Podcasts about babylonians

The First Temple stood as the heart of ancient Judah—until Babylon rolled in.This episode dives into the fall of Solomon’s Temple: shifting empires, bad kings, and a Babylonian king who didn’t just conquer, he changed everything.From palace intrigue to prophetic warnings to a smoking ruin, we trace the collapse of a kingdom—and what rose from the ashes.#SolomonsTemple #AncientHistory #BibleHistory #Babylon #Nebuchadnezzar #OldTestament #JewishHistory #Jerusalem #HistoryPodcastSupport the show:Buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/historyofthepapacyPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/historyofthepapacyBuy me a book! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1MUPNYEU65NTFHave questions, comments or feedback? Here are ways to contact me:Email Us: steve@atozhistorypage.comhttps://www.atozhistorypage.com/podcastMusic Provided by:"Sonatina in C Minor" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"Funeral March for Brass" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"Crusade Heavy Perfect Loop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Agnus Dei X - Bitter Suite Kevin MacLeaod (incomptech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this Faith Friday, the Morning Manna class explores Daniel's unwavering faith in a foreign land. Even in Babylonian captivity, Daniel stood firm in his convictions—refusing to defile himself with the king's meat and wine. His respectful, faith-filled resolve led to divine favor and wisdom, echoing the bold spirit of Joseph in Egypt. Today's message is a powerful reminder that God honors those who purpose in their hearts to remain pure, even under pressure.The episode highlights how faith functions with wisdom, tact, and humility. Daniel's story challenges us to trust that God is already working behind the scenes to rearrange our circumstances and grant favor—even from unexpected places. It closes with Holy Communion, emphasizing that faith sustains us and grace rewards us.Rick Wiles, Doc Burkhart. Airdate 6/20/25Join the leading community for Conservative Christians! https://www.FaithandValues.comYou can partner with us by visiting https://www.FaithandValues.com/donate, calling 1-800-576-2116, or by mail at PO Box 399 Vero Beach, FL 32961.Get high-quality emergency preparedness food today from American Reserves!https://www.AmericanReserves.comIt's the Final Day! The day Jesus Christ bursts into our dimension of time, space, and matter. Now available in eBook and audio formats! Order Final Day from Amazon today!https://www.amazon.com/Final-Day-Characteristics-Second-Coming/dp/0578260816/Apple users, you can download the audio version on Apple Books! https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/final-day-10-characteristics-of-the-second-coming/id1687129858Purchase the 4-part DVD set or start streaming Sacrificing Liberty today. https://www.sacrificingliberty.com/watchThe Fauci Elf is a hilarious gift guaranteed to make your friends laugh! Order yours today! https://tru.news/faucielf

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile. The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3). He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann The Power of a Devoted Life, Part 2 Series: Daniel: Devoted Scripture: Daniel 1 Episode: 1283 In Daniel 1, Daniel and his friends are taken into Babylonian captivity and chosen to serve in King Nebuchadnezzar's court. Despite being offered royal food and wine, Daniel resolves to remain faithful to God's laws by requesting a diet of vegetables and water. God honors their obedience, giving them health, wisdom, and understanding far beyond the others in training. Daniel is also granted special insight into visions and dreams. This chapter highlights themes of faithfulness in exile, spiritual integrity, and God's favor in the midst of cultural pressure.

Welcome to "Messenger to Messiah," our exploration of the timeless message of Malachi on the Gospel Spice podcast. In this first lesson of our six-part series, Stephanie Rousselle, our teacher, walks us through the timely relevance of the Book of Malachi for our contemporary generation. Our series aims to dive into the intricacies of Malachi's message, with an emphasis on its pertinence to today's societal landscape. Stephanie approaches this study with humility and the hope that it serves you meaningfully! You are invited to purchase the workbook that contains everything you need to take your experience of the Book of Malachi deeper! For each of the six lessons, you will find a complete listening guide, questions to go deeper (on your own, with a friend, or a group), as well as a worksheet to study further themes. Go to https://www.gospelspice.com/malachi for more. And BONUS! We're giving you all the workbook content for THIS EPISODE, the first in the series, completely for FREE! Go to  https://www.gospelspice.com/malachi to download it as our gift to you. The Book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, addresses the pressing question, "Lord, how have you loved us?" This question, emerging from a context of hardship and perceived abandonment, resonates with the existential uncertainties we often face. This inquiry transcends time, mirroring our own struggles to see God's love during difficult times. Malachi's name, meaning "my messenger," underscores the significant role of his prophecy. The etymology of the name is echoed in Malachi's life, calling and message. Its implications draw parallels between earthly and angelic messengers throughout the Old Testament. We are also offered a detailed historical backdrop, mapping the trajectory from Moses through the judges, kings, and the era of Babylonian exile, leading to the restoration under leaders like Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. This historical perspective enriches our understanding of Malachi's audience—people who had endured a tumultuous past yet stood at the cusp of spiritual revival. Malachi interprets the juxtaposition of God's love for Jacob and rejection of Esau. The discourse around love ('ahav' in Hebrew) emphasizes God's unwavering choices and the perceived enmity of Esau's lineage, the Edomites, against Israel. In looking forward, Malachi's prophecy foreshadows the role of messengers like John the Baptist, preparing the way for Jesus, who is the ultimate Messenger. This anticipation reflects our own call to serve as messengers in the world today, spreading God's love and laying the groundwork for spiritual awakening in the Name of Jesus, our Christ and King. Stephanie concludes by encouraging us to recognize God's love in both blessings and adversities. She challenges us to list God's blessings, seeing His hand in every circumstance, much like Paul's thorn that became an opportunity for divine glorification. This series is an invitation to embrace the words of Malachi not merely as historical accounts, but as vibrant truths applicable in our lives. Malachi urges us to become aware of our roles as God's messengers today. You are invited to journey with us through this series and to seek to understand how God's love permeates every aspect of our existence. We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog Identity in the battle | Ephesians https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/ Shades of Red | Against human oppression https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/ God's glory, our delight  https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/   Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!

When both parties are untrustworthy and cannot take an oath, Rabbi Yosi and Rabbi Meir disagree about the proper procedure. A debate emerges about who holds which opinion, as one maintains the money should be split while the other argues that the oath returns to its original place, though it remains unclear which rabbi said which. Additionally, there is disagreement about the meaning of the position stating "the oath returns to its place." Rabbi Ami explains that one position is held by the rabbis in Israel while the other belongs to the rabbis in Babylonia. Rav Pappa clarifies that the Babylonian rabbis are Rav and Shmuel, while the Israeli position is represented by Rabbi Abba. Shimon ben Tarfon offers several statements concerning the importance of associating with the right people and avoiding the wrong ones. The Gemara examines the case of a storekeeper who was asked to pay someone's workers. The workers claim they never received payment while the storekeeper insists he paid them. The question arises whether Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi agreed with the Mishna's opinion that each party can take an oath to get paid by the employer. Another issue concerns contradictory witness testimony. If two groups of witnesses contradict each other in court, can they be believed to testify in a different case? Or since we know one group certainly lied, should we reject both groups' testimony in future cases? Rav Huna and Rav Chisda each take different positions on this matter.

Gospel Daily with Josh Weidmann The Power of a Devoted Life, Part 1 Series: Daniel: Devoted Scripture: Daniel 1 Episode: 1282 In Daniel 1, Daniel and his friends are taken into Babylonian captivity and chosen to serve in King Nebuchadnezzar's court. Despite being offered royal food and wine, Daniel resolves to remain faithful to God's laws by requesting a diet of vegetables and water. God honors their obedience, giving them health, wisdom, and understanding far beyond the others in training. Daniel is also granted special insight into visions and dreams. This chapter highlights themes of faithfulness in exile, spiritual integrity, and God's favor in the midst of cultural pressure.

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry. Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world." Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things! You have HIS promise on that! We suggest, as usual, starting here: https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

Send us a textWe all know the story when Daniel and his friends reject the king's food.  But do you understand what was going on before that?  Have you thought about what life would have been like to be taken captive and thrown in with so many others from foreign lands?  Where did Daniel and his friends get their courage and strength to go against their Babylonian training?Bryan leaves us with a question to ponder at the end of the episode.  Verse 9 says God showed favor to Daniel when the guard denied their request.  How is that God's favor?  You'll have to listen to the next episode to find out. Bryan VanHaitsma is the digital media director for Revive Our Hearts.  He studied at Hope College in Michigan and Jerusalem University College in Israel.  He has a passion for digging into Scriptures that we often find perplexing, helping us understand why that story might be included, and what we are supposed to do in light of that story.Our website - www.thecontextandcolorofthebible.comWe are on Facebook - The Context and Color of the Bible | FacebookWe are on Instagram - @contextandcolorofthebibleWe are on YouTube - The Context and Color of the Bible - YouTubeWe are on Pinterest - The Context and Color of the BibleMusic: Tabuk by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4453-tabukLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The book of Isaiah is filled with so many rich passages, and today's chapter is one of them. In this study in Isaiah 43, we'll see God's heart as He lays out His redemptive plan for His people, and we'll see how Jesus came as the prophesied redeemer! Today's podcast is a tad long, but filled with rich truths we need to know! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. Take a moment to skim Isaiah 42 and the introduction of the New Covenant. What is the overall tone of Isaiah 42? How does verse 1 (of Isaiah 43) demonstrate a shift in this tone? Why do you think the Lord speaks this way to His people now? 2. In verse 1, why should the people not fear? What has the Lord done for them? How has He called you by name? 3. In verse 2, how does the Lord promise to walk with His people? How does the Lord describe Himself in verse 3? Why should this bring comfort to us? 4. Verses 3 & 4 speak of a ransom payment. This is speaking about how God brought punishment on the nations through the Babylonian conquest so that Israel might be (ultimately) freed. In the Old Testament, what is a “ransom” payment? (You may want to turn back to Exodus 30:11-16 or relisten to the podcast on that passage). How were these nations a ransom payment for the redemption of God's people? 5. In verse 5 to 9, from where will the Lord gather His people? In terms of the principles of “mountain range prophecies” (that we've talked about in the past), how was this prophecy initially fulfilled when the Jews returned to Israel under Zerubbabel in 538 BC? How is this prophecy being fulfilled now the Lord draw people to Himself from the nations? How will this prophecy finally be fulfilled when Christ returns? 6. Verses 10 to 13 provides some wonderful gems of truth about the Lord. What are some truths that these verses teach about God? What do they say about the nature of our Savior? How do we see aspects of the Trinity and Jesus' hypostatic union in these verses? 7. In verses 14 to 17, how will the Lord make a way of return for His people? 8. In verses 18 & 19, why do you think the Lord tells His people to not dwell upon His old ways of dealing with them? What is the new work He will do (and has done)? 9. In verse 21, what is a key purpose for God's people? How do you fulfill this purpose in your own life? 10. Verses 22 to 24 return back to the theme of the people's disobedience to the Lord. What is the Lord addressing in these verses? Why would anyone become weary of the Lord (vs 22)? How might someone not honor the Lord with their worship (vs 23)? Why does the Lord call these things a “burden” in verse 24? 11. Read verses 26 to 28 and then think about people's complaints about God. What “case” might the people make to the Lord? What will be the outcome of this argument with Him? 12. In verse 25, what does the Lord promise for His kingdom people? How does this confirm His righteousness? How does this confirm His legitimacy to rule these people? 13. Think back over the principles from this chapter. Has the Lord wiped away your transgressions? He has called you by name? Has He formed the worship you give to Him? Are you trusting in Him to be with you in challenges? How can you grow in these spiritual pursuits? Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.   

