Podcasts about Babel

Before the world was made, there was a war. Dan McCarthy comes into the basement to trace it back to its source, the moment pride welled up in the highest angel, and he reached for the throne of God. The author of Satan's War Against God argues that most Christians have the enemy all wrong. We shrink him down to a tempter and an accuser, when Scripture describes a full rebellion, a mutiny that has never stopped and now runs as an organized kingdom of darkness carving up the territories of the earth.Dan lays out the enemy's real agenda, why humanity enraged Satan before we ever drew a breath, and how the powers and principalities took their thrones after Babel. Then he gets practical. He explains why the church is not a fan club but an army, why our bond with Jesus is fealty to a warrior king rather than friendship with a buddy, and what it actually means to take back territory. It starts before time, and it lands right in the middle of the war you are standing in today. https://ruffgreens.com - Get a free Jumpstart Trial bag with discount code BLURRY at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some believe artificial intelligence isn't just changing how we communicate. It's rebuilding the Tower of Babel. Lance sits down with Ben Peterson, author of "When Intelligence Isn't Human," to unpack what happens when a single technology can speak to every person on earth in their own language, and why he believes that's exactly the scenario Genesis warns about. The conversation goes deep fast: an AI that refused to write part of Lance's own manuscript, the Pentagon's push to mandate AI training across the military, the arms race with China, and a young man whose family says an AI chatbot played a role in his suicide. Ben, who's ministered to more than 300,000 service members and veterans, explains why he believes AI is being built by people who follow moral relativism rather than a biblical worldview, and why that matters far more than most Christians realize. From there the discussion moves into Genesis 6, the Singularity, and what Elon Musk, Jeffrey Hinton, and others are already saying in public about where this is heading. In this episode: * Why Claude refused to write part of Lance's manuscript, and what that says about where AI is headed * Ben Peterson's case for why AI is "rebuilding the Tower of Babel," and what Genesis says happens when humanity gains one shared language * The Pentagon's mandate to train U.S. military branches on AI daily, and what that means in the AI arms race with China * Why Ben says nearly 40% of millennials and Gen Z now turn to AI chatbots as often as they'd turn to a pastor * Jeffrey Hinton, known as the "godfather of AI," and the warning he's now giving the world after leaving Google * Genesis 6, the Nephilim, and why Lance connects that account to where AI and robotics may be headed next * The Singularity, and why Ben compares the utopian promises behind it to the ones made by Hitler and Stalin Podcast Episode 2225: Why Some Believe AI Is 'Rebuilding the Tower of Babel' | don't miss this! Listen to more episodes of the Lance Wallnau Show at lancewallnau.com/podcast

Thousands of languages are used around the world today, and this linguistic diversity is a precious part of our human heritage. But it's also more than that. Linguistic diversity provides clues—a vast crazy quilt of clues—about how language works, about how history has unfolded, about the dynamics of culture, and about the nature of the human mind. My guest today is Dr. Damián Blasi. Damián is an ICREA Research Professor based at the Center for Brain & Cognition at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. Over the last decade or so, Damián's emerged as one of the most innovative researchers in the study of language and linguistic diversity. He's been widely recognized for this work, and most recently was awarded the 2026 FABSS Early Career Impact Award from the Cognitive Science Society. In this conversation, Damián and talk about why scientists should care about linguistic diversity. We do a bit of linguistic diversity 101—how many languages there are, how we can enumerate them, how they vary from another. We discuss a recent paper in which Damian and his colleagues reconstructed the explosive rise and precipitous fall of human linguistic diversity over the last 12,000 years. We talk about the factors that drive language change. And we discuss how cognitive science relies too much on English and English speakers—and how this may be holding the field back. Along the way, Damián and I touch on the Tower of Babel, a golden age of linguistic diversity, the human bite configuration, scientific aesthetics, whether children shape language, polygenetic theories of language evolution, the pace of language change, schooling, linguistic inequality and behemoth languages, and why Damián thinks that possibility space of human language might be bigger and wilder than we currently imagine. This is a special episode of the Many Minds podcast. As I mentioned, Damián is this year's winner of an award from the Cognitive Science Society, in recognition of his outstanding early-year contributions to the field. He recently gave a keynote at the society's annual conference in Rio de Janeiro, and we've partnered with the Cognitive Science Society to feature this conversation about his work. I'll also mention that this wasn't my first time chatting with Damián—he's an alumnus of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI), the sponsor & incubator of this podcast. We met there a couple years ago, and so it was all the more fun to reconnect with him here. Alright friends, without further ado, on to my conversation with Dr. Damián Blasi. Enjoy!   Notes 10:00 – The UNESCO page on multilingualism and linguistic diversity. 17:00 – The Ethnologue database. 20:00 – For examples of Dr. Blasi's work on "behemoth languages" and on how languages are not represented equally in terms of technological and development investment, see here and here. 26:00 - For the paper in which Dr. Blasi and colleagues introduced Grambank, see here. For the database itself, see here. 29:00 – For Dr. Blasi's earlier work on sound-meaning associations across languages, see here. 33:00 – For discussion of Darwin's views on monogenesis vs polygenesis and race, see our recent episode. 36:00 – For more about pronouns—and how they do and do not vary across the world's languages—see several chapters in the World Atlas of Language Structures. 39:00 – The paper—'Babies aren't persons'—by David Lancy. 41:00 - For Dr. Blasi and colleagues' recent Science paper on the rise and fall of human linguistic diversity, see here. 59:00 – For a recent study of linguistic diversification, including discussion of so-called schismogenesis, see here. For an example of Cristina Moya's work on ethnic identity in the Andes region, see here. 1:00:00 – For an example of Dr. Blasi's work on how ecology shapes language—a topic not discussed in this conversation—see here. 1:01:00 ­– For the study by Dr. Blasi and colleagues about changes in human bite configuration and how these changes have shaped sounds systems, see here. 1:14:00 – For the recent paper by Dr. Blasi and colleagues about the (non-)role of children in language change, see here. 1:22:00 – The paper by Dr. Blasi and colleagues about the over-reliance on English in the cognitive sciences (and how it hinders the field). 1:24:00 – See here for work by Aitor Egurtzegi, in collaboration with Dr. Blasi and others, on ergativity and gaze patterns across languages. 1:27:00 – For the preprint—'Which humans?'—led by Mohammed Atari (and including Dr. Blasi and others), see here. 1:30:00 – For a recent argument that psychology needs to overcome its "ahistorical" bent, see here.   Recommendations A Myriad of Tongues, Caleb Everett The Secret of Our Success, Joseph Henrich Linguistic Diversity in Space and Time, Johanna Nichols   Tile art credit: Painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (detail)   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation to Indiana University. The show is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com. For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Bluesky (@manymindspod.bsky.social).

Want more exclusive content?! http://prometheuslens.supercast.com to sign up for the "All Access Pass" and get early access to episodes, private community, members only episodes, private Q & A's, and coming documentaries. We also have a $4 dollar a month package that gets you early access and an ad free listening experience!====================In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Aaron Judkins and Dr. Judd Burton for a deep dive into Gobekli Tepe, biblical archaeology, and the big questions surrounding ancient history. What makes this site so significant? Could it reshape how we understand the early post-flood world, the Tower of Babel, and the development of religion?We explore the evidence behind evidential apologetics, the role archaeology plays in confirming biblical historicity, and the theories presented in Aaron Judkins' book Decoding Gobekli Tepe. From the mystery of the towering T-pillars to the symbolism of the moon god, bull imagery, and possible linguistic clues, this conversation connects ancient stones to a much larger biblical narrative.Whether you're interested in archaeology, Genesis, biblical timelines, or how ancient sites may reinforce faith, this episode is packed with insight, debate, and fresh perspective.Topics covered:Gobekli Tepe and its purposeArchaeology and biblical confirmationThe Tower of Babel and biblical chronologyTheories on Adam, Eve, and ancestor venerationLuwian logograms and ancient language cluesThe significance of the T-pillars and sacred symbolismIf you enjoy discussions that connect Scripture, archaeology, and ancient history, this is an episode you won't want to miss.====================

Want more exclusive content?! http://prometheuslens.supercast.com to sign up for the "All Access Pass" and get early access to episodes, private community, members only episodes, private Q & A's, and coming documentaries. We also have a $4 dollar a month package that gets you early access and an ad free listening experience!====================

Tim and Mary take on the news cycle with a bit of a twist: living large in the last days, Babylon style. We talk about the change of seasons and how that brings a reality to the times. The nature of worship today is certainly one of the changes we have waded through, but not just to add to the conversation about it, rather perhaps put a finger on the problem: subjectivity. In the pursuit of making sure the Holy Spirit shows up to our gatherings, we have all but stopped worshiping in Spirit AND in truth: with our minds and our hearts. We talk about the hymn culture that produced doctrine and how that leads us in worship. Then we look at being ambassadors for Christ, doing the King’s bidding in our service, not our own or even for our own earthly home. Finally, how some are paying the price for serving the King wherever they might find themselves. Hello from Babylon, wish you were here…but there’s no place like home.

Welcome to Day 2934 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2934– “The Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness” – Luke 11:14-28 Putnam Church Message – 08/16/2026 The Good News According to Luke: “The Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness.”   Last week, our message was “Lord, Teach Us To Pray,” and we learned Prayer is where our hearts are trained to live with God. Today, we continue with our thirtieth-fourth message from Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today's message is: “The Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness.” Our core passage today is Luke 11:14-28, starting on page 1614 of your pew Bibles. Jesus and Beelzebul 14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. 17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder. 23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.' 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.” 27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” 28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Opening Prayer Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, You alone are worthy of worship. You rule over everything seen and unseen. No spiritual power rivals You; no throne challenges Your sovereignty; no darkness can extinguish Your light. Lord Jesus, open our eyes today to the larger story of Your Kingdom. Help us understand the spiritual battle without becoming fascinated with darkness or fearful of the enemy. Holy Spirit, fill us with truth. Protect us from deception. Teach us to hear the Word of God and obey it. May Your Kingdom come more fully in us, through us, and around us. In the victorious name of Jesus Christ, amen. Introduction: There Is More Going On Than We Can See Most of what people in our culture know about Satan, demons, and angels probably comes from movies, novels, television programs, and video games. And popular culture usually makes one of two mistakes. / Either the supernatural becomes fantasy — something primitive people once believed before science enlightened us. / Or the supernatural becomes entertainment — angels, demons, ghosts, and evil spirits made frightening enough to sell movie tickets. The Bible gives us neither picture. / Scripture presents an unseen spiritual realm as every bit as real as the world we can see. / But we need to say something immediately. Satan is not God's opposite. There is no eternal yin and yang. / There are not two equally powerful kingdoms battling to see which one survives. / God has no equal. / Everything else — visible or invisible — is created. / That includes angels. / That includes the heavenly host. That includes Satan. / That includes every rebellious spiritual power. And this is where one of my Biblical mentors, the late Dr. Michael Heiser, called the Divine Council worldview helps us recover something the ancient biblical writers simply assumed their readers understood. The Old Testament describes God presiding over a heavenly assembly. / Psalm 82 pictures God standing in the divine council. / Psalm 89 speaks of the assembly of heavenly beings. Job opens with the “sons of God” presenting themselves before the Lord. / First Kings 22 gives us a glimpse of the heavenly host surrounding God's throne. / But these beings are never equal to God/Yahweh. Think of a king and his royal court. The existence of a court does not diminish the king. The biblical God is Creator. / Everything else was created. / He possesses authority inherently. / They possess only whatever authority He delegates. / He alone is worthy of worship. But some of those spiritual beings rebelled.  / And when we follow that thread through Scripture, suddenly Luke 11 becomes much larger than one demon being cast out of one mute man. We discover that Jesus has walked onto the battlefield of a war that stretches back to Eden. And the King has come to reclaim what was lost. The Larger Story: Three Rebellions and One Divine Rescue Mission Before we enter Luke 11, let me give you the broad biblical picture. / We do not need to become Bible scholars this morning. Just remember three moments. Eden: / Genesis 3 records humanity's rebellion. / The supernatural rebel (referred to as a serpent or “shining one”) deceives Eve and challenges God's goodness. Humanity joins the rebellion. / Death enters human experience. / Humankind becomes alienated from God. The Days Before the Flood: / Genesis 6 describes another supernatural transgression involving the “sons of God,” cohabiting with the “daughters of the earth,” which produced the Nephilim, followed by extraordinary corruption and violence. / Whatever questions remain about every detail; Scripture is showing us that human rebellion and supernatural rebellion become intertwined. Babel: / Then comes Genesis 11. Humanity gathers in defiance of God's command to spread throughout the earth. God scatters the nations. / Deuteronomy 32 looks back on that event and describes the Most High dividing humanity according to members of the heavenly court, while Israel becomes the Lord's own portion. In other words, the nations rebelled against God, and God gave them over. / But those spiritual rulers themselves became corrupt. / Psalm 82 pictures God judging them because they ruled unjustly. / And listen to the final prayer of Psalm 82: “Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you.” There is the hope. / God intends to reclaim the nations. / Immediately after Babel, Genesis 12 introduces Abraham. / God tells Abraham that through his family all the families of the earth will be blessed. God is launching a rescue mission. / Israel would become the nation through which the Messiah would come. / And through the Messiah, the nations would be reclaimed. Now remember what has happened recently in Luke. /...

In this episode of The Catholic Money Show, Amanda and Jonathan kick off a new series on Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV's letter on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence.More than a century after Rerum Novarum responded to the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution, the Church is once again speaking into a technological revolution as it unfolds—this time around AI.Amanda and Jonathan introduce the major themes they'll explore throughout the series, including:Why the rise of AI is about far more than productivity and convenienceThe tension between technological progress and human dignityWhat the Tower of Babel has to do with our current momentWhy profit and efficiency cannot become the highest goodsThe importance of the common good as AI becomes more powerfulHow work, money, power, and technology intersect with Catholic social teachingWhy wisdom, virtue, and restraint matter when humanity gains unprecedented powerHow Catholics can engage new technology without allowing it to diminish the human personThis episode serves as an introduction to the series. Over the coming episodes, Amanda and Jonathan will work through each chapter of Magnifica Humanitas, beginning with the foundations of Catholic social teaching before moving into its practical implications for AI, technology, work, and human life.Grab a copy of the document and follow along with us as we ask one of the biggest questions of our time: Will technology serve humanity—or will humanity begin serving the technology?

Institutions confuse their own survival with the work of God. Dr. James Spencer and Dr. Ashish Varma close the diagnostic arc of this series with transaction, meaning the trade a person or an organization makes when preserving the platform becomes more important than the faithfulness the platform was built for. The anchor text is Jeroboam, who sets up worship at Dan and Bethel not to introduce a different god but to keep his people from traveling south. Varma's reading sharpens it: the question is whether Israel gathers around the presence of God or whether God is expected to gather around Israel. The conversation turns on how easily success gets read as approval. Spencer flags the language of institutions insisting that God needs them to be what they are now more than ever. Varma answers with Habakkuk, where God raises up Babylon in response to injustice and Babylon is still judged for how it behaves, and extends the point to a mission history in which the gospel genuinely spread through colonial expansion that was itself blessed by churches and was still indefensible. Being used is not the same as being approved. Spencer adds Nebuchadnezzar, named as God's servant and punished seventy years later, and the distinction holds: the exile was deserved, the brutality was not. What follows is uncomfortable for anyone who works in one of these places. Institutions may end because their course is run, or because they failed, or in spite of their faithfulness, and outcomes do not tell you which. Spencer, who consults with seminaries and Christian colleges, describes leaders trapped by buildings, accreditation, and systems, protecting a vehicle rather than the thing the vehicle was for. Nobody pursues a doctorate in order to preserve an institution. The question both men land on is whether the model has quietly been substituted for the mission. Resources The diagnosis guide: https://www.thinkingchristian.org/about/framework Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman- amazon.com Norman Wirzba on creation and nature- amazon.com Passages referenced: Genesis 6 and 11 and 15, Deuteronomy 8, 1 Kings 12 and 17, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, John 12 Follow and subscribe Subscribe to Thinking Christian: https://episodes.thinkingchristian.org Website: https://www.thinkingchristian.org Chapters 0:00 What transaction means 2:24 Jeroboam and the shortcut 3:10 Not a different god 7:18 Why it looked legitimate 10:42 Institutional inertia 13:44 In defense of the word lucky 15:36 Habakkuk and Babylon 19:52 Spread and consequence 20:19 Kahneman on luck 22:43 Nebuchadnezzar as servant 26:50 Two theological problems 31:34 Babel and human capability 33:50 The patience of God 35:51 Institutions that simply end 39:35 Ideology defines the questions 41:34 What higher ed is protecting 43:16 Substituting the vehicle 45:38 Faithful in the moment 47:56 Repentance and repudiation 50:15 Walking beside someone bigger 53:19 What comes next in the series Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Lucifer is not Satan. In this week study, we dig into the Hebrew name translated Lucifer in the king James Bible, Helel Ben Shachar. Scholar William Gallagher showed in a peer reviewed paper more than 30 years ago that Helel was the West Semitic (i.e., Hebrew) transliteration of the Akkadian deity Ellil. This entity was known by many names in the ancient Near East, including Dagon, Assur, El, and Milcom (and thus Molech). All of these entities were connected to the underworld whereas Satan is nowhere in the Bible linked to Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, or the abyss. The other clue pointing to Ellil et. al is the fact that this polemic is directed at the king of Babylon. In Hebrew, that's melek bab el, which literally means "King of Babel" or "king of the god-gate." We realize this is a unique take on a famous and well studied chapter of the Bible. But it's consistent with other scriptures, and it's a good reminder to ask ourselves whether our interpretation of scripture is based on the Bible itself or human traditions. Here's the link to the book by David W. Lowe, Deconstructing Lucifer, which shows how our understanding of Satan today is quite different from how the apostles viewed him: https://bit.ly/4cWhW9U Question of the week: Why do some scholars call Judea in the time of Jesus "Palestine"? Sharon's niece, Sarah Sachleben, has been battling stage 4 bowel cancer and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. Derek's new book War of the Watchers Book One: From Baal to Balfour is now available at Amazon in paperback and as a Kindle e-book! It's also a part of a special offer at the SkyWatchTV store: Get War of the Watchers, Derek's previous book The Second Coming of Saturn, and a 13-part teaching DVD based on The Second Coming of Saturn for your donation of just $45! If you are looking for a text of the Book of 1 Enoch to follow our monthly study, you can try these sources: Parallel translations by R. H. Charles (1917) and Richard Laurence (1821)Modern English translation by George W. E. Nickelsburg and James VanderKam (link to book at Amazon)Book of 1 Enoch - Standard English Version by Dr. Jay Winter (link opens free PDF)Book of 1 Enoch - R. H. Charles translation (link opens free PDF) The SkyWatchTV store has a special offer on Dr. Michael Heiser's two-volume set A Companion to the Book of Enoch. Get both books, the R. H. Charles translation of 1 Enoch, and a DVD interview with Mike and Steven Bancarz for a donation of $35 plus shipping and handling. Link: https://bit.ly/heiser-enoch JOIN US IN ISRAEL (NOTE NEW DATES)! We will tour the Holy Land Oct. 25–Nov. 6, 2027 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Follow us!• X: @gilberthouse_tv | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert• Substack: GilbertHouse.substacdk.com | SharonKGilbert.substack.com• Telegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunker• YouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelation | @thebiblesgreatestmysteries• Facebook.com/GilbertHouseFellowship Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech! The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/. Gilbert House T-shirts and mugs! New to our store is a line of GHTV and Redwing Saga merch! Check it out at GilbertHouse.org/store! Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store. Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the left-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org.

In this sermon, “Better Than Expected,” we begin the final movement of Revelation by looking at Revelation 21:2, 9–18 and the breathtaking fulfillment of two major biblical themes: the bride and the city.From Israel's unfaithfulness at Sinai to the wedding of the Lamb, and from Cain's city and Babel's tower to the New Jerusalem, Scripture shows that God's final plan is better than anything we could have expected. The bride of Christ is made ready not by her own resources, but by the cleansing love of Jesus. The city of God is not built by human pride, but given by God as a gift to those who worship Him.Key Scriptures:• Revelation 21:2, 9–18 — The bride, the wife of the Lamb, and the holy city coming down from God• Revelation 19:7–8 — The bride has made herself ready• Revelation 17:1–6; 18:4 — Babylon the prostitute and the call to “come out of her”• Jeremiah 3:1, 14 — God calls His faithless people to return• Jeremiah 31:21–22 — “Return, virgin Israel”• Isaiah 54:4–6 — “Your Maker is your husband”• John 1:11 — He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him• Ephesians 5:25–27 — Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her• 2 Peter 1:3 — God has given us everything we need for a godly life• Genesis 4:17 — Cain builds the first city• Genesis 11:1–9 — Babel and the pursuit of a great name• Genesis 12:1–3 — God promises to make Abram's name great• Hebrews 13:14 — We seek the city that is to comeThis message calls us to receive the love of Christ, commit ourselves to the life of His church, and live now as citizens of the city whose builder and maker is God.

2626 - Returning to Israel, the bros reunite with Chaim Malespin and Israel Hanna to unravel the mystery behind world-dictator, antiChrist extraordinary Nimrod. Afterwards, Joshua and Caleb cross the border into Jordan and visit ancient Jerash to explain Satan's false trinity.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we explore the calling of Abraham and the remarkable promises God gives him in Genesis 12. Abram leaves the security of his old world to follow God into the unknown, and his obedience transforms wandering into a journey of fellowship and blessing. But God's promise is bigger than Abraham himself: he will become a great nation, receive a great name, and—most importantly—become a blessing to the nations. From Babel to Abraham and ultimately to Jesus, we trace God's plan to bring the nations back to himself through the faithfulness of those he calls.

Date: 08/16/26Speaker: Joshua ChatmanTitle: Babel TimeScripture: Genesis 10:1-11:32

The sermon presents the Tower of Babel as the culmination of mankind's recurring desire to reject God's authority, exalt itself, and become like God—a temptation first introduced by the serpent in Eden and repeated throughout human history and false religion. Rather than obeying God's command to fill the earth and spread His glory, humanity unites in Shinar to build a city and religious tower reaching toward heaven, seeking to make a name for themselves and establish their own kingdom through human power and works. Their unity becomes an anti-God, anti-dominion project in which mankind attempts to seize what belongs to God rather than receive His blessings by faith. Yet their supposedly magnificent tower is so insignificant that Scripture pictures God as having to "come down" merely to see it, exposing the foolishness of human pride. God therefore confuses their language and scatters them throughout the earth, both judging their rebellion and graciously preventing a unified wicked humanity from destroying the faithful line through which the Messiah would come. The sermon concludes by contrasting Babel's false unity with the true unity accomplished by Jesus Christ: at Pentecost the confusion of languages begins to be reversed as people from the nations hear the gospel and call upon the name of the Lord, showing that humanity does not ascend to heaven through its own works, but heaven comes down to humanity in Christ, whose kingdom gathers redeemed people from every nation into one blood-bought people united around His name rather than their own.

The sermon presents the Tower of Babel as the culmination of mankind's recurring desire to reject God's authority, exalt itself, and become like God—a temptation first introduced by the serpent in Eden and repeated throughout human history and false religion. Rather than obeying God's command to fill the earth and spread His glory, humanity unites in Shinar to build a city and religious tower reaching toward heaven, seeking to make a name for themselves and establish their own kingdom through human power and works. Their unity becomes an anti-God, anti-dominion project in which mankind attempts to seize what belongs to God rather than receive His blessings by faith. Yet their supposedly magnificent tower is so insignificant that Scripture pictures God as having to "come down" merely to see it, exposing the foolishness of human pride. God therefore confuses their language and scatters them throughout the earth, both judging their rebellion and graciously preventing a unified wicked humanity from destroying the faithful line through which the Messiah would come. The sermon concludes by contrasting Babel's false unity with the true unity accomplished by Jesus Christ: at Pentecost the confusion of languages begins to be reversed as people from the nations hear the gospel and call upon the name of the Lord, showing that humanity does not ascend to heaven through its own works, but heaven comes down to humanity in Christ, whose kingdom gathers redeemed people from every nation into one blood-bought people united around His name rather than their own.

This sermon examines the genealogy from Shem to Abram in Genesis 11, emphasizing that history is moving purposefully toward Christ rather than being random. The preacher contrasts human short-sightedness with God's multi-generational vision, illustrating how divine promises persist across generations despite human failure and idolatry. By analyzing the lineage and the context of the Tower of Babel, the message highlights God's steadfast love and His commitment to redeeming humanity through the line of Abraham. The speaker encourages believers to adopt a long-term perspective, urging parents to invest in their children's spiritual legacy with hope rather than despair. Ultimately, the transcript asserts that God orchestrates history to fulfill His covenant promises, offering comfort and direction for future generations. Outline: 1) Explanation: 10 Generations from Noah to Abram 2) Application: History is Going Somewhere A) Covenant Theology B) Multigenerational Vision

TABLE OF CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 8-23-3036.Anatol Lieven: The discussion highlights a dystopian shift in modern naval combat, where the Russian ghost fleet employs Mad Max tactics, using netting and spikes, to defend against Ukrainian drone attacks. Anatol Lieven describes a global spread of drone technology that threatens energy prices and international stability. Both Russia and Ukraine suffer from the illusion of an imminent total victory, despite a grinding stalemate in which Russia holds a stronger economic position because of its self-funded war effort while Ukraine remains dependent on precarious European aid. Lieven warns of a potential sea war escalation if Russia retaliates against the seizure of its ships, potentially drawing NATO and the US into a direct naval clash. The conversation also touches on British politics, noting that Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces immense pressure regarding immigration and military spending despite his desire to focus on domestic issues. (1)Mary Anastasia O'Grady, Wall Street Journal editorial board: Venezuela is grappling with the aftermath of severe earthquakes while navigating a complex political transition under the Trump administration's influence. Despite increased oil production, major oil companies are hesitant to invest because of a lack of contractual assurances, bureaucratic overreach, and the absence of a legitimate rule of law. Mary Anastasia O'Grady explains that the current provisional government, led by Delcy Rodríguez, is associated with the previous narco-terror regime, creating a transparency crisis regarding oil profits held in US escrow accounts. While the administration pursues a three-phase plan of stabilization, recovery, and a return to democracy, O'Grady argues the regime is simply buying time to stay in power. As long as oil prices remain high and the US is preoccupied with conflicts in the Middle East, the illegitimate regime has little incentive to hold the free and fair elections demanded by popular opposition leader María Corina Machado. (2)Veronique de Rugy: Veronique de Rugy critiques the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly known as the Jones Act, which requires cargo moved between American ports to be transported on ships that are US-built, US-owned, and US-crewed. Originally intended to protect the American merchant marine after World War I, the act has instead caused domestic shipbuilding costs to skyrocket, making American vessels four to five times more expensive than those built in Asia. Consequently, the US fleet has dwindled, and consumers face higher prices for goods as transportation shifts to more polluting methods such as trucking. Despite its failure to achieve its stated goals, the act is sustained by special interests, including unions and specific shipyards, which exert significant political influence. Current efforts to maintain waivers for energy and fertilizer transportation are facing strong opposition from 52 House Republicans. (3)Craig Unger: Craig Unger explores a sidetracked FBI counterintelligence investigation into Donald Trump's decades-long ties to Russian interests. Unlike criminal inquiries, counterintelligence investigations focus on national security breaches and the laundering of influence, even when no explicit crime is proven. Unger asserts that Russian mafia figures, acting as adjuncts to state intelligence, began bailing out Trump's failing real estate ventures as early as 1984. These transactions, often involving cash purchases of condominiums in Trump Tower, allegedly turned the former president into an asset of Russian intelligence. Unger argues that the Robert Mueller investigation was a dud because it focused narrowly on criminal acts rather than this broader compromise. The discussion concludes by noting Trump's consistent, long-standing hostility toward NATO, which Unger says mirrors Soviet-era talking points and raises ongoing concerns regarding US national security. (4)Graham McAleer: Pope Leo has issued a bold encyclical addressing the ethical and social threats posed by artificial intelligence. Graham McAleer explains that the Pope uses the biblical image of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel to characterize AI as a manifestation of human darkness and godlike pride. A primary concern is the asymmetry of wealth, in which a small, secretive class of Silicon Valley oligarchs controls a technology that operates largely outside state law. While the Church acknowledges AI's potential benefits in medicine and education, it warns that the oligarchic structure of the industry challenges state power and treats users as livestock for data farming. The Pope explicitly calls for government regulation to protect human dignity, yet McAleer notes the fundamental contradiction of expecting the state to control private entities that have already become more powerful than many governments. (5)Alex Wright — Multi-Part, Part One: Alex Wright, author of Empire of Ink: The Printers and Radicals Who Invented the American Newspaper, details the uniquely American invention of the newspaper, beginning with Mary Katherine Goddard's printing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Early printing was a grueling, high-status trade where printer's devils, or apprentices, worked with lead and ink balls. Technological evolution was driven by necessity; rag shortages in the nineteenth century led to bizarre experiments, including turning imported Egyptian mummy linen into paper. The Penny Press, pioneered by Benjamin Day, revolutionized the industry by catering to the working class with tabloids and hoaxes, much to the horror of elitists such as Charles Dickens. Wright emphasizes that early American journalism thrived on a sharing economy in which newspapers were exempted from copyright and postal subsidies encouraged editors to cut and paste each other's work, effectively networking the young nation together. (6)Evan Ellis, US Army War College and a State Department voice: Professor Evan Ellis provides a comprehensive update on Latin American stability, starting with Chile's President Kast, who is tackling immigration and the rise of gangs such as Tren de Aragua while balancing economic ties with China. In Colombia, President De la Espriella is implementing a hardline approach against narco-terrorists following a devastating 7.4 earthquake. The situation in Venezuela remains critical; while oil production has increased to 1.16 million barrels per day, there is zero transparency regarding the $13 million in monthly profits allegedly flowing to the Rodríguez gangsters. Opposition leader Dinora Figueroa is negotiating a gradual return to trust, but the regime shows no intention of relinquishing power. Finally, Ellis notes that El Niño poses a severe threat of drought to the Panama Canal, which will likely disrupt international shipping and further strain regional economies. (7)Wright's Part Two runs tomorrow and takes its own tail in that day's sequence.

Graham McAleer: Pope Leo has issued a bold encyclical addressing the ethical and social threats posed by artificial intelligence. Graham McAleer explains that the Pope uses the biblical image of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel to characterize AI as a manifestation of human darkness and godlike pride. A primary concern is the asymmetry of wealth, in which a small, secretive class of Silicon Valley oligarchs controls a technology that operates largely outside state law. While the Church acknowledges AI's potential benefits in medicine and education, it warns that the oligarchic structure of the industry challenges state power and treats users as livestock for data farming. The Pope explicitly calls for government regulation to protect human dignity, yet McAleer notes the fundamental contradiction of expecting the state to control private entities that have already become more powerful than many governments. (5)

Camden Bucey speaks with Derek C. Schuurman, professor and chair of computer science at Calvin University, about Christian wisdom in the age of artificial intelligence. Drawing upon Shaping a Digital World, Schuurman explains why technology is never neutral: people shape their tools, and those tools in turn reshape habits, institutions, and communities.The conversation sets contemporary AI within the biblical story of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation. Bucey and Schuurman contrast Christian hope with technicism—the belief that technology can solve humanity's deepest problems and build a technological heaven on earth. They also discuss human nature, transhumanism, responsible design, Christian higher education, autonomous weapons, and the need to keep human moral judgment and accountability in the loop.Chapters00:00 Introduction03:41 Derek C. Schuurman's path from engineering to Christian higher education08:29 Technology, cultural change, and the need for wisdom11:45 Technology is not neutral14:36 How tools reshape people and societies18:08 Reading technology through creation, fall, redemption, and new creation20:18 Two cities, two loves, and the biblical story22:22 Babel, idolatry, and the temptation to build heaven on earth23:21 Technicism and the promises of Silicon Valley26:52 Transhumanism and a Christian account of humanity29:14 Practical frameworks for responsible technological design30:36 Dooyeweerd's non-reductionistic view of creation33:19 Eight norms for faithful design37:34 Integrating Christian faith throughout education41:21 Liberal arts, AI, and well-rounded technical formation42:29 AI, labor, and the human calling to work43:42 Autonomous systems, accountability, and just-war questions45:55 Why moral judgment requires a human in the loop49:12 Faithful presence and wise Christian vocation51:41 Resources for engineers, designers, pastors, and parents53:24 Calvin University's “Wisdom in the Age of AI” conference55:36 ConclusionResourcesShaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer TechnologyA Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and DesignersWisdom in the Age of AI Conference, Calvin University, October 8–10, 2026Magnifica HumanitasEpisode resources

Anthropomorphisms, the Didache, the tower of Babel and more on Called to Communion with Dr. David Anders.

In this special "Watercooler Podcast" edition, host Ashea is joined by producers and mixers Dom Morley, Matt Lawrence, and Adrian Hall—for a candid conversation about the isolation of solo audio professionals and the critical importance of peer support and collaboration.Dom, Matt, and Adrian have maintained a monthly "water cooler chat" since working together at Metropolis Studios. This episode explores how this simple monthly ritual became essential to their careers and mental health, discussing rates, client management, creative practice, and why building trusted peer groups creates space for radical honesty impossible in larger organizations.In This Episode:The Isolation Paradox — How modern technology enables solo work while creating profound isolation and mental health challengesThe Water Cooler Concept — Forced community structure for distributed solo entrepreneurs; monthly peer gatherings inspired by business literature30 Years Experience: Age & Creativity — How experience builds confidence while youth brings innovation; the myth that creativity declines with ageTrust & Peer Equality — Why working with peers at similar levels enables radical honesty impossible in hierarchiesKnowing Each Other Deeply — How decades of shared history allow direct feedback without offense or egoBusiness Conversations — Discussing rates, pricing strategies, client negotiations, margin protection in trusted circlesArtist Management Challenges — Navigating changing expectations, revision limits, sign-off procedures, scope creepProtecting Industry Standards — Responsibility to maintain rates and distinguish between discounts and day ratesAbundance Mindset vs. Competition — Approaching work from 'enough for everyone' perspective; collaborative vs. protective attitudesSharing Knowledge Across Specializations — Cross-disciplinary learning: live broadcast, Atmos, mastering, specialized toolsSocial Media & Curated Reality — Everyone posts only best work; false impressions of constant high-profile projectsBig Names Doing Smaller Work — Industry secret: established professionals work on smaller projects but don't publicize itRates as Fluid Not Fixed — Why publishing single rates creates problems; complexity of varying work types and discountsTeaching as Professional Practice — How education bookends isolation with human connection and communityProfessional Jealousy — Acknowledging competitive feelings while managing them constructivelyTransition from In-House to Freelance — How Metropolis experience shaped expectations differently than freelance workClient Respect & Communication — File delivery, respecting artist bandwidth, maintaining boundaries without being difficultAbout Our Guests:Dom Morley:Grammy-winning producer and engineer (Amy Winehouse "Rehab"). Founder of Mix Consultancy and multiband.io session organization tool. Previously taught at Leeds Conservatoire. Initiated the monthly peer collaboration concept discussed in this episode.Matt Lawrence:Grammy-winning producer, mixer, and engineer (Mumford & Sons "Babel"). Specializes in live sound, mixing major festivals for BBC broadcasts. Extensive experience with 5.1 and Atmos formats. Combines high-pressure broadcast environments with meticulous studio production.Adrian Hall:Accomplished mixer, engineer, and producer. Grammy-nominated. Brings extensive mixing expertise and band production experience. Contributes perspective on professional growth, confidence building, and collaborative practice.About Our Host:Ashea is a platinum-selling songwriter, music producer, and audio engineer from the UK. With credits spanning notable artists, major labels, and prestigious broadcasters, Ashea brings authentic conversations to the Production Expert Podcast, discussing both creative and business sides of audio production.

Part 3 of BirdMike, our Alejandro G. Inarritu rewatch series is here, and this is the third of seven Oscar Nominated Films of his that we'll cover in this series. Babel stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchette, Gael Garcia Bernal, Adriana Barraza, Elle Fanning, Rinko Kikuchi, Koji Yakusho, Mohamed Akhzam, Clifton Collins and Michael Pena, and it was nominated for 7 Academy Awards. NON-SPOILER REVIEW OF BABEL: Production Profile - 1:40 Non-Spoiler Composition Thoughts - 8:56 Performance Reviews - 14:54 Production Values - 19:39 Oscar Lens - 22:48 Spoiler Warning - 24:45 SPOILER FILLED REVIEW OF BABEL: Diving into the Inciting Incident & the story in Japan - 26:28 Sins of the Father - 32:49 The Main Themes - 36:28 That Ending - 41:34 Any more worsts - 46:50 Final Thoughts / Final Grades - 49:07 OUTRO: Stay tuned for upcoming episodes on Biutiful, Birdman, The Revenant, Bardo and Digger. We will also be returning shortly with a few episodes of Oscar Race Checkpoint and some fun new announcements. In the meantime, make sure you're following us on Tiktok and Letterboxd, where we've been the most active in recent weeks and enjoy our all our new video and written content. https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

AI and the Gospel: Technology Has Changed. The Human Heart Hasn't Artificial Intelligence is transforming the world at an unprecedented pace—but what does the Bible say about it? In this message from Genesis 11, Deacon Robert Pimentel explores the Tower of Babel and reveals that humanity's greatest problem has never been technology—it's the human heart. Discover how Christians can navigate AI with biblical wisdom, guard against deception, protect their homes, and find lasting hope in Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

The world isn't becoming less chaotic. The leaders who thrive are simply learning how to navigate it differently.What if chaos isn't the enemy of great leadership... but the environment where it grows?In this episode #232 of the Self-Care Goddess Podcast, Avy Leghziel explores why trying to control uncertainty may actually be increasing our stress, burnout, and resistance to change.Avy Leghziel is originally from Rome, Italy, and is currently based in São Paulo, Brazil. Avy studies how chaos affects how we work. After 15 years serving as a senior manager in global organizations, he launched his Executive Coaching and Consulting practice, helping First-Time executives and Founders around the globe navigate chaotic transitions. Since then he provided consulting to more than 120 executives and trained thousands of professionals. His newsletter, Masters of Babel, is read by 7,700+ subscribers. In this podcast conversation, Avy shares practical insights on embracing complexity, building resilience, and leading with confidence when life and work feel unpredictable.Whether you're a business leader, entrepreneur, professional, or simply navigating a season of uncertainty, this conversation will help you see chaos through an entirely new lens.In this episode, you'll discover:✅ Why chaos is often the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and growth✅ The surprising reason trying to eliminate uncertainty creates more stress✅ How leaders can make better decisions during times of change✅ The connection between chaos, resilience, stress, and burnout✅ Two powerful "muscles" everyone should develop: exploration and reflection✅ Practical ways to respond instead of react when life feels overwhelming✅ How to identify your personal stress triggers before they take over✅ Why curiosity may be one of the greatest leadership skills of the future✅ How changing your perspective can completely transform difficult situations✅ Simple daily habits that help you remain grounded when everything around you feels uncertainIf you've ever felt overwhelmed by change, anxious about uncertainty, or exhausted from trying to control everything around you, this episode is for you.

Review: Resist & Repent - James 4:7 = Two of the most important questions ever asked are answered in the first three chapters of Genesis: (1) How did we get here? 2) What went wrong? In my job; In my job; In my home; In my world Our struggle is not against flesh and blood - Ephesians 6:20-18; God's law demands justice be paid! The Cross; The Law - Romans 8:1-2God speaks in Genesis - Gen 1, 2, 3, 4 - God speaks in Bible - His mouth; His voice; His words God has already spoken to create; then to Adam and to Eve. He will today speak to the serpent. God speaks to Cain - to Noah, to Babel, to Abraham, to Moses Hebrews 1:1-2! God's final word was/is Jesus! No more words needed; No more prophecy given; I. The Consequences of the Curse To the serpent - vv. 14-15 Cursed above all - Eat dust from now on - God declares war - “enmity”; Ephesians 6:10-18; I Peter 5:8; II Corinthians 2:5-11 God reveals the Savior's birth God reveals a battle - God declares victory -

The Temple Comes to Samaria Acts 8:4-25 by William Klock Remember back in Chapter 5, when Peter and John were arrested and brought before the priests and elders, and Gamaliel, one of the leading Pharisees, told his fellow council members: “Leave them alone.  If what they're doing is of human origin, it will come to ruin.  But if it's from God, you won't be able to stop them.  You might even be found to be fighting against God.”  They let Peter and John go that day, but since then they haven't been heeding Gamaliel's advice.  They stoned Stephen.  And at the end of last week's text Luke told us that Saul of Tarsus was going house to house, dragging men and women to prison and that, while the apostles remained in Jerusalem, everyone else was scattered through Jerusalem and Samaria.  And it turns out Gamaliel was right.  Neither Saul nor anyone else could stop what God was doing.  This new temple, not made with hands, not made of bricks and mortar, but instead of people, purified by the blood of Jesus and indwelt themselves by God's Spirit, this temple was going to fill the earth.  Persecution won't stop it.  Just the opposite, in fact.  Luke writes in Acts 8:4 [Page 1089 in the pew Bibles]: “Those who were scattered went all over the place announcing the word.”  These were people who knew, first hand, the transforming power of the gospel.  Many of them had been eyewitnesses to the risen Jesus.  They had seen signs and wonders, done by Jesus and then done by the apostles.  They knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that God was at work and Israel's hopes were being fulfilled.  There was no stopping them.  If they had to flee Jerusalem, so much the better.  Now the good news about Jesus would be proclaimed all over the place.  Think back to Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin and how he'd highlighted how God works through rejection and persecution.  Joseph's brothers had sold him as a slave, but through their evil God delivered his people.  Ditto with Moses.  Pharaoh wanted all the baby boys of the Hebrews drowned, so Moses' mother put him in a basket and Providence floated him down the river right to Pharaoh's daughter.  And Jesus, the supreme example: The forces of evil and death rose up to do their worst in killing Jesus, but in doing so they played right into God's hands.  They concentrated themselves all in one place, in one great act, allowing Jesus to rise from death to conquer them.  So Saul of Tarsus, threatening the church?  God's going to use that to—to get the gospel out of Jerusalem, to all of Judaea—and even to Samaria. So Philip.  You remember Philip?  He was one of the seven in Chapter 6, whom the church chose and laid hands on to do the work that was taking the apostles away from their prayer and preaching.  Stephen was another of them.  When the church calls people and lays hands on them and commissions them to be servants of the gospel, there's no telling where that may lead.  So “Philip,” says Luke in verse 5, “went off to a town in Samaria and announced the Messiah to them.” I suspect no one would have thought—or wanted—to take the gospel to Samaria—at least not for a long time—even though Jesus had said that his church would take the gospel there.  But in the context of Acts, I think Luke wants to stress that even more than taking the gospel to Samaria, what Philip is doing is taking the temple there.  And that's pretty significant.  Samaria was the piece of land between the two Jewish territories, between Judaea in the south and Galilee in the north.  The Samaritans were the people who had lived there while the Jews were off in exile in Babylon.  We don't really know for certain the origins of the Samaritans.  They claimed—and they still claim, as they're still there to this day—that they're the descendants of what was left of the northern Israelite tribes after the nation was destroyed by the Assyrians.  The Jews claimed that the Samaritans were the people resettled in the land by the Babylonians after they'd sent the Jewish people into exile.  There's probably some truth to both.  Whatever the case, the Samaritans followed their own form of Judaism.  They had their own version of the torah, of the first five books of the Old Testament.  They rejected the Prophets and other books.  They looked forward to their own version of the Messiah.  They called him the Ta'eb or “The Returner”—the prophet Moses promised would come.  But maybe what's most important in the context of Acts, was that the Samaritans had their own temple on Mt. Gerizim.  The Jews would never let them anywhere near the temple in Jerusalem—they weren't real Jews and they had corrupted Israelite religion—but even if the Jews allowed them into the temple, the Samaritans would never go there.  As far as they were concerned, theirs was the real temple.  The Samaritans were a people utterly without God's presence. And now Philip finds his way there and carries the for real real temple to a people who didn't even know the old one.  And when God's temple arrives in Samaria, the people can't help but notice.  Verse 6: “The crowds, acting as one, clung to what Philip was saying, as they heard him and saw the signs he performed.  For unclean spirits came out of many of them, and several who were paralyzed or lame were cured.  So there was great joy in that town.” “But there was a man named Simon, who had lived in the town for some while and who practiced magic. He used to astonish the Samaritan people, giving out that he was some great personage.  Everyone, small and great alike, paid attention to him, and said, “This man is the one called ‘God's Great Power'!”  [Luke might be hinting that the people thought of Simon as maybe being the Ta'eb, the Samaritan “Messiah”.] They had been under his spell for some time, since they were amazed at the magic he could perform.  But when they believed Philip as he was announcing to them the message about God's kingdom and the name of Jesus the Messiah, they were baptized, men and women alike.  Simon too believed and was baptized, paying close attention to Philip.  When he saw signs, and great and powerful deeds, it was his turn to be astonished.” The devil was doing one thing in Judaea in a futile attempt to quash the gospel.  He was doing something else to the same end in Samaria.  He'd been doing it for a long time, leading the Samaritans away from God's torah and God's temple.  Now there's this man, Simon, who has enchanted these Samaritans with his magic.  Maybe it was just sleight of hand magic, but the way Luke, throughout Acts, contrasts magic with the power of the Holy Spirit, it seems like Simon actually did have some kind of power and if that power wasn't from God, it was coming from demonic forces of some kind.  That's just the sort of thing the devil would do to lead people astray.  But Philip, empowered by God's Spirit, it's obvious to everyone—even to Simon—his power was different and it was far superior.  Seeing it, these people believed the good news about Jesus that Philip was proclaiming.  And they did what believers do: they were baptised.  Like Israel following God through the Red Sea and into the promised land, in faith these Samaritan followed Jesus through the waters of baptism and into God's new creation. Samaritans embracing and giving their allegiance to Jesus may not seem like a big deal to us, but it was a really big deal to everyone involved.  Again, Samaritans and Jews didn't mix.  Even though Jesus had said that his disciples would take the good news to Samaria, they had no plan to go there—and probably little or no desire to.  But God had a plan to get them there, and when Philip does end up in Samaria, he doesn't let that hold him back.  It's pretty clear that these early believers thought of the gospel as something for Jews, but—hey—if gentiles came to them and wanted in, if Samaritans heard and believed, that was great.  They saw God at work in these people, even if these people weren't their evangelistic priority. And yet, something odd happens.  These Samaritans hear the gospel, see God at work, they believe, they're baptised, but there's something missing.  I suspect Philip noticed it immediately and sent word back to Jerusalem—excited on one hand, but concerned on the other.  Verse 14: “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received God's word, they sent Peter and John to them.  When they arrived, they prayed for them, asking that they would receive the Holy Spirit, since up to that point the Spirit had come upon none of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.  Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.” Like I said, something was missing.  The Spirit was clearly at work.  Faith in Jesus is a gift of the Spirit and no one comes to Jesus without the Spirit first moving in the heart.  But so far in Acts, when people believed and were baptised, they all had some kind of experience of being transformed by the Spirit  They were obviously different.  The Spirit did a work of new creation in them.  And they typically—and immediately—displayed supernatural gifts.  Some prophesied, some healed, some spoke in other languages, and so on.  Whenever we see God doing something new in the story of redemption, it's usually got miracles clustered all around it and we see this no less in the early days of the church.  Bringing Samaritans to Jesus was very much something new.  But this time the miracles didn't happen.  I expect Philip was surprised.  What was wrong?  So he sent word to Jerusalem and Peter and John decided to go see for themselves.  And, sure enough, something was missing.  These people had believed, but the Spirit—God—hadn't yet come to live in them  They were not yet part of the new temple. I don't know if Peter and John understood everything at this point.  I suspect that they just recognised that these new believers were lacking the indwelling Spirit.  It was weird and inexplicable at the time.  And so Peter and John just did the only thing that made sense: they laid their hands on these people and prayed that God would give them his Spirit.  And God did.  Luke doesn't say how it was obvious, but it was apparently obvious that the Spirit had filled the Samaritans.  And I think as time passed, Peter and John and the others started to figure out what God was doing in withholding the very thing—I should say, the very person—who fulfils God's promises to dwell with his people.  By the time Luke wrote, it all made perfect sense. You see, there was always a danger that the Samaritans would hear the gospel and believe, but that because of the divide between them and the Jews, the Samaritans would end up with a separate church of their own.  A lot of them would have been perfectly happy to have it that way and plenty of Jewish believers would no doubt be happy to have it that way.  But that would undermine the very gospel itself.  God doesn't have multiple people.  He has one.  With all our divisions in the church today, it's easy to forget this, but Jesus was clear: God has one people and one of the essentials of the gospel is that it heals the breaches, heals the divisions, heals the animosity between the people of the world.  We saw the first dramatic sign of this healing at Pentecost as the men there heard the gospel proclaimed in their own languages.  It was a dramatic reversal of the Tower of Babel episode.  And now it happens with the Samaritans.  God withholds his Spirit from them in order to get Peter and John to pray and lay hands on them and in that God makes it clear to everyone that they are all united in Jesus and the Spirit.  The apostles and the Jewish believers can't dismiss the Samaritan believers and neither can the Samaritans—with their long history of doing their own thing and having their own temple—neither can they act as if they have no need of or can be separate from the Jewish believers. We need to be careful we don't mistake Luke's point here.  We often read this passage at confirmations when the bishop lays hands on us and prays for us to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit.  But Luke wasn't thinking about confirmation.  Confirmation is a rite that developed centuries later.  Pentecostals and Charismatics use this passage to explain their experience, arguing that this passage proves that receiving the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace apart from baptism and conversion.  But that's not Luke's point either.  In fact, his point is that what happened with the Samaritans, with God withholding the Spirit, was unique—a one-off thing—that was necessary to ensure everyone knew that there is one church, one body and that our unity in diversity is one of the gospel's most powerful witnesses to God setting the human race to rights.  The whole thing that made this episode stand out was the delay in the Samaritans receiving the Holy Spirit, because the indwelling of the Spirit it not a second blessing or a second work of grace.  It's what happens when we believe and are baptised.  It's what makes us God's temple.  Jesus purifies us so that the Spirit can fill us. And then Simon the Magician. The gospel goes to a new place, but the same old problem comes up again.  In Jerusalem it was Ananias and Sapphira.  The devil crept in.  They let their love of money compromise the purity so essential to being God's temple.  They serve as a warning: Jesus purifies us so that we can be God's temple, but to remain God's temple requires continued purity.  And now the Samaritan believers their own warning about this.  Verse 18: “When Simon saw that the spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money.  “Give me this power too,” he said, “so that anyone I lay my hands on will receive the holy spirit.”  “May your silver die with you!” retorted Peter. “Did you really think that God's gift could be bought with money?  You have no part or share in this word!  Your heart is not straight before God.  So repent from this wickedness, and pray to the Lord.  Perhaps he will forgive the scheme you had in your heart.  I can see that you are still stuck in the bitter poison and chains of unrighteousness.”  “Pray to the Lord for me,” said Simon in reply, “that none of what you've said will happen to me.”  After Peter and John had finished bearing witness and speaking the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, announcing the good news to many Samaritan villages.” Simon liked the status his magic gave him.  And now he sees something really amazing, something that clearly and dramatically upstaged whatever it was that he was doing.  And Simon wanted it.  But it wasn't so much the Holy Spirit that Simon wanted.  Tricks were nice.  He'd been doing them for a long time.  But what Simon wanted was the ability to control people.  He didn't want the Holy Spirit.  He wanted what he thought Peter and John had: he wanted the ability to lay hands on people and to give them the Spirit. And in that, Simon was exposed.  It wasn't about Jesus for Simon.  It wasn't about being God's temple.  It wasn't about being purified by the cross.  It wasn't about being part of God's new creation.  Simon was still firmly part of the old.  He wanted to use and control people for his own personal gain and prestige.  His old magic had been upstaged.  No one would be impressed by it anymore.   But if he could be like Peter and John, if he could lay hands on people himself and impart the Spirit to them, well, then he's be back on top of things.  For those who read The Magician's Nephew this month, he's like Uncle Andrew, seeing a new world being miraculously born around him and new life sprouting from the ground, and all he can think of is bring bits of iron to plant so they can grow into factories and battleships to make him rich. He was blind.  He heard the gospel.  He heard the good news about Jesus.  He saw the life the Spirit in these people and he saw new creation being born.  But he wasn't interested any of it.  He just wanted to be in control.  He saw it as a way to get rich.  So he offers to buy this gift from Peter and John—as if it was theirs to sell.  As if it was their power to impart the Spirit. But Peter and John had no such power.  They didn't go around laying hands on people and giving them the Spirit any more than a modern-day Anglican bishop or Pentecostal evangelist does so.  This was a unique situation.  God gives the Spirit, not men, not preachers, not bishops, not even apostles.  This was simply a case in which it was necessary for both the Jews and the Samaritans to understand that they were one people in Jesus and the Spirit. The crazy thing is that we still see this sort of thing despite all the warnings in scripture.  There are far too many people out there, preachers—people calling themselves “apostles”—offering the Spirit or his gifts for money, as if those gifts are the work of human beings and not God.  I expect that when Simon asked Peter and John to sell him this gift—one they didn't even actually have—Peter immediately remembered Ananias and then Sapphira falling dead at his feet.  Because he knew, this false idea needed to die.  If allowed to fester, it would corrupt the church. And so he rebuked Simon—who, by God's mercy isn't struck dead on the spot.  “You're no believer, Simon.  You're still stuck in the bitter poison and chains of unrighteousness.” Luke tells us that Simon asked them to pray for him so that he wouldn't fall under God's judgement.  I have to wonder if they told him about Ananias and Sapphira and left him quaking in his boots.  Luke doesn't tell us what happened to him, whether he eventually understood and actually believed the gospel or not.  What Luke wants to stress here, what we shouldn't lose of, is that the Spirit is not under human control.  The Holy Spirit isn't magic.  Magic is the human attempt to manipulate God.  Humans have been trying to figure out ways to do that ever since our fall.  Magic treats God like a vending machine.  Push B5 to get this or push D2 to get that.  Say this spell, offer this sacrifice—follow the right formula and you can control the divine.  The so-called “Prosperity Gospel” is a modern version of this.  But you don't have to be into the Prosperity Gospel or the Word-Faith movement to be guilty of thinking you can control God.  When we bargain with God, we're doing the same thing.  We think that if we offer God this or that, we obligate him to give us something in return.  Brothers and Sisters, God's been teaching his people from the beginning that he doesn't work this way.  He's sovereign.  He sends his Spirit as a mighty rushing wind and, as Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Those who are born of that Spirit are blown along with it.”  Those who surrender themselves to Jesus and the Spirit are blown into purity, blown into holiness, blown into godliness, blown into ministry and blown into mission.  That's what Luke shows us in Acts.  Jesus purifies us, the Spirit fills, and in those acts God make us his living temple.  A temple through which he will make himself known and through which he will eventually fill the earth with his presence. In this morning's Collect we asked the Lord to teach to us to ask for the things that please him.  Brothers and Sisters, if we understand ourselves to be his temple, his working model of new creation in the midst of the old, I can hardly think of a better prayer.  It's a prayer very much like “on earth as in heaven”.  A prayer that sets aside our own agendas and ask for God to bring us into his.  I'd like to close praying that Collect again. Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; and, that we may obtain what we ask of you, teach us to ask for those things that please you, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Today, we embark on a journey through the first 11 chapters of Genesis, a foundational text that sets the stage for the entire Bible. These chapters cover 2,000 years of recorded history, from the creation of the universe to the scattering of humanity at the Tower of Babel. The opening verse, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," encapsulates the essence of our Creator's omnipotence and omniscience. This simple statement introduces us to the concept of God as the sole architect of all that exists, a being who is outside of time and space, and who has the ability to conduct vast amounts of information in just a few words.As we delve into the creation story, we see the unfolding of God's plan, from the creation of the heavens and the earth to the formation of Adam and Eve. Genesis 2 details the creation of humanity, with God breathing life into Adam and crafting Eve from his rib. This act establishes the foundation of marriage and gender, setting the stage for the covenant relationship between God and humanity. The story then takes a tragic turn in Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve's disobedience leads to the fall of humanity and the introduction of sin into the world. This event has far-reaching consequences, affecting not only humanity but all of creation.The narrative then moves to the story of Cain and Abel, illustrating the destructive nature of sin. Cain's jealousy and anger lead to the first murder, a stark reminder of the power of sin to corrupt the human heart. This leads us into the catastrophic events of the flood, where God's judgment falls upon a world consumed by wickedness. Noah, a preacher of righteousness, builds an ark and saves his family and a remnant of animals, a testament to God's grace and mercy.After the flood, humanity attempts to establish its own order at the Tower of Babel, defying God's command to spread across the earth. God responds by confusing their language and scattering them, a pivotal moment that shapes the diversity of languages and nations we see today. This event underscores the importance of obedience to God's will and the consequences of human pride.As we conclude this overview, we are reminded of the cyclical nature of human history and the need for vigilance. Jesus warns us in Matthew 24 that the days before his return will be like the days of Noah, where life continues as usual until the flood comes. We are called to be awake, aware, and ready for his return, living in a world that increasingly mirrors the pre-Babel era, with technology and global interconnectedness reaching unprecedented levels. The day of the Lord is approaching, and we must remain steadfast in our faith, trusting in God's plan and his promise to return.## Sermon Notes — Genesis 1:1-11:9**Big Idea:** Genesis 1-11 lays the foundation for all of biblical theology, covering creation, the fall, and the flood.### 1. Creation (Genesis 1:1-2:3)- God created the heavens and the earth.- Genesis 1:1-2:3 describes the creation of the universe and humanity.- **Key principle:** God is the creator and sustainer of all things.### 2. Foundation of Marriage and Gender (Genesis 2:4-25)- God created Adam and Eve.- Marriage and gender roles are established by God.- **Key principle:** God determines the rules for marriage and gender.### 3. The Fall (Genesis 3:1-24)- Adam and Eve disobey God, leading to sin and death.- Satan's deception and the first prophecy of redemption.- **Key principle:** Sin has universal consequences, but God provides a way of redemption.### 4. The Spread of Sin (Genesis 4:1-26)- Cain and Abel's offerings and the first murder.- Sin leads to further disobedience and violence.- **Key principle:** Sin crouches at the door, but we must rule over it.### 5. The Flood (Genesis 6:1-9:17)- Humanity's wickedness and God's decision to flood the earth.- Noah's obedience and the ark.- **Key principle:** God's covenant with Noah and the rainbow as a sign.### 6. Dispersion of Nations (Genesis 10-11)- The Table of Nations and the Tower of Babel.- God's intervention to scatter humanity.- **Key principle:** God's plan to divide humanity into nations.### Practical Applications1. **Study the Bible** — Commit to reading and studying Genesis to understand the foundation of God's plan.2. **Guard against sin** — Be vigilant and rule over sin in your life, remembering its consequences.3. **Follow God's commands** — Like Noah, be obedient to God's commands and trust in His promises.4. **Be aware of the signs** — Stay alert and aware of the signs of the times, as Jesus taught.### Discussion Questions1. How does understanding the creation account in Genesis 1-2 affect your view of God's sovereignty and purpose?2. In what ways do you see the effects of sin in your daily life and community?3. How can we learn from Noah's obedience and apply it to our own lives today?4. What does the story of the Tower of Babel reveal about human pride and rebellion against God?5. How does the current global situation compare to the times of Noah and Babel, and what does this mean for us today?*"The day of the Lord is coming closer and closer, and the further humanity pushes into this idea that we need to be like God or cast Him down, we're getting very close to His return."*

We review 21 Grams, the second film of Alejandro G. Inarritu and the second episode of BirdMike: Our Inarritu Rewatch Series. The film stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro and features the cinematography of Rodrigo Prieto and the music of Gustavo Santaolalla. NON-SPOILER REVIEW OF 21 GRAMS: Production Profile - 2:29 Non-Spoiler Script Thoughts - 6:56 Performance Reviews - 13:06 Production Values - 18:02 Oscar Lens - 24:27 SPOILER WARNING - 28:44 SPOILER FILLED REVIEW OF 21 GRAMS: Carryovers: Why & how did he structure the film this way? - 31:09 Discussing The Themes - 40:46 These characters have their vices - 43:54 That Ending - 48:22 The Sean Penn Character Study - 52:22 Final Thoughts & Final Grades - 56:37 OUTRO: Hopefully you continue to tune into future episodes of this series, despite our early wrestling matches with these films. We do want to combat the rest of them, continuing with Babel and Biutiful in the coming weeks. Obviously, we're leading up to Digger starring Tom Cruise in the fall. Otherwise, you can stay tuned for future episodes of Oscar Race Checkpoint and Oscar Profile Movie Reviews, as well as more specials, interviews, etc… as we head into yet another awards season here on MMO. https://linktr.ee/mikemikeandoscar

Ancient Roots of Life Episode 48Many of the passages Christians know by heart sound very different when read from the Septuagint (LXX). In this episode JT and Josh continue their study through Scripture by examining: David's harsh prayers against his enemies Did David prophetically speak in the voice of Christ? Loving your enemies vs. God's judgment The Gospel of Nicodemus (Acts of Pilate) Genesis in the Septuagint The Firmament Paradise in Eden Noah and the clean animals Nimrod and the first kingdoms The Tower of Babel The Table of Nations The mystery of Genesis 6 Sons of God vs. Sethite theory Ancient geography Biblical chronology If you've never compared the Septuagint to modern Bible translations, you may be surprised by what you find.

Send us Fan MailThe Tower of Babel is far more than a story about human pride or the origin of different languages. In this episode, we step into the world of ancient Mesopotamia to explore what towers, cities, and ziggurats meant to the people who first heard Genesis. Together, we'll examine Nimrod's kingdom, the significance of Babylon, and humanity's attempt to create its own gateway to heaven on its own terms. By recovering the ancient context of Genesis 11, we discover that Babel isn't just about a tower—it is about two competing visions of the world: God's kingdom and humanity's relentless desire to build its own.

Editor's Intro: Michael Damian Thomas Short Fiction: "The Cinema of Babel" by Sam J. Miller, as read by Matt Peters Poetry:  "I called the swan down" by Laura Cranehill, as read by Erika Ensign Interview: Michael Damian Thomas interviews Sam J. Miller   Want to join the Space Unicorn Ranger Corps? You can find new science fiction and fantasy stories, poetry, and nonfiction every month in Uncanny Magazine. Go to uncannymagazine.com or subscribe to the eBook version at weightlessbooks.com. This podcast was produced by Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky. Music created by Null Device and used with permission. Copyright © 2026 by Uncanny Magazine

Welcome to Day 2918 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2918 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 147:12-20 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2918 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2918 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Swift Word of the Sovereign King – Fortifying Zion and Thawing the Frozen Wilderness On our previous expedition—on Day Two Thousand Nine Hundred Seventeen—we stepped onto the opening slopes of Psalm One Hundred Forty-Seven, exploring verses one through eleven. We marveled at the breathtaking paradox of our Creator: the very same Almighty God who marshals the stars of heaven, calling each one by name, is the gentle Physician who bends down to bandage the broken hearts of hurting exiles. We learned that Yahweh takes no delight in the brute strength of warhorses or human self-reliance, but instead, takes supreme pleasure in those who humbly put their hope in His unfailing covenant love. Today, as we continue along Day Two Thousand Nine Hundred Eighteen of our trek, we move directly into the second half of this glorious hymn: Psalm One Hundred Forty-Seven, verses twelve through twenty. In this concluding movement, the psalmist turns his focus toward the fortified walls of Jerusalem, the fierce power of winter weather, and the unique, incomparable privilege of receiving God's holy word. We will see how the sovereign command of yahweh rules effortlessly over both the physical elements of nature and the spiritual destiny of His covenant people. The first segment is: Fortified Gates and the Finest Wheat: The Security of the City Let us open our ears to the exuberant call to worship that begins this second stanza, as recorded in the New Living Translation, grouping together the logical, contiguous thoughts found in verse twelve, verse thirteen, and verse fourteen. Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he has strengthened the bars of your gates and blessed your children within your city. He sends peace across your nation and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat. The psalmist issues a thunderous, joyous summons to the holy city, shouting, “Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!” He immediately anchors this call in concrete acts of divine protection and flourishing, declaring, “For he has strengthened the bars of your gates and blessed your children within your city. He sends peace across your nation and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat.” To grasp the profound relief and joy embedded in these verses, we must remember the historical setting of post-exilic Jerusalem. The city walls had been torn down by Nebuchadnezzar's armies, the gates were burned with fire, and for decades, the returning remnants lived in perpetual fear of hostile surrounding tribes. But when Nehemiah and the people rebuilt the walls under Yahweh's guidance, the city gates were once again secured with heavy bars! Yet, the psalmist recognizes that physical iron bars are useless unless the Lord Himself strengthens them. It is Yahweh who establishes real, impenetrable security around the community, allowing children to play safely within the city streets without fear of sudden invasion. Furthermore, notice the scope of this blessing! It extends from structural safety to internal prosperity. Yahweh grants shalom—complete, untroubled peace—across the borders of the nation, and He satisfies the people's hunger with the “finest wheat.” In the Ancient Israelite divine-council worldview, neighboring pagan nations believed that agriculture and territorial peace depended on sacrificing to localized fertility gods like Baal or Asherah. But Israel knew the truth! Yahweh alone controls the borders of the earth, and Yahweh alone opens the bounty of creation to nourish His children with the very best food. The second segment is: The Cosmic Voice of Winter: Snow, Frost, and the Swift Word The narrative now transitions from civil security to the vast, sweeping power of God's command over the forces of nature, combining the contiguous thoughts found in verse fifteen, verse sixteen, verse seventeen, and verse eighteen. He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly! He sends the snow like white wool; he scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freezing cold? Then at his command, it melts. He sends the wind, and the ice thaws. Look at the astonishing speed and absolute authority of God's royal decrees! The psalmist proclaims, “He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly! He sends the snow like white wool; he scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freezing cold? Then at his command, it melts. He sends the wind, and the ice thaws.” In this breathtaking section, the word of God—His davar—is personified as an invincible, swift royal messenger! In the ancient Near East, human kings sent runners across their empires to deliver royal decrees, but those human couriers were limited by speed, terrain, and exhaustion. When Yahweh speaks from His celestial throne room, His word runs like lightning across the globe, instantly obeyed by every element of creation. Notice how the psalmist paints the freezing winter weather: snow falling soft and thick like white wool, frost coating the ground like scattered wood-ash, and hail pounding down like jagged stones! Winter in the mountainous regions of Israel could be severe, paralyzing life and threatening survival. The psalmist asks the dramatic rhetorical question: “Who can stand against his freezing cold?” Human military power, heavy armor, and thermal garments are completely helpless when the Creator turns down the tem“erature of the earth! Yet, just as quick”y as the frost seals the land in ice, Yahweh issues another swift command: He releases His warm wind—His ruach—and the ice immediately thaws, streams begin to flow again, and spring returns to the land. In the divine-council framework, the spiritual principalities that pagan nations worshipped as lords of winter or chaos are unmasked as mere puppets before Yahweh; the weather is simply obedient clay in the hands of the ultimate Cosmic Craftsman. The third segment is: The Unique Treasure: Revealing Decrees to Jacob Having demonstrated how Yahweh's swift word commands the physical cosmos, the psalmist reaches the grand finale of the psalm, revealing the supreme, incomparable gift given exclusively to Israel, as recorded in verse nineteen and verse twenty. He has revealed his word to Jacob, his decrees and regulations to Israel. He has not done this for any other nation; they do not know his regulations. Praise the Lord! The psalmist seals this magnificent hymn with a declaration of astounding covenant privilege, exclaiming, “He has revealed his word to Jacob, his decrees and regulations to Israel. He has not done this for any other nation; they do not know his regulations. Praise the Lord!” Think about the staggering theological progression of Psalm One Hundred Forty-Seven! The God who commands the trillions of stars in verse four, and who directs the freezing hail and melting winds in verses fifteen through eighteen, has chosen to speak directly to human beings! But He did not reveal His holy, written law to the mighty Egyptian empire, nor to the cultured Babylonians, nor to the warlike Assyrians. Instead, He entrusted His sacred decrees, His Torah, and His legal judgments—His mishpatim—uniquely to the descendants of Jacob! To fully appreciate this verse, we must view it through the lens of Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two in the ancient Israelite divine-council worldview. When Yahweh divided the nations after the Tower of Babel, He allocated the pagan peoples under the oversight of lesser spiritual beings, the "sons of God." But Israel was Yahweh's personal, direct inheritance! While other nations stumbled in spiritual darkness, worshipping idols and guessing at the desires of fickle gods, Israel was given the clear, brilliant, life-giving light of Yahweh's written word. They were given the blueprint of cosmic wisdom, showing them how to live in alignment with the Creator. This unique revelation calls for an explosive, ultimate response, ending the psalm with that glorious, unshakeable command: Hallelujah—Praise the Lord! As we conclude today's trek through Psalm One Hundred Forty-Seven,

Comparing Abraham with the people at the Tower of Babel, see how you can build your life with God as Brett Andrews shares.Share your stories, prayer requests, or your response to this devotional in the comments below.If you would like to know more about New Life, who we are, what we believe, or when we meet, visit http://newlife.church. Or you can fill out a digital connection card at http://newlife.church/connect - we would love to get to know you better!

A city shrouded in myth, which was purported to contain the Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens. It's mentioned over two hundred times in the Bible but what does Babylon mean today? A decadent destination? A lost location? A misunderstood metropolis? Richard Littledale discusses this with the Reverend Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones from the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University. He's the author of “Babylon. The Mother of all Cities”

The Tower of Babel: The Kingdoms We Build Genesis 11 Whose name are we building our lives to make great: our own or God's? The Tower of Babel warns us against trusting our own kingdoms, while Jesus invites us to receive by grace the life and future only He can provide. Sermon Preached by Steve DuBransky on August 2, 2026 Foothill Church exists to glorify God by living as disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus. https://foothill.church

Two ways to build: a tower that scatters everyone who raises it, or a wall rebuilt family by family. Lindsay Sant, Caroline Knight, and Lino Saubolle take on part one of Pope Leo XIV's Magnifica Humanitas — plus sugar found in deep space. The post Babel or the City of God appeared first on StarQuest Media.

Welcome to Day 2916 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. Day 2916 – Theology Thursday – Ancient Near Eastern Religions versus the God of the Bible Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2916 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps!   I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2916 of our Trek.   The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Our current series of Theology Thursday lessons is written by theologian and teacher John Daniels. I have found that his lessons are short, easy to understand, doctrinally sound, and applicable to all who desire to learn more of God's Word. John's lessons can be found on his website, theologyinfive.com.   Ancient Near Eastern Religions versus the God of the Bible. The religions of the Ancient Near East form a wide landscape of connected myths, rituals, and divine hierarchies that shaped the worldview of early civilizations. Their gods rose and fell in power, reacted emotionally to events, and relied on worshipers to sustain them. These beliefs created a religious environment built on cycles, fragility, and mutual dependence. The biblical portrayal of Yahweh stands in clear contrast. Scripture presents a God who is self-sufficient, unchanging, and sovereign over creation. Examining these differences clarifies the uniqueness of biblical faith within its ancient setting and helps modern readers understand how Israel's worldview developed in the midst of nations with very different assumptions about the divine realm. The first segment is: The Cyclical Nature of ANE Deities ANE religions anchored their divine stories in the rhythms of the natural world. Gods were believed to participate in the same patterns that shaped human experience. Their power rose and fell with the seasons, crops, weather, and the environment. This worldview created a theological system where even major deities could weaken, die, or disappear, only to return when the cycles of nature renewed themselves. The myths surrounding Inanna and Ishtar reveal this worldview clearly. Their descent into the underworld and eventual return mirrored the cycle of barrenness and renewal that governed agricultural life. Their stories did not present beings who transcended nature but ones who were bound to it. Their vitality could pause or fail, only to be restored when the environment shifted. Egyptian religion expressed a similar idea through the Osiris myth. His murder and restoration aligned with the yearly flooding of the Nile, which created fertile soil for crops. The story served as a theological explanation for agricultural renewal. Osiris did not stand above the cycles of life. He represented them. This pattern appears again and again in ANE pantheons, where divine life and natural life were deeply intertwined. The second segment is: Symbiosis Between Gods and Humans The relationship between the gods and humanity in the ANE was shaped by mutual dependence. The gods depended on humans for food, offerings, honor, and the upkeep of temples. Humans depended on the gods for basic stability, agricultural success, and protection. Religion functioned as a system that maintained cosmic order by ensuring both sides received what they needed. Baal worship in Canaan demonstrates this dynamic. Baal's power and presence were tied to the devotion of his followers. If offerings ceased or rituals were neglected, worshipers feared drought, famine, and ecological collapse. Ugaritic texts describe Baal's strength rising and falling in connection with seasonal struggles against Mot, the god of death. The fortunes of the people depended on Baal's vitality, and Baal's vitality depended on the people. This pattern stretched across Mesopotamia as well. Temples functioned as divine households where priests fed, clothed, and cared for the gods. Worship was not about relationship but maintenance. A god who was not sustained properly could weaken, suffer, or lose influence. These beliefs shaped the ancient expectation that the divine and human worlds were locked in an ongoing exchange of needs and services. The third segment is: The God of the Bible: Transcendent, Stable, and Self-Sufficient The biblical portrait of God stands outside the cycles and limitations that characterized ANE religion. Yahweh does not depend on human worship to sustain His power. He does not rise or fall in strength. His nature remains constant, and His authority extends beyond the boundaries of the natural world. Scripture presents Him as the Creator who governs nature rather than one who participates in its fluctuations. Malachi 3 verse six captures this distinction by declaring that God does not change. The prophets frequently challenge the idea that God requires food or ritual maintenance. Psalm 50 portrays God as the owner of all creation rather than a deity who needs sacrifices for sustenance. Isaiah mocks the absurdity of idols that must be carried because they cannot stand on their own. These passages highlight the difference between the dependent gods of the nations and the self-sufficient God of Israel. Covenant reinforces this distinction. When God binds Himself to Abraham, Moses, or David, His promises flow from His own character and faithfulness rather than human ability to maintain Him. His stability provides a foundation for trust that no ANE god could offer, because their identity and power were subject to the very world they governed. The fourth segment is: Supreme Monotheism and the Divine Council The biblical worldview acknowledges a populated spiritual realm, but it does not portray that realm as harmonious or consistently loyal. Scripture presents a divine council, yet this council reflects a world marked by rebellion and spiritual conflict rather than unity. This stands in sharp contrast with ANE pantheons, where deities had fixed jurisdictions and stable roles. Psalm 82 reveals that members of the divine council failed in their appointed tasks. God confronts them for injustice, corruption, and the oppression of the nations they were meant to govern. Their rebellion is a verdict on their unfaithfulness. The psalm ends with God declaring their coming judgment, making clear that divine beings are not beyond accountability. Genesis 6 describes another rebellion in which the sons of God violate the boundaries God established and bring corruption to humanity. This event shaped the Second Temple Jewish worldview and influenced New Testament writers who saw it as a catastrophic turning point in the history of spiritual conflict. These beings did not act out of ignorance but out of deliberate defiance. The Babel event introduces yet another layer of supernatural rebellion. Deuteronomy 32 verse eight and nine describe God dividing the nations and assigning them under the authority of lesser divine beings. These beings later led their nations into idolatry and spiritual deception, choosing loyalty to their own agendas rather than to the Most High. Their failures explain the origin of the false gods and territorial powers that Israel confronted throughout the Old Testament. The biblical writers describe a supernatural realm that is real, complex, and deeply fractured. God alone stands as the supreme Creator. The other divine beings are not competitors to Him, but they are capable of disobedience, corruption, and rebellion. Unlike ANE pantheons defined by competition between gods of similar rank, the Bible presents defiance of the Most High as the central spiritual crisis in human history. The fifth segment is: Stability Versus Variability in the Divine Realm The gods of the ANE were often unpredictable. Their conflicts explained storms, disasters, and political upheavals. Their emotional reactions shaped the lives of their worshipers, who lived in fear of offending them or failing to provide proper care. This instability was a natural consequence of a pantheon filled with beings shaped by the same vulnerabilities as humans. Yahweh's actions are presented differently. His behavior is anchored in His covenantal character. His judgments are consistent with His purposes rather than expressions of divine mood. His promises stand firm even when humans falter. By presenting God as trustworthy and stable, Scripture establishes a theological foundation that separates Israel's faith from the religions around it. The sixth segment is: The Purpose of Humanity: Servants or Imagers ANE creation stories consistently portray humans as laborers created to meet the needs of the gods. In the Enuma Elish, humans are formed from the blood of Kingu after a divine rebellion. Their function is to relieve the gods of work by maintaining temples and performing essential services. Human worth is connected to usefulness, not intrinsic dignity. The biblical account offers an entirely different vision. Humans are created

AI news: Sam Altman says we're IN the Singularity, GPT-6 rumors, and AI models literally broke out of their sandbox. What a week. On today's AI For Humans, we dig into the wild GPT-6 rumors (emphasis on RUMORS), Sam Altman's "I've been waiting for this my whole life" singularity moment, Ilya Sutskever's SSI scaling up with Nvidia, and the ongoing debate over whether Anthropic's Opus 5 is brilliant or just hard to love. Also: Flux 3 might be the best AI video model we've seen yet (wait until you see Stacked Plates Man), Runway teases Seedance 2.5, and the new Big Bang Theory has an AI controversy.  Plus, THE SCARY STUFF: OpenAI's models exploited a zero-day and compromised Hugging Face during a security eval, the fight over open weights heats up as Kimi K3 goes open, and Chinese robots run military drills. THE SINGULARITY MIGHT BE HERE. BUT WE'RE NOT AFRAID // Show Links // GPT-6 rumors round-up (unconfirmed) https://x.com/TokenGremlin/status/2081493241795629464 Sam Altman full interview (Relentless Podcast) https://youtu.be/Vv3CEAS_w34?si=3y4SWBWxOVkqCEui The Return of Ilya: SSI scales with Nvidia https://x.com/ilyasut/status/2081732293161582930?s=20 Anthropic's Claude Opus 5 https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-opus-5 Opus 5 Tower of Babel demo https://x.com/petergostev/status/2082071858367648035?s=20 Matt Shumer's zero-shot Counter-Strike clone https://x.com/mattshumer_/status/2081054356405731740?s=20 Black Forest Labs' Flux 3 announcement https://bfl.ai/blog/flux-3 Flux 3 split screen rendering https://x.com/umesh_ai/status/2081664138942529601?s=20 Flux 3 GPU migration documentary (Venture Twins) https://x.com/venturetwins/status/2081515687944822800?s=20 Flux 3 VHS-style recordings https://x.com/venturetwins/status/2081948871882911999?s=20 Stacked Plates Man https://x.com/gandamu_ml/status/2081956426801435060?s=20 https://x.com/gandamu_ml/status/2080871397371371823?s=20 Flux 3 pirate bass https://x.com/itspoidaman/status/2081651615493464406?s=20 Big Bang spinoff AI Controvesy  https://x.com/sitcomcrave/status/2081152263481913774?s=20 Runway teases Seedance 2.5 https://x.com/runwayml/status/2082112674666529224?s=20 OpenAI on the Hugging Face security incident https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-model-evaluation-security-incident/ Jensen Huang on the Open Alliance https://x.com/JensenHuang/status/2080643682408321103?s=20 Anthropic has not signed (TechCrunch) https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/24/as-us-weighs-response-to-chinese-ai-industry-urges-against-broad-open-weight-restrictions/ Kimi K3 goes open weights https://x.com/scaling01/status/2081759521878270426?s=20 Chinese robot military drills https://x.com/ClashArchivist/status/2081499576373297562?s=20 Pentagon scales data centers on Army bases https://x.com/Polymarket/status/2082052445144826055?s=20   // Join the AI For Humans community // Join the AI For Humans Discord https://discord.gg/muD2TYgC8f Support AI For Humans on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AIForHumansShow Subscribe to the AI For Humans newsletter https://aiforhumans.beehiiv.com/ Follow AI For Humans on X: @AIForHumansShow https://x.com/AIForHumansShow Follow AI For Humans on TikTok: @aiforhumansshow https://www.tiktok.com/@aiforhumansshow Speaking and booking https://www.aiforhumans.show/  

Want more exclusive content?! http://prometheuslens.supercast.com to sign up for the "All Access Pass" and get early access to episodes, private community, members only episodes, private Q & A's, and coming documentaries. We also have a $4 dollar a month package that gets you early access and an ad free listening experience!==================== Summary:Most Christians overlook the hidden power and ancient roots behind artificial intelligence—and how it ties to spiritual warfare and the return of old gods. Vicky Joy Anderson peels back the layers of history, prophecy, and technology to reveal a sobering truth: AI isn't just a tool—it's part of a biblical weapon system designed to deceive and enslave.In this eye-opening conversation, Vicky shares how ancient relics, stones, and even the concept of "omnipotence" mirror the spiritual strategies of altars and idols from biblical times—now repackaged in Silicon Valley's AI. You'll discover how meteorites, silica, and ancient stones contain frequencies that can alter consciousness, linking past pagan rituals to modern tech. She explores the prophetic implications of AI, comparing it to the days of Noah and the Tower of Babel, warning believers to discern carefully before engaging with these powerful tools.You'll learn about the real meaning of artificial intelligence—its long history, its connection to divine and demonic powers, and the danger of conflating it with biblical markers like the mark of the beast. Vicky emphasizes the importance of unity in the body of Christ, resisting fear and division, and seeking God's wisdom in a rapidly changing spiritual landscape. This episode is perfect for believers seeking to understand how ancient spirits and technologies are converging—warning us that the time to wake up and stand firm is now.Whether you've studied biblical archaeology, AI, or spiritual warfare, this conversation will challenge your perspective and deepen your discernment. It's a call to awaken to a hidden world that's been unfolding for thousands of years—and to stand boldly in the truth of Jesus Christ amid the chaos.Get ready to see the unseen, understand the roots of modern deception, and arm yourself with biblical truth in these last days. Essential listening for pastors, believers, and truth-seekers who refuse to be blindsided by the enemy's new tech-fueled agenda.Vicky Joy Anderson is a researcher, author, and the mind behind "They Only Come Out at Night" and "From Eden to AI," known for her deep biblical insights and connections between ancient mysteries and today's spiritual warfare.Vicki's Website:https://www.vickijoyanderson.com====================

Dr. Joye Jeffries Pugh, known as Dr. Joye, is an author, researcher, educator, musician, and Christian prophecy commentator whose work explores biblical prophecy, end-times theology, ancient history, biotechnology, the supernatural, and spiritual warfare. She holds a doctorate in education from Nova University and has been featured on the History Channel and numerous national and international radio programs. Her books include Eden: The Knowledge of Good and Evil 666, Antichrist: The Cloned Image of Jesus Christ, Beguilded: Eden to Armageddon, and her latest work, Beast Mark: End of Days — Breaching the Pineal Gland. Dr. Joye's lifelong research began with a supernatural dream about the end times at age six, and she continues to write, speak, and minister with a focus on preparing people spiritually for the days ahead.TimeStamps00:00 Tower of Babel 04:02 Spiritual Warfare 07:32 End Times Dream 16:14 Calling and Research 27:27 Supernatural Encounters 35:27 Mark of the Beast 38:33 DNA and Frequency 43:13 Serpents and Gnosticism 50:05 Frequency Mind Control 62:24 Nanotech and Neuralink 64:53 Digital ID Control 68:17 Transhumanist Golden Age 77:29 Fear and the Mark 82:04 UFOs and Demons 89:13 End Times WarningLINKS: https://www.drjoye.comSUPPORT: https://CanaryCry.Support

This week, we're bringing you another double feature of Politicology+ special previews.  First, Ron Steslow talks with Mike Madrid about Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. Using the Pope's choice between "constructing Babel" and "rebuilding Jerusalem,” they confront what happens when we hand life-and-death decisions to machines that can't be held accountable. Then, Ron and Jennifer Schulp discuss political corruption in cryptocurrency and stock trading. They dive into the lack of political will to combat it, despite public outcry, and the challenges of enforcing ethical standards. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don't miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Mike Madrid on X: https://x.com/madrid_mike Jennifer Schulp on X: https://x.com/jenniferjschulp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Joye Jeffries Pugh, known as Dr. Joye, is an author, researcher, educator, musician, and Christian prophecy commentator whose work explores biblical prophecy, end-times theology, ancient history, biotechnology, the supernatural, and spiritual warfare. She holds a doctorate in education from Nova University and has been featured on the History Channel and numerous national and international radio programs. Her books include Eden: The Knowledge of Good and Evil 666, Antichrist: The Cloned Image of Jesus Christ, Beguilded: Eden to Armageddon, and her latest work, Beast Mark: End of Days — Breaching the Pineal Gland. Dr. Joye's lifelong research began with a supernatural dream about the end times at age six, and she continues to write, speak, and minister with a focus on preparing people spiritually for the days ahead.TimeStamps00:00 Tower of Babel 04:02 Spiritual Warfare 07:32 End Times Dream 16:14 Calling and Research 27:27 Supernatural Encounters 35:27 Mark of the Beast 38:33 DNA and Frequency 43:13 Serpents and Gnosticism 50:05 Frequency Mind Control 62:24 Nanotech and Neuralink 64:53 Digital ID Control 68:17 Transhumanist Golden Age 77:29 Fear and the Mark 82:04 UFOs and Demons 89:13 End Times WarningLINKS: https://www.drjoye.comSUPPORT: https://CanaryCry.Support

Dr. Joye Jeffries Pugh, known as Dr. Joye, is an author, researcher, educator, musician, and Christian prophecy commentator whose work explores biblical prophecy, end-times theology, ancient history, biotechnology, the supernatural, and spiritual warfare. She holds a doctorate in education from Nova University and has been featured on the History Channel and numerous national and international radio programs. Her books include Eden: The Knowledge of Good and Evil 666, Antichrist: The Cloned Image of Jesus Christ, Beguilded: Eden to Armageddon, and her latest work, Beast Mark: End of Days — Breaching the Pineal Gland. Dr. Joye's lifelong research began with a supernatural dream about the end times at age six, and she continues to write, speak, and minister with a focus on preparing people spiritually for the days ahead.   TimeStamps 00:00 Tower of Babel 04:02 Spiritual Warfare 07:32 End Times Dream 16:14 Calling and Research 27:27 Supernatural Encounters 35:27 Mark of the Beast 38:33 DNA and Frequency 43:13 Serpents and Gnosticism 50:05 Frequency Mind Control 62:24 Nanotech and Neuralink 64:53 Digital ID Control 68:17 Transhumanist Golden Age 77:29 Fear and the Mark 82:04 UFOs and Demons 89:13 End Times Warning   LINKS: https://www.drjoye.com SUPPORT: https://CanaryCry.Support

This week on Pastor's Point of View (PPOV) Pastor Andy Woods breaks down the latest developments in prophecy—from Supreme Court decisions reshaping America to Babylon's stunning economic revival. Justice Clarence Thomas warns of a "repurposing" that threatens our constitutional foundation. Meanwhile, 58 miles south of Baghdad, billions are pouring into Babylon's restoration as a global tourism hub—exactly as Revelation 17-18 predicts. One-world religion meetings now converge near the ancient Tower of Babel site. "The woman which you saw is the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth." (Revelation 17:18) From persecution rising in the UK to apostasy spreading through mainline denominations, the signs are converging. But there's hope: "Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). Are you watching? Are you ready? #ProphecyUpdate #BabylonRising #Revelation17 #EndTimes #BlessedHope

Every political debate eventually comes down to one question: "Says who?" Todd explains why Christians must ground every argument in God's authority—not history, culture, or public opinion. Segment 1 • Why Todd says Stephen Miller's argument ultimately falls short. • The one question every political debate must answer. • Why Christians can't ultimately appeal to history, culture, or tradition. Segment 2 • What sin Todd says is fueling so much of today's cultural conflict. • Who actually decides what's "good," "normal," and "beautiful"? • Why our battle isn't ultimately against people—it's against rebellion toward God. Segment 3 • The one phrase that explains nearly every rebellion in Scripture. • What Noah, Babel, Pharaoh, and the book of Judges all have in common. • What happens when a society rejects God's authority. Segment 4 • Why Christian parents shouldn't make themselves the ultimate authority. • Charles Spurgeon on the only authority that matters. • How "Thus saith the Lord" should shape every area of a Christian's life. ___ Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn't be more thankful for you if we tried!

The US/Iran conflict rages on and Secretary Rubio just warned: far-left terrorism wants ‘a world without God.' On today's show, we'll trace the real war to remove God from our world — Babel to France, Stalin to Mao, courts to classrooms — erasing prayer, ‘In God We Trust,' and biblical truth. It's end-times prophecy unfolding right now. Join us for another exciting edition of the End Times Show!” 🦅🇺🇸: Discover America's destiny in The Wings of a Great Eagle and reserve your America 250 Heritage Collection today: https://store.endtime.com/products/the-wings-of-a-great-eagle-pre-order-collection  ⭐️: True Gold Republic: Get The Endtime Show special on precious metals at https://www.endtimegold.com 🚰: Sentry H2O: You prepare for everything else. Why not your water? Use code ENDTIME for 10% OFF at https://www.sentryh2o.com/endtime  📱: 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

The Robertson family may have stumbled onto a surprisingly simple secret to a long, healthy life, and Jase, Al, and Zach compare the routines that have kept generations of their family going strong. The guys also reflect on a military veteran who searched for truth in Islam before finding peace in Jesus, then turn to James 2 for a hard look at favoritism, wealth, and celebrity culture inside the church. They challenge every Christian to reflect on how they treat others, and dig into why even correct theology becomes empty noise when it is separated from the character of Jesus. In this episode: James 1:4; James 1:27; James 2:1–26; Deuteronomy 6; Exodus 20; Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 9; Genesis 10–11; Joel 2:28; Acts 2:5–17; Acts 15; 1 Corinthians 1:26–31; John 5; Matthew 5–7 “Unashamed” Episode 1377 is sponsored by: https://homechef.com/unashamed — Get 50% off and free shipping on your first box plus free dessert for life! curehydration.com/unashamed — Get 20% off your first order with promo code UNASHAMED https://bravebooks.com/unashamed — Use code UNASHAMED for 20% off your order! https://myphdweightloss.com — Find out how Al lost 80+ pounds. Visit the website or call 864-644-1900 and mention "Al Robertson" to get 2 weeks free in the program! http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/ — Sign up now for free, and join the Unashamed hosts every Friday for Unashamed Academy Powered by Hillsdale College Listen to Not Yet Now with Zach Dasher on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or anywhere you get podcasts. Check out At Home with Phil Robertson, nearly 800 episodes of Phil's unfiltered wisdom, humor, and biblical truth, available for free for the first time! Get it on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and anywhere you listen to podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-home-with-phil-robertson/id1835224621 Chapters 00:00 Zach's Yawning Sparks a Debate over Naps 05:09 Al's Fourth of July Shrimp Boil Nearly Falls Apart 08:20 The Robertson's Best Leftover Recipe 13:12 A Veteran's Journey from Islam to Jesus 17:04 James 2 Confronts Favoritism in the Church 22:27 Loving Jesus Must Change How We Treat People 28:41 The Church's Attraction to Wealth & Influence 33:44 Kingdom-Bound Wealth & Resources 38:37 Babel & God's Plan to Unite the Nations 42:40 Mercy Triumphs over Judgment 50:01 Faith Without Love Is Just Babbling — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices