant (1 Sam 17:26, 36) circumcision was a sign of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 17:10-14) which covered all Isaac's descendants (Gen 17:19). Included: God will bless those who bless Abraham and his descendants, and curse those who curse them (Gen 12:3) + "The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways" (Deut 28:7) (Mosaic covenant in place by this time too) Jonathan and his armor-bearer knew the same promises applied (1 Sam 14:6). Covenant = Testament (Diatheke) Old and New Testament = Old and New Covenant New Covenant anticipated at the Last Supper (Luke 22:19-20), fulfilled by the cross (Hebrews 8:6-7). Gospels before this are still under the Old Covenant (Mosaic). Jesus 'didn’t come to destroy the law but fulfill it' (Matt 5:17) After the cross: Galatians 3:12: "the law is not of faith, being made a curse for us" Romans 4:7 “you died to the law” Gal 5:4: “Christ is become of no effect unto you; whosoever of you are justified by the law you are fallen from grace.” Paul’s anger in Galatians 5:12 against those who insisted that circumcision (part of the Abrahamic covenant) should continue for Christians--if used as a tool for justification Rom 3:31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We explore the devastating fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian Empire in 586 BC. We examine God's faithfulness in both promises and judgments, as seen through the lens of the Sinai Covenant. The episode delves into the three stages of Babylon's invasion, culminating in the destruction of Solomon's Temple and the exile of Judah. We discuss how this event fulfilled the curses of the covenant, scattering Abraham's nation and to the seeming failure the Davidic and Abrahamic promises.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

By Nathan Hoag

Blessing as a Means to Spiritual Growth      God's blessings are intentional expressions of His character and His grace. He blesses all humanity with the gifts of life, provision, and the sustaining order of creation that reflects His goodness. As Jesus declared, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt 5:45). Likewise, Paul explained that God “did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17). In these passages, God's grace is freely given to all, and this because He is gracious by nature. Yet, His blessings toward His children are of a richer kind, flowing from a covenant relationship that imparts both spiritual and temporal benefits (Eph 1:3; Jam 1:17). These blessings not only make life enjoyable but also serve as reminders of the Giver Himself, calling believers to gratitude, humility, and faithful stewardship. God entrusts His children with resources, whether material, relational, or spiritual, so that they might use them for His glory and the good of others (1 Cor 4:2; 2 Cor 9:8-11; 1 Pet 4:10).      Scripture affirms that “every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (Jam 1:17). The Hebrew word bārak (בָּרַךְ), often used in the Old Testament (Gen 12:2-3; Num 6:24; Psa 103:2), carries the sense of endowing with benefit, prosperity, or favor, and reflects God's purpose to enrich the lives of His people according to His covenant love. According to Oswalt, “To bless in the OT means ‘to endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity, etc.'”[1] It means the one whom God blesses is granted a life marked by richness, abundance, and fullness (John 10:10). Its New Testament counterpart, eulogeō (εὐλογέω), conveys the same idea of divine favor and gracious bestowal, emphasizing both God's act of blessing His people and their reciprocal act of praising Him in gratitude (Eph 1:3). Paul echoes this truth in the New Testament, teaching that God “richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (1 Tim 6:17). These blessings are not only for our personal delight but also to reveal the goodness of the Giver, that our enjoyment might lead us into deeper worship and thanksgiving.      Yet with blessing comes responsibility. Moses warned Israel that prosperity could easily lead to spiritual amnesia, saying, “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God…otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them…then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God” (Deut 8:11–14). According to Wiersbe, “If we forget God, then success has a way of making us proud (Deut 8:14), and we forget what we were before the Lord called us.”[2] The danger is that blessings, if received without humility and gratitude, can foster pride and self-sufficiency. Paul raised the same concern when he asked the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor 4:7). Thus, blessings must be received with gratitude, humility, and a recognition of stewardship under God.      Blessings are also designed to teach us about God's good nature and His desire to bless His people. David wrote, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; who satisfies your years with good things” (Psa 103:2–5). Ross states, “God satisfies us with good things, i.e., things that enhance and benefit our lives, so that we may be renewed (spiritually and/or physically).”[3] God blesses because He is gracious and generous by nature. In the New Testament, Paul affirms that God “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Eph 3:20). Blessings therefore serve as tangible reminders that God is good, gracious, and personally involved in the well-being of His people.      Moreover, God blesses His people so they may in turn bless others. This principle is rooted in the Abrahamic covenant. God told Abraham, “And I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing” (Gen 12:2). The blessings given to Abraham were never meant to terminate with him but to overflow toward the nations. Fruchtenbaum states, “These blessings upon Abram included both material and spiritual blessings…Since Abram is to be blessed by God, as contained in the first three promises, he is now to become a blessing to others.”[4] Likewise, Paul emphasized to the Corinthians, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed” (2 Cor 9:8). Divine provision equips the believer not only to meet his own needs but also to serve generously in the lives of others, making God's goodness visible in practical ways. Paul further declared, “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God” (2 Cor 9:10–11). Ryrie states, “Acts of giving bring rewards in this life and the one to come. The generous giver will be given increasing means to give (multiply your seed for sowing) and increasing fruit.”[5]      Examples throughout Scripture highlight believers who used God's resources to bless others. Joseph, after being elevated to power in Egypt, used his God-given position and wisdom to preserve life during famine, declaring, “God sent me before you to preserve life” (Gen 45:5). Boaz used his wealth to provide for Ruth and Naomi, reflecting covenant kindness (cḥesed, חֶסֶד), which would ultimately advance God's messianic plan (Ruth 2:8–12; 4:9–10). In the New Testament, Barnabas, “who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet” (Acts 4:37), exemplified generosity that fueled the early church's ministry. Such examples show that God blesses His people not to hoard resources but to distribute them voluntarily in service to others.      Blessings can therefore become instruments of maturity when rightly received. They test the believer no less than trials. The apostle reminded Timothy that those who are rich in this world's goods must not be “conceited or fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Tim 6:17–18). Blessings rightly used create spiritual capacity, expanding the believer's effectiveness in both service and witness. Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.   [1] John N. Oswalt, “285 בָּרַך,” in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 132. [2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 63. [3] Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms (90–150): Commentary, vol. 3, Kregel Exegetical Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2016), 235. [4] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel's Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis, 1st ed. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2008), 241–242. [5] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, Expanded ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 1857.

"Rajiv's books have been an important part of awareness building. And now we often get people who are activated, who have read Rajiv's books- say, Invading the Sacred or The Battle for Sanskrit or Indra's Net. Now, all of a sudden, they've been awakened to all of these different ecosystems and ideologies that have kept our civilization from tapping into our history, into our identity, in the way that we talk about ourselves and who we are has been constricted by a Western or Abrahamic framework. In some sense, it kind of becomes the entry point for anyone who's read any of Rajiv's books to want to become an activist, which, of course, is great for the Hindu American Foundation."- Suhag A. Shukla, Executive Director, Hindu American Foundation Who Is Raising Your Children? - https://whoisraisingyourchildren.com/Battle For Consciousness Theory - http://battleforconsciousnesstheory.comSnakes in the Ganga - http://www.snakesintheganga.comVarna Jati Caste - http://www.varnajaticaste.comThe Battle For IIT's - http://www.battleforiits.comPower of future Machines - http://www.poweroffuturemachines.com10 heads of Ravana - http://www.tenheadsofravana.comTo support Infinity Foundation's projects including the continuation of such episodes and the research we do:इनफिनिटी फ़ौंडेशन की परियोजनाओं को अनुदान देने के लिए व इस प्रकार के एपिसोड और हमारे द्वारा किये जाने वाले शोध को जारी रखने के लिए: http://infinityfoundation.com/donate-2/

In this episode, Joel Settecase — apologist, teacher, and President of The Think Institute — unpacks the first distinctive of New Covenant Theology:God has one plan, revealed in many covenants, and it's all centered on Jesus Christ.Through a deep dive into Scripture, Joel explores how the biblical covenants — from Noah to Abraham, Moses, David, and the New Covenant — fit together perfectly within God's unified redemptive plan. If you've ever wondered how the Old and New Testaments connect, this episode will clarify the big picture of God's work in history and in your life.Why God has one plan of salvation, not separate plans for Israel and the Church.How every covenant — Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New — points to and is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.Why salvation has always been by faith, from the Old Testament through today.The stunning continuity of Scripture and how the gospel was preached even to Abraham.How the New Covenant transforms believers, granting forgiveness, righteousness, and the indwelling Holy Spirit.Why understanding God's one plan deepens your worship, strengthens your confidence, and equips you to lead your family in the biblical worldview.Help us equip Christian men to lead their families with biblical clarity and confidence.Partner with The Think Institute today:

Sunday, September 21, 2025 | You Asked For It | Pastor Michelle preaches in our summer 2025 series based on the questions our congregation has asked for, this week answering: "Who was Jesus the ordinary man, as represented across the three Abrahamic faith traditions?"

The question of Israel's chosenness isn't abstract - it's foundational.  If God's covenant with Abraham is conditional, then Israel's future and even our own assurance in Christ are uncertain. But if it's unconditional, then God's faithfulness to Abraham secures hope for us all. In this episode, Ron and Matt Davis trace the Abrahamic covenant from Genesis 12, 15, and 17. They unpack the ancient covenant-cutting ceremony, the unconditional nature of God's promise, and how the Mosaic covenant fits alongside it.  They also show how the New Testament reaffirms - not erases - God's oath to Abraham, and why that matters for both Jews and Gentiles today. With analogies of trust funds and house rules, they bring clarity to common misunderstandings. God's covenant stands not because of human performance but because of His promise. And that means His faithfulness to Israel is the same faithfulness we depend on in Jesus. Key Takeaways God initiated and ratified the Abrahamic covenant alone - it's unconditional. Genesis 12–17 reveals a promise of people, place, and purpose. The land boundaries are literal, not symbolic. Circumcision is the covenant sign, not its source. The Mosaic covenant governs life in the land but does not annul Abraham's promise. The New Testament celebrates - not cancels - the Abrahamic covenant. God's gifts and calling are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Chapter Markers 00:00 – Welcome and framing the question 05:10 – Genesis 12: God's call to Abram 13:20 – Genesis 15: Cutting the covenant 28:15 – Genesis 17: Everlasting covenant and circumcision 41:00 – Mosaic covenant vs. Abrahamic covenant 55:30 – Genesis 22: Binding of Isaac and covenant confirmed 1:05:10 – New Testament voices: Galatians, Romans, Hebrews 1:18:00 – Analogies: trust funds, house rules, and irrevocable promises 1:28:00 – Final reflections and what's next God's covenant with Abraham is unconditional, everlasting, and still active. It anchors Israel's destiny and secures the hope of all who trust in the Messiah. Explore more resources from thejewishroad.com, join us on a future trip to Israel, or consider becoming one of The Few who support this work regularly.

The sermon explores the theological implications of baptism, particularly within the context of the Abrahamic covenant, asserting that all believers, regardless of status or background, are heirs to God's promises. Drawing from Galatians 3 and connecting to the Old Testament, the message emphasizes the responsibility of parents, acting as stewards and guardians, to raise children within the fear and admonition of the Lord, recognizing them as belonging to Jesus and claiming the covenant promises made to Abraham. The sermon challenges secular notions of individual consent, affirming that infants are inherently part of God's household and deserving of baptism as a sign of that belonging, while acknowledging the potential for individuals to forsake their inheritance, urging the community to support parents in their sacred duty.

In this episode, we continue our discussion of the context leading to Orson Hyde writing a letter to the Missouri Republican. Utah is desperately trying to get into the Union while half of the states are seceding from the Union. Gerrit then reads the letter and provides commentary. We also discuss a litner's email about Christian's understanding of the Trinity based on the King James Version of the Bible.   Kristy's KorneЯ (Last Minute Lesson Prep): Gerrit shares his thoughts on D&C 101 and the idea of what do we do when the Lord doesn't answer our prayers in the way we may want Image attempting to explain the Trinity: https://thepentecostalwesleyan.substack.com/p/the-core-doctrines-of-the-christian-4fb    Standard of Truth Tour dates for the summer of 2027: ⁠ https://standardoftruth.com/tours Our 2026 tours are sold out, but if you would like to join us in the future, here is a link to our 2027 tours: ⁠ Sign up for our free monthly email: ⁠ ⁠https://standardoftruthpodcast.substack.com⁠   If you have any questions or possible topics of discussion for upcoming podcasts, please email us at: ⁠⁠questions@standardoftruthpodcast.com   Rex's Elders Quorum President's Show Notes: •00:05:00 – Sunday School etiquette humor and Kristy's Corner segment •00:07:20 – D&C 101: Zion's expulsion, Joseph's 1833 letter to Missouri Saints •00:10:04 – Lessons from unanswered prayers — “be still and know that I am God” •00:12:16 – Hope of Zion's redemption and Abrahamic parallels of consecration •00:13:52 – Listener mailbag: Lacey's email on the Trinity and KJV •00:16:02 – Banter about reading emails late and missionary timelines •00:18:08 – Explaining the Nicene Creed: three persons, one God, and why it confuses •00:20:28 – The “triangle diagram” of the Trinity and its limits •00:23:00 – Matthew 3:16–17 — Baptism of Jesus challenges Trinity claims •00:25:22 – Workarounds: Some early Christians claimed “the voice was an angel” •00:28:05 – Story: Lithuanian Catholic convert rejects Trinity after reading scripture •00:31:00 – Council of Nicaea and how early Christians struggled with monotheism & Christ's divinity •00:35:26 – Who still uses the King James Bible today? Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals •00:39:16 – NIV vs KJV — John 1:18 and doctrinal differences in translation •00:41:00 – Listener Dawson's email introduces Orson Hyde's Civil War letter •00:45:00 – Charleston newspapers: downplaying fears of large-scale war in 1861 •00:48:00 – Missouri newspapers: hope that secession won't mean inevitable war •00:51:00 – Virginia's call for a 10,000–20,000 militia — seen as scandalous then •00:55:00 – Hartford Convention (1814): New England nearly secedes during War of 1812 •01:00:00 – Hindsight bias: Chamberlain's “peace for our time” compared with prophecy •01:05:00 – Critics on D&C 87 — manuscript evidence and Pearl of Great Price 1851 printing •01:10:00 – Faith and prophecy: why hindsight makes Joseph's revelation look “obvious”