Podcasts about babylonians

Sometimes no matter how great the teacher, we fail to learn the lesson. In today’s reading, God directed the prophet Jeremiah to use a family called the Rekabites as an object lesson (v. 13). Who were the Rekabites? During the reign of King Jehu, the Rekabites remained faithful to the Lord, opposed the worship of Baal, and supported Jehu’s reforms (2 Kings 10:15–23). Today’s reading in Jeremiah chapter 35 takes place more than 200 years later. Although the Rekabites had been forced to take refuge in Jerusalem due to the invading Babylonians, the descendants of the original group had remained loyal to their teachings (Jer. 35:6–11). When the prophet Jeremiah invited them to drink wine, he was asking them to violate a longstanding tradition (vv. 1–5). They refused. The prophet used their example of faithfulness to condemn the people of Judah (vv. 12-16). If this minority group could consistently obey a human command or tradition, why couldn’t the people of Judah keep God’s Law and repent of their idolatry? God had spoken to them time and time again through the prophets, calling them back to covenant obedience. The contrast was crystal clear: “[The Rekabites] have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me” (v. 16). Failure to learn brings God’s judgment. It is true that God is patient and merciful. He gives many opportunities and “second chances.” But in the end, He will not be mocked. Failure to learn as a way of life is foolish and sinful. If people think God will never act, they’re tragically mistaken (2 Peter 3:3–7). Sin brings consequences and God’s judgment— in this case, conquest and exile by the Babylonians (Jer. 35:17). >> If only the people of Judah had heeded God’s words. If only. Then they would have received His blessings of peace and well being (Isa. 48:17–19). Don’t let “if only” be your story!

In January 330 BC, Alexander the Great faced one of his most difficult challenges to date. A small Persian force, entrenched in a formidable defensive position that blockaded Alexander's route to the Persian heartlands. A narrow pass through the Zagros Mountains that has gone down in history as the Persian, or Susian, Gates. Although nowhere near the size or scale of Alexander's previous pitched battles against the Persians at the Granicus, Issus and Gaugamela, this clash in the mountains deserves its moment in the spotlight. A clash where the tables were turned and the Persians were outnumbered by their Macedonian counterparts. A battle that has been dubbed the Persian Thermopylae. From the immediate aftermath of Alexander's victory at Gaugamela to his army's antics at Babylon. From a merciless, punitive campaign in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains to a detailed run down of the Persian stand the Gates, enjoy as Tristan talks you through the events of late 331 / early 330 BC.In this first part, Tristan covers the events that followed Alexander the Great's victory at Gaugamela and how these culminated with Alexander's army approaching the Persian heartlands deep in the winter of 331/0 BC.Preorder Tristan's book today: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Perdiccas-Years-323320-BC-Hardback/p/20188Jona Lendering article: https://www.livius.org/articles/battle/persian-gate-330-bce/If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit. To download, go to Android or Apple store. If you're enjoying this podcast and looking for more fascinating The Ancients content then subscribe to our Ancients newsletter. Follow this link.Quick note: We do hear a small detail about what happened to Bagophanes. Alexander assigned him to become one of Mazaeus' adjutants in the new Babylonian administration. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tonight we are going to tell you a tale. A superb tale. A tale as old as time that takes us from the beginnings of civilization until today. This tale will thrill you and chill you. It may elicit feelings of dread and sadness. It may make you angry.  At times it may make you uneasily laugh like the friend at school that was kicked in the balls but couldn't show his weakness. It's a subject that people continually argue about and debate with savage ferocity. Tonight we are talking about executions! We'll talk about the methods and the reasons behind executions throughout the years. Then we'll talk about some famous executions, as well as some of the more fucked up ones. And by fucked up, we mean botched. Bad stuff. This episode isn't meant to be a debate for or against executions but merely to discuss them and the crazy shit surrounding them. So with all that being said, Let's rock and roll!           Capital punishment has been practiced in the history of virtually all known societies and places. The first established death penalty laws date as far back as the Eighteenth Century B.C. in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon, which codified the death penalty for 25 different crimes.  The Code of Hammurabi was one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes and was proclaimed by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who reigned from 1792 to 1750 B.C. Hammurabi expanded the city-state of Babylon along the Euphrates River to unite all of southern Mesopotamia. The Hammurabi code of laws, a collection of 282 rules, established standards for commercial interactions and set fines and punishments to meet the requirements of justice. Hammurabi's Code was carved onto a massive, finger-shaped black stone stele (pillar) that was looted by invaders and finally rediscovered in 1901. The text, compiled at the end of Hammurabi's reign, is less a proclamation of principles than a collection of legal precedents, set between prose celebrating Hammurabi's just and pious rule. Hammurabi's Code provides some of the earliest examples of the doctrine of “lex talionis,” or the laws of retribution, sometimes better known as “an eye for an eye the greatest soulfly song ever!   The Code of Hammurabi includes many harsh punishments, sometimes demanding the removal of the guilty party's tongue, hands, breasts, eye, or ear. But the code is also one of the earliest examples of an accused person being considered innocent until proven guilty. The 282 laws are all written in an “if-then form.” For example, if a man steals an ox, he must pay back 30 times its value. The laws range from family law to professional contracts and administrative law, often outlining different standards of justice for the three classes of Babylonian society—the propertied class, freedmen, and slaves.   A doctor's fee for curing a severe wound would be ten silver shekels for a gentleman, five shekels for a freedman, and two shekels for a slave. So, it was less expensive when you were a lower-class citizen. Penalties for malpractice followed the same scheme: a doctor who killed a wealthy patient would have his hands cut off, while only financial restitution was required if the victim was a slave. Crazy!   Some examples of the death penalty laws at this time are as follows:         If a man accuses another man and charges him with homicide but cannot bring proof against him, his accuser shall be killed. Holy shit.         If a man breaks into a house, they shall kill him and hang him in front of that same house.          The death penalty was also part of the Hittite Code in the 14th century B.C., but only partially. The most severe offenses typically were punished through enslavement, although crimes of a sexual nature often were punishable by death. The Hittite laws, also known as the Code of the Nesilim, constitute an ancient legal code dating from c. 1650 – 1500 BCE. The Hittite laws were kept in use for roughly 500 years, and many copies show that other than changes in grammar, what might be called the 'original edition' with its apparent disorder, was copied slavishly; no attempt was made to 'tidy up' by placing even apparent afterthoughts in a more appropriate position.    The Draconian constitution, or Draco's code, was a written law code enforced by Draco near the end of the 7th century BC; its composition started around 621BC. It was written in response to the unjust interpretation and modification of oral law by Athenian aristocrats. Aristotle, the chief source for knowledge of Draco, claims that he was the first to write Athenian laws and that Draco established a constitution enfranchising hoplites, the lower class soldiers. The Draconian laws were most noteworthy for their harshness; they were written in blood rather than ink. Death was prescribed for almost all criminal offenses. Solon, who was the magistrate in 594 BCE, later repealed Draco's code and published new laws, retaining only Draco's homicide statutes.   In the 5th century B.C., the Roman Law of the Twelve Tables also contained the death penalty. Death sentences were carried out by such means as beheading, boiling in oil, burying alive, burning, crucifixion, disembowelment, drowning, flaying alive, hanging, impalement, stoning, strangling, being thrown to wild animals, and quartering. We'll talk more about that later. The earliest attempt by the Romans to create a code of law was the Laws of the Twelve Tables. A commission of ten men (Decemviri) was appointed (c. 455 B.C.) to draw up a code of law binding on patrician and plebeian and which consuls would have to enforce. The commission produced enough statutes to fill ten bronze tablets.    Mosaic Law codified many capital crimes. There is evidence that Jews used many different techniques, including stoning, hanging, beheading, crucifixion (copied from the Romans), throwing the criminal from a rock, and sawing asunder. The most infamous execution of history occurred approximately 29 AD with the crucifixion of that one guy, Jesus Christ, outside Jerusalem. About 300 years later, Emperor Constantine, after converting to Christianity, abolished crucifixion and other cruel death penalties in the Roman Empire. In 438, the Code of Theodosius made more than 80 crimes punishable by death.    Britain influenced the colonies more than any other country and has a long history of punishment by death. About 450 BC, the death penalty was often enforced by throwing the condemned into a quagmire, which is not only the character from Family Guy, and another word for dilemma but in this case is a soft boggy area of land. By the 10th Century, hanging from the gallows was the most frequent execution method. William the Conqueror opposed taking life except in war and ordered no person to be hanged or executed for any offense. Nice guy, right? However, he allowed criminals to be mutilated for their crimes.    During the middle ages, capital punishment was accompanied by torture. Most barons had a drowning pit as well as gallows, and they were used for major as well as minor crimes. For example, in 1279, two hundred and eighty-nine Jews were hanged for clipping coins. What the fuck is that you may be wondering. Well, Clipping was taking a small amount of metal off the edge of hand-struck coins. Over time, the precious metal clippings could be saved up and melted into bullion (a lump of precious metal) to be sold or used to make new coins. Under Edward I, two gatekeepers were killed because the city gate had not been closed in time to prevent the escape of an accused murderer. Burning was the punishment for women's high treason, and men were hanged, drawn, and quartered. Beheading was generally accepted for the upper classes. One could be burned to death for marrying a Jew. Pressing became the penalty for those who would not confess to their crimes—the executioner placed heavy weights on the victim's chest until death. On the first day, he gave the victim a small quantity of bread, on the second day a small drink of bad water, and so on until he confessed or died. Under the reign of Henry VIII, the number of those put to death is estimated as high as 72,000. Boiling to death was another penalty approved in 1531, and there are records to show some people cooked for up to two hours before death took them. When a woman was burned, the executioner tied a rope around her neck when she was connected to the stake. When the flames reached her, she could be strangled from outside the ring of fire. However, this often failed, and many were burnt alive.   In Britain, the number of capital offenses continually increased until the 1700's when two hundred and twenty-two crimes were punishable by death. These included stealing from a house for forty shillings, stealing from a shop the value of five shillings, robbing a rabbit warren, cutting down a tree, and counterfeiting tax stamps. However, juries tended not to convict when the penalty was significant, and the crime was not. Reforms began to take place. In 1823, five laws were passed, removing about a hundred crimes from the death penalty. Between 1832 and 1837, many capital offenses were swept away. In 1840, there was a failed attempt to abolish all capital punishment. Through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, more and more capital punishments were abolished, not only in Britain but also all across Europe; until today, only a few European countries retain the death penalty.   The first recorded execution in the English American colonies was in 1608 when officials executed George Kendall of Virginia for supposedly plotting to betray the British to the Spanish. In 1612, Virginia's governor, Sir Thomas Dale, implemented the Divine, Moral, and Martial Laws that made death the penalty for even minor offenses such as stealing grapes, killing chickens, killing dogs or horses without permission, or trading with Indians. Seven years later, these laws were softened because Virginia feared that no one would settle there. Well, no shit.   In 1622, the first legal execution of a criminal, Daniel Frank, occurred in, of course, Virginia for the crime of theft. Some colonies were very strict in using the death penalty, while others were less so. In Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first execution was in 1630, but the earliest capital statutes did not occur until later. Under the Capital Laws of New England that went into effect between 1636-1647, the death penalty was set forth for pre-meditated murder, sodomy, witchcraft, adultery, idolatry, blasphemy, assault in anger, rape, statutory rape, manstealing, perjury in a capital trial, rebellion, manslaughter, poisoning, and bestiality. A scripture from the Old Testament accompanied early laws. By 1780, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts only recognized seven capital crimes: murder, sodomy, burglary, buggery, arson, rape, and treason. And for those wondering, The Buggery Act of 1533, formally An Act for the punishment of the vice of Buggerie, was an Act of the Parliament of England that was passed during the reign of Henry VIII. It was the country's first civil sodomy law.   The Act defined buggery as an unnatural sexual act against the will of God and Man. This term was later determined by the courts to include only anal penetration and bestiality.   The New York colony instituted the so-called Duke's Laws of 1665. This list of laws directed the death penalty for denial of the true God, pre-meditated murder, killing someone who had no weapon of defense, killing by lying in wait or by poisoning, sodomy, buggery, kidnapping, perjury in a capital trial, traitorous denial of the king's rights or raising arms to resist his authority, conspiracy to invade towns or forts in the colony and striking one's mother or father (upon complaint of both). The two colonies that were more lenient concerning capital punishment were South Jersey and Pennsylvania. In South Jersey, there was no death penalty for any crime, and there were only two crimes, murder, and treason, punishable by death. Way to go, Jersey Raccoons!   Some states were more severe. For example, by 1837, North Carolina required death for the crimes of murder, rape, statutory rape, slave-stealing, stealing banknotes, highway robbery, burglary, arson, castration, buggery, sodomy, bestiality, dueling where death occurs, (and this insidious shit), hiding a slave with intent to free him, taking a free Negro out of state to sell him, bigamy, inciting slaves to rebel, circulating seditious literature among slaves, accessory to murder, robbery, burglary, arson, or mayhem and others. However, North Carolina did not have a state prison and, many said, no suitable alternative to capital punishment. So, instead of building a fucking prison to hold criminals, they just made the penalty for less severe crimes punishable by death. What the shit, North Carolina?!?   The first reforms of the death penalty occurred between 1776-1800. Thomas Jefferson and four others, authorized to undertake a complete revision of Virginia's laws, proposed a law that recommended the death penalty for only treason and murder. After a stormy debate, the legislature defeated the bill by one vote. The writing of European theorists such as Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Bentham had a significant effect on American intellectuals, as did English Quaker prison reformers John Bellers and John Howard.   Organizations were formed in different colonies for the abolition of the death penalty and to relieve poor prison conditions. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a renowned Philadelphia citizen, proposed abolishing capital punishment. William Bradford, Attorney General of Pennsylvania, was ordered to investigate capital punishment. In 1793 he published “An Enquiry How Far the Punishment of Death is Necessary” in Pennsylvania. Bradford strongly insisted that the death penalty be retained but admitted it was useless in preventing certain crimes. He said the death penalty made convictions harder to obtain because in Pennsylvania, and indeed in all states, the death penalty was mandatory. Juries would often not return a guilty verdict because of this fact, which makes sense. In response, in 1794, the Pennsylvania legislature abolished capital punishment for all crimes except murder “in the first degree,” the first time murder had been broken down into “degrees.” In New York, in 1796, the legislature authorized construction of the state's first prison, abolished whipping, and reduced the number of capital offenses from thirteen to two. Virginia and Kentucky passed similar reform bills. Four more states reduced their capital crimes: Vermont in 1797 to three; Maryland in 1810, to four; New Hampshire in 1812, to two and Ohio in 1815 to two. Each of these states built state penitentiaries. A few states went in the opposite direction. Rhode Island restored the death penalty for rape and arson; Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut raised death crimes from six to ten, including sodomy, maiming, robbery, and forgery. Many southern states made more crimes capital, especially for slaves. Assholes.   The first profound reform era occurred between 1833-1853. Public executions were attacked as cruel. Sometimes tens of thousands of eager viewers would show up to view hangings; local merchants would sell souvenirs and alcohol. Which, I'm not sure if I hate or absolutely love. Fighting and pushing would often break out as people jockeyed for the best view of the hanging or the corpse! Onlookers often cursed the widow or the victim and would try to tear down the scaffold or the rope for keepsakes. Violence and drunkenness often ruled towns far into the night after “justice had been served.” People are fucking weird, dude. Many states enacted laws providing private hangings. Rhode Island (1833), Pennsylvania (1834), New York (1835), Massachusetts (1835), and New Jersey (1835) all abolished public hangings. By 1849, fifteen states were holding private hangings. This move was opposed by many death penalty abolitionists who thought public executions would eventually cause people to cry out against execution itself. For example, in 1835, Maine enacted what was in effect a moratorium on capital punishment after over ten thousand people who watched a hanging had to be restrained by police after they became unruly and began fighting. All felons sentenced to death would have to remain in prison at hard labor and could not be executed until one year had elapsed and then only on the governor's order. No governor ordered an execution under the “Maine Law” for twenty-seven years. Though many states argued the merits of the death penalty, no state went as far as Maine. The most influential reformers were the clergy, of course. Ironically, the small but influential group that opposed the abolitionists was the clergy.    Ok, let's talk about electrocution. Want to know how the electric chair came to be? Well, Electrocution as a method of execution came onto the scene in an implausible manner. Edison Company, with its DC (direct current) electrical systems, began attacking Westinghouse Company and its AC (alternating current) electrical systems as they were pressing for nationwide electrification with alternating current. To show how dangerous AC could be, Edison Company began public demonstrations by electrocuting animals. People reasoned that if electricity could kill animals, it could kill people. In 1888, New York approved the dismantling of its gallows and the building of the nation's first electric chair. It held its first victim, William Kemmler, in 1890, and even though the first electrocution was clumsy at best, other states soon followed the lead.   Between 1917 and 1955, the death penalty abolition movement again slowed. Washington, Arizona, and Oregon in 1919-20 reinstated the death penalty. In 1924, the first execution by cyanide gas took place in Nevada, when Tong war gang murderer Gee Jon became its first victim. Get this shit. The frigging state wanted to secretly pump cyanide gas into Jon's cell at night while he was asleep as a more humanitarian way of carrying out the penalty. Still, technical difficulties prohibited this, and a special “gas chamber” was hastily built. Other concerns developed when less “civilized” methods of execution failed. In 1930, Mrs. Eva Dugan became the first female to be executed by Arizona. The execution was botched when the hangman misjudged the drop, and Mrs. Dugan's head was ripped from her body. More states converted to electric chairs and gas chambers. During this time, abolitionist organizations sprang up all across the country, but they had little effect. Several stormy protests were held against the execution of certain convicted felons, like Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. The couple was convicted of providing top-secret information about radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and valuable nuclear weapon designs. At that time, the United States was supposedly the only country with nuclear weapons. Convicted of espionage in 1951, they were executed by the United States federal government in 1953 in the Sing Sing correctional facility in Ossining, New York, becoming the first American civilians to be executed for such charges and the first to receive that penalty during peacetime. However, these protests held little opposition against the death penalty itself. In fact, during the anti-Communist period, with all its fears and hysteria, Texas Governor Allan Shivers seriously suggested that capital punishment be the penalty for membership in the Communist Party.   The movement against capital punishment revived again between 1955 and 1972.   England and Canada completed exhaustive studies which were largely critical of the death penalty, and these were widely circulated in the U.S.  Death row criminals gave their moving accounts of capital punishment in books and films. Convicted robber, kidnapper, and rapist Caryl Chessman, published “Cell 2455 Death Row” and “Trial by Ordeal.” Barbara Graham's story was utilized in the book and movie “I Want to Live!” after her execution. She was executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin Prison on the same day as two convicted accomplices, Jack Santo and Emmett Perkins. All of them were involved in a robbery that led to the murder of an elderly widow.  Television shows were broadcast on the death penalty. Hawaii and Alaska ended capital punishment in 1957, and Delaware did so the following year. Controversy over the death penalty gripped the nation, forcing politicians to take sides. Delaware restored the death penalty in 1961. Michigan abolished capital punishment for treason in 1963. Voters in 1964 abolished the death penalty in Oregon. In 1965 Iowa, New York, West Virginia, and Vermont ended the death penalty. New Mexico abolished the death penalty in 1969.   The controversy over the death penalty continues today. There is a strong movement against lawlessness propelled by citizens' fears of security. Politicians at the national and state levels are taking the floor of legislatures and calling for more frequent death penalties, death penalties for more crimes, and longer prison sentences. Those opposing these moves counter by arguing that harsher sentences do not slow crime and that crime is slightly or the same as in the past. FBI statistics show murders are now up. (For example, 9.3 persons per 100,000 were murdered in 1973, and 9.4 persons per 100,000 were murdered in 1992, and as of today, it's upwards of 14.4 people per 100,000. This upswing might be because of more advanced crime technology, as well as more prominent news and media.   Capital punishment has been completely abolished in all European countries except for Belarus and Russia, which has a moratorium and has not conducted an execution since September 1996. The complete ban on capital punishment is enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (EU). Two widely adopted protocols of the European Convention on Human Rights of the Council of Europe are thus considered a central value. Of all modern European countries, San Marino, Portugal, and the Netherlands were the first to abolish capital punishment, whereas only Belarus still practices capital punishment in some form or another. In 2012, Latvia became the last EU member state to abolish capital punishment in wartime.   Ok, so now let's switch gears from the history of capital punishment and executions in general and get into what we know you beautiful bastards come here for. Let's talk about some methods used throughout the years, and then we'll talk about some famous executions and some fucked and messed up ones.   Methods:   We've discussed a few of these before, but some are so fucked up we're going to discuss them again.   Boiling To Death:   A slow and agonizing punishment, this method traditionally saw the victim gradually lowered — feet-first — into boiling oil, water, or wax (although uses of boiling wine and molten lead have also been recorded).   If the shock of the pain did not render them immediately unconscious, the person would experience the excruciating sensation of their outer layers of skin, utterly destroyed by immersion burns, dissolving right off their body, followed by the complete breakdown of the fatty tissue, boiling away beneath.   Emperor Nero is said to have dispatched thousands of Christians in this manner. At the same time, in the Middle Ages, the primary recipients of the punishment were not killers or rapists but coin forgers, particularly in Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. In Britain, meanwhile, King Henry VIII introduced the practice for executing those who used poison to commit murder.   Shockingly, the practice is believed to have been carried out as recently as 2002, when the government of Uzbekistan, led by Islam Karimov, was alleged to have tortured several suspected terrorists to death by boiling.   The Blood Eagle:   A technique ascribed to ancient Norse warriors, the blood eagle, mixed brutality and poetic imagery that only the Vikings could. First, the victim's back would be hacked open, and the skin ripped apart, exposing the spinal column.   The ribs would then be snapped from the spine and forcibly bent backward until they faced outwards from the body, forming a pair of bloody, shattered eagle's wings. As a horrifying finale, the lungs would then be pulled from the body cavity and coated with stinging salt, causing eventual death by suffocation.   There is some question whether this technique was ever actually used as the only accounts come from Norse literature. Odin did this shit, you know it.   Several scholars claim that the act we know of today is simply a result of poor translating and misunderstands the strong association of the eagle with blood and death in Norse imagery. That said, every account is consistent in that in each case, the victim is a nobleman being punished for murdering his father.   The good news for any poor soul who might have suffered this brutal death? The agony and blood loss from the initial wounds would probably have caused them to pass out long before the lungs were removed from their bodies.    Impalement:   Most famously used by Vlad the Impaler, 15th-century ruler of Wallachia (in present-day Romania) and inspiration for Count Dracula, the act of impalement has a long, grim history. While images tend to depict people skewered through the midsection and then held aloft — in a manner that would almost certainly bring about a rapid death — the actual process was a much longer, horrifically drawn-out ordeal.   Traditionally, the stake would be partially sharpened and planted, point up, in the ground. The victim would then be placed over the spike as it was inserted partway into the rectum or vagina.   As their body weight dragged them further onto the pole, the semi-greased wooden stake would force its way up through their body, piercing organs with agonizing slowness as it eventually penetrated the entire torso, finally tearing an exit wound through the skin of the shoulder, neck or throat. Holy shishkabob. Or bill. Or Karen.   The earliest records of the torture come from 1772 B.C. in Babylon, where the aforementioned King Hammurabi ordered a woman be executed in this way for killing her husband. But its use continued until as recently as the 20th century when the Ottoman government employed the technique during the Armenian genocide of 1915-1923. Which is super fucked up.   According to some accounts, it could take the victim — exposed, bleeding, and writhing in tormented agony — as long as eight whole days to die. Oh my hell!   Keelhauling:   Walking the plank might not be the most pleasant of deaths, but it seems moderately more humane than the other favored maritime punishment of keelhauling.   A punishment that often ended in death due to the severity of the wounds sustained (or was simply carried out until the point of death), it saw the victim, legs weighted and suspended from a rope, dropped from the bow of the ship, and then rapidly pulled underwater along the length of the hull — and over the keel (the beam that runs longitudinally down the center of the underside to the stern.   In the age of old, old wooden sailing ships, the hull of a vessel would generally be coated in a thick layer of barnacles, whose shells could be rock hard and razor-sharp.   As the drowning sailor was yanked relentlessly through the saltwater, these barnacles would strip the skin from his body, gouging out raw chunks of flesh and even, by some accounts, tearing off whole limbs or severing the head.   If the sailor was still alive, they might be hung from the mast for 15 minutes before going in again. In some cases, the victim would have an oil-soaked sponge — containing a breath of air — stuffed into their mouth to prevent a “merciful” drowning.   Employed mainly by the Dutch and the French from the 1500s until it was abolished in 1853, accounts of its use date back to Greece in 800 B.C.   The Roman Candle:   Many of the worst execution methods ever devised involve fire — from burning witches at stake in medieval Britain to roasting criminals alive in the hot metal insides of the brazen bull in Ancient Greece — but few match the sheer lack of humanity as the Roman Candle.   A rumored favorite of the mad Roman Emperor Nero, this method saw the subject tied to a stake and smeared with flammable pitch (tree or plant resin), then set ablaze, slowly burning to death from the feet up.   What sets this above the many other similar methods is that the victims were sometimes lined up outside to provide the lighting for one of Nero's evening parties.   Being Hanged, Drawn, And Quartered:   First recorded in England during the 13th century, this unusually extreme — even for the time — mode of execution was made the statutory punishment for treason in 1351. Though it was intended to be an act of such barbarous severity that no one would ever risk committing a treasonous act, there were nevertheless plenty of recipients over the next 500 years.   The process of being hanged, drawn, and quartered began with the victim being dragged to the site of execution while strapped to a wooden panel, which was in turn tied to a horse.   They would then experience a slow hanging, in which, rather than being dropped to the traditional quick death of a broken neck, they would instead be left to choke horribly as the rope tore up the skin of their throat, their body weight dragging them downwards.   Some had the good fortune to die at this stage, including the infamous Gunpowder Plot conspirator Guy Fawkes, who ensured a faster death by leaping from the gallows.   Once half-strangled, the drawing would begin. The victim would be strapped down and then slowly disemboweled, their stomachs sliced open, and their intestines and other significant organs hacked apart and pulled — “drawn” — from the body.   The genitals would often be mutilated and ripped from between their legs. Those unlucky enough to still be alive at this point might witness their organs burned in front of them before they were finally decapitated.   Once death had finally claimed them, the recipient's body would be carved into four pieces — or “quartered” — and the parts sent to prominent areas of the country as a warning to others.   The head would often be taken to the infamous Tower of London, where it would be impaled on a spike and placed on the walls “for the mockery of London.”   Rat Torture:   As recently depicted in that horrible show, Game Of Thrones, rat torture is ingenious in its disgusting simplicity. In its most basic form, a bucket containing live rats is placed on the exposed torso of the victim, and heat is applied to the base of the bucket.   The rats, crazy with fear from the heat, tear and gnaw their way into the abdomen of the victim, clawing and ripping through skin, flesh, organs, and intestines in their quest to escape.   Possessing the most powerful biting and chewing motion of any rodent, rats can make short work of a human stomach. Along with the unimaginable pain, the victim would also suffer the sick horror of feeling the large, filthy creatures writhing around inside their guts as they died.   While associated with Elizabethan England — where the Tower of London was said to have housed a “Dungeon of Rats,” a pitch-black room below high watermark that would draw in rats from the River Thames to torment the room's inhabitants — the practice has been used far more recently.   General Pinochet is said to have employed the technique during his dictatorship of Chile (1973-1990), while reports from Argentina during the National Reorganization Process in the late 1970s and early '80s claimed victims were subjected to a version in which live rats — or sometimes spiders — were inserted into the subject's body via a tube in the rectum or vagina….yep.   Bamboo Torture   Forcing thin shards of bamboo under the fingernails has long been cited as an interrogation method, but bamboo has been used to creatively — and slowly — execute a person, too. Allegedly used by the Japanese on American prisoners of war, it saw the victim tied down to a frame over a patch of newly sprouting bamboo plants.   One of the fastest-growing plants in the world, capable of up to three feet of growth in 24 hours, the sharp-tipped plants would slowly pierce the victim's skin — and then continue to grow. The result was death by gradual, continuous, multiple impalements, the equivalent of being dropped on a bed of sharpened stakes in terrible slow motion.   Despite the practice having roots in the former areas of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Siam (now Thailand) in the 19th century, there are no proven instances of it being used during WWII.   It's certainly possible, however, and it has been shown that the technique, among the worst execution methods ever, works: A 2008 episode of MythBusters found that bamboo was capable of penetrating a human-sized lump of ballistic gelatin over three days.   https://m.imdb.com/list/ls059738828/

Christians often define success in terms of numbers: the number of people converted, churches planted, church members in attendance, money raised, etc. Would you answer a ministry posting like this one? “Wanted: Person to speak for the Lord. All content provided. Failure guaranteed—no one will respond.” The job, of course, was “Old Testament prophet.” God sent Ezekiel to the Israelite exiles (v. 33). One would think that having already experienced God’s judgment—the Babylonian conquest—they would have been eager to listen and obey. Instead, they “listened” as if the prophet were an entertaining singer (v. 32), then went off and did as they pleased. Their mouths said the right words, but their hearts were in the wrong place (v. 31). They completely failed to put God’s words into practice (see days 9 and 10). Why did they fail to do so? They didn’t take sin seriously. The “detestable things” they had done were the reason for Jerusalem’s fall and their exile (vv. 27–29). We can infer that they didn’t take sin seriously because they didn’t take the Law seriously. Moses had taught repeatedly that keeping God’s covenant would lead to blessing, and breaking it would lead to judgment (see, for example, Lev. 26:14–45). Because they didn’t take sin or the Law seriously, they ignored God’s prophet as well. It seems they were presuming on God’s mercy and hoped their punishment would be over soon. As a result, they hypocritically “listened” to Ezekiel while focusing not on sin and repentance but on “unjust gain” or on their own advantage (v. 31). Though God knew the people wouldn’t respond rightly, Ezekiel’s ministry wasn’t a failure. God, whose standards are different from ours, counted him a success due to his faithful obedience. >> How much of your self-worth do you get from your earthly success? It’s difficult for us to escape this emphasis in our culture. Remember, God sees things differently!

Have you ever moved? If so, was it sudden or was there time to prepare and say goodbye to friends? Moving can create a lot of mixed emotions. It may be exciting in one way—yet produce anxiety in other ways. Leaving familiar people and places is never easy. Today we are tracking Daniel, a teen who experienced a sudden move—so sudden, in fact, it's more accurate to say that Daniel was kidnapped. As the story unfolds, we find that Daniel and other young Jews from Jerusalem have been taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Not only are Daniel and others abruptly snatched away from family and home, but they are also chosen to undergo specialized training: a three-year regimen designed to teach them the history and language of their captors, the Babylonians. Talk about rubbing it in! To make things worse, the trainees had to eat a special diet ordered by the king. This diet was supposed to be the best food available, but the problem was, Daniel and his friends were Jews, and obeying God's laws meant avoiding certain foods—foods that were on the royal diet. But God was already giving Daniel and the others favor and wisdom, and they trusted God. Notice two things about Daniel's reaction. First, he “determined not to defile himself” (1:8). Second, Daniel respectfully asked for consideration. At first, he got a “No” from the chief of staff, Ashpenaz, who feared for his head if he disobeyed the king. But Daniel did not give up. He waited and then asked the attendant under Ashpenaz for a trial period of ten days eating vegetables and water. Daniel asked, “Please test us...see how we look” (1:12-13). That phrase “see how we look” illustrates Daniel's confidence in God. He trusted that as they obeyed God, the difference would be evident and their dilemma would be resolved. And it was! At the end of the ten days, Daniel and the other Jews looked healthier and stronger than all the others. Not only that, but God gave these four young Jews special wisdom and understanding, and they became the king's most capable advisors (1:17-21). Through His people, God demonstrated that He is above any other authority. As Daniel and his friends faced challenges, they relied on God, who continued to be faithful to them. • G. Kam Congleton • What challenges are you facing today? How might God be inviting you to rely on Him? But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. Daniel 1:8a (NLT)

One of the most moving scenes in the Old Testament is when Ezra the priest reads the Law to the returned exiles (Nehemiah 8). He stood on a high wooden platform so all could see and hear. The Levites circulated, instructing the people about the meaning of what they were hearing. Many in the crowd that day came under conviction of sin, but they were told not to grieve because this was a day of celebration. This landmark revival didn’t come out of nowhere. Ezra had prepared his entire life for this moment by being a faithful learner of Scripture (v. 10). He is just one example among many Bible characters whose lives were transformed through learning and studying God’s Word. This isn’t surprising, giving the preeminence of the Word in the pursuit of godly wisdom (see January 8). What had Ezra learned? “The Law of the LORD” (v. 10). How did he learn it? Through “study and observance.” The word “observance” is another way of saying obedience. Ezra was descended from Aaron, so his lineage went all the way back to the original giving of the Law at Sinai (vv. 1–5). Most of all, he “devoted himself” to this learning. Worldliness did not distract him! Why did Ezra learn? In order to teach (vv. 6, 10). He was “well versed in the Law of Moses,” qualified to instruct others in both understanding and obeying Scripture. He prepared himself to provide spiritual leadership for the returned exiles (vv. 8–9). God’s favor and grace were on him in this regard, and the Babylonian king granted all his requests. Ezra brought with him not only a large group of returnees but also a number of priests, Levites, and other spiritual leaders (v. 7). Their arduous journey was 900 miles long and took four months! >> Readiness is an important spiritual virtue. Are you ready? For example, are you ready “to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15)?

My favorite verse in the Bible is Jeremiah 1:5. This is what God said to Jeremiah when He called him to be a prophet: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Just like with Jeremiah, God knew me before I was born, and He had a plan for my life while I was still in the womb. Life becomes meaningful when I know that I am not just an accident on planet earth. In the book of Jeremiah, we see God calling Jeremiah into ministry as a prophet to the people of Judah. This call was according to the plan God had made for his life before he was born. Jeremiah became God's spokesman, calling the people of Judah to repent from worshiping idols and turn back to God. He warned them of the coming disasters and the Babylonian exile that would come as God's judgment on them for their sin if they did not repent. However, Jeremiah not only pronounced judgment, but he also gave Judah a promise from God, a promise of restoration after seventy years of exile. God's interaction with Jeremiah and His people foreshadows the restoration God is going to bring to the whole world. Since humans first sinned against God, humankind was doomed to face God's judgment. But through Jesus, God has given us the hope of salvation. Jesus came to reveal God's loving plan for the world, to save us from sin and death, and to heal all brokenness (1 John 4:14). Jesus willingly died for our sin, and He rose back to life! Now anyone who turns to God and puts their trust in Jesus is free from sin and judgment and is restored to relationship with God! As we receive God's plan for salvation, God continues to unfold His plan for us. According to Ephesians 1:4-5, God knew us before the foundation of the world, and He chose us in Christ. Adopting us into His family gave Him great pleasure! In Galatians 1:15-16, Paul writes, “But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace.” God was pleased to reveal Jesus to Paul, and God called Paul to share this good news. As Christians, we can know God's plan for us is to be saved through Jesus. Let us then walk in God's plans and purposes for our lives as His chosen ones. • Enid Adah Nyinomujuni • According to Ephesians 1:4-14, what is God's plan and purpose for us? • According to Ephesians 2:10, how is it possible for us to “do the good things he planned”? “I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT)

Bless the Seed Planters (2) (Audio) David Eells - 1/5/22   Gathering the Vessels to be Filled Eve Brast - Dec. 15 - 17, 2021 Dreams (David's notes in red) On December 15th in a dream we of UBM were in a warehouse gathering pots and dishes of all kinds and crockpots etc. together and placing them on our white fold-out pot blessing tables that were lined up in a straight row.  There wasn't any food in them we were all just gathering the vessels together in preparation for the food. Then I heard the voice of the Lord from above and to the right of me say, “You must wait 6 weeks.” (The time period would be up on Jan. 26th IF the date of the dream is when the 6 weeks start.) I woke up pondering about what this could mean. (Could it be the anointing upon the food of the Word that we have stored up to serve to the people?) Then on December 16th I had two dreams that were identical back to back in the night. (The dream was doubled) (Meaning as Joseph said that it will surely come to pass.) In these dreams we of UBM were all in a large wooden Ark that was still sitting on dry ground with the big door still down and resting on the ground and opened like a ramp leading up into it. (The Ark is being prepared to "escape all these things” as in Luke 21:36) It was nice weather outside at the moment. I could see the sun shining through the gathering white  clouds. (The light of the Son is shining on us to prepare.) We were, again, gathering many different pots, pans and crockpots in preparation for the food. I wasn't sure how we were going to get all the meals and food but we were getting ready to receive the supplies and dishes of food in order to distribute it to all the people. (We have been told that we are storing up in the grain silos of Joseph for a time of releasing the anointed food to the people.) (This made me think of Elisha and the widow in 2 Ki. 4:1-7 when there was a famine and her husband had died and they were going to take her sons into slavery and bondage because she couldn't pay her debts. So grace came when the prophet told her to go and ask her neighbors for as many vessels as she could gather and begin pouring what little oil she had into them until they were all full. Then he told her to go and sell the oil to pay her creditors and save her boys.) Then on December 17th I dreamed that UBM was again gathering dishes together to be filled with food in a house that belonged to David that had many, many rooms of different sizes all joined together. (The Lord told me that He would build me a house as a type of David Man-child's house which was finished before the House of God. My house in the natural is almost finished. So we are about to start on the temple house which is in the Bride city and they are built by the food which is the Word that has been stored up to create "Christ in you”..) I again heard the Lord's voice from directly above me say, “From beneath the bars of the gates, you shall escape.” (The first fruits Bride escapes Babylon to re-build on their promised land.)  I woke up repeating this phrase to myself and wondering what the Lord was saying. (The thing that came to me was about when Cyrus diverted the Euphrates away from Babylon so that his armies could go under the bars and then through the gates on both banks and conquer Babylon.  This was as the king was receiving the interpretation of the writing on the wall by Daniel who was made the third ruler in the kingdom at that time.) (According to Operation Disclosure: On Sun. 2 Jan. 2022 “Earth Quakes” under Geneva Lake in Switzerland destroyed the Cabal's CIA CERN Headquarters and was considered the Fall of Babylon. These earthquakes were actually bombings or Rods of God. Just as Cyrus did, Trump decapitated Babylon. Many traitorous leaders will be executed. Then the headless enemy will be cleaned up. False flag is already planned by the DS and incoming.)  During my waking hours on these days the Lord brought an old song back to my memory that I hadn't heard or thought about in a very long time. It was called, “Seek ye First”. I couldn't get it out of my head and just kept singing the first verse over and over.  So I looked up the rest of the song so I would be able to sing the whole thing.  And then the Lord put it in my heart to request that Barry lead us to sing it at the Friday night meeting and that we could put it as a permanent addition in our song books. Here's the lyrics below: Seek ye first the kingdom of God And His righteousness And all these things shall be added unto you Allelu, alleluia Man shall not live by bread alone But by every word That proceeds from the mouth of God Allelu, alleluia Ask and it shall be given unto you Seek and ye shall find Knock and the door shall be opened unto you Allelu, alleluia Seek ye first the kingdom of God And His righteousness And all these things shall be added unto you Allelu, alleluia (This is a really good exhortation to Seek first His Kingdom to be prepared for the choosing of the Bride.)   Praying for Latter Rain Isaac Payne -1/1/22 (David's notes in red) I wanted to share this dream I had last night. It was a very direct and quick dream. I'm wondering if there is significance of this being the first dream for me of the new year, 2022.  (Issac has very good dreams on a regular basis, so the Lord could certainly be sending us a message about what to expect as far as timing for the latter rain anointing coming early this year, 2022.) In this dream it was night. (The night time represents the tribulation when gross darkness in over the earth and the peoples. This is the time when the former and the latter rains will be poured out upon God's elect in a great revival as it was when God's people were entering the wilderness, a type of the tribulation.)  There was a couple in their upper 50's holding onto each other in a desolate area. (Representing the wilderness tribulation.) They called out to me and I went to speak with them.  I knew the man's name in the dream was John. (Meaning, “God is gracious or graced by God". John the Baptist was preparing for the anointed One who comes as the latter rain according to Hos. 6:1-3.) The woman he was holding had blonde hair and it was a couple of inches from her shoulders. (The Bride is prepared to be chosen by the anointed One.) (They looked like husband and wife; at least that's what it seemed like.)   They asked me if I would pray for the latter rain with them. We all joined hands and prayed in agreement. I prayed, “Oh Father thank you! We ask for the latter rain anointing, and we claim it done. We thank you for it in Jesus's name. Amen!” Then I woke up. (The anointed One is Jesus in the Man-child body of reformers.)   Psalm 87 and Zion the 'Desert of the Lord' Deborah Horton 9-20-21 (David's notes in red)  I hope I can explain what the Lord revealed to me in these texts below. :0) (As we will see in Deb's revelation, the couple mentioned in Issac's dream who were holding on to one another in a desolate place praying for the latter rain represents those in Zion.) It says in Psa.87:1 His foundation is in the holy mountains. (2) Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. (The actual meaning of “Zion" is the Hebrew word tsiyyah meaning "desert, drought, dry, dry places, parched, parched land"! Think about that for a minute.) (She is prepared to soak up the anointing and Word of the Man-child reformers.) It says in Psa.63:1 O God, thou art my God; earnestly will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, In a dry and weary land, where no water is. (So, we are the "dry and weary land”. But why are we seeking Zion if it's a desert? And why would the Lord love a "dry and weary land”?) (Some people are hungry and thirsty for God.) (Psa.87:3) Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah (Glorious things are spoken of a desert?)  (4) I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon as among them that know me: Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia: This one was born there. (Here in verse 4 notice that Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia were enemies of Zion until they were (re-)born there. (Col.1:21) And you, (speaking of the Gentiles) being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, (22) yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him.) (5) Yea, of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her; And the Most High himself will establish her. (6) Jehovah will count, when he writeth up the peoples, This one was born there. Selah (Look at another place where the location of birth is important: (Luk.2:1) Now it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled. (2) This was the first enrolment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. (3) And all went to enrol themselves, every one to his own city. (4) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; (5) to enrol himself with Mary, who was betrothed to him, being great with child. (6) And it came to pass, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that she should be delivered.) Back to (Psa.87:7) They that sing as well as they that dance [shall say], All my fountains are in thee. (Well, "fountains" are "living water,” In Joh.3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God! (6) That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (7) Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew. (8) The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.) When we come to Zion, we have to come empty, a dry and dead-to-self desert, in order to be filled. It says in (Php.2:5) Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; (8) and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. (9) Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; (10) that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Also in (Mat.5:6) Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. David Mullinix added this text: (Isa.53:2) For he (Jesus) grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (So Zion has gone through a crucifixion at the hands of the apostates and God will pour out upon this Bride the a renewal of the former rain as the Man-child ministries receive the latter rain and gives it to the Bride after 3 1/2 years just as it was with Jesus.)     UBM Books Getting Anointed Merlene Laughlin - 12/2/21 (David's notes in red)  I dreamed the sky was getting gray as a storm was coming soon. (In the natural, Trump and the Alliance have said, "The Storm is upon us"; meaning the warfare on the DS in our government that will temporarily bring down the Satanic Cabal and bring God's people a temporary reprieve from the left wing of the Dragon Beast as the right wing rises at the Man-child's return in His Body of Man-child ministers to lead God's people in the first 3 1/2 years of the 7 year tribulation period.) I knew that I was in a white, one story school building. (We are in the school of sanctification learning to walk in holiness. As in Eve's dream when Lion Man came and expounded on David's books but with a greater anointing.) Some of the UBM women, that had been working on the books, were in a huge library trying to take the UBM books out of many boxes and put them in order on the library shelves after they had dusted them. I saw everyone working with happy hands and hearts. (A library is a quiet, restful place where people are able to study and learn. 'Dusting and putting in order' represents cleaning up the spiritual environment so that the knowledge in the materials can be received. Psa. 68:11 The Lord giveth the word: The women that publish the tidings are a great host. ) Then we all heard thunder and saw a mix of swirling gray clouds. It was starting to rain, but only a mist. We hurried so we could get that last pallet done so all the boxes of books would be “shelved and in order.” (The time is short we must get the house in order. Jesus told His disciples in John 9:4 We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.) The whole side of the school looked as if it was suddenly gone. One person looked up and said, “Where did the windows go? There were windows there earlier.” (During the latter rain the veil will be taken away from our knowledge and understanding. The windows of Heaven are opened to release revelation knowledge to a hungry and thirsty people.  1 Co. 13:8-12 ...but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; 10 but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.)   I heard the,“splat, splat, splat” of large rain drops falling. Each “splat” was several inches from the other. (Hos. 6:1-3 Come, and let us return unto Jehovah; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him. (This is the 1000 year days and we are on the morning of the 3rd day as it says in the next verse.) 3 And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.) Seeing that some stacks of books had a rain splat on them, I took a white towel and started to quickly wipe off the medium, dark blue covers of the remaining books on the table, but the rain would not wipe off! Then I heard some one say, “Merlene, it's the latter rain. It will not wipe off!” (Psa 68:7-12  O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, When thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah 8 The earth trembled, The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God: Yon Sinai trembled at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, Thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. 10 Thy congregation dwelt therein: Thou, O God, didst prepare of thy goodness for the poor. 11 The Lord giveth the word: The women that publish the tidings are a great host. 12 Kings of armies flee, they flee; And she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.)    Pray for Good Weather for Building on the UBM Land                  Vanessa Weeks - 12/1/21 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was listening to an Unleavened Bread Bible Study with my ear buds. Towards the end of the study, David asked all of us who were listening to pray that we would have good weather in the area over the next several days. (The good weather may be the sun/Son shining on us and no storm in the heavens.)  He said that we would be working on or building something that would be shelters for the people. 1Co 3:9  For we are God's fellow-workers: ye are God's husbandry, God's building.) (I asked the Lord for a word about the shelters and received by faith at random Mat. 24:30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.) (We know that this verse does not fit timing wise but if we just consider the words of the verse, we know that the Lord is coming in His Man-child body of reformers which is a Son of man. So the Son of God is coming in a son of man to repeat History.) As David talked to us about praying for good weather, I saw him hammering some metal frames together and it appeared that it would be a large building. (This reminds me of Eph. 2:20-22  being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone; 21  in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord; 22  in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.) I asked the Lord for a word about David hammering and what we were building and received by faith at random Dan 2:19 (In context  19-23)    Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. (Daniel was a type of the Man-child Ministry at the time of the fall of Babylon who was a revealer of these secrets to the people who were coming out of bondage to rebuild the kingdom in the promised land.)  20  Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his. 21  And he changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that have understanding; 22  he revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 23  I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee; for thou hast made known unto us the king's matter.) David also said the building will be on some land UBM has and I saw it as a park like setting. (God's people were told to conquer the old man and take the land of promise which means to stand on the promises of God. The first land to be taken after the Babylonian falling away was Zion and the Temple ground which represents the new leadership of born again Zion which represents the Bride in whom is the presence of God.) I was thinking in the dream, I did not know UBM had land, but we have had several dreams of this land and us standing on the grass. (Standing on the grass represents conquering our flesh for as Peter said, “All flesh is as grass.”) I asked the Lord for a word for this dream and received by faith at random Luke 9:25 (In context 23-27) 23  And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, (for the flesh to die on) and follow me. 24  For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25  For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose or forfeit his own self? 26  For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in his own glory, and the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels. 27  But I tell you of a truth, There are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. (Denying ourselves and taking up our cross to follow Jesus is the land we have in UBM.)   I went to the UBM site and put the word “shelter" in the site search and saw a dream from Eve on 10/10/10 called 'Man-Child & Bride Save  Apostates'  This is the portion that had "shelter " in it and the verse she got is the same Daniel text I received above when I asked what David was hammering on and what we were building. (So here's the portion of Eve's dream…) …She (The Pakistani woman who said to me, “You are the seer right?") then handed me the piece of cardboard she had been writing on. I took it in my right hand (I'm naturally left-handed) and held it up toward the light to my right. She had written the Roman numerals XXVIII (28) on it. As I was doing this, a voice from behind me and up and to my right resonated through my being, asking, "Are you ready for March 28th?" I answered, "Yes”.  After this, the Pakistani woman turned into a child, came around and took shelter under my right arm, which became a wing with white feathers. This is when the dream ended. (Eve had this dream on 10/10/10. The very next March 28th was a significant day. March 28th in Roman Numerals represents the day the Roman Catholic [meaning "universal"] Church attempted, with the Roman beast government, to force the Jews [now also representing the Christians] on threat of death into their one world order religion. This attempt was thwarted by God using an earthquake on what is now March 28th. We are not saying anything will happen on the 28th but the parallel, as symbolism, is unmistakable. I believe the future attempt at the "covenant with many” will bring terrible earthquakes to America? Could something like this be a demonstration for the apostate church's sake. Because of this and more to come, those who have been given discernment among them may come under the authority and protection of the Bride and Man-child, as in the dream above. When Haman, as a type of the antichrist beast, got an edict to destroy the Jews, it was Mordecai the Man-child and Esther the Bride who were used to save them.)  When I asked the Lord about "seer", I opened my Bible and put my finger down on Daniel 2:20. I then went on to read verses 19 above it and 21-23 after it. {Dan.2:19} Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. {20} Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his... {21} And he changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that have understanding; {22} he revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. {23} I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee; for thou hast made known unto us the king's matter. (God has revealed the timing and nature of His judgments to His Bride, represented by Eve, of which the Man-child, represented by Daniel, is the head.) I just thought it was an amazing confirmation when Eve's dream came up and had the same scripture I received for my dream. On 12-14-21 Eve asked for a word to answer David about our promised land last night and she received by faith at random  Neh 9:15  and gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and commandedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.     UBM Light Workers Reaching Those in Darkness   Deborah Fenske - 12/22/21 (David's notes in red) I had a short dream last night that I want to share after hearing the broadcast about the Bride shining the light on those coming out of the apostate church.  I was in a house like Jeff's house, but it seemed bigger. The layout of the rooms were about the same. It was pretty plain and emptied inside. (We must be emptied inside to be filled with the light of Christ.) I knew there were quite a few people in this house… Then the scene changed, and I was standing out in the front of the house but it didn't look like the front of Jeff's house.  I was standing in front up on the hill, like the way Jeff's house is and it was dark outside. I was looking at a line of several people, far away, down below. But I wasn't looking down a driveway. I was just looking from way above these people, and I could see very sparsely wooded land that they were walking through. (Representing their personal wilderness trials.)  It's amazing that I could see them so clearly, because they were a far distance away.  And since it was dark I knew they needed light. And I could see, even from that far off distance away, that a couple people were using the flashlights on their cell phones. I thought I would give them more light, so I started shining the flashlight of my phone way out there to them, and I could tell it made a little bit of a difference. (All the UBM workers are working on getting the light of the Gospel to people through books and digital means like Debbie's phone. Light represents knowledge of truth which Jesus said would set us free.)  I could even see people turn around and look, wondering where the extra light was coming from. But it still wasn't that much light. They needed more. (Yes, people need more light and truth. The latter rain anointing of the Man-child would open their understanding. I desire that God's people would take the great commission evangelism more seriously. Many will miss the Bride because of this.) So I tried a couple different ways of holding my phone to try to find the best way for my flashlight to give them the most light. I finally raised my arm up higher and let my light shine down on them.  I could see my light shining all over them, from the rear of the line of the people clear to the front of them, and even further out in front of them. And I saw them looking around, again, as I knew they were trying to figure out where that light was coming from. Then I woke up. (UBM is working on shining the light to help people find their way in their wilderness. PTL! A big 'thank you' to all the Light Workers in the Kingdom. :o) Luke 1:76-79 Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High: For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways; (UBM is one of the John the Baptist ministries, preaching repentance in our day to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord in His people.) 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people In the remission of their sins, 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us, (This is Jesus in the Man-child ministry by Word and Spirit.) 79 To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death; To guide our feet into the way of peace.   Select LanguageAfrikaansAlbanianAmharicArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCroatianCzechDanishDutchEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchFrisianGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitian CreoleHausaHawaiianHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKazakhKhmerKinyarwandaKoreanKurdish (Kurmanji)KyrgyzLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianLuxembourgishMacedonianMalagasyMalayMalayalamMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)NepaliNorwegianOdia (Oriya)PashtoPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSamoanScots GaelicSerbianSesothoShonaSindhiSinhalaSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSundaneseSwahiliSwedishTajikTamilTatarTeluguThaiTurkishTurkmenUkrainianUrduUyghurUzbekVietnameseWelshXhosaYiddishYorubaZulu Powered by Translate Printer-friendly version

With family: Genesis 4; Matthew 4 Genesis 4 (Listen) Cain and Abel 4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten1 a man with the help of the LORD.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted?2 And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to3 you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother.4 And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” 10 And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.5 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod,6 east of Eden. 17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives:   “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;    you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:  I have killed a man for wounding me,    a young man for striking me.24   If Cain's revenge is sevenfold,    then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold.” 25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed7 for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD. Footnotes [1] 4:1 Cain sounds like the Hebrew for gotten [2] 4:7 Hebrew will there not be a lifting up [of your face]? [3] 4:7 Or is toward [4] 4:8 Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate add Let us go out to the field [5] 4:13 Or My guilt is too great to bear [6] 4:16 Nod means wandering [7] 4:25 Seth sounds like the Hebrew for he appointed (ESV) Matthew 4 (Listen) The Temptation of Jesus 4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,   “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,   “‘He will command his angels concerning you,' and   “‘On their hands they will bear you up,    lest you strike your foot against a stone.'” 7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,   “‘You shall worship the Lord your God    and him only shall you serve.'” 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. Jesus Begins His Ministry 12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15   “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—16   the people dwelling in darkness    have seen a great light,  and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,    on them a light has dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”1 Jesus Calls the First Disciples 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”2 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. Footnotes [1] 4:17 Or the kingdom of heaven has come near [2] 4:19 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women (ESV) In private: Ezra 4; Acts 4 Ezra 4 (Listen) Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding 4 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” 4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. The Letter to King Artaxerxes 7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.1 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace2 and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.” The King Orders the Work to Cease 17 The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now 18 the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me. 19 And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it. 20 And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom tribute, custom, and toll were paid. 21 Therefore make a decree that these men be made to cease, and that this city be not rebuilt, until a decree is made by me. 22 And take care not to be slack in this matter. Why should damage grow to the hurt of the king?” 23 Then, when the copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their associates, they went in haste to the Jews at Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. 24 Then the work on the house of God that is in Jerusalem stopped, and it ceased until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia. Footnotes [1] 4:7 Hebrew written in Aramaic and translated in Aramaic, indicating that 4:8–6:18 is in Aramaic; another interpretation is The letter was written in the Aramaic script and set forth in the Aramaic language [2] 4:14 Aramaic because the salt of the palace is our salt (ESV) Acts 4 (Listen) Peter and John Before the Council 4 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. 5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus1 is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.2 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men3 by which we must be saved.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. The Believers Pray for Boldness 23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant,4 said by the Holy Spirit,   “‘Why did the Gentiles rage,    and the peoples plot in vain?26   The kings of the earth set themselves,    and the rulers were gathered together,    against the Lord and against his Anointed'5— 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. They Had Everything in Common 32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. Footnotes [1] 4:11 Greek This one [2] 4:11 Greek the head of the corner [3] 4:12 The Greek word anthropoi refers here to both men and women [4] 4:25 Or child; also verses 27, 30 [5] 4:26 Or Christ (ESV)

Happy New Year! Do you have plans to celebrate? Maybe you just want to sleep late because you were up in the wee hours welcoming in the new year. Maybe you gather with friends or family and watch football. Or maybe you go for a run or play a game of your favorite sport. There are many ways to celebrate New Year's Day. An old one is to make some resolutions. I did say “old” right? Did you know that the ancient Babylonians made new year resolutions 4,000 years ago?! They were the first to record celebrating the new year. Of course, their calendar was different. The new year began in March. Julius Caesar was the one who tweaked the calendar to begin on January 1st.* When I was a teenager, our church youth group gathered on New Year's Eve. At midnight, we'd write a resolution on paper and seal it in an envelope. Then we'd write our address on the envelope. The adult leader would collect them. Later, usually about June, the leader would mail out all the envelopes. It was supposed to remind us to keep the resolution. If you are looking for a resolution for this year, why not use Psalm 17:3? It says, “Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.” (NIV) If you haven't already, take a moment and set your goals for the new year. *Sarah Pruitt, "The History of New Year's Resolutions," History, December 30, 2015, updated December 21, 2020, https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions. Please provide feedback and suggestions at: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/feedback/ Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121721.cfm Gn 49:2, 8-10 Jacob called his sons and said to them: “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father. “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise –your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah, like a lion's whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts–who would dare rouse him? The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, While tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people's homage.” Ps 72 - Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever. O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king's son; He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment. Mt 1:1-17 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sofia-fonseca7/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sofia-fonseca7/support

* 2 Kings: The divided kingdom is symptomatic of Israel's separation from God. In the northern kingdom, the prophet Elijah passing on the mantle of his ministry, along with a double blessing from God, to Elisha. With the defeat of Moab, and the mocking of Syria's blinded army, God's covenant people had opportunity after opportunity to thrive. Instead, their sin brought judgment. Ahab's sons were killed after his wicked widow Jezebel was thrown out of a window to her death. In the southern kingdom of Judah, the sole surviving son of the royal family became king, but eventually Joash too was murdered. After Elisha died, Israel and Judah fought, with rampant paganism in the north so weakening the ten tribes that they were carried carried away captive by the Assyrians. Meanwhile down south, the more benevolent reigns of kings like Azariah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah only postponed God's judgment until Nebuchadnezzar carried away Judah in the Babylonian captivity. Lessons abound in Second Kings. Available on MP3-CD or download. BEL SUBSCRIPTIONS Monthly Audio & Video Downloads: Now you can subscribe to monthly sermons, Bible studies or topical videos in download form.  Monthly Sermons: Enjoy all of Bob's sermons from the month on Sermon Video DVDs, great also to watch with the family. Or, get these on Sermon Audio CDs which are standard audio Compact Discs that will play on any CD player including the one in your car. Or get them on a single Sermon MP3-CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Bible Studies: Enjoy the Scriptures with Bob's Monthly Bible Study DVDs, great too for a small group Bible study. Or get these teachings on a single Monthly Bible Study Audio MP3- CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Topical Videos: Coming to your mailbox, you'll get a Monthly Topical DVD to enjoy one of Bob's great videos specially selected to be entertaining and to teach about life from a biblical worldview.Monthly Best of Bob Shows: Every month our crew selects the eight best BEL shows of the month and for the folks who might have missed some of them, we mail them out on the Best of Bob MP3-CD.Monthly BEL TV Classics: Enjoy Bob Enyart's timeless, popular TV show delivered to your home on the Monthly BEL TV Classics DVDs with great audio and video clarity thanks to our state-of-the-art mastering from the studio-quality Sony beta tapes to DVD!Monthly Donation: For folks who just want to make sure that Bob Enyart Live stays on the air, please consider making a pledge in the form of a Monthly Donation.

* 2 Kings: The divided kingdom is symptomatic of Israel's separation from God. In the northern kingdom, the prophet Elijah passing on the mantle of his ministry, along with a double blessing from God, to Elisha. With the defeat of Moab, and the mocking of Syria's blinded army, God's covenant people had opportunity after opportunity to thrive. Instead, their sin brought judgment. Ahab's sons were killed after his wicked widow Jezebel was thrown out of a window to her death. In the southern kingdom of Judah, the sole surviving son of the royal family became king, but eventually Joash too was murdered. After Elisha died, Israel and Judah fought, with rampant paganism in the north so weakening the ten tribes that they were carried carried away captive by the Assyrians. Meanwhile down south, the more benevolent reigns of kings like Azariah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah only postponed God's judgment until Nebuchadnezzar carried away Judah in the Babylonian captivity. Lessons abound in Second Kings. Available on MP3-CD or download. BEL SUBSCRIPTIONS Monthly Audio & Video Downloads: Now you can subscribe to monthly sermons, Bible studies or topical videos in download form.  Monthly Sermons: Enjoy all of Bob's sermons from the month on Sermon Video DVDs, great also to watch with the family. Or, get these on Sermon Audio CDs which are standard audio Compact Discs that will play on any CD player including the one in your car. Or get them on a single Sermon MP3-CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Bible Studies: Enjoy the Scriptures with Bob's Monthly Bible Study DVDs, great too for a small group Bible study. Or get these teachings on a single Monthly Bible Study Audio MP3- CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Topical Videos: Coming to your mailbox, you'll get a Monthly Topical DVD to enjoy one of Bob's great videos specially selected to be entertaining and to teach about life from a biblical worldview.Monthly Best of Bob Shows: Every month our crew selects the eight best BEL shows of the month and for the folks who might have missed some of them, we mail them out on the Best of Bob MP3-CD.Monthly BEL TV Classics: Enjoy Bob Enyart's timeless, popular TV show delivered to your home on the Monthly BEL TV Classics DVDs with great audio and video clarity thanks to our state-of-the-art mastering from the studio-quality Sony beta tapes to DVD!Monthly Donation: For folks who just want to make sure that Bob Enyart Live stays on the air, please consider making a pledge in the form of a Monthly Donation.

We're keeping things topical this week and Conor has gone back thousands of years to find out where New Year's Resolutions come from... who knew he'd actually do research back to the Babylonians?If you want to get involved, then follow us on TikTok and Instagram where we're @BaffledPod or email us info@baffledpod.com ---A Create Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The wild inventions of the Chronicler continue in this episode as we cover the entirety of the First Temple Period beginning with King Solomon and ending with the Temple's destruction at the hands of the Babylonians, ushering in the influence of Persian rule and religion which is evident in the text. See how the Chronicler changes events from the record of the Books of Kings in order to satisfy his own theological views.

I'm joined by Steve Guerra as we continue our series on the twelve minor Old Testament prophets. Here we tackle Zephaniah and Habakkuk. Both are short. Zephaniah ranted during the last decades of the kingdom of Judea. Zephaniah is doom, doom, doom. Habakkuk tackles with a fundamental problem about God's goodness: why is God about to let the wicked Babylonians overcome Judah?

Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Ezekiel had an awesome encounter with God as an exile in a foreign land. Ezekiel was transformed from priest to prophet, delivering a message of the power of God and God's word to a people in exile. Recorded on Dec 26, 2021, on Ezekiel 1-3, by Pastor David Parks. Sermon Transcript All year, we're talking about The Greatness of God. And today, we're continuing a sermon series called Encounters with God. After this week, we only have two more weeks in this series before we start a new series called The Making of Heaven and Earth from Genesis 1-3. But in the Bible, when God appears to someone it's known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories; God never seems to act how we would expect. But these encounters, including our encounter today between God and the prophet Ezekiel, reveal the stunning character of God, and his heart to save a world that is lost without him. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Ezekiel 1:1. We'll unpack this as we go. v. 1. Ezekiel 1:1-3 (NIV), “In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the Lord was on him.” Let's pause here. So this is the brief introduction to the book of Ezekiel; the rest of the book is written in the first person. According to the events listed here, we know that Ezekiel's encounter with God happened on July 31, 593 BC, and if we understand the opening line as referring to his age at the time, Ezekiel was 30 years old when God called him to be a prophet. This took place about 30 years after Jeremiah's encounter with God that we looked at last week. It was also about 5 years after Ezekiel, who was a priest from Jerusalem in Judah, had been carried into exile after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. [map slide] Here, Ezekiel found himself over 800 miles from home; in the middle of modern Iraq. As an exile, he was a man without a country, a priest without a temple. Daniel was another prophet in Babylon with Ezekiel at this time. As I said last week, it's hard to overstate just how heartbreakingly traumatic the exile was for the people of Israel. The northern kingdom of Israel had fallen several generations earlier to the Assyrian Empire. Now the southern kingdom of Judah had fallen to the Babylonian Empire. And roughly 90% of the people had either been killed or carried off to a foreign land as a conquered people. It was in this terrible circumstance, it was during these dark days, it was during this calamity that Ezekiel had his theophany, his encounter with God, by the Kebar River in Babylon. v. 4. Ezekiel 1:4-28 (NIV), “I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward,

December 18, 1997 an episode of Seinfeld aired titled "The Strike" in which George Costanza's father Frank celebrates a made-up holiday called Festivus to protest Christmas and all its attendant pressures and consumerism. Fast forward 24-years, and I find myself encountering people at work hedging their bets when varying their holiday greetings and well-wishing. "Merry Christmas" no longer suffices. Now more than one coworker in a week's span has floated references to the "Festivus for the rest of us." Replacing colorful lit-up ornaments-filled evergreens with an aluminum pole, or substituting feats of strength for gift-giving, or airing grievances with one another in place of reading the Christmas story. All of it is so very post-modern. As such, I find myself sad about it rather than amused. Enter Bradford Littlejohn at American Reformer with his essay 'Reimagining a Christian America,' published December 22, 2021. And now is as good a time as any to explore the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future where Christianity in public life is concerned. With the loss of Christian America celebrated in too many quarters, Littlejohn's article is a breath of fresh air. Common sense should tell us if our theology no longer does that life in Christ is to be lived out publicly. "This little light of mine," went the song. "I'm going to let it shine." And didn't Jesus tell us to not hide our lights under a bushel, but to let them shine before all men? He did indeed. And so we come to a more thoughtful and intentional extrapolation of that command in Jeremiah 29:7 where the exiles in Babylonian captivity are commanded to "seek the welfare of the city" in which the Providence of the Almighty has seen fit to place them. I may differ with Littlejohn in his call to reclaim American public education for Christ. That ship has sailed, in my view, and it is time to give up on it once and for all, preferring Christian private and home education as the new institution which will revive our national religion. All the same, Festivus is as good as any a proof of the need for us to speak to the broader culture publicly and boldly about telos again in light of God's Word. So Merry Christmas, you filthy animals. And put away your aluminum poles and post-modernism already. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/garrett-ashley-mullet/support

* 2 Kings: The divided kingdom is symptomatic of Israel's separation from God. In the northern kingdom, the prophet Elijah passing on the mantle of his ministry, along with a double blessing from God, to Elisha. With the defeat of Moab, and the mocking of Syria's blinded army, God's covenant people had opportunity after opportunity to thrive. Instead, their sin brought judgment. Ahab's sons were killed after his wicked widow Jezebel was thrown out of a window to her death. In the southern kingdom of Judah, the sole surviving son of the royal family became king, but eventually Joash too was murdered. After Elisha died, Israel and Judah fought, with rampant paganism in the north so weakening the ten tribes that they were carried carried away captive by the Assyrians. Meanwhile down south, the more benevolent reigns of kings like Azariah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah only postponed God's judgment until Nebuchadnezzar carried away Judah in the Babylonian captivity. Lessons abound in Second Kings. Available on MP3-CD or download. BEL SUBSCRIPTIONS Monthly Audio & Video Downloads: Now you can subscribe to monthly sermons, Bible studies or topical videos in download form.  Monthly Sermons: Enjoy all of Bob's sermons from the month on Sermon Video DVDs, great also to watch with the family. Or, get these on Sermon Audio CDs which are standard audio Compact Discs that will play on any CD player including the one in your car. Or get them on a single Sermon MP3-CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Bible Studies: Enjoy the Scriptures with Bob's Monthly Bible Study DVDs, great too for a small group Bible study. Or get these teachings on a single Monthly Bible Study Audio MP3- CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Topical Videos: Coming to your mailbox, you'll get a Monthly Topical DVD to enjoy one of Bob's great videos specially selected to be entertaining and to teach about life from a biblical worldview.Monthly Best of Bob Shows: Every month our crew selects the eight best BEL shows of the month and for the folks who might have missed some of them, we mail them out on the Best of Bob MP3-CD.Monthly BEL TV Classics: Enjoy Bob Enyart's timeless, popular TV show delivered to your home on the Monthly BEL TV Classics DVDs with great audio and video clarity thanks to our state-of-the-art mastering from the studio-quality Sony beta tapes to DVD!Monthly Donation: For folks who just want to make sure that Bob Enyart Live stays on the air, please consider making a pledge in the form of a Monthly Donation.

* 2 Kings: The divided kingdom is symptomatic of Israel's separation from God. In the northern kingdom, the prophet Elijah passing on the mantle of his ministry, along with a double blessing from God, to Elisha. With the defeat of Moab, and the mocking of Syria's blinded army, God's covenant people had opportunity after opportunity to thrive. Instead, their sin brought judgment. Ahab's sons were killed after his wicked widow Jezebel was thrown out of a window to her death. In the southern kingdom of Judah, the sole surviving son of the royal family became king, but eventually Joash too was murdered. After Elisha died, Israel and Judah fought, with rampant paganism in the north so weakening the ten tribes that they were carried carried away captive by the Assyrians. Meanwhile down south, the more benevolent reigns of kings like Azariah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah only postponed God's judgment until Nebuchadnezzar carried away Judah in the Babylonian captivity. Lessons abound in Second Kings. Available on MP3-CD or download. BEL SUBSCRIPTIONS Monthly Audio & Video Downloads: Now you can subscribe to monthly sermons, Bible studies or topical videos in download form.  Monthly Sermons: Enjoy all of Bob's sermons from the month on Sermon Video DVDs, great also to watch with the family. Or, get these on Sermon Audio CDs which are standard audio Compact Discs that will play on any CD player including the one in your car. Or get them on a single Sermon MP3-CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Bible Studies: Enjoy the Scriptures with Bob's Monthly Bible Study DVDs, great too for a small group Bible study. Or get these teachings on a single Monthly Bible Study Audio MP3- CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Topical Videos: Coming to your mailbox, you'll get a Monthly Topical DVD to enjoy one of Bob's great videos specially selected to be entertaining and to teach about life from a biblical worldview.Monthly Best of Bob Shows: Every month our crew selects the eight best BEL shows of the month and for the folks who might have missed some of them, we mail them out on the Best of Bob MP3-CD.Monthly BEL TV Classics: Enjoy Bob Enyart's timeless, popular TV show delivered to your home on the Monthly BEL TV Classics DVDs with great audio and video clarity thanks to our state-of-the-art mastering from the studio-quality Sony beta tapes to DVD!Monthly Donation: For folks who just want to make sure that Bob Enyart Live stays on the air, please consider making a pledge in the form of a Monthly Donation.

Revelation 12-17 We are in the Church Stream reading from the New Century Version. 7streamsmethod.com | @7streamsmethod | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis The five verses prior to our reading today [Rev. 11:15-19] took us beyond the Final Judgment Day; the glorious consummation of history.  Then here we are with so much sounding catastrophically similar to last week. That is because chapters 12-19 is a mirroring repeat of Rev. 6-11.  Today's reading in Rev. 12-17 took us back to the start of the Tribulation and goes through it again.  This time the visions illustrate for readers a series of scenes that were not included in 6-11.  All of this relates mostly to the situation befalling the souls on earth who flat out will not repent and come to God even amid their misery.  Like the Bible has been telling us since Adam/Eve, there is something wrong with man - and he needs a Savior.  This is going on still in Rev. 12ff.  Only this time, amid the hailstorm of trouble, man obviously needs a Savior and his behavior across the globe screams, "no way!" at God. 12 - The woman (Israel) is about to give birth to a child (Jesus) and a dragon (Satan) is crouched. waiting to devour the child.  We've heard of this before? --> Christ the Lord came to earth and Herod immediately went on a hunt to kill Him. 1400 years prior, Moses; "Savior" of the Old Testament era is born and Pharaoh is ready with an edict to kill him. Here, Christ is ready to return to earth and set up His rule and as the preparation and the time is drawing near -  what do you know, the Devil Himself is waiting to do violence and block the arrival.  He always hates a Savior arriving!  The reference of 1,260 days is equivalent to 3+1/2 years; 42 months, This is half the Tribulation Period. The war in heaven when the Dragon is flung to earth and sweeps 1/3 of the stars from the sky, is reminiscent of Ezekiel 28:12ff and Isaiah 14:12ff.; other fascinating comparisons about the Devil's/Lucifer's rebellion. This is all trauma in a big way, but the faithful triumph regardless. The dragon on earth soon hunts for the woman who hides in the desert. The dragon wants Israel obliterated, for Israel will deliver the Savior. 'Sounds like Mary and Joseph fleeing Herod, going through the desert and hiding in Egypt. But the dragon cannot find her so he embarks on killing all her children (those who follow God). 13 - The two beasts of this chapter are prompted by the Devil to overtake the earth. They comprise a diabolical Trinity of deception that is truly powerful and evil. The first beast symbolizes speed, strength and authority on earth in its three animal characteristics equating political power.  The heads, crown, thorns are loaded with blasphemy. Some surmise a link when cross-referencing this beast with Daniel 2:33, and 40-43 plus Dan. 7:7, and 7:24.  The head wound/healed is intimated in Gen. 3:15. This is his duping of the wounded, dead and risen Christ. And the beast gets the whole world to believe and follow him.  He's a demon-possessed politician; the antichrist.  The second beast lives to further get the decieved to follow the first beast.  It poses as  a lamb yet is a false prophet. Notice the desperate attempt to imitate Christ while fighting Him and scheming to kill the people of earth?! This second beast forces all to register and receive a 666 mark. It is a trinitarian number ... but one shy of 777. That is the Devil: faking it, close in resemblance to the work of God, similar enough to deceive, yet way offthe truth. Think of it, God told us this liar is coming. He told us near two millennia ago, so that no one is deceived. People getting deceived by this beast is going to be no fault of God. It's strange and sad how people enjoy being lied to, isn't it? 14 - This chapter gives us the big picture through the end of the book. Then ch. 15ff fills in the rest of the details to the end of history as we know it. Just keep in mind that the chronology of the visions given in ch. 14 and the matching visions given in greater detail from 15 onward are not presented in the same order.  We are told of the 144,000 faithful who have not succumbed to worldliness, the evangelizing/preaching to the whole world, the doom of those who are committed to Babylon and will fall with it. There are the doomed who worship the Beast.  Those who died in the Lord in this difficult era are blessed; assured of Eternal Life ['remember Rev. 6:9-11?].  There's the gospel Harvest, and by contrast there's the bitter harvest; the grapes of God's wrath. The blood is going to flow deep and far ... on a biblical scale.  Again, 14 is the overview, 15-19 is the fill-in of the chaos 15 - The seven angels and the last seven disasters are announced. However there is a stirring worship announcement and interlude before the flood of the final seven disasters pour down. It is a victorious song that assured the saints that the coming terrible plagues were not for them.  God was NOT angry at His own.  The fact that no one can enter His Temple during this time is most likely the assertion that none should even try to avert these coming judgments.  Humanity has been so evil for so many millennia, that nothing but judgment is going to work on these marauders. Time to let the punishment fall!  No one shall be pitied. 16 - The seven judgments roll out as such: 1] boils/sores on all who have 666  2] death reigns over the water as the sea turns to blood  3] all fresh water turns to blood  4] the sun/solar flares create great heat on earth to scorch.  5] there is great darkness and pain on humanity  6] matches the other sixth trumpet where the 200Million man army crossed the Euphrates River and marches on the land of God.  In this one, the Euphrates going dry makes the sixth trumpet able to happen. This army is gathered by false prophets that emerged like frogs and, well, we just read it.  Crazy stuff!  7] The grand finale~ is natural disasters of earthquakes, signs in the sky, and 100 lb. hailstones doing colossal damage, destruction and killing. The earthquakes level every building, every mountain, every island on earth. Imagine what they did to this army of 200Million. Thus all the blood.  And here as through all the other calamities, the people are cursing God. 17 - Next we are shown [in long form] what is going to happen to Babylon, The Great; The Prostitute that leads the whole world astray; that delights in perverting people and deceiving plus killing God's faithful who profess Jesus.. This is symbolized by a woman riding a red beast. Keep a distinction in your thinking, the two beasts introduced in ch. 13 are: -Babylon The Great & -Mystery Babylon.  B/G is the political system. M/B is the false religious system. Satan loves manipulating people through corrupt politics and liars operating within a religious system. [And did you know that people argue about politics and religion?] The red beast this woman rides has seven heads and ten horns. These heads and horns correlate to things on earth; Mountains which are kings and kingdoms. Oddly, the beast is not here, then here, then dies, then rises again - notice the imposter is still mocking Christ through trying to duplicate. The seven mountains are kings that actually become eight kings. Their timing, operations, and interrelationship is as tangled as an angry octopus. The ten horns are kings that will come and cooperate with the beast for a short time to war against the Lamb of God and His Jesus-followers.  The ten horns will be defeated.  Btw, the prostitute has sway over all people, tribes and languages but then is going to be devoured and incinerated by these 10 horns/kings who actually hate her.  Yes the timing of ch's 17&18 is very tangled. And take note that the entities under the Devil's domain devour eachother, as is typical. We will finish this section on "Babylon", then the Final Judgment, and Heaven upon completing the Bible next week.       And we are all encouraged to shout "halelujah". The changes, the trauma, the wild things coming that we read about each day are going to be huge beyond what you have ever known. So you better hang on to God.  Hear this! - - You BETTER hang on to God. -Deuteronomy 29:1 - 31:29   - The time in the desert is drawing to a close. Moses leadership will soon be gone. All you have ever known since Egypt is Moses. And he's departing! Dilemma's approach.  Life and Death are offered to you (both of them want you!).  Battles are coming on the horizon for you. Things are going to get "hairy"!  So you better hang on to God. -Nehemiah 13 - Esther 4   - What was facing the Jewish people in Europe in the 1930s and 40s was looming for them in Esther's day yet more bold and imminent. Haman wanted them all dead, now.  And Haman had the king's ear. Death was approaching fast and it would come at the hands of the world's toughest empire who had all the Jews as captives. There was no one 'else' to call for help.  It was time to hang on to God. -Song of Solomon 1-4   - this may seem peculiar to assert that these two must hang on to God. Yet it is imperative. Millions of people on earth are murderously angry at those they have shared erotic experiences with. We either invite God into our love lives, and follow His directive and invitation or we keep Him away at these junctures.  Then what was supposed to make us so happy creates a trap of misery.  So hang on to God and feel the love. -Ezekiel 44-46  - The Rebuilt Temple is a reality that is true yet ethereal in its timing. Students of Scripture are not sure when exactly this Temple is to take place. Yet it is apocalyptic; to be revealed later. Whenever it is, we want to be in and about God's business when He is doing this, not preoccupied with lesser things.  Best way to be involved with Him is to be with Him; hanging on to Him so to take part in the things of God. -Malachi 1,2  - The Hebrews are back in Israel, following the Exile. The Babylonian seige was 140 years ago. But all is not well. They are not honoring God, His rules, the Temple, the sacrifices, the offerings, nor eachother. And they are acting weird toward God when He confronts them. God is warning them that they better hang on to Him; don't break trust with Him like they were doing. Remember, God knows how to send enemies on the disobedient. -John 19  - Ad Jesus is crucified, the 12 were being walked through their toughest assignment ever.  They would lose their leader, their God, teacher, healer, mentor/coach, dearest of friends.  Now what? They had planned to go on with Him and build a whole new world. But He's dead. And things were not going to make sense for a bit. Now what do they do but hang on to God? -Revelation 12-17  -  As the world is taken in to its most cataclysmic era since Noah's flood, the worst of events are stacked and ready to happen. This is Tribulation Part II and it is simultaneous with the first phase explained in Rev. 6-11.  It's beyond horrible. The world is becoming a virtually uninhabitable place, and yet people still live here.  'You noticed the subtle verses between all the mayhem where the people who follow Jesus are protected? What are they hanging onto?

What makes this Manuscript so important is that the Babylonian school of the Masoretic Text was rediscovered because of it. God bless you! We appreciate you listening!

As 2021 winds down, the GenX stories podcast gang waxes poetic about making genie wishes instead of resolutions, self-improvement holiday gifts never to give and all the rules we're gonna break in the new year. Plus why the Babylonians can suck it. See ya all next year!Episode linksNobody claim 2022 as your year meme2019 Peloton ad campaignWhere did resolutions come from? Eve's New Years' Word vs. resolutions Genie RulesAchievable New Years resolutionsWish PaperNew Year's resolution statistics55 New Year's Resolution Ideas for 2022How to Make (and Keep) a New Year's ResolutionConnect with usSubscribe to GenX Stories in your favorite podcast appBuy some kickass merchWrite us a reviewVisit our siteJoin our Facebook GroupFollow our 80's inspired InstagramSend us an email

When on high, these 7 tablets give a Babylonian view of the world and creation, and also talk of the great flood. God bless you and thank you for listening! Please share and join us again tomorrow!

Download Ezekiel 44-46 We are in the Prophetic Stream reading from the New Century Version. 7streamsmethod.com | @7streamsmethod | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Lord of Heaven and earth, your plans and ways are beyond understanding. Build our faith and increase it through a knowledge that understands that your ways are even greater and higher than we know or understand. Amen. The final nine chapters of Ezekiel [40-48] are the vision of the rebuilt Temple.  Ezekiel is telling of a temple that didn't get built after the exile. And it isn't Herod's temple from the first century; That one was flattened by Romans in 70 A.D. just as Solomon's Temple from ca. 950 B.C. was flattened by Babylonians in 586 B.C.  This is a vision of a Temple that will be an item to behold during the Messianic Era; is it in the Millennium and yet there are elements that do not seem to fit a Millenial Era temple - and I hope we can employ that term without triggering too many arguments.  Of those nine chapters, today we read about the fifth, sixth, and seventh of these chapters.  It is not a simple nor straightforward layout not a simple interpretation. 44 - The gate that is talked about here in the first three verses is the gate [as it happened] that Jesus came through for the Triumphal Entry days before His Crucifixion.  It has been mortared shut over the centuries by those hostile to Christ; to Judaism, Christianity as they thought themselves smart to make sure Christ doesn't return through here (like He said He would).  The Muslims who did this centuries ago are not privy to Ezekiel 44, they are simply thinking they are out-foxing Jesus. Let them play their games, you might say.  But after this gate detail is mentioned, Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord in his vision.  Then the remainder of the chapter is spent reminding the priests of their rightful duties.  Since the divided Kingdom they have had quite a habit of forgetting to follow or teach the Law. God will have no more of this.  And in the era of this rebuilt Temple, with God's glory even more a dynamic, is He going to let the priests go lax on their assignments? Hardly.   The minutiae of the steps they are to take are eerily similar to what is laid out in Leviticus, btw. 45 - As the land is allotted there will be land set aside for the Temple that is much more than it has been. Jerusalem and its perimeter is apparently much bigger.  The priests shall have their place. And 'the ruler' (some translations call him "the Prince") will be granted a notable portion of land.  The powers-that-be in Jerusalem are near scolded in their warnings to be be fair and just, and to stop the cruelty. They still have offerings to bring forth. There are feasts to observe, and the Passover was to be celebrated along with the other feasts.  If we are in the Messianic Era during all this, is the Law for unconverted Jews to follow? Are they for the Christians to exercise so to commemorate all that Christ has replaced through his sacrifice long ago? It is ambiguous and Ezekiel does not confirm it for us. This certainly keeps the discussion upended and lively, doesn't it? 46 - The rigorous details of the worship services, the feasts, the offerings and the priestly duties continue through this chapter. The offerings are to be regular, daily, seasonally, annually. The Temple details tell us it is a Temple that is yet to be built.  The sacrifices are clearly reminiscent of the second millennium B.C. It leaves one pondering what millennium we are in ... then when we go straight into a fountain of life as we do next week {Ez. 47ff], it goes right back to sounding like the Messianic era.  Perhaps this is ethereal verbiage to have us musing about how God is going to distill all of history into a cohesively unified concept that reaches back AND forward through all history through is only begotten Son...? Perhaps this is the point that encapsulates the truth without being specified?  Well, Ezekiel wrote this final vision and finished it up in 570 B.C. And here we are 26 centuries later still discussing it.  It could be his way of keeping our minds on the ever unfolding plans of God. If that is what and why he did it this way, it is still working.  For we are still reading and discussing "this Temple."

Have you ever been super lost? It's no fun. In our passage today, Israel and Judah are not only about to be super lost (in terms of location) but they are already lost spiritually. They are about to be attacked and carried off by the Babylonians. In this sermon, Pastor Kyle looks at another Christmas prophecy that shows how Jesus comes in the midst of our lostness and four things to remember when you are spiritually lost. God isn't gather The post Jeremiah 23:1-8 – Christmas Hope For The Lost appeared first on Island Pond Baptist Church.

Isaiah 65:17-25 Pastor Tenneson Longing for the City of God Will Help Us Get There Intro We have had a sweet time in the book of Isaiah hearing about Jesus from different passages. We heard two sermons about the birth of a promised child who would set the world right. Then, last week, Daniel preached a sermon about how this child, now an adult, would act to rescue his people through the shedding of his own blood. So far we have the identity of the king, Jesus. We know who his people are: the one's who trust in the king and his shed blood. What's missing is the place. A kingdom consists of a king, his people, and the place where they live. We hear many sermons about Jesus and about how we relate to him (which is great!), yet we hear too few sermons about the place Jesus opens for us by his death and resurrection. We get to hear about this place this morning. Unfortunately, many of us probably don't think of heaven or the after life often. If we do, we might think it sounds boring or even scary. We might imagine ourselves floating on the clouds or trapped in a never ending worship service. How sad that we tend to think this way about the place God has prepared for us. Do you want to have a different perspective than that? Do you think God wants you to have a different perspective than that? Then let's dive into his word and see what it says: Revelation Isaiah 65:17 NIV 17 “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. Right before our verses in this chapter, God had just declared that his people would receive great fullness and joy from him while his enemies would receive pain and judgment. In our passage, God is giving the reason for what came before. These verses explain why his people “eat…drink…rejoice… and sing for gladness of heart” (Isa 65:13-14). Why is this the case? Because, God said, “Behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” That sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Let's talk more about what it means. When Jesus returns, God will will create the world all afresh again: he says, “I will create a new heavens and a new earth.” This language takes us back to the first words in the Bible, Gen 1:1 Genesis 1:1 NIV 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The heavens and the earth describe the upper and lower limits of creation, so what should come into mind is the sky above and the earth beneath and everything in between, a whole world. To create a “new heavens and a new earth” is to create a whole new creation. This includes everything we see, touch, and feel except made new again without any of the old sin and death that our first parents brought into God's good creation. Before we go any further, we need to have an expectation adjustment: the final state of God's people will not be disembodied spirits far, far away. It's true that after we leave this Earth and before Jesus returns, we will live with God as spirits without bodies. Yet, that's only temporary and not God's ultimate plan. Rather, when Jesus comes back, God will create this brand new creation, give us new bodies, and we will live with him in a world much like this one, yet without sickness, relational brokenness, or anything that brings us sorrow. This is what God means when he says, “I will create a new heavens and a new earth.” God's renewal of us and this place will be so complete that he can promise, “The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” What an amazing hope for us, especially for those of us who feel trapped by the pain and shame of the past. This doesn't mean we won't have any recollection of the things that happened in this life, but that painful memories won't continue to harm or sadden us any longer. I am aware that there are people who have been traumatized in this room. There are probably people in this room who have traumatized other people and you struggle to get over that shame. Physiologically, we now know that even if you forget about your trauma consciously, you often carry it around in your body and it manifests in physical symptoms like head aches, body pain, and insomnia.[1] Other traumatized people will think repeatedly or compulsively about their trauma (many of us have harm and pain in our past that is like this that we compulsively think about). Not in God's new creation. He will so completely renew and deliver his people “the former things will not be remembered nor will they come to mind.” These verses would have brought such sweet relief to God's people who in a few generations would have experienced unimaginable pain. The Babylonian armies will besiege and overthrow the city of Jerusalem. A siege is the worst kind of ancient warfare. First, the besieged city suffers hunger and starvation (during this time some people would even eat other people they were so hungry). Then the army breaks in and unrestrained bloodletting follows. Some of the first readers of this book would have known the meaning of trauma as they sat in Babylonian captivity. The words we are about to read about a restored Jerusalem would have been so precious to those who had seen the worst evils imaginable committed in it.[2] And if you are here today wondering if you will ever fully heal from a sin done against you or from a horrible sin you committed against another. Here is what God's word says to you who are trusting in Jesus, Isaiah 65:17 NIV 17 “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. As we go further into this prophecy, God's message keeps getting better, Isaiah 65:18–19 NIV 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. As the Hebrew Scriptures often do, they repeat themselves to give us a fuller image of what they are communicating. God is going to give us another image to fill out our understanding of his new creation. “I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.” God says both Jerusalem and its people will be happy: a happy city with happy people! As I mentioned before, this will soon be a ruin and filled with mourning and weeping. What a comforting image to those whose memories of Jerusalem were only pain and death to hear that the new creation God will create will be as their beloved city but completely made right. When God sets the world right, he will heal even your worst pain and sorrow. We should not think of the new creation as some kind of disembodied realm where we float around with harps, but as concrete as life in a city except everything is set right. There's a theme that runs throughout the Bible of the city of God, that is, the society and culture God is building in his people and will fully bring into being when Jesus comes back. Another word for this city of God that Jesus will build when he comes back is “the New Jerusalem.” It contrasts the city of man which characterizes our current society and world. Sinful people build the city of man on the value of personal gratification at the expense of others. The city of God rests on the foundation of self-sacrifice for the good of others. That's why in this passage when God talks about his new creation, he calls it “Jerusalem.” It will be as tangible, as concrete as a city made right. Just as a city made right should have encouraged these sorrowful Jews in captivity, so it should bring comfort to us as we experience sin and brokenness in our city around us. More than any time in recent history, we here in Minneapolis are in a position to appreciate the hope of living in the kingdom of God. No one in this room would deny that they have felt sorrow over the things that have unfolded here. The brokenness of Minneapolis and her people show that we are not yet in the city of God, we still live in the city of man. Yet, this disappointment with our world should serves a purpose. Our discontent should fuel a deep longing to live in the city of God. Our hearts were made for and desire a city where, as Isaiah puts it, “the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” I want you to pause and imagine Minneapolis for a moment, except... there is no homelessness or joblessness there is no mental illness or drug addiction there is no racism, segregated neighborhoods, or political division there is no more car-jacking or shootings that kill little children. there is no more police brutality or riots. no more sex trafficking or abortion Church families where all kinds of people of different backgrounds come together to worship Jesus fill our city. Families and singles come together to recreate and there's not a single lonely person. Would any of you care to move to this city? The crazy thing this text is saying is that you will. That's what God means when he says, Isaiah 65:18–19 NIV 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. You will get to be the happy people of God living in the city of joy. None of the things that break your heart will ever happen again and you will get to be with Jesus. We will get to say along with Sam from the Return of the King after he finds out that his friends survived and they had defeated their great enemy, “will everything sad come untrue?”[3] And amazingly, in Jesus, yes it certainly will. Now, the Lord is going to provide a handful of images that will further capture what life will be like in the city he will create: Isaiah 65:20 NIV 20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. In the ancient world, infant mortality was a common occurrence. Though we have sadly lost some children to miscarriage, by God's grace, we haven't lost any of the babies that have been born in our church community. However, this would have been far different in Isaiah's day. Infant mortality would have been a consistent reminder of the curse of death. This reminder of death will vanish in God's new city because sin and death will vanish. Isaiah also says someone dying at 100 years old will be considered a “young child.” What a sweet picture that there will be no more premature or unexpected death. It always feels like a gut shot when someone you know dies, even if you were expecting it. Death is so unnatural that our minds always struggle to comprehend what even happened. One more sweet detail about this city: no more gut shots, no more grief, no more trying to comprehend and accept death. There will be no more comprehending death because there will be no more death. These images are not suggesting that there will be death in this city (as that would contradict other parts of Isaiah that say there will be no more death at all). Instead, they are images that would connect to the imaginations of the original hearers in concrete ways. These are imaginative ways of saying, as one author says, “over the whole of life, the power of death will be gone.”[4] What more do we learn about this city? Isaiah 65:21–23 NIV 21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. It seems as if the New Jerusalem is a simple place. What will be there? Houses, gardens, people, good food. It says, No longer will we build houses and others live in them,” that is, there will be no enemies or hostility. “As for the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people.” It will go on for a really, really long time. “They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune.” No one will ever have to worry that you'll lose something you worked for or your children will have to face hard things in life. It sounds like the ultimate family or friends gathering in a warm house with warm people and warm food. Perhaps you have had one of those evenings you just wish would never end. You will get one that never ends, child of God, and it will be far better than any you've ever experienced here. The descriptions of heaven are far different than our imagination of floating in the sky in an unending worship service. Instead, the Bible paints a picture for us of a new creation, filled with all of the good things God made for us to enjoy with our bodies and without any of the things that cause pain and harm. And still, there is something far, far better than what Isaiah just taught, Isaiah 65:24 NIV 24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. Can you imagine if you were praying one morning in your room, telling God you loved him and asking him for help, and suddenly Jesus himself was standing beside you, answering you. Would you want that? Well, you'll get that in the city of God. You will get to have perfect intimacy with Jesus. He won't ever seem far off again, and you won't ever close yourself off from him again. In the city of God, you will have perfect relationship with God all the time. Then comes our last verse, Isaiah 65:25 NIV 25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. There's a saying that goes, “nature is red in tooth and claw.” It refers to the constant violence and death that marks the animal kingdom, which points to the sin and death in us. God's restoration of the creation will be so complete even the animals will live at peace with one another. The wolf (the predator) and the lamb (its prey) will feast beside one another. The lion (a terrifying hunter) will eat straw instead of animals. A serpent (a killer of men and animals, dating all the way back to the garden) will only eat dust and harm no more.[5] God says, “they will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” a phrase that takes us back to Eden, which God had likely situated on a mountain. The New Jerusalem will be a new garden of Eden where we will enjoy all the same delights and provisions from God. Church, as I mentioned at the beginning of the sermon, understanding these things about the place God is preparing for us is essential for our lives in this broken world. What we believe about the future shapes how we live now[6]. The longer we live here in the broken city of man, the more we need the promise of the city of God. As life wears on, and we experience the inadequacy of this world at new levels, we can have one of three responses: (1) despair and distraction: we can become depressed at the state of things and flee to distractions like substances, entertainment, or anything to get our minds off our sorrow. This response does not fill us up with the presence of God, but empties us of it. If we respond to this world like the rest of society does, we should not expect we will have more joy or hope than they do. (2) finding a false savior: we can give ourselves to political and social movements with the false hope and ferver that we can set the world right without Jesus coming back. There's nothing wrong with making the world a better place, just with living with the commitment to a cause other than Jesus as if it's the thing that could set the world right. This kind of life leads to bitterness and despair. (3) What alternative is there to these responses? Longing for the city of God. Not despair or detraction but desiring. Instead of fixing our attention fully on the brokenness here, or numbing ourselves to it, we can meditate on the city God is building. Does this describe you? Do you think daily about God's promise to remake the world for his people after Jesus returns? God is inviting you to the hope in his promise to remake the world. I confess to you that looking forward to the new creation is not a daily part of my thought and prayer life as it's meant to be. God means for me to be more full of joy and more full of himself than I am. I keep myself from greater fullness of God by distracting myself from the pain of this life with empty entertainment. To be blunt: looking at my phone instead of meditating on and anticipating life with God robs me of more of God's presence. Church that leads to our main point this morning, Longing for the city of God will help get us safely home. It's the act of anticipating life in this city that God will use to supply us with strength to not fall into despair or trusting a false savior and instead safely arrive at the New Jerusalem. You could give up on following Jesus if you become too discouraged or too numbed and distracted, or too devoted to something else besides him, but not if you're thinking often of the place he is making for you. There's a song the elder team enjoys. We actually all jammed out to it in Dale's minivan when we were driving to our last retreat together. The song is Citizens by John Guerra and in it, he expresses his despair to God over the brokenness of this life, and then responds by hoping in the city of God. The chorus goes like this, Coming to you ‘cause I'm confused Coming to you ‘cause I feel used Coming to weep while I'm waiting Tell me you won't make me go I need to know there is justice and it will roll in abundance (and here it is…) and that you're building a city Where we arrive as immigrants And you call us citizens And you welcome us as children home Do you marvel God is building a city and will welcome you? Church, the thought of life forever with God is not meant to bore us, but to so fill us with hope that we can faithfully suffer well and arrive at home with God. You may wonder how you might become a citizen of this city if you have not yet. Please stick around and talk to myself or any of the members. You need to know the man who is king over it, Jesus, who shed his blood so that all who come to him could live in this place. One final word on this text. This image of a city as the new creation of God appears again at the end of the Bible in Revelation 21:9-10 Revelation 21:9–10 ESV 9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, Verse 10 which describes the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven onto a high mountain is what our church logo is depicting. We deeply long for the Lord to make the world right and the place where he dwells with his people. Our logo is a call for us to think about these things often. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 12:38 PM December 13, 2021. Benediction: 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Re 22:20–21). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles. [1] I gained these references from “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma - Kindle Edition by van Der Kolk, Bessel . Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle EBooks @ Amazon.Com.,” accessed December 17, 2021, https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma-ebook/dp/B00G3L1C2K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VUYJEPJTGWAQ&keywords=the+body+keeps+the+score&qid=1639761584&sprefix=the+body+keeps+the+%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-1. [2] John Calvin helped me see that these words would have addressed those in exile. John Calvin: Commentary on Isaiah - Volume 4 - Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org) [3] “The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism - Kindle Edition by Keller, Timothy. Religion & Spirituality Kindle EBooks @ Amazon.Com.,” accessed December 17, 2021, https://www.amazon.com/Reason-God-Belief-Age-Skepticism-ebook/dp/B000XPNUZE/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+reason+for+god&qid=1639761988&sr=8-1, 33. [4] Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 451). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. [5] Cf. Motyer, J. A. (1999). Isaiah: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 451). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. [6] Dr. Jason DeRouchie quoted Scott Hafemann as saying that in a lecture.

This is the introductory lesson in a study of the Book of Daniel. Chapter One describes the tactics used by the Babylonian empire to indoctrinate and assimilate four Jewish teenagers.

Matthew 1.16-17 NLT "Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah." Matthew shows here how the Old Testament has prepared the way for the coming of Jesus. He points out that there were 14 generations from the time of Abraham, the father of the nation, up to the reign of King David. This was undoubtedly the high-water mark in the Old Testament. David was the one who established Jerusalem as the city of God and who prepared the way for the building of the magnificent Temple. After that everything went catastrophically downhill in the next fourteen generations ending with the people being taken off into exile in Babylon. The following 14 generations were ones in which the prophetic voice was almost entirely silent. There is a four hundred year gap between the final book of the Old Testament and the coming of Christ. However, throughout those dark years, there were some who held on to the conviction that God would send his Messiah, his anointed one, who would usher in a new age of the Spirit. The coming of the Messiah was the fulfilment of many prophecies and saw the purposes of God move into a completely new era. History had been pointing in this direction but now finally it had become a reality. When the apostle Paul spoke of these things he wrote, “When the right time came, God sent his son, born of a woman.” (Galatians 4.4) People had waited centuries for this special moment but God knew exactly what he was doing. We cannot be sure how many people were awaiting the coming of Jesus, but it probably wasn't many. Jesus' arrival certainly came as a complete surprise to many people. However, we thank God for Simeon and Anna, two old people whose lives were given over to prayer and who immediately spotted the Messiah when they saw him. (Luke 2.25-38) As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, let's give thanks to God that he sent Jesus his son as Messiah and that, through his death, he opened the way for us to find new life in him and to participate in the new age of the Spirit. QUESTION: Looking at Galatians 4.4 what do you think made the time of Jesus coming exactly the right time? PRAYER: Lord God, thank you for the new era which Jesus our Messiah opened up and in which we can share today. Amen

Season 1 of our show concludes as we examine in a biblical dramatization the one chapter where the majority of biblical instruments can be found in the book of Daniel. Robert then gives a final packaging of the instruments we've examined within the string family. Finally concluding the show with the final segment of Richard Dumbrill describing the tuning of his reconstructed silver Lyre in the Penta-tonic scale (The black keys on the piano). Followed Dumbroll interviewing textual Babylonian scholar Irving Finkel.   Video link Richard Dumbrill interview part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGYTcK-15bY&app=desktop   Podcast Streams Anchor https://anchor.fm/kadosh-shachah Castbox https://castbox.fm/vc/2208477 Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kadosh-shachah-holy-worship/id1472295079 Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9jODE0ODg0L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/00nCHOB2eR8XberphEmIRi Pocket Casts https://pca.st/3o49 Breaker https://www.breaker.audio/kadosh-shachah-holy-worship Radio Public https://radiopublic.com/kadosh-shachah-holy-worship-6nVNky

To conclude the strings portion of our evolution of biblical ancient instrumentation we examine the archeology and musicology behind the Silver Lyre from Ur. Richard Dunbrill an expert Archeomusicologist, details the history of this instrument from excavation to reconstructing its original casing for display in the 1960s. Unfortunately it is no longer able to be viewed by the public. However, Richard, along with Peter Pringle, have taken upon themselves to reconstruct the frame for the silver Lyre as well as the Babylonian tuning of the strings.   Video links: Richard Dumbrill interview Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e12hWw7R5CQ&app=desktop   2. Sarah Collins British Museum https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/object/silver-lyre   Podcast Streams Anchor https://anchor.fm/kadosh-shachah Castbox https://castbox.fm/vc/2208477 Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kadosh-shachah-holy-worship/id1472295079 Google Podcasts https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9jODE0ODg0L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/00nCHOB2eR8XberphEmIRi Pocket Casts https://pca.st/3o49 Breaker https://www.breaker.audio/kadosh-shachah-holy-worship Radio Public https://radiopublic.com/kadosh-shachah-holy-worship-6nVNky

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations.

This incredibly popular Babylonian epic poem seems to be a fallen look at a Biblical time period. God bless you and thank you for listening!

- Press the PLAY button to listen to the catechesis of the day and share if you like -+ A reading from the holy Gospel, according to Matthew +The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,   the son of David, the son of Abraham.Abraham became the father of Isaac,   Isaac the father of Jacob,   Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,   whose mother was Tamar.Perez became the father of Hezron,   Hezron the father of Ram,   Ram the father of Amminadab.Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,   Nahshon the father of Salmon,   Salmon the father of Boaz,   whose mother was Rahab.Boaz became the father of Obed,   whose mother was Ruth.Obed became the father of Jesse,   Jesse the father of David the king.David became the father of Solomon,   whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,   Rehoboam the father of Abijah,   Abijah the father of Asaph.Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,   Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,   Joram the father of Uzziah.Uzziah became the father of Jotham,   Jotham the father of Ahaz,   Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,   Manasseh the father of Amos,   Amos the father of Josiah.Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers    at the time of the Babylonian exile.After the Babylonian exile,   Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,   Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,   Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.Abiud became the father of Eliakim,   Eliakim the father of Azor,   Azor the father of Zadok.Zadok became the father of Achim,   Achim the father of Eliud,   Eliud the father of Eleazar.Eleazar became the father of Matthan,   Matthan the father of Jacob,   Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.Thus the total number of generations    from Abraham to David is fourteen generations;   from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;   from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,   fourteen generations.The Gospel of the Lord.

When the king of Babylon besieged Jerusalem and took the city, what on earth was he after? What did he want? If you have ever visited the old city of Jerusalem, you have to wonder why on earth that city has been the subject of so many wars. My first impression of the city, as I wandered around its old streets, was what in the world is here that is worth fighting over?The odd thing about it is that the people of Judea who were left behind after that war with Babylon were probably better off under Babylonian administration than they had been under their own. Babylon wanted their taxes paid, peace on their western borders, and very little else that we can discern. They looted the city and the temple, but they probably considered that recovering back taxes and siege expenses.Before the Babylonians came, there was widespread corruption and violence in the land. The administration, the king, and his princes were part of that corrupt system. The Babylonians put an end to all that. There is a drive to power in man, and in some people it is pathological. They can’t be content to go about their own business and to leave others to do the same. There are some surprising and revealing things that arise in the days following the fall of Jerusalem. One very surprising thing is the kindness the Babylonians showed to a man named Jeremiah. You’ll find the story in Jeremiah, chapter 40.

As we saw in chapter 2, God is still grieving about how His beloved people rebelled and rejected Him for false pagan gods and idols. However, in the 2nd part of this chapter, the prophet gets prophetic and mentions the Ark of the Covenant. What happened to it? Did the Babylonians get it? If not, where is it? Is it even important? Check out the legends, theories and the actual Words of God. Let's dig in…. Keep reading in my blog where there are links to dig deeper and watch the special videos…. If you want to reap all the benefits of salvation including the 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven then… Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit. Pray this prayer humbly and wholeheartedly… “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. Please forgive me. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and my life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. I surrender my whole life to you and I will follow you for the rest of my life. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. In Jesus' name, Amen.” Or visit: https://giselleaguiar.com/how-to-invite-jesus-into-your-heart/ FREE Ebook! The Catholic Mission Field in Our Backyards How to help open the eyes of your Catholic friends and family to the Truth about the Salvation of Jesus Christ (without starting a battle). A Guide for born-again Christians. https://giselleaguiar.com/free-ebook-the-catholic-mission-field-in-our-backyards/ Which is the Best Study Bible to Give a Catholic? (affiliate link) http://giselleaguiar.com/which-study-bible-is-best-to-give-a-catholic/ This is a daily podcast, published each evening. Subscribe so can get to know God. And please share this with your friends. Soli Deo Gloria — To God Alone Be the Glory! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/seek-the-truth/message

Matthew 1:11

The Abudarham (Rav David Abudarham, Seville, Spain, d. 1300) makes an astounding comment about the fast of Asara Be'Tebet. He writes that this fast is so significant that were it possible for this date – the 10th of Tebet – to fall on Shabbat, we would observe the fast that day. As it happens, our calendar system does not allow the 10th of Tebet to occur on Shabbat, but theoretically, were such a thing to have been possible, the fast would override the obligation to feast on Shabbat. This is truly astonishing. The only fast we ever observe on Shabbat is Yom Kippur – which is the only fast mandated by the Torah. All the other fasts, which were instituted later, by the Sages, do not override Shabbat. Even when Tisha B'Ab, the saddest day of the year, when we mourn the destruction of both Bateh Mikdash and several other catastrophes that befell the Jewish People, falls on Shabbat, we delay the fast and the mourning observances to Sunday. Why would Asara Be'Tebet be any different? Why is it so significant that it overrides Shabbat? The Hatam Sofer (Rav Moshe Sofer, Austria-Hungary, 1762-1839) offers an answer which sheds an entirely new light on the occasion of Asara Be'Tebet. This day, as we know, commemorates the onset of the siege set by the Babylonians on Jerusalem, which ultimately resulted in the destruction of the city and the Bet Ha'mikdash. On that day, when the Babylonian army surrounded the city, a "trial" took place in the heavens. On one side, angels advocated on behalf of Am Yisrael, arguing that Jerusalem should be spared, but on the other, the prosecuting angels argued in favor of the destruction. Of course, this second group prevailed, and this siege resulted in the tragic destruction of Jerusalem. The Hatam Sofer posits that each year, on Asara Be'Tebet, this "trial" is held anew. G-d presides over the case, as it were, to determine whether or not our nation is again worthy of our final redemption and the rebuilding of the Bet Ha'mikdash. This, the Hatam Sofer explains, is the difference between Asara Be'Tebet and the other fast days. The other fasts, including Tisha B'Ab, are commemorative. They are aimed at reminding us of past tragedies so we are moved to repent and improve ourselves. Asara B'Tebet, however, relates to a judgment taking place in the present. The Hatam Sofer compares Asara Be''Tebet to the only other exception (besides Yom Kippur) when fasting is allowed on Shabbat – a Ta'anit Halom, a fast observed after a frightening dream. If one beholds a frightening dream on Friday night, and is very disturbed by its possible implications, he may fast on Shabbat in an effort to revoke the evil decree which he fears has been issued against him. This is allowed, the Hatam Sofer explains, because the fast in this case addresses a present crisis, not a past event. By the same token, the fast of Asara Be'Tebet would override Shabbat, because this fast is observed in the hope of earning a favorable decree as G-d sits in judgment that day. It is no coincidence that Asara Be'Tebet is always observed around the time when we read the culmination of the dramatic story of Yosef and his brothers. They key to ending our long, painful exile is rectifying the sin of strife and internecine fighting among Jews, and this story is all about the rupture in Yaakob's family and its restoration through Yosef's kindness and forgiveness. Instead of seeking to avenge his brothers' wrongs against him, Yosef put them in a position to make a Tikkun (rectification) of their sin by threatening to keep Binyamin in Egypt, prompting Yehuda to selflessly intervene, offering to remain in Binyamin's stead – thereby reversing the sin of selling Yosef. Yosef then lovingly embraced his brothers, assured them he would care for them, and reunited the family. Each night before we go to sleep, we are to recite a proclamation that we forgive everyone who may have wronged us during the day. Yosef shows us that one of the critical elements of brotherly love is forgiveness, to refrain from bearing grudges, to love our fellow Jews despite the mistakes they make and despite their faults. This is precisely the lesson we need to learn as we prepare for the critically important day of Asara Be'Tebet. We cannot change the world; we can only change ourselves. Let us all make an effort to be more forgiving to our fellowman, so we once and for all achieve the final Tikkun of the sin of Sin'at Hinam (baseless hatred) and be worthy of our final redemption, speedily and in our times, Amen.

Babylonian envoys visit Hezekiah. He shows them all his treasures. Isaiah prophesies that the king’s possessions and sons will be taken to Babylon.

Parashat Va'yigash The dramatic, destiny-driven ‘close encounter' of Yosef and his brothers in the Torah portion of Va'yigash coincides with three ‘days of darkness' coming up next week: the 8th, 9th, and the Fast Day of the 10th of this Hebrew month of Tevet. This week's Jerusalem Lights podcast ponders the significance of the historical events recalled by these days: The forced translation of the Torah into Greek; the death of Ezra the Scribe; and the start of the Babylonian siege against Jerusalem, which ultimately led to the destruction of the Holy Temple. Yet Tevet, having begun with the light of the waning days of Chanukah, continues to shine forth a light that illuminates Torah's universal message: finding Hashem in a world of concealment. Plus: the inimitable scholarship of Jim Long once again finds harmony between the Biblical narrative of Yosef, and ancient Egyptian historical and archeological records. ___ Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow: Paypal: infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490 In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com

How will God bring His people through the darkest time in their history? The books of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah give us a mixture of narrative and prophecy that take us through the time of Babylonian captivity. Join us as we learn about God, His character, and His people in these fascinating books.If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, rate, review, & share!For more information, in-person or online studies, or if you have questions, please reach out to us:(717) 585-0949 call/textCapitalCityChristians@gmail.comCapitalCityChristians.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Discovered in 1935, these 21 ostraca are a desperate plea for help from the invading Babylonian army. God bless you! I appreciate you listening! Please come again!

In the distant future, humans are nothing more than batteries that power machines. But most people are blissfully unaware of the truth, thanks to a simulated reality known as the matrix. Special guest Uri Moszkowicz joins us to talk about a famous ancient Babylonian who did things, an epic prank to play on Morpheus, and how this movie ripped off a Gap commercial. Take the red pill and you'll find out if The Matrix stands the Test of Time.

This climatic battle between the Assyrians, Egyptians, and the victorious Babylonian's, led by Nebuchadnezzar, established Babylon as the greatest of world powers. God bless you! I appreciate you listening!

Daniel 3 - 1:04 . Daniel 4 - 8:58 . Proverbs 27:1-13 - 17:59 . Through their wisdom and through their service to the king, Daniel and his friends bear witness to the power and glory of God through their faithful witness. Many of us know the account found in today's reading, wherein David's friends (here called by their Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) are forced to decide between paying homage to Nebuchadnezzar's idol or burning alive in a giant furnace. They choose the difficult path of faithfulness, confessing that can save them if he so desires. In chapter 4, the kind recounts a dream and Daniel's interpretation of it, followed by the fulfillment of the dream wherein the king is humbled by God Almighty.:::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

We discuss trying our hand at something new- NFTs!My name is Isaac Weishaupt and I've been hosting the Conspiracy Theories & Unpopular Culture podcast since 2014. I've written several books focused on transhumanism and the occult global agenda of getting us into a digital matrix. Now that Mark Zuckerberg is openly promoting it with the new Facebook MetaVerse, we need to talk about it...I'm THOUGHT I'd be releasing this episode as an exclusive NFT on OpenSea.io. This was supposed to be a one hour show that would only be available as an NFT .mp3 file that would discuss the following talking points:What is the MetaVerse?1992 "Snow Crash" novel origins- Babylonian binary and the parallels to modern day events of hyper inflation and crypto currenciesPrimer on transhumanism: Ray Kurzweil, Mindfiles, Digital Matrix and SingularityManly P Hall's “The Secret Destiny of America” as the scientific theocracy for the the occultist to seek immortality and the new religion of science: “The religion of the future will include within its own structure the best of science, art, literature, politics, and sociology”Facebook's MetaVerse video5G, VR, AR, Internet and Facebook all merge into the MetaVerseGaming“Protecting our privacy” (after paying a $5B fine for NOT doing that)Digital shoesWhy this is happeningInstead of all that NFT nonsense- you'll hear about the failed attempt! Enjoy! (*We'll hit the Tier 4 Dedications today also!)Show sponsors:1. Get discounts while you support the show and do a little self improvement! 2. Get 10% off your first month of starting your happier life at BetterHelp.com/IlluminatiWatcher 3. Free 30 day trial to great audiobooks at Audible.com/Illuminati (or text “illuminati” to 500-500)4. Go to Manscaped.com and use the promo code CONSPIRACY20 ****Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping! #ad #manscapedpod****5. ATTENTION CRYPTO NERDS!!! CopyMyCrypto.com/Isaac is where you can copy James McMahon's crypto holdings- listeners get access for just $1Get bonus content AND go commercial free + other perks with 3 options:1. VIP: Due to the threat of censorship, I set up a Patreon-type system through MY OWN website! It's the VIP section of illuminatiwatcher.com! It's even setup the same: FREE ebooks, Kubrick's Code video, Tier 2+ shoutouts, Tier 3 Livestreams! Sign up at: https://illuminatiwatcher.com/members-section/2. Patreon: Get free ebooks, bonus content, no commercials at Patreon.com/IlluminatiWatcher! 3. ROKFIN: Check out my new PRIVATE show! You'll get all the premium bonus content of Conspiracy Theories & Unpopular Culture podcast (*now including a 4K HD video version of the show!) AND an exclusive new podcast “INSIDE THE MIND OF A CONSPIRACY THEORIST” (*one subscription gets you all my bonus content as well as all other creators like Tin Foil Hat's Sam Tripoli, Jay Dyer, Crrow777, Eric Dubay, Jason Bermas, Whitney Webb and more!): https://www.rokfin.com/creator/isaac [**Rokfin also gets the uncensored version and commercial free version of my third podcast- “BREAKING SOCIAL NORMS” with Mrs. Weishaupt (we talk about trending topics, marriage and self-help with a dash of conspiracy!)]More from Isaac- special offers:1. Check out another free podcast I make with my wife called the BREAKING SOCIAL NORMS podcast! You can get it free wherever you listen to podcasts (e.g. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-social-norms/id1557527024?uo=4). You can get the Uncensored and commercial-free option available at https://www.rokfin.com/creator/isaac or Patreon.com/BreakingSocialNorms2. Signed paperbacks, coffee mugs, shirts, & other merch: Gumroad.com/IsaacW3. Get 3 books for $5: https://illuminatiwatcher.com/how-to-get-free-books/4. ALIENS, UFOS & THE OCCULT IS NOW UP ON AMAZON AND AUDIBLE (*author narrated): https://amzn.to/3j3UtZz5. Enjoy some audiobooks and support the show! Go to Audible.com/Illuminati or text “Illuminati” to 500-500 to start your free 30 day FREE trial6. If you want to hear more from me AND also want to support the show, search for "Isaac Weishaupt" on Audible and pick up my narrated audiobooks! My most popular book- THE DARK PATH! https://www.audible.com/pd/B0759MN23F/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-095441&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_095441_rh_us AND the popular alien books USE YOUR ILLUSION are also on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B08NRXFNDM/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-223105&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_223105_rh_us*Want to advertise/sponsor our show?
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Download Ezekiel 36-38 We are in the Prophetic Stream reading from The Message. 7streamsmethod.com | @serenatravis | Donate Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Lord, You raise up the fallen, you rebuild the broken, you renew the ruined and we praise you for what you are.  May we be agents of yours that do your work.  Amen. 36 - Going back a week in our Prophetic Stream reading, news of the fall of Jerusalem (to those already in Babylon) has hit the Jewish people hard. Their derelict shepherds are to blame. The neighbors of Judah are yet worse and will get treatment that is worse yet. So between chapters 35 & 36 there is a great "BUT". The news has been bad - but - [in 36]  the land is going to be reinhabited. The Babylonian siege had flattened cities, scorched the whole place and killed or removed most all living things. God had this to happen and it was for a good reason. But! The desolation will end. There will be life in Israel again. Their sinful ways will be abandoned, and God is going to bring back the Israelites. Israel will be bustling with life, well irrigated, lush and green [Eden-like], and productive. God is doing this. There's no talk of anyone deserving anything. God is doing this for the glory of God. 37 - This vision of dry bones coming together, being reassembles and covered to be full bodies that then breathe and come to life and march forward to form an army is a legendary vision that is told to young and old for over 25 centuries now. It is the basis of a folk song that VBS and men's quartets sing as well. It is told in a time when Judaism appeared destined for the compost heap. But as we know with God, all is not lost because when there is God, all is never lost. God has plans to resurrect the hope of Israel and return all of them [branched together] to their land; the land that Joshua conquered, that David expanded, and Solomon adorned. In that day God would be wholly worshipped and idolatry would be forgotten. The glory days, like when King David reigned, will return. The literal/figurative/future/end times/symbolism/reality discussions that are related to this chapter cannot be summed up in a month of Sundays. There are End Times allusions entailed here, Second Coming references, Millennium descriptions and there have been endless PhD dissertations written about all of this. Let's just be encouraged and excited that our God is a Resurrection God. 38 -  This [and 39] are distinctively prophetic chapters. Some insightful ministers claim with complete confidence that 38/39 are the "next thing set to happen" along the pathway of biblical prophecy.  It is about the vast array of peoples gathering who are resolutely against Israel, the Jews, God's people and want them decimated.  And so they assemble and rally together and march west and south to remove Israel from the earth and from history.  Rosh/Meshech/ & Tubal are repeated names. Rosh in Hebrew means "head" or "beginning". M & T are names of Japheth's sons mentioned in Genesis 10 & I Chron. 1.  Gog are sworn enemies of Israel. And "Magog" means "the place of Gog".  So the people of Gog and the others of their land will be united in their thirst to exercise their rage against the Jews. Apparently they will reach the border, even enter the land of Israel when God unleashes pure horror on these enemies of the Jews. He will bring a greatest of earthquakes.  Troops who've come to fight Israel will turn on each other. There will be torturous hail come down, judgment and pestilence.  This vast army will realize that they are fighting God and His people. They will then know who The LORD is!  But God has more vengeance to pour out on this frothing army - and He will - next week. Remember that the impressions that trigger the writing of chapters 33-35, and what will happen in 38 and 39 are thousands of years apart.

Old Testament: Ezekiel 23 Ezekiel 23 (Listen) Oholah and Oholibah 23 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. 3 They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms1 handled. 4 Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. 5 “Oholah played the whore while she was mine, and she lusted after her lovers the Assyrians, warriors 6 clothed in purple, governors and commanders, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 7 She bestowed her whoring upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them, and she defiled herself with all the idols of everyone after whom she lusted. 8 She did not give up her whoring that she had begun in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her and handled her virgin bosom and poured out their whoring lust upon her. 9 Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. 10 These uncovered her nakedness; they seized her sons and her daughters; and as for her, they killed her with the sword; and she became a byword among women, when judgment had been executed on her. 11 “Her sister Oholibah saw this, and she became more corrupt than her sister2 in her lust and in her whoring, which was worse than that of her sister. 12 She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors clothed in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 13 And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the same way. 14 But she carried her whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, 15 wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them having the appearance of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea. 16 When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoring lust. And after she was defiled by them, she turned from them in disgust. 18 When she carried on her whoring so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in disgust from her sister. 19 Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt 20 and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses. 21 Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed3 your young breasts.” 22 Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will stir up against you your lovers from whom you turned in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, governors and commanders all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses. 24 And they shall come against you from the north4 with chariots and wagons and a host of peoples. They shall set themselves against you on every side with buckler, shield, and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments. 25 And I will direct my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured by fire. 26 They shall also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels. 27 Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and your whoring begun in the land of Egypt, so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore. 28 “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom you turned in disgust, 29 and they shall deal with you in hatred and take away all the fruit of your labor and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your whoring shall be uncovered. Your lewdness and your whoring 30 have brought this upon you, because you played the whore with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. 31 You have gone the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand. 32 Thus says the Lord GOD:   “You shall drink your sister's cup    that is deep and large;  you shall be laughed at and held in derision,    for it contains much;33   you will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow.  A cup of horror and desolation,    the cup of your sister Samaria;34   you shall drink it and drain it out,    and gnaw its shards,    and tear your breasts; for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. 35 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.” 36 The LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Declare to them their abominations. 37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up5 to them for food the children whom they had borne to me. 38 Moreover, this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary on the same day and profaned my Sabbaths. 39 For when they had slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols, on the same day they came into my sanctuary to profane it. And behold, this is what they did in my house. 40 They even sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came. For them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41 You sat on a stately couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed my incense and my oil. 42 The sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and with men of the common sort, drunkards6 were brought from the wilderness; and they put bracelets on the hands of the women, and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 “Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!'7 44 For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women! 45 But righteous men shall pass judgment on them with the sentence of adulteresses, and with the sentence of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.” 46 For thus says the Lord GOD: “Bring up a vast host against them, and make them an object of terror and a plunder. 47 And the host shall stone them and cut them down with their swords. They shall kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses. 48 Thus will I put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have done. 49 And they shall return your lewdness upon you, and you shall bear the penalty for your sinful idolatry, and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” Footnotes [1] 23:3 Hebrew nipples; also verses 8, 21 [2] 23:11 Hebrew than she [3] 23:21 Vulgate, Syriac; Hebrew bosom for the sake of [4] 23:24 Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown [5] 23:37 Or have even made pass through the fire [6] 23:42 Or Sabeans [7] 23:43 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 119:153–160 Psalm 119:153–160 (Listen) Resh 153   Look on my affliction and deliver me,    for I do not forget your law.154   Plead my cause and redeem me;    give me life according to your promise!155   Salvation is far from the wicked,    for they do not seek your statutes.156   Great is your mercy, O LORD;    give me life according to your rules.157   Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,    but I do not swerve from your testimonies.158   I look at the faithless with disgust,    because they do not keep your commands.159   Consider how I love your precepts!    Give me life according to your steadfast love.160   The sum of your word is truth,    and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. (ESV) New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 1–2 1 Thessalonians 1–2 (Listen) Greeting 1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. The Thessalonians' Faith and Example 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly1 mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers2 loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. Paul's Ministry to the Thessalonians 2 For you yourselves know, brothers,3 that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery,4 as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle5 among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 13 And we also thank God constantly6 for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men7 but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,8 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!9 Paul's Longing to See Them Again 17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy. Footnotes [1] 1:2 Or without ceasing [2] 1:4 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters [3] 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 14, 17 [4] 2:5 Or with a flattering speech [5] 2:7 Some manuscripts infants [6] 2:13 Or without ceasing [7] 2:13 The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women [8] 2:14 The Greek word Ioudaioi can refer to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, who opposed the Christian faith in that time [9] 2:16 Or completely, or forever (ESV)

The visit of the Babylonian envoys. Messengers from John the Baptist. My reflections are searchable by Bible chapter here: https://audio.alastairadversaria.com/explore/. If you are interested in supporting this project, please consider supporting my work on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/zugzwanged), using my PayPal account (https://bit.ly/2RLaUcB), or buying books for my research on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/36WVSWCK4X33O?ref_=wl_share). You can also listen to the audio of these episodes on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/alastairs-adversaria/id1416351035?mt=2.

Morning: Ezekiel 22–23 Ezekiel 22–23 (Listen) Israel's Shedding of Blood 22 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then declare to her all her abominations. 3 You shall say, Thus says the Lord GOD: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself! 4 You have become guilty by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made, and you have brought your days near, the appointed time of1 your years has come. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries. 5 Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you; your name is defiled; you are full of tumult. 6 “Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. 7 Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you. 8 You have despised my holy things and profaned my Sabbaths. 9 There are men in you who slander to shed blood, and people in you who eat on the mountains; they commit lewdness in your midst. 10 In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity. 11 One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father's daughter. 12 In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and profit2 and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD. 13 “Behold, I strike my hand at the dishonest gain that you have made, and at the blood that has been in your midst. 14 Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it. 15 I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and I will consume your uncleanness out of you. 16 And you shall be profaned by your own doing in the sight of the nations, and you shall know that I am the LORD.” 17 And the word of the LORD came to me: 18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are dross of silver. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you. 21 I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the LORD; I have poured out my wrath upon you.” 23 And the word of the LORD came to me: 24 “Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed or rained upon in the day of indignation. 25 The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. 26 Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. 28 And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice. 30 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. 31 Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord GOD.” Oholah and Oholibah 23 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. 3 They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms3 handled. 4 Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem. 5 “Oholah played the whore while she was mine, and she lusted after her lovers the Assyrians, warriors 6 clothed in purple, governors and commanders, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 7 She bestowed her whoring upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them, and she defiled herself with all the idols of everyone after whom she lusted. 8 She did not give up her whoring that she had begun in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her and handled her virgin bosom and poured out their whoring lust upon her. 9 Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians, after whom she lusted. 10 These uncovered her nakedness; they seized her sons and her daughters; and as for her, they killed her with the sword; and she became a byword among women, when judgment had been executed on her. 11 “Her sister Oholibah saw this, and she became more corrupt than her sister4 in her lust and in her whoring, which was worse than that of her sister. 12 She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors clothed in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 13 And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the same way. 14 But she carried her whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, 15 wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them having the appearance of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea. 16 When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoring lust. And after she was defiled by them, she turned from them in disgust. 18 When she carried on her whoring so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in disgust from her sister. 19 Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt 20 and lusted after her lovers there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses. 21 Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed5 your young breasts.” 22 Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will stir up against you your lovers from whom you turned in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, governors and commanders all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses. 24 And they shall come against you from the north6 with chariots and wagons and a host of peoples. They shall set themselves against you on every side with buckler, shield, and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments. 25 And I will direct my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured by fire. 26 They shall also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels. 27 Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and your whoring begun in the land of Egypt, so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore. 28 “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom you turned in disgust, 29 and they shall deal with you in hatred and take away all the fruit of your labor and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your whoring shall be uncovered. Your lewdness and your whoring 30 have brought this upon you, because you played the whore with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. 31 You have gone the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand. 32 Thus says the Lord GOD:   “You shall drink your sister's cup    that is deep and large;  you shall be laughed at and held in derision,    for it contains much;33   you will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow.  A cup of horror and desolation,    the cup of your sister Samaria;34   you shall drink it and drain it out,    and gnaw its shards,    and tear your breasts; for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. 35 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you yourself must bear the consequences of your lewdness and whoring.” 36 The LORD said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Declare to them their abominations. 37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even offered up7 to them for food the children whom they had borne to me. 38 Moreover, this they have done to me: they have defiled my sanctuary on the same day and profaned my Sabbaths. 39 For when they had slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols, on the same day they came into my sanctuary to profane it. And behold, this is what they did in my house. 40 They even sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came. For them you bathed yourself, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41 You sat on a stately couch, with a table spread before it on which you had placed my incense and my oil. 42 The sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and with men of the common sort, drunkards8 were brought from the wilderness; and they put bracelets on the hands of the women, and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 “Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!'9 44 For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women! 45 But righteous men shall pass judgment on them with the sentence of adulteresses, and with the sentence of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.” 46 For thus says the Lord GOD: “Bring up a vast host against them, and make them an object of terror and a plunder. 47 And the host shall stone them and cut them down with their swords. They shall kill their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses. 48 Thus will I put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have done. 49 And they shall return your lewdness upon you, and you shall bear the penalty for your sinful idolatry, and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” Footnotes [1] 22:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Targum; most Hebrew manuscripts until [2] 22:12 That is, profit that comes from charging interest to the poor (compare Leviticus 25:36) [3] 23:3 Hebrew nipples; also verses 8, 21 [4] 23:11 Hebrew than she [5] 23:21 Vulgate, Syriac; Hebrew bosom for the sake of [6] 23:24 Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew word is unknown [7] 23:37 Or have even made pass through the fire [8] 23:42 Or Sabeans [9] 23:43 The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain (ESV) Evening: James 2 James 2 (Listen) The Sin of Partiality 2 My brothers,1 show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Faith Without Works Is Dead 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good2 is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. Footnotes [1] 2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 14 [2] 2:16 Or benefit (ESV)