Podcasts about babylonians

In this jam-packed episode of Worldview Legacy, Joel Settecase explores the deep questions that define who we are and how we live. What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Why are young men in Gen Z facing a crisis of identity? And how do ancient flood myths from around the world support the Bible's historical truth?Joel begins with a moment of humble self-reflection, sharing why he took down a previous episode that didn't meet the Think Institute's high standards. Then he walks through the biblical case for why animals are not made in the image of God—and what makes human beings utterly unique in creation.You'll also hear Joel break down sobering new research on the identity crisis among Gen Z men, and how scripture engagement dramatically boosts confidence and purpose. Finally, he uncovers fascinating global flood legends—Aztec, Hindu, Chinese, and Babylonian—that actually confirm the biblical account rather than undermine it.In this episode, you'll learn:Why the Think Institute removed an episode about Pokémon and IsraelWhat it really means to be made in the image of GodWhy animals, though amazing, do not bear God's imageFrancis Schaeffer's powerful framework for understanding man vs. beastWhat's driving the Gen Z male identity crisis—and how to fix itHow knowing scripture transforms your view of yourselfWhy dozens of cultures around the world have similar flood storiesHow the Tower of Babel explains the spread of “myth”Why the biblical flood account is superior to all othersWhat Jesus and the apostles said about Noah's flood—and why it mattersTakeaways:You are not a beast. You are made in God's image.The Bible gives the clearest, truest picture of who you are.Identity isn't found in feelings—it's found in following Jesus Christ.The truth of scripture is not just spiritual—it's historical and global.Relevant Passages:Genesis 1:26–27, Psalm 139:13–14, 1 Corinthians 13:11, Proverbs 10:19, Romans 12:2, Matthew 24:37–39, 2 Peter 2:5Join the Hammer & Anvil SocietyIf you're ready to stop drifting and start building your life on the truth, join the discipleship community for men who want to lead in faith, family, and worldview.

A Sermon for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity St. Matthew 9:1-8 by William Klock In our Gospel St. Matthew writes that “Jesus got into the boat and crossed back over to his own town.”  Back to Capernaum.  From the far side of the Sea of Galilee.  From that place where he'd been confronted by a man filled with demons and cast those demons into a herd of pigs.  You know the story.  The demon-possessed pigs promptly stampeded into the sea and drowned themselves.  And that left the pig farmer and the local townspeople none too pleased with Jesus.  They pleaded with him to leave.  So he and the disciples got back into their boat and sailed across the Sea of Galilee.  And now he's back home in Capernaum.  Matthew's version of this story is the shortest on details.  Mark's version implies that Jesus was tired.  He went home to get a break from the crowds and it took a few days before anyone realised that he was home.  But when they figured it out, the crowds were back.  Before he knew it, they'd let themselves into his house and he was preaching.  It was mostly just ordinary people, but there were some scribes and Pharisees there in that packed and crowded room.  They had to keep an eye—or an ear—on Jesus. And that crowd posed a problem to four friends.  They had a fifth friend who was paralysed.  When they heard Jesus was back in town, these four men went and got their friend and carried him, cot and all, to Jesus' house.  Jesus was healing everybody else.  Surely he would heal their friend.  If they could get to him.  And they couldn't.  I can imagine them trying.  Asking politely if people might get out of the way.  Looking to see if maybe they could squeeze through a back door or a window, then going back and trying to push some people aside to get to the front door—all to no avail.  There was no way they'd ever get their friend into that house.  And that's when they had an idea.  The roof!  In those days, in that place, roofs were flat—they served as extra living space when it was hot and you needed to get out into a cooling breeze—but more importantly, roofs were made of rush and palms plastered between beams.  So these men take their friend to the roof and they start jabbing at the roof with sticks and kicking at it with their heels and pulling it apart with their hands, until they'd made a hole big enough to lower their friend down to Jesus. Now imagine Jesus, in the house, preaching to the crowd while that was going on upstairs.  Loud scratching and thumping.  And pretty soon bits of plaster and rush start falling.  Before too long there's a hole in the roof and everyone sees these guys looking down—probably a little sheepishly.  I wonder what went through Jesus' mind.  He was tired.  His rest had been cut short.  The crowd was one thing, but he really didn't need some yahoos tearing up his roof.  “Great!  There goes the damage deposit,” he's thinking to himself.  But pretty quickly, as they lowered their friend to him, he saw what was going on.  And I think Jesus smiled. Why?  Because Matthew writes that Jesus saw their faith and if Jesus was anything like me and most of the other pastors I know, the exhaustion, the frustration of not having a break, the annoyance at having these guys destroy his roof, I think it all would have melted away, because seeing the faith of these men made it all worth it.  And looking down at the paralyzed man, Jesus says to him, “Have courage!”  Take heart!  In other words, “Don't be afraid.”  Because I imagine some people might be afraid if their friends just tore a hole in the Messiah's roof to get them inside.  Because even if Jesus was smiling, the people around him were looking shocked and outraged and angry.  “How dare you dig a hole in the Messiah's roof!”  And so Jesus looks at him and says, “Your sins are forgiven!” Now, that's not what we might expect Jesus to say to this man.  Judging by Jesus' other encounters, we'd expect him to say something like, “Get up and walk; your faith has made you well.”  But instead, he tells the paralysed man that his sins are forgiven.  That's nice, but he's still lying there paralysed on his cot.  So why would Jesus say, “Your sins are forgiven”?  Brothers and Sisters, Jesus found a teaching moment in everything.  He'd healed people more times than anyone could count at that point, and that was a sign that the Messiah had come and that God's kingdom was breaking into the world.  But what did that really mean?  Well, remember that everyone had their own ideas about the Messiah and about the kingdom—and, most important, how they could have a share in it.  The people needed more than just to see miracles.  They needed to know more than that the Messiah had come; they desperately needed to know what the Messiah had come to do.  Jesus saw that group of scribes there in his house that day and saw a perfect opportunity.  Maybe they were legitimately curious to hear what Jesus had to say or maybe they were there just to criticise or report back to the priests or the Pharisees, but, right on cue, they hear Jesus' words—“Your sins are forgiven”—and he can see their outrage.  He could see how they scowled as they grumbled to each other about how blasphemous this was.  “Who can forgive sins except God?” they howled in Mark's telling of the story. Just as Jesus could see the faith of the paralysed man's friends as they lowered him through the hole in his roof, he could see the opposite in the grumbling scribes.  And so he asks them, “Why are your hearts so intent on evil?”  Of course, that just made them angrier.  “We're not the evil ones!” they say back.  “You are…you…you…you blasphemer!”  But Jesus goes on with the teaching moment and says to them, “Which is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk?”  But so that you may know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—and now he turns back to the paralysed man—“Get up, take up your cot, and go home.” And the paralysed man got up, took up his cot, and went home.  I think there was probably a little more to it than that.  He probably stretched a bit and moved his arms and legs around and maybe jumped up and down a few times.  I think he probably laughed and yelled and gave a hug and many thanks to Jesus, but Matthew doesn't get bogged down in those sorts of details, because his point is—as usual—that when Jesus healed the man, he was healed.  There was no struggle or delay.  This was the same word God spoke in the beginning when he said, “Let there be light!” and there was light.  When Jesus told the man to get up, to take his cot, and to go home, that's exactly what the man did.  In Jesus, God's new creation had come.  And if that's all that had happened, the scribes would have had nothing to complain about. What really stuck in their craw was Jesus declaring the man's sins forgiven.  That made them mad.  Even for the Messiah, as far as they were concerned, that was too big a claim.  To heal the paralysed man?  That was good.  But if he had sins to forgive, his friends should have taken him to the temple in Jerusalem for that.  The priests there were the only ones with the authority to offer sacrifices for sin and to declare someone reconciled to God.  But the crowd understood and Matthew makes a point of saying that the crowd was afraid—afraid in the sense that they were awestruck by what had happened and knew that somehow and in some way the God of Israel was at work in and through Jesus—as if they'd just witnesses one of those great and awe-inspiring events from the Old Testament that no one in Israel had seen in a thousand years.  Matthew says they saw what had happened and that they praised God for giving such authority to men. The story is sort of the whole gospel story in a nutshell.  Jesus teaches and he heals—he does the things the Messiah was supposed to be doing.  He even foreshadows the resurrection when he tells the man to “get up”—or better to “Rise up!”  That's resurrection language.  This is what Jesus promises for everyone who trusts in him: He forgives our sins, he raises us to new life, and he invites us home—to live as his new creation in the presence of God.  But as far as the scribes and Pharisees were concerned, Jesus did all this the wrong way and that made it blasphemy. But Jesus wasn't worried about that.  You know when you're accused of something bad by someone and you just want to say, “Man, look in the mirror!”  Or that old thing your parents used to tell you when someone insulted you, “Consider the source.”  Or that line from a certain cartoon character, “Your boos mean nothing to me; I've seen what makes you cheer.”  Jesus flips around the accusation.  He exposes the wickedness in the hearts of those scribes and he does it for everyone to see.  He discredits them and their accusations.  He leaves them fuming.  You can imagine their red faces and how their mouths are moving, but they can't say anything.  And Jesus is left standing there full of authority and life and power. I wonder if this teachable moment popped into Jesus' head as the plaster rained down on him and the man was lowered through the hole.  The paralytic probably had an apologetic look on his face—like, “I'm really sorry, Jesus, for the hole in your roof.  Please forgive me and my friends.”  And Jesus realised that this was the perfect moment to say something about forgiveness—because this man and his friends and, in fact, all of Israel, that's what they really needed: forgiveness, not for making a hole in his roof, but for far more serious sins—for idolatry and for greed and for faithlessness and for all the ways they'd failed to live out their covenant with the Lord.  Israel needed a lot of things—just like the paralysed man did—but most of all she needed forgiveness.  In that, the paralysed man represents Israel and all her wrong expectations of the Messiah.  The Jews wanted the Messiah to solve all their problems.  For some that was healing sickness, for others it was casting out demons, for some it was getting everybody to keep the law better, and for others it was bashing Roman heads and destroying the pagan gentiles.  But not very many people understood that none of these things was the real problem.  The real problem was sin.  Sin is why the world is in the mess it's in.  Sin was why Israel was estranged from God.  The people had been unfaithful to the Lord.  He'd called them to be light in the darkness, but they'd hid their light under a basket.  More than anything else, they needed forgiveness, because forgiveness is the start; it's what paves the way for everything else to be set to rights.  Forgiveness is the way to new creation. I think that's the part of the story that gets most of our attention.  But notice that what Matthew puts at the heart of this story isn't the healing or the announcement of forgiveness.  The heart of the story is Jesus statement that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins and then the response of the people.  We miss this because we're not thinking like First Century Jews.  When Jesus calls himself the “son of man”, he's drawing on an image from Daniel 7.  The book of Daniel is about faithfulness in the midst of exile.  Israel had been defeated and the people taken off to Babylon. Worse, some like Daniel, were pressured to compromise, to bow to a pagan king and to pagan gods—to give up on the God of Israel and to give up on his promises.  And some did just that.  But Daniel stood firm and the Lord gave him a vision of those pagan kings cast down, of the God of Israel taking his throne, and the son of man “coming with the clouds of heaven…to be given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him” (Daniel 7:13-14).  And yet, when Daniel asks what the vision means, he is told that this kingship and dominion “shall be given”—not to a single person, but “to the people, the holy ones of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom and all dominions shall serve and obey them” (Daniel 7:27). The son of man in Daniel's vision was a symbol for the faithful remnant of God's people—for those who stood firm in their faith in the God of Israel, who remembered his covenant, and who refused to bow to pagan gods and kings.  So when Jesus referred to himself as the son of man, this is what the scribes (and everyone else) would have been thinking of.  And this is why Matthew says at the end that the people praised God that this authority has been given not to a man—Jesus—but to men, plural.  Because up to this point, Daniel's vision had yet to be fulfilled.  The Maccabees, for example, had claimed to be that faithful remnant, but their kingdom didn't last.  The people who were that faithful remnant—people like Zechariah and Elizabeth and Mary and Joseph and Simeon and Anna, although they were probably too humble to actually claim being the faithful remnant—people like them knew all too well that the Lord had yet to grant them anything like authority and dominion.  That's what Mary's song, the one we call the Magnificat, is all about.  But here Jesus identifies himself with that vision.  In him the son of man is finally being granted that authority and dominion—that kingship that everyone thought of in connection with God's kingdom and the world finally being set to rights—and Jesus isn't just saying it or claiming it.  He proves it when he tells the paralysed man to get up, take his bed, and go home.  For the people there that day, this was bigger than just the Messiah.  Jesus could claim to be the “son of man”, but the son of man wasn't just one person, the son of man represented the whole faithful remnant in Israel.  We need to grasp the enormous hope embodied in those words of Jesus about the son of man.  It's not just Jesus who will take his throne.  He will.  But that he will take his throne also means that all the faithful will be vindicated as their enemies are cast down, and that they will finally share in that God-given authority and dominion.  So the people in crowded in Jesus' house that day recognised that in Jesus the Messiah, God's kingdom had finally come and that they would be part of it—not just as subject, but as kings and queens themselves.  Or to borrow from C. S. Lewis, the day was coming when these sons of Adam and daughters of Eve would once again take their rightful place in creation set to rights. This makes sense of another passage that often confuses people.  Twice Jesus said to his disciples “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”.  The first is in Matthew 16, after Jesus praises Peter for his confession, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God”.  Jesus says to him and the others, “I will give you the keys of heaven”.  And in Matthew 18, in that passage about what we call “church discipline” and dealing with an unrepentant person, he repeats this statement about binding and loosing.  This is all “son of man” stuff.  Jesus isn't giving special authority to Peter alone because he's going to be the first pope.  In fact, he's not giving any special authority just to the apostles.  No, this is a gospel authority given to all of the faithful remnant, to everyone who by faith identifies with the Messiah.  This is a people who are not only given dominion or kingship—to rule alongside the Messiah—but who also share in his role as prophet and priest.  That's what this binding and loosing language is about.  As prophets, Jesus' people were to speak out against the sins of Israel and to rebuke her faithlessness, and as priests they were called to mediate the saving, the forgiving message of the gospel to the nation—and eventually to the whole world. This was good news and it explains why the crowds wouldn't give Jesus a break.  Israel's scriptures were full of promises, but so many of them had yet to be fulfilled.  Promises like Daniel's vision of the son of man.  Promises of forgiveness and of restoration and of dominion and authority.  Time and again, things would happen and people would think, “Oh!  This is it!”  But it never quite happened.  The remnant returned from their Babylonian exile, but things were never as they had been.  The Maccabees defeated the Greeks and established Judah's independence.  And for a little while it looked like the Lord's promises were on track to be fulfilled.  And then it all fell apart.  But the people knew that the Lord is faithful.  Time and again he had shown his faithfulness in Israel's past and they knew he would be faithful in their future.  Every year they ate the Passover and remembered the Lord's promises and looked forward in hopeful anticipation.  And now, here was Jesus, and he was actually doing the things the Lord had promised and he was doing them like no one had before.  They had faith.  They would be forgiven, their enemies would be cast down, and the faithful remnant—who were now gathering around Jesus the Messiah—in them the people of God would be restored and made new and would be the people the Lord had promised—a people full of his life and a people for the life of the world—prophets, priests, and kings.  The sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve would be forgiven their sins and would take their thrones and all would once again be right with the world.  This was good news! And Brothers and Sisters, this is still good news for us—maybe even more than it was for the people crammed in Jesus house that day.  In Jesus we see the faithfulness of God.  They were still looking forward in anticipation, but we can look back and see the whole picture and how Jesus fulfilled the Lord's promises and that ought to strengthen our faith and ought to give us reason to look forward to our future in hope, knowing that what God has begun in Jesus he will surely finish.  The world is often dark, we can feel small and alone, sometimes it feels like we're fighting a losing battle, but we can look back and see what the Lord has done and trust that he is faithful.  He always has been and he always will be. And this is good news because it tells us who we are.  I think that too often we look at passages like this, where Jesus talks about himself as the son of man and we forget that it's not just telling us something about Jesus.  The son of man represents a whole people.  Because Jesus has fulfilled the role of the son of man, that means that we his people, through our union with him, we have been caught up in that son of man identity, too.  Jesus has been given power and authority and dominion forever, and you and I share that with him.  It's authority to live and to proclaim the good news that he has died, that he has risen, and that he has come again and that he brings forgiveness and life.  And it's also the authority to speak as prophets to the world, to call out sin, to remind the world that the Lord will come in judgement to cleanse his creation, and to call men and women to repentance.  And hand in hand with that role, we have the authority of priests.  We're not only prophets, but priests, mediating the good news of Jesus and the life of God's spirit—mediating the redemption Jesus has made at the cross—to a sick world, desperately in need of forgiveness and life. Brothers and Sisters, think about that as you come to the Lord's Table this morning.  The bread and the wine reminds us of the forgiveness and the life and the hope we find at the cross, but they should also remind us who we are in Jesus.  We are Daniel's son-of-man people.  We are prophets, priests, and kings and we have been made so for the life of the world.  Seeing the faithfulness of God revealed in Jesus ought to move us—like the people that day in Jesus' house—to give God glory and there is no better way to glorify him than to be the people he has made us in Jesus and the Spirit, a people who live and proclaim his good news so that the world might see and know his faithfulness and give him glory. Let's pray: O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts, that in his power we might be the gospel people who have made, that we might be faithful in making known your faithfulness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

"Mene, mene, tekel, parsin," meaning, "You kingdom has come to an end, you have been measured and found wanting." Join pastor Brian Pursley for the sobering conclusion of Daniel chapter 5. Pride positions us against God every single time, and Belshazzar was no exception to the rule. King Belshazzar has chased after pleasure and power while neglecting to honor the true King. Let us learn a solemn lesson from the mistakes of the Babylonian king Belshazzar, the man who neglected to honor God, despite being given every opportunity during his reign.

For many people, God is bad news, and religion is the cause of all the problems in the world. But Christianity is not about religion. It's about the reality of God as a person who is awesome and incomparable. He has no equal. There is no one like Him. God is able to help you, your family, our culture and our world because He is far above any and every human problem we may face. His greatness is beyond human comprehension.    Today many of us may be busy, discouraged and depressed. Looking at ourselves, looking down, comparing ourselves to others. Busy with our to do lists, our work, the piles of laundry, or discouraged by the state of the nation and of society. But everything changes when we get a new perspective of the greatness of God. What is so big to us is so small to Him. What has impressed, impacted and impeded our lives so far is as nothing to Him.    We've seen in Isaiah 40:1-5 that God is a God of consolation who wants to comfort us. He's a God of preparation – He wants to get us ready and shape us up for the best lives. And He wants us to have a revelation of His glory to come. But the rest of this opening chapter of the second part of Isaiah lays the foundation of who God really is. We see: 1. Far above natural creation (Isaiah 40:12,22,25-28) 2. Far above all idols (Isaiah 40:18-20; Romans 1:25; Genesis 1:31) 3. Far above human understanding (Isaiah 40:13-14,27; 1 Corinthians 1:27) 4. Far above the nations (Isaiah 40:15-17) 5. Far above human rulers (Isaiah 40:23-24,28; Daniel 7:14; Isaiah 6-11) Apply  1. Far above natural creation (Isaiah 40:12,22,25-28). We are told to ‘lift your eyes and look to the heavens…' The more we know about our world and its relationship to entities beyond our world makes us realise how much we don't know. Even though we can travel quickly around our world there is no disguising that the oceans and deserts and continents of our world are simply vast. Even bigger is the universe. So how much greater is the God who made them? The Bible is clear that there is a God and that He is the Creator of all we know. (See: Bill Bryson ‘A short History of nearly everything'; Olivier Bonnaissies and Michel-Yves Bolloré ‘God: Science, the Evidence'; Lee Strobel ‘The Case For A Creator'). If you want to study the arguments in more depth, you can read the books, but basically their conclusions are very much in line with the vision of the prophet Isaiah who gives us a picture of the almighty creator of a vast creation.  2. Far above all idols (Isaiah 40:18-20). Almost half of Isaiah chapters 40 to 55 talk about rival gods and the idol of the people had turned to worship. Here Isaiah compares how ridiculous it is for someone to worship a lump of wood with some gold or silver attached to it over the greatness of the one true God. The apostle Paul also highlighted this (Romans 1:25). Of course God ‘saw all that he had made, and it was very good' (Genesis 1:31) but that does not mean we should exchange our worship of God to worship things created by Him or for His glory – such as looking to the stars for guidance through horoscopes, instead of looking to God who created the stars. Idols can topple. And when we put anything in place of our God, those things will eventually fall. Only our God endures forever. 3. Far above human understanding (Isaiah 40:13-14, 27). The mind of God is far beyond the intelligence of any human cleverness (1 Corinthians 1:27). No-one can understand the mind of the Lord, except the Lord reveals a portion of His thinking to us through His word the Bible.  The most qualified academic, or the most convinced rationalist, the most so-called ‘enlightened' spiritualist, may be publicly celebrated for the brilliance of their intellect. But compared to God they are nothing.  4. Far above the nations (Isaiah 40:15-17). Nations are nothing that will make a difference in the big picture. This gives us a good perspective! Through history nations and empires have arisen in great power. The Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans etc. Yet walk around the Acropolis or the Coliseum today and they are ruins. The Romans thought they could persecute Jesus and Paul and the early Christians in such violent ways as they saw fit, but pagan Rome is gone and Christianity survives today. Even the British Empire ‘where the sun never set' seemed impossible to change, yet now look at what humbled and humiliated state our nation is in. Look at the nations today and it's still the same – India and its 1.46 billion people, China and its more than 1.4 billion people,… it might sound big to us, but to God it's all just a drop.  5. Far above human rulers (Isaiah 40:23-24). So many rulers of this world have been so proud and arrogant. Alexander the Great, Napolean, Stalin, Hitler who boasted of a 1000 year Reich that lasted little more than a decade. Hitler committed suicide in a bunker. Mussolini was strung up by his own countrymen. Ceausescu of Romania seemed an all-powerful dictator but saw his rule collapse in days. Everybody, even the great Queen Elizabeth II, has a limited reign. Only God is eternal (Isaiah 40:28). Daniel had a great vision of the God whose rule was eternal (Daniel 7:14). So do not be so impressed with the powers of this world. They will all pass away.  Our God is far above natural creation, all idols, and all human understanding, He is far above the nations and above human rulers. But what does this mean for us? Well Isaiah says to the people that this God is your God. He is bigger than your sad history of captivity. He is bigger than your sadness and depression. He is bigger than your worries. He is bigger than your debt. This is why God is good news (Isaiah 40:6-11). God is with you, God is for you. This great and almighty God gently wants to lead you and keep you close to His heart. So decide to put your confidence is this great God today and every day.  

2 Chronicles 24 tells us that Joash was 7 years old when he begins to reign and that he rules for 40 years. Jehoiadah chose two wives for Joash and the king then produces sons and daughters. Joash decides to repair the temple and urges the unresponsive Levites to collect funds in the cities of Judah. The Levites had been impoverished by the ravages of Athaliah. A chest is made and the redemption tax of the Law of Moses is reinstated. The tax was collected in a specially made and dedicated chest. When the chest was full it was emptied and craftsmen who were employed to repair the temple and refurnish its utensils were paid from this box. No account was required of the tradesmen who dealt faithfully. At 130 years of age the faithful Jehoiadah dies and is buried and honoured in Jerusalem. Tragically, after the high priest's death the princes abandon their God and again turn to serve idols. Jehoiadah's son Zechariah condemns this evil and was stoned in the Temple court by Joash's command (this may be the incident referred to by our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 23 verses 34-36). At the end of the year the Syrian army comes against Judah and at that time Joash's servants slay him as recompense for the evil done to Zechariah. The people of Judah replaced Joash with Amaziah Joash's son. Daniel 5 occurs in BC537 - the night Babylon fell to the Medo-Persians, Babylon is ruled by Belshazzar the son of Nabonidus who is on an expedition and is absent from his city. Babylon is suffering under the dissolute rule of Belshazzar. The Babylonians believed their city to be impregnable. However, the mode of its capture and the name of the victorious general were all told in the prophecy of Isaiah 44 verses 26-45:2 - read aloud, pause and ponder. Belshazzar, Babylon's deputy ruler in the absence of his father Nabonidus seeks to desecrate the vessels that had been taken from Yahweh's temple in Jerusalem. Whilst in the process of a drunken feast honouring the Chaldean gods a mysterious hand comes and writes upon the wall. The hand covers the writing. Belshazzar becomes incontinent due to fear. When the king's wise men cannot read the writing the queen mother asks for Daniel, who was known as Belteshazzar. Daniel castigates king Belshazzar and spells out the lessons that the Almighty had taught to Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar's grandfather. The hand is removed and Daniel reads the Aramaic text and interprets the writing: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin" ESV Read the meaning of those words in verses 26-28. The Aramaic gematria (assigning numerical values to letters and words) of the expression above is 2,520. Interestingly this is the time period which had been prophesied to Nebuchadnezzar for the kingdom of men in Daniel 4:16, 23-25. Daniel is promoted as promised by Belshazzar and king Belshazzar slain by the Persians. The Babylonian Empire was overthrown by Cyrus in the year BC 537 as Isaiah the prophet had prophesied in chapter 45 verses 1-6. In Acts 3 we have the healing of the crippled man, who was lame from birth and more than 40 years old (4:22). This healing has many parallels with the testy of the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5. The crippled man represents Israel and their inability to walk before their God. Peter commands the lame man to fix his gaze on them, which he does expecting alms. The crippled man receives far greater -he receives healing and discipleship. And walking, and leaping, and praising God he enters the templewith Peter and John. Remarkable words of witness follow with the testimony of Peter that there is noother name given under heaven by which salvation can come than our Lord Jesus Christ. Buddhism, Hinduism and all other isms cannot save. Our Lord was the stone rejected by men, but chosen and precious to God (Psalm 118:22). Peter outlines in verses 19-26 what they must do. The rulers sendofficers in chapter 4 to arrest Peter and John. Note that the number of disciples had now reached 5,000. They were examined by the Counsel and commanded to refrain from preaching Christ Jesus. TheApostles' response is that: "We cannot cease from doing what the Almighty has commanded us". Peter and John are threatened and released. Upon joining their fellow believers, the two Apostles together withtheir assembled brothers praise the LORD and in prayer speak of what had just happened as being a fulfilment of Psalm 2. Their Sovereign's response to their prayer is a shaking of the house they were in. God is further demonstrating His power in support of their testimony. This was given as yet another endorsement by their God of His guarantee to support his ecclesia's faithful testimony. The spirit of unity and community is spoken of in verses 32-37. Oh, for such a spirit among believers today! Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow 

2 Chronicles 23 tells of the courage of Jehoiadah the high priest in supporting the coronation of Joash - aged 8 - in defiance of the wicked usurper, Athaliah. Armed Levites surround the young king as he enters the temple. Joash is crowned to the acclamation: "God save the king". When this happens the evil usurper Athaliah cries - "Treason". That wicked woman is taken from the temple precinct and summarily executed. Jehoiadah now begins many reforms. He purges the idols from the land and ensures that all the people of Judah worship Yahweh 'in the beauty of holiness'. In Daniel 4 we have the acknowledgment by Nebuchadnezzar of the Almighty's everlasting kingdom. The Babylonian king is given a second dream of the luxuriant and sustaining tree which is described in verses 10-18. In the dream the tree is cut down and bound with rings of bronze and iron for a period of 2,520 day/years. In verses 19-26 Daniel interprets the dream and tells Nebuchadnezzar that it contains a personal message for him. The Babylonian king's enemies would rejoice in the out working of the dream. The judgment of which Daniel spoke to the king could be averted by Nebuchadnezzar humbling himselfbefore the Almighty and repenting (v27). Twelve months later when the king of Babylon is glorying in his great accomplishments the sentence was carried out as his PRIDE vaunts itself. In that very hour Nebuchadnezzar is stricken with madness and for seven years the king is turned into a brute beast. Theking's malady is called lycanthropy. Nebuchadnezzar's sanity only returned when the king acknowledges that "The Most High rules in the kingdom of men and sets up over it whoever He chooses". Read aloud verses 34-37 - pause and ponder.Acts 2 speaks of the day that commenced Pentecost - literally 50 days after the waiving of the sheaf of the first fruits on the third day after the Passover. Pentecost is known by the Jews as 'The Feast of Weeks' (the day following the marking off of seven weeks from Passover). Multitudes from every known country in the Roman world had been in Jerusalem for Passover (Edersheim suggests that there may have been three and a half million people present at that time). It was the perfect day to start witnessing for Christ. The phenomenon of the pouring out and resting of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a mighty rushing wind and resting on the Apostles in the form of cloven tongues of fir, was witnessed by many. The Apostles then began to speak in the dialects of the visitors to Jerusalem - at least 15 are named - as a sign to the assembled multitude that what the multitude were witnessing was from God. Verses 6, 8 and 11 indicate that the miraculous event was that of hearing. The crowds thought that the Apostles were drunk. Peter says that this could not be the case, but rather the phenomenon was a fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel 2 verses 28-32. Read aloud those verses from Joel - pause and ponder. Peter preaches Christ as approved among them by God in the witness of miracles and a sinless and raised Saviour in the evidence of the empty tomb. Jesus is indeed the LORD's Holy One. A repentant response was needed from the conscience-smitten crowd and this is evident in their plea of verse 37. Peter instructs those seeking a covering for sins to repent and be baptised i.e. be fully immersed in water and they would receive thepromise of the spirit i.e. salvation (consider Joel 2 verse 32). Three thousand respond and join the community of believers who constantly met in fellowship and unity. The ecclesia's expectations are outlined in verses 42-47.Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow

2 Chronicles 23 tells of the courage of Jehoiadah the high priest in supporting the coronation of Joash - aged 8 - in defiance of the wicked usurper, Athaliah. Armed Levites surround the young king as he enters the temple. Joash is crowned to the acclamation: "God save the king". When this happens the evil usurper Athaliah cries - "Treason". That wicked woman is taken from the temple precinct and summarily executed. Jehoiadah now begins many reforms. He purges the idols from the land and ensures that all the people of Judah worship Yahweh 'in the beauty of holiness'. In Daniel 4 we have the acknowledgment by Nebuchadnezzar of the Almighty's everlasting kingdom. The Babylonian king is given a second dream of the luxuriant and sustaining tree which is described in verses 10-18. In the dream the tree is cut down and bound with rings of bronze and iron for a period of 2,520 day/years. In verses 19-26 Daniel interprets the dream and tells Nebuchadnezzar that it contains a personal message for him. The Babylonian king's enemies would rejoice in the out working of the dream. The judgment of which Daniel spoke to the king could be averted by Nebuchadnezzar humbling himselfbefore the Almighty and repenting (v27). Twelve months later when the king of Babylon is glorying in his great accomplishments the sentence was carried out as his PRIDE vaunts itself. In that very hour Nebuchadnezzar is stricken with madness and for seven years the king is turned into a brute beast. Theking's malady is called lycanthropy. Nebuchadnezzar's sanity only returned when the king acknowledges that "The Most High rules in the kingdom of men and sets up over it whoever He chooses". Read aloud verses 34-37 - pause and ponder.Acts 2 speaks of the day that commenced Pentecost - literally 50 days after the waiving of the sheaf of the first fruits on the third day after the Passover. Pentecost is known by the Jews as 'The Feast of Weeks' (the day following the marking off of seven weeks from Passover). Multitudes from every known country in the Roman world had been in Jerusalem for Passover (Edersheim suggests that there may have been three and a half million people present at that time). It was the perfect day to start witnessing for Christ. The phenomenon of the pouring out and resting of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a mighty rushing wind and resting on the Apostles in the form of cloven tongues of fir, was witnessed by many. The Apostles then began to speak in the dialects of the visitors to Jerusalem - at least 15 are named - as a sign to the assembled multitude that what the multitude were witnessing was from God. Verses 6, 8 and 11 indicate that the miraculous event was that of hearing. The crowds thought that the Apostles were drunk. Peter says that this could not be the case, but rather the phenomenon was a fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel 2 verses 28-32. Read aloud those verses from Joel - pause and ponder. Peter preaches Christ as approved among them by God in the witness of miracles and a sinless and raised Saviour in the evidence of the empty tomb. Jesus is indeed the LORD's Holy One. A repentant response was needed from the conscience-smitten crowd and this is evident in their plea of verse 37. Peter instructs those seeking a covering for sins to repent and be baptised i.e. be fully immersed in water and they would receive the promise of the spirit i.e. salvation (consider Joel 2 verse 32). Three thousand respond and join the community of believers who constantly met in fellowship and unity. The ecclesia's expectations are outlined in verses 42-47. Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow 

* 2 Kings: The divided kingdom is symptomatic of Israel's separation from God. In the northern kingdom, the prophet Elijah passing on the mantle of his ministry, along with a double blessing from God, to Elisha. With the defeat of Moab, and the mocking of Syria's blinded army, God's covenant people had opportunity after opportunity to thrive. Instead, their sin brought judgment. Ahab's sons were killed after his wicked widow Jezebel was thrown out of a window to her death. In the southern kingdom of Judah, the sole surviving son of the royal family became king, but eventually Joash too was murdered. After Elisha died, Israel and Judah fought, with rampant paganism in the north so weakening the ten tribes that they were carried carried away captive by the Assyrians. Meanwhile down south, the more benevolent reigns of kings like Azariah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah only postponed God's judgment until Nebuchadnezzar carried away Judah in the Babylonian captivity. Lessons abound in Second Kings. Available on MP3-CD or download.   BEL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Please consider one of our monthly subscriptions that will not only help support BEL, but they also promote better understanding of the Bible and may equip you to more effectively reach those around you. Monthly Sermons: Enjoy all of Bob's sermons from the month on Sermon Video DVD, great also to watch with the family. Or, get these on Sermon Audio CDs which are standard audio Compact Discs that will play on any CD player including the one in your car. Or get them on a single Sermon MP3-CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Bible Studies: Enjoy the Scriptures with Bob's Monthly Bible Study DVDs, great too for a small group Bible study. Or get these teachings on a single Monthly Bible Study Audio MP3- CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Topical Videos: Coming to your mailbox, you'll get a Monthly Topical DVD to enjoy one of Bob's great videos specially selected to be entertaining and to teach about life from a biblical worldview.Monthly Best of Bob Shows: Every month our crew selects the eight best BEL shows of the month and for the folks who might have missed some of them, we mail them out on the Best of Bob MP3-CD.Monthly BEL TV Classics: Enjoy Bob Enyart's timeless, popular TV show delivered to your home on the Monthly BEL TV Classics DVDs with great audio and video clarity thanks to our state-of-the-art mastering from the studio-quality Sony beta tapes to DVD!Monthly Donation: For folks who just want to make sure that Bob Enyart Live stays on the air, please consider making a pledge in the form of a Monthly Donation.

Join Rolf Jacobson, Kathryn Schifferdecker, and Craig Koester as they explore Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14 for Christ the King Sunday (November 23, 2025). This powerful episode examines Jeremiah's shocking letter to the Babylonian exiles, where God calls His people not to resist, but to settle down, build homes, and seek the welfare of the very city that conquered them. The hosts unpack the jarring nature of Jeremiah's message—marry, have children, pray for Babylon—in contrast to the rage expressed in Psalm 137. They explore how this ancient text speaks to anyone finding themselves in an unexpected place or life circumstance, offering hope through one of Scripture's most famous promises: "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope" (Jeremiah 29:11). This episode offers fresh perspective on exile, hope, and what it means to live faithfully in a mixed society while maintaining covenant relationship with God. Perfect preparation for Advent's themes of hope and waiting. TIMECODES: 00:00 Introduction to Exile and Hope 03:00 Jeremiah's Message to the Exiles 06:01 Reorientation in Exile 08:59 Hope and Future in Exile

* 2 Kings: The divided kingdom is symptomatic of Israel's separation from God. In the northern kingdom, the prophet Elijah passing on the mantle of his ministry, along with a double blessing from God, to Elisha. With the defeat of Moab, and the mocking of Syria's blinded army, God's covenant people had opportunity after opportunity to thrive. Instead, their sin brought judgment. Ahab's sons were killed after his wicked widow Jezebel was thrown out of a window to her death. In the southern kingdom of Judah, the sole surviving son of the royal family became king, but eventually Joash too was murdered. After Elisha died, Israel and Judah fought, with rampant paganism in the north so weakening the ten tribes that they were carried carried away captive by the Assyrians. Meanwhile down south, the more benevolent reigns of kings like Azariah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah only postponed God's judgment until Nebuchadnezzar carried away Judah in the Babylonian captivity. Lessons abound in Second Kings. Available on MP3-CD or download.   BEL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Please consider one of our monthly subscriptions that will not only help support BEL, but they also promote better understanding of the Bible and may equip you to more effectively reach those around you. Monthly Sermons: Enjoy all of Bob's sermons from the month on Sermon Video DVD, great also to watch with the family. Or, get these on Sermon Audio CDs which are standard audio Compact Discs that will play on any CD player including the one in your car. Or get them on a single Sermon MP3-CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Bible Studies: Enjoy the Scriptures with Bob's Monthly Bible Study DVDs, great too for a small group Bible study. Or get these teachings on a single Monthly Bible Study Audio MP3- CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Topical Videos: Coming to your mailbox, you'll get a Monthly Topical DVD to enjoy one of Bob's great videos specially selected to be entertaining and to teach about life from a biblical worldview.Monthly Best of Bob Shows: Every month our crew selects the eight best BEL shows of the month and for the folks who might have missed some of them, we mail them out on the Best of Bob MP3-CD.Monthly BEL TV Classics: Enjoy Bob Enyart's timeless, popular TV show delivered to your home on the Monthly BEL TV Classics DVDs with great audio and video clarity thanks to our state-of-the-art mastering from the studio-quality Sony beta tapes to DVD!Monthly Donation: For folks who just want to make sure that Bob Enyart Live stays on the air, please consider making a pledge in the form of a Monthly Donation.

BABYLONIANS, ASSYRIANS, EGYPTIANS, PHILISTINES 

We see a remnant of Jewish exiles return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. Discover how King Cyrus of Persia, stirred by God, issues a decree allowing the Jews to rebuild their temple. Follow the journey of over 40,000 returnees, led by Jeshua the priest and Zerubbabel, as they face the challenges of reconstructing their lives and faith in a ruined city.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

Where does restoration begin? In this episode, Brett explores the first step of restoration: acquiring and stewarding capital. This is not only about money, but about recognizing all forms of capital and the resources already in our hands. To do this, we must jettison the wilderness mentality, the mindset shaped by scarcity and survival, and learn to live with the abundance of the Promised Land. Babylonian and Egyptian economics have no place in the Kingdom. Restoration requires a renewed way of seeing and stewarding what God entrusts to us. This conversation invites us to shift from fear to faith, from lack to stewardship, and from wandering to building. Follow along with the book here: https://a.co/d/5EawCWe Connect with Brett Johnson on social media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit brettjohnson.biz for articles, devotionals, and more.

Move of God | RebuildingSunday, October 19, 2025Peter Smith Ezra 1:1-11After the Persians defeated the Babylonians, King Cyrus allowed and encouraged the people of God to return back to their homeland in order to rebuild their lives and the house of their God. He provided them with resources in order to accomplish this task. God used this leader to give all that was needed for the physical project to happen. This helps us see that what was torn down in the past does not mean that it can not be rebuilt in the future.

Habakkuk (embrace)According to the Smith's Bible Dictionary, Habakkuk means (embrace). This book would be the eighth, in order, of the Minor Prophets. Of the facts of the prophet's life, we have no certain information.One important aspect of the ancient Old Testament order of the Hebrew Bible is that the 12 prophetic works of Hosea through Malachi, sometimes referred to as the Minor Prophets, were designed as a single book called The Twelve. Habakkuk is the eighth book of The Twelve.Habakkuk lived in the final decades of Judah, Israel's southern kingdom. It was a time of injustice and idolatry, and he saw the rising threat of the Babylonian empire on the horizon. Unlike the other Hebrew prophets, Habakkuk doesn't accuse Israel or even speak to the people on Yahweh's behalf. Instead, all of his words are addressed to Yahweh. The book of Habakkuk tells us about Habakkuk's personal struggle to believe that Yahweh is good when there is so much tragedy and evil in the world.Habakkuk sees the darkness of the world as an invitation to have faith in Yahweh's promise to one day set things right. Living with such faith means trusting that Yahweh loves this world and works to one day eliminate all evil forever.So far in this Book of Habakkuk, we have seen beginning with verses 1 thru 4 Habakkuk cry to Yahweh, Other words Habakkuk's Complaint.Then beginning with verses 5 thru 11 we read about Yahweh's answer.Now we come to the second problem: “Why do it this way, O YAHWEH?” Beginning with verses 12-17 Habakkuk wonders why Yahweh would use a nation more wicked than Judah to bring judgment on Judah.12  Art Thou not . . . ? = Note the change of subject, the prophets cry. God = Elohim. The Creator  my Elohim, mine Holy One = Habakkuk speaks in the name of his people. Yahweh was “the Holy One of Israel,” against whom the Chaldean was setting up himself. we shall not die = Thou, as being our Elohim/Creator, wilt not permit the Chaldeans utterly to destroy us. This reading is one of the eighteen called by the Hebrews “the appointment of the scribes”; the Rabbis think that Ezra and his colleagues corrected the old reading, “Thou shalt not die.”thou hast ordained them for judgment = that is, to execute Thy judgments.O mighty Elohim = O Rock. Compare Deut. 32:4, 15, 18, 30; 1Sam. 2:2. 2Sam. 23:3. Psa. 18:2, 31, 46; 19:14, &c.for correction = to chastise transgressors.13  Thou art, &c. = Note the Figure of Speech, Synchoresis; or, ConcessionMaking a Concession of one Point to gain anotherpurer ... than to behold evil = without being displeased at it. This is even more problematic to Habakkuk because he knew the character of Yahweh.canst not look on iniquity = unjust injuries done to Thy people.15   they take up all of them = all kinds of fishes, that is, men, as captives, and all other prey that comes in their way.angle = hook. drag = a fish-net. Occurs only here (verses: 15-16) and in Isa. 19:8.therefore = because of their successes.they rejoice = They glory in their crimes because attended with success16  sacrifice unto their net = that is, their arms, power, and military skill, wherewith they gained their victories; instead of to Yahweh. They idolize themselves for their own cleverness and might.17  Shall they ... empty their net? = Shall they be allowed without interruption to enjoy the fruits of their violence?Join me as we go Chapter by Chapter, Verse by Verse, Unraveling the Words of Yahweh!Have any questions? Feel free to email me; keitner2024@outlook.com

There is nothing new under the sun, and chasing pleasure will lead to emptiness, just like it always has. Join pastor Brian Pursley for his sermon on the first half of Daniel chapter 5. The Babylonian king was caught up in a cycle of pleasure, just like many rich and powerful people have been, but he is given a message from God. It's the literal writing on the wall, predicting his fate. Join us next week for Daniel's interpretation of this dramatic omen!

In this exploration of Isaiah's prophetic vision, we discover a profound answer to one of humanity's most pressing questions: can God use broken, imperfect people to accomplish His purposes? The ancient Israelites sat in Babylonian exile, wondering if their failures had disqualified them from God's mission. They were called to be servants, a light to the nations, yet God Himself described them as blind and deaf. Into this despair, Isaiah introduces a mysterious figurethe Servantwho would accomplish what Israel could not. This Servant, anointed by God's Spirit, would bring justice with gentleness, enlightenment to the blind, and liberation to captives. Centuries later, Jesus stood in a synagogue and declared these very words were about Him. What makes this relevant to us today is the stunning reality that the same Spirit that empowered Jesus is available to us. We're invited into a mission that combines justice and compassion, truth and gentleness, preaching forgiveness while working to set the world right. The question isn't whether we're qualifiedIsrael wasn't eitherbut whether we'll trust the Spirit to work through us as He worked through the ultimate Servant.

Sometimes, we head off in our own direction - and then we discover, at some point, that we've strayed so far away from God's plans for our lives. We've all done it. You have, I have. And yet the amazing thing is that God always, always provides us with a way back home. Always.   Israel's Dilemma Over these last few weeks on Christianityworks, we've been looking at what it means to take God at His Word. Sometimes it can seem that God's promises are just too good to be true. An abundant life full of blessing and we think, “Oh, yea – right!” But it also seems that some people who meet Jesus end up living out this abundant life of blessing, and well, others don't. Why is that? I believe that one of the key factors of living a victorious life through our relationship with Jesus Christ is taking God at His Word. Because when we see all the troubles of life; when we see the struggles of life, sometimes it's just too good to be true. Today we are going to look at overcoming adversity, by taking God at His Word and it's a special kind of adversity – it's an adversity that we bring on ourselves, because sometimes we go through tough times as a direct consequence of our own actions and choices and behaviours. Bad choices, wrong motives, wrong thoughts, wrong behaviour have consequences. If I spend too much money on my credit card there are going to be financial consequences. If my wife Jacqui and I don't spend time together, there are going to be consequences in our relationship. We have to live out those consequences and a number of times through the Bible we see this principal “as we sow, so shall we reap”. It's a spiritual, emotional and physical principal that free choice has consequences and we have this good and loving Father who lets us bear the consequences of our sin. The sin of gluttony – if we eat too much, we put on weight, we get lethargic, we get disease. What we eat and how we eat has a direct impact on our lives. There's a cause and effect relationship – as we sow so shall we reap. And sometimes our own choices and decisions bring us to a place of adversity. Now, please, it's not always like that. If you read the story of the blind man – the man who was blind from birth, in John's Gospel, chapter 9. Here was this man who was blind from birth and the disciples said to Jesus, “Well, who sinned - this man, his parents? What sin caused this man to be blind?” And Jesus said, “It's no one's fault; there's no sin. This guy is blind so that I could heal him.” And as I look back on my life, it's certainly true. Sometimes I have done things that have brought consequences on my life, and have brought times of adversity. Sometimes it wasn't my fault at all but today we are going to look at that specific form of adversity that comes when we are living out the consequences of our own sin. And when we are in that place; when we are in that place of adversity, how do we get out of it, how do we deal with that? What is God's way? What is God's wisdom for us? We are going to go to the last book of the Old Testament – the Book of Malachi, chapter 3 and we will be looking at specifically verses 6 through 12, so if you have a Bible, go and grab it, open it up – it's the last book before Matthew's Gospel. It's a short book – only a few pages long, and we are going to see the relevance of how God provides us with the road back. Now in this particular passage, (you may have heard this passage a lot of times in your church) we are going to read just right now, verses 8 through 12. And it says this: Will anyone rob God, yet you are robbing me? But you say, “How are we robbing you? And God answers: “In your tithes and offerings. You're accursed with a curse for you are robbing me; the whole nation on you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house and thus put me to the test,” says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I won't open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. I'll rebuke the locusts for you so that it will not destroy the produce of you're soil and your vine in the field shall not be barren,” says the Lord of Hosts. “Then all the nations will count you happy for you will be a land of delight.” says the Lord of Hosts. Now in a lot of churches you hear that particular verse quoted and it says something like this, “If you tithe your income; that is if you give a tenth of your income to church, then God will open the windows of heaven and bless you. Now there is truth in that because there is a spiritual principle that "as we sow, so shall we reap", and if we sow abundantly into God's Kingdom then God will bless us abundantly. The problem is that we can take this verse on its own out of context, and all of a sudden God becomes like a slot machine. You know, we put a coin in and we pull the handle and the money flows out the bottom, and that's not what God intended because this passage comes in a particular context; it comes in the context where Israel was supposed to be getting blessed. You know, they started off with the promise of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and Jacob had twelve boys and the whole of that family ended up in Egypt and they grew into a large nation and God took them out of slavery through the Red Sea, through the exodus of forty years in the desert into the Promised Land – the land that He had promised to Abraham. They went through a time where Judges ruled the land and then kings and then Israel split into two nations and because they were unfaithful. In 586 BC, the Babylonian empire overran Jerusalem, destroyed them, took them into captivity for seventy years and then God brought them back after the seventy years. Now the exiles were turned back and you'd think they'd have it all sorted out by then, but they continued on with their failure to obey God. There's several wonderful pictures in the Books of Haggai and Zachariah, that once they come back from their Babylonian captivity that God will bless them - you know, God will pour out His blessing on this land, material prosperity. If you look at Zachariah chapter 8 verses 1 to 8, there's this sense of the captives streaming back into this land of abundance. Yet, the completion of the temple – they rebuilt that – it hasn't ushered in all this blessing. They had an expectation of blessing but instead of blessing, there's Persian domination; there are hostile foreigners, there are plagues, there are droughts, there are locusts – it's that like our Christian walk? God promises this enormous blessing and sometimes we turn around and say, “But, hang on a minute, this isn't a blessing at all – this is hell – all these bad things are happening to me. God, why are these bad things happening? What's going wrong? We are going to have a look at exactly what God tells Israel, next.   God's Perspective Well, there was Israel; they were back in the Promised Land again. They'd had prophesy after prophesy of blessing and all of a sudden they discover – they turn around and say, “Life is actually awful. Life is not going well at all.” Have a look what Malachi writes in chapter 3 verses 13 to 15: You have spoken harsh words against me, says the Lord, yet you say, “How have we spoken against you? You've said it is vain to serve God, what do we profit by keeping His command or by going about as mourners before the Lord of Hosts? Now we count the arrogant happy; evil doers only prosper but when they put God to the test, they escape. In other words, things were not going as well for Israel as they expected from the prophesies that they had been given. Now Malachi is the last of the Minor Prophets, the last book of the Hebrew Canon – the Old Testament and it's a monologue from God. It's God's perspective; God points them to the problem and He gives them the solution. And here's the problem – let's just move quickly through the Book of Malachi and have a look what God says. In chapter 1 verse 2, He says this: “I've loved you,” says the Lord, “but you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob's brother,” says the Lord, “Yet I have loved Jacob but I have hated Esau. I have made his hill country desolation and his heritage a desert for jackals.” God says ‘I have preferred you;' when He says ‘I have loved Jacob,' He is saying ‘I have loved you.' God says, “I love you, yet you show contempt for God's love.” And then you look further down, in verse 6, and He says: Look, a son honours his father, and servants their master. If I then am a Father, where is the honour due to me and if I am your master, where is the respect due to me? , says the Lord of Hosts, to you. O priest who despise my name. You say, “How have we despised you name?” By offering polluted food on your alter and you say, “How have we polluted it?" By thinking that the Lord's Table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, isn't that wrong? Oh, that someone among you would shut the temple doors so that you would not kindle the fire on my alter in vain. They weren't putting God first – they weren't giving God their best. The whole sacrificial system was set up so that animals would be sacrificed – a blood sacrifice – to atone for sin. Now we don't go through that any more because Jesus is our blood sacrifice; Jesus died for us. We are forgiven through that sacrifice but that wasn't the case back then and God had commanded them to give their best – their first fruits, their best animals, their best food in sacrifice. And these people were giving God their second best or their third best and worse than that, the priests were bored. Look at verse 13: “What a weariness this is,” you say and sniff at me, says the Lord. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick and this you bring as an offering? And further down, in chapter 2: And now, oh priest, this command is for you, if you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory to me, says the Lord of Hosts, then I will send a curse on you and I will curse your blessing and indeed, I have already cursed them because you do not lay it to heart. They're hearts weren't in it. They were going through religious rituals without ever really thinking about it and the population followed them. In verses 8 and 9, it says this: But you've turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble in your instruction; you've corrupted the promise of Levi, says the Lord of Hosts and so I make you despised and abased before all the people inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but you have shown partiality in your instruction. So God's people have been through this enormous thing as a nation, where Jerusalem was destroyed and burnt down; for seventy years they were in captivity; they come back. Wouldn't you think they would have learnt their lesson? Wouldn't you think they'd have it all sorted out? No! No, no. they do the same thing over and over again and then look what happens – verse 13 of chapter 2: And this you do as well: you cover the Lord's alter with tears, with weeping and groaning because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favour at your hand and you ask, “Why doesn't He?" Because the Lord was a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did not God make her? Both flesh and Spirit are His and what does God desire? Godly offspring. So look to yourselves and do not let anyone be faithless to the wife of his youth. For I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel, and covering one's garments with violence, says the Lord of Hosts, so take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless. He is talking to a faithless nation – people were getting divorced, they were being unfaithful to their wives, they weren't honouring God, they weren't putting Him first and surprise, surprise – God didn't bless them!! Surprise, surprise, they were not living in the blessing that God had planned for them. The problem, according to God is sin and God says, “You wonder why you are not being blessed.” And they're thinking, “Has God taken a holiday; can't He cope with us? Doesn't God want to bless me? Why are the locusts eating our food, what's going on? And God says, “It's not my faithfulness that's at stake here, it's yours. I chose you; I uphold you and I continue to bless you. I chose you, I uphold you and the only reason you are still alive is because I am the same.” Look at what He says in chapter 3 verse 6. For I the Lord your God do not change, therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. The only reason I haven't destroyed you is because I made a promise to Abraham and to Isaac – I promised to bless their offspring and you are their offspring. If I hadn‘t made that promise, I would have destroyed you by now. The problem is your sin; your imperfect offerings, not the best fruits, not the first fruits, the second, the third and the forth fruits. You're bored with me; you're unfaithful and we do that sometimes in our Christian walk too. We're a living sacrifice – we don't give God our best, we get bored with God, we stop reading God's Word, we stop praying, we stop enjoying His presence and we chase after other gods and we chase after worldly ideals and God says, “What's the matter with you? Are you surprised that you are not being blessed? The most important thing for God is the relationship that we have – He takes it so seriously – His Son died to give us that and we race off and we do other things and we wonder why God isn't blessing us. We are living through the consequences of our own sin, of our own rejection, of our own rebellion of God, and because the relationship is so important to God, He won't let the blessing flow while we're doing that. It's His way of giving us a wakeup call; it's His way of bringing us back home; it's His way of saying, “I love you”, so when we're living through the consequences of our sin, can I encourage you to hear those words in the middle of that – “I love you so much, I'll let you live through those consequences.” Well, God made a road back for Israel and we are now going to look at what that road looks like.   The Way Home We are looking at this whole dilemma of what happens when we live out the consequences of our rebellion of God and this is where we pick up the answer. God looks at Israel through this Book of Malachi and says, “You people have forsaken me, despite every thing you've been through in the Babylonian captivity. You haven't learned, you're not putting me first, you're not honouring me, you're just going through a religious mumbo-jumbo and routine, but really, your hearts not in it and I want your heart, and until your hearts in it, well, you are not going to be blessed by me.” And the people rightly go, “well, what are we going to do about it?” In fact they ask that question in the Book of Malachi. Let's look at it – beginning at chapter 3 verse 7. Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them, says the Lord. Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of Hosts, but you say, “How shall we return?” This is the crux of this whole small Book of Malachi. They've left God and God says, “I want to be with you; I want to bless you; I want to spend time with you, come back to me and I will come back to you.” God always, "always" wants to have a relationship with us. There's never a time where God says, “Well, you know, I know this person believes in me but they've been so bad, I'm never going to spend any time with them again. I'm going to reject them.” NO! Because He sent Jesus to die for me; He sent Jesus to die for you. There is never a time where God rejects us in this life. And here the people say, “Well, ok, ok! We know that we've done the wrong thing. We know we've failed. We know we've gone in the wrong direction. Um, but now what? How do we come back to you? You say, “How shall we return to you?” and in answer to that question, this is what God says. This passage about tithing that we read earlier on. He said, “Will any one rob God? Yet you are robbing me.” Isn't it interesting? “How shall we return to you?” And God points to one thing that they are doing wrong. “Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, how are you robbing me? In your tithes and your offerings! You are cursed with a curse because you are robbing me - the whole nation of you.” You see part of the Mosaic Law; part of the law of Israel; part of the law of what we call the Old Testament today, was that every one of God's people had to give one tenth of their income to God's work. It was called a tithe; a tenth; it was part of the law. It was almost ... well it was, it was exactly like, we have to pay taxes today and if I avoid my taxes, the Tax Office will come after me and ultimately I can be fined or put into jail – it's against the law and Israel was breaking God's law by not giving God the tenth; the tithe, that was due to Him and God said, “You're robbing me.” Now they were doing a whole bunch of other things wrong too – we read it before; they weren't putting God first, their heart wasn't in it, they were just going through the actions, they were being unfaithful, husbands and wives, but God just picks one thing out of that in answer to the question, “How shall we return?” God says, “This is the one thing I want you to do. I'm not going to get you to fix everything and all your mistakes and all your sin and all your rebellion at once, I'm just going to pick one thing. Start tithing again, bring the full tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Sow seed while things aren't going well, because things weren't going well – locusts were eating their food. They didn't have a lot to spare. “Bring the full tithe into my storehouse, that there may be food in my house and thus put me to the test,” says the Lord of Hosts, “See if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour out for you an overflowing blessing.” How can we come home? “Just do this one thing – just obey me because loving me is obedience – obedience that you can actually cope with.” Don't you love that about God? We may have a problem in one area of our life but God knows who we are, what we can cope with, so He may choose something quite different, in another area, and says, “Be obedient in this area, that I know you can cope with and when you have been obedient there; when you're working there, that bit that I have put my finger on through my Spirit and my Word, when that's working, just watch and I'll bless you. And then as I am blessing you, there are lots of other things that we are going to deal with too, but I know you can't deal with those now, so just deal with this one issue.” I think that's awesome! And then God says, “I'll rebuke the locusts, I'll make sure they don't destroy your food, I'll make sure that the vine isn't barren, that the windows of heaven will be open and my blessing will pour out. That's God's love - that's God's encouragement because God rewards our faithfulness. No father will bless a child that is not being faithful. Dad wants to bless us, but He wants more than that – a relationship with us. That is just so awesome and look what it says down in verse 16 of chapter 3, just finishing up this discussion of God's blessing. Then those who revered the Lord spoke with one another and the Lord took note and listened and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who revered the Lord and thought on His name. They shall be mine, says the Lord of Hosts; my special possession on the day when I act and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them. Wow! God wants to bless us but that blessing – that hand of blessing comes off our lives when we rebel against God, because more important than the blessing is the relationship. More that any thing, God wants to have a relationship with us and so if your traveling through a time in your life when you know that you are living the consequences of your own failures and your own sin, I would encourage you to do this - go to God and say, “Lord how shall I return?” And I promise that God will speak to you through His Spirit in the most amazing way and say, “Be obedient to me in just this one area of your life and put me to the test. See if I won't open the windows of heaven and pour out all my blessings on you.” It's time to take God at His Word.

* 2 Kings: The divided kingdom is symptomatic of Israel's separation from God. In the northern kingdom, the prophet Elijah passing on the mantle of his ministry, along with a double blessing from God, to Elisha. With the defeat of Moab, and the mocking of Syria's blinded army, God's covenant people had opportunity after opportunity to thrive. Instead, their sin brought judgment. Ahab's sons were killed after his wicked widow Jezebel was thrown out of a window to her death. In the southern kingdom of Judah, the sole surviving son of the royal family became king, but eventually Joash too was murdered. After Elisha died, Israel and Judah fought, with rampant paganism in the north so weakening the ten tribes that they were carried carried away captive by the Assyrians. Meanwhile down south, the more benevolent reigns of kings like Azariah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah only postponed God's judgment until Nebuchadnezzar carried away Judah in the Babylonian captivity. Lessons abound in Second Kings. Available on MP3-CD or download.   BEL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Please consider one of our monthly subscriptions that will not only help support BEL, but they also promote better understanding of the Bible and may equip you to more effectively reach those around you. Monthly Sermons: Enjoy all of Bob's sermons from the month on Sermon Video DVD, great also to watch with the family. Or, get these on Sermon Audio CDs which are standard audio Compact Discs that will play on any CD player including the one in your car. Or get them on a single Sermon MP3-CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Bible Studies: Enjoy the Scriptures with Bob's Monthly Bible Study DVDs, great too for a small group Bible study. Or get these teachings on a single Monthly Bible Study Audio MP3- CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Topical Videos: Coming to your mailbox, you'll get a Monthly Topical DVD to enjoy one of Bob's great videos specially selected to be entertaining and to teach about life from a biblical worldview.Monthly Best of Bob Shows: Every month our crew selects the eight best BEL shows of the month and for the folks who might have missed some of them, we mail them out on the Best of Bob MP3-CD.Monthly BEL TV Classics: Enjoy Bob Enyart's timeless, popular TV show delivered to your home on the Monthly BEL TV Classics DVDs with great audio and video clarity thanks to our state-of-the-art mastering from the studio-quality Sony beta tapes to DVD!Monthly Donation: For folks who just want to make sure that Bob Enyart Live stays on the air, please consider making a pledge in the form of a Monthly Donation.

* 2 Kings: The divided kingdom is symptomatic of Israel's separation from God. In the northern kingdom, the prophet Elijah passing on the mantle of his ministry, along with a double blessing from God, to Elisha. With the defeat of Moab, and the mocking of Syria's blinded army, God's covenant people had opportunity after opportunity to thrive. Instead, their sin brought judgment. Ahab's sons were killed after his wicked widow Jezebel was thrown out of a window to her death. In the southern kingdom of Judah, the sole surviving son of the royal family became king, but eventually Joash too was murdered. After Elisha died, Israel and Judah fought, with rampant paganism in the north so weakening the ten tribes that they were carried carried away captive by the Assyrians. Meanwhile down south, the more benevolent reigns of kings like Azariah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah only postponed God's judgment until Nebuchadnezzar carried away Judah in the Babylonian captivity. Lessons abound in Second Kings. Available on MP3-CD or download.   BEL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Please consider one of our monthly subscriptions that will not only help support BEL, but they also promote better understanding of the Bible and may equip you to more effectively reach those around you. Monthly Sermons: Enjoy all of Bob's sermons from the month on Sermon Video DVD, great also to watch with the family. Or, get these on Sermon Audio CDs which are standard audio Compact Discs that will play on any CD player including the one in your car. Or get them on a single Sermon MP3-CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Bible Studies: Enjoy the Scriptures with Bob's Monthly Bible Study DVDs, great too for a small group Bible study. Or get these teachings on a single Monthly Bible Study Audio MP3- CD which will play on an MP3 player, in a DVD player, or in your computer.Monthly Topical Videos: Coming to your mailbox, you'll get a Monthly Topical DVD to enjoy one of Bob's great videos specially selected to be entertaining and to teach about life from a biblical worldview.Monthly Best of Bob Shows: Every month our crew selects the eight best BEL shows of the month and for the folks who might have missed some of them, we mail them out on the Best of Bob MP3-CD.Monthly BEL TV Classics: Enjoy Bob Enyart's timeless, popular TV show delivered to your home on the Monthly BEL TV Classics DVDs with great audio and video clarity thanks to our state-of-the-art mastering from the studio-quality Sony beta tapes to DVD!Monthly Donation: For folks who just want to make sure that Bob Enyart Live stays on the air, please consider making a pledge in the form of a Monthly Donation.

Streamed live on Sep 25, 2025 Contact: noelhadley@yahoo.com Support TUC Ministry 2025: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-tu... Patreon:   / membership   PayPal: paypal.me/noeljoshuahadley Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/Noel-Hadley TUC Store: https://store.theunexpectedcosmology.... 2025 TUC Catalogue: https://unexpected-cosmology.nyc3.dig... Website: The Unexpected Cosmology Link: https://theunexpectedcosmology.com/ Archives page: https://theunexpectedcosmology.com/ar... TUC Discord Community:   / discord   TUC 2 YouTube:    / @theunexpectedcosmology2   Hebrew Match Dating: https://www.hebrewmatch.com/ Shelves of Shalom Publishing: https://shelvesofshalompublishing.com/ Facebook:   / theunexpectedcosmology  

We delve into the remarkable story of King Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dream and its profound interpretation by the prophet Daniel. Set during the Babylonian exile, this account explores themes of divine revelation, prophecy, and the rise and fall of empires. Listeners will discover how God reveals to Daniel the dream's meaning, revealing a vision of future kingdoms symbolized by a colossal statue. Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

In 1923, archaeologist Leonard Woolley stumbled upon a room that dated back to 530BC, the time of the Babylonians. Oddly, the room was filled with artifacts that were thousands of years older. A clay drum led Woolley to speculate that he might have stumbled across the world's first museum. Whether that was really the case is still somewhat unknown. But this room is the inspiration behind Moudhy Al-Rashid's book Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History (W.W. Norton / Hodder, 2025) which dives into the many different aspects of life and society across the many states that governed Mesopotamia. Moudhy Al-Rashid is an honorary fellow at the University of Oxford's Wolfson College, where she specializes in the languages and history of ancient Mesopotamia. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Between Two Rivers. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In 1923, archaeologist Leonard Woolley stumbled upon a room that dated back to 530BC, the time of the Babylonians. Oddly, the room was filled with artifacts that were thousands of years older. A clay drum led Woolley to speculate that he might have stumbled across the world's first museum. Whether that was really the case is still somewhat unknown. But this room is the inspiration behind Moudhy Al-Rashid's book Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History (W.W. Norton / Hodder, 2025) which dives into the many different aspects of life and society across the many states that governed Mesopotamia. Moudhy Al-Rashid is an honorary fellow at the University of Oxford's Wolfson College, where she specializes in the languages and history of ancient Mesopotamia. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Between Two Rivers. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

The book of Habakkuk is one of the twelve Minor Prophets in the Old Testament, likely written around 610–605 B.C., just before the Babylonian invasion of Judah. It is unique among prophetic books because it does not primarily address the people with God's message, but instead records a dialogue, or argument, between the prophet Habakkuk and God. Habakkuk expresses his profound struggle to reconcile God's goodness and justice with the rampant evil and injustice he sees in his own nation, Judah. Quick Summary: The book is structured around a back-and-forth between the prophet and God: Habakkuk's First Complaint (1:2-4): Habakkuk cries out to God, asking why He allows the violence and injustice in Judah to continue unchecked. God's First Answer (1:5-11): God responds that He is raising up the Babylonians (Chaldeans), a fierce and swift nation, to bring judgment upon Judah. Habakkuk's Second Complaint (1:12-2:1): Habakkuk protests, asking how a holy God can use a nation even more wicked than Judah to punish them. He questions God's justice in using the Babylonians, who are violent, ruthless, and worship their own power. God's Second Answer (2:2-20): God instructs Habakkuk to write down the vision: the Babylonians will also face inevitable judgment for their arrogance and violence through a series of five "woes." Crucially, God gives the famous promise, "the righteous shall live by his faith" (2:4), assuring Habakkuk that even if justice seems delayed, it will surely come, and the faithful must trust God in the meantime. Habakkuk's Prayer of Faith (Chapter 3): The book concludes with a poetic psalm where Habakkuk recalls God's powerful acts of deliverance in the past, leading him from a place of fear and doubt to a profound expression of joy and unwavering trust in God, even if disaster strikes all around him. The central theme is a transition from perplexity and doubt to absolute faith in God's sovereignty and ultimate justice, regardless of present circumstances.

In 1923, archaeologist Leonard Woolley stumbled upon a room that dated back to 530BC, the time of the Babylonians. Oddly, the room was filled with artifacts that were thousands of years older. A clay drum led Woolley to speculate that he might have stumbled across the world's first museum. Whether that was really the case is still somewhat unknown. But this room is the inspiration behind Moudhy Al-Rashid's book Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History (W.W. Norton / Hodder, 2025) which dives into the many different aspects of life and society across the many states that governed Mesopotamia. Moudhy Al-Rashid is an honorary fellow at the University of Oxford's Wolfson College, where she specializes in the languages and history of ancient Mesopotamia. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Between Two Rivers. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/archaeology

In 1923, archaeologist Leonard Woolley stumbled upon a room that dated back to 530BC, the time of the Babylonians. Oddly, the room was filled with artifacts that were thousands of years older. A clay drum led Woolley to speculate that he might have stumbled across the world's first museum. Whether that was really the case is still somewhat unknown. But this room is the inspiration behind Moudhy Al-Rashid's book Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History (W.W. Norton / Hodder, 2025) which dives into the many different aspects of life and society across the many states that governed Mesopotamia. Moudhy Al-Rashid is an honorary fellow at the University of Oxford's Wolfson College, where she specializes in the languages and history of ancient Mesopotamia. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of Between Two Rivers. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at @nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comBe confident in your portfolio with Bulwark! Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. Go to KnowYourRiskPodcast.com today. Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today. Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeA Realist View of Israel is The Antidote to Anti-Semitism //  A Sheriff's Race on a Biblical Scale! // Should President Trump Doubt His Salvation?Episode links:I should feel joy today, but all I feel is anger and disgust. Why? Because the Dems/MSM just spent the last 10 years trying to smear, destroy, obstruct, censor, overthrow, imprison, and KILL, the guy who just brought peace to the Middle East.Glenn Beck looks petrified by these questions. It's refreshing to see so many young people waking up!That depends on how you define it. If it's Jew hatred, racism, and governmental theological purity tests, then I'll fight against “Christian nationalism” because I'm Christian. If you define “Christian nationalism” the way someone on CNN did, then I am a “Christian nationalist.”Stressed out pizza delivery lady gets emotional as a pastor prays over her following a difficult evening, helps raise $50,000 for her.General Flynn: Hunt or be hunted. Father charged with killing daughter's alleged abuser launches sheriff campaign in ArkansasNEW: President Trump says he doesn't know if he will make it into heaven.Rev. Craig T. Robinson of St. James AME Church-Chicago likens Trump to King Nebuchadnezzar: "Like the Israelites amid the Babylonian captivity, we are living here in Chicago, specifically in our own form of captivity. ICE agents and perhaps even federalized National Guard troops are occupying our streets."Obama interrupted by activists wanting to “stop all deportations”, and Obama talks them down 

Hosts Pastor Robert Baltodano and Pastor Lloyd Pulley Question Timestamps: Susan, NJ (2:44) - If someone dies by an accident, was that their time to die? Posto, email (9:26) - What are the four things Paul said not to be ignorant of? Michael, email (11:27) - Is it possible to die before the time that God appointed for us, based on Ecclesiastes 7:17? Does this verse enlighten us to the power of human choice over our lives? Mary, NJ (14:03) - What does it mean when the Bible says we will be judged, even though we are forgiven? Chris, email (17:16) - When the Jews were in Babylonian captivity for 70 years, how did they fulfill God's commands concerning the Day of Atonement? If they couldn't then does that mean nobody was "saved" in the sense that nobody's sins were atoned for? Melissa, email (21:09) - I don't understand the fruit of the spirit, I know we receive the attributes but they are also seen in unbelievers. There are people who are kind but not saved. Can you explain this further?  Anonymous, email (24:37) - Can you explain Ephesians 5:21-22? Can you clarify roles in marriage and in the church? Jason, CA (33:31) - How is it that we know how Jesus's life was and what happened during his life, if everything was written down a hundred years after? Ed, VA (38:24) - What is our purpose on this Earth? Why did God make us, when he saw the good and the bad we would do? Iselda, NJ (44:01) - Did Pharoah or Abimelech sleep with Sarah intimately? Lydia, MA (50:07) - What does it mean to be baptized? Ask Your Question: 888-712-7434 Answers@bbtlive.org

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 session, we explore the profound message of hope amidst impending judgment delivered by the prophet Jeremiah. As the kingdom of Judah faces turmoil and the threat of Babylonian conquest, Jeremiah speaks words of both warning and promise. We delve into the concept of the New Covenant, a pivotal announcement where God pledges to write His law on the hearts of His people.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

Exploring Zechariah: Understanding Dynamic Prayer and Hope in God - Chapters 7 & 8 In this episode, we delve into the book of Zechariah, specifically chapters 7 and 8. The session begins with a worship reading from Psalm 4, establishing a reflective and prayerful mood. The speaker discusses the historical context of Zechariah's prophecies during the reign of King Darius and the period post-Babylonian captivity. The primary focus is on understanding true and dynamic prayer, addressing common misconceptions about prayer practices and the importance of direct communication with God. The episode also emphasizes the need to shift from self-imposed mourning to embracing God's promise of joy and restoration. By comparing past disobedience and its consequences with future hopes, the session encourages believers to strengthen their faith, maintain dynamic relationships with God, and live in a state of hopeful anticipation of God's promises. 00:00 Introduction and Opening Prayer 02:46 Setting the Scene: Zechariah's Prophecies 07:02 The Importance of Direct Prayer 17:55 Understanding Fasting and Obedience 27:53 Understanding the Role of Prayer 28:56 The Importance of Obedience 29:34 The Consequences of Disobedience 30:22 The Hardness of Heart 32:29 The Positive Aspect of Flint 34:00 God's Zeal for Jerusalem 37:04 A Vision of Future Prosperity 38:39 The Call to Strength and Hope 48:53 Transforming Fasts into Feasts 51:06 A Call to Witness and Thankfulness 53:56 Concluding Prayer

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

A — About: Jeremiah 41 recounts Ishmael's betrayal and murder of Gedaliah, the Babylonian-appointed governor, plunging the remnant of Judah into fear and chaos. Despite the destruction, it shows that God's hand still governs history—even through tragedy and dispersion. B — Best Verse: Jeremiah 41:18 – "Because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor in the land." C — Call to Action: Trust God's sovereignty even when His plan seems hidden. Do not run to worldly "Egypts" for safety, but wait upon the Lord—He remains faithful through confusion and loss.

Pastor Scott Silcox invites us to reconsider the true purpose of church gatherings as he explores the concept of God's presence in his "Build the House" series. Looking at the return of the Israelites from Babylonian exile, he reveals how their first priority wasn't building temple walls but establishing an altar—securing God's presence before anything else.• Worship is the first purpose of the church, not a precursor to the "real" content• The Israelites built an altar before rebuilding the temple because presence precedes programs• Consumerism in church culture leads to spiritual deformation rather than formation• Sacrifice forms us into Christ's likeness while consumerism deforms us into the world's likeness• The modern church often lacks the language of consecration and set-apartness• We must stop treating church as something to consume and start seeing it as a place to contribute• As "living stones," we gather to form an altar where God's presence can dwellCome ready to give, not just receive. When we approach worship with a sacrificial mindset, we create space for God to move powerfully in our lives and community.

Assyrian Resilience: Leadership and Perpetual Warfare after 1177 BC AUTHOR NAME: Eric Cline BOOK TITLE: After 1177 BC, The Survival of Civilizations Professor Cline analyzes why societies like the Assyrians survived the 1177 BC collapse, identifying their successful leadership and redundant systems (government, military, writing). Since trade partners vanished, Assyrian leaders resorted to war almost yearly to acquire necessary resources. Their complex relationship with the Babylonians involved periods of alliance and fighting until the Babylonians eventually defeated them centuries later.

Factors of Survival: Antifragility, River Systems, and IPCC Resilience Models AUTHOR NAME: Eric Cline BOOK TITLE: After 1177 BC, The Survival of Civilizations; 1177 BC, the year civilization collapsed Phoenicians demonstrated antifragility by flourishing in chaos, using trade wealth to buy off the threatening Neo-Assyrians. The Cypriots, though on an island, were later overwhelmed by the Assyrians. The survival of Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians is partially attributed to their location on major river systems (Nile, Tigris/Euphrates), which the failed Hittites lacked. Resilience is analyzed using IPCC definitions: Phoenicians and Cypriots transformed, while Egyptians merely coped.

Are You Ready for the Marriage Feast? (audio) David Eells – 10/12/25 “Hurry” Repent, Bride Escapes V. W. - 3/11/19 (David's notes red) I had a dream which I think is an encouraging exhortation. It was daytime, and I was standing in a tunnel that was made to walk through. The ground was covered with sand, and the light was coming in from the outside, so I could see. This was a short tunnel, and it somehow led into a longer tunnel. I was alone in this tunnel. After I woke up, I asked the Lord what this tunnel represented, and I believe he showed me that it meant death to self to rise on the other side. (like a baptism) And I asked for a scripture about the tunnel, and received by faith, at random, 2Ki.20:5 Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the prince of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee; on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. (The third day is resurrection of the Man-child Jesus, and Hezekiah represents the end time Man-child who is caught up to the throne of God on the third day. V.W. here represents the Bride.) While I was standing there, I heard a man just outside the tunnel. There was a lot of brush and some small trees outside where he was. He was advertising his product, which was shoes (or something to spray on your shoes). The advantage of the shoes was for the protection of the person wearing them, “that fire would not hurt them and that smoke from fire could not be smelled on them”. (The shoes represent the walk of repentance and faith) (Dan.3:27 The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king's high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.) (What these 3 lost in the fire was their bonds, which represent the flesh.) He had a loud voice as he proclaimed this and it seemed he really wanted whoever heard him to wear the shoes, and he was urgent about it. But I did not see anyone out there because it was a rural area. (Mat.3:3 For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!) (The repentance spirit in the John the Baptist ministry is crying loudly urgently to those in the wilderness or rural areas to prepare them for the coming of the Lord. It is urgent that we hear and repent quickly before He comes in the Man-child ministry. It will be too late to be in the Bride body once the Man-child ministry starts. Jesus chose the Bride then. John said, “He that hath the Bride is the Bride Groom”) Then I realized I had those shoes on, and they were white dressy sandals. (Eph.6:14-16 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, 15 having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.) After a while, I saw he had a torch that was a large stick. And he started lighting the brush and small trees on fire. He was still proclaiming these shoes, and I thought he was demonstrating how the fire could not hurt the shoes or the smoke from it be smelled. So I took off my right sandal to see if he was right. I smelled it and there was no smell of smoke, and I put it back on. (Fire, representing judgment, will come before Jesus manifests in the Man-child ministry body. Therefore we must be ready to walk through it without being burned. Isa.62:11 Behold, Jehovah hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. Mat.3:10 And even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Mat.3:12 whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire. Mat.5:22 but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire. I had been standing there this whole time listening to this man. Then he came into the tunnel with the torch and with urgency and in a loud voice was saying to me, “Hurry up, Hurry up”. (He meant to hurry and run through the tunnels.) “I am right behind you with this torch.” (Hurry, saints, repent and believe so the fire doesn't catch you). After I woke up, I asked the Lord what I was supposed to do quickly and received by faith at random, Luk.22:54. And they seized him, and led him away, and brought him into the high priest's house. So I think the Lord is telling me to hurry up with denying myself and dying with Christ. I started to run and felt like he was getting closer. I asked for a word about my running in this tunnel and received by faith at random, Rom.4:16 For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace: to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. (Repentance must come before faith, with which we are accounted as righteous and are given grace as power to obey.) At first it seemed like I was climbing, and I had to use my hands also. I knew I could not look back and I was not afraid, but knew I had to hurry to get to the end of the tunnels. Php.3:13 Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before. 14 I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you: I did not think of him as an enemy, but someone who was admonishing me to run faster. As I was running, I could hear from outside the tunnel other brethren cheering me on. Heb.12:1,2 Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Even though he was behind me with the torch and I thought he was getting closer to me, I did not feel the fire. I got through the first tunnel and into the 2nd longer tunnel. On the path where I was running, I saw broken glass on the right side. (Representing the pain of walking with our cross of death to self. The nail in the feet of Christ represents this.) I didn't like running on the glass and it made it harder to keep running, but I did not trip. I asked the Lord for a word by faith at random about this glass and received Lev.19:37 And you shall observe all my statutes, and all mine ordinances, and do them: I am the Lord. I found these verses about not stumbling. Psa.119:165 Great peace have they that love your law; And they have no occasion of stumbling. 1Jn.2:10 He that loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him. Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy. The glass in the path made me think of going to the left side where the ground was clear and smooth, but I didn't have time. (We must endure the pain of walking contrary to the world). I know I got through the 2nd tunnel because I came out on the other side and saw some of the brethren, and we were standing on a large rock that was up high. After I woke up, I was hearing the song in my head, “We want to see Jesus lifted high”. (Psa.61:2 From the end of the earth will I call unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.) So I did most of what I needed to do today. I believe that something is going to happen very soon where the extra food, water and gas is going to be necessary. I've never had dreams like this that the Lord impressed me to hurry and get something done. I also had a dream about the Man-child and Bride coming right after this dream to get supplies. I believe from this that the anointing of the Man-child and choosing of the Bride are not far behind the preparations.   Exhortation to the Bride-to-Be T. C. - 02/26/2013 (David's notes in red) I had this dream on Monday night after the prayer meeting. I was going to grab a pair of everyday shoes (because in the dream I did not realize that we were preparing for a wedding), when the mother (or woman in charge) set out the proper pair of pointed-toe formal dress shoes in pearl white satin material. (This wedding is to the King. The Bride will have the most elegant and pure shoes, representing her walk with Him, so watch your step, saints.) The shoes were set on a counter and I only saw the front of the shoes. I thought, oh, this is really going to be dressy! Then I looked across the room and got a quick glance of the white wedding dress; it was elegant and brilliant, unlike anything I had ever seen -- something royalty would wear. I then saw the husband/groom; he had a serious look on his face. I knew in the dream that the Groom and bride had already been married, and that is why I saw him as the husband. (The serious look represents his authority over the betrothed woman. In the Biblical Jewish marriage betrothal, or erusin, the woman was legally married but she remained in her father's house. She could not be with another man unless she got divorced from her betrothed. The wedding, or nissuin, meant only that the betrothed woman, accompanied by the virgins, friends of the groom, etc., were taken from her father's house to the house of her husband and the marriage consummated.) I only saw the dress and the shoes, not the bride. That is when the mother/woman in charge explained to me that the bride had died. (The Bride is dead to self; she is dead to her natural father's house, which will be represented in her works.) However, by having the wedding it would bring her back to life. (She will be given resurrection life through the filling with the Holy Spirit.) I knew in the dream the bride's wedding gown was going down the aisle by itself, and if the people at the wedding would believe, that is when they would see her body appear in the gown. (We should believe in order to fill that gown.) Then the scene changed. I saw myself standing in a white slip and I could see that I was pregnant. My husband was in the room talking with me. (The Bride will be spiritually very pregnant with the life of the seed of Christ's Word or she will not be in the Bride company.) There was an excitement about being together for the celebration after the wedding. (This is the seven-day wedding feast, representing the seven year tribulation where all feed on the bread and wine of the Word and nature of Jesus.) In the dream, I had a vision and saw myself walking down the aisle in a wedding dress, which showed me pregnant but not full-term. (The full maturing of the Bride will come when she walks with the Man-child, just as it was with Jesus when John said, “He that hath the bride is the Bridegroom”.) At this point, I knew I needed to take a shower to get ready. (Hurry, brethren! Time is running out to get cleaned up in our walk and works.) When I turned on the shower, I reached in with my right hand and felt the water. The temperature was just lukewarm. (The lukewarm will not be in the Bride.) I knew I needed to wait for the hot water tank to heat up the water before I could get in the shower and get dressed for the wedding. Then I woke up. I wanted to go back to sleep so I could finish the dream. When I was writing down the dream, I was getting very excited thinking about it. I asked for a word and the Lord gave me 2 Kings 6:7. My finger went down on the word “put” but I felt led to read 1-7. (2Ki.6:1) And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us. (2) Let us go, we pray thee, unto the Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. (3) And one said, Be pleased, I pray thee, to go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. (4) So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood. (5) But as one was felling a beam, the axe-head fell into the water; and he cried, and said, Alas, my master! for it was borrowed. (6) And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and made the iron to swim. (7) And he said, Take it up to thee. So he put out his hand, and took it. (Going to the Jordan means going to the wilderness and, in this case, it is to build a house. So will the Bride. Also, the axe head floated supernaturally in the water, just like we have been given supernatural gifts in the water of the Word. But the text given is an exhortation to put out our hand and take the supernatural gifts of God, like righteousness, holiness, purity of walk and works, for the Lord said, “Take it up to thee.” So he put out his hand and took it.) After typing out the dream, I asked for another word and got Colossians 3:6 and felt led to read 1-6. (Col.3:1) If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on the things that are above (So, seek ye first the Kingdom; there is no time left for distractions.), not on the things that are upon the earth. (3) For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (4) When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested (when the baby, “Christ in you”, is at full maturity), then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory (He will be born for the world to see). (5) Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; (6) for which things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.   Too Late for the Wedding Feast B. A. - 05/03/2014 (David's notes in red) Concerning the title, Too Late for the Wedding Feast, this is also Too Late for the Bride because she is the Bride before the Wedding Feast starts and she is on time. See Supernatural Warnings to Prepare for the Bride. I dreamed I was walking around Israel. (“Walking around” means worldwide and “Israel” represents the Church)  I was in sackcloth and ashes. (A symbol of grief at the apostasy of the Church -- worldwide and local.) I was praying in the Spirit for mercy for the “rebellious” house. (The rebellious house represents the group below who has rebelled against UBM and this is also happening worldwide. The Church is not the Bride and is often opposed to her, as we see in the Song of Solomon.) Then, suddenly, I was shown a banquet room (the Wedding Feast/Tribulation) with a very long table, and a group of people standing by the table waiting to be seated. One by one, each person was led to their seat. I watched as everyone was seated. I saw that there was a smaller group sitting on the right of the table with a very large gap separating them from the group on the left of the table. The Lord was showing me that there was a large gap representing a “wide” spiritual difference between these two groups. (The long table represents the spiritual food with the true sheep on the right side of this feast and the goats to the left of it. Below we discover that both of these groups represent the factious people who were taken into captivity but one-third of them on the right repented before the Wedding Feast and two-thirds did not and fell away to go into Tribulation bondage to the beast.) At this particular point in the dream, I woke up and I looked over at the clock and it read 4:43 or one minute before 4:44 or tribulation. (This is the second revelation of one minute left. Two other times, we also received 11:59 in dreams or one minute to midnight when Israel left Egypt for the wilderness tribulation. In the last two days before this revelation was given, I had looked at the clock at 11:59 two times. When the Trib starts, so does the 7-day/year Wedding Feast and the Bride is chosen before then so that she can be honored in the feast. There are two groups who need to be on time for the feast: the invited guests and the Bride. If anyone is late, they cannot be in the Bride.) As I fell back to sleep, I watched as the people seated on the far right of the table were being served broccoli (symbolizing trees with life. [This is food recognized to be healthy; in this case, spiritual health food. The first-fruits of our broccoli crop was harvested today.]) This was served with white sauce (the pure Word). At that point, I became very jubilant as I saw that this group had repented and were eating pure, nourishing food again! Praise the Lord! (This could be the part of the factious who repent before the Marriage Feast, as B.A. believes.) However, I noticed that the group seated at the far left of the table had not been served. They were not ready for this feast. (They have refused the healthy food from Heaven, the Word, which causes one to mature and be healthy, like the Bride.) And, as I was considering this group, I saw a large axe come down over the gap that separated the two groups of people at the table and cut the table in half. (This is like the bridge that fell in B.A.'s dream between the factious and righteous. This is also the dream we had of the house divided by a crack between the tall, righteous and glorious people on the right and the short, stunted, angry, factious people on the left who were prevented from attacking the righteous by a wall with no knob on the door in the wall. When the crack broke, there was no foundation under the factious side of the house as it fell away.) I watched as the group of people on the left fell away. (In Jesus' parable of those invited to the marriage feast, He threw out the one who had not on a wedding garment [meaning they were not dressed up with the works of Christ], for many are called but few are chosen. Mat.22:1 And Jesus answered and spake again in parables unto them, saying, 2 The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, 3 and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the marriage feast: and they would not come. 4 Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have made ready my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage feast. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; 6 and the rest laid hold on his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. The factious assassinate the character of those who call the Church to the feast. 7 But the king was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Just like what happened physically in 70 AD, the Lord sent a spiritual Beast army to destroy apostate Jerusalem, the false Bride, and her people.) 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore unto the partings of the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage feast. 10 And those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good (from among the saved and unsaved): and the wedding was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to behold the guests, he saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment.... Representing the works of Jesus: Rom.13:13 Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. Rev.19:8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Back to our text in Mat.22:12 and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment? And he was speechless (we call this clueless). 13 Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few chosen. Notice the cutting off of those on the left and the cutting off of the bridge of those on the left below. Meaning they will not have an invitation or be in the Bride, for they have not put on the works of Jesus.) Just then, I woke up again and the clock read 5:13, or grace had been given to the rebellious house that had repented. (The one-third on the right.) I asked B. A., “Could you tell what percentage the people on the right were?” She said about one-third on the right repented and returned. She said, “From what the Lord showed me, some will not make it back in time for the Bride company (which is finished before the Marriage Feast). About the same time this revelation came to us, in our morning prayer meeting, we received a text from the Lord by faith: Dan.5:5 In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king's countenance was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him; and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was celebrating the conquering of God's people by drinking wine (blood) from the gold and silver vessels (God's people) which were taken from the Temple in Jerusalem during the falling away (1-5). Daniel, the Man-child, interpreted the Father's writing of judgment on the wall, and the king was slain by the Medio-Persian Empire, headed by Cyrus. It was his decree in Ezra 1 that the first-fruits from among God's people in the Babylonian captivity return to build the Temple in Jerusalem. In effect this is being accomplished by President Trump. And also his plundering of Babylon paid for this. It was said of Cyrus, Isa.44:26 that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited; and of the cities of Judah, They shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof; 27 that saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers (He diverted the Euphrates River to conquer Babylon); 28 That saith of Cyrus, [He is] my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. 45:1 Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut: 2 I will go before thee, and make the rough places smooth; I will break in pieces the doors of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron. (The army went under the bars across the lowered Euphrates and the gates along the Euphrates into the center of the city were unlocked. They invaded and conquered because of God and so shall we. On 6/01/14, Jim Tofflemire wrote: “I saw a D-Day Normandy invasion movie recently and I felt the Lord told me the revival and Trib would be a grand production of God like that, and we need a lot of preparation” (to set the captives free by a war with the principalities and powers and rulers of this darkness through prayer and faith). 11 Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me. 12  I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens; and all their host have I commanded. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness (Christ, hidden in the type of Cyrus), and I will make straight all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let my exiles go free, not for price nor reward, saith Jehovah of hosts. ... 15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour. This conquering of the Northern army brings to mind another text the Lord has given us many times. At a time when the Northern army was invading Israel and Judah, which Joel likened to an army of locusts for multitude, there came up a cry for mercy from the inhabitants of Zion, the Bride, just like Esther did and everything was turned around for those who escaped captivity. Joe.2:12 Yet even now, saith Jehovah, turn ye unto me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal-offering and a drink-offering unto Jehovah your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people, sanctify the assembly, assemble the old men, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Jehovah, and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God? 18 Then was Jehovah jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. Notice a cry for mercy from the Bride turned the Beast captivity around and brought the great revival of the Latter Rain. Remember that Babylon left Jeremiah, to prophecy to the people of the Promised Land, while the rest had been taken to captivity. Let us cry for those in captivity with fasting and prayer.   Last Supper Before the Feast B. A. - 10/12/2012 (David's notes in red) Before sharing this word with the broadcast audience, I asked the Lord to give me a Word concerning this and another revelation. With eyes closed, I flipped my Bible open and put my finger down on (Jer.26:2) Thus saith Jehovah: Stand in the court of Jehovah's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in Jehovah's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word. I had a short dream last week where I was in a large house (the UBM house). I heard noise coming from the kitchen, so I went to the kitchen to see what was going on. I saw David Eells at the stove, cooking a meal. (David here represents the end-time David ministry preparing a spiritual meal.) I asked David if I could be of help and he replied, “Sure. Go through the entire house and tell everybody the meal is ready, and it's important to be on time”. (This is the Last Supper, which was a parable to prophesy the crucifixion of the body and blood of Christ for the Church to eat or partake of. The Church was told: (Joh.6:53) Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves. (54) He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (55) For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. (56) He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him. So I went through the house and spread the word that dinner was ready and everyone needed to be on time at the dinner table. Soon, everyone took their seat at the dinner table. David then brought the food to the table and told everyone, “I'm glad you all made it to the table on time, as this is the last regular meal before the feast”. We were all very joyful and sang praises to the Lord. (All of the disciples or witnesses of the Man-child were at the table to partake of the bread and wine, representing the future sacrifice of the body and blood of Jesus. Notice that this was a “regular meal before the feast”. It was a spiritual type of what was to happen in the Marriage Feast of seven days of tribulation. (Mat.26:26) And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. (27) And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; (28) for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins. So we see, the Last Supper or type of the Marriage Feast came first; then the crucifixion; and then they partook of that sacrifice of the body (Word) and blood (nature) of Jesus through repentance and faith. This latter is the manifestation of the Marriage Feast and will go on for the seven years of tribulation. In this way, we can understand David's command to gather the guests as Jesus' command to gather the guests. “Go through the entire house and tell everybody the meal is ready, and it's important to be on time”. (22:4) Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have made ready my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage feast. We have seen in revelations from God that the Davids are going through crucifixion, death and resurrection to be prepared to receive the anointing to lead the flock through tribulation wilderness. It was so with Moses, Joseph, David, etc., before they reigned. In crucifying these Davids, the apostates are crucifying Jesus again, just as their forefathers did. (25:40) And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, [even] these least, ye did it unto me. However, the benefits of this sin will raise up the body of Christ through the anointed Davids in whom Jesus will live through the Word and crucifixion.   Marriage Supper M. L. - 03/20/2014 (David's notes in red) A dream of standing near the beginning of many, many small round tables as far as the eye could see in any direction. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and four chairs per table. It was my job to see that a small two-tiered wedding cake was exactly centered on each of the tables. This cake was to be divided equally among the four people who would be seated there. (Those who are invited to the Marriage Supper.) Knowing that these cakes were the exact likeness of a larger one that was at the table of honor. (This is the table of the Groom and His Bride.) The tables did not yet have their place settings or name cards, but knowing that that would take place soon. (The trials and testing to come in the tribulation marriage feast will prove who it is who is invited to the Marriage Supper in Heaven. The foolish virgins do not bear fruit and will not be invited.) (Rev.19:7) Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are true words of God. (Mat.25:1) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them: 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast (The Greek word here, gamos, should be translated “marriage”, not “marriage feast”, for this is the whole marriage ceremony. This would give a person who knows about the marriage customs to discern what part of the marriage is being spoken about. The virgins escort the Bride and Groom to the Groom's home in Heaven after the Marriage Feast of seven days (tribulation) where there is a Marriage Supper. The foolish virgins who have not borne fruit do not go to Heaven, as Jesus said here.): and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour. Luk.12:35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning; 36 and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return (Greek: analuo, meaning “depart; break up”, as in Philippians 1:23. This is the only place in the NT that this word is translated “return”. Those at the Marriage Feast will break up to go to the Marriage Supper; the Groom will “depart” from the Marriage Feast with the Bride to be escorted by the virgins to the Marriage Supper in His heavenly home and some will not be counted worthy.) from the marriage feast; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and shall come and serve them.   Get Ready, Bride Jacob Patek - 01/04/2012 (David's notes in red) I had this dream this afternoon that I would like to share with you. I work shift work, so that is why the dream was in the afternoon. I woke up at 12:30 pm and asked myself if I should get up at that time or not. I ended up going back to sleep and this is the dream the Lord gave me. I have had two brothers who encouraged me to type this out and send it in. It was not until this afternoon (1/05/12) that I came to find out that brother David had given a study on the Bride. I had been talking with a sister in the Lord the night before I had the dream. While I was at work, I had prayed that the Lord would give His permission for His daughter's hand in marriage and continued to pray that He would lead and direct me in wisdom, teaching me to not cover my head and be the spiritual head that He has called me to be. This is the dream: I was in my house preparing to go to a fellowship. I was in the living room while a female friend was in the bathroom, who was also getting ready. She was putting on a bridal gown. This girl was my age (mid-20s). While still in my dream, I was sitting in the living room, and G. W. called me and told me he had to tell me about a dream that he had just had. He said that in his dream, I was getting ready to go to church with a girl. She was putting on a bridal gown, and once we made it to the fellowship, there would be a man who would walk in during the middle of the message. He would walk in and say, “I am here for my bride.” The brother who was giving the Word would then say, “Take your bride”. Then the man who walked in said, “You will have to do the ceremony”. (Men who share the word with the Bride serve in the ceremony of the Wedding Feast, as seen below.) I could see the man kneeling at a cross that was in the middle of the room. At this point in my dream, G. W. stopped talking, and my female friend and I were there. I could now see more detail, as it was from my perspective and no longer G. W. talking about his dream. (Here he begins to see in his dream the confirmation of G. W.'s dream above. This symbolizes that the dream is doubled and is guaranteed by God to come to pass shortly. (Gen.41:32) And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.) The brother giving the message was speaking English but he had an interpreter. The man walked in through the large double doors at the front of the building. I remember the doors being 20 feet tall or so and the man who walked in was very meek in appearance but quite tall. (He is head and shoulders above all the rest; a giant of the Kingdom.) He had on a white suit or robe and his hair was a brilliant white. He was standing in the doorway and the light that was coming in from behind him through the open doors was brilliant and bright. He said, “I am here for my bride”. The brother giving the message said, “Take your bride”. And sure enough, the man said, “You will have to perform the ceremony”. At this time, I noticed the girl I had come with started to get up. She was walking toward the door through which the man entered. This is when the man grabbed her by the arm gently and with care and he looked at her with great affection. He did not say anything, but in my spirit I heard him say, “I am here”. (He is here in spirit.) The moment he said this, the girl who was my age turned into an old woman dressed in a dress that was a brilliant white, just like the light that was coming through the doors. (She has the maturity and righteousness of many years.) At this, I fell prostrate on my face and began to weep. It was a joyful cry. Now I was watching from a third-person point of view. I could see myself lying on the floor and weeping while the ceremony was taking place. It was over in an instant. Then we were leaving the meeting. The man was walking with us, then was no longer there. I didn't see where he went but the moment he left, in my spirit I heard, “I'm coming back for her. Make sure she is prepared”. Then she turned back into a woman of my age and we proceeded back to my house, where I began to tell her about all that had happened and about G. W.'s dream and it coming to pass. She laughed and kind of shrugged it off, and then I said I had the video on my phone of G. W. and I talking about it. G.W. called me in the beginning of my dream but on the video we were sitting down on the same couch face to face. As I started to play it, G. W. called me in real life and woke me from my dream. (This is confirmation to us again that we are about to begin the ceremony, and the bride needs to be ready. So cut the sin and get ready or miss a once-in-forever chance.) I told him, “Man, I have to tell you about this dream I just had”. We were both very encouraged, and I pray that you are too.   The Bride Is Almost Complete Eve Brast - 04/30/2016 (David's notes in red) I had a dream this afternoon that is very encouraging for us. I dreamed I was standing in the middle of the driveway as you top the hill to the Shaw's house. It was sunny outside with almost a white sunlight, like when the sun is close to or at the noon position. (This is the perfect day because there are no shadows; darkness is defeated before the Sun/Son.) I saw all the local UBM brethren clearing all the vines and weeds away from the Shaw's house. Some were pulling with their hands and others with tools. (Exactly like we were doing in real life today when helping to clean and trim, and weed around their house.) Between where I was standing and the front corner of the house was a large square tower made of white stones. (The white stone tower is the Bride who is being put together as her members are sanctified. Mic.4:8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea, the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.) Three of the sides were complete and we were six or seven stones (people sanctified) away from completing the fourth and final side. (Pray for these six or seven saints to be set free.) The stones were all about a foot or so in diameter and the tower was larger at the base and more narrow as it reached the top. 1Pe.2:5 ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Although this is a promise for the true Church, the principle is the same but the Bride comes to this maturity before the Church and is therefore more beautiful to the Lord. It was flat on top, almost like a huge stone altar. As the brethren cleared away the wild vines and weeds out of the flower beds surrounding the house, they would uncover these stones, and then they would supernaturally disappear from the beds and reappear in their perfect position in the tower, which was almost as high as the roof of the house. (As the lives of these living stones were freed from the weeds and vines of bondage.  Then they were supernaturally and spiritually resurrected out of dirt burial to be in the Bride.) Then I woke up. I thought of the Shepherd of Hermas when I began to meditate on this dream and what it meant. (The tower was in the building stage there too and it was said that the stones could go into the tower as long as it was being built but after it was finished, no more stones could be included.)   When the Bride Is Sanctified, Judgment Comes Anna Stewart - 04/27/2016 (David's notes in red) The dream I shared on the conference fellowship last night was where Matthew and I were in an old red '90s model F-150 pickup (which we don't really have in real life) and we had three bales of hay in the back. We were driving up this narrow one-way dirt road up a mountain (Zion) and the farther up we got, the less hay we had. I said, “By the time we get to the top of the mountain, we won't have any hay left”. (This represents the further up Zion we go, the less flesh we have, since Peter said “all flesh is as grass”. (Hay is dead grass or flesh. The three bales being that which comes from the earth in spirit, soul, and body.) Being in an old red truck may be the first way that the apostles gave us and the red being covered by the blood and the ride being in the rest.) 1Co.3:10 According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. Wood, hay and stubble would not abide in fire because it represents the works of man.) When we got to the top, there was a meadow and I saw a tornado (When the Bride is mature enough to be chosen, then come Judgments like large earthquakes, volcanoes, economic crash, martial law, etc.), but I wasn't scared. As it touched down, the sky went black (The gross darkness, volcanic activity, blackouts, a time of judgment). I could see stars and all the other planetary stuff which you could never see with the naked eye, and straight up above were these two bright lights. In the dream, I knew that there were two suns. (When the Bride is chosen. This could account for the earthquakes, which bring the Man-child when she reaches the top to be chosen.) And then in the dream I was telling Michael what had just happened, so that's why I wanted to share it.   Most Don't Make the Cut One other thing I wanted to share. We had eight lambs this year, and I was believing we wouldn't lose any, as we usually lose at least one to something or other, and we didn't have any bottle babies, which might have been a first. But two were born dead, then just recently one died of an unknown cause, two went missing, which must have been coyotes, but we have never had any go missing before, and one got its head eaten off through the fence (coyote?). I just thought that it all kind of lined up with the parable of the sower pretty well because God calls His people sheep. The stillborn sheep would be the wayside ones because they never had life; the missing ones are the ones sown on the rocks because they fell away when temptation arose (I know that they strayed away from the others when they were eaten because the others were not frightened, which they always are for a few days when something scares them). The one that died of who-knows-what was then picked by birds, and the one who lost its head would, I guess, be the third group who didn't bring fruit to perfection. And then, of course, that leaves the last two living ones to be the ones who were sown in the good ground. Even though it was sad what happened, I saw it as kind of a parable and a warning too, because just like the parable of the sower, only 1/4 of them made it. One other thing is that my nieces wanted to name some, so they decided on Marly and Charley. Then Mallory was like, “I know, I'll name mine Jesus!” So Tasha decided to rename hers God. I told them that might get a little confusing, “God, get out of the hay!” “Jesus, don't be so greedy”. Etc. So we stuck with Marly and Charley. I just thought it was interesting that Marly was going to be Jesus, but stuck her head through the fence out of curiosity and got taken out. Because everybody plans on manifesting Jesus, but fence-straddlers (or those halfway through the fence) won't make it. Below I will share an excerpt from Hidden Manna For the End Times -- Chapter Three: “When Do We Go?” The ceremony is according to ancient Jewish custom. It begins with the Marriage Feast as the groom in the Man-child feasts with the Bride for seven day/years. During this time, She has all the rights and advantages of a wife, except the marriage is not consummated. At the end of the tribulation, the virgins escort the Bride and Groom to the Groom's home, where the Marriage Supper is served.   The Marriage Feast Excerpt from our book, Hidden Manna For the End Times After seven days of the marriage feast, God's people will go to the Groom's home. Jacob served seven years for each of his wives and he had a marriage feast of seven days for each of them (Gen.29:18-28). This is a parallel revelation. These seven days represent the last seven years or the seventieth week of Daniel, the Tribulation. Samson kept a seven-day marriage feast for his betrothed but left without taking her on the seventh day so she was given to another man just as the harlot will, in our day (Jdg.14:12-15:2). Jesus will feast with His Bride in spirit for seven days/years, after which they are escorted by the virgins to the Groom's home in heaven where she will legally be His. This Hebrew custom is shown in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 1976, page 97 under “Marriage”. My notes are in parentheses. The bridegroom was the king for a week (seven-day/year wedding feast). During the whole week their majesties wore their festal clothes, did not work, and merely looked on at the games – except that now and then the queen joined in a dance. Accompanied by his friends (John the Baptist was a friend of the Bridegroom in John 3:29) with tambourines and a band they went to the bride's house (which is obviously on earth) where the wedding ceremonies were to start. The bride richly dressed, adorned with jewels (Psa.45:14-15), usually wore a veil (meaning submission in 1Cor.11:5-13), which she took off only in the bridal chamber. Escorted by her companions (the virgins), the bride was led to the home of the bridegroom (heaven). This is clear. After the seven days/years of the feast, representing the Tribulation, on the eighth day, which is the day of circumcision when the flesh is cut off, the Groom, the Bride, the friends of the Groom, and the virgins, all leave dressed in their new bodies to go to the Groom's home in heaven. It will be just as when Moses and all Israel left Egypt together. Even the dead in Christ will join the procession. (1Cor.15:51) ...We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump... That the Lord takes His people after the seven days/years of the marriage feast is clearly proven by Scripture. As we have seen, a great multitude comes out of the Great Tribulation to the throne of God. (Rev.7:9) …A great multitude…out of every nation…standing before the throne and before the Lamb…. (14) …These are they that come out of the great tribulation…. Only after “the great tribulation,” this “great multitude,” which is made up of all who attend the marriage, announces that the Bride is ready and the marriage is come. (Rev.19:1) After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying…. (7)…the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (8) And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb…. Notice that the marriage supper is in heaven, after the seven-day feast on earth. Let's go back and look more closely at what will be eaten at the marriage feast. Jesus said, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves” (Joh.6:53). What does this flesh and blood symbolize spiritually, for Jesus said, “It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life” (63)? Jesus' flesh was the unleavened bread: the manna of the pure Word of God. (51) I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world. (Joh.1:14) And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us... The wine represents the blood of the life of Christ, Who is the Word. (Lev.17:11) For the life of the flesh is in the blood... Those who are obedient to attend will feast on the flesh, bread, and wine of the eternal life of Christ for the last seven days of the Tribulation. God is preparing the Man-child ministry of Revelation 12 to walk in the steps of Jesus and to once again serve this feast to the true disciples of our day. I will share more on this later. Although, to a lesser extent, this marriage feast has been served on earth since Christ first came, it is the last seven days that the majority of God's people will feast on the pure bread and wine. Natural Israel was invited to come and partake of this marriage feast in the Gospels, but most had worldly excuses and failed to feast on the life that Jesus served. (Mat.22:1) And Jesus answered and spake again in parables unto them, saying, (2) The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, (3) and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the marriage feast: and they would not come. (4) Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have made ready my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage feast. (5) But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; (6) and the rest laid hold on his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. (7) But the king was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. This was the end of the Jewish age, when in 70 A.D. the Romans slaughtered the Jews and burned Jerusalem. As they were rejecting the feast, the Gentiles were invited to partake. (Mat.22:8) Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. (9) Go ye therefore unto the partings of the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage feast. (10) And those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good (Gentiles and Jews): and the wedding was filled with guests. John the Baptist pointed out that the disciples were feasting on the Word of Jesus as a marriage feast and as a type and shadow for our day. (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is made full.   The Marriage Supper All who have been sanctified through the feast will be ready to leave for the Groom's home in heaven. (Luk.12:36) And be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their lord, when he shall return (Greek: analuo, “depart”) from the marriage feast (seven days); that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may straightway open unto him. Analuo is not translated “return” anywhere else but is correctly translated “depart” in places like Philippians 1:23 where Paul speaks of departing this life. The encyclopedia is clear that the groom, his bride, and friends, “depart” from a marriage feast of seven days and are escorted by the virgins to the groom's home. (Mat.25:1) Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. A common false teaching is that the virgins here are the bride who leaves before the seven-year tribulation. That is not only contrary to the Hebrew custom I cited above from the encyclopedia, but other experts on this say the same. I quote the famous The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim, Book III, Chapter IV. My comments are in parentheses. On the evening of the actual marriage (after the seven-day marriage feast) the bride was led from her paternal home (on earth) to that of her husband (in heaven) ….covered with the bridal veil, her long hair flowing, surrounded by her companions (bride's maids or virgins), and led by the friends of the bridegroom…some carried torches or lamps on poles (ten lamps)…. Here it is clear that the Bride and virgins are two separate entities, just as in all cultures. After the seven-year marriage feast, the virgins will accompany the Bride to the Groom's home. In Book V, Chapter VII, Edersheim explains the parable of the Ten Virgins with their lamps thus: According to Jewish authorities, it was the custom in the East to carry in a bridal procession about ten such lamps. … Ten was the number required to be present at any office or ceremony (to witness the kethubah or marriage document)…. He also says here: The ordinary Jewish marriage-procession where the bridegroom, accompanied by his groomsmen and friends, went to the bride's house, and thence conducted the bride, with her attendant maidens and friends, into his own or his parents' home.

Sermon Recap | “Jerusalem's Doom Is Sealed” (Jeremiah 21:1–14)King Zedekiah faced the Babylonian army and cried out to God for rescue—but without repentance. He wanted God's help without surrendering to His authority. Through Jeremiah, God declared that judgment was coming, not because of Babylon's strength, but because of Judah's hardened heart.Still, God's mercy remained:“I set before you the way of life and the way of death.”Key Points:When God is against us, no one can stand for us (Jeremiah 21:5).God's discipline flows from His love; His correction is meant to restore, not destroy.Surrender is the only path to life. The people had to yield to Babylon; we must yield to Christ.God desires relationship, not rescue-on-demand. He wants repentance, not just relief.Each day we face the same choice: resist or repent, rebel or return.Jerusalem's doom was sealed because her heart was sealed. Ours doesn't have to be.Let's trade stubbornness for surrender, panic for obedience, and fear for faith.If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

The book of Habakkuk is one of the twelve Minor Prophets in the Old Testament, likely written around 610–605 B.C., just before the Babylonian invasion of Judah. It is unique among prophetic books because it does not primarily address the people with God's message, but instead records a dialogue, or argument, between the prophet Habakkuk and God. Habakkuk expresses his profound struggle to reconcile God's goodness and justice with the rampant evil and injustice he sees in his own nation, Judah. Quick Summary: The book is structured around a back-and-forth between the prophet and God: Habakkuk's First Complaint (1:2-4): Habakkuk cries out to God, asking why He allows the violence and injustice in Judah to continue unchecked. God's First Answer (1:5-11): God responds that He is raising up the Babylonians (Chaldeans), a fierce and swift nation, to bring judgment upon Judah. Habakkuk's Second Complaint (1:12-2:1): Habakkuk protests, asking how a holy God can use a nation even more wicked than Judah to punish them. He questions God's justice in using the Babylonians, who are violent, ruthless, and worship their own power. God's Second Answer (2:2-20): God instructs Habakkuk to write down the vision: the Babylonians will also face inevitable judgment for their arrogance and violence through a series of five "woes." Crucially, God gives the famous promise, "the righteous shall live by his faith" (2:4), assuring Habakkuk that even if justice seems delayed, it will surely come, and the faithful must trust God in the meantime. Habakkuk's Prayer of Faith (Chapter 3): The book concludes with a poetic psalm where Habakkuk recalls God's powerful acts of deliverance in the past, leading him from a place of fear and doubt to a profound expression of joy and unwavering trust in God, even if disaster strikes all around him. The central theme is a transition from perplexity and doubt to absolute faith in God's sovereignty and ultimate justice, regardless of present circumstances.

Feeling powerless amid upheaval or uncertainty? Jennifer Slattery reflects on Daniel 1:6-9, showing how God remained with Daniel during exile and worked through him to influence a nation. This devotional reminds believers that even in times of political, social, or personal turmoil, God is sovereign, present, and always working for the good of His children. Highlights Daniel’s faithfulness in exile demonstrates God’s ability to protect, elevate, and use His people, even in foreign or difficult circumstances. God’s favor can work through unlikely individuals—including secular leaders—for His purposes. Biblical truth affirms God’s control over earthly powers (Proverbs 21:1). Darkness—whether personal, societal, or global—cannot overcome God’s light (John 1:5). Anticipating God’s work in our lives fosters hope and resilience, even amid chaos and hardship. Join the Conversation How have you seen God work in unexpected ways during challenging seasons? Share your reflections and encourage others to trust His sovereignty. Tag @LifeAudioNetwork and use #FaithInTheChaos #GodRemains #LightInTheDarkness to join the conversation.

Ashe in America, Ghost, and Eric Rice come together for a groundbreaking deep dive into the spiritual and geopolitical meaning of “Biblical Israel.” From the misinterpretations of Genesis 12:3 to the heresies of modern Christian Zionism, the trio unpacks how scripture, prophecy, and politics have been twisted to justify endless war and deception. They dissect the Ted Cruz–Tucker Carlson debate on Israel, examine Ezekiel 16's warnings against harlotry and idolatry, and trace how Babylonian religion still influences modern institutions, from the Vatican to AI “Jesus” apps. Through faith, history, and discernment, the hosts explore the end-times deception of unity without Christ, the rise of technocratic “Christian nationalism,” and the eternal battle between truth and counterfeit faith. Bold, convicting, and steeped in scripture, this Badlands special challenges believers to seek Christ—not religion—in the final days.

This part of the text may be a little confusing, so let me give a little historical context. The Babylonian siege began after King Zedekiah had been in office for nine years. This siege was lifted for a small window of time when the troops caught word that an Egyptian army was approaching. During this break, Zedekiah arrested Jeremiah because he was encouraging the men of Judah to surrender, but God commanded Jeremiah to tell them to do exactly that, to surrender. During this time, the Lord sends Jeremiah's cousin to sell Him property, and at the Lord's direction, Jeremiah buys it. Confused about the transaction, Jeremiah turns to the Lord for clarity.Jeremiah 32 - 1:04 . Jeremiah 33 - 11:46 . Proverbs 12:15 - 18:19 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Sermon Summary — Zechariah: Session 3 Text: Zechariah 3–4 Theme: “Not by Might, Nor by Power, but by My Spirit” Speaker: Pastor Matthew Robbins (LWWC) 1. Opening and Ministry Update Pastor opened with thanksgiving: in just six days, 32 new nations began listening to the church's broadcast — evidence that God's Word is reaching the world. Prayer emphasized the importance of being “found in the Word, following the Word, and structuring our lives around the Word.” Transitioned into Zechariah 3, explaining the historical background: The people of Israel had returned from Babylonian exile. The prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Nehemiah encouraged them to rebuild the temple and walls of Jerusalem. 2. The Ark and God's Faithfulness Pastor recalled the history of the Ark of the Covenant, which never changed — from Moses to David to Solomon — symbolizing God's unchanging nature. He shared conviction from the Holy Spirit: the original Ark still exists and will one day reappear when Israel rebuilds the temple. Israel has reportedly reconstructed priestly garments and temple furnishings, preparing for restoration. Key lesson: God never changes; His covenant stands forever. When the Ark reappears, it will be a global sign of God's faithfulness and sovereignty. 3. Joshua the High Priest and Filthy Garments (Zechariah 3) Vision: Joshua the high priest stands before the angel of the Lord while Satan accuses him. Joshua is clothed in filthy garments, symbolizing human sin and unworthiness — even a priest cannot stand clean before God on his own. God rebukes Satan and commands that Joshua's filthy garments be removed and replaced with rich robes and a clean turban marked “Holiness to the Lord.” Meaning: God removes iniquity and clothes His people with righteousness. Salvation is not self-earned — “We can't clean ourselves; the Lord must do it.” Application: Many people say, “I'll fix myself before I come to God.” Pastor rebuked this thinking: “You don't clean up to come to Jesus — you come to Jesus to be cleaned up.” 4. The Branch — Jesus Revealed The angel declares: “I am bringing forth My servant, the Branch.” This is a prophecy of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who removes iniquity “in one day.” That “one day” refers both to: Israel's restoration (1948 — national prophecy fulfilled in a day). Christ's crucifixion, where sin was forgiven once for all. Through Christ, believers are clothed in righteousness — the Old Testament points directly to Jesus. 5. The Vision of the Lampstand and Olive Trees (Zechariah 4) Zechariah sees a golden lampstand (menorah) with seven lamps and two olive trees beside it. The angel explains: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.” Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, was leading the rebuilding of the temple. Meaning: Human effort cannot accomplish God's work — it is only through the Holy Spirit. “Some trust in chariots and horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord.” 6. Watchman Nee and the Broken Vessel Pastor shared insights from Watchman Nee's “The Release of the Spirit.” The alabaster box story illustrates that the value is not the vessel, but what's inside. The Holy Spirit must be released through a broken life. Our cleverness or intellect can block the Spirit's flow — we must depend fully on God's Word and Spirit. True ministry touches the spirit, not merely the emotions or intellect. Key quote: “If I only tell stories but don't use the Word of God, I'm touching your soul, not your spirit.” 7. The Capstone and the Mountain God tells Zerubbabel: “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain.” Symbolic of God leveling obstacles through grace and power. “He shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace!'” The capstone (or chief cornerstone) represents Christ, the head and completion of all things. Pastor drew connections to Egypt's pyramids and ancient symbolism, explaining how the “capstone” points to unity under Christ — “the head of the body.” 8. The Two Olive Trees — Moses and Elijah The two olive trees represent the two anointed ones who “stand beside the Lord.” Pastor identified them as Moses and Elijah — symbols of the Law and the Prophets. These two appear repeatedly: On the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17). As the two witnesses in Revelation 11, prophesying during the tribulation. Moses' body was divinely preserved; Elijah was taken up without dying — both return to testify of Christ's glory. Their ministries align perfectly with Revelation's description: Elijah shuts up the heavens (no rain). Moses turns water to blood and releases plagues. 9. The Word Deposited in Us Pastor closed with a powerful exhortation: Reading and hearing Scripture is like making spiritual deposits. The Holy Spirit later draws from what you've stored. “The Holy Spirit goes to your bank account — make sure there's something in it.” God's Word feeds the spirit, not just the mind. “You don't have to retain everything — just keep putting it in. The Holy Spirit will bring it out when it's needed.” 10. Final Exhortation God's Word must govern us — not the other way around. Pastor concluded with this charge: “Don't come to the Bible trying to make it fit you. Come to it and fit yourself to it.” Closing prayer asked that the Word of God come alive, ignite prayer, and make believers a light in their generation. Key Themes God's unchanging faithfulness (the Ark). Cleansing through Christ alone. Ministry through the Spirit, not human might. The prophetic unity of the Law and the Prophets fulfilled in Jesus. Living by the Word — daily deposits of truth.

Hosts Pastor Robert Baltodano and Pastor Lloyd Pulley Question Timestamps: Mark, MA (2:48) - Matthew 27:9 contains a quote from Zechariah but says it is from Jeremiah, why is that? Enoch, NY (4:46) - What does the passage "cast your bread upon the waters" mean? Matthew, GA (6:24) - Is fasting to build our strength in prayer? Would fasting help give us control over emotions, thoughts, or ADHD? Chris, email (9:09) - How have anyone's sins been atoned for since the destruction of the temple and loss of the Ark of the Covenant? Didn't God prescribe very specific processes to receive atonement for sins? What did Jericho's walls look like? Did they sink down, flat into the ground, and preserve Rahab's house on top? Cameron, MI (13:51) - If not all descended from Israel are of Israel based on Romans 9:6-7, how does that apply with Romans 11, that all Israel will be saved and grafted in? Tony, FL (16:23) - Are the two witnesses in Revelation Enoch and Elijah? Camile, NJ (18:00) - Is my friend still a Christian if she doesn't believe in the doctrine of hell? Chris, CA (23:21) - How did the Jewish priests fulfill the law of Moses after the Babylonian exile but before Jesus was crucified? They didn't have the Ark of the Covenant to use in the sacrifices, so how did they do it? John, NJ (33:12) - If Christ was crucified on a Friday, what happened to the third night? Why do they leave the word "the" out of Jesus's name, since Christ was not his last name?  Vincent, NY (36:44) - What was Jesus talking about when he said "anyone who believes in me will do the same works I've done and even greater things?" Who has done anything "greater" than Jesus? Why did Mary name Him "Jesus" and not "Immanuel?" Michael, AL (41:03) - How should I speak to my grandmother who believes Jesus came to deconstruct the God of the Old Testament? Robert, email (47:10) - I've been struggling with addiction. Do you believe people can change? If we can, can we change for our betterment? Edwin, NJ (50:20) - Is it acceptable to be cremated as a follower of Jesus Christ? Kate, email (51:53) - As a new believer, do I need to find everyone I ever lied to and tell them the truth in order to be truly forgiven by God? Ask Your Question: 888-712-7434 Answers@bbtlive.org

This part of the text may be a little confusing, so let me give a little historical context. The Babylonian siege began after King Zedekiah had been in office for nine years. This siege was lifted for a small window of time when the troops caught word that an Egyptian army was approaching. During this break, Zedekiah arrested Jeremiah because he was encouraging the men of Judah to surrender, but God commanded Jeremiah to tell them to do exactly that. During this time, the Lord sends Jeremiah's cousin to sell Him property, and at the Lord's direction, Jeremiah buys it. Confused about the transaction, Jeremiah turns to the Lord for clarity.Jeremiah 32 - 1:15 . Jeremiah 33 - 11:42 . Jeremiah 34 - 18:51 . Psalm 119:129-144 - 24:26 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength. Ezra and Nehemiah worked together to rebuild Jerusalem following the Babylonian sacking of 586 BCE. Along the way they re-established Israel's religious identity, including this scene of reading re-discovered scripture, with interpreters helping the people understand. And when the people are overwhelmed by the beauty? challenge? of what they've heard, they're overcome with emotion, even weeping. But Nehemiah says the more appropriate response is joy – because it's not too late, because God is ready to receive us even when we're late. To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or Zelle (generosity@galileohurch.org), or just send a check to P.O. Box 668, Kennedale, TX 76060

In our fourth episode of the season of Numbers, we go over the Balaam Tales, which are a funny fable about Jeremiah, who worked for the Babylonians to doom the Hebrews Join our tribe on Patreon! Check out these cool pages on the podcast's website:Home PageWho wrote the Bible: Timeline and authorsAncient maps: easy to follow maps to see which empire ruled what and whenClick here to see Exodus divided into "sources" according to the Documentary Hypothesis The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

In sixth century B.C., Nebuchadnezzar was the absolute monarch of the Babylonian empire. He'd built maybe the most incredible city in history. He was at the pinnacle of power, and his life fell apart anyway. And here's the incredible part: he's glad it happened! He praises God for having done it. Do you know why? Because he says, “There was a spiritual cancer in me. There was something in me that was so bad, it was so dangerous, it had poisoned my soul so deeply that even as drastic as the treatment was, it was worth it to get it out of my soul.” What was it? Pride. Spiritual pride. Could it be that we need to know the same lesson he learned? This text teaches us four things: it tells us about 1) the sleep of pride, 2) the heart of pride, 3) the outcome of pride, and 4) the healing of pride. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 5, 1995. Series: The Seven Deadly Sins. Scripture: Daniel 4:24-37. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Ezra 5-6; Psalm 138; Luke 16 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this October 3rd episode, join your host Hunter as we journey together through Day 277 of our year-long exploration of scripture. Today, we'll open the pages of Ezra chapters 5 and 6, where we witness the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and God's faithfulness to His people. We'll pause with David in Psalm 138 to reflect on gratitude and God's loving kindness. Then, we'll dive into Luke 16, where Jesus shares parables about stewardship, faithfulness, and the powerful story of the rich man and Lazarus—a timely reminder about the true riches found in God, not in material wealth. Along the way, Hunter offers reflections on heart posture, spiritual blindness, and the gift of being “named” and known by God. He closes with heartfelt prayers and practical encouragement to care for both body and soul, reminding us all that as we seek God together—no matter where we are in the world—we are deeply loved. So, grab your Bible, settle in, and let's walk this path of faith together today. The Story of the Named and Nameless: Faith, Riches, and Resurrection Lessons from Ezra, Psalms, and Luke: The Blessings of Faith and Humility Sitting with the Named Ones: Discovering Faith Beyond Riches Ezra's Restoration, David's Praise, and Jesus' Parables on Faithfulness Blindness of Wealth and the Hope of Resurrection: Insights from Luke 16 Walking in Faith: Rebuilding Hearts and Homes in God's Name From Exile to Celebration: God's Faithfulness Through Ezra, Psalms, and Luke Learning Humility and Hope from the Table of Abraham and Lazarus Faith That Sees: Overcoming the Blindness of Comfort and Riches Daily Reading, Daily Renewal: Finding Joy and Strength in God's Word Sure! Here are 30 topical keywords covered in this transcript: Ezra, Temple rebuilding, King Darius, King Cyrus, Jerusalem, Passover, exile, burnt offerings, Haggai, Zechariah, Persian kings, gold and silver cups, Babylonian exile, Psalm 138, worship, faithfulness, God's promises, prayer, humility, protection, resurrection, New Testament, Luke 16, parables, rich man and Lazarus, wealth, generosity, repentance, Moses and the Prophets, eternal life, daily devotion Hunter's Story (Short Bio Format): During a critical period in Jerusalem's history, when the city's temple lay in ruins, Hunter found himself among a resilient group determined to restore what was lost. Inspired by the voices of prophets like Haggai and Zechariah, who urged the people to rebuild in the name of their God, Hunter joined Zerubbabel and Jeshua in rekindling the effort to reconstruct the Temple. Their work soon attracted attention from the authorities: Tataniah, the governor west of the Euphrates, accompanied by his associates, challenged the project, demanding to know who had authorized the reconstruction. Despite the obstacles and scrutiny, Hunter and his companions persevered, guided by faith and the encouragement of the prophets—striving to restore both their temple and their community spirit. Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this October 3rd episode, join your host Hunter as we journey together through Day 277 of our year-long exploration of scripture. Today, we'll open the pages of Ezra chapters 5 and 6, where we witness the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and God's faithfulness to His people. We'll pause with David in Psalm 138 to reflect on gratitude and God's loving kindness. Then, we'll dive into Luke 16, where Jesus shares parables about stewardship, faithfulness, and the powerful story of the rich man and Lazarus—a timely reminder about the true riches found in God, not in material wealth. Along the way, Hunter offers reflections on heart posture, spiritual blindness, and the gift of being “named” and known by God. He closes with heartfelt prayers and practical encouragement to care for both body and soul, reminding us all that as we seek God together—no matter where we are in the world—we are deeply loved. So, grab your Bible, settle in, and let's walk this path of faith together today. Absolutely! Here are 10 thoughtful discussion questions based on the October 3rd, 2025 episode of the Daily Radio Bible: Reflecting on Ezra 5-6, what stood out to you about the rebuilding of the Temple and the challenges the Jews faced? How did God's intervention influence the outcome? In Psalm 138, David expresses deep gratitude and trust in God's faithfulness. Are there recent moments in your life where you experienced God's faithfulness in a personal way? In Luke 16, Jesus shares the parable of the shrewd manager. What lessons do you think Jesus wanted us to learn about stewardship, honesty, and the use of worldly resources? The story of the rich man and Lazarus highlights issues of wealth, privilege, and compassion. How do you see these themes playing out in your own life or in your community? Hunter discusses being blinded by riches and what it means to ‘forget your name.' In practical terms, what are ways we can guard our hearts against spiritual blindness or self-centeredness? What role do faith and trust play in our interactions with others, especially those in need, as reflected in the teachings of this episode? The episode highlights “the named ones”—those remembered in scripture for their faith. Who are the ‘named ones' in your own spiritual journey that inspire you? Hunter encourages listeners to take care of both body and soul. How do you balance spiritual and physical well-being in your daily life? Prayer is central to this episode. How has prayer—either through traditional prayers like the Lord's Prayer, or your own spontaneous prayers—shaped your relationship with God? The episode ends with the reminder that ‘you are loved.' How does knowing and internalizing God's love change the way you approach daily challenges and relationships? Feel free to use these questions for personal reflection or group discussion! Certainly! Here's a comprehensive sequence of topics covered in the episode "Daily Radio Bible – October 3rd, 2025," with sub-topic bullets for each primary topic: 1. Introduction and Purpose of the Podcast Hunter greets listeners and notes the date and day of the Bible journey. Introduces himself as a Bible reading coach, journeying with listeners daily. Emphasizes the goal: to let the Bible guide towards the Living Word, Jesus. 2. Daily Scripture Readings Book of Ezra (Chapters 5 and 6) Prophets Haggai and Zechariah encourage the rebuilding of the temple. Opposition from local officials and the intervention of King Darius. King Darius confirms Cyrus's decree allowing the rebuilding and orders resources to be provided. Celebration and dedication of the completed temple. Celebration of Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Psalm 138 David gives thanks and praises God's unfailing love and faithfulness. Emphasis on God's care for the humble and protection in times of trouble. Affirmation of God's enduring faithful love and the plea not to be abandoned. Luke 16 Parable of the shrewd manager, focusing on faithfulness with worldly resources. Teaching on the impossibility of serving both God and money. Critique of the Pharisees' value system. Parable of the rich man and Lazarus, highlighting the consequences of hard-heartedness and blindness to spiritual poverty. 3. Reflection and Commentary on the Readings Focus on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Contrast between the nameless rich man (representing spiritual blindness) and Lazarus (a named, faithful individual). Warning about the hardening of heart due to wealth and reliance on status. Emphasis on the hope of resurrection and being known—having a name—by God. The importance of living by faith rather than trusting wealth or reputation. 4. Prayer and Personal Application Multiple prayers for guidance, protection, and for God's purposes to be fulfilled. Petition for peace, love, understanding, and living out God's will in practical ways. Gratitude expressed for God's mercies, creation, and redemption. 5. Practical Encouragement and Farewell Hunter encourages listeners to also take care of their physical bodies (e.g., taking a walk, enjoying nature). Affirms the value of time spent investing in the soul and spirit through Scripture. Personal anecdote about enjoying disc golf and being mindful of seasonal changes. Invitation to return for the next podcast episode and a reminder of God's love for each listener. This episode weaves together Scripture reading, reflection, prayer, and practical life encouragement, offering both spiritual insight and daily life application for listeners. Today we dove deep into the wisdom of Ezra, Psalms, and Luke, exploring how faith, gratitude, and humility can transform both our personal and professional lives. We learned that true success isn't measured by wealth or status, but by the richness of our soul and our generosity toward others. Remember: Invest in what truly matters—your character, your purpose, and your impact on those around you. Let every day be an opportunity to build lasting value, both in business and in life. Absolutely! Here's a LinkedIn post inspired by the October 3rd, 2025 episode of the Daily Radio Bible podcast: On today's episode of the Daily Radio Bible, I was reminded of the power of faith, perspective, and gratitude. Hunter took us through passages from Ezra, Psalms, and Luke—forming a moving meditation on humility, spiritual focus, and the value of small, daily investments in our souls. Here are three key takeaways that resonated with me: Guard against the blindness of privilege: The story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16) serves as a reminder not to let wealth or comfort blind us to our own need for God or the needs of others. Faithfulness in little things matters: Whether it's tending to the tasks at hand, caring for your health, or nurturing your relationships—Hunter encourages us to value the daily “little things” that shape our character. Invest in what truly pays off: As Hunter beautifully put it, spending time listening, reflecting, and drawing near to God is an investment that yields lifelong dividends, unlike many of the distractions that vie for our attention. Let's prioritize what's truly valuable—both in our spiritual journeys and our day-to-day routines. Have you made time lately for what matters most? #DailyRadioBible #Faith #PersonalGrowth #SpiritualWellness #Gratitude Subject: Feasting with the Named Ones – DRB Newsletter for October 3, 2025 Dear DRB Family, Grace and peace to you on this beautiful October day! As always, thank you for joining us on our daily journey through the Bible. Our latest episode, "October 3rd, 2025," is now available, and we're so glad you could share in this time around the warmth of God's love. Today's Readings: Ezra 5-6 Psalm 138 Luke 16 Highlights from This Episode In today's reading, we revisited the incredible story of how faith, perseverance, and God's providence enabled the Israelites to rebuild the temple amidst opposition. As we learned from Ezra, even earthly kings like Cyrus and Darius can become surprising instruments in God's redemption story. Psalm 138 reminded us of God's constant faithfulness, while in Luke 16, Jesus offered the stirring parable of the rich man and Lazarus. A Reflection on Names, Riches, and Faith Host Hunter shared a poignant meditation on the difference between the “named ones” and the nameless in Jesus's story. While the rich man in the parable was left without a name—lost in his riches and blind to his need for God—Lazarus was named, honored, and welcomed at Abraham's side. The reminder for us: our trust belongs not in wealth or reputation, but in the God who raises the humble and knows us by name. Let us nurture hearts that recognize our need for God and rejoice in the gifts—both earthly and eternal—that He freely gives. Daily Encouragement Hunter also encouraged us to move our bodies in gratitude for the life we have, just as we invest time nourishing our souls with Scripture. Whether it's a walk outdoors, a gentle stretch, or simply deep breaths of fresh air, these moments can remind us of God's presence. Let's Pray Together As always, this episode closed with heartfelt prayers of thanksgiving, intercession, and the Lord's Prayer—rooting us in God's goodness and mercy each new day. Action Steps: Take some time today to move your body and thank God for the life and breath you've been given. Reflect on the ways God has named and loved you, regardless of your circumstances. Invite someone to listen to today's episode and join our community of daily Bible readers. Thank you for investing these precious moments into your soul. Until next time, remember: you are loved. In His love, The Daily Radio Bible Team P.S. Have feedback or a prayer request? We'd love to hear from you—just reply to this email! And don't forget to take time to breathe, move, and let God's joy be your strength today. [Listen to the episode] [Visit our podcast page] [Support the DRB]