Podcasts about Babylon

This week on the Long Island Tea Podcast, Sharon and Stacy are raising their mugs to five years of spilling the tea on all things Long Island. Discover Long Island created the Long Island Tea Podcast during the pandemic to share authentic stories and showcase the heart of our destination. From that initiative came projects like the award-winning Long Island TV series, a valued partnership with News12's East End Show, and continued success for our now five-year-strong podcast—loved by Hot Teas in 114 countries around the world. To celebrate, Sharon and Stacy are kicking off this episode with some fun Long Island Tea Trivia, “Who Said It?” moments, and “Most Likely To” laughs that longtime listeners will love.As the ladies celebrate this milestone, they're also honoring Veterans Day (today, November 11th) with great places across Long Island to celebrate and recognize our local heroes, plus highlighting inspiring community causes that bring Long Islanders together to support one another.#ShowUsYourLongIslanderThis week's spotlight shines on Keesha Bailey, a Huntington resident who unknowingly ordered the one-millionth pizza at Jonny D's Pizza, celebrating 21 years in business. Keesha's surprise came with confetti, music, and a full year of free pizza—a fun reminder to support the local spots that make Long Island special.Know someone making an impact? Show us YOUR Long Islander by DMing us or emailing spillthetea@discoverlongisland.com.#LongIslandLifeVeterans Day (Nov. 11): Long Island proudly honors our heroes with free or discounted admission at local attractions including:Long Island AquariumLong Island Game FarmPaddles Up Pickleball“Through Our Eyes” Exhibition at the Long Island MuseumLong Island Comes Together Amid SNAP Delays:With delays impacting 160,000 Long Islanders, local organizations are stepping up. Island Harvest, Long Island Cares, and One Fair Wage are leading the charge—proving once again that Long Islanders always rally for their neighbors.You can help by donating, volunteering, or hosting a mini food drive this season to make a difference.#ThisWeekendOnLongIslandFriday, November 14Long Island Wine Country Blanc & Franc Summit | RG|NY Vineyard | 4:30 PMSecond Annual Turkey Drive | Station Yards, Ronkonkoma | 7:30 AM–6 PMAnnie | The Argyle Theatre, Babylon | 7:30 PMSaturday, November 15Annie | 2:30 PM & 7:30 PMWarriors Rock | Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center | 7 PMSunday, November 16Annie | Final Show | 2 PMBindlestiff Family Cirkus | Staller Center, Stony Brook | 4–6 PMPlan your weekend at DiscoverLongIsland.com or download our mobile app.#ChariTEATap Room Bay Shore is hosting “Cocktails for a Cause” on November 15 to support Jackson Berry, a one-year-old from West Babylon battling acute myeloid leukemia. The event includes an open bar, raffles, and a Chinese auction—with all proceeds benefiting the Berry family to assist with medical expenses, travel, and care.Learn more or donate at: https://lateknightwarriors.com/lkw-cocktail-partyThis episode is sponsored by East End Getaway, your source for seasonal events, family fun, and hidden gems across Long Island.#ConnectWithUsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/longislandteapodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DiscoverLongIslandNYTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@longislandteapodcastX (Twitter): https://twitter.com/liteapodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/longislandteapodcastEmail: spillthetea@discoverlongisland.comShop: https://shop.discoverlongisland.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Revelation Series: Revelation 15 and 16 depict the completion of God's wrath through the final seven plagues, executed by seven angels. In heaven, those who overcame the beast worship God for His justice and power, declaring His righteousness and holiness. As each bowl of wrath is poured out on the earth, judgment falls upon those who followed the Antichrist — bringing sores, blood, scorching heat, darkness, and global chaos. Despite their suffering, people refuse to repent, revealing the hardness of sin's grip. The demonic trinity—Satan, the beast, and the false prophet—deceives the nations, gathering them for battle against God at Armageddon. The seventh bowl marks the climax: God proclaims, "It is finished," signaling the downfall of Babylon, the symbol of human rebellion and pride dating back to Babel. These judgments reveal that God's justice is true and that every seed sown against Him will ultimately reap its due reward.   Partner with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com/partner Connect with Us: https://churchforentrepreneurs.com                    

Formed in Cultural EngagementNovember 9, 2025 • Brad Raby • Romans 12:1–2, Daniel 1This Sunday, Brad Raby, Lead Pastor at Fellowship West, continued our fall series, More Like Him. Teaching on being formed in cultural engagement, Brad looks at Daniel's story to illustrate how God forms His people both in and for their cultural moment. Like Daniel and his friends in Babylon, believers today face a culture that subtly seeks to reshape identity, values, and loyalties—but spiritual formation in Christ enables resistance without fear or contempt. True resistance is rooted not in outrage but in devotion to God—living faithfully, practicing spiritual rhythms, and saying yes to God's presence again and again. Daniel's integrity, wisdom, and humility show that faithfulness and favor can coexist, influencing even hostile systems. Ultimately, Daniel points to Jesus—the greater exile—who entered our “Babylon,” embodying truth and grace, and now sends us into the world as people shaped by His Spirit for the good of our neighbors.MORE LIKE HIM RESOURCES: https://fellowshipknox.org/moreWEBSITE: https://fellowshipknox.org/INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/fellowshipknox/

Send us a textJoin veteran Star Trek, and now Babylon 5 podcasters, Brent Allen and Jeff Akin as they dive into Babylon 5 for a second time! They revisit each episode with fresh insights and deeper analysis, reflecting on their first-time reactions. Perfect for First Ones and people new to the series, this journey offers a deeper connection to the world of Babylon 5!The comparison to The Coming of Shadows in this one is wild!        For the First Time EpisodeThis show is produced in association with the Akin Collective, Mulberry Entertainment, and Framed Games. Find out how you can support the show and get great bonus content like access to notes, a Discord server, unedited reaction videos, and more: https://www.patreon.com/babylon5firstSpecial Thanks to all who support our show through Patreon, including: Executive Producers:AddrycAndrewAnthony PowellBecky SparksCalinicusColin 3of5Colin BlairDaniel AlvesDavidDeb L.DundradalFabio KaseckerJack KitchenJames OkeefeJeffrey HayeskatKaterina KalinevichKenny A KaryadiKrystle WrightMartin SvendsenMatt IonMattie GarciaMitsy MarcellaMr KrosisNeil MooreNia is framedPaul WalcherPeter SchullerRob BentRon HSarah LScott HelsbySnatcher42Starfury 5470Stuart98Suzanne EggTexas Anla'ShokTom OcchipintiTrekkieTreyTheTrekkerProducers:David BlauGuy KovelJohn Koniges Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badnerdsftft/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/badnerds.bsky.socialhttps://www.babylon5first.com/All rights belong to the Prime Time Entertainment Network, WBTV, and TNT. No copyright infringement intended.Copyright Disclaimer, Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.Visit https://www.patreon.com/babylon5first to join the Babylon 5 For the First Time Patreon. Support the show

In this message, Pastor Neal Nolan is continuing the series from the book of Daniel entitled "Beyond Babylon". This sermon was recorded on November 9th, 2025 at our main campus in Florence, SC Support the show

Jeremiah 24:4–7 (Listen) 4 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 5 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart. (ESV)Jeremiah 29:1–14 (Listen) Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles 29:1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,1 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD. 10 “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare2 and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Footnotes [1] 29:8 Hebrew your dreams, which you cause to dream [2] 29:11 Or peace (ESV)

Jeremiah 24:4–7 (Listen) 4 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 5 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. 6 I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart. (ESV)Jeremiah 29:1–14 (Listen) Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles 29:1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,1 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD. 10 “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare2 and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Footnotes [1] 29:8 Hebrew your dreams, which you cause to dream [2] 29:11 Or peace (ESV)

Biblically, the sin of not resting is seen as disobedience to God's rhythm of creation and a rejection of trust in His provision. It leads to spiritual dryness, societal injustice, and even exile.   Here's how Scripture frames this:  

This teaching confronts us with one of the most sobering choices in Scripture: will we be the faithful Bride of Christ or will we become Babylon, the unfaithful prostitute? Drawing from Revelation 17-19, we're presented with two starkly different destinies. The Bride represents those who remain devoted to Jesus, storing up treasures in heaven, living generously, and keeping their bodies and hearts consecrated to Him alone. Babylon, by contrast, symbolizes the compromised church—those who claim faith but whose hearts chase after worldly power, wealth, and validation. The imagery is shocking: Babylon rides the beast of political power, dressed in religious garb but drunk on adultery with the world's systems. Throughout biblical history, God's people have repeatedly played the harlot, seeking security in nations and idols rather than in their faithful God. The danger is especially acute for those of us in conservative Christianity, where the temptation to marry our faith to political power can be overwhelming. Yet the beast we ride will eventually turn and devour us. The call is clear: come out of Babylon before judgment falls. We must examine where our treasure truly lies—in this passing world or in the eternal kingdom. Our generosity, our time, our devotion, and our bodies all reveal whether we're truly betrothed to Christ or merely paying Him lip service while our hearts belong to something else.

Pastor Gary Lamb preaches about how Daniel influenced culture in ancient Babylon, and how the Church should do the same today.

This fall, we are studying the last book of the Bible - Revelation. We continue this series with Senior Pastor Dr. Tyler Smiley speaking from chapter 17-18 about the call, the deception and the way.

Section 133 received Nov 3, 1831 in Hiram Ohio Historical background - By November, 1831, Joseph had compiled many of the Lord's revelations which would eventually become a Book of Commandments, later known as the Doctrine and Covenants. On November 1, 1831, the Lord revealed a “Proclamation” to the world which became the preface to the Book of Commandments, or section 1. Two days later, on November 3, 1831, the Lord revealed an appendix to the Book of Commandments, or section 133 which is a prophetic declaration of what must occur prior to the second coming of Christ.   Recap: Christ will appear suddenly in his temple. The saints must flee from Babylon and gather in Zion. Christ will stand on Mount Zion with his 144,000. The continents will become one land and the lost ten tribes will return. The gospel will be preached worldwide. Christ will appear in red apparel. The righteous shall be resurrected and the New Jerusalem will be established while the wicked will be destroyed by fire. Section 134 declared and adopted Aug 17, 1835 in Kirtland Ohio Historical Background – On August 17, 1835, the church held a conference in Kirtland, Ohio to accept the Book of Commandments as scriptural revelations from God. Also, due to the political turmoil and abuses of power, especially the disregarding of constitutional rights and privileges that should have been afforded the saints, it was felt necessary that a statement of beliefs in Governmental laws should be included in the Book of Commandments. Joseph Smith was in Canada at this time and was not present at the conference. Therefore, Oliver Cowdery wrote section 134 outlining the role and purposes of earthly government. This was presented to the saints and it was accepted to be included in the Book of Commandments but as a declaration and not a revelation. When Joseph returned and reviewed the document, he allowed it to stand as is because the saints had already voted their approval during the conference. Recap: Governments are instituted by God for the benefits of mankind and should preserve freedom, protect rights, life and property. Laws should be administered fairly and equally. The people are bound to obedience to the laws of the land. Punishments should be made according to the nature of the crime.

Is it Rapture or Tribulation (1) ? (audio) David Eells – 11/2/25 Is the Tribulation for You? Amos Scaggs - 08/03/2005   In a dream, I was at a computer and it was the mid-tribulation time period. I saw millions of people being destroyed and all sorts of catastrophes happening all over the world. I saw the Beast system in full swing, its leaders and commanders. I thought I had seen enough so I wanted to close the screen out. I kept clicking the “X” with the cursor 15-20 times in rapid succession but every time I would hit the “X” the screen would pop back up again. I was getting frustrated because I couldn't exit the page. Then a voice said, “You're Not Getting Out”. (So, no pre or mid-trib rapture) I had to sit there and watch the activities of the tribulation times. Needless to say, I was totally disappointed, and my heart sank because I thought I would escape the tribulation period. Regardless of what you have been taught or think, the Christian/Church will go through the seven-year tribulation period.   Revelation in Mid-Trib of Soon Coming Rapture K. H. - 06/16/2008 (David's notes in red) In a house, I was in a living room with my mother and my sister; each of us was sitting on a separate couch. I knew that it was about in the middle of the tribulation (The timing of the rest of this dream starts at this mid-trib) and we had begun to discuss when the rapture was going to happen. My mother and sister were very insistent that the rapture was going to happen very soon, whereas I was thinking there was a little more time (past the mid-trib). As I was telling them how much more time I thought we had, the Lord showed me a picture of the earth. I then saw two or three black holes forming on the earth; it was almost like the earth looked like Swiss cheese. The Lord drew my attention to a black hole forming in the Indian Ocean between Africa and Australia as I saw the earth sucking itself up into the black hole. Simultaneously, as I saw the black hole beginning to ingest all that surrounded it, I felt like I was being sucked or pulled in the opposite direction. In that moment, I knew that it was the rapture, and the peace that surpasses all understanding came over me, and the joy of being in the presence of the Lord. As I was being taken up into the clouds, I woke up suddenly and I felt the Holy Spirit come over me very strongly, and I quickly went back to sleep. During the second 3 1/2 years of the tribulation, or mid-trib, as the world is being swallowed up by the beast from hell, we shall be increasingly swallowed up by the Kingdom of Heaven and ultimately into Heaven itself at the end of the trib. Few understand that the rapture is for those who have already learned to dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven while on Earth. Mat.24:31 And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet (We are told the rapture will be at the last or seventh trump- the seventh year of the trib.), and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.)   Pre-Trib Rapture? Rick Sergent - 06/1997 THE LORD SPEAKS OF THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE THEORY I was working at International Truck Corporation in Springfield, Ohio. It was my lunch break. I was at my work desk and I had my bible when I heard the Lord say, “Go to Matthew 24.” I kind of pouted with Him and said I had read that chapter a zillion times. He said, “I WANT YOU TO READ IT AGAIN”. So just before I read it, the Lord said to me, “The pre-tribulation rapture theory is a false doctrine to lead my people astray, thinking they don't have to do or prepare for anything. My Church will go all the way through the tribulation. Some well-meaning teachers have taught this theory, but I have not taught them”. He also said, “This theory encourages laziness”. Then the words “Beginning of sorrows” went into my spirit. I knew what those words meant, and asked the Lord anyway, “What is the beginning of sorrows?” He did not respond to me with words, but automatically my eyes were fixed on some bold print at the bottom caption of some editorial notes of Matthew 24. In bold print were these words, “BEGINNING OF SORROWS”. I had read this many times, but never saw those words in that caption before. It was these words: “the transition of this age to the Age to come” ...severe birth pangs. I heard the Lord say, “I want you to read Matthew 24 just as it is, and do not read anything else into it”. When I did this, the Lord opened up my eyes, especially in verse 29: “after the tribulation of those days” and the coming of the Lord. I had asked the Lord to confirm this because it messed up my doctrine, and He told me my doctrine needed to be messed up! Since that time, the Lord has many times confirmed this to me in different ways and linked me to people with the same belief without me searching for such people. I also later did a term paper on the pre-, mid-, and post-trib in 2001 and found out that the pre-trib rapture doctrine first came into the Church in 1832! Watch the Hidden Manna For the End Times video series.   WORD OF REVIVAL IN TRIBULATION Rick Sergent - 5/19/07 The Spirit of the Lord was resting heavy upon me and through me as I was at my home: He said, Much of My Church cannot discern the sky. They cannot see the storm clouds coming. They are wrapped up in their visions of grandeur. Many pastors do not want to hear warnings about great troubles coming to this nation because it threatens their vision. Some do not realize that the days of calamity will bring forth a great harvest and ministry to the lost. For the Big Harvest, I will not separate from calamities and trouble times. It will go hand-in-hand together. They hope to have their vision fulfilled during a time of prosperity, but I will allow these things to happen to America, to awaken My Church, and to shake this nation to the core of its foundation. There is coming to America a “day of trouble”, but at the same time, I will pour out My Spirit upon this nation as they cry out to Me. To My remnant that is hearing Me, I am pouring into them My power and My love. I am developing My character in them. I want you to reach out to others with My love and My compassion. I am pouring these things into you, so you can pour out of yourselves, My love, My compassion, and power into others who are hurting and in need. Be prepared to disciple and mentor My newborn babies, for they cannot walk; they are fragile and need much help. They can only crawl. Help and teach them to walk on their own. Feed My sheep so they know how to feed themselves with My Word. For I have truly called you for such a time as this.   Rapture? Or Sanctification in Tribulation? Colleen Quinn - 12/22/2009 (RM and David's notes in red) In April of 1982, I was about eight months pregnant with my son, Shawn Mann, in Anchorage, Alaska. I had been praying and asking God to show me if the rapture was true or not. Shortly after that, I had this dream: I saw this huge city that was very busy with people. Out of the sky came the hand of God with a sword; He divided the city into two sections. The section on the left (goats) was much larger than the section on the right (sheep). (This is likened to God separating/sanctifying His people when they were in Egypt. The city is the world, a corporate city of nations, also called Babylon. Isa.25:3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.) A dark cloud was formed over the people on the left. These people were doing horrid, unspeakable things to each other. When they saw the dark cloud above them, they started reaching up to it and eating it like cotton candy. (The Holy Spirit later showed me that a lot of the dark cloud was from the TV and computers. And MSM) The people on the left became bored with doing horrid things to each other so they started going over to the section of people on the right and doing horrible, torturous things to them. (The people on the right are all who call themselves Christians. They will all be persecuted by the world in the tribulation. History always repeats, as with Rome and the early Christians. Those who are sanctified, and have faith, will escape.) God then divided the section on the right into three more sections. The first group on the right had many more people in it than the other two groups. These people had a hard time letting go of their past lives. They wanted to get to Heaven but did not want to give up their sinful ways from their past. Because they kept looking back at their past, they all turned into pillars of salt. (They looked back to the worldly ways of Sodom, like Lot's wife, in loving the present world. Jesus likened them unto the seed that fell upon the rocky ground. The seed sprang up with life, but because it had no root, it withered.) Because they had not learned to have a relationship with Jesus, they had no power to fight off the wicked people on the left. The group on the left could not get their fill of doing horrid, torturous things to the pillar of salt people. (The “pillar of salt people” are the vast majority of all who claim Christianity but have no personal faith or understanding of the Word of God, which could protect, save, heal and deliver them. These will be the persecutors of the true saints. Mat.24:10 And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. These are the “many” or majority who, as the Laodicean church, will be spewed out of the body of Christ.) The second group had more people than the third or last group. These people appeared to have no backbone or spine. They swayed with the wind. Any doctrine that came along, they were quick to accept because, without knowing the Word well enough, they accepted whatever was preached. They were lazy and did not want to put forth effort in reading the Word or praying. (This is the church world that the righteous will leave behind. This comfy church routine of conflicting mingled doctrines, where people smile and clap for whomever and whatever is spoken across the pulpit. 2Ti 3:6-7 For of these are they that creep into houses, and take captive silly women laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, 7 ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Jas.1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.) They wanted other people (especially their pastors) to do all the work for them and loved to listen to doctrines that tickled their ears (like the all-fly-away, pre-trib rapture and the once saved always saved.) and did not call them to die to their fleshly desires. Mat.16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?) These people had a little bit more power than the pillar of salt people, but they still did not have the power in their lives to combat the evil that was coming on them. (These are as the churches of Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira and Sardis, which had a little power but were exhorted to overcome their evils in the tribulations.) The third group of people was by far the fewest in number. (This is the remnant as the Philadelphia church who are to be spared “the hour of trial ... which is to come upon the whole world”.) These people had determined in their hearts to be obedient to God no matter what the cost. They denied themselves and walked in love with others. This group was the pillars of fire. They were untouchable by the group on the left. The group on the left would try to kill and destroy this group and God would translate the pillar of fire people or put His angels around them so that they could not be harmed, at least spiritually. (Rev.12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.) The pillar of fire people would go back and forth, trying to help the pillar of salt people and the people with no backbones who swayed in the wind. (These will be the anointed ones of the tribulation, like the Bride and her Man-child leadership. The early church went through its tribulation, as it is written: Act.14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.) The pillar of fire people had trained themselves to listen to the voice of God and they were used as the hand of God in the last days. (Joh.10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. They know His voice, which is His Word, because they abide in His Word. 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.) I saw in a dream of my son, Shawn, on 2/19/08, that he had this glow around him. Then it was like I went back in time and saw this river of fire. God was beckoning him to walk in the fire, and he was hesitant. God told him to trust Him and He would be with him in the fire. (Like the three Hebrews, Shawn was chosen to go through the tribulation fire heated seven times hotter than normal, but the Lord will be with him in the fire to burn off his bonds.) When he was in the fire, it was like he was being purified. He went through some things that were extremely hard and broke his heart. Every cell of his being ached and cried. Several times he begged God to stop, but he kept encouraging him to trust Him. He was using the fire to purify Shawn's heart. After he went through the fire walk, he had this glow around him, and when he talked to people, God would cause the scales to fall off their eyes and the plugs to come out of their ears. Their hearts were then tender to hear God, and they literally turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. (Shawn will help bring the revival of repentance and faith.) Less than a month later, Shawn's baby died in the womb. His wife became pregnant again, and as of now, 12/22/09, they have a healthy seven-month-old baby girl. (A sign of tribulation and bearing fruit through it to the end.)   Rapture Delusion Amy Methvin (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was walking alone, really sort of feeling sorry for myself in this wilderness journey that the Lord has me in. I really wanted to find some like-minded believers to fellowship with. All of a sudden, I walked up on a group of 20 or so people who were claiming that they had the “real” right doctrine on the rapture. They were telling me that the rapture was coming any minute and that I needed to join them and be ready. I thought about it for a minute and decided that it would not hurt to just listen to their point of view, seeing as I have gone down a few wrong rabbit trails before, maybe I should be open-minded and just listen. I told them that I used to be a pre-trib believer, but was now post-trib. They again excitedly told me that the rapture would come very soon. Very shortly, I felt this shaking, and we began to slowly lift off the ground. Immediately, it was dark and I could not see anything. They all started screaming, “Yippee, Wahoo! I told you, it's the rapture!!!!!!!” We were going up, but something did not seem right to me; it seemed too slow. I tried to open my eyes but I could not. (Spiritual blindness from false doctrine.) Finally, I was able to open them, but something was over my face. I reached to pull it off. It was wrapped around my whole head. It would not let go, even though I was able to pull it slightly off of one eye. It was a huge black bat!!! Terrified, I immediately knew that we were not going to heaven as the people thought, but were being taken to hell. I immediately screamed the name of JESUS. The bat disintegrated and I began to float back down to the ground. Somewhat relieved, I knew that I had to tell my husband of the deception, so I started to scream his name. As I did, I felt my heart go into cardiac arrest. I was having a massive heart attack that I don't think I was going to survive. As I lay there, I knew I had been saved from hell, but the deception was going to cost me my life. End of dream. This seems to be saying two things. Those in the strong delusion of the pre-trib rapture believe that they don't need trial and refining through tribulation to bear fruit and enter heaven. Being blinded by this demon doctrine, they will believe this all the way through the tribulation and will take the mark, not bear fruit, and end up in hell. Also, for those who find out that it was a lie too late, it will cost them their lives, for they did not prepare to endure the trial of their faith in the wilderness because they didn't think it necessary. Because of our site, many pre-tribbers have sent me their imminent pre-trib rapture revelations for years. I tell them that this is a deception, and it won't happen but even though the timing comes and goes, and I am proven correct, they send me the next imminent pre-trib rapture revelation, and it is also proven to be a lie. No matter how many times they are lied to, they continue to believe it because it permits them to live as they like and enter heaven regardless of what the Word says. This is proof that this is a strong delusion to keep them from bearing fruit. Let's examine what the Word has to say about the Rapture from our Book, Hidden Manna – For the End Times: I felt I first should share this part of my revelation in order that the rest would be sufficiently important. For now, I would like to deal specifically with the ingathering harvest of the Church and not the First-fruits. Many disagree with the term “rapture” because it is not in the Word. The Greek word harpazo, meaning “to snatch or catch away,” is translated “caught up.” Since this is what most mean when they use the term “rapture,” it is just a sectarian spirit that would have us argue over such things. So that the majority will understand, I will use their terminology. Most agree with the Scriptures that the rapture and the resurrection happen “together.” (1Th.4:16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout…and the dead in Christ shall rise first; (17) then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…. (1Cor.15:51) Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Notice that all the dead and all the living in Christ at this time will be changed in the same moment. Therefore, if the time of the resurrection can be proven, we will know when the rapture happens. (1Cor.15:22) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (23) But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. Notice that after Christ's resurrection, there is only one more complete resurrection of the righteous dead, “they that are Christ's, at his coming.” This is only speaking of permanent resurrections in the heavenly body. Since there is only one more complete resurrection and rapture, they must be at the very “end” or everybody who gets saved cannot be resurrected. This complete resurrection is to a spiritual heavenly life, not to a physical earthly life which happens all the time. (24) Then [cometh] the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. (25) For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. (26) The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. Notice that the last enemy that shall be abolished is death. The resurrection and rapture, which abolish death, are at the end when God will have abolished all rebellious rule over and in His people. They do not happen seven years before the end when the influence of the beast, the harlot, sin, and the world system still have some hold on God's people. Solomon said that every man is a beast (Ecc.3:18-19), meaning all unregenerate men are ruled by a carnal nature. The mark of the beast just identifies members of that corporate body. Of course, mature sons of God are ruled by a mind renewed with the Word of God. “The Harlot” identifies those who receive a seed or word that is not from Christ, their husband. Many of God's people are pledging allegiance to the world system rather than submitting to the Word. At this time, sadly, most of God's people fall into these categories. Therefore, the resurrection and the rapture, which abolish death, must be last, after the beast, harlot, and the world system no longer rule God's true people. (Act.2:34)…The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, (35) Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet. The Lord will not come until His enemies are under His feet and His elect are completely restored. (3:20) And that he may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, [even] Jesus: (21) whom the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all (of God's elect) things (“things” is not in the Greek)…. When all are restored through the Tribulation, the Lord comes. Here is that one complete resurrection again. (Rev.20:4)…[I saw] the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (5)… This is the first resurrection. Notice that the saints who were beheaded, because they would not take the mark of the beast, are in the first resurrection. It was called first by John, who looked into the future from 96 A.D., which was after Jesus' resurrection. This clearly tells us that there is no resurrection and rapture before the Tribulation mark of the beast. Again there are many who are resurrected to a physical life but those who are resurrected to the heavenly life are forever. The second resurrection, called the second death in verse six, is after a thousand years and is for the wicked. Since the first resurrection is also the only complete resurrection of the righteous, it must be at the end of the Tribulation. If it were at the beginning, the great multitude that is purified during the Great Tribulation could not be resurrected. (Rev.7:9) After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of ev­ery nation and of [all] tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…. (14)…And he said to me, These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Notice that the resurrection and rapture are after the Great Tribulation, which most agree is the last 3½ years. Jesus said He would raise up all of His people at the last day, which must also be the time of the rapture. (Joh.6:39) And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. (40) For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (44) No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. Now let's be honest, “the last day” cannot mean seven years before the last day. (Job 14:12) So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep. The resurrection cannot happen until the time when the heavens pass away. (2Pet.3:10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Obviously, the heavens could not pass away or the earth burn up at the beginning or even in the middle of the seven years, or there would not be anybody here to have a tribulation! The resurrection and rapture could only be at the beginning of the last day, here called the day of the Lord, which we will see presently, is a year-long. Noah knew the Lord would come for him seven days before the flood. He was given a sign to read in his day. Some will argue that Jesus said, “Of that day and hour knoweth no one” (Mat.24:36). The tense of the verb “knoweth” is present, not future! This spoke of Jesus' day, not our day. Jesus gave us a clear type so we would know when He would come in our day when the covenant with many is made for seven years. (37) … As [were] the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. The days of Noah are only mentioned in Genesis seven. (Gen.7:4) For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth…. (10) And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. God said that “after the seven days” the flood would come and they would be lifted off. We know that those in the ark of Christ will be raptured “after the seven days.” Those seven days represent the seven years of Tribulation, as we will see in many other places. The seventieth week of Daniel prophesies the Tribulation, which will be a week of years, or seven years, just as the first sixty-nine weeks proved to be weeks of years, totaling 483 years, which led to the time of Christ (Dan.9:25-26). (Dan.9:27) And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week (Hebrew: shabua, meaning “a seven” of days or years)…. Noah's seven days also represented the seven years of the Tribulation. His tribulation preceded the flood, which also lasted for a year. It was ten days over their lunar year from the time the flood started (Gen.7:11) until the waters dried up (8:13-14). At that time, their year was a lunar year of 354 days, which God corrected with the ten extra days, bringing us up to the 365th first full day of a solar year when they stepped out of the ark. If God made the year following the seven-year solar, it stands to reason the seven years are also solar. We will see more proof. Noah's seven days also represent the seven years of the Tribulation. His tribulation preceded the flood, which also lasted for a year. From the time the flood started (Gen.7:11) until the waters dried up (8:13-14) was ten days over their lunar year. A lunar year of 12 months can be 354 or 355 days in length. This is due to the varying time it takes the moon to circle the earth, and also because the start of their lunar months was determined by new moon sightings. The lunar year during the flood was most probably 355 days, which God corrected with the ten extra days. This gives us a full 365-day solar year. If God made the year of the flood solar (representing the year of the Lord), which followed after Noah's seven days (representing the seven years of Tribulation), then it stands to reason that the seven years of Tribulation are also solar. We will see more proof of this. This last year foreshadows the wrath of God on those who persecute His people during the Tribulation. This year was also called a day. (Isa.34:8) For the Lord hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. Here we see that the wrath of God, also called the Day of the Lord, is also a day/year following seven days/years. Many mistake the Tribulation for the wrath, saying, “God appointed us not unto wrath” (1Th.5:9). Speaking of the Church in tribulation, Revelation 12:6 says, “the woman fled into the wilderness.” The Tribulation is a wilderness trial for the saints like the Hebrews had. As we have seen, they leave after that tribulation “at the last day” (Joh.6:40), the “day of the Lord” or “day of vengeance.” The year of wrath is God's judgment upon the wicked who were used to tribulate and purify the saints during the previous seven years. The Lord says, (Isa.63:4) For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. (6) And I trod down the peoples in mine anger, and made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth. Notice that the day of vengeance was also a year, the year of the redeemed, just as in Noah's day, which was after the seven days. This is a year of wrath on the wicked who have persecuted God's people. The rapture and resurrection are after the Great Tribulation, which is the last 3½ years of tribulation! Matthew 24:21 says, “Then shall be great tribulation” and verses 29-31 say, “After the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light…and they shall see the Son of man coming….and they shall gather together his elect…from one end of heaven to the other.” The corresponding verse in Mark 13:27 says, “from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” Taken together, we see that one end of heaven is on the earth, the living, and the other is in heaven, the resurrected. We see here that Jesus is rapturing and resurrecting His elect after the Great Tribulation. After the Tribulation, the sun and moon being darkened signal the coming Day of the Lord or flood. (Act.2:20) The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the day of the Lord come, That great and notable [day]. Notice that the sun and moon are darkened after the Great Tribulation but before the Day of the Lord. Again we see that the flood follows the Tribulation. Revelation 14 is the story of the Tribulation and the Day of Wrath that follows. (Rev.14:6) And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having eternal good tidings to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people; (7) and he saith with a great voice, Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment is come…. This hour of judgment is the hour that the ten kings of the beast rule in Revelation 17:12, which is also the last 3½ years of the Tribulation in 13:5. (9)…If any man worshippeth the beast and his image, and receiveth a mark on his forehead, or upon his hand, (10) he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God…. Notice that those who receive the mark during the Tribulation are threatened with the coming wrath. (11) … They have no rest day and night, they that worship the beast and his image, and whoso receiveth the mark of his name. Without taking the mark, the true saints patiently endure persecution and sometimes death in the second 3½ years. (12) Here is the patience of the saints, they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Some saints die from refusing the mark. (13) And I heard a voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them. Some die during the Tribulation and some “are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord” (1Th.4:15). Then we see the harvest of the righteous after the Tribulation. (Rev.14:14) And I saw, and behold, a white cloud; and on the cloud [I saw] one sitting like unto a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. (15) And another angel came out from the temple, crying with a great voice to him that sat on the cloud, Send forth thy sickle, and reap: for the hour to reap is come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. (16) And he that sat on the cloud cast his sickle upon the earth; and the earth was reaped. Those who do not bear the fruit necessary to be in this harvest will be in the next. After the time of that rapture/resurrection harvest, we see the beginning of a year-long harvest of the wicked through the wrath of God. (Rev.14:17) And another angel came out from the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. (19) And the angel cast his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the winepress, the great [winepress], of the wrath of God. (20) And the winepress was trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the winepress, even unto the bridles of the horses, as far as a thousand and six hundred furlongs. This flood of wrath involves the last real worldwide war. Revelation chapters 15 and 16 explain this wrath, or Day of the Lord, more completely. There we see that “seven angels having seven plagues, [which are] the last, for in them is finished the wrath of God” (15:1). They had “seven bowls of the wrath of God” (16:1). These bowls of the year of wrath on the wicked follow the Tribulation of the saints. Jesus rebuked Israel for not seeing the sign of the time of His first coming. After all, Daniel gave them 483 years to the day of Jesus' birth, but they did not read the Scriptures any more diligently than the Christians in our day. Here we see by example that history always repeats (Ecc.1:9). Like Noah, Daniel knew when the Lord would come for him seven days before the resurrection, so why didn't the Israelites go in a pre-Tribulation rapture if there was one? Daniel tells us to the day when the rapture and resurrection are by giving a sign to be read in our day. (Dan.9:27) And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week (a sign to be read in our day): and in the midst of the week (mid-Tribulation) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease…. As we saw, this “week” or shabua is “a seven” of years that the beast makes a covenant for. Notice in the “midst” of this Tribulation covenant, he causes the sacrifice of the burnt offering to cease. The “midst” comes after the first 3½ years of the Tribulation, which are 1260 days according to Revelation 12:6 (Notice the numbers). “The woman fled into the wilderness…a thousand two hundred and threescore days (1260).” That would make 1260 days until the burnt offering is taken away. Then we are given another count of 1290 days until the end of the Tribulation. (Dan.12:11) And from the time that the continual [burnt-offering] shall be taken away (mid-Tribulation)…there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Now we see that there are 1260 days before the sacrifice ceases and 1290 days afterward. That comprises the Jewish lunisolar seven years of the Tribulation, after which the saints enter the ark. Then we are given another count of 1335 days from the “midst of the week” until the resurrection. (12) Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (13) But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest (die), and shalt stand in thy lot (resurrection), at the end of the days. This resurrection comes simultaneously with the rapture when the ark lifts off. There it is to the day! The 1260 days for the first 3½ years plus 1335 days past that gives us 2595 days from the time the covenant with many is made until Jesus comes for the resurrection/rapture. So, even though no man in Jesus' day knew, once the covenant begins, we will know the day. The resurrection/rapture only appears to be forty-five days after the end of the Tribulation. In Noah's account the ark left forty days after the tribulation. (Gen.7:10)…After the seven days…. (17)…the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. There appears to be a five-day difference between the days of Noah and the days of Daniel, but actually, there is none. God, who narrated Noah's account, used solar time, as we have seen, which is actual time, to typify the seven years of tribulation. However, when He gave Daniel's account, we can see that He was using their Jewish lunisolar calendar, which was necessary then to show types and shadows. This calendar was only corrected for solar time after every six years. From the writings of Moses and the prophets, we know that they, by then, had a 360-day year. Multiply this by 3½ and you get the 1260 days of the first 3½ years. They adjusted to solar time after every six years by adding a leap month of thirty days, which would make the second 3½ years 1290 days. We can see that Daniel's figure of 1290 days above for the second 3½ years takes into account a leap month. It appears that the Tribulation will start the year after a leap month, so that six years later, thirty days will be added. This would leave one more year remaining in the Tribulation, which the Jews would not have corrected for solar time by adding five days. Since the Jews only adjusted after every six years, they wouldn't add the five days after the final (or seventh) year. This is also proven by the equation: 1260 + 1290 = 2550 but 7 x 365 = 2555. The Jews were five days short of a 365-day year. However, most of the Gentiles have these five days included in every year of 365 days. With this five-day solar correction to Daniel's account, he and Noah are in total agreement. Jesus takes His saints forty days after the Tribulation, which is 2595 days after the covenant is made. There is one more calculation before we include all of this in one chart and that is the return of the Lord with His saints. (Gen.7:11) In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. (17) And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. That was when the flood started and this is when it ended with their return. (8:13) And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year…. (14) And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry. (15) And God spake unto Noah, saying, (16) Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Since we have seen that the Bible says the flood of wrath is a year, this text has to agree with that. Considering that they had a 354-day lunar year at that time, if we started at the beginning of the day stated in verse 14, when the waters dried up, we would have approximately a 365-day solar year. Or, if we started at the same time on each day and they left the ark the next morning, we would have a 365-day solar year. If we subtract from the forty days that they were in the ark, we see that 325 days after the ark left, they set foot on earth (365 - 40 = 325). This brings us to day 2920 from the making of the covenant (365 x 8 years = 2920 days). On this day, as it was with Noah, the Lord appears with His wife and children. (Another symbol seen here is that the ark is Jesus in Whom the family of Noah, meaning “rest,” abided.) This is when Noah sacrificed the beasts on an altar (20) and God said He would not “again smite any more everything living” (21). This is when the Lord and His saints return to sacrifice the armies of the beasts of the nations (Rev.19:11-18). The Lord called this “a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel” (Eze.39:17). Thus, we are given the signs to read in our day that from the time the covenant is made, unto the coming of the Lord for His saints, is 2595 days and His return with His saints is 2920 days. The above figures of two witnesses, Noah and Daniel, let us know that God included no fractions of .24 in the 365-day year. The Jewish solar correction from 1260 to 1290 for six years changed their 360-day year in Daniel's account to 365 days just as in Noah's account. Why no fraction? We just had proof that judgments can affect the rotation of the Earth, changing the number of days in a year. The earthquake on December 26, 2004, off the west coast of northern Sumatra in the Indian Ocean, was said by scientists to have tilted the Earth by an extra 2.5 centimeters and sped up the rotation by some three microseconds, and much greater, and more frequent earthquakes are coming. We are told in Scripture that the earth will be struck by meteors and that it “shall stagger like a drunken man” (Isa.24:20). These kinds of judgments could easily slow the rotation. This would lengthen the days but shorten the number of days in a year, possibly by .24. I am sure this will bring to some minds Jesus' words. (Mat.24:22) And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. The primary meaning of this is that God's elect leave in the ark before the end, shortening the number of days for the “elect's sake” but not for the wicked. Perhaps there is a secondary symbolic meaning here as well. Another objection that some might have is that 1260 days does not bring us to a perfect “midst of the week.” The Hebrew word used here for midst is chatsi, and it's not used in the Bible to mean “perfect center.” “And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed…And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven” (Jos.10:13), “take me not away in the midst of my days” (Psa.102:24), “the Mount of Olives shall be cleft in the midst” (Zech.14:4). See what I mean? However, 1260 days does bring us to the “midst” of the lunar days in this week. It also brings us between the lunar and solar corrected days. We see conclusively that the saints will be here for forty days of the wrath, although they are not in the wrath, for they are in the ark, which also represents fully abiding in Jesus. (1Th.5:9) For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Passover was a type of this forty-day preservation in the spiritual ark. The Passover and the Ark are both the last judgment before the saints leave Egypt as a type of the world. The Lord said to me, “During that last forty days there will be a corporate, Psalm 91, Passover of the curse for the saints.” We hear from many that the Lord will come “as a thief in the night” (1Th.5:2) in a pre-Tribulation rapture of the Church. After the judgments on Egypt (a type of the world), Israel was freed to leave at midnight (Exo.12:29-31), which is also when the wise virgins left (Mat.25:6). Then, as in Noah's Day of the Lord, the Egyptians were killed by a flood at the Red Sea. Midnight for an overwhelmingly Gentile Church is the end of one day and the beginning of a new day, the Day of the Lord, when the world is destroyed. Let us see when the thief comes. (1Th.4:16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; (17) then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (5:1) But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. (2) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. Here we see that the Lord's coming in the Day of the Lord is as a “thief,” but when is that? (2Pet.3:10) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Peter tells us plainly that the thief comes not at the beginning of the Tribulation but when the earth is burned up in the last Day of the Lord! (11) Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in [all] holy living and godliness, (12) looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? We are not told to look for a secret pre-Tribulation rapture, but to live holy lives to escape the wrath of God when heaven and earth will be destroyed. (13) But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Noah lived a holy life, went through the seven days/years and escaped at the beginning of the wrath, and came down on a new earth, for the first earth was destroyed by the flood. Everything will happen according to type. (1Cor.10:11) Now these things happened unto them (Israel) by way of example (Greek: “figure or type”); and they were written for our admonition (Christians), upon whom the ends of the ages are come. God will finish His born-again creation on this morning of the seventh millennial day as He did with the natural creation. (Gen.2:2) And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made…. This morning of the seventh millennium is the seventh day for “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2Pet.3:8). A morning of a thousand-year day could be years instead of hours. However, we are told that the city of God will be saved from the raging nations and the melting earth “at the dawn of morning,” which narrows the time down considerably. (Psa.46:5) God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God will help her, and that right early (Hebrew: “at the dawn of the morning”). (6) The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered his voice, the earth melted. What we will now prove is that early at the dawning of the seventh millennium, after seven years of tribulation, at the seventh or last trump, with a great shout, the saints will enter the heavenly New Jerusalem. For proof of this, consider these promises and the type that follows. As we have seen, “the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout” (1Th.4:16), and “we shall all be changed…at the last trump” (1Cor.15:51- 52). Notice that “all” will be changed at the “shout” of the “last trump.” In an attempt to make a pre-Tribulation rapture fit, some have adopted the oxymoron that there are two last trumps. However, in Revelation 10:7 the only last trump, which is the seventh, is the time in which “is finished the mystery of God.” (Rev.11:15) And the seventh angel sounded (last trump); and there followed great voices in heaven (saints), and they said, The kingdom of the world is become [the kingdom] of our Lord…. (16) And the four and twenty elders… worshipped God, (17) saying…thou hast taken thy great power, and didst reign. (18) And the nations were wroth (Tribulation), and thy wrath came (Day of the Lord or flood), and the time of the dead to be judged (resurrection), and [the time] to give their reward to thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth. The last trump is the time when the Lord takes personal possession of the world, His saints are brought to heaven and given their reward, and the wrath of God is poured out on the nations who are left. Therefore, the last trump rapture is at the end of the Tribulation, in the beginning of the flood of God's vengeance, the Day of the Lord! (Isa.34:8) For the Lord hath a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. The apostate (fallen away) Christians will not escape this wrath any more than the apostate Jews escaped the wrath in 70 A.D., when the true people of God fled to the mountains, a type of the rapture. The unripe figs will be cast down at this time (Rev.6:13) and the lukewarm spewed out of the body of Christ (Rev.3:16) to partake of God's wrath. Let's see more proof of when this last trump shout comes. Look at a type, which is fulfilled on the morning of the “seventh day,” representing the morning of the seventh thousand-year day, which is where we are now. Joshua, which is Hebrew for Jesus, brought the saints out of the wilderness, representing the end of the Tribulation. Here, the Israelites came to the city of Jericho. Like heaven, it was an impenetrable fortress for mere man to enter. This was the first city of the Promised Land, representing the New Jerusalem. Here, they compassed the city “seven times.” “Times” are used for years of tribulation in Revelation 12:14,6. “A time (one year), and times (two years), and half a time (half a year)” were “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” or 3½ years. While compassing the city “seven times” they blew “seven trumpets,” representing the seven trumps of the seven years of Tribulation and resurrection/rapture. Then the saints gave a “great shout” and the wall separating them from the New Jerusalem fell. The falling of the wall represents the falling of the flesh as the saints receive their new bodies to “go up” into their Promised Land. Here it is: (Jos.6:4) And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark (before the coming of the Lord): and the seventh day (seventh millennium) ye shall compass the city seven times (seven-year tribulation), and the priests shall blow the trumpets (seven trumpets of tribulation, resurrection/rapture). (5) And it shall be, that, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn (the last trump), and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him (saints raptured around the world). From clear Biblical chronology, we have come to the beginning of the seventh thousand-year day from Adam. According to this type we are now on the threshold of the seven years and seven trumpets of tribulation, before entering the heavenly New Jerusalem with a great shout. Later this is repeated in the text but the timing is narrowed to “early at the dawning of the day.” (15) And it came to pass on the seventh day (seventh millennium), that they rose early at the dawning of the day (that is where we are now!), and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times (the Tribulation). (16) And it came to pass at the seventh time (end of the Tribulation), when the priests blew the (seven) trumpets, Joshua (Hebrew: “Jesus”) said unto the people, Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. From this, you can clearly see that the rapture will come early at the dawning of the seventh millennium, after seven years of tribulation, at the seventh or last trump, with a great shout, as the saints enter the New Jerusalem. The Feast of Trumpets has long been thought to be the time of Jesus' return for His saints, even by the pre-Tribulation rapture multitudes. (Lev.23:24) Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest (Sabbath) unto you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation (Hebrew: “rehearsal”). This feast is a rehearsal for the rapture/resurrection, which also happens after the “blowing of (seven) trumpets” during the previous seven years. It is fulfilled on a Sabbath, which represents the seventh thousand-year Sabbath day. It is also fulfilled on the first day of the seventh month, which at least says that spiritually it will be very early on the seventh thousand-year day. However, the rapture/resurrection could also physically happen on the first day of the seventh Hebrew month, Tishri, which is our September/October. This feast is celebrated with joy and solemnity. During the daily prayer service, a ram's horn or shofar is sounded, representing the last trump. Jewish - the seven days of the creation of the world, and it is a day when God takes stock of all of His creation. Likewise, on that anniversary, God could finish His born-again creation by taking the saints early on the morning of the seventh thousand-year day. Rosh Hashanah means “head of the year” in Hebrew. The Jews believe that God's judgment on this day determines the course of the coming year. This turns out to be true spiritually, for the rapture/resurrection is a judgment that determines who will go through that year called the Day of the Lord. In order to see this timing in the feasts of Israel, I want to share with you a wonderful revelation that the Lord gave me. There are four types seen in Israel's experience that give the timing for the coming days: their Time in Egypt; their Time in the Wilderness; and two types of their Time in the Promised Land. These tell the end time story of the last eight years. Earlier in the Hidden Manna book, I shared what I call the Panoramic View, in which these types tell one consecutive story when laid end to end. The people of God were saved from bondage to the Egyptians, the old man, and were baptized in the sea. Then they were tried in their wilderness tribulation to prove who would go to the heavenly Promised Land. In this view, it is clear that the people of God will not jump from Egypt to the Promised Land of heaven without going through the wilderness, as pre-tribbers believe. These four types in Israel's experience can also be seen in what I call the Parallel View, which is another fulfillment of the last eight years for the Church. Let me explain each individual type first and then we will see them in parallel. 1) [The Time in Egypt] – The judgments come upon the world in the Tribulation, as they did in Egypt, and then the saints escape to heaven as the wicked die in the flood of wrath at the Red Sea. 2) [The Time in the Wilderness] – The saints are tried in their wilderness tribulation and then escape to the heavenly Promised Land. 3) [The Time in the Promised Land] – In the Tribulation the spiritual man, as the Israelite was, will be highly motivated and empowered to take the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word” (Eph.6:17) and conquer the carnal man in the Promised Land of his own life or soul. (2Cor.4:16)…Though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. As the old carnal man is conquered we become the heavenly land of rest, bearing the fruit of the spiritual man. (1Cor.3:9) For we are God's fellow-workers: ye are God's husbandry (Greek: “tilled land”), God's building. (Isa.5:7) For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel…. If we walk by faith in the promises, then we take the land, and if not, then the old man takes it back and the fruit is corrupted. (Mal.3:11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field (world), saith the Lord of hosts. (12) And all nations shall call you happy; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts. Carnal Christians can lose their fruit in this world and never fully enter the kingdom. As they submit to the carnal man he wins the battle for their Promised Land, and Christ in them, Who is the spiritual man, will be crucified again. (Heb.6:4) For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, (5) and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, (6) and [then] fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (7) For the land which hath drunk the rain (of the Word) that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, re­ceiveth blessing from God: (8) but if it beareth thorns and thistles, it is rejected (Greek: “reprobated”) and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned. Those who do not take seriously the command to drive the carnal man's lusts of the flesh from their land will be reprobated. 4) [The Time in the Promised Land] – While physical Israel had a physical Promised Land, spiritual Israel, the Church, has a spiritual Promised Land. And while the land of this world will be destroyed, the spiritual land of the life of the righteous will be healed, for like their Lord, their “kingdom is not of this world” (Joh.18:36). (2Chr.7:14) If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. In the Tribulation, the saints first conquer their flesh so that their personal Promised Land is healed. Then they become in totality the spiritual man. These, as those who go in the ark, are God's heavenly land of rest, for “Noah” in Hebrew means “rest.” As Noah went through the seven days in type, the righteous will conquer themselves in their tribulation. After the Tribulation at the last trump, the world itself becomes their physical Promised Land. (Rev.11:15) And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom of the world is become [the kingdom] of our Lord, and of his Christ…. (Mat.5:5) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. When this world also becomes the saints' kingdom, then they can conquer the enemies in the earthly Promised Land. The wicked will be under their feet in judgment just as it was with Noah. (Mal.4:3) And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, saith the Lord of hosts. In the Parallel View, these four types tell one complete story of the last eight years of the Tribulation and Day of the Lord. Imagine making three transparencies of these three types and laying them on top of one another so that all three can be seen at one time. In this way, we can see the full end time story. As the judgments fell upon Egypt so they will fall on the world in the Tribulation of the saints. During this time, the saints will be sanctified by driving the carnal man from the Promised Land of their lives so the kingdom of heaven is fully manifested in them. Then, in the rapture/resurrection, they fully enter the kingdom and conquer the wicked in the Promised Land of this world in the Day of the Lord's wrath. We see from all of the types that there is no pre-Tribulation-all-fly-away rapture. God's plan is to manifest His character of patience, faith, hope, love, and perfection in the saints through the Tribulation trials. (Rom.5:3)…We also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness; (4) and stedfastness, approvedness (character); and approvedness, hope: (5) and hope putteth not to shame; because the love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts…. (Jas.1:2, Numeric) Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations (trials); (3) knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. (4) And let patience have [its] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. Taking the people of God out of this world, when they are unsanctified and unregenerate, would defeat God's purpose.

PB5_IF - El imperio de la ficción Audiolibro creado a partir de El Imperio de la Ficción de Pedro Bustamante. Se publica sin obtener beneficio económico por lo que ruego que siga asi.

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 30 Time For Celebrating! In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.   When I fell to Earth I realized perfection; Earth has everything while Heaven has no Evil. "Ask Belle," I replied. "This fight was for me being allowed on the bed. You still need to pay for breaking into her room." "What?" Leigh squeaked. "Come here, Slut," Belle laughed. She hooked an arm around Leigh's waist from behind and began dragging her back into the house. "Zane?" Leigh called out fearfully. "Coming, coming," I groaned. "I feel like someone dropped a cinderblock on my head, and my ribs." I staggered for the door only to be intercepted by Willa. "You are one freaking weird dude," she whispered. "You have no idea," I responded softly. As she came alongside, I put my arm around her waist, then down inside her panties, and cupped her right ass cheek. I gave it a good squeeze. I figure Willa could pull away or punch me in my sore ribs. Instead, she bumped my hip and put her head on my shoulder. "Have you ever been with another woman?" I asked. "No," she regarded me. "Willing to experiment?" I teased her. She smiled, snaked a hand along my back to my neck and finally grabbed a handful of hair. She pulled me down into a kiss and finished with her own devilish grin. I took that to be a yes. We made our way back to Belle's room, where Belle and I stripped out of our wet clothes. "You don't have to handcuff me," Leigh begged of Belle. "I'll behave." "I know you'll be a good girl, but I don't care. I'll do it because I want to," Belle taunted her. Leigh pouted and looked my way. I shrugged helplessly in response. She stripped, crawled to the middle of the bed, rolled onto her back, and put her wrists together just below her breasts. "I'd rather fight than be a victim," Belle mocked her as the bindings clicked shut. "No, that's some cock, you skank," Leigh wound up her courage. Belle's response was to retrieve the vibrator and turn it on. "Calling me a skank makes you feel tough, eh?" Belle closed in. The vibrator began rubbing against Leigh's thighs as I settled into the bed behind Belle. Willa resumed her position on the far side after she stripped down. Belle gave me a curious look over her shoulder before turning back to Leigh. I snuggled into Belle before nibbling and sucking on her neck and shoulder. As Belle pushed the vibrator between Leigh's labia, I ran my left arm down Belle's back and parted her ass cheeks. I could feel Belle look over her shoulder again, my lips were sucking on her shoulder at that moment, and visually question what I thought I was doing. I could sense a struggle going through her mind by the increased tenseness of her shoulders. She had to be deciding if she would let me distract her or not. A moment later she made up her mind; she bent her leg and pulled her knee toward her chest to make my access to her easier. I scooted farther down so I could move my hand below her ass and begin stroking her cunt, back to front. Belle wiggled the vibrator inside Leigh's cunt as my fingers worked her over. She kept it going until she felt my cock pushing past her ass cheeks. Belle didn't caution me about her anus; she didn't have to. When my cockhead touched her cunt, Belle responded by looking back at me, daring me to stick it in. "Do you want me to stop, Belle?" I gazed into her eyes. Belle's response was to suddenly push down on my cock, pushing it half way in with one thrust. "Fuck," she hissed. I grabbed her hip and finished driving my rod all the way in. I quickly withdrew, then slammed it home again. At the same time, I moved my right hand, pinned underneath me, under Belle's body, until I burrowed to her pelvis. Belle began humming as my hand reached her slender landing strip. I also noticed that her activity with Leigh had lightened up. Her cunt walls strongly massaged my cock's passage and the stimulation was soaking up more and more of Belle's attention. The vibrator cut off. Belle had dropped it so she could start pulling and pinching her breasts as my four fingers began to vigorously rub her clit. For five minutes I kept going at her sideways until she grabbed the sheets so she could shove her body into mine and almost pushed me off the bed. Her climax seized her, her breath came in short gasps and tremors passed from her body to mine. "Damn it," Belle cursed. It took me a moment to figure out what she was pissed about. She began thrusting back against me. "Still hard, huh?" she growled. Why, yes I was, but I wasn't going to tease her about it. I missed the visual exchange between Willa and Belle but the end result was Belle giving in, letting Leigh off the hook. "I'm getting on top, Zane," Belle demanded. What proceeded was a bit of bedroom acrobatics but I kept my cock inside as I moved towards the bed's center while Belle swung up to a reverse cowgirl position. I pushed up, palms on the bed behind me, and watched her ass begin to bounce on my lap. At first, Belle rested her hands on my shins and used that to balance her rocking and thrusting of the hips. "Don't, Zane," Belle panted as I pressed my chest against her back. When I wrapped my arms around her, she made one last protest. "Oh, damn you." I hugged Belle tight, my left arm around her stomach and the right around her chest. She slowed down for a few seconds before turning her upper body so that we could kiss. Our tongues flickered against each other, then slowly danced back and forth between our mouths. "I really should bite you right now," Belle sighed. "What the hell for?" I muttered. "I'm going to have to look across the room now and find a reason for not jumping your bones, you idiot," she breathed in short bursts. "Someone likes being 'Zaned'," Leigh teased. Willa slapped her somewhere; I couldn't see where. "Shut up unless you want to be tied up all night," Willa whispered. I was busy letting my hands migrate over Belle's tight body now that I had 'permission' to sex her up. I let Belle lean into me. Her hands cupped her breasts while my hands went from her shoulders to the top of the tits but avoided the nipples. I skated around her upper chest, linking my hands over her pulsing abdomen then lightly traveling down to her thighs. "You are not in a hurry," Belle observed breathlessly. "It is our first time," I reminded her. "Oh," was all she had to say. Her body rubbing against me was her real reply. It was with gradual ease that we upped our tempo until Belle finally 'gave it up' again. This time I came with her, and I completely spaced about a condom, again. Belle writhed her body against mine for almost a minute as we regained our composure and our breaths. "You came in me, didn't you?" Belle said seriously. "Yeah, I screwed up. I'm sorry," I groaned. "What are we going to name our kid?" Belle showed a tiny bit of mirth. "I'm partial to Beausephus if it is a boy," I told her as I kissed her neck, "and Andromeda if it is a girl." "Our kid is going to kick ass," Belle laughed. "Aren't you on the pill?" Leigh wondered. "Listen, you stupid Cunt," Belle twisted on my semi-rigid cock so she could lock eyes with Leigh, "do I look like I can afford Healthcare?" "Answer me, Bitch," Belle began wiggling off my lap and out of my arms. "Let it go," I begged Belle. "Don't think that just because you have my cock in my cunt, that makes me your bitch," Belle growled to me. "As your friend, I'm asking you to drop, 'my cock'?" I hesitated. "Just because MY cock is in your cunt doesn't make it your cock," I teased. "Crap, slip of the tongue," Belle mumbled. "It's okay," both Leigh and I said. "Several of our girls feel that way," Leigh added. "We feel possessive about that cock." "What she said," I finished. "That's why when it is not attached, I keep it in a locked box." Belle snorted and Willa and Leigh laughed. "You went with the detachable cock?" Belle stared at me. "That's so sad." "Hey, now," I blushed. "I have a horny naked biker babe sitting in my lap, with my cock in her cunt. I'm a little shaken up right now." "You can be real trying at times," Belle leaned into me compassionately. "What? You said you wanted me to try your ass?" I joked. "Okay." Belle's vaginal muscles constricted around my cock, exciting me to hardness again. "You rip up my ass and I'm going to rip off your balls," Belle grinned shark-like. "Your? No, I meant Willa's ass," I verbally back-pedaled. "Look, she's sitting there, ass up looking all inviting, lush, and full-formed." "You wouldn't dare," Willa smirked at me. By her own accounts, Willa loved anal sex, but apparently it wasn't something she normally shared. Belle's instincts were leading her past the deception. "Are you freaky, Willa?" Belle mocked her friend. "Hey," Leigh piped up. "Barbie Lynn likes it and she's no freak." I rolled onto my side, trying to let Belle slide off my shaft. "Am I going somewhere?" Belle turned and joked with me. I shrugged, put my left hand on her shoulder and pumped into her hard several times. "Okay, okay," Belle panted. "Go bang Willa. My cunt is still tingling from the last orgasm, Stud." Belle twisted onto her stomach which allowed my cock to pop free. Belle moaned sensually and lay there for a minute with her eyes closed. Dangerously, Leigh crawled over Belle's still form, retrieved something from Belle's nightstand, and handed it to me, lube. Leigh must have seen Belle pull it out and lube up the vibrator before shoving it in. Belle wasn't a total sadist. I slipped beside Willa who kept drinking me in with her eyes. "Where do you think you are going with that?" she said. Willa remained on her stomach, her ass proudly pointing up and proffered. "Would you like to try anal?" I winked. "I'm sure if you try it, you'll like it." "This won't make me your Old Lady," Willa teased back. "I'll try it. Let's see what you've got." "I only want to make you happy," I breathed into her ear. Willa shivered in anticipation. I brushed her hair to the far side of her head then kissed the top of her neck. Willa began to murmur pleasurably as I trailed butterfly kisses down her spine to her tailbone. A single finger stroked farther down to her cunt and down to her pubic mound. Willa was only lightly shaved, keeping her bush full. The return trip lingered around her anus, pushing slightly and making Willa moan. She opened her legs farther and farther apart as I continued to rub her gently. With my free hand, I opened the tube of lubricant and let it pour down her ass cheeks. I teased her sphincter twice but abandoned it to rub the thick liquid all over her cunt and perineum. Recall that Willa was going through a long, dry spell -- being an undercover officer in an outlaw biker gang, so she was bursting at the seams for sexual contact. "Damn it, Zane," she pleaded. "Willa, you are a freak," Belle chuckled. "Watching him work has gotten me so horny," Leigh whined. I ignored the peanut gallery; I was dripping oil on my three middle fingers, pushing my forefinger against Willa's sphincter. Willa must have really liked her experiences with anal sex because she relaxed her sphincter on contact and let me in. Man, her asshole felt hot compared to the slight chill of the room. My finger corkscrewed past the second knuckle when Willa let out another heartfelt moan. I pushed in a little farther while resuming my kisses on her back. Inside a minute, Leigh had sidled up to Willa and me. Belle had propped herself up with her pillow on the headboard but was studying the three of us intently. "You are acting like you've never seen a three-way before," I commented to Belle. "Not from the outside looking in," Belle shrugged. I had no immediate comeback to that. Saying something like 'maybe next time,' or 'enjoy the show' felt inappropriate. I devoted my attentions to Willa once more instead. Speaking of Willa, she was now relaxed enough for me to stick my ring finger into her anus. I noticed Leigh getting terribly interested in Willa's arousal. "Willa, rise up. Push up off the mattress for me, Babe," I coaxed Willa. She looked back at me, smiled lustfully, and began raising her ass. A few more twist and turns with my fingers and Willa was up on all fours, head down, and her face screened from view by her long, black hair. I was about to encourage Leigh but she was already slipping under Willa and putting her lips to Willa's closest tit. Willa's grunt rose over the sound of Leigh's suckling noise. I had to move completely to Willa's rear to allow Leigh more room to maneuver beneath Willa. Leigh's right hand quickly sought out Willa's cunt while her left began caressing Willa's right breast. I had to admire Leigh's enthusiasm as well as her willingness to not hold Belle's rough treatment against Willa. Belle began to rub her cunny as she watched us play. I also caught Willa shake her head ecstatically when I wormed my third finger into her butthole. "Someone's all excited," Leigh giggled, as she lifted up her fingers that had been in Willa's cunt for me to inspect. They weren't just slick; they dripped with her juices. Finally, Willa had enough. "Enough foreplay, Zane," she gasped. "Put that big cock in me. Stick it to me now." "Ask and you shall receive," I replied. With one hand on her hip and the other one on my rod I placed my throbbing cockhead against her mildly gaping sphincter. I could literally feel the breath slowly exhale from Willa's body as my cock first slipped inside her anal cavity. "Zane, Zane, Zane," she exulted softly as I inched my way inside her rectum. I had been wrong all this time; I had thought I'd never find someone who liked anal sex as much as Barbie Lynn, but here she was. She was tight, hot, and damp. By the snug fit I could tell she had abstained for some time but her reactions were pure pleasure, to me and her. I could also feel Leigh's fingers vibrating rapidly within Willa's cunt as well as her vaginal muscles squeezing them back. I let my penis sit there for a moment before withdrawing all but the head. I repeated this three times, with Willa moaning louder each time I thrust my deepest. "Hammer her," Belle demanded. "Her ass, her rules," I chastised the head Warlord Babe. "Hammer me, Zane," Willa virtually screamed. O-kay then, a hammering I will go. I plunged in without mercy. The first thrust nearly toppled her over but on the second one, I held her hips tightly and she pushed back to meet my attack. The loud smacking of skin began to echo throughout the room. "Don't, stop, un, til, you, fill, me, up," Willa gasped between lighting swift penetrations. I felt like my hips were moving in a blur. Willa's whole body was a mass of spasms beneath me. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," Willa gasped, then she squealed. Yes, squealed like a little school girl. I didn't relent, though. She had told me to keep going, so 'hi-ho, hi-ho, it was off to fuck I go'. I caught sight of an exhausted Willa turning her head sideways and mouthing something to Belle through her mass of hair. Belle tilted her head, then shook it in the negative. "No, you can't keep him," she explained to Willa but for my benefit. "Too many people know he's here. Wait until you get Zane alone before you take him." "Hey! That's our line," Leigh spoke up indignantly. "Kappa Sig property." "You had better put those lips back to work on Willa before I put this vibrator back to work on you," Belle threatened. Leigh huffed, then went back to lip-smacking Willa's tit. "Shit, shit, shit," then a squeal from Willa once more. Damn, that had been a fast one. After that, Willa went down to her elbows, smothering Leigh with her tit. Leigh responded by going hog-wild on the whole breast biting and chewing on the whole damn thing. "Jesus Christ!" Willa howled, followed quickly by the loudest squeal of them all. Her body contractions dissipated what remained of my self-control. I began ejaculating, grinding my hips hard into her ass and plunging to the farthest depths yet. Willa collapsed in a state of perpetual groaning. Belle was kind enough to pull Leigh free before I collapsed on Willa. I barely had the strength to prop myself up on my elbows so as not to crush Willa beneath me. "Willa," Belle mused, "you really are full of surprises." If only she knew, or maybe it was better that she didn't know. It took a physically devastated Willa several seconds to reply. "You aren't going to give me shit about this in front of the other girls, are you?" she asked. Willa was a probationary Warlord so her reputation was incredibly vulnerable. "Yeah; let me see," Belle ticked off events; while massaging Leigh's half-raised leg from knee to inner thigh, "From the sounds of it he nailed Fontana Palmer thrice; before coming up here, kicking my ass, then fucking me so good all the lights came on. Then he rolled you over and plowed your ass through three orgasms, no." "They'll strap Zane down to the pool table for one hell of a weekend," Belle pointed out. "All the guys will resent him for that, so they'll bust him up and put him in the hospital where he can't perform for a month. Then the female riot ensues. I don't need that kind of hassle." "Thanks for looking out for me," I mocked. "Eh, you are almost a friend," Belle smiled. "Okay, on that note I'm going to take Leigh and leave," I began getting out of bed. Leigh had enough common sense to look to Belle for permission before climbing over Belle's legs and hopping free. "Try to keep the noise down," Belle teased as I opened the door. "I think Leigh's cunt has been abused enough for one night," I shook my head. "We are going downstairs to cuddle." "Nah-uh," Leigh said as she grabbed my hand. "Penetration, orgasm, cuddle; that's the way it's going to go." "No, wait," Leigh corrected herself. "Penetration, orgasm, orgasm, cuddle is how it's going to go." I'm sure Willa and Belle heard my groan of despair as I shut their door. "Leigh, your cunt looks much abused," I told her. "How about we not have sex tonight?" "After all I went through, please," she begged. "How about we have a sex-date later this week," I suggested. "I want to spend some time with you," Leigh pouted. "Leigh, I have Fall Break this week," I informed her. "We can have as much time as you like." "You do?" Leigh visibly perked up. "Oh, thank God," she then moaned. "I can barely walk, I'm so sore." "Do you still want to cuddle?" I asked. "I'd love to, Zane," she sighed, as she put her arm around my waist. "I want you to know that if it wasn't for Tawny, we really would keep you as our sex slave," she added lovingly. Yay me. "That's it," I snarled. "I'm going to go over there one night, tie all of you up, and butt-fuck the lot of you." "Oh, that sounds like fun," Leigh giggled. "Would we be tied up side by side so we could watch you do it to the sister next to us?" "Are you taking freak lessons from Rio?" I wondered. "Because you are starting to scare me." "Nope. Frankly, with the way she wields that strap-on, she kind of scares us," Leigh confessed. Ah, an unlooked for benefit of my Direct-to-Video lifestyle; I have provided the World with a warning label for Rio. Speaking of Rio, when we arrived at the sofa we discovered that she'd crawled up on it and was fast asleep again. I draped my blanket over her then curled up with Leigh in the quilt I had originally taken out for Rio. I lay down on my back and Leigh curled up on top of me. She started to say something to me but was overtaken by a yawn. She put her ear to my chest, yawned again then started snoring. I must have nodded off right after that because the next thing I knew Jill was shaking us awake gently. "Leigh," she inquired, "are you staying for breakfast?" "Sure, Aunt Jill," she yawned. "Let me get cleaned up and I'll help out in the kitchen." "Thank you, dear," Jill grinned. Leigh scampered off to the bathroom while Jill went to the kitchen. Rio was blissfully asleep still. I followed Jill into the kitchen and leaned against the counter while she soaked a paper towel under the faucet. "Did you sleep well last night?" I questioned. "Oh, Zane," Jill smiled serenely, "I learned to sleep through your antics several weeks ago." She dabbed my cheek, the one Belle had popped last night. It stung but I manned-up and took my mothering like a big boy. I made sure the ladies upstairs were awake before doubling back on my room to get dressed for Church. Fontana and Valarie propped themselves up and took in the show. As I was making sure my tie looked good in the mirror, I caught Fontana smacking her daughter in the forehead. "Sleep with that young man, damn it," she advised forcefully. "Subtle, Mom," Valarie groused back. "I mean, he's standing right there." "What do you think, Zane?" Fontana chuckled. "Do you mind me giving my daughter some helpful advice?" "I'm not going to step into that conversation, Fontana," I evaded, "and Val, that was a mean thing you did to Leigh. Belle was unforgiving." "She should learn to use a door like a normal person," Valarie smirked. "I am just warning you that Belle is particular about her private space," I cautioned her. "Valarie, you should clear the air with Belle," Fontana advised her daughter. "This is her home too and her territory." "I'll take care of it," Valarie yawned then shrugged. I had the feeling she wasn't taking this seriously. "Let's get some food, Mom. I still need to get dressed for Church too." Oh, Valarie didn't know the half of it, but I managed to keep Rio and her from ragging on Belle when they learned that Belle had lost a 'bet' with me and had to wear a dress to church along with the rest of them. Rio turned out to be hangover proof. Jill cooked up a wonderful breakfast and Leigh received her measure of revenge when she, Belle, and I had to go over to the Kappa Sigma house to find a dress that fit. Oh, those sorority girls were walking a thin line between cordiality and an ass-whooping because Belle wasn't in the mood to take shit from anyone. Tawny was a big help and Jersey provided the acceptable black dress for Belle to wear. Ricky provided the stockings and shoes. "The first one to say a damn thing dies," Belle glared at the assembly back at my house when she walked in the door. Jill must have missed that. When she came downstairs and saw Belle, she walked up and hugged her. "You look beautiful, Belle," Jill said while examining her. "Ah, thanks, Jill," Belle looked around evasively. Had anyone else said or done that, we would have died. Jill received a weak smile instead. Belle ended up in Sunday school class with Jill, who introduced her as Belle Kennan -- and no one made the connection despite Belle's constant scowl. Rio bringing Belle around to the Masters clan did something to ameliorate the situation. Suddenly having the young unattached males of the church pay attention to her was something Belle found downright darkly amusing. Rio was running around, introducing Belle as her Aunt from Michigan -- very single and clearly well-connected. Rochelle Wellington was the only one to figure out the ruse and she said nothing. Once we got home, Belle couldn't wait to be shed of those clothes. I took them back to the Kappa Sigmas with my gratitude for helping out yet again. When I came back I found Belle standing alone on the back porch. "Penny for your thoughts," I said. "I really ought to punch your lights out for putting me through that," she opened up. "I fucked three of those guys in high school and they didn't even recognize me now. I was in a pretty dress, a touch of make-up, and hung around with rich friends and; BANG; suddenly I wasn't the poor, dirty tramp in their eyes anymore." "Who gives a crap what they think or remember?" I countered. "You are still the same unique you no matter how you dress." Calling Belle beautiful was pointless, true but pointless, because she would have read that as me trying to get back into her pants. "You've never wanted for anything in your life," she mused. "What the fuck?" I rounded on her. "Bitch, for two years I only got to take showers when it rained; forget having any deodorant, and for amusement we played tag with pythons because we only had electricity when someone was pedaling the bicycle." She rounded on me with an angry rebuttal but immediately burst out laughing. "Yeah," she snickered, "and I finally got it out of Jill what a bad little monkey you were too. She told me you had 30 girlfriends and would screw around behind Tim's back all the time. You were a slut too." "Where? Belle, look around you," I grinned. "I am still a slut and proud of it." "Fuck you," she smiled. "Here I was getting worked up into a true fury and you come along and cheer me up." "That's what friends are for," I quipped. "I should have shoved Rio's head down that toilet," Belle teased. "You really complicate my life. Let's go in and grab a bite before we get all mushy." That First Time Fontana wasn't leaving until the morning so Valarie decided to spend another night at my place. I didn't want another night on the sofa so I opted for Rio and me to crash out in my dorm for the night. Vivian would be gone for the week; I hoped she would be spending quality time with her boyfriend Thomas. Barbie Lynn would be around once she saw her family off, but Opal, Brandi, and Paige, plus Christina and company, were gone for the week. They were all due back Saturday afternoon. The dark lining to this silver cloud was that both Paige and Heaven were; 'needy', and that didn't bode well for my Saturday night upon their return. That left us with twelve other girls on my floor tonight, one of which was Iona. She had decided that her time was better spent keeping Rio and me in line than being bored out of her skull back in her hometown. I was sure the fact that we would have a good deal of unobstructed time together had nothing to do with it. Iona was cuddled up with me on my right side on the large sofa closest to my bedroom screens. On my left, Rio was slouched down, channel surfing. She never stayed on any program long enough to see if it was any good. She was bored and angry. I was peripherally aware of someone activating the door and coming up but I wasn't paying too much attention until I noticed someone standing there and looking around for somebody. It was Mercy. I could hardly believe it. Our eyes met and she shrugged in confusion. She couldn't see Rio because my buddy's head was below the top of the back of the sofa. I surreptitiously moved my left arm over the top and then pointed down to where she was. Mercy's eyes lit up and she skipped on over, her bouncing proving to me she was braless. Rio was in such a foul mood, she didn't notice, so Mercy began leaning over until her shadow interfered with the suspended lighting. Finally, Rio rotated her face up to see what the problem was and looked right into Mercy's eyes. "Hey, you," Rio sounded remarkably nonchalant. "Hello, Rio," Mercy grinned hopefully. "I convinced my parents that I had to stay." "That's nice," Rio shrugged. Considering all the hell Rio had put me through during Homecoming and this weekend about Mercy being gone, I wanted to start punching her. "I wore my collar all weekend," she indicated the collar Rio (me, really) got her that had the school colors but Rio's initials on it. "I expressly forbid you from doing anything that might tip your parents off," Rio shook her head. "Simple fucking instructions and you manage to screw that up," she sighed. "I'm going to have to spank that kitty, aren't I?" Mercy's smile grew absolutely wanton. "I bet you are not wearing underwear, you tramp," Rio looked put out. "I seem to have lost them on the way over here," Mercy beamed. "Really? 'I lost them' is the best you can come up with? Give me some nipple-age, damn it," Rio insisted. Mercy bent over farther while Rio unbuttoned Mercy's shirt. "Remember, I'm only biting and sucking on these bad babies because you've been naughty, not because I enjoy it," Rio informed Mercy as she wiggled up to meet those naked breasts half way. "Okay," Mercy sighed happily as the first dangling breast went into Rio's mouth and her lips sucked the nipple in so her tongue could abuse it. Rio alternated between Mercy's tits, slurping and nibbling but not really biting down, as promised. She also reached up and grabbed her lover's shoulders, pulling her farther and farther. I was sure Mercy's feet had come off the ground. I would have looked but Iona took that moment to begin massaging my thigh. I looked to her; she was looking over at Rio and Mercy when Mercy started tumbling head first onto the sofa. Rio rolled Mercy onto her back, her skirt bunching up around her waist to reveal her baby-smooth cunt. "You are my bitch, Bitch," Rio growled as she pressed down on Mercy and tried to kiss her. "No, no," Mercy giggled as she kicked her heels, shook her head from side to side in an effort to avoid the kiss. "Please, let me go. I don't want to be kissed, or licked, or spanked, or have my body abused all week long. No, that would be horrible. Please, please, please, release me. I'll be good. I won't tell a soul about the terrible things you have planned for me." Rio hovered there, clearly in shock. "Why you rebellious little slut," Rio gasped. "Oh, I'm going to ream your ass for that little outburst." "Eeep!" Mercy squeaked. "Move that butt to the boudoir, you skanky whore," Rio pulled Mercy off the sofa, then spanked her bottom. Mercy looked over her shoulder fearfully and hurried that way with Rio in hot pursuit. Iona stood up, pulled on my arm and led my gaze to their retreating forms. "You want to join them?" I questioned. "I want to watch," Iona clarified. "They are so much in love; it is a beautiful thing to witness." "That it is," I agreed as I stood up as well. I led her toward my bedroom, Iona squeezing my hand tightly. "Also, getting naked under the covers with you has its own appeal," Iona gave me a cute, hopeful look. "What makes you think I'll get naked?" I teased. "Well, Zane, you are my friend, and you're easy," she teased right back. Ouch! "I prefer easily accessible, thank you very much," I stated indignantly. "Have you been taking etiquette lessons from Rio?" "Zane," Iona pouted. "That was unfair. I'd never abuse you the way Rio does, or Barbie Lynn, or Paige, or Heaven." As we rounded the last turn in the Chinese screen maze that separated my sleeping quarters from the rest of the floor, Rio was pushing Mercy face-first onto her (Rio's) side of the bed. Rio squatted behind Mercy. Mercy's torso was on the bed but her legs were still splayed over the edge. Rio probed forward, took a lick of that cunt, then another, before spanking Mercy's right cheek. "Has anybody else been using what is mine?" Rio inquired threateningly. Mercy shook her head violently in the negative. "Are you sure?" Rio persisted. "You are pretty clueless. Someone might have sexed you up while telling you they were doing your taxes, or something stupid like that. Did you let someone do your taxes?" Again Mercy shook her head 'no'. "Well ,  I don't trust you," Rio mused. "Zane, come over here." By this time, I was naked, I take off my clothes really fast because I hang around with some impatient women, and Iona was down to her socks and panties. "Sure," I responded. I walked around the bed until I was looking over Rio's shoulder. "Does this cunt and asshole look used to you?" Rio asked me. I reached out and with my forefinger, rubbed along Mercy's slit, starting with her clit. It was still a small nub but a few circles by my finger brought her out to play. Mercy moaned, wiggling her hips as she did. I scooped up from there, dipping between her labia until her fluids coated my fingers. I brought the finger up for a taste. "Yum," I grinned at Rio, who double-pumped her eyebrows and smiled like the madwoman she was. I stuck my finger back in Mercy's cunt to get it nice and wet again, causing Mercy to moan repeatedly. This time, I placed my finger against her anus. I rubbed it around but didn't try to press it in. The moment Mercy decided I wasn't going to give it to her, she thrust back, trying to drive my probing digit inside of her anyway. Rio smacked Mercy's ass to make her stop. "No, you don't, Wench," Rio threatened. "Rio, your baby-girl is pristine, she's nice and tight," I informed my buddy. "Thanks, Zane," Rio snickered. "I can never tell with this slut, she's always so horny. Or maybe I'm always so horny for her, I get those confused." "How about option three: you both are hot, horny babes addicted to each other's bodies?" I offered. "I really don't care what Mercy feels," Rio lied. "She's only serves as a vessel for my lusts. Don't you exist to be solely a receptacle for my lusts, Slut-Bunny?" Mercy slid down the bed until her knees touched the ground. She turned around to the less than amused Rio, waddled up to her lover and wrapped her arms around Rio's waist, hugging her tight. "Yes, yes, yes," Mercy murmured contentedly. "What the, listen, you sk- --" Rio started out angrily. She never finished calling Mercy a 'skank'. She hesitantly, then gently, ran her fingers through Mercy's hair. "I missed you so much, I was going nuts without you; just ask Zane," Rio gave her heartfelt confession. "Rio," Mercy looked up as Rio petted her head, "I've given this a lot of thought and I want you to be my first, tonight, right now," Mercy pleaded. Rio's eyes shot a panicked look in my direction. 'You can handle this,' I mouthed my assurance to my Best Buddy. Rio returned her gaze to Mercy and tilted her lover's head up until their eyes met. "You know there is no coming back from this," Rio stated. Mercy nodded. "This will make you mine forever," Rio said next. Mercy nodded with greater vigor. "You know I am a complete fucking train-wreck and am more likely to ruin your whole damn life than make you happy." "I am yours and you are mine," Mercy whispered, mimicking the tattoo Rio had placed on Mercy's back. "I can't do this," Rio stroked Mercy's cheek. Mercy looked devastated. "We are both wearing clothes, how can we properly make love if we are both still wearing clothes?" Mercy gawked, then shoved her face into Rio's stomach and bit down, hard, it appeared. "Ow, Bitch!" Rio screamed. "That hurt." "Rio, you nearly scared me to death." Mercy sounded so pitiful as she looked back up at Rio. I really had no idea how Rio's twisted, crazy mind would take that. For a second, I thought she'd explode, Rio didn't take pain like a rational person. "I apologize, Love. I have no excuse," Rio responded softly. She even used the 'L' word. "Really?" Mercy whispered. Rio nodded. "Will you do me one favor?" "Okay," Rio replied cautiously. "Please never apologize to me again, my Love," Mercy pleaded. "It scares me nearly as much as you being mean to me a moment ago." Rio studied Mercy for a few seconds. "Did you use the 'L' word?" Rio glared at Mercy. Mercy's eyes grew wide; she then buried her face back into Rio's stomach and began kissing away. "No, you don't, Wench. I will not be mollified by your sloppy, wet kisses. Strip your ass down and get into bed. Mom is going to go primeval on every inch of your smoking hot Temple of Babylon." Mercy smiled, spun around, and quick-stepped as fast as she could back to the bed while still on her knees. Rio flashed me a look that spoke of a happiness I had never seen in her before. She was slipping out of her skirt as she hopped her way to her dresser, undoubtedly to get some toys. As for me, I crawled past Mercy and slipped under the covers held open by Iona. "Should we leave?" Iona whispered to me. "Mercy is somewhat of an exhibitionist and I doubt Rio cares," I answered quietly. "In that case, let me get close to Mercy in case she needs some comforting," Iona told me under her breath. Before I could reason that out, she snuck her naked, tight little body over mine and slid under the covers to be close to Mercy. Iona reached out a hand tentatively toward Mercy. Mercy regarded it, gave Iona a warm smile, and placed her fingers in Iona's palm. Rio affixed her modest-sized strap-on and lubed it up before walking over to Mercy. Her lover seemed entranced with the way the false phallus bobbed about as it approached her. Rio threw back the blanket roughly so she could gaze down at Mercy's beautiful naked form. Instinctively, Mercy began to move her knees up to her chest. "What's that?" Rio pointed to Mercy's hand being held by Iona. Mercy started to withdraw it when, "Did I tell you to move it?" Mercy stopped. "Put that hand back and put those legs down, you insipid cow." Down came Mercy's legs with a muffled thud. "Now I'm going to fuck you like I own you," Rio growled. "You do own me," Mercy chirped. "I'm yours." "Are you ready for me to pound that cunt?" Rio glared. "Yes," Mercy moaned softly. "Well, tough," Rio smirked. "You don't tell me what to do. I'm going to do this at my own pace, damn it." She sidled down to the foot of the bed while still facing Mercy. With delicate ease, Rio lowered her lips to Mercy's right big toe, kissed it then began sucking on it. Mercy had raised her chin to her chest so she could meet Rio's steady gaze. As Rio began playing with her toes, Mercy shivered and groaned. When Rio switched to the left foot, Mercy whimpered. "Please, Rio," she moaned. "Hush, you," Rio mumbled around the current toe she was sucking on. "You are my plaything and I'll do what I want with you." Mercy's head fell back on the pillow as she clutched Iona's hand tightly. Iona seemed totally taken with events. She had rolled on her side so I cuddled behind her, my cock pressing against the small of her back, and began kissing her shoulder. Iona pushed back into me and wiggled her ass against my thighs. She also reached back, took my free hand in her own then placed them together on her stomach. She matched me as I traced small circles over her torso. "I hope I find someone who makes me that happy," Iona murmured. "You'll find someone worthy of you, Iona," I replied quietly. She tilted her head to give me better access to her neck. "I believe I will, Zane," Iona purred. "Now I know what to look for." Rio was taking her sweet time with Mercy, torturing the poor girl with lust. Iona actually scooted over and gave Mercy a quick peck on the cheek to comfort her. She was back in my arms before Mercy could decide to take shelter in Iona's innocent sexuality. This was Rio and Mercy's moment and we knew she shouldn't forget that. When Rio got to the knees, she pressed Mercy's legs farther apart and rotated the hips so she could access the back of Mercy's knees. She was running the tip of her tongue along the inner joint, driving Mercy nuts. The girl was humping her crotch up in the air and began pinching her right nipple. "None of that, you cougar-wannabe," Rio snapped. "You can't toy with my playground. It's mine." Mercy's face scrunched up in frustration as a single tear escaped her left eye. Mercy's free right arm began to flail about as Rio reluctantly stopped teasing the knees and began nibbling her way up Mercy's thigh. Iona felt the sympathetic energy and began massaging her left breast. "Please don't," she gulped as I moved my hand to her right breast. "I'll lose it and this should be their time, not mine." "Yes, Mistress Iona," I teased quietly. "Whatever you desire." Iona pummeled me with her ass against my thighs. "Behave," she sighed. Rio kept pushing Mercy's legs to the side until she was face (and lips) to Mercy's smooth cunt, letting the breath from her nostrils tickle the surface. "Something's been drooling, all," was all Rio got out before Mercy exploded into orgasm. "MotherfuckingChristGoddamn!" Mercy howled. Her whole body shook like an epileptic seizure had taken over. "Cunt-muncher," Rio sputtered. "Did you just squirt in my face?" Mercy was in no shape for an immediate reply. I didn't help matters when I snickered at Rio as her face rose above Mercy's thighs. Syrupy vaginal fluid was dripping off her nose and chin. Rio glared at me. I had a sinking feeling she was about to exile me from my room. "I'm, I'm sorry," Mercy groaned. "I was thinking weak, pathetic, or nasty," Rio grumbled. She began stalking up Mercy's body on all fours until she was face-to-face with her toy. "Was that the extent of your apology?" Mercy propped herself up feebly and began to lick Rio's face clean. "If I'm not satisfied, no fucking for you tonight," Rio taunted her. That spurred Mercy on. She was sucking Rio's eyelids and eyebrows, licking her cheeks, jaw and neck as if her life depended on it. Mercy ended up trying to French kiss Rio but she was having none of that. "Do you think I've got some of your cunt juice hiding under my tongue?" Rio quizzed her. Mercy gave a short, energetic nod. Rio cracked a smile and her lips and Mercy dove up to literally tongue-fuck Rio's mouth until she was thoroughly satisfied she'd gotten every drop. "No, you don't," Rio chastised her. "I know what you are doing and it is not going to work. I'm going to spank that sopping wet kitty and there's nothing you can do to distract me." "Have mercy," Mercy pleaded convincingly. "Oh, I am going to have Mercy again and again and again," Rio mocked her lover. Rio retreated down Mercy until her false cock slipped past her pubic mound. Rio used her right hand to guide the dildo up and down between her labia. The response was tiny simpering noises from Mercy. When Rio let the tip enter her cunt, Mercy became very still. "Relax, Babe," Rio urged her gently. "It will make it less uncomfortable." Rio avoided using the word pain. "Deep breaths, Babe," Rio soothed her. "Think about how much pleasure you feel when I shove this cock up your ass. It will be the same way with your cunt, but better." I could tell Mercy was really trying and that was the problem; she was trying too hard. Rio had an answer for that though. "I've got a better idea," Rio grinned wickedly. She pulled out of Mercy and waggled her phallus at her mate. "I'm not going to do all the damn work, you perverted minx. Hike up those legs and spread them wide, none of this folding at the knees crap. I'm going to mount you like John Smith ambushed Pocahontas, leaving you stupefied and wondering who the fuck just hammered you through the New World." "I'm going to fuck you harder than the Pilgrims screwed over the Wampanoag, you are going to ride my cock 'til dawn." I image the rest of us clearly showed our amazement that Rio knew so much, well, of anything, much less American History. "What the fuck?" Rio took in our gawking. "I read, things, occasionally. Don't look so shocked." "Iona," Rio added, as she went back to looking down on her woman, "get my camera phone. I want to record this moment for posterity." "Zane?" Iona whispered to me. She didn't want to put either Rio or Mercy at risk of exposure. "Its fine," I petted her shoulder. "You can make sure the file is secure." "I'm okay with it," Mercy assured Iona. "I trust Rio." "Be quiet, Pumpkin," Rio sneered. "This is going up on YouTube fifteen minutes after we are done. I'm going to title it: Lush Virgin Innocent plundered by Psycho Mistress." I groaned as Iona slipped off the bed to get the phone. "What; not descriptive enough?" "Plunder me! Plunder me!" Mercy meeped. Rio slapped both of Mercy's nipples. "Hush, you," Rio glared at Mercy. "The only thing I want coming out of that mouth had better be your tongue in my cunt." Iona walked up and handed the phone to Rio. "You keep it, Iona," Rio told her. "You'll get a girl's point of view. With Zane, it will be nothing but tits and ass." We both knew that wouldn't be the case, most likely wouldn't be the case. Iona returned to my side but was sitting up on her knees. She looked at the image in the phone and edged forward. I moved in behind her so that my stomach was against her buttocks. I remained reclining. Iona reached out and took Mercy's hand once more. "I'm ready," Iona said softly. Mercy paled, biting her lip over her dual anxieties. Rio had let slip a serious yet compassionate facial expression which reaffirmed that her Mistress was about to take her. The other was the originally unlooked for trait of Mercy the Exhibitionist. Oh, it terrified her that her sexuality would be discovered, but that thrill only made her actions that much more vibrant and alive. Rio positioned her fake phallus at the gateway to Mercy's virginity again. She leaned over Mercy, her arms resting on her fists to either side of Mercy's breasts, but her lady was taller and Rio couldn't quite span the gap between their faces. "Get up here and kiss me, Mercy," Rio said, choked with emotion. "Kiss me one more time as my fuck toy. Next time we kiss, you'll be my girlfriend." Mercy used her right elbow to prop herself up until her lips met with Rio's. "Are you going to own me, use me, and protect me forever and ever?" Mercy pleaded. "Baby-cakes, I own you for all time, I am never going to become tired of using you, and if anyone except me lays a finger on you, I'll wipe out their whole fucking family," Rio recited her twisted version of a marital vow with the tenderness of a child addressing a kitten. "Thank you for choosing me," Mercy fought back tears. The kiss she gave Rio was long, passionate, and steeped in familiarity. Mercy was still enraptured with the declaration and kiss when Rio pushed forward. Mercy's hymen tore, completing her evolution from the blindly obedient school girl that had come to my room as one of the Chancellor's enforcers so few weeks ago into the woman who dared to experiment with her deepest erotic desires. Mercy's eyes welled up with tears due to the pain. She trembled and her lips quivered. Rio didn't relent despite her lover's pain. She drove the dildo in relentlessly to the hilt. She ground the strap-on's base against Mercy's clit, withdrew a half inch, then slammed down hard. At the same time, she moved her left hand around to the back of Mercy's head, grabbed a handful of hair and forced Mercy into another kiss. "What are you, my little Orgasmic Bombshell?" Rio demanded. "I'm your girlfriend," Mercy sobbed through the renewing pain. "You don't sound very convinced," Rio insisted. "Am I going to have to put a ring on that clit?" she bumped Mercy's clit again, causing Mercy to gulp and whimper. "Not enough to teach your confused, simple mind who the boss is? Nipple rings it is, then," Rio taunted with all apparent seriousness. "You still don't get it?" Mercy shook her head, tears starting to seep down her cheeks as Rio kept fucking her. "Nose ring?" That suggestion seemed to scare the girl, probably because hiding such a piercing would be difficult. "Oh, sigh," Rio exaggerated. "I guess nothing but putting a ring on that finger will beat the point home." Mercy's eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped open. "Of course, that makes me your husband and Master, none of this wife-shit for me. You'll have to do double duty as wife and sexual gratification machine, available for sex on demand." "Okay," Mercy wept joyously. "I am so annoyed with you right now, Annoyer." Annoy equals love; that pretty much symbolized those two. "Mercy, if you fail me this time, I'm going to clone fifty of me and fuck you until you explode," Rio threated. Damn, Rio was so often unhinged from reality and common sense. I figured the only reason Mercy didn't rebel right then and there was that she knew Rio couldn't really clone herself. Otherwise, death by multiple orgasm was exactly how Mercy would chose to exit her mortal coil, and Rio knew it. She also knew she was hammering Mercy into another orgasm quickly. "Christ-fuck-shit-hell!" Mercy screamed. Her legs vibrated then fell to either side of Rio. She wept, screamed, and convulsed on the bed but her Mistress held her firm by the hips and head. When Mercy finally collapsed, boneless from the exertion, Rio gently withdrew her cock from Mercy's cunt and settled on Mercy's right side, studying her intently. Mercy's chest rose in ragged pulses for over a minute. Her first act was to release Iona's hand and carefully place it on her labia, dabbed it gently, then drew the results up to her face. Vaginal fluid mixed with a trace of blood was what she saw. Mercy's smile returned then. She rolled facing Rio and curled submissively into Rio's body, her head resting between Rio's breasts. The four of us were quiet for some time. It was Mercy who broke the silence. "I'm okay," she murmured into Rio's chest. It took Rio nearly half a minute to respond. "You talk too much," Rio whispered to Mercy as she stroked her hair. "I think you can find something better to do with that mouth, so get to it." Mercy began suckling. "Good girl." By FinalStand for Literotica.

Matt and Jake are back with another episode diving into a challenging but essential question: What is truly “A Hill Worth Dying On”? In this discussion, we explore what the gospel really means — not just as “good news,” but as the living message of the Kingdom of Elohim that calls us to repent, believe, and act.   We look at: What the Bible actually says about the Gospel of the Kingdom How “good tidings” in the Hebrew and Greek connect to action and transformation The connection between belief, obedience, and repentance Why the gospel isn't only about salvation but about the entire Kingdom story How we, as followers of Messiah, are called to carry the gospel of peace wherever we go You'll also hear some fun personal stories, a few laughs, and deep scriptural reflection from both the Old and New Testaments — including Isaiah 61, Matthew 4:23, Mark 1:1, and 1 Peter 4:17. We end with a challenge:

Anne-Marie and Peter continue their journey through Babylon 5 S1 covering Believers. The Babylon 5 theme was written by Christopher Franke. On Tuesday 20th November they look at Surviors. Over on their Borgcast feed, on the 13th, they cover the Animated series' The Ambergris Element. Feel free to send your thoughts in (just keep the feedback to less than 5 minutes please). Borgcast@gmail.com

After 70 years of exile in Babylon Cyrus, the king of Persia, who had recently conquered the city of Babylon, decreed that the exiled Jews be allowed to return to Judea and to rebuild Jerusalem. The decree was made in BC 537. Read it aloud in verses 2-4 of Ezra 1. Two thousand five hundred and twenty years later the Embassy of the USA is relocated from Tel Aviv of Jerusalem and a coin is minted showing Cyrus on one side and the then American president, Donald Trump. The uncirculated coin - meaning the coin is not legal tender - is inscribed with the words from Ezra 1verses2. The gold and silver vessels of the former temple at Jerusalem which had been stored in the treasure house in Babylon are returned to the new temple that is to be built in Jerusalem. Chapter 2 of Ezra gives us an inventory of the vessels and speaks the faithful remnant who with Ezra the scribe. King Cyrus makes a generous donation towards the cost of rebuilding Jerusalem. The vessels represent the saintsverses Isaiah 22verses24; 2 Timothy 2verses20-21.Hosea 5 deals with the judgment to come upon faithless Israel and Judah. Yahweh would, like a lion, tear His people because of their rebellious ways firstly through the Assyrian lion who would carry Israel captive; and then Judah would experience a similar fate 120 years later at the hands of the Babylonians.Acts 21 records Paul's journey to Jerusalem. The Apostle comforts and encourages many groups of disciples as he heads to Jerusalem. An old prophet, named Agabus, attempts to persuade Paul to go no further. Paul will not, like his lord, be dissuaded from going. The first thing Paul does on his arrival is to see James who advises him of the best course of action to be taken so as to avoid trouble. The Apostle is advised to complete his Nazarite vow and to cover the expenses of four other brothers who are completing their vows. James reiterates to Paul that the only binding requirements on Gentile believers are the keeping of the four matters agreed upon at the Jerusalem Conference. However, Paul cannot peacefully complete his vow since he is arrested in the temple by Asian Jews. These hostile Jews mistakenly believe that Paul has profaned the temple by bringing Trophimus, a Gentile Ephesian into the temple. A Tribune from the Roman fort of Antonia rescues Paul and commands that he be chained. The crowd clamours for the Apostle's blood, just as they had for his Lord's some three and a half decades earlier. In the barracks Paul speaks with the Tribune dismissing many of the fanciful thoughts as to who Paul might be. Paul asks for permission to address the crowd from the steps of the fort and his speech is recorded in chapter 22. Paul gives his defence in Hebrew and initially the crowd pays close attention. The aged Apostle describes his own education in the Pharisaic tradition under Gamaliel and his zeal for the Law. After this he tells of his experiences on the Damascus road, his conversion to a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says that he is warned by Jesus his Lord to immediately leave Jerusalem since his testimony will not be accepted. The Jews attentively listen until Paul speaks of being sent to the Gentiles. Once again uproar follows and the Tribune commands that Paul be scourged that the Tribune might understand why the multitude were so angry with the Apostle. Paul, on this occasion, uses his Roman citizenship to avoid a pointless flogging. The chapter concludes with the Tribune intending to have Paul examined by the Jewish Sanhedrin on the next day.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

We need to know our identity (Prov 23:7). It has 2 sources: our (1) CREATION in Adam (Gen 1:26-27) & (2) REDEMPTION in Christ. Since we're born in Adam, we share his identity as God's image, to reflect & express His glory. As part of our identity, He created us male or female. In Adam, we all sinned & are under divine judgment. Our nature, inherited from Adam, is prideful rebellion against God. Man's collective sin became so bad, God judged it at Noah's Flood, after which He told man to fill the earth (Gen 9:1). But man rebelled again at Babel (Gen 11:1-9). So, God scattered man over the earth, dividing us into nations. This is God's will, designed to restrain the spread of sin. It's God's idea to create national identities, with different characteristics, that are part of our identity & inheritance in Adam. We embrace & celebrate these aspects of our identity, as we should embrace our God-given sexual identity. As man separated into nations, they developed their own cultures & ways, so certain genes became dominant in populations, creating different abilities & appearances. Though we're divided into nations, we belong to one human family in Adam (Acts 17:26), and so share a common inheritance (good & bad), so we're all equal. Globalism tries to override the power of nation states to set up a one-world government. This was Nimrod's vision at Babel, so he could rule over all mankind. A rebel against God (Gen 10:9), running the world is a worst-case scenario. Satan is trying to rebuild Babel, putting his antichrist in charge of a one-world government (called Babylon). He'll succeed for a short time before Christ destroys it at His Return, and sets up His one world Government. Although many aspects of our natural inheritance & identity are God-given, the great problem is that we also inherit from Adam his identity & nature as a sinner. So, part of our natural identity is that by natural birth, we belong to a fallen race under Divine Judgment, whatever other natural positive qualities we might have. God has a solution for the Fall. Christ came as the 2nd Adam, to be the head of a new human race in Him, the source of a new identity. He came to bring forth a New Creation, a new family in Himself. In His death as the last Adam, He took on Himself all the fallen aspects of our Adamic inheritance of sin & death, and cancelled it, and by His resurrection He brought us into a new inheritance in the New Covenant, the firstborn from the dead of a New Creation, a new species of humanity, with His spiritual DNA. For those who receive Him as Saviour & Lord, He provides a New Birth of our spirit, making us a New Man in Christ. Thru our union with Him, we receive a new nature, identity & origin-history, for we've died & risen with Christ, and now belong to Him. As our 1st (physical) birth in Adam made us an inheritor of Adam, so our new (spiritual) birth in Christ makes us an inheritor of all that's Christ's (John 1:12-13, 3:3-7, Eph 4:23-24). We still have the God-given aspects of our natural identity & inheritance (gender, gifts, personality & nation), but our new identity & inheritance in Christ is far more important & dominant. By our union with Christ, all God's blessings of God are ours in Christ (Rom 8:32, 2Cor 1:20, Eph 1:3). Whoever we are in the natural, the most important truth about us is who we are in Christ (Col 3:9). In this New Creation reality, Christ is all important, and He is in us all. We're all equal in Him. National & natural distinctions still exist, but are overwhelmed by the greater truth of our identity in Christ – we belong to Him, created in His image, in God's family & Kingdom. National distinctions & natural differences count for nothing as far as our inheritance in Christ is concerned (Phil 3:4-7). We're all equal inheritors of salvation & eternal life (Rom 10:12-13). God has no favourites (2Cor 5:14-17). The new overrules and supersedes the old. We don't just have a new individual identity in Christ, but a new corporate identity. We're not just individuals; together we form one New Man in Christ (Eph 2:8-15), His New Creation, one People of God, one Body & Bride of Christ, one forever Family, living stones forming a single Temple of God. We're God's people, redeemed by His Blood (Rev 5:8-10). We have a common origin in His death & resurrection, a common identity in Christ, and a common purpose to live for (glorify) Him who loved us (Gal 3:26-28). We are all ONE (entity) in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28). As in Adam, we're all of one blood (Acts 17:26), so in Christ, we're of one blood (the Blood of Christ). Being in Christ & His family is our primary (core) identity. Our allegiance to Christ overwhelms all other loyalties, and His command is to love one another. We celebrate our natural & national diversity, but most of all we celebrate our identity & unity in Christ, where God has broken down all racial divisions.

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Friday Bible Study (10/31/25) // Ezra 2:1-40- (ESV) // The Exiles Return Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah.The number of the men of the people of Israel: 3 the sons of Parosh, 2,172. 4 The sons of Shephatiah, 372. 5 The sons of Arah, 775. 6 The sons of Pahath-moab, namely the sons of Jeshua and Joab, 2,812. 7 The sons of Elam, 1,254. 8 The sons of Zattu, 945. 9 The sons of Zaccai, 760. 10 The sons of Bani, 642. 11 The sons of Bebai, 623. 12 The sons of Azgad, 1,222. 13 The sons of Adonikam, 666. 14 The sons of Bigvai, 2,056. 15 The sons of Adin, 454. 16 The sons of Ater, namely of Hezekiah, 98. 17 The sons of Bezai, 323. 18 The sons of Jorah, 112. 19 The sons of Hashum, 223. 20 The sons of Gibbar, 95. 21 The sons of Bethlehem, 123. 22 The men of Netophah, 56. 23 The men of Anathoth, 128. 24 The sons of Azmaveth, 42. 25 The sons of Kiriath-arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, 743. 26 The sons of Ramah and Geba, 621. 27 The men of Michmas, 122. 28 The men of Bethel and Ai, 223. 29 The sons of Nebo, 52. 30 The sons of Magbish, 156. 31 The sons of the other Elam, 1,254. 32 The sons of Harim, 320. 33 The sons of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, 725. 34 The sons of Jericho, 345. 35 The sons of Senaah, 3,630.36 The priests: the sons of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, 973. 37 The sons of Immer, 1,052. 38 The sons of Pashhur, 1,247. 39 The sons of Harim, 1,017.40 The Levites: the sons of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the sons of Hodaviah, 74.Website: https://mbchicago.org FOLLOW US Facebook:   / mbc.chicago   Instagram:   / mbc.chicago   TikTok:   / mbc.chicago   Podcasts: Listen on Apple, Spotify & others TO SUPPORT US Zelle to: info@mbchicago.org Website: https://mbchicago.org/give Venmo: https://venmo.com/mbchurch DAF Donations: https://every.org/mbc.chicago PayPal: https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_but... #Ezra #DanielBatarseh #BibleStudy #mbchicago #mbcchicago #Bible #versebyverse #church #chicago #livechurch #churchlive #chicagochurch #chicagochurches #sermon #bibleexplained #bibleproject #bibleverse #bookbybook #oldtestament #explained

Jon and Blaine are back for the third season of Babylon 5, looking at the introduction of Marcus Cole and the mysterious new ships that have been seen.

2 Chronicles 36 tells of the rapid disintegration of Judah after the death of Josiah. Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah becomes king at the age of 23 and rules for 3 months until he is deposed and taken to Egypt by Pharaoh Neco. Pharaoh Neco takes Jehoiakim (Jehoahaz's brother) and makes him king and changes his name to Eliakim. Eliakim is 25 years old when he becomes king and he reigns for 11 evil years practising wickedness in defiance of his God. The year is now about BC 607 and Nebuchadnezzar has just come to the throne of Babylon. The Babylonian king makes an incursion into Judah taking Jerusalem and carrying away many captives and several of Judah's princes including Daniel and his three friends. Additionally, the Chaldeans take away the vessels of the temple. Nebuchadnezzar has three further incursions into Judah until the final overthrow of Jerusalem in BC 587. Jehoiachin the son of Eliakim is placed upon the vassal throne. He is 18 years of age and rules for only three months and ten days until he, too, is taken to Babylon with the most precious vessels from the temple. And on this occasion another evil king is deposed. Zedekiah, the brother of Jehoahaz ascends the throne at the age of 21 and rules for 11 evil years. This last king of Judah is a vacillating, covenant breaking king who earns the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar. Ezekiel 21verses25-27 spoke of this final overthrowing of Judah's kingdom and saying that the throne would remain vacant until "he comes whose right it is" - because he is God's Son and David's righteous heir - and God will then establish Christ's throne forever. The book concludes with two significant events - one negative, one positive - the burning and destruction of Jerusalem; and the decree of Cyrus in BC 537 that sees the return of the exiles.Acts 20 records that after the riot Paul calls for and encourages the ecclesia before departing into Macedonian. Six brethren accompany him as the representatives of their ecclesias. These delegates are carrying relief funds for the poor believers in Judea who are suffering the effects of a great famine. The chapter says Paul stops at Miletus and asks the elders of Ephesus join him there where Paul gives the ecclesia final encouraging words and warning them of dangers which would arise after his demise. The Apostle gives a very long talk, and because of the poor ventilation in the room a young man named Eutychus falls asleep in the window and he falls three storeys to the ground and is pronounced dead.Paul miraculously raises Eutychus and continues preaching until sunrise. Paul's intentions of departing into Macedonia appear not to have been achieved and he is now hurrying to Jerusalem to arrive before the feast of Pentecost. The Apostle's speech to the Ephesian elders is recorded from verses 18-35. In summary he tells them of their solemn responsibilities, warning them of a decline due to those who would seek leadership for their own advantage. On the positive side, Paul, in verse 32, commends them to God and the Word of His grace - read aloud, pause and ponder. The Apostle also quotes some unrecorded words of our Lord Jesus Christ - "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (v35). The assembled group pray together on the beach and then an old prophet warns Paul of what would comeupon him from the time of his arriving in Jerusalem. They greatly sorrow that they will see his face no more, but they respect Paul's resolute courage.

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It's been well said that "Those who fail to learn anything from history are doomed to repeat it." That was the case with King Belshazzar of Babylon. Failing to learn from the mistakes of his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar, he repeated them. So in dramatic fashion, God sent him a divine message of doom, written by the finger of God on a banquet wall! Let's looks deeper into this fascinating story from Daniel 5.

In this powerful message with Pastor Marcus, we dive deep into the ancient battle between Babylon and Jerusalem—the City of Man versus the City of God. Drawing from Daniel 1:1-5, we reveal how the Babylonian spirit still works in the world today, attacking families, morals, and freedom. Discover:- Why God will bless those who bless Israel- The true meaning of Babylon and its relentless agenda- How Babylon hates family and seeks to control the next generation- What it means to stand with GodEven if the world sees you as broken or rejected, God sees your value. Learn how to live with the mind of Christ, resist cultural pressure, and stand firm in your faith with humility, love, and truth.Babylon may try to silence you, but God has already given you a voice. This message is a call to action—pray, serve, and love like never before. Be part of the solution, not the problem.

Presented by Julie Busteed I'm looking at some strategies to help grow and build relationships—principles that apply at work, home, church—with everyone. The first two strategies I looked at were loving others and communication skills. I think integrity is also an important component in healthy relationships. Integrity really covers several qualities. It's being honest, having strong moral principles, and being trustworthy and reliable. A great example of integrity in the Old Testament is Daniel. He was taken into captivity from Israel to Babylon, and he became an adviser to the Babylonian kings because of his integrity and trust in God. For many, it's a familiar story but to recap: Daniel refuses to bow down and worship a man-made idol. He worships and prays to God. As a result, he is thrown into a literal lion's den. The next morning, he testifies that my God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight (Daniel 6:22a). Not only did God protect and preserve Daniel, but King Darius also decrees everyone in his kingdom must fear and revere the God of Daniel. Daniel's integrity and courage not only effected his own life, but the entire kingdom was now to fear God. He trusted and honored God in his actions, and his integrity was evident to his employer, resulting in a testimony to the entire kingdom. Integrity can also be something significant done privately, not for public recognition. A friend of mine recently showed a great example of integrity. She just published a book through a traditional publisher. Normally, when you work with a publisher, you receive an advance against future royalties—meaning you don't earn additional royalties until the book's sales cover that advance. And if the book doesn't sell enough to cover it, the author doesn't have to pay it back. That's completely normal. But my friend told me she wants to make sure her book's sales do reach that advance amount. She's putting in extra effort to promote and market her book because she doesn't want to be a burden to the publisher. She isn't required to do this—it's not part of her contract—but she feels it's the right thing to do. Quiet integrity. In both of these examples, integrity was a vital characteristic in dealing with others. Integrity directed how they should act in certain situations—be it life or death—or something that's not really seen by others. With faith in God and belief he is faithful, they lived out their lives in honor to him. Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out (Proverbs 10:9). When we live our lives with integrity, we can walk securely—quietly resting upon God's favor and gracious providence.

In 727 BCE, the death of Tiglath-Pileser III—one of Assyria's greatest reformers and conquerors—brought to the throne his son Ululayu, known to history by his regnal name Shalmaneser V. This episode of Oldest Stories examines the short, poorly documented, yet pivotal reign of Shalmaneser the Least, exploring the troubled transition between the age of Tiglath-Pileser's reform and the rise of Sargon II. Drawing on fragmentary Assyrian records, biblical sources, and archaeological evidence, the episode reconstructs the domestic policies, fiscal reforms, and failed campaigns that defined his rule.Listeners will learn how Shalmaneser attempted to standardize taxation and weights across the empire—introducing the controversial “Mina of the King”—and how these bureaucratic experiments may have destabilized the nobility and provoked internal dissent. His reign also saw major events in the wider Near East: the rebellion of King Hoshea of Israel, the long siege of Samaria described in the Book of Kings, and the abortive Assyrian assault on Tyre. Despite ruling over the largest empire yet known, Shalmaneser's administrative mediocrity and ill-fated reforms undermined Assyria's stability, paving the way for Sargon's coup and the beginning of the Sargonid dynasty.This episode situates Shalmaneser V within the broader arc of Neo-Assyrian history, from the administrative innovations of Tiglath-Pileser III to the ideological and military transformations of Sargon II. It explores key themes in ancient Near Eastern politics, including royal succession, imperial bureaucracy, taxation, and the interaction between Assyria and Israel. Ideal for students of Assyriology, biblical studies, and ancient history, “Shalmaneser the Least” offers a detailed look at one of the empire's most obscure yet consequential rulers.Keywords: Shalmaneser V, Tiglath-Pileser III, Neo-Assyrian Empire, Assyria, Babylon, Sargon II, Samaria, Hoshea, Israel, Tyre, Assyrian kings, Near Eastern history, biblical archaeology, Assyrian reforms, ancient Mesopotamia.I am also doing daily history facts again, at least until I run out of time again. You can find Oldest Stories daily on Tiktok and Youtube Shorts.If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhSDonate here: https://oldeststories.net/or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckleyor on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/joinYoutube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.

In our last reading, some of the elders of Israel had gathered around Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord, but God denied them counsel and began to recount the history of Israel's rebellion and idolatry. Time and again, the Lord would have been justified in exhausting His wrath against Israel, but over and over He relented from disaster so that His name wouldn't be profaned among the nations. The Lord will not answer them, but one day, God's people will humble themselves and return to him. Later, Ezekiel prophesies of the impending judgment that is coming against Jerusalem. The sword of Babylon will come, bringing devastation and destruction. All of this will serve as righteous judgment against God's people for their rampant sinfulness.Ezekiel  20:32-49 - 1:10 . Ezekiel 21 - 4:54 . Ezekiel 22 - 13:28 . Proverbs 21:17-31 - 20:18 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

I have been reading and re-reading the Prophet Habakkuk. Some brief background. Israel had fallen once again into idolatry. In God's great mercy, He would send Prophets to warn the people to stop the pagan worship and to return to God. We know that at Jonah's preaching in Nineveh, the entire place repented. They fasted and prayed that God would relent from His judgment and anger. God did relent and the people were spared. Israel and Judah continually repeated this pattern of disobeying God, finding themselves in trouble, calling out to God for help, God helping them and then rinse and repeat. There were times where the people refused to listen to God or His Holy Prophets. In this case, God has let Habakkuk know that the Chaldeans will be coming and will destroy Israel. It is like watching something in slow motion for Habakkuk. He knows God's judgment is right. God has given them warnings, red flags and tried to get their attention. The people are not responding to the prophet's rebukes. Babylon was going to decimate Judah. They are a merciless and exceptionally cruel nation. They were coming to bring God's judgment against His people.

In this episode, I sit down with Michael Joseph and Phil Mederi from the Sacred Honor Educational Fellowship for a deep dive into the principles of self-governance, natural law, and the spiritual foundations of sovereignty.We explore the invisible contracts that bind us to a corporate fiction, the difference between natural rights and state-granted privileges, and why true freedom begins with self-responsibility and principle. Together, we break down the public versus private divide, the role of contracts in our daily lives, and how to live with greater awareness inside—or entirely outside—the system.If you've ever sensed that the world's “rules” aren't natural law but manmade constructs designed to keep you small, this conversation will open new doors of understanding. It's not about fighting the system—it's about remembering who you are, reclaiming your inherent sovereignty, and learning to live in alignment with divine order. Visit lukestorey.com/fellowship to activate your membership in the Sacred Honor Fellowship.Visit lukestorey.com/equitypassage to receive the complimentary ebook "Equity Unveiled" and join the Equity Passage private course. Now through December 19, use code EQPASSLS250 to receive $250 off enrollment.DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and not intended for diagnosing or treating illnesses. The hosts disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects from using the information presented. Consult your healthcare provider before using referenced products. This podcast may include paid endorsements.THIS SHOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:LITTLE SAINTS | Visit littlesaints.com/luke and use code LUKE to get 20% off your first order.BIOPTIMIZERS | You can use the code LUKE15 for 15% off at bioptimizers.com/lukeBON CHARGE | Use the code LIFESTYLIST for 15% off at boncharge.com/lifestylistLEELA QUANTUM TECH | Go to lukestorey.com/leelaq and use the code LUKE10 for 10% off their product line.MORE ABOUT THIS EPISODE:(00:00:00) The Awakening of Sovereignty(00:24:53) Public vs. Private: Reclaiming Authority by Principle(00:52:04) Equity vs. “Status Correction”: Foundations, Not Factions(01:12:45) Debtor vs. Creditor: Flipping the Script(01:25:23) Cooperation vs. Silos—and What Equity Actually Is(01:41:47) Building in the Private: The Fellowship & Foundation for Self-GovernanceResources:• Website: sacredhonoref.com • Website: libertishorizon.com • Instagram: instagram.com/sacredhonorfellowship • Shop all our merch designs at lukestoreymerch.com• Check out Gilded...

Joe Sudbay guests hosts while John is on his California cruise trip. Joe discusses Trump's Halloween glitzy Great Gatsby party - flouting lavishness while millions panic over SNAP benefits being constrained. He also talks about the major elections happening in New Jersey, Virginia, California, and New York. Then, he speaks with Jessica Mackler who is the president of EMILYs list. EMILYs List is backing both Democratic governor candidates (Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger in Virginia), as well as women candidates in every top red-to-blue flip opportunity in Virginia's House of Delegates races. In the last Southern state without an abortion ban, this year, Virginia's House will determine if voters can protect reproductive freedom through a constitutional amendment. And then finally, Joe interviews Alejandro Varela. His debut novel, The Town of Babylon was a finalist for the National Book Award. His latest novel, Middle Spoon, was published by Viking on September 9, 2025. His novels and stories take public health topics — from systemic racism to gentrification to sexuality — and make them accessible and memorable. Varela is an editor-at-large of Apogee Journal, and holds a masters degree in public health from the University of Washington.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What is the book of Revelation really about? For ages, it has been the source of sensationalism, idolatry, confusion, and end-times predictions. But at its root, it is about the power and worship of the Lamb who was slain. Biblical scholar Michael J. Gorman joins Mark Labberton to explore how Christians can read the book of Revelation with wisdom, faith, and hope rather than fear or sensationalism. Drawing from his book Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness—Following the Lamb into the New Creation, Gorman offers a reorientation to Revelation's central vision: worshipping the Lamb, resisting idolatrous power, and embodying faithful discipleship in the world. Together they discuss Revelation's misuses in popular culture, its critique of empire and nationalism, and its invitation to follow the crucified and risen Christ into the new creation. Episode Highlights "The book of Revelation is about lamb power—not hyper-religious or political power. It's about absorbing rather than inflicting evil." "This book is for those who are confused by, afraid of, and or preoccupied with the book of Revelation." "We shouldn't look for predictions but for parallels and analogies." "Worship, discipleship, and new creation—that's where Revelation hangs its hat." "At its root, Christian nationalism is a form of idolatry." "The only way to come out of Babylon is to go back into Babylon with new values and new practices." Helpful Links and Resources Reading Revelation Responsibly – https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Revelation-Responsibly-Following-Creation/dp/1606085603/ Reverse Thunder by Eugene Peterson – https://www.amazon.com/Reversed-Thunder-Revelation-Praying-Imagination/dp/0060665033 St. Mary's Seminary & University, Baltimore – https://www.stmarys.edu About Michael J. Gorman Michael J. Gorman is the Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. A leading New Testament scholar, he is the author of numerous books on Pauline theology and Revelation, including Reading Revelation Responsibly, Cruciformity, and Participating in Christ. Gorman's teaching and writing emphasize Scripture as a call to cruciform discipleship, faithful worship, and the hope of new creation. Show Notes Introducing Reading Revelation Responsibly "This book is for those who are confused by, afraid of, and or preoccupied with the Book of Revelation." "Apocalypse" means revelation, not destruction. Emerging from twenty-five years of study and teaching, aimed at rescuing Revelation from misinterpretation or neglect Growing up amid 1970s end-times obsession—Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth and fearful youth-group predictions of the world's end Fear of the book of Revelation until he studied it with Bruce Metzger at Princeton Seminary Why he wrote the book: for people who have been scared or confused by Revelation's misuse Interpretation and misreading the book of Revelation Early questions: Does Revelation predict particular events or people? No predictions, but symbolic speaking into every age "Our task is not to find predictions but to discern parallels and analogies." Warning against mapping Revelation onto modern crises or personalities "When those predictions fail, the book gets sidelined or scoffed at." Keep one foot in the first-century context and one in the present Worship and discipleship The heart of Revelation is worship. "This is a book about worship—and about the object of our worship." Explaining the subtitle: Uncivil Worship and Witness—Following the Lamb into the New Creation "Uncivil worship" contrasts with "civil religion"—worship that refuses to idolize political power Influence from Eugene Peterson's Reverse Thunder and his own teaching at St. Mary's, where Peterson once taught Revelation Worship leads to discipleship: "Those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes." True discipleship mirrors the Lamb's humility and non-violence. The lamb and the meaning of power Interpreting Revelation's vision of the slain and standing Lamb as the key to understanding divine power "The crucified Messiah is the risen Lord—but he remains the crucified one." The Lamb appears twenty-eight times, a symbol of universality and completeness. "Revelation is about lamb power—absorbing rather than inflicting evil." Discipleship is cruciform: following the Lamb's way of self-giving love. The unholy trinity and the danger of idolatry Chapters 12–13 depict the dragon and two beasts—the "unholy trinity" of satanic, imperial, and religious power. "Power gone amok": political, military, and spiritual domination that mimic divinity How true worship resists empire and exposes idolatry Warning against reading these beasts as predictions of the UN or the pope; rather, they reveal recurring alliances of religion and politics "At its root, Christian nationalism is idolatry." When political identity eclipses discipleship, "political power always wins, and faith loses." Faith, politics, and worship today Christian nationalism as a modern form of "civil religion," conflating patriotism with divine will "It's only Christian in name—it lacks Christian substance." Idolatry is not limited to one side: "It permeates the left, the right, and probably the centre." Labberton agrees: false worship is endemic wherever self-interest and fear shape our loves. Both stress that Revelation calls the church to worship the Lamb, not the state. "Revelation critiques all human systems of false worship." Revelation's goal: Not destruction, but new creation "Destruction is penultimate—cleansing the way for renewal." Believers already live as citizens of that new creation. "The only way to come out of Babylon is to go back into Babylon with new values and new practices." Communal, not merely individual, discipleship: "Revelation is written to churches, not just believers." Reinterpreting Revelation 3:20: Jesus knocking isn't an altar call to unbelievers but Christ seeking re-entry into his own church. "Jesus always wants to come back in." Living revelation today Spirituality of hope, not fear or withdrawal "Reading Revelation responsibly means engaging the world through worship and witness." How true worship is dangerous because it transforms our allegiance. "Following the Lamb into the new creation is the church's act of resistance." Conclusion: "Worthy is the Lamb." Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.  

Show NotesScripture Referenced1 Corinthians 15:58 Galatians 6:7-10 James 5:10-11 Romans 5:3-4 1 Peter 2:20-21 2 Corinthians 1:6-7 Hebrews 10:36 James 1:2-4 Jeremiah 29:4-7Books ReferencedThe Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim's Progress https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Journey-Story-Pilgrims-Progress/dp/0802836194/ The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Progress-Modern-Day-easy-read-ebook/dp/B088DFC84N/ The Pilgrim's Progress - Original Unabridged, Audiobook read by Robert Whitfield. https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Pilgrims-Progress-Audiobook/B002UZN2Y4 (Reid's Recommendation)Link ReferencedSunflowers in Babylon by Joshua Luke Smith https://youtu.be/fsiB9uCMZ68

In this message, Pastor Neal Nolan is continuing the series from the book of Daniel entitled "Beyond Babylon". This sermon was recorded on November 2nd, 2025 at our main campus in Florence, SC Support the show

Life In Babylon Week #6 11/02/2025 by Mission Life Church Ionia

Send us a textJoin veteran Star Trek, and now Babylon 5 podcasters, Brent Allen and Jeff Akin as they dive into Babylon 5 for a second time! They revisit each episode with fresh insights and deeper analysis, reflecting on their first-time reactions. Perfect for First Ones and people new to the series, this journey offers a deeper connection to the world of Babylon 5!Evil Talia really hits different on a second watch!         For the First Time EpisodeThis show is produced in association with the Akin Collective, Mulberry Entertainment, and Framed Games. Find out how you can support the show and get great bonus content like access to notes, a Discord server, unedited reaction videos, and more: https://www.patreon.com/babylon5firstSpecial Thanks to all who support our show through Patreon, including: Executive Producers:AddrycAndrewAnthony PowellBecky SparksCalinicusColin 3of5Colin BlairDaniel AlvesDavidDeb L.DundradalFabio KaseckerJack KitchenJames OkeefeJeffrey HayeskatKaterina KalinevichKenny A KaryadiKrystle WrightMartin SvendsenMatt IonMattie GarciaMitsy MarcellaMr KrosisNeil MooreNia is framedPaul WalcherPeter SchullerRob BentRon HSarah LScott HelsbySnatcher42Starfury 5470Stuart98Suzanne EggTexas Anla'ShokTom OcchipintiTrekkieTreyTheTrekkerProducers:David BlauGuy KovelJohn Koniges Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badnerdsftft/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/badnerds.bsky.socialhttps://www.babylon5first.com/All rights belong to the Prime Time Entertainment Network, WBTV, and TNT. No copyright infringement intended.Copyright Disclaimer, Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.Visit https://www.patreon.com/babylon5first to join the Babylon 5 For the First Time Patreon. Support the show

Daniel, conscripted to serve in the court of Babylon, was given a choice about whose standards he wanted to live up to in his life. He chose God's, and we can too.

In part two of A Clear and Present Danger, Pastor Jay Tyler sounds the alarm on the danger of moral compromise, the slow erosion of conviction that leads to spiritual decay. Drawing from Daniel's faith in Babylon and Jesus' warning to the church at Pergamos, Pastor Jay exposes how compromise begins when conviction weakens, grows when culture becomes our standard, and spreads when sin is tolerated instead of confronted. Yet there is hope, compromise ends when believers choose courage over comfort. This message is a powerful call to wake up, stand firm, and live with bold conviction in a compromising world.

Why do Christians have to go through hardship? Well, trials are like God’s gym. In them, we're broken down so we can be built up. Pastor Greg Laurie shares more in his message focused on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Notes: Focus verse - Daniel 3 / James 1 Jesus walking with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego through the fiery furnace. Do not despair! You are not alone in your hardship! 1 Peter 4:12Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through,as if something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:14Be happy if you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God will come upon you. There are different kinds of trials and testings in the life of the Christian.The devil tempts us to destroy our faith, but God tests us to develop our faith. A faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.This is clearly shown in the story before us of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego stood up for what was right, even at the risk of losing their own lives. The stand you make today will determine what kind of stand you will make tomorrow. The most important time of our life is the time of our youth.It is when we set our course and habits are developed. The evening of our life is determined by the morning of it,the end from the beginning. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego made a stand in a small area.This is why they had the character and strength to make their stand in a larger one. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were captured along with Daniel and placed as counselors to the king. One night King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream.When he awoke, he called in all the astrologers and magicians. The prophet, Daniel, humbly gave glory to God, and told the king he had dreamed of a giant statue. Daniel 2:47 (NLT)The King said to Daniel, "Truly, your God is the God of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret." As chapter 3 opens, around 16–20 years have passed.King Nebuchadnezzar has a 90-foot-tall statue erected, covered in gold of himself! The King ordered that everyone gather for a big celebration.They had an orchestra in place and when they played you better bow, or else! The Lord was very clear about that in the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:4–5"Do not make idols of any kind; you must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any.” Thousands of Israelites apparently bowed, but not these three.Someone estimated 300,000 people were present. Read Daniel 3:14–18 King Nebuchadnezzar was choosing off God, when he asks,“What god will be able to rescue you?” Nebuchadnezzar had quickly forgotten the God who gave him a dream. Because of his pride, Nebuchadnezzar would soon be brought to his knees. Everybody is a worshipper. The question is not if we worship or not.It’s who we worship. Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego worshipped God, they could not worship the statue. You will end up serving who you worship. Daniel 3:18”Your Majesty can be sure that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." A moment at the altar of sexual experimentation can lead to a lifetime of regret. Moments spent worshipping God can lead to a lifetime of service. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were adamant, they were not going to bow. This will happen in the life of every Christian.Sooner or later, you too will be asked to bow before some idol. These boys were facing peer pressure on an epic scale. Despite the fact that everyone in Babylon bowed,Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego stood up straight. They figured, "Better to burn on earth and bow in Heaven, than to bow on earth, and burn in Hell!” One day, the Disciples came to Jesus, excited that they could cast out demons. Luke 10:20 (NLT)“But don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven." Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were not sure they would survive this, but they were sure of God’s promises.Daniel 3:17–18 Either God would preserve them, or He would be waiting on the other side. Upon hearing of this insubordination on the part of these three teens, the King flies into a rage. Read Daniel 3:19–25 Nebuchadnezzar said the fourth man looked “like the Son of God!” In this Christophany, Jesus walked with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego through this fiery furnace. Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Jesus is there with you, each step of the way. Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you, even until the end of the world." James 1:2–4When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't treat them as intruders but friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on, until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character, men of integrity with no weak spots. Staying cool, when things get hot. How do you do that? It’s similar to going to the gym and working out. A lot of folks find themselves getting tired and lethargic and say, “I’m just getting old!”Yes, and it maybe you are just out of shape too. Maybe you need to get busy and do something with your faith. Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given unto you.” Trials take our faith from the realm of theory to reality. James 1:3 (NKJV)Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Perseverance! (Greek: Hypomonē) We know about the suffering of Joseph. Psalm 105:18 (NLT)They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. “As he was laid in iron, iron entered his soul.” The very thing you want out of your life may be the thing you need in your life. If you want to grow spiritually, iron must enter your soul. James 1:4 (NKJV)Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. We may pray, “Lord, use me for Your glory! Bless me, Lord!”Then a trial comes. James 1:2 (NKJV)My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,No two experiences are alike. How did they do this?By the decisions and commitments they made years earlier. An idol is anyone or anything that takes God’s place in our life. 1 John 5:21 (NKJV)Little children, keep yourselves from idols. One day another world leader will come along and demand worship.The bible calls him Antichrist. He too will erect an image and demand worship, placing the image in the temple. Jesus promises to deliver us from this time of tribulation. Revelation 3:10 (NKJV)"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:11 (NKJV)"Behold, I am coming quickly! Jesus says, ”Behold, I am coming quickly!”Revelation 3:11 Nebuchadnezzar saw God work. Maybe God is trying to get your attention today! Jesus died on the cross for your sin so you could know God. Looking for hope or know someone who is? Join Greg Laurie at the Harvest Crusade: Hope for America on November 16! Get event information here. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The year is 539 BC. The greatest city of the ancient world has fallen. Babylon has opened it's gates to a new conqueror: the mighty Persian king Cyrus the Great.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined once again by friend of the show Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to uncover the dramatic fall of Babylon and the ascent of Persia's Achaemenid empire. From the final decades of Babylonian rule to Cyrus' blood-stained triumph and the city's remarkable survival under a new regime, they discover how one of history's most iconic capitals lost its crown - a seismic chapter in the tumultuous story of the Ancient Near East.Watch this episode on our NEW YouTube channel: @TheAncientsPodcastMORE:The Walls of BabylonCyrus the GreatPresented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FAITH IS… with Pastor Rick Stevens – Revelation unfolds God's grand design of salvation and judgment. Babylon the Great falls, symbolizing the downfall of worldly idolatry and excess. In the midst of destruction, God's people rejoice as a new beginning dawns. Through divine justice, God makes all things new, revealing His ultimate victory over evil and the promise of eternal renewal...

Why do Christians have to go through hardship? Well, trials are like God’s gym. In them, we're broken down so we can be built up. Pastor Greg Laurie shares more in his message focused on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Notes: Focus verse - Daniel 3 / James 1 Jesus walking with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego through the fiery furnace. Do not despair! You are not alone in your hardship! 1 Peter 4:12Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through,as if something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:14Be happy if you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God will come upon you. There are different kinds of trials and testings in the life of the Christian.The devil tempts us to destroy our faith, but God tests us to develop our faith. A faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.This is clearly shown in the story before us of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego stood up for what was right, even at the risk of losing their own lives. The stand you make today will determine what kind of stand you will make tomorrow. The most important time of our life is the time of our youth.It is when we set our course and habits are developed. The evening of our life is determined by the morning of it,the end from the beginning. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego made a stand in a small area.This is why they had the character and strength to make their stand in a larger one. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were captured along with Daniel and placed as counselors to the king. One night King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream.When he awoke, he called in all the astrologers and magicians. The prophet, Daniel, humbly gave glory to God, and told the king he had dreamed of a giant statue. Daniel 2:47 (NLT)The King said to Daniel, "Truly, your God is the God of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret." As chapter 3 opens, around 16–20 years have passed.King Nebuchadnezzar has a 90-foot-tall statue erected, covered in gold of himself! The King ordered that everyone gather for a big celebration.They had an orchestra in place and when they played you better bow, or else! The Lord was very clear about that in the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:4–5"Do not make idols of any kind; you must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any.” Thousands of Israelites apparently bowed, but not these three.Someone estimated 300,000 people were present. Read Daniel 3:14–18 King Nebuchadnezzar was choosing off God, when he asks,“What god will be able to rescue you?” Nebuchadnezzar had quickly forgotten the God who gave him a dream. Because of his pride, Nebuchadnezzar would soon be brought to his knees. Everybody is a worshipper. The question is not if we worship or not.It’s who we worship. Because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego worshipped God, they could not worship the statue. You will end up serving who you worship. Daniel 3:18”Your Majesty can be sure that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." A moment at the altar of sexual experimentation can lead to a lifetime of regret. Moments spent worshipping God can lead to a lifetime of service. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were adamant, they were not going to bow. This will happen in the life of every Christian.Sooner or later, you too will be asked to bow before some idol. These boys were facing peer pressure on an epic scale. Despite the fact that everyone in Babylon bowed,Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego stood up straight. They figured, "Better to burn on earth and bow in Heaven, than to bow on earth, and burn in Hell!” One day, the Disciples came to Jesus, excited that they could cast out demons. Luke 10:20 (NLT)“But don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven." Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were not sure they would survive this, but they were sure of God’s promises.Daniel 3:17–18 Either God would preserve them, or He would be waiting on the other side. Upon hearing of this insubordination on the part of these three teens, the King flies into a rage. Read Daniel 3:19–25 Nebuchadnezzar said the fourth man looked “like the Son of God!” In this Christophany, Jesus walked with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego through this fiery furnace. Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Jesus is there with you, each step of the way. Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you, even until the end of the world." James 1:2–4When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don't treat them as intruders but friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on, until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character, men of integrity with no weak spots. Staying cool, when things get hot. How do you do that? It’s similar to going to the gym and working out. A lot of folks find themselves getting tired and lethargic and say, “I’m just getting old!”Yes, and it maybe you are just out of shape too. Maybe you need to get busy and do something with your faith. Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given unto you.” Trials take our faith from the realm of theory to reality. James 1:3 (NKJV)Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Perseverance! (Greek: Hypomonē) We know about the suffering of Joseph. Psalm 105:18 (NLT)They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. “As he was laid in iron, iron entered his soul.” The very thing you want out of your life may be the thing you need in your life. If you want to grow spiritually, iron must enter your soul. James 1:4 (NKJV)Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. We may pray, “Lord, use me for Your glory! Bless me, Lord!”Then a trial comes. James 1:2 (NKJV)My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,No two experiences are alike. How did they do this?By the decisions and commitments they made years earlier. An idol is anyone or anything that takes God’s place in our life. 1 John 5:21 (NKJV)Little children, keep yourselves from idols. One day another world leader will come along and demand worship.The bible calls him Antichrist. He too will erect an image and demand worship, placing the image in the temple. Jesus promises to deliver us from this time of tribulation. Revelation 3:10 (NKJV)"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:11 (NKJV)"Behold, I am coming quickly! Jesus says, ”Behold, I am coming quickly!”Revelation 3:11 Nebuchadnezzar saw God work. Maybe God is trying to get your attention today! Jesus died on the cross for your sin so you could know God. Looking for hope or know someone who is? Join Greg Laurie at the Harvest Crusade: Hope for America on November 16! Get event information here. — Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years. Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John the Elder tells us that the world under the sway of the evil one is driven by pride, greed, and lust. (Think of how much advertising appeals to pride, greed, or lust.) This world (prophetically called Babylon) cannot be harnessed for good—even though religious ambition for political power imagines it can. The task of the church is not to reappropriate the engines of pride, greed, and lust, but to be something altogether different—the kingdom of Jesus Christ energized by faith, hope, and love.

As evidenced by the pyramids that remain standing today, the treasures of the pharaohs, along with abundant of historical records, Egypt was once a major world power that ruled mightily for centuries. Bible readers will recall that Joseph helped Egypt thrive early in their history and that Egypt held the nation of Israel in bondage for 400 years. This proud nation defied the Lord God and proved to be an unreliable ally to the surrounding nations, a splintered, reed staff that injured those who leaned on it. In today's text, God proclaims that he will once again use Babylon as the sword of his wrath. Unlike some other nations, the exiled Egyptians will be allowed to return to their land, but as a nation they will never again achieve their former status.Ezekiel 29 - 1:10 . Ezekiel 30 - 6:02 . Ezekiel 31 - 12:05 . Ezekiel 32 - 17:41 . Psalm 134 - 25:17 . Psalm 135 - 25:44 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

In this episode, Camden Bucey speaks with Danny Olinger, General Secretary of the OPC Committee on Christian Education, about his new book Christ and His Church-Bride: Meredith G. Kline's Biblical-Theological Reading of Revelation (Reformed Forum). Olinger traces how Kline's covenantal and redemptive-historical reading of Revelation portrays the church's transformation into the radiant Bride of Christ, moving from imperfection and suffering in the present age to consummate glory in the new creation. The discussion unfolds key themes of recapitulation, the conflict between Babylon and the Bride, and the covenantal drama of creation to consummation. Through rich historical and exegetical reflection, Olinger shows how Kline weaves together Genesis, Daniel, Zechariah, and Revelation to present a unified vision of redemptive history centered on Christ's victory and the Spirit's work in the church. The conversation is both theologically rigorous and pastorally hopeful—reminding listeners that Christ reigns now, the church's pilgrim identity is secure, and the gospel's progress continues unthwarted by the powers of this world. Watch on YouTube Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Book Announcement 06:27 Origins of the Book and Rediscovery of Kline's Revelation Paper 11:19 Kline's Covenant Drama: Creation to Consummation 20:55 Understanding Recapitulation in Revelation 26:24 The Deeper Conflict: The Woman, the Dragon, and the Church 31:18 The Church Imperfect and Perfected in Glory 34:25 The Armageddon Paradigm and Covenant Mount 37:51 Christ and His Church-Bride: Theological and Pastoral Heart 48:13 The New Jerusalem and the Covenant of Grace 53:09 Suffering, Sanctification, and the Bride's Purification 57:07 Babylon vs. the Bride: The Church's Pilgrim Calling 01:01:02 Christ Reigns Now: Hope for the Pilgrim Church 01:04:29 Closing, Resources, and Final Reflections

Pastors' Point of View Ep. 380 with Dr. Andy Woods“Prophecy Update”Topics covered:BabylonSocietal sinsPersecutionApostasyWhile the world celebrates Halloween, let's remember this is Reformation Day - the day Martin Luther took his stand on Scripture alone over 500 years ago. Today, we need that same commitment to God's Word more than ever.Bible prophecy isn't just about the future - it's unfolding right now. From Babylon's economic revival in Iraq to persecution rising globally, from California's assault on parental rights to the church's growing biblical illiteracy, we're witnessing Jesus' predictions coming to life.Did you know Iraq just launched "Vision 2050" to position Babylon as a hub for 20% of Asia-Europe commerce? Or that new laws now allow strangers to make medical decisions for your children without parental consent? These aren't random events - they're prophetic markers.Jesus warned that the last days would mirror Sodom and Gomorrah's depravity. Paul predicted the church would turn from sound doctrine. We're watching both unfold simultaneously.But here's the hope: these signs point to Christ's imminent return. We have the blessed hope of the rapture before the tribulation begins. The question is - are you ready? Have you placed your personal faith in Jesus Christ for salvation?Don't be discouraged. Be discerning. Stand on Scripture alone. The darker it gets, the brighter our light should shine.Looking for the blessed hope and appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. - Titus 2:13

Patreon.com/IlluminatiWatcher UNLOCK FULL EPISODE HERE! (Tier 2 gets video version)On today's episode of the Occult Symbolism and Pop Culture with Isaac Weishaupt podcast we have the Supporters-Only October BONUS episode where we decode the 2025 film WEAPON! I'll walk you through the whole film- starting with a brief discussion of the cast and then we hit the ground running with some hidden messaging that includes goat with the bobs, 1948, Sirius Lion's Gate portal, 217 meaning, connections to Stephen King, Q Anon, Osiris resurrection rituals, mark of the beast symbols, parasitic mushrooms, 7 glizzies, the meaning of that bell and the triangle with number 6, the tree, MKULTRA, Campbell's Soup and then we'll pull it all together in the conclusion where I'll pitch my theory about the coded meaning of the film as the summoning of the Antichrist through Aleister Crowley's Whore of Babylon!NOW UP AD-FREE ON SUPPORTER FEEDS! Free feed gets a preview! If you're ready to go ad-free and unlock hundreds of bonus episodes just like this one- sign up for one of the three supporter feeds:Patreon.com/IlluminatiWatcher (Tier 2 gets video version)VIP Section: https://wp.me/P2ijVF-aRL (Tier 2 gets video version)Apple Podcasts Premium! You can now go ad-free with ALL the bonus episodes on the Apple app- just open up the podcast and subscribe!Links:Idiocracy Film Analysis: Corporate Takeovers, Devolution of Society & New Atlantis! https://illuminatiwatcher.com/idiocracy-film-analysis-corporate-takeovers-devolution-of-society-new-atlantis/Truman Show Analysis: Gnostic Symbolism and Illuminati Control Systems!https://www.illuminatiwatcher.com/truman-show-analysis-gnostic-symbolism-and-illuminati-control-systemsCatcher in the Rye Conspiracies Pt 1: MKULTRA Incel Abused Killer, Secret Societies & Luigi Mangione!https://illuminatiwatcher.com/catcher-in-the-rye-conspiracies-pt-1-mkultra-incel-abused-killer-secret-societies-luigi-mangione/Sunshine Film Analysis: Black Sun, Saturn Death Cult & Hidden Solar Symbolism! BONUShttps://illuminatiwatcher.com/sunshine-film-analysis-black-sun-saturn-death-cult-hidden-solar-symbolism-bonus/Q Anon and the Occult Pt 1: Americas Secret Destiny Resurrection of Osiris and Symbolism of 17https://www.illuminatiwatcher.com/q-anon-and-the-occult-pt-1-americas-secret-destiny-resurrection-of-osiris-and-symbolism-of-17More from Isaac- links and special offers:*BREAKING SOCIAL NORMS podcast, Index of EVERY episode (back to 2014), Signed paperbacks, shirts, & other merch, Substack, YouTube links, appearances & more: https://allmylinks.com/isaacw *STATEMENT: This show is full of Isaac's useless opinions and presented for entertainment purposes. Audio clips used in Fair Use and taken from YouTube videos.