This week, we continue our study of the minor prophets in the book of Joel. The book of Joel shows us that our Creator and Redeemer God is a God of judgment but also a God of mercy who stands ready to restore His people when they come before Him in repentance. This book also points to a time when the Spirit of God would be present in all God's people.Main Points:1. The Day of the Lord is a Day of JudgmentJoel 1–2:11A locust plague devastates the land.This is a covenant curse (Deuteronomy 28:38).It is a foreshadowing of an even greater judgment (Babylonian invasion).Israel is being treated like Egypt for covenant unfaithfulness.

Friday Bible Study (6/6/25) // 2 Kings 20: 12-21 // Visit our website: https://mbchicago.org Follow us to remain connected: Facebook:   / mbc.chicago   Instagram:   / mbc.chicago   TikTok:   / mbc.chicago   Podcasts: Listen on Apple, Spotify & others To support this ministry, you can donate via: Zelle to: info@mbchicago.org Website: https://mbchicago.org/give Venmo: https://venmo.com/mbchurch DAF Donations: https://every.org/mbc.chicago PayPal: https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_but... 2 Kings 20: 12-21 (ESV)Hezekiah and the Babylonian Envoys12 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick. 13 And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. 14 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” 15 He said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. 18 And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” 19 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?”20 The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah and all his might and how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and Manasseh his son reigned in his place.#mbchicago #2kings #BibleStudy #DanielBatarseh #mbchicago #mbcchicago #Bible #livechurch #churchlive #chicagochurch #chicagochurches #versebyverse #church #chicago #sermon #bibleexplained #bibleproject #bibleverse #bookbybook #oldtestament #explained

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile. The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3). He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

“And it will be said: “Build up, build up, prepare the road!     Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” For this is what the high and exalted One says—     he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place,     but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly     and to revive the heart of the contrite. I will not accuse them forever,     nor will I always be angry, for then they would faint away because of me—     the very people I have created. I was enraged by their sinful greed;     I punished them, and hid my face in anger,     yet they kept on in their willful ways. I have seen their ways, but I will heal them;     I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel's mourners,     creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near,”     says the Lord. “And I will heal them.” (Is. 57:14-19). Today, we are continuing to work through themes related to suffering and healing in connection with the New Hope program and hearing stories about our siblings in Christ in the global church. If this is your first devotional this week, and this doesn't sound familiar, the first few minutes of Wednesday's episode provide more context. In the third week of the New Hope program, we talk about barriers to our healing and in our relationships with God, others, and ourselves. We read Scripture together and do a drawing activity to demonstrate how we see these barriers. In one group, a young woman sat staring at her paper for the better part of ten minutes as the women around her created detailed images of the barriers they perceived in their own lives. When the time was nearly up, she scribbled down two words and showed them to the group: “sin” and “suffering.” “I can't figure out where one ends and the other begins,” she said. “What part of my pain is my fault, and what part is other people's fault. It seems easy for the rest of you to find the line, but I don't know how.” This young woman had suffered from several addictions and escaped an abusive relationship. She, like so many others in her circumstances, had been shamed by others into blaming herself for what she had experienced. She wondered aloud to her group whether God's grace was for someone like her. She had left her home country and run far from the source of her pain, but as is true of many in these circumstances, to escape physically is only to have one of many barriers removed. Today's verses from Isaiah draw us into the situation of the people of Israel post-Babylonian exile. Following closely after chapters which speak hopefully of God's redemption of his people from their captivity by a foreign empire, the later chapters of Isaiah, including today's passage, reflect a kind of disappointment among the people. They were free from exile but not experiencing the kind of dramatic restoration they had expected their freedom to bring. They were back in the land of their ancestors, but their holy cities had become a wilderness, and there were serious divisions in the community about pressing ethical issues. They had been forced to recognize the reality of their sin, as well as the persisting effects of the suffering inflicted on them in exile. Like the woman in New Hope, the line between their own responsibility and that of others was blurry. They had moved physically out of captivity, but barriers in relationship with God and others remained.  What is God's response in today's passage? He reminds them that he lives “in a high and holy place” but that this does not prevent him from being “also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit.” He acknowledges his anger at their sin, but promises healing, guidance, and restoration for mourners.  For God, the barriers that his people construct, whether due to their own sin or to protect themselves from the pain inflicted by others, like the young woman in New Hope, are not insurmountable: “Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people,” he commands. To those of us who live with–or watch people we love live with–the lingering effects of sin or suffering, and to those of us for whom the line between them remains indiscernible, causing us to wonder whether God's grace is wide enough, receive this promise to his people: “I have seen their ways, but I will heal them . . . Peace, peace, to those far and near, says the Lord.” So as you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.  

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry. Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world." Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things! You have HIS promise on that! We suggest, as usual, starting here: https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

Welcome to Day 2649 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2649 – New Testament Orientation – The Book of Acts: The Spirit's Unstoppable Journey Putnam Church Message – 06/08/2025 Sermon Series: New Testament Orientation Message 7: The Book of Acts: The Spirit's Unstoppable Journey.   Last week, we explored: Jesus' Message to Gentiles & Jews - the Cross Core Verses: Hebrews 3:1-2 Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) This week is Messager: 7 of 12 Title: The Book of Acts: The Spirit's Unstoppable Journey. Core Verses: Acts 1:8 Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) Today is Pentecost, 50 days after the Resurrection Sunday. On this day, many representatives of the Israelites who had been taken into exile in the Assyria and Babylonian empires were in Jerusalem. The countries mentioned are also very similar to the nations dispersed at the Tower of Babbel being reunited again. The dispersed nations were being reunited to begin the construction of God's kingdom throughout the known world. As we get started this morning, let me set the stage by reading the account of Pentecost from Acts 2:1-12 On the day of Pentecost[a] all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,[b] as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability. 5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. 7 They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, 8 and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! 9 Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” 12 They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. The precursor to this passage is our core verse for today: Core Verses: Acts 1:8 (NLT) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in...

We've come to a pivotal point in "The Story." The Hebrew people have been released from the Babylonian exile and given a chance to return to their homeland and rebuild the destroyed temple in Jerusalem. Finally, the people are turning back to the God who never left them! But despite the backing of a king, the project is slow going. Both internal and external obstacles stall the rebuilding, though God's plan ultimately prevails. What parallels does this story have with Messiah's people in 2025? Listen to this week's episode as Pastor Jim Mueller explains.If you'd like to dig deeper, check out these discussion questions. You can complete them on your own, with your Community Group, or with family and friends. Normal Goes A Long Way Website: https://www.normalgoesalongway.com/Normal Goes A Long Way Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normalgoesalongway/Normal Goes A Long Way Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Normal-Goes-A-Long-Way-110089491250735Normal Goes A Long Way is brought to you by Messiah St. Charles: https://messiahstcharles.org/Normal Goes A Long Way is hosted on Zencastr. Create your podcast today! Get 20% off when you choose Zencastr for your podcasting needs: https://zencastr.com/?via=jill#madeonzencastr

Today,we will be looking at Luke 21:20-24. In this passage, Jesus gives His greatprophecy concerning future events to His disciples from the Mount of Olives asthey overlook the city of Jerusalem. He's answering their question: what willthe signs be of the end of the age, and when will that happen? Here, Jesusdescribes what we've already discussed as the great tribulation period, theseven years between the time of the church age, the rapture of the church, andthe millennial reign of Jesus Christ on earth.  Nowin verses 20-24, Jesus describes the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Thispassage is peculiar to Luke; there is no parallel description found in Matthewor Mark, in spite of the similar language in Matthew 24:16-21 and Mark13:14-17. However, it is clear that both Matthew and Mark were referring toevents in the middle of the Tribulation when "the abomination ofdesolation" would be set up in the Jewish temple and the Antichrist (theworld ruler) would begin to persecute Israel (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 13). That iswhere Jesus warned the Jewish people, to flee and go into hiding, for"great tribulation" was about to fall. Luke'saccount here in verses 20-24 refers not to a distant event to occur during theTribulation but to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and the Roman army in 70A.D., just forty years from that time that Jesus is explaining these events toHis disciples (see Luke 19:41-44). This terrible event was in many respects a"dress rehearsal" for what will happen when Satan vents his anger onIsrael and the believing Gentiles during the last half of the Tribulation (Rev.12:7-17).  Whenthis event in verses 20-24 historically took place in 70 A.D., the Jewishhistorian Josephus claimed that nearly a million people were killed by theRomans, and over 100,000 taken captive, when Titus captured the city. And theJewish people and nation was scattered throughout the world. Butthis was not the first time Jerusalem would be "trampled by theGentiles," for the Babylonians had destroyed the city in 586 B.C. andtaken the people captive to Babylon. This is basically when, what is called "thetimes of the Gentiles" began. The Jewish people went back into their homelandin 1948 at the end of War World 2, and in 1967 recaptured and occupiedJerusalem in the Six Day War.  Butwe believe that this significant time period of the Gentiles did not end then. Becausein the middle of the Tribulation the Antichrist will break his peace treatywith Israel and again take over Jerusalem after he kills to two witnesses in Revelation11. In God's plan, the “times of the Gentiles” will end when Jesus Christreturns to the earth, destroys all Gentile power, and sets up His own righteouskingdom (Daniel 2:34-36, 44-45; Revelation 19).  TheApostle Paul also spoke of this time of the Gentiles ending in Romans 11:25-27.He called it the “fulness of the Gentiles”, speaking of the time at the end ofthe Tribulation when Jesus comes again and there is a national spiritual salvationfor the Jewish people.  Todaywe need to remember that believers are looking for their Lord's return shouldnot apply Luke 21:20-24 to their own situation. Jesus was talking aboutJerusalem in 70 A.D.. In Matthew 24:15-28 and Mark 13:14-23, He was speakingabout Israel's situation at the middle of the Tribulation. Since our Lord'scoming for the church will take place "in the twinkling of an eye" (1Cor. 15:52), no one will have time to go back home for a coat; nor will we haveto worry about traveling on the Sabbath or caring for nursing babies. Myfriend, we are getting closer every day to the return of Jesus Christ! Makesure you are ready!

Did the Genesis creation story just copy older myths from Egypt and Babylon?What would the ancient world have thought when they heard Moses' version of creation?Support this show!! : https://www.bibspeak.com/#donateGrab your free gift: the top 10 most misunderstood Biblical verses https://info.bibspeak.com/10-verses-c...Join the newsletter (I only send 2 emails a week): https://www.bibspeak.com/#newsletterShop Dwell L'abel 15% off using the discount code BIBSPEAK15 https://go.dwell-label.com/bibspeakDownload Logos Bible Software for your own personal study: http://logos.com/biblicallyspeakingSign up for Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaig...Build your Skool Community: https://www.skool.com/refer?ref=91448...Join the Biblically Heard Community: https://www.skool.com/biblically-spea...Support this show!! : https://www.bibspeak.com/#donate Dr. John Soden is a former pastor and now teaches Old Testament at Lancaster Bible College, Pennsylvania. A graduate of the conservative, evangelical Dallas Theological Seminary. Co author of the book " In the Beginning … We Misunderstood" Soden claims to have been told by young-earth creationists that if he did not believe in the literal creation (young Earth and 24-hour days) then he did not “believe the Bible or have the faith of Abraham” He took this to imply that they believed he was not saved. However, no leading or notable YEC would ever claim that belief in a young earth is necessary for salvation.Books by Dr. John Soden:

God speaks to Zephaniah, and it's horrifying. God has determined that He is going to judge Judah, the nations, even Jerusalem for their rebellion against God. God points out their rebellion in the way they have turned away and worship idols, they compromise and syncretize with false gods, which ultimately leads to the complacent attitude: God is not going to do anything good or bad to me. Judah and the nations dictate their own lives, their own way, in essence believing that it's our day! The LORD declares instead it's My day, the Day of the LORD. We will examine what the Day of the LORD is likened unto: (Zeph:1:15-16). The Day of the LORD shows no partiality to race, gender, socio-economic standing, it will be the day of all encompassing punishment against all sinners. There is no power, possessions, pedigree, nothing that can protect them from the Day of the LORD. His righteousness is as the Sun, consuming all that stand before Him. (Zeph 3:8)Who wants to hear this, let alone be the one to deliver the message? But who needs to hear this? Everyone. Zephaniah delivers an unpopular message, but it is what God has said, it is what God will do, and it is honoring to God, and one of the most loving things he can do to others is to warn them before they face the edge of the cliff. We who claim to be Christians - we too have a message from God, even more clear and sure! We are called to be Zephaniahs in our day!Will anyone heed the warning from God, and seek His Kingdom first and humble themselves? For those who do the Day of the LORD will be for them a day of protection (Zeph 2:3) a day of restoring of fortunes (2:7) a day The Lord has rendered His righteous justice (2:8 - 3:8), and the Day when the LORD transforms those who have surrendered to Him. It will be the LORD who will transform them, there will be no division, no deceit, no lack, no fear in them, rather they will be transformed to singing, worshipping, and loud exultation - and the LORD Himself will sing with them and over them. For those who have sought His Kingdom first, the Day of the LORD will be their reward for surely they will be with the One in whom they trusted.The Day of the LORD, just as He declared had come to Nineveh in 612 B.C., approx. 30 years after Zephaniah had delivered God's Word, Babylon came and decimated them. It was only a 20years later that the Day of the LORD visited Judah as they were conquered and began the Babylonian exile. In the midst of the day of the LORD, we know there are those who have been hidden by God, Daniel, Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah -.So too, the Day of the LORD has come as demonstrated on the Cross as Jesus Christ took our judgment and purchased our salvation, our protection, our justification. But there is still the Day of the LORD to come - just as God has forewarned through Zephaniah, Joel, Daniel, Matthew, Revelation. Let us therefore, heed God and live continually mindful of the Day of the LORD!

There are some people who really like to travel. There are others who really like the idea of traveling, and my wife and I belong to that latter camp. Because though we're certainly interested in other areas of the world — curious about the geography, architecture, and culture of other cities — we're far less interested in paying the cost and taking the time to go to any of them. And so, what we do instead is watch online travel videos.As you could guess, online travel videos often only ever highlight the most beautiful and the most impressive parts of the cities that they feature. And this is not by accident. They are, after all, often sponsored by travel agencies who want to convince you, the viewer, that you really ought to go there. In a way, Psalm 87 is not unlike our modern travel videos. This psalm gives us a look into one specific city. It features some of the rare beauties of that city. And, its purpose is, without a doubt, to convince us that we really ought to go there.And what we're going to do this morning is move through Psalm 87, and do so with the help of three main concepts: City, Citizens, and Celebration. Let's pray, and ask the Lord for his help.Father, you are the maker of heaven and earth. And you are the maker of this great city that we are about to read about. Open our eyes to the wonders that are there. Awaken us to the surpassing splendor of the city called by your name. Call us toward it, and do so through your Spirit to the honor of your Son. Amen.So, once again, Psalm 87 is a psalm about a city. And we're looking at it along the lines: City, Citizens, and Celebration. We begin with the city.CityVerse 1,“On the holy mount stands the city he founded;”Notice how, when read slowly, the sentence seems to pull us upward phrase by phrase. First, we've got a mountain: “On the holy mount.” And, of course, a mountain, by its very nature, requires that we raise our eyes upward to acknowledge it. The path through the mountain is a climb. The entrance in, requires ascension. You must rise in order to reach it. Mountains are not hidden objects, let alone insignificant ones. Mountains epitomize the land in which they reside, and demand their recognition to the north, south, east, and the west of them. You can miss a body of water. You can be blind to a valley or lowland. It is hard to ignore a mountain. And, as we can see, the mountain in Psalm 87 is no ordinary mountain. It is holy.“On the holy mount.”Holy means set apart from what is sinful, unclean and common. Set apart so as to make it fit to be in the presence of God. Holy things are blessed things because they get to be near God.And so Psalm 87 is about a mountain upon which God can rightfully dwell! A mountain upon which God “places his feet,” so-to-speak. A mountain upon which God built a city.Still, verse one, “On the holy mount | stands the city | he founded;” Can you imagine? A city whose designer and builder is God. Follow me on this: The Planning Director for the City of Saint Paul is named Nicolle Newton. And the Planning Director for the City of Minneapolis is named Meg McMahan. The Planning Director for the city is named: I AM, Yahweh, “I am Who I am.” The God who places his footstool upon the earth and sets his throne in heaven. Wouldn't you want to live in the city made by the very one who: “Forgives all your iniquity, heals all your diseases, and redeems your life from the pit,” and “crowns you with steadfast love, and satisfies you with good, and works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. Who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.”If the God of the universe had a city, well then wouldn't you want to go there?And in verse two, we're told even more about this city. Namely that,“The LORD loves this city. The Lord loves the gates of Zion, more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.”Note that it's not saying, “God loves no other city but this one.” But it is saying that of all the places, and of all the cities God loves, there is none so loved by God as this one.And, we should ask, in the Bible, what does God typically do when he loves something? When he really loves something? Perhaps some of you might remember from Numbers and Aaron's blessing in Numbers 6:24-27. What does God typically do when he really loves something? He puts his name on it. God puts his name on what he most loves. Said another way, God puts his name where his heart is already.Hence, verse 3,“Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God.”God loves this city. He, by putting his name upon it, has committed himself to its flourishing. The city that has God's name upon it is the city that should rest assured, “God is for us, therefore, what could be against us?” So, Psalm 87, is a psalm about a city. That's our first main concept — the city itself. Second, the citizens of the city. CitizensNow what actually sets us up for this next section is that little phrase we see there in verse three: “Glorious things of you are spoken.” It's clearly addressing the city, yes? “Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God.” And, so, it begs the question: What are the glorious things being spoken of this city? And, honestly, this is where things get interesting. Remember back in our intro, we compared Psalm 87 to a modern travel video. We said, Psalm 87 is not unlike a travel video in the sense that it highlights the beauties of a city in order to convince people that they really ought to go to that city. Where Psalm 87 differs from a modern travel video however: The beauties it features are not towering buildings and impressive architecture. Not picturesque parkways and pleasant boardwalks. There's no mention of beaches, or blue skies, or even sunshine. Those are the beauties features in modern travel videos — the stuff. The featured beauties of the city in Psalm 87 are people — the city's citizens.Look with me at verse 4, as the psalmist himself takes a back seat, and God himself speaks. Verse 4: “Among those who know me” God is clarifying to whom he is about to speak. To those who know me. Which, in biblical language, means those who have a relationship with God. Those who love and are loved by me.It's to that group of people who know God that God now mentions, or proclaims:“Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush.”And you might think: “What about them? We've been talking about the city of God. The holy mountain. The city he made. The city he loves. Suddenly, God steps into view and says, “To my followers over here, let me tell you about Rahab and Babylon; Philistia, Tyre, and Cush.” What about them?I mean, if you have much familiarity with the Old Testament, then you likely don't need me to tell you that most of these nations were historical enemies to God's people. They had fought wars against God's people. They had lured God's people into idolatry, and many other forms of sin.I mean, you see Babylon in that list, right? Babylon was the nation that broke down the walls of God's city, Jerusalem. Babylon killed the Israelites king, the Israelites killed its high-priest, and exiled most of its people. Babylon even burned God's Holy Temple to the ground (2 kings 25).And Philistia. Philistia was constantly at war with God's people throughout the period of the judges and the kings. At one point, the Philistines even stole the Ark of the Covenant and set it up next to one of its false gods — as if to say that the God over Israel was on par with their god Dagon. And don't let that first one trip you up — you see Rahab? The Rahab here is not the Rahab who hid the Israelite slaves and defended God's people. That'd make for a positive character in this list. Instead, Rahab here actually refers to Egypt. And one way to know that is to simply turn over to Psalm 89, only two psalms after this one, where it says in verse 10: “You crushed Rahab like a carcass; You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.” Rahab is an enemy. And Isaiah 30:7 makes it even clearer: “Egypt's help is futile and empty; therefore, I have called her Rahab Who Sits Still."And so, we've got Babylon (who destroyed God's Temple), Philistia (who stole God's Ark of the Covenant), and Egypt (who enslaved God's people and, plague after plague, resisted God's will to let his people go).So again, we ask, what about these nations? Why bring them up here in light of God's Holy Mountain and God's beloved city?Is it to clarify that these are the nations who are not welcome in God's city? That these are the peoples who dare not set foot upon God's mountain?Given the background, this is exactly what we'd expect God to say next. But he doesn't! He doesn't! In fact, as the ESV translates it, God doesn't even say anything at this point. Instead, it's the people, those who know him, who speak up. And here's what they say, verse 4,“This one was born there,” they say.”Born there. And again, more emphatically, verse 5,“And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her;”Babylon, born in the city of God. Philistia, born on God's holy mountain. Egypt, born within the gates of Zion. Do you see what its saying?These surrounding nations, most who've historically been enemies to God, and enemies to God's people, are not: Merely going to be visitors in God's city, though that alone would've been shocking enough. They're not going to be temporary residents of God's city. “Here's your pass, expires six months from now.” But they're going to be citizens. They're going to receive a declaration of citizenship so complete, so real, so permanent that it could rightly be said of them, “They were born in this city! Born within these walls.”There is no one — no human being, no political group — who could ever orchestrate such a grand transformation as this. But God could. And God does. Verse five, when read in full, says:“And of Zion it shall be said, ‘This one and that one were born in her;' for [or, because of the fact that] the Most High himself will establish her.”God's going to do it. He's going to make it happen. The God who founded this city is going to fill it with former enemies.And, in verse 6, we get to watch him do it. “The LORD records as he registers the peoples, ‘This one was born there.'” The language is that of a king taking a census. Much like what Caesar Augustus did in the gospels. He, too, declared a census — an official counting of the people. Which meant that all the people, Joseph and Mary included, had to go and be registered, each to his own town.Droves and droves of people flooded the major city-centers in that time. People lined the streets, filled the cities — it's no wonder Mary and Joseph could find no room in the inn. Well here in Psalm 87, God is taking his census. Which means his people are coming to his city, and in that long line of people, we find Babylonians, Philistines, Egyptians, and, I might add, Europeans, and North Americans, and people from every tribe, nation and tongue. They're standing in the line. They're heading toward the gates. And when they finally arrive at the entrance, God is there. Pen and paper in hand. Looks up at them, total foreigners, former enemies, and declares — Born here. Inscribes: Born in my city. It's an amazing story. And, if you are a Christian, it is your story. It is. If you are a lover of Jesus. A follower of Jesus, then God has written over your life — not enemy, not foreigner, not illegitimate, not insufficient, but born here.“Born here.”Hebrews 12:22-23 says, of Christians:“You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled [And where are they enrolled? Where's the true city?] in heaven.”“The assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.”Do you see it? Psalm 87 foretells of the King of Heaven's great census, and, if you are a lover of Jesus, you're in it. And Ephesians 2 reasserts this marvelous reality:“At one time you were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ… So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, (Eph. 2:12-13, 19).Do you see it? The story of Psalm 87 is your story. God has always had a city. You've not always been its citizen. But, now you are, thanks be to God — the one who fills his city with former enemies. And he calls that a good thing. Diverse peoples, varying cultural norms, a multiplicity of languages, wide-variety of skin tones and facial features. God loves it all. Do we?So, we've had City, and now Citizens. Last C – Celebration. CelebrationVerse 7,“Singers and dancers alike say, ‘All my springs are in you.'”What's the rightful response to God's great city? How should its newly welcomed citizens enter in? With Joy. With excitement. With leaping, dancing, music and song.These citizens of Psalm 87 are not walking into the city of God, and they're certainly not dragging their heels through its gates. And the reason they're not, is because they know the city's worth. They know they're bound for the city God loves! They think, “I'm a card-carrying citizen of God's holy mount.” And so, they're going to sing because of it. They're going to dance because of it. And they're not going to be the only ones. Everybody whose coming into this city is coming in with joy in their hearts and a song on their lips. Friends, if ever there was a thing worth celebrating, this is it.And now, hear the words that are echoing throughout the city: “All my springs are in you.”Springs. Think rivers. Fountains. Sources of clean, fresh, flowing water. In the Old Testament world, a spring meant life. You needed one to drink. To cook. To bathe. To farm. To keep your flocks and herds alive. No sinks in any of these houses. And so if you find a spring, man, you've found life. And the citizens of this city are saying, “Every spring of water. Every source of life, joy, and satisfaction. Every single one that has ever been found ultimately flows from here. Which means, what?You'd be a fool to search for springs elsewhere.Think about it friends. In Psalm 87, the peoples of Babylon, Philistia and so on — They're not saying “we found some springs back there, but there's ones here just a bit better. Just a bit more plentiful.” That's not what they are saying. And why? Because they had searched for water in Babylon. Had worked for water in Egypt. Had paid for it and dug for it in Philistia. Had even thought for a time that they'd found it. But it all proved empty.I mean, it's just simple logic: If they are saying, “All my springs are in you,” then how many other springs did they find outside God's city? Right? And so, given all that, how much sense does it make for a citizen of God's mountain to go trekking into Babylon in search of other springs? I mean, seriously, we've got to take people at their word when they say: “Look, I've been there, I've done the money thing, I've done the party thing, I've done the hook-up thing, I've done the self-worship and self-exaltation thing and, in the end, none of it made me to sing. None of it made me to dance. None of it made me to say, ‘life can be found here.'” I found no other springs, save the ones I found in God's holy city.”Brothers and sisters, aim all your life toward this city. You will find no other springs elsewhere. God owns all the springs.And so, Christian, what springs are you seeking to drink from, in this season, that do not ultimately find their source in God's city? What sources of joy and satisfaction are you seeking that do not ultimately flow from God's hand? The time has come to walk away from those things. The time has come to leave Babylon. Turn yourself, turn all that still remains to be turned. Turn it toward God's holy city, and sing, by faith: “All my springs are in you.”Lastly, non-Christian: the gates of God's city are currently open. Every day people, from diverse nations, and diverse situations, are saying — “I'm in. I want the springs. I want the city. God, I want to be a citizen.” You can become a citizen today. Like, right now. It can be said of you, in this moment, “Born here.” You can just pray, simply,God, I'm done with my sin.I'm done trying to find life in everything but you.I need your Son Jesus.I need the sacrifice he made for my sins.Receive Jesus. Receive entrance into the city. Now, what leads us to the table this morning is, just that, Jesus' sacrifice. He died for us. His body was bruised, his blood was shed for us. And this table commemorates his sacrificial death, and when we eat from this table, we do so in anticipation of Jesus coming again.Because this table represents Jesus' shed blood and broken body, I gladly invite those who are trusting in Jesus' death on their behalf, to take and eat this meal with us. If you've not put your trust in Jesus, we ask that you'd let the elements pass for now, but encourage you in this moment, turn to Jesus, see his glory, come to him by faith that you may have life.

In this sermon by Pastor Chris Romig, the focus is on Daniel chapter 9 and its crucial role in understanding biblical prophecy, especially as it relates to the Book of Revelation. Chris explains that Daniel's vision of “seventy sevens” (interpreted as 490 years) provides a prophetic timeline that links the Old Testament story of Israel's exile and restoration with the coming of Jesus as the Messiah. Using historical context, Chris describes how Daniel, after nearly 70 years in Babylonian exile, prays for God's mercy and the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy. God responds through the angel Gabriel, detailing a sequence of prophetic periods that remarkably fit the timeline from Jerusalem's rebuilding to the coming of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Romig highlights how the final seven-year period in the prophecy is set apart, signifying a future time often associated with the “church age” and, later, a time of tribulation. He further draws on New Testament passages, particularly Paul's letters, to show how this age was a “mystery” later revealed as God's plan to incorporate both Jews and Gentiles into one body—the Church. Chris encourages believers not to fear end-times events, reassuring them of Jesus' promise of salvation for his followers. The sermon closes with a call for renewed witness and prayer during the church age, reminding listeners that God is faithful and continues to work out his plan for redemption through Christ and his people.

Last Sunday, I mentioned Solomon as an example of a life of faith that began so wonderfully but ended very tragically. Solomon knew the scriptures well, we know this because of what he wrote in the book of Proverbs, and one such verse that he wrote was Proverbs 3:5, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In fact, according to Proverbs, real wisdom is the Old Testament Law applied to all of life. Yet, at some point, Solomons heart was turned away from God and foolishly pursued what God warned would lead to heartbreak, shame, and disaster. The thing that Solomons father, David, was known for was that he was a man of war (1 Chron. 28:3), which Solomon was not. Solomon was known as a man of peace. The problem was that he pursued peace even if it meant that he ignored the very Law of God that influenced his writing of Proverbs. One of the ways the kings of other nations would enter into a peace agreement or an alliance (i.e. covenant) was by marrying the daughter(s) of the king of that nation. We are told that Solomon, loved many foreign women (1 Ki. 1-2). The problem with this is multifaceted, but here is what God commanded in His word that Solomon ignored: Be careful that you do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones, and cut down their Asherim for you shall not worship any other god, because the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous Godotherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they would prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might prostitute themselves with their gods and cause your sons also to prostitute themselves with their gods. You shall not make for yourself any gods cast in metal. (Exod. 34:1217) Solomon, who had been known for his godly wisdom and the building of the Temple, loved many foreign women (1 Ki. 11:1-2). So what happened? Listen to what the Bible says about Solomons ending legacy: So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as his father David had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab, on the mountain that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abhorrent idol of the sons of Ammon. He also did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. (1 Ki. 11:68) What Solomon thought would bring peace, contentment, and success... created a crushing burden the wrecked his life and led to the dividing of the nation of Israel into the North and the South. After the death of Solomon, the divisive spirit Solomon was responsible for creating through his many compromises led to the splitting of the nation he loved. The king of the northern kingdom (Jeroboam) established two alternative places to worship to keep those in the North from traveling to the Southern kingdom to worship Yahweh in the Temple that Solomon built. King Jeroboam set up golden calves not unlike the one made by the Hebrews after Moses was up on the mountain receiving the commandments of God; Jeroboam then said to the people: It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt (1 Ki. 12:28). The Northen Kingdom in Israel was known for its rampant and evil idolatry that included child sacrifice and gross perversions of marriage and sex, all while promoting a worldview contrary to the one of their forefathers. After many years of God warning the Northern Kingdom through His Word and His prophets to repent from their sins, and after many years of ignoring those warnings, God used the Asyrian Kingdom to judge, destroy, and exile many of the people. The Southern Kingdom was initially led by Solomons son, Rehoboam. In many respects, the Sothern Kingdom remained somewhat loyal to the faith and vision of their forefathers such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David. There were no doubt periods of idolatry, but there were also seasons of religious reform with an emphasis to return and maintain the worship of Yahweh at the Temple in Jerusalem. Many in the Southern Kingdom believed that because they had Solomons Temple, that they had the presence of God. Eventually the Southern Kingdom grew increasingly nominal in their faith to the point that God also sent them prophets to warn them of a similar fate that the Northern Kingdom suffered if they did not repent. Because they had Solomons Temple, were more conservative, and were not as bad as those in the Northern Kingdom, that they were safe. Eventually the Southern Kingdom became known for their worship of the idols of the nations, instead of their worship of the God of Abraham, Moses, and David. Both the Southern and Northern Kingdoms eventually experienced the crushing burden that their idols created. But it was after the Northen Kingdoms demise and Gods repeated warnings to the Sothern Kingdom to turn from their sins that Isaiah wrote what we read in 46:1-13. Creaturely Idols Create Crushing Burdens for those who Bow Before Them Idols come in all shapes and sizes; they are not only physical creations made with human hands. Idols include established gods worshiped by people groups and cultures, but they also come in the form of ideologies, things, or people that are made ultimate in the heart of their devotees. Some of the ancient idols of long ago have taken different shapes or even cloaked in a different dress... but they are not new. In Isaiah 46, the prophet calls out the worship of the Babylonian gods known as Bel and Nebo about a century before we are introduced to Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel. Bel was the chief god worshiped by the Babylonians who was also known as Marduk and believed to be responsible for creation and worshiped as the supreme god. Nebo, the son of Bel (Marduk), was worshiped as the the Babylonian god of wisdom, writing, and scribes. In Isaiah 46, Bel and Nebo are depicted as burdens pulled by cattle; the irony of the way they are depicted is that in the days of Isaiah, when a nation was conquered, because it was believed that their gods were unable to save, the victorious army would put on display in a parade the idols of the defeated people. At least the defeated worshipers of Bel and Nebo can move, but the gods the Babylonians attribute power and knowledge to are stooped over because they are powerless, motionless, and without life. Like every other idol in the world, Bel and Nebo have no power to save or produce what they promise. The weight of Bel and Nebo is crushing even to the cattle forced to transport them. Why? Because according to verses 6-7, Those who lavish gold from the bag and weigh silver on the scale, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; they bow down, indeed they worship it. They lift it on the shoulder, carry it, and set it in its place, and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may shout to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save him from his distress (Isa 46:67). Those who worshiped Bel and Nebo, essentially worship a god of their own creation. All that the gods add to the lives of those who worship them is a burden. The word for burden that is used (mǎś-śā) can be translated weight. There is a universal fact about what people chose to worship: Anything we create to worship... will require its creator to carry it. Idols always promise what they cannot give, and rob those who worship them the life, joy, and salvation that those idols offer. The only thing that created idols offer is the crushing weight of their burden. Unlike the idols of the world, there is only one God who created all things! Because He is the Creator, all of His creation is dependent upon Him. Because He is the Creator, He is the One who carries those who worship Him: Even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will carry you! I have done it, and I will bear you; and I will carry you and I will save you. To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal, and compare Me, that we would be alike? (vv. 45). The Uncreated God Powerfully and Purposefully Saves (vv. 8-13) Just as He did with the gods of Egypt, the God of Abraham, Moses, and David promised to do the same with the gods of Babylon. The reality and existence of Yahweh puts everything and anyone who would set themselves up to be more than what they are... to shame. Lucifer attempted to usurp the God who made him, God cast Him out and Jesus said of that day: I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning (Luke 10:18). In Isaiah 14, we are given a glimpse into the heart and motives of Lucifer: How you have fallen from heaven, you star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who defeated the nations! But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. (Isa. 14:1214) Because God is God, He declares the end from the beginning. What does that mean? It means what He wills, He not only does but accomplishes! What else could verse 10 mean? It is God who is responsible for, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure. There is no room for luck, chance, or karma in a universe with a God who declares the end from the beginning. Because Yahweh is God, he does not need anything from us. There is no deficiency in Him because He is complete; but not complete in the way we think of completion... no, He is infinitely and eternally complete. Only six chapters earlier, we are reminded of how big and great our God really is: Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.... To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, and a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering selects a tree that does not rot; he seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman to prepare an idol that will not totter. (Isa. 40:15, 18-20) Think about the foolishness of worshiping something you create with your own hands. Is it not just as foolish to bow down to idols of other shapes and sizes? As great as Solomons Temple was, it ultimately became an idol to the people in that they became more concerned about the performance of worship than who they were worshiping. In Isaiah 66, God reminded Judah why it was that He did not need anything they created: This is what the Lord says: Heaven is My throne and the earth is the footstool for My feet. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, So all these things came into being, declares the Lord. But I will look to this one, at one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word (Isa. 66:12). God does not dwell in temples, and He does not need anything from us. Because there is not a God like Him, He does not need us to carry Him and His promises are not dependent upon our strength. However, what He desires from us is our hearts and our devotion. Now here is the crazy thing about what we learn of God in Isaiah 46, and we see it in verses 12-13, Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded, who are far from righteousness. I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; and My salvation will not delay. And I will grant salvation in Zion, And My glory for Israel (Isa. 46:1213). The God who has no equal and cannot be added to, is He who brings His righteousness to those who are far off! If you are a Christian, you were once far off, but now you have brought near! If you are not a Christian, you are still far off, but it doesnt have stay that way! Oh dear Christian, this is great news for you! We have seen Isaiah 46:12-13 in another passage in the New Testament, and that place is in Ephesians: But now in Christ Jesus you who previously were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:13). Listen, there is only One who spoke all that exists by the word of His mouth in six days and rested on the seventh day (Exod. 20:11). There is only One who reduced Pharoah and his gods to nothing with the Ten Plagues (Exod. 7:14-11:10). There is only One who was able to part the Red Sea (Exod. 14). There is only One who is able to make time stand still (Josh 10:13). There is only One who is able to move kingdoms and empires to bring about the birth of His promised Son! There is only One God and there is no other, and it is He who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit He is Yahweh! Christian, it is He who brought you near through the blood of His Son! It is He who made you His Priesthood, His People, and His Treasured Possession. You who were once far off, have become the objects of His love, His mercy, His grace, and are now the apple of His eye! You who ran from Him, have been found by the One who said: Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light (Matt. 11:2830). You who were weary and burdened, have found rest in Jesus. Conclusion So here is the rub regarding what we read in Isaiah 46: If it is true that the God of the Bible is God and there is no other; if it is true that the God of Isaiah 46 is God and there is no one like Him, and because of God, that which He wills will come to pass, then dont you think that it is foolish to make or treat anything in your life as equal or greater than He? Yet, there are all kinds of things, dreams, and people in your life competing for the greatest and most valuable place in your life. This is nothing new, for it has always been the tension since the garden of Eden. Just because God found you, does not mean that you will not struggle with and fight against the pull and temptation to substitute God with something else. Adam and Eve faced this struggle in the Garden, and they lost. Abraham wrestled throughout his life with this same struggle. King David struggled and lost on several occasions, the most notable was his desire for Bathsheba. Judas struggled and lost, Ananias and Saphira struggled and lost, and you may be struggling and now you find yourself losing. Anytime we place a thing, person, dream, or ideology above the God whose rightful place in your life in preeminence... you will find the burden to be crushing. We will look at Isaiah 45:22-24, but for now, I want you to consider what it is saying: Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. They will say of Me, Only in the Lord are righteousness and strength. People will come to Him, and all who were angry at Him will be put to shame. There is only one to whom all will bow, and there is no God like Him... and His name is Jesus: And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:811) What you need and what this country needs most is not for anything other than Jesus Christ to be great in your life. He is the hope of the nations.

A Sermon for Whitsunday Acts 2:1-11 by William Klock In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  And so the great story began.  Six day.  God speaks.  And creation takes shape.  On the first day…on the second day…on the third day…and so on…like a liturgy.  In fact, there's a theory that Genesis 1 was written to be used at the dedication of the second temple.  Because it describes God creating the heavens and the earth as his own temple.  In Genesis 2 we even see that this temple has a holy of holies: a garden called Eden.  There he carefully crafts a man from the dust of the earth, breathes his own life into him, and places him in the garden, in that holy of holies, to act as his priest, to care for his temple, and to live in his presence. And then we humans sinned and it all went wrong.  But Genesis stands as a reminder of what the Lord intended and how it's supposed to be.  The pagans tried to get it back.  They built temples for their gods and in them, to represent the gods' rule, they placed idols carved of wood or stone.  And attempt to recover Eden, to re-enter that fellowship with God, but on our terms, not his.  But Genesis reminds us that God has built his own temple by the power of his creative word and that he created us to be his image, to tend and to keep his temple, and to steward his rule on earth. And Genesis…and the whole story that follows…reminds us that the Lord will not leave us forever cast out.  Into the midst of the darkness God spoke again and called forth Abraham and with Abraham and his family, God launched a new heaven-and-earth project.  Over and over he showed his faithfulness to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, and to the whole people of Israel.  When they were slaves in Egypt he heard their cry and he rescued them.  He defeated Pharaoh and the Egyptians and led his beloved people through the Red Sea and into the wilderness.  At Mount Sinai the Lord gave the gift of the torah, the law, to Moses and the people.  And with the torah he gave them instructions, think of them as blueprints, for the tabernacle.  The Lord promised: I will be your God and you will be my people.  Once again, the Lord would take up his dwelling in their midst.  The tabernacle was a portable temple full of the symbols of the garden of Eden.  Wherever the people stopped to camp, they set up the tabernacle, and the glory cloud, the shekinah representing the Lord's presence, would descend to fill the holy of holies.  And the torah set the people apart from the nations and taught them how to be holy so that they might be the people who lived with the Lord in their midst.  Israel, camped around the tabernacle and the Lord's glory cloud, were a sort of new creation in miniature—heaven and earth, God and human beings back together, even if imperfectly.  It gave the people hope.  A hope that one day the Lord would truly and fully set this broken world to rights—to make things the way they're supposed to be.  And it wasn't just hope for Israel.  The Lord intended the watching nations to see his people and take note. That's the climax of the Exodus.  Not the Passover or the Red Sea.  Those are important—vitally important—parts of the story.  But it's Exodus 40, the last chapter of the book, where the Lord's glory clouds descends to dwell in the tabernacle—that's the climax.  The Lord once again dwelling with his people. We see it happen again when the Israelites are settled in the land of Canaan.  King Solomon builds a permanent temple for the Lord and, once again, at its dedication the glory cloud descends to fill the holy of holies. It was all there as part of the story to point the people in hope to God's restoration of heaven and earth—to the day when the Lord's promises would be fulfilled.  Because the Lord didn't just come to Israel and manifest himself in a cloud of glory; he spoke.  Israel's prophetic tradition was full of promises looking forward to that day. King David knew the Lord's promises and sang out in prophetic hope of that future day in Psalm 72: May he have dominion from sea to sea…May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him…Blessed by the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.  Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory!  Isaiah sang of the coming Messiah who would set creation to rights: There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.  And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.  And when God has done his work through the Messiah, Isaiah sings, the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.  Habakkuk similarly would sing out in hope: For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.   When the Lord's cloud of glory descended to fill the temple, it pointed forward to that day when he would—when he will—fill all of creation with his glorious presence. Think about this hope that Israel had and how great it was and I think it helps give a sense of just how tragic it then was when Israel failed to keep her end of the covenant and the Lord allowed the Babylonian army to capture Jerusalem and to destroy the temple—his temple.  Israel sinned, Israel showed disregard for the law the Lord had given to keep her holy.  And worst of all—over and over and over—Israel prostituted herself to the gods of the pagans.  It was a deep, deep tragedy.  As the Psalmist laments in Psalm 137: By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept.  Not just for what was lost, but like Adam and Eve, cast out and weeping over their own disobedience.  But even then, in those dark, dark days of exile the Lord still spoke.  Through Isaiah and Ezekiel, through Zechariah and Malachi the Lord promised that he would come back to dwell with his people. And yet, as the Gospels begin, hundreds of years had passed and the Lord had yet to return.  Israel had returned from her exile.  The temple had been rebuilt.  The people and the priests went through all the motions.  The smoke went up from the great altar.  But the cloud of glory had never come down and returned to the temple.  And pagan kings still ruled with Israel under their heels. Again, this is where the Gospels begin.  St. John describes the darkness, the hopelessness, the absence and then he says that the word became flesh and lived among us…The light shone in the darkness.  Brothers and Sisters, the Gospels are about the return of God to his people in fulfilment of his promises.  The word—the embodiment of God's creative power—the word took on our flesh and was born of Mary.  In Jesus God not only returned to his people, he brought heaven and earth, God and humanity back together in his person.  Jesus is the manifestation of the hope of creation set to rights, of the breach between us and God healed.  Matthew puts it in terms of Isaiah's prophecy: Jesus is the promised Immanuel: God with us. And as the church has led us through the story of Jesus these last months, we've followed him to the cross where he took on himself the role of the Passover lamb.  He died for the sins of his people.  And just when sin and death thought they'd done their worst and defeated God once and for all, God raised Jesus from death.  It was like the Passover and the Red Sea all over again, only this time it wasn't an Egyptian king and his army that were defeated, it was evil itself. And then, last week, we stood with the disciples and watched as Jesus ascended to take his throne in heaven.  And if you know the story of Israel, if you know the Old Testament like Luke's readers did, you can't help but draw the connection.  If Jesus' death was a new Passover, then his ascension isn't just his going to heaven to take his throne as king.  It's definitely very much that and that's significant, but it also parallels Moses going up Mount Sinai to meet with the Lord.  And when Moses came down, he had the gift of the torah, the law, with him. And so now, in today's Gospel, from Acts 2 Luke writes: When the day of Pentecost had finally arrived, they were all together in the same place.   I'm sure Jesus' disciples were expecting something.  I don't think they knew exactly what.  As we heard in last week's Gospel, Jesus said that he had to leave, to take his throne—and the disciples would be sorry to see him go—but that it had to be that way, because Jesus would send the Holy Spirit to empower them.  At the last supper he'd said that with his blood he was making a new covenant.  They knew that a new covenant would need a new law—a new torah—because the law was what taught the people how to live out their end of the covenant, how to live as the people in whose midst the Lord dwelled. But what that would like was anyone's guess.  But when Jesus told them to go and wait in Jerusalem and that he would send the Spirit in a few days, I fully expect they made the connection with Pentecost, because Pentecost—which is just Greek for “fiftieth” because it's fifty days after Passover—because Pentecost was the great feast when Israel remembered and celebrate the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.  I think that by this time, the disciples were finally putting things together.  They were waiting those ten days with baited breath.  Jesus was alive.  Jesus was king.  Everything was happening just as he promised.  So they knew the Spirit would come.  But how?  And what would happen when he did?  And how would the Spirit be a new torah for this new covenant.  And so they obeyed Jesus.  They waited all together in Jerusalem—probably in that same “upper room” where they'd eaten the Passover.  And Luke goes on: Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like the sound of a mighty, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.   So many parts of the story come together here.  It helps to understand that wind and breath are the same word in both Hebrew and Greek.  And so this divine wind sweeps in to the room to breathe the breath of God into the disciples, reminding them of the way God gave life to Adam in the beginning—taking that lifeless lump of moulded clay and animating it, making it as we say, a soul—a living being.  But this time it's God breathing life into his new Israel.  There's a reason that the one thing the disciples made sure they did during those days of waiting was to appoint Matthias as a successor to Judas.  If they were to be the new Israel, they had to be twelve.  And now the Spirit comes and breathes the life of God into this new people. But, too, the imagery of the wind filling the house.  It doesn't just recall God breathing life into Adam.  It also recalls God's presence filling the tabernacle in Exodus 40 and the temple in 1 Kings 8.  The way God gives his Spirit is a reminder that Jesus people aren't just a people full of the Spirit.  Brothers and Sisters, being full of the Spirit makes us God's temple.  Jesus and us—together we're the beginning of God's new creation, the beginning of his restoration of heaven and earth.  Jesus has ascended to heaven bearing our human flesh.  And in the Spirit, God has come to earth to dwell with us.  In us, in Jesus' people, the restoration of Eden has begun.  That's why at the head of Jesus' prayer are is that powerful petition: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. I think this is why all through the rest of Acts, stuff keeps happening at temples, whether it's the next couple of chapters as we follow the events of Pentecost and Peter preaching and thousands being baptised or later as Paul confronts the pagans in their temples in Athens and Ephesus.  All because in Jesus and his people God's real temple is being built—brick by brick, stone by stone, with each baptism…all laid on the foundation of the death and resurrection of Jesus. So the disciples already knew when Jesus rose from death that new creation had begun.  Jesus was the first part of it.  And they were so excited to go out and tell everyone that Jesus had to calm them down and tell them to wait.  Enthusiasm is never enough.  They needed to be made part of that new creation too.  And that's what the Spirit does here.  One day, when the church's work is done and Jesus returns to finally cast death itself into the lake of fire, God will raise us as he raised Jesus and we will know fully the life he intends for us.  But the time for that hasn't yet come.  The gift of the Spirit is the downpayment on that life—or to use an Old Testament term for it: the Spirit is the firstfruits of God's new creation. And that's the other part of the feast of Pentecost that comes into this.  Pentecost wasn't just the celebration of God's giving of the law to Israel.  It was also the festival where the people brought their firstfruits to God.  They brought the first of their crops—like a sheaf of wheat—not just to give thanks for the harvest, but in expectant hope of his provision—trusting him for a plentiful harvest.  From now on, for Jesus' people, Pentecost is just that: a reminder that the harvest has begun and that the Spirit is sure to make it a plentiful one. But it wasn't just the wind.  Luke goes on in verse 3: Then tongues, seemingly of fire, appeared to them, moving apart and coming to rest on each one of them.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them the words to say.   The wind from heaven fills them and the Spirit manifests himself as flame and then they start to speak in other languages.  Again, the big story tells us why the Spirit came this way.  Genesis explains the origin of different languages and people groups with the story of Babel.  It's the low point in human history.  Adam and Eve sin in Chapter 3, Cain murders his brother in Chapter 4, and humanity goes downhill from there until, in Chapter11, we've lost all knowledge of God.  In their hubris, the men of Babel built a tower to reach heaven and in response, the Lord confused their languages and scattered them.  It's a bit like Psalm 2 and Daniel 7 that I mentioned last week.  The nations rage, but God laughs.  But all the while he has a plan to set us to rights.  In Psalm 2 it's the son of David who will reign as king.  In Daniel 7 it's the son of man who will be enthroned by the Ancient of Days.  And here at Pentecost, the son of David who is also the son of man takes his throne and sends the Spirit who creates a people ready to undo Babel. Luke goes on in verse 5: There were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem at that time.  [Remember, because it was Pentecost.]  When they heard this noise they came together in a crowd.  They were deeply puzzled, because every single one of them could hear them speaking in his or her own native language.  They were astonished and amazed.  “These men who are doing the speaking are all Galileans, aren't they?” they said.  “So how is it that each of us can hear them in our own mother tongues?   Luke goes on to list people from countries across the whole Roman empire and some from even beyond that.  And the men hearing this go on with the most important detail, “We can hear them telling us about the mighty things God has done—in our own languages.”   What does it mean?  Brothers and Sisters, this gift of tongues to the disciples was a sign.  It was a sign that Jesus truly had ascended to his throne and he now rules over a global dominion.  And it means that through his people, through his church, Jesus has inaugurated God's new creation and has begun the work of setting everything to rights—starting with the confusion of Babel. And that's where today's Epistle ends, which is a bit disappointing.  I wish we had a Pentecost season where we could at least work through the next couple of chapters.  “What does all this mean?” they ask, and in response Peter begins to preach and he explains to the gathered men how this was all in fulfilment of God's promises.  These first eleven verses will have to be enough for today. Brothers and Sisters, Pentecost reminds us who we are.  Again, think of Israel, rescued from Egypt and then formed as a people in the wilderness—a people defined by the law and by God dwelling in their midst.  Pentecost is a reminder to us that in Jesus, God has delivered us from our bondage to sin and death and that he has made us a people defined by his new law: the life of the Spirit.  And we don't just have God in our midst; we are indwelt by God himself in the Spirit.  Pentecost is a reminder that in making us this Spirit-filled people, God has made us his temple.  We are the place where the world meets God.  But our calling isn't simply to sit here like the temple on Mount Zion and wait for people to come.  Our calling is to be a temple on the move and a temple dispersed—a temple that goes out and meets the world with God and with the gospel—with the good news that Jesus, crucified and risen, is the world's true Lord.  You and I have been entrusted with the story.  Go out and proclaim the mighty deeds of God and the Spirit will use that proclamation to change hearts and to grow the kingdom.  And, finally, Pentecost is a reminder that as God's temple, we are also the firstfruits of God's new creation.  We as a people are called to live out the life of God—not just to steward his word and to proclaim his gospel, but to truly be light in the darkness: living out and working for mercy and love and justice, showing the world the value of goodness, truth, and beauty, teaching reconciliation, bringing healing.  In other words, Brothers and Sisters, pulling God's future into the present.  Not just praying “on earth as in heaven”, but living out that prayer so that all the world will see and doing so in trusting hope that God's promise is true.  One day, when the church has done her job declaring the mighty deeds of God, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of his glory as the waters cover the sea.  That is what it means to be a “Pentecostal” people. Let's pray: O GOD, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Jonathan and Heather have a conversation about Ancient Near Eastern cosmologies. They look at the Babylonian and Egyptian creation myths and compare them to Genesis 1. Heather quotes from John Currid's book, "Against the Gods: The Polemical Theology of the Old Testament"Join us at www.firstcenturyyouthministry.comBecome part of our growing Facebook community Join our "closed" group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/firstcenturyouthministryLike our fan page! https://www.facebook.com/FirstCenturyYouthMin

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile. The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3). He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Pete Brown's website: https://www.petebrown.net/Link Tree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/RockPaperSwords⁠ Support us on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast⁠ Buy us a beer and get a shoutout by heading to ⁠buymeacoffee.com/rockpaperswordsPete Brown is a British author, journalist, broadcaster and consultant specialising in food and drink, especially the fun parts like beer and cider. He writes for newspapers and magazines around the world and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Food Programme. He was named British Beer Writer of the Year in 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2021, and Fortnum and Mason Online Drinks Writer of the Year in 2015. In 2020 he was named an “Industry Legend” at the Imbibe Hospitality Awards.We chatted with him about alcohol brewing and drinking by the Babylonians, Romans, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, medieval folk, and more. It's a fascinating interview, don't miss it!Welcome to RPS, Pete Brown!

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry. Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world." Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things! You have HIS promise on that! We suggest, as usual, starting here: https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

Send us a messageAs the “One World Religion” of the Antichrist reaches ever forward to its full completion, while drawing many deceived ones into its Luciferian grip, the Holy Spirit is raising up His Watchmen on the Wall to herald His unadulterated Word of Truth to His called ones – while there is still time for those who have ears to hear.In this series, we unveil the Babylonian roots of Roman Catholicism which is leading the charge in the ecumenical efforts which are fashioning the Religious arm of the Antichrist Global Empire, with recognition of her as the adulterous Harlot described in Revelation 17. This unfaithful woman will serve the Beast in his deadly deceptions over the people of earth during the Tribulation Period – leading many to their eternal demise.It is a message of warning, and a message of Love, and a cry to those who say they love Jesus to come out and be separate! For He is coming soon! – and He is coming for His Own!Support the showVisit our website: https://agapelightministries.com/

Daniel's a guy who's got everything going for him. He's a winner in life, enjoying championship status in sports, intellectual pursuits, and the Judah Hot Dog League. All this success attracts the attention of the conquering Babylonians, and Daniel is sent into the service of their king...and gods. It's here that he really shines. With courage and an unwavering faith in the one true God, Daniel stands firm. He faces some extreme tests, but Daniel never doubts that God is with him. We can draw so much inspiration from his example. Listen to this week's episode as Pastor Chuck Schlie dares you to be a Daniel!If you'd like to dig deeper, check out these discussion questions. You can complete them on your own, with your Community Group, or with family and friends. Normal Goes A Long Way Website: https://www.normalgoesalongway.com/Normal Goes A Long Way Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normalgoesalongway/Normal Goes A Long Way Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Normal-Goes-A-Long-Way-110089491250735Normal Goes A Long Way is brought to you by Messiah St. Charles: https://messiahstcharles.org/Normal Goes A Long Way is hosted on Zencastr. Create your podcast today! Get 20% off when you choose Zencastr for your podcasting needs: https://zencastr.com/?via=jill#madeonzencastr

The year is 605 BC, the year of the Babylonian invasion by Nebuchadnezzar into the nation of Judah. This was the first of three invasions until Jerusalem was captured, the nation destroyed, and the majority of the people are carried away into captivity. Jehoakim is the king of Judah at this time and God is […] The post REWIND: Jeremiah 36, Cutting Out God’s Word appeared first on Biblical Truths from West Palm Beach church of Christ.

Dare to Be Different Unshakeable Series - Week 1 Daniel 1:8-21 In a culture that pressures us to conform, Daniel's example shows us what it means to live with unshakeable faith. When faced with the choice between blending in with Babylonian culture or staying true to his convictions, this teenage exile chose to dare to be different. Key Points: Convictions are formed before crises arrive - Daniel had already decided what he would and wouldn't do before the pressure came. We must develop our spiritual root system now, hiding God's Word in our hearts before the tests arrive. Holiness requires both conviction and wisdom - Daniel didn't compromise his values, but he also didn't create unnecessary conflict. He approached the situation with humility, respect, and practical solutions, showing that we can stand apart from culture without standing against everyone in it. God honors those who honor Him - Daniel's faithfulness in this seemingly small matter led to God blessing him physically, intellectually, spiritually, and positionally. When we choose to honor God in the little things, He can use us for big things. Application: Whether facing pressure about gender issues, moral compromises, or political conformity, Christians are called to live distinctively while showing grace. True holiness means setting boundaries before pressure comes and living out our convictions with both unwavering faith and humble wisdom. This message challenges believers to identify areas where they need to take a stand for their faith and encourages them to do so with Daniel's combination of conviction and grace.

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile. The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3). He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry. Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world." Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things! You have HIS promise on that! We suggest, as usual, starting here: https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

In this episode of Weekend Debrief, Dave and Wes answer questions about idolatry, AI, food, and Babylonian hips. They also share their May Pastors' Palate recommendations. Send comments or additional questions to (971) 301-2414 or ⁠podcast@graceindallas.org⁠. Pastors' Palate Recommendations: Dave's Pick: Misty Woods - cookie_monster97338 Wes' Pick: Sharon's Cafe - Corvallis Recommended Links: Missions Partner Highlight for May (Village Missions) - https://villagemissions.org/ Spotify Podcast Link - https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/graceindallas Apple Podcast Link - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grace-church-dallas-oregon/id414919476 Podcast Sponsor: Silver Falls Coffee - ⁠https://silverfallscoffee.com Christian Online Bookstore: 10 of Those - https://us.10ofthose.com/

While we await next week's new episode, we invite you to revisit our (third) 18Forty Podcast conversation with Malka Simkovich, originally aired on November 19, 2024. 18Forty is celebrating its fifth year LIVE in NYC on June 9. Reserve your seats today!In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Malka Simkovich—a scholar of Jewish history, the editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society, and a three-time 18Forty guest—about previous Jewish diasporas.We tend to think of “Israel-diaspora relations” as a modern phenomenon. But, as Dr. Simkovich reminds us, that situation existed well over 2,000 years ago, when some Jews returned to the Land of Israel following the Babylonian exile while others remained abroad. In this episode we discuss:What are the differences between the notions of golah, diaspora, and galut?Did ancient diaspora Jews have a political equivalent to “supporting Israel”?How should Jews live when in a partial state of exile?Tune in to hear a conversation about the “proto-messianic mindset” throughout Jewish history and today.Interview begins at 8:58.Dr. Malka Simkovich is the director and editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society and previously served as the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She earned a doctoral degree in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism from Brandeis University and a Master's degree in Hebrew Bible from Harvard University. She is the author of The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria (2016), Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism (2018), and Letters From Home: The Creation of Diaspora in Jewish Antiquity, (2024). This is her third time speaking on 18Forty.

Conflict in Israel has been a reality whenever Israel has existed as a nation. Whether it was the Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, or Romans, the nation of Israel has always been persecuted by its neighbors. Why is this? According to the Bible, it is because God has a special plan for the nation of Israel, and Satan wants to defeat that plan. Today, Pastor Ken will explain that satanically influenced hatred of Israel is the reason Israel's neighbors have always wanted to see Israel destroyed.

We check out Old Testament chapter 75 from A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture.Please support the Our Lady of Fatima Podcast:Buymeacoffee.com/TerenceMStantonLike and subscribe on YouTube:@OurLadyofFatimaPodcastFollow us on X:@FatimaPodcastThank you!

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile. The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3). He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

The ancient people of Jerusalem hit their rock-bottom in 587BC, seen in their horrific conquest by the Babylonians and in their resulting captivity. There is no question that the things God's people endured were awful…but there was also no doubt that God was still God. He was still good, and His people could still turn […]

The Lord is slow to anger, but His patience with religious hypocrites does not last forever. Today, Barry Cooper considers what Israel's exile into Babylon teaches us about the danger of becoming complacent with our sin. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-babylonian-captivity/ Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel mark a radical change in the life of God's people, Israel. Starting with Jeremiah, the Babylonian exile is predicted, and then experienced. Daniel is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during Jeremiah's ministry, and after the 586 BC fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel is called by God to minister to Israel in exile. Indeed, these prophets were aware of each others' ministries, and God's voice in them. Twice Ezekiel refers to Daniel (14:14 and 28:3), and Daniel mentions Jeremiah's prophecies (Daniel 9) as a source of his own prophetic ministry. Reading Jeremiah should be a learning experience par excellence, as getting clear on all its details and references - seeking to understand the discoveries of biblical archaeology that relate to it, and all the history of Israel, including the two kingdoms, their kings and their successes and failures, their faithfulness and their apostasy - sets one up to understand both the whole progression of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and God's plan of salvation set in place "before the foundation of the world." Listen and read with a mind open to God's voice. Search the scriptures to answer the questions you encounter, search the archaeology to display the truth of God's word verified, search the language to understand better the nuances of God's meaning. Read/listen carefully, reverently and inquisitively, and God will show you amazing things! You have HIS promise on that! We suggest, as usual, starting here: https://youtu.be/RSK36cHbrk0?si=KaJSPPn7n6z7x_Pl

THE SHOWDOWN on Mount Carmel is even more spectacular than we've been taught. The story is sensational on its surface: The prophet Elijah, one of the few prophets of God still active in the northern kingdom of Israel, tells King Ahab to his face that there will be no rain until Elijah says so. Then he flees from the king and hides out for three years. During that time, the prophet was fed by ravens at the brook Cherith somewhere east of the Jordan until the drought caused the stream to dry up. Then Elijah traveled to Phoenicia and lodged with a widow of Zarephath in the region of Sidon. Because of the famine, she was prepared to make one last meal and then starve to death with her son (or children, according to the Septuagint). Miraculously, the woman did not run out of flour or oil during the entire time Elijah stayed with her. The account of the miracle of Elijah bringing the widow's son back from the dead has a deeper meaning when you understand a little of the religion of the Phoenicians (who were Canaanites, which in turn is just a geographic designation for the Amorites in Canaan). The patron deity of Sidon was Eshmun, the Phoenician name for the Greek demigod Asclepius. The Greeks believed Asclepius was the half-divine son of Apollo, a healer of such skill that he was able to cure death. (This led Hades to complain to Zeus that Asclepius was disrupting the natural order of things, so Zeus killed Asclepius.) The point is this: God, through Elijah, demonstrated that He, Yahweh, was the one God who truly has power over life and death. Likewise, Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal has a deeper meaning. This was a literal battle between Yahweh and the Baal worshipped by Jezebel and her pagan father, Ethbaal, king of Tyre. Ethbaal was a priest of Astarte, the Canaanite version of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of sex and war (which explains a lot about Jezebel). The kicker is that the Baal of Tyre was probably Melqart, which was the Phoenician name for Herakles—better known to us as Hercules. This explains some of Elijah's taunts while Jezebel's prophets danced, shouted, and cut themselves to summon their small-G god. It also helps us understand why Elijah had twelve vessels of water poured over the sacrifice and the wood on the altar. It didn't just represent the twelve tribes of Israel and make the sacrifice more difficult to burn, it mocked a libation (drink offering) ritual called yarid that is documented in Jewish and Roman texts and inscriptions as late as the 3rd century AD, when Emperor Diocletian performed the yarid at Tyre for Hercules! This also connects to Mount Hermon, where scholars Edward Lipiński and Charles Clermont-Ganneau noted, based on the site drawing by Sir Charles Warren in 1869 (when he discovered the Watcher Stone in a temple near the peak of the mountain), that the summit of Hermon is scooped out like a giant bowl—probably to receive these offerings. Lipiński wrote that this means the Watchers, led by Shemihazah, did not descend in the days of Jared, but in the days when the yarid was performed on the mountain. So, Elijah's actions on Mount Carmel were directed not just at Baal or Melqart/Hercules, but at the “sons of God” who long ago tried to take dominion of Earth away from the children of Adam and Eve. Sharon's niece, Sarah Sachleben, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! Derek's new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! If you are looking for a text of the Book of 1 Enoch to follow our monthly study, you can try these sources: Parallel translations by R. H. Charles (1917) and Richard Laurence (1821)Modern English translation by George W. E. Nickelsburg and James VanderKam (link to book at Amazon) Book of 1 Enoch - Standard English Version by Dr. Jay Winter (link opens free PDF)Book of 1 Enoch - R. H. Charles translation (link opens free PDF) The SkyWatchTV store has a special offer on Dr. Michael Heiser's two-volume set A Companion to the Book of Enoch. Get both books, the R. H. Charles translation of 1 Enoch, and a DVD interview with Mike and Steven Bancarz for a donation of $35 plus shipping and handling. Link: https://bit.ly/heiser-enoch Follow us! • X: @gilberthouse_tv | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert• Telegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunker• YouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelation• Facebook.com/GilbertHouseFellowship JOIN US AND SPECIAL GUEST CARL TEICHRIB IN ISRAEL! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information and to reserve your place, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech! The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/. Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site! Gilbert House T-shirts and mugs! New to our store is a line of GHTV and Redwing Saga merch! Check it out at GilbertHouse.org/store! Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store. Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the right-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org.

This debate came about after I wrote an essay, “Trans Women Are Trans Women,” in response to Matthew Adelstein's essay, “Why I Think Trans Women Are Women.” I wanted to have the conversation for two reasons.First, I'm a student of philosophy and former university lecturer of logic, debate, writing, and public speaking — basically, how to think and express those thoughts — so for me, civil discourse is a personal discipline much like chess or martial arts, two of my favorite pastimes. But it's also a benefit to society because if more of us openly engaged in civil discourse over contentious issues by playing the game rugby-rough but, like all good ruggers, able to grab beers after — we'd be better off.Second, because this slogan represents the most extremist form of woke ideology, alongside “math is racist,” and as I wrote, it's profoundly dangerous:Orwell had a word for the process of distorting basic truths in order to further some political agenda or enforce ideological conformity. He called it doublespeak. I often call it ontological gaslighting, like the scene in the book in which the Party finally gets Winston to accept that two plus two is five. This is how the book ends, because this is the final and greatest defeat of the human soul by an authoritarian regime. Namely, getting someone to deny an objective fact. As Winston writes in his diary early in the novel, “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.” To put that the other way around, slavery is the impulse to say that two plus two makes five. If that is accepted, all else follows.Two plus two is five. Silence is violence. Math is racist. Men are women. Adelstein claims long hair or painted nails makes one more of a woman, and having enough feminine traits actually makes one a woman. But divorced from the female, such traits are no longer feminine and cannot confer womanhood. Samurai had long hair and Babylonian men painted their nails before battle.He also defines “woman” socially but treats the phrase “A trans woman is a woman” in a vacuum. Yet trans writer Alyssa Ferguson, trans athlete Veronic Ivy, trans biologist Julia Serano, and trans philosophers Sophie Chappell and Talia Betcher claim trans women are female. Adelstein makes abstract assertions about a political slogan, like saying Sieg Heil simply means “Hail victory” or jihad just means “struggle,” but we all know that if we'd decided to call adult human females “apples” instead of “women,” we'd be here debating whether trans women are apples.That's because what trans women identify as only has meaning for them insofar as it denotes female. As I explain in the debate, trans women don't identify as men who think they're women. They identify as women who are women. Even Adelstein's own definition of “woman” is fundamentally grounded in the female, as you'll see. That's why I said if we agree trans women are not females, as he and I do up front, the rest is definitional word play, which is where the debate immediately goes after that. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theradicalist.com/subscribe

THE SHOWDOWN on Mount Carmel is even more spectacular than we've been taught. The story is sensational on its surface: The prophet Elijah, one of the few prophets of God still active in the northern kingdom of Israel, tells King Ahab to his face that there will be no rain until Elijah says so. Then he flees from the king and hides out for three years. During that time, the prophet was fed by ravens at the brook Cherith somewhere east of the Jordan until the drought caused the stream to dry up. Then Elijah traveled to Phoenicia and lodged with a widow of Zarephath in the region of Sidon. Because of the famine, she was prepared to make one last meal and then starve to death with her son (or children, according to the Septuagint). Miraculously, the woman did not run out of flour or oil during the entire time Elijah stayed with her. The account of the miracle of Elijah bringing the widow's son back from the dead has a deeper meaning when you understand a little of the religion of the Phoenicians (who were Canaanites, which in turn is just a geographic designation for the Amorites in Canaan). The patron deity of Sidon was Eshmun, the Phoenician name for the Greek demigod Asclepius. The Greeks believed Asclepius was the half-divine son of Apollo, a healer of such skill that he was able to cure death. (This led Hades to complain to Zeus that Asclepius was disrupting the natural order of things, so Zeus killed Asclepius.) The point is this: God, through Elijah, demonstrated that He, Yahweh, was the one God who truly has power over life and death. Likewise, Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal has a deeper meaning. This was a literal battle between Yahweh and the Baal worshipped by Jezebel and her pagan father, Ethbaal, king of Tyre. Ethbaal was a priest of Astarte, the Canaanite version of Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of sex and war (which explains a lot about Jezebel). The kicker is that the Baal of Tyre was probably Melqart, which was the Phoenician name for Herakles—better known to us as Hercules. This explains some of Elijah's taunts while Jezebel's prophets danced, shouted, and cut themselves to summon their small-G god. It also helps us understand why Elijah had twelve vessels of water poured over the sacrifice and the wood on the altar. It didn't just represent the twelve tribes of Israel and make the sacrifice more difficult to burn, it mocked a libation (drink offering) ritual called yarid that is documented in Jewish and Roman texts and inscriptions as late as the 3rd century AD, when Emperor Diocletian performed the yarid at Tyre for Hercules! This also connects to Mount Hermon, where scholars Edward Lipiński and Charles Clermont-Ganneau noted, based on the site drawing by Sir Charles Warren in 1869 (when he discovered the Watcher Stone in a temple near the peak of the mountain), that the summit of Hermon is scooped out like a giant bowl—probably to receive these offerings. Lipiński wrote that this means the Watchers, led by Shemihazah, did not descend in the days of Jared, but in the days when the yarid was performed on the mountain. So, Elijah's actions on Mount Carmel were directed not just at Baal or Melqart/Hercules, but at the “sons of God” who long ago tried to take dominion of Earth away from the children of Adam and Eve.

In keeping with our intensive study of Israel's history this year, Jenny and I have concentrated our attention on the Exilic and Post-exilic prophets. We've included Jeremiah in this list, even though he spans the immediate pre-exilic period, leading up to the Babylonian exile. The most enigmatic exilic prophet, most certainly, is Ezekiel. His name means "God's strength." We encourage our listeners to struggle with Ezekiel's difficulty, as we believe God has a great deal of undiscovered meaning in this text. Some of the most exciting references, for me, are those to his contemporary prophet-in-exile, Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and 28:3). He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Join host Jeff on Right on Radio as he delves deep into the intricate narrative of the Book of Esther from the Bible. Bringing a fresh, unique perspective to this classic story, this episode kicks off a two-part mini-series, blending biblical texts with contemporary insights and unexpected twists. Jeff promises to showcase the real world, both visible and invisible, through the lens of Esther's story, interpreted in a new light. In this episode, Jeff explores the controversial and unspoken connections between the biblical account and current events, deftly weaving in the geopolitical and spiritual implications. He sets the stage by discussing the unseen aspects of modern-day practices, as well as historical revelations, to support his bold claims. Listeners will be introduced to the key characters, Mordecai and Esther, whose names may suggest deeper, ancient associations with Babylonian deities. This deeper dive prompts new questions about identity, faith, and the veiled exercises of power. Esther's name, which is akin to Ishtar, and Mordecai's association with Marduk, hint at hidden meanings in this epic tale. As Jeff reads through the chapters, the story of Esther unfolds, revealing political plots, divine providence, and a potential purge. The invisible hand of God is at play, even as His name is curiously absent from the text, raising inquiries about prayer, faith, and destiny. This riveting exploration challenges traditional interpretations, inviting you to reconsider everything you've been taught about the Book of Esther. Listen as Jeff postulates new theories about this ancient scripture and applies them to the current socio-political landscape, urging the audience to 'live right in the real world'. Thank you for Listening to Right on Radio. https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Prayerfully consider supporting Right on Radio. Click Here for all links, Right on Community ROC, Podcast web links, Freebies, Products (healing mushrooms, EMP Protection) Social media, courses and more... https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Live Right in the Real World! We talk God and Politics, Faith Based Broadcast News, views, Opinions and Attitudes We are Your News Now. Keep the Faith

How the Bible Was Formed E1 — If you've ever compared a Protestant Bible to a Catholic Bible, you may notice some additional books in the Catholic Bible, such as Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, etc. These books, called the Deuterocanon by Catholics and the Apocrypha by Protestants, are Jewish Literature from the period after the Babylonian exile but before the time of Jesus. The Jewish people were back in the land, being ruled by Syria and other empires descended from Alexander the Great. As they read the Hebrew Bible, they created many new literary works, reflecting on stories in Scripture and what was happening in their own day. So how do we understand the status and value of these books when compared to the Hebrew Bible and New Testament? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore the background, history, and content of this Second-Temple Jewish literature.CHAPTERSMultiple Bibles on the Shelf (00:00-21:10)History of the Protestant Apocrypha (21:10-34:35)How Jesus and the Apostles Engaged With These Books (34:35-43:05)Why We're Talking About the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha (43:05-57:36)OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPTView this episode's official transcript.REFERENCED RESOURCESThe Old Testament Pseudepigrapha by James H. CharlesworthOld Testament Pseudepigrapha: More Noncanonical Scriptures, edited by Richard Bauckham, James Davila, Alex PanayotovYou can view annotations for this episode—plus our entire library of videos, podcasts, articles, and classes—in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Check out Tim's extensive collection of recommended books here.SHOW MUSIC“Pure Joy ft. John Lee” by Lofi Sunday“Chillbop ft. Me & The Boys” by Lofi Sunday“Answered Prayers ft. PAINT WITH SOUND” by Lofi SundayBibleProject theme song by TENTSSHOW CREDITSProduction of today's episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who edited today's episode and also provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty does our show notes, and Hannah Woo provides the annotations for our app. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Humans have limited understanding of our world and the world beyond; not that we're unintelligent—far from it. The Bible makes it clear that God gave man a sound mind, and from the beginning, people were capable of accomplishing amazing things. The construction of the great pyramids, modern scientific advances, and our knowledge of the cosmos is a testament to how much humans can know and achieve. We're even capable of presenting truth in various ways through art, teaching, and moral agendas, but man's abilities are finite. There is One, though, that claims all truth: the person Jesus Christ. John 1:17 says, “For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” In other words, man has been capable over time of building structure and order in society. Around the time of Moses and the 10 Commandments and the laws that govern the Israelites, other cultures were doing somewhat similar things. The Code of Hammurabi, a set of Babylonian laws, helped create a functioning society, and in 1254, the Magna Carta, a set of English laws that was the forerunner of the Declaration of Independence, brought England out of the Dark ages. Yet the Bible is very clear that ultimate truth, the sum of all reality, is found only in Jesus Christ. It is in Him that we unlock the mystery of who we are as individuals. He knows each of us, and invites us into relationship with him. People all over the world follow their own set of rules. It's often said that truth is true if it's true for you, meaning of course that each of us has the right to follow his or her own reasoning. For example, to a person who frees himself from moral constraints, love can mean many things.  In 2 John 1:6 we read, “And this is love, that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you've heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” Do you see the difference? We can tell ourselves anything; that love, for example, can have many definitions, but God tells us in His Word that true love is being obedient to our Creator. In the end, the world is full of philosophies and opinions of men. Some see truth differently, but only in the Bible do we find true truth. For Jesus Christ is the ultimate truth. Let's pray. Father God, the world can be a dangerous place. Help us to continue relying on you and as our ultimate source of truth so that we can make the best for us and our families. Your Word is our guide, Jesus' name, amen.  Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

After the people of Judah refused to heed God's warnings to repent, Jerusalem was conquered. Today, R.C. Sproul discusses the events that led to the Babylonian exile, the greatest crisis for God's people in the Old Testament period. With your donation of any amount, request R.C. Sproul's 57-message teaching series Dust to Glory as a special-edition DVD collection. You'll also receive lifetime digital access to all the messages and the study guide: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/3982/donate Live outside the U.S. and Canada? You can get lifetime digital access to the Dust to Glory teaching series and its companion study guide for a donation of any amount: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global   Meet Today's Teacher:   R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts