Podcasts about before christ

Send us a textThe promise of grace has always been God's plan. Through repetition worthy of a hit song, the Apostle Paul hammers home this life-changing truth to the Galatian church: salvation comes through faith alone, not works of the law.Diving deep into Galatians, we explore what Paul calls "the foolish Galatians" who had been bewitched into thinking their justification required something beyond faith in Christ. The message resonates with alarming clarity—there is nothing in us that warrants justification. We are dead in sin and trespasses, utterly incapable of choosing salvation without divine intervention.This powerful truth challenges our modern notions of free will and human agency. While many preachers softly suggest that sinners should "just accept Christ," Paul presents a more sobering reality: repentance isn't an invitation but a command from the sovereign God. We're not negotiating terms with our Creator; we're being called to submission before the only mediator between God and humanity.The culmination of this teaching appears in Galatians 4:1-7, where Paul uses the analogy of inheritance to demonstrate our transition from slavery to sonship. Before Christ, we were like children under guardians and stewards—the law—but "when the fullness of time had come," God sent His Son to redeem us from bondage and adopt us as His children. Now, through faith, we have the Spirit of God's Son in our hearts, enabling us to cry "Abba, Father" with genuine intimacy.This message transcends theological discussion—it transforms identity. When we grasp that our salvation rests entirely on Christ's finished work rather than our efforts, we experience a freedom that permeates every aspect of life. Have you embraced this freedom? Are you still trying to earn what can only be received as a gift through faith?Support the show

The phrase “dead to sin” comes from Romans 6:11: “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Here, the contrast is made that to be “dead to sin” is to be “alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Today, Pastor Dan will remind you that those who have come to faith in Jesus are no longer to allow sin to control their lives. Instead, you should offer yourselves to God to serve His purposes. Before Christ, you were a “slave” to sin. Now you have a new Master and can be a slave to righteousness. 

Before Christ, we were without hope, without God, separated by an insurmountable wall. But Jesus changed everything!He didn't just knock on the wall – He broke it down. He didn't just invite us to visit – He made us family. He didn't just give us peace – He IS our peace.Now, in Christ, we're no longer strangers or foreigners. We're citizens of God's kingdom, members of His household.Don't live like you're still on the outside looking in. The wall is down. In Jesus, you are HOME.

The Outer Realm welcomes Maxim W. Furek Host: Michelle Desrochers Date: July 9th, 2025 Episode: 586 Discussion : Max will be discussing his book "Coal Region Hoodoo - Paranormal Tales From Inside The Pit" Contact for the show - theouterrealmcontact@gmail.com Rumble: TheOuterRealm X - MicheleDerocher Website: www.theouterrealmradio.com Please support us by Liking, Subscribing, Sharing and Commenting. Thank you all !!! About Maxim W. Furek -Maxim Furek's rich background includes aspects of psychology, addictions, music journalism, and the paranormal. He has a master's degree in communications from Bloomsburg University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Aquinas College. Maxim has interviewed celebrity demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren and white witch Dr. Frederick Lamonte Santee. He was featured on Coast to Coast with George Noory, Exploring the Bizarre with the legendary Timothy Green Beckley and Tim R. Swartz, and Art Bell's Midnight in the Desert with Heather Wade. Maxim has written numerous rock biographies and paranormal-themes books, including: —The Lost Tribes of Bigfoot, published by Hangar 1, with the innovative Immersive Book Technology (IBT), documents an extensive timeline of Big Foot sightings over the years, offering a glimpse into the cultural and historical contexts in which these sightings have occurred. —Sheppton: The Myth, Miracle, and Music was featured on Australia's Mysterious Universe and on numerous podcasts. —The Death Proclamation of Generation X: A Self-Fulfilling Prophesy of Goth, Grunge, and Heroin has been used at Penn State University as “recommended reading” for “Introduction to Abnormal Psychology” and “Health Psychology.” —Flying Saucer Esoteric: The Altered States of Ufology explores the chronology of “flying saucers,” tracing historical accounts of theologians and astronomers who lived in the days Before Christ to the 2023 Congressional hearings and the Mexican alien corpses. —Coal Region Hoodoo: Paranormal Tales from Inside the Pit has been described as “A fascinating look into Pennsylvania's paranormal wormhole through a never-seen-before sociological and popular culture lens.” He is a respected contributor to Fate Magazine, and Paranormal Underground, showcasing his expertise and knowledge in the field. He will be the guest speaker at the 2025 Butler (PA) Paranormal Conference and the ECBRO Virginia Bigfoot Expo. About the Book: With Coal Region Hoodoo, Maxim W. Furek continues his exploration of high strangeness inside the Pennsylvania wormhole that gave birth to The Night of the Living Dead, The Blob, and The Philadelphia Experiment. His journey takes us beyond the netherworlds of Centralia, Sheppton, Chestnut Ridge, and The Pennhurst Asylum. It looks into the eyes of demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren and the twisted souls of serial killer Gary Heidnik and con artist Richard Sharpe Shaver while exploring the preternatural secrets of Bigfoot, cryptids, Kecksburg, The Smurl Haunting, Pennsylvania Dutch Powwowing, and Roman Catholic Mysticism. Miners claim that being trapped in the bottom of a coal mine is as close as one can ever get to being in Hell. Coal Region Hoodoo takes us even closer inside that forbidden, paranormal pit. Amazon: https://a.co/d/0Q6uihl WEBSITE: www.maximfurek.com If you enjoy the content on the channel, please support us by subscribing: Thank you All A formal disclosure: The opinions and information presented or expressed by guests on The Outer Realm Radio and Beyond The Outer Realm are not necessarily those of the TOR, BTOR Hosts, Sponsors, or the United Public Radio Network and its producers. Although the content may be interesting, it is deemed "For Entertainment Purposes" . We are always be respectful and courteous to all involved. Thank you, we appreciate you all!

What is the meaning of BC and AD (B.C. and A.D.)? What does Anno Domini mean? Does B.C. mean Before Christ? What is the meaning of BCE and CE (B.C.E. and C.E.)?

In Galatians 4, Paul draws a bold line between spiritual slavery and true sonship—and if you've ever felt trapped by religious performance like in Mormonism, this chapter is your invitation to step into the freedom of being fully adopted by God through faith in Christ alone.--The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --Galatians 4 | From Slavery to SonshipTheme: Freedom in Christ vs. LDS Legalism and Spiritual BondageLast time in Galatians 3, Paul made it crystal clear: Salvation comes by faith in Christ—not by keeping the law. Paul dismantled the idea that law-keeping could ever make someone right with God.He pointed to Abraham, showing that even he was saved by faith long before the law was given. Paul explained that the law was like a temporary guardian or tutor, showing us our sin but never designed to save us.The big takeaway from Chapter 3: We are made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ—not by religious performance or obedience to commandments.Where Galatians 4 Picks Up:Now, in chapter 4, Paul continues that argument—but he shifts the focus to something deeply relational. He introduces the beautiful truth that believers aren't just forgiven sinners—they're adopted children of God!Paul uses family language—sons, heirs, adoption, Abba Father—to contrast the cold slavery of law-based religion with the warm relationship of grace-based Christianity.This next section will especially hit home for LDS listeners, because Mormonism still keeps people under law, denies full adoption until after lifelong worthiness, and often replaces a personal relationship with God with institutional loyalty and religious performance.Let's dive into Galatians 4: From Slavery to Sonship.Section 1: Galatians 4:1-7 | From Slaves to Sons: Relationship by Faith, Not LawPaul starts with a cultural illustration. In ancient times, heirs had no more rights than slaves until their father declared them full sons.Jewish context: Age 12, "son of the law"Greek context: Coming of age around 18Roman context (likely Paul's audience): The father chose the time for full adoption and inheritanceSpiritual point: Before Christ, people lived like spiritual minors—under guardianship, lacking freedom.Galatians 4:3 says we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world—elemental spiritual forces linked to pagan gods and demonic powers.Modern LDS Parallel:Many LDS today engage in spiritualistic practices: energy healing, chakra work, astrology apps, spirit communication, manifestation, and lightworking. Mormonism's openness to extra-biblical revelation makes this trend possible and widespread.God's Rescue Mission Through Christ (Galatians 4:4-5):Jesus came at God's appointed time to redeem those under the law. Not just freedom from slavery—but full adoption as sons and daughters.Result (Galatians...

In Galatians 4, Paul draws a bold line between spiritual slavery and true sonship—and if you've ever felt trapped by religious performance like in Mormonism, this chapter is your invitation to step into the freedom of being fully adopted by God through faith in Christ alone.--The Unveiling Mormonism podcast pulls back the curtain on Mormon history, culture and doctrine. Join us for new episodes every Monday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org/mormonism.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --Galatians 4 | From Slavery to SonshipTheme: Freedom in Christ vs. LDS Legalism and Spiritual BondageLast time in Galatians 3, Paul made it crystal clear: Salvation comes by faith in Christ—not by keeping the law. Paul dismantled the idea that law-keeping could ever make someone right with God.He pointed to Abraham, showing that even he was saved by faith long before the law was given. Paul explained that the law was like a temporary guardian or tutor, showing us our sin but never designed to save us.The big takeaway from Chapter 3: We are made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ—not by religious performance or obedience to commandments.Where Galatians 4 Picks Up:Now, in chapter 4, Paul continues that argument—but he shifts the focus to something deeply relational. He introduces the beautiful truth that believers aren't just forgiven sinners—they're adopted children of God!Paul uses family language—sons, heirs, adoption, Abba Father—to contrast the cold slavery of law-based religion with the warm relationship of grace-based Christianity.This next section will especially hit home for LDS listeners, because Mormonism still keeps people under law, denies full adoption until after lifelong worthiness, and often replaces a personal relationship with God with institutional loyalty and religious performance.Let's dive into Galatians 4: From Slavery to Sonship.Section 1: Galatians 4:1-7 | From Slaves to Sons: Relationship by Faith, Not LawPaul starts with a cultural illustration. In ancient times, heirs had no more rights than slaves until their father declared them full sons.Jewish context: Age 12, "son of the law"Greek context: Coming of age around 18Roman context (likely Paul's audience): The father chose the time for full adoption and inheritanceSpiritual point: Before Christ, people lived like spiritual minors—under guardianship, lacking freedom.Galatians 4:3 says we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world—elemental spiritual forces linked to pagan gods and demonic powers.Modern LDS Parallel:Many LDS today engage in spiritualistic practices: energy healing, chakra work, astrology apps, spirit communication, manifestation, and lightworking. Mormonism's openness to extra-biblical revelation makes this trend possible and widespread.God's Rescue Mission Through Christ (Galatians 4:4-5):Jesus came at God's appointed time to redeem those under the law. Not just freedom from slavery—but full adoption as sons and daughters.Result (Galatians...

Life in the Spirit: Beyond the Obvious This week, Andy continued our series on "Life in the Spirit," diving deep into what it truly means to be led by the Holy Spirit. He challenged our common assumptions, moving beyond ideas of just "hearing God" or "experiencing the Holy Spirit" to uncover a more foundational truth found in Paul's letter to the Romans. Andy opened with a vivid story from his recent trip to South Wales, where he and Angie encountered an ultra-marathon photographer. This photographer was positioned near the end of a gruelling 100-mile race, ready to capture the exhausted but exhilarated runners. He highlighted the crucial role of arrows pointing the way to the finish line, but more importantly, the extensive training the runners undertook to even begin such a race. This analogy set the stage: while guidance and exciting experiences are part of the Spirit's work, there's something far more fundamental – the "training" that equips us for the long haul of faith. Turning to Romans 8:12-17, Andy explained that Paul, despite his own profound encounters with the Holy Spirit (like on the road to Damascus, Acts 9), doesn't focus on visions or gifts when describing being "led by the Spirit." Instead, he points to a radical, daily transformation. The context of Romans 8, Andy reminded us, is the tension of living in the "now, but not yet." As Christians, we've inherited a glorious future free from pain and death, yet we live in a present reality filled with challenges. The Holy Spirit, he explained, is actively at work in this tension, helping us navigate it. Andy then broke down several key works of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the earlier verses of Romans 8: Freedom from sin and death (Romans 8:2): The Spirit sets us free from the old law of sin and death, establishing new consequences for our lives. A new mindset (Romans 8:4-5): We are called to live according to the Spirit, having our minds set on what the Spirit desires, not on our sinful nature's desires. This is a profound shift from a self-centred life to a God-centred one. Life and peace (Romans 8:6): A mind controlled by the Spirit leads to life and peace, in stark contrast to the death that comes from a sinful mind. Andy emphasized the ongoing "war" within us, urging us to choose to follow the Spirit's leading. Life for our mortal bodies (Romans 8:11): If the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, He will also give life to our mortal bodies – a stirring promise of hope and resurrection power at work within us now. The core of Andy's message, drawn from Romans 8:13, revealed what it truly means to be led by the Spirit: "If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." This is strong language. It's not about tolerating sin, burying our heads in the sand, or just "putting up with" our sinful nature. It's about actively, with the Spirit's power, killing off those self-centred desires and actions that cut us off from God's plan and the fullness He has for us. Once something is dead, it's dead. This is the "engine room" of our spiritual lives, the foundational work that enables us to grow and develop. Andy then linked this to Romans 8:12, explaining our "obligation." Before Christ, we were obligated to our sinful nature, driven by selfish desires. But now, having surrendered our lives to Jesus and with the Spirit at work, we have a different obligation: to live according to the Spirit. This isn't about rules or duty, but about responding to God's love and His desire to bring joy, peace, love, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness into our lives. The glorious outcome of being led by the Spirit in this way, as highlighted in Romans 8:14-17, is that we become children of God. We are no longer slaves to fear, but adopted sons and daughters, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, inheriting all that Jesus has. This relationship frees us from a life of duty and rules, inviting us into a loving relationship with our Heavenly Father. Andy concluded with practical steps on how to live this out: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin: What does He want us to deal with? Learn and stand on God's Word: Memorize verses like Romans 8:11 to use as a weapon against temptation. Kiss goodbye to feelings as a driver: Choose to believe God's Word over fleeting emotions. Fix our eyes on Jesus: Remember it's about relationship, not rules. Confess our sins: As 1 John 1:9 says, if we confess, God is faithful to forgive and purify. This breaks sin's stranglehold. Challenge assumptions: Don't cling to "this is just who I am." The Spirit has made you a new creation! Stop dressing up sin: See it for what it truly is – a deceptive lie from the enemy. Christ died to free us from everything opposed to God. To be led by the Spirit means a radical rethinking of our lives, learning to put sin to death and choosing instead to stand in the life Jesus promised. You are a son or daughter of God – it's time to walk into more of your inheritance! Bible References: Romans 8 (specifically Romans 8:2, 8:4, 8:5, 8:6, 8:10, 8:11, 8:12, 8:13, 8:14, 8:15, 8:16, 8:17) Acts 9 (implied, road to Damascus) 1 Corinthians (implied, communion) 1 John 1:9 James (implied, confess sins to one another) Transcript pray for me in order to fit the microphone in the pocket of these trousers, I've had to give my wallet to my wife. So, it's always a risky thing. So, we're continuing our series this morning on what it is to, on what life in the Spirit is all about. Nick kicked it off last week. If you've got a Bible or an app or whatever, you might want to turn to Romans 8. We're going to be looking at some verses in there in a minute. But I wonder if I asked you a question, what does it mean to be led by the Spirit? I wonder what sort of answers I would get because I kind of think probably most of us would say, well, it means about hearing God, doesn't it? It means about God guiding us. It means about experiencing the Holy Spirit and getting a sense of what that is, which is kind of your initial reaction. But as we're going to see, actually, when Paul got the opportunity to write about it, that's not what he said. So, we're going to look at that in a minute. Just a couple of weeks ago, Angie and I had a chance to get away for a few days in Pembroke in South Wales. And one of the days there, we were walking along the coastal path there. And as we were walking along the path, we come across this guy sat on a chair, banging the middle of the path. And he had one of these massive cameras with him. And I thought, oh, he's doing some wildlife photography or something like that. And so, we started chatting to him. He wasn't doing that, actually. He was a sports photographer. And apparently, there was a race taking place. And he was sat there on the path because he was expecting some runners to come. And he lined himself up to get a beautiful backdrop. And he's really sweaty runners to come around and capture their photograph. And it turns out there was a race going on called an ultra. Who knew? Some of you probably do. And in an ultra race, apparently, you run 100 miles. Whoa. And so, these were guys that had set off running at midnight the previous day and were still running. And the race was going to finish in the village next to where we were. So, he was set up near the finishing line to capture if anybody actually made it. But Angie and I went and sat down. And actually, it was quite a nice day. We sat down in the field and had a bit of lunch. And we could see the runners coming along. And we noticed as they ran along the coastal path, you come to sort of a stile to get to the next bit. And there were these big arrows on the stile pointing them to go up the field and leave that coastal path. And the arrows, obviously, were really important because if you run, like, 99 miles, you don't suddenly want to find yourself going the wrong way, do you? So, they were showing them the way to the end. And obviously, when they got to the end, I mean, A, they'd be really exhausted, for sure. But you can just imagine the sense of exhilaration, of celebration, and achievement, and excitement that you've done about that race. And yet, as I thought about it, you know, that's great, isn't it? But actually, what's really important for those runners is they all had to do an awful lot of training in the first place to get their bodies in the kind of shape and fitness and stamina where they could cope with running 100 miles. And that in some ways is far more important for them than the arrows pointing in the right direction or the sense of celebration when they finish. Because if they put the training in, if they manage what they eat, if they put the exercise in, they get up early and go practicing and they build up the stamina to run that sort of distance, then they can go on and do it again and again and again. And in some ways, what we're going to see this morning is that, you know, we think about the Holy Spirit being something that leads us, like those arrows, points us in the right direction of where we want to go. Or we think about the experience of the Holy Spirit being exactly that, something that's exciting and stirring. But actually what we're going to see, there's something far more fundamental, far more foundational, far more set up to help us last the journey and cause us to grow and develop as we walk this race with Jesus. Walk this race, I didn't mean that. But, and it's interesting because we look at, you think about Paul who wrote these verses we're going to look at. This is Paul who encountered the Holy Spirit, encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. Wow, what an experience, right? And it was blinded and then led to the house of Cornelius where he's prayed for and eventually he's seized. This is the same Paul who writes in the book of Acts that the Holy Spirit prevented us from entering Asia and preaching the word. This is the same Paul who says we saw the vision of the man of Macedonia pleading with us to come over. And so in that sense he's led by the Spirit. This is the same Paul who is the only guy in the New Testament that gives us any detail about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And yet when he writes about what it is to be led by the Spirit, that isn't where he goes. That's not what he teaches us. So we're going to get into this. I'm just going to read Romans 8 verses 12 to 17 in the NIV if you've got that. And this is what he says. Paul says, Therefore brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the sinful nature to live according to the sinful nature, but to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a Spirit again that makes you, the Spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you receive the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry Abba Father. The Spirit himself testifies of our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. So the context of this chapter, Paul is explaining how as Christians we live in this tension of living in the now, but the not yet. As Christians who have been born again, who have encountered Jesus and have chosen to follow Jesus, we have inherited something and we are heading towards a place where there will be no more pain, no more sickness, no more death. And we're heading towards all of that. And yet at the same time, we live in the tension of the now, that goes on now. And when we pray for healing, we're praying for the not yet to break through into the now and things like that. And we're called to do that, but it's difficult, isn't it? Because we live in this tension, but that is the promises of God that we will enjoy. But right now it's a bit of a challenge. So Paul is saying in this chapter how living in that tension, the Holy Spirit is at work in you and in me and helping us as we do that. Last week, Nick was talking about the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing us to Christ in the first place and how we choose to follow Jesus, the Holy, it's that work of the Holy Spirit to cause us to be born again in that language. What Paul is saying here, having done that, this is now the work of the Holy Spirit in your life and in my life day by day. And I kind of wonder, this is almost like the small print, right? Nicodemus got the headline story of you need the Holy Spirit to enable you to be born again, but this is the small print. Once you've done that, here's what's going to happen. And so as we read this, that's what Paul is talking about. And so in the early part of the chapter 8, he sets out a number of things that the Holy Spirit is doing in your life and in mine. So in verse 2 we read, the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death. So the first thing, the Holy Spirit has set you free. Why not feel like that? Well, come on to that. But the Spirit is at work in you. He has set you free from the law of sin and death. There are different consequences to our lives. Now we are following the Spirit of God than before we did that. In verse 4, Paul writes, we do not live according to the sinful nature, but we live according to the Spirit. And in verse 5, we do not live according to the sinful nature, having our mindset on what that nature desires, but instead we live according to the Spirit, having our mindset on what the Spirit desires. So Paul is saying as we follow Jesus and if we're the Holy Spirit is at work in us, then what we are doing, we are thinking about, what is it that the Holy Spirit desires? What does God desire for me? What does God desire for my life? What does God desire for the people that I am involved with? What does God desire for the community where I live? Because before we knew God, we had our mindset on what I want. And he's making this massive contrast between life following Jesus and life before we did that. And he goes on in verse 6, the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace, but the mind of sinful man is death. What is controlling your mind today? What is controlling my mind today? See, what Paul is painting a picture here, there's a war going on. And I think we all identify with this, right? And there's a voice saying, oh, this is what you should do. You should do what you want to do. And then there's another voice saying, hang on, Jesus gave his life for you and you're trying to follow him. You should be doing what he's asking you to do. And Paul is describing this war that goes on and this tension that goes on in our lives and how the Holy Spirit is at work. And he's making the point that he's urging us to be men and women who choose to follow what the Holy Spirit is saying to us in terms of how we live our lives. And he goes on in verse 11, if the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in us, he will give life to our mortal bodies. If the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in you, he will give life to you, to me. But I mean, that is such a stirring thing, right? We need to grab a hold of that and let that sink in and come back to that. He makes all these statements about the work of the Spirit in our lives in contrast to the works of what he calls the sinful nature, in contrast to a life that is about pursuing what we want and a self-centered thing that drives us. And then we get to our passage. And so in verse 14, we read, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. But when he says that, we need to understand what comes before because, right? Because he says something and then he says because those who are led by the Spirit of God. So what does it mean particularly to be led by the Spirit of God? And if we go back one verse in verse 13, we see that. We read this, he says, for if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die. But if by the Spirit of God you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Or in another version, but if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. This is strong language. If by the Holy Spirit you put to death those deeds of the sinful nature, that work of the sinful, if by the Holy Spirit you put to death those things that are driven out of self-centeredness, that are driven out of what you want to do and that are not part of what God has in plan for you. He says we are to kill it. We are to put it to death. We are to get rid of it. You see, once something is dead, that's it. It doesn't come back. There's no more life. It is dead. He does not say, but through the power of the Spirit you put up with the sin in your life. He doesn't say through the power of the Spirit, don't worry about that, just keep going, don't worry about those things that are part of the sinful nature. He doesn't say through the power of the Spirit just bury your head in the sand and carry on as if nothing happens. No, he says through the power of the Spirit we are to be men and women who are putting to death those things that are cutting us off from God's plan for our lives and the richness and the fullness and the love and the passion that God has for you and we are to put them to death. And then he says that's what it means to be led by the Spirit. Wow, so it's a putting to death the deeds of our sinful nature. It's not about speaking in tongues, it's not about having visions, it's not about seeing signs although those things clearly follow, but it is instead what Paul is saying if we truly want to be men and women who are led by the Spirit then we are to be a people working with the power of the Spirit in our lives to put to death what he calls those deeds of the sinful nature and I kind of guess that most of you can think what they are in your own life. It's the Holy Spirit that is the active agent counteracting sin in our lives and a people led by the Spirit are allowing that to happen. That's why this is such a foundational fundamental thing because we are to go through our lives this never stops right then we have to go through our lives to keep doing this keep coming back to God keep coming back to Jesus and say Lord what else is there something in my life that needs to be dealt with needs to be addressed and then I want to trust the Holy Spirit to help me to put that to death. And then if we go back one more verse, verse 12, he says therefore brothers we have an obligation right if you rent a house you have an obligation to pay rent if you borrowed a mortgage to buy a house you have an obligation to pay it back and Paul is saying we as Christians as followers of we as Christians as followers of Jesus we have an obligation. He says but it's not to live according to the sinful nature so in other words before we were a Christian before we chose to follow Jesus we were obligated is that a word I think so we were we we had to follow the sinful nature there was no other option we had to follow our own selfish desires we had to do what we want to do and if you're outside of Jesus this morning afraid to say that's the way that life is lived it doesn't take much to see that around us but Paul is saying now we have surrendered our lives to Jesus and the Holy Spirit is at work in us we have a different obligation we are now obliged to live according to the spirit you know so often it feels the other way around doesn't it when we're battling with sin and we're battling with stuff it feels like it's just so easy to see and it's so easy to trip up or it's so easy to give in and it almost feels like the other way around which is why we got to stop trusting feelings but that's why Paul is at pains to point this out it's such a massive issue for us as we go through following Jesus day after day after day but it is such a massive win that Christ has won on the cross for us and poured out the Holy Spirit in your life and my life to bring us to a place where we learn to put these things to death and we are instead obliged to follow what the Holy Spirit wants to do in your life and in my life because he's got a calling for you he's got a purpose for you he's got a plan for you he is for you he desires to to give you good things he desires to see joy and peace and love and patience and kindness and goodness and gentleness and faithfulness growing in your heart and in your life he's for you and so he says we are obliged to live according to the spirit this is what it means to be a people led by the spirit yes it is the same spirit that produces the fruit of the spirit in our lives yes it's the same spirit that gives gifts to the church and it's the same spirit that might give us visions or over experiences and encounters with God but it's like addressing this is like the engine room of the ship it's where the action happens it's where the thing that matters you can have all sorts of stuff on a boat you know you think these super yachts or these big cruise liners that are enormous these days it seems to me with swimming pools and gyms and theatres and cinemas and everything else but actually if the if the engine room wasn't working that would all be irrelevant because that boat isn't going anywhere and so this is like the engine room of our lives that actually this is the place where God starts to drive us where he is calling us to if we take him seriously about tackling these issues in our lives are we feeling aimless this morning are we feeling we've lost direction are we feeling we're just drifting there may be that we need to look at the engine room of the work of the holy spirit in us what's he calling to mind what's he asking us to deal with what's he challenging us to say here is something you need to put to death and let's deal with this together you know maybe this is why paul writes um you know when he writes the letter to the church in Corinth and he describes about communion he talks about the detail around taking communion and he says this is why some of you have fallen weak and are sick because you're not addressing these issues of sin in your life and you're carrying on taking the lord's supper and you know because he's seen actually that we need to tackle this we need to be serious about it and address it but then if we go forwards from verse 14 there's more all right which is also just as important paul says if we're living like this if we're led by the spirit in this way and we're putting to death everything that sets itself up against god in our lives then what then you and i are children of god we are sons of god hallelujah you know that is good news it really is we are adopted as children of god himself for all who are led by the spirit are children of god no ifs there's no buts there's no exception clause if we are led by the spirit we are children of god we're no longer slaves to the form of things that enslaved our lives you know that's the argument that he's stating we're now children of god in fact he's very specific we're no longer a slave to fear and for a lot of us even as christians we still get enslaved to fears so often and paul is saying we're children of god we're led by the spirit god has made available to you and to me the ability to put to death those things that lead us into fear or anxiety or stress because in christ they can be defeated and so we're no longer slaves to the form of things before we were a christian we lived the slave to sin and the enticements and seductions of this world but no more we're now children of god heirs of god and co-heirs with christ getting the inheritance of jesus wow right wow you know we're of an age when we're thinking about inheritance for our kids as i'm sure some of you are and you know and we're going to inherit what is jesus because we're co-heirs with christ so what does all this mean what does all this mean it means we follow jesus and pursue righteousness in our lives not so much by obedience to a set of rules as living out a new relationship with god as his children conformed to the likeness of his son it's very easy just to kind of zone zone out almost and just pick and think this is about trying harder this is about i've got to do better that's not what it's about it's not about following a set of rules paul is saying it's in the context of a relationship with a loving heavenly father who gave his own son jesus for you and for me that we then decide we want to choose to work this out we want to choose to allow the holy spirit to address these things in our lives we want to choose to follow god for this and and be changed from the inside out not because we have to or because there's rules of duty but because we are now children of the living god and god wants to set us free from following a set of rules and instead he wants to be your father not with the shortcomings of an earthly father hallelujah but as a loving father who gave his only son for us and that out of that relationship everyone say lord i want you to deal with this stuff in my life i want you to deal with the crap that trips me up time and time again and i want to address it because i believe you've got something better for me you have something of greater freedom for me as being led by the spirit is evidence that we are children of god we have moved from slavery to sonship and as he goes on by him by that same spirit we cry abba father the spirit himself testifying of our spirit that we are god's children you see the holy spirit doesn't doesn't trample over our humanity or bypass it in some way but he redeems it and now works through it in your life and in my life he nor does he overtake or overwhelm us but he has come to do what the law could not do and write on our hearts the obedience in such a way that as god's people we want to follow god's ways that's the work of what he's doing in you and in me today that's the that's the stirring of the spirit that's what it needs to be led by the spirit paul is saying and so he's at pains to point out that you are a people that are led by the spirit because you are working with him to deal with those issues from our old lives and that christ the son of god died and was raised to life to bring us to life and he's now poured out his holy spirit into our life to set us free from and to deal with the mess the dross the things that trip us up don't you realize the holy spirit is at work in you verse 10 and 11 supports this but if christ is in you your body is dead because of sin yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness and if the spirit of raised who raised jesus from the dead is living in you he who raised christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit at work in you there is so much hope in this passage in a world that is crying out for hope how can i escape this how can i get out of that how can i stop doing it how can i stop all of us there is so much hope in this passage that no matter what are the things that trip you and i up there is hope that actually in god working with the holy spirit we can deal with these things that's what paul is saying here and he's pointing out for us therefore this means what does this mean practically well it means not putting up with stuff in our lives that we shouldn't be putting up with you know we can get to a place a plateau of tolerating sin can't we it's a bit like it's a bit like in your house right you can i don't know if you like me sometimes but you can just put off jobs can't you david's saying no you don't put some jobs is that right lennis you can put off jobs in your house in your cleaning jobs you know or cleaning behind the sofa you know anybody do that no it's like you always think you know if someone comes and visits oh it's nice it looks nice and clean but if they came and they pulled the sofa out or they lifted the cushions up or you know well yeah we put off jobs like that and in some ways that's how we tolerate sin and stuff in our lives we just kind of put it off we're dealing with bigger issues we're dealing with other things but maybe this morning the holy spirit is putting his finger on something else you know we're not to put up with it nor are we to play with fire in that sense you know there are times i know in my life when you kind of justify dabbling with sin you know we use the language like well i'm not as bad as that person it's not really harming anybody you know and we use language like that to kind of accommodate it and yet what paul is talking about here there is a radical approach that we need to take because of what god has been has done we need to stop being nice about sin in our lives and name it for what it is those anxieties those fears and insecurities we need to allow the holy spirit to deal with them and put them to death we need to walk away from statements like yeah but this is me or i have always been like this this is just who i am the holy spirit has made you a new creation in christ the old has gone the new has come and you can be new today even through the work of the holy spirit if you only cry out to him this morning it means tackling addictive patterns and habits and not managing them just in a medical sense but putting them to death the opportunity is there through god's spirit now how do we do this quickly at the end very quickly we need to ask the holy spirit can you show us oh god stuff in my life that you're asking me to deal with that's stopping me from growing on growing with you and going on with you we need to ask lord what can you see that i can't see like underneath those cushions of the sofa or whatever that we actually does need to deal with we need to learn god's word and stand on it we need to hold verses that say things like the spirit of him who raised jesus from the dead is living in you he who raised christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies and when you're facing the challenges and the differences and you're being tempted you hold those verses and as you memorize them and learn they become a part of you and you use them as a weapon say no i don't have to do this anymore because the spirit of christ the spirit that raised christ from the dead is at work in me and we need to let that happen we need to kiss goodbye to feelings as a driver for our life this used to be a nightmare for me as the young man it's terrible i don't feel jesus loves me i don't feel god loves me i don't feel this i don't feel that and i had to learn to hold to memorize some of those verses that trump feelings time and again and then make a choice and then choose not to believe feelings but choose instead to believe the word of god even though i didn't feel like it and we give too much sway to our feelings and our emotions and we need to learn to bring them under the word of god we need to fix our eyes on jesus it is about relationship and not about rules and we need to be free from seeing to do this as a sense of rules and duty we need to pick ourselves up brush ourselves down and start all over again when we trip up john puts it this way he says if we if we confess our sins god is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all and we all trip up paul talks about that elsewhere what do we do we we ask for forgiveness and we press on we need to we need to challenge our assumptions like i said earlier i've always been like this i quite like my insecurities it's who i am it's who god made me well guess what he's made you a new creation now redeemed by the death and resurrection of his son jesus for you we need to confess our sins to one another james writes that's a hard one but i tell you that is a hard one but there's nothing like that to break the stranglehold of sin in your life particularly personal private sins that you hold on to and that you're scared about telling others when you confess them to people it breaks the hold in your life and we need to tell it like it is we need to stop dressing sin up in our eyes as something glossy and okay and we need to see it because the devil is the father of lies he is full of deceit and false promises and destructive and death is the only end and so we need to stop dressing it up and see it as it truly is christ died on the cross to free you from everything in your life that stands opposed to god to be led by the spirit means a radical rethink about the stuff in our lives that is opposed to god it means living a life where with the power of god's spirit we are learning to put to death sin and its effects and we are choosing instead to stand in the life that jesus has promised you are a son or a daughter of god this morning it's time to walk into more of your inheritance amen

Ephesians 2:11-12. Before Christ, the nations were hopeless because they had no Messiah and no real, solid hope for the future. Because of this, sin reigned and darkness increased in these nations. We too were lost. Those who had no Jewish lineage were cut off from God's promises. Ephesians 2:13-14a. Christ has brought us near to God. He is our peace and the source of our hope. Ephesians 2:14b-16. Christ has made something entirely different out of the two groups. He did this through his death on the cross. His body dying gave life to us gentiles and Jews in God. He destroyed the hostility between the two groups. He did this by freeing us from the law of Moses and its commandments. He gave us a new identity in him in a new covenant apart from the law. Ephesians 2:17-18. Jesus preached to Jews and gentiles alike while he was on the earth but integrally after he left through his followers. He gave access to God to all who believe both Jews and gentiles. Ephesians 2:19-21. Gentiles are fellow partakers of the promises of God. This was something planned long ago and was built upon the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. Ephesians 2:21-22. In Christ, we are the new temple of God. We are being built into something new, God's new temple on earth. God dwells in human hearts, especially when we gather together in the name of Jesus Christ.The post Ephesians 4: From Strangers to Citizens first appeared on Living Hope.

Fr. Elias Mary Mills, F.I. served as Rector of the Shrine Church at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lacrosse, Wisconsin from 2016 to 2021. He was ordained in May of 2000. In Today's Show: Why do we fast for an hour before receiving communion? How do you confess the sin of encouraging others to detract? Did Mary see the beauty of Jesus' selfless sacrifice as she grieved through the passion? Are all Catholic marriages valid if you are married in the Church? Does 1 Corinthians 6:2 refer to the final judgement? How do we know if online content of Pope Leo XIV is authentic? If a pope resigns, can he vote in the next conclave as a cardinal? Before Christ comes back, will those who are saved need to go to Purgatory? If you lie when you agree to accept children from God during a marriage ceremony, is the marriage invalidated? If I know my company is closing, is it right to tell other people? Do you receive more grace if you go to mass twice a day? How do I deal with severe spiritual desolation in my life? What is the proper way to receive the Eucharist?  By dissolving on your tongue or chewing? Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

We explore the profound benefits of justification by faith through Christ as outlined in Romans 5:1-5. Pastor Taylor Guerin unpacks how our position in Christ provides us with peace, access, and hope that transform our daily lives.• For believers, justification is not a process but a point in time when we are counted righteous because of Christ's finished work• Before Christ, we were weak, sinners, enemies of God, and deserving of wrath – now we have peace with God• Through Christ, we've received unprecedented access to God's throne room – more valuable than any exclusive membership• The prayer room represents the true power center of the church, where believers exercise their access to approach God• Suffering produces endurance, which builds character, which creates a hope that never disappoints• The Holy Spirit within us serves as a guarantee that God will fulfill all His promises• Paul wrote about rejoicing in suffering from personal experience, having endured arrests, beatings, and persecution• Jesus himself demonstrated that suffering can lead to hope through His death and resurrectionHow will you respond to these gifts? Will you live differently because of your peace with God? Will you fully utilize your access to Him in prayer? Will you find purpose in your suffering?

Beyond The Outer Realm welcomes Maxim W. Furek Host: Michelle Desrochers Date: May 6th, 2025 Episode: 558 Discussion : Max will be discussing his newest book " the Lost Tribes of Bigfoot " Contact for the show - theouterrealmcontact@gmail.com Rumble: TheOuterRealm X - MicheleDerocher Website: www.theouterrealmradio.com Please support us by Liking, Subscribing, Sharing and Commenting. Thank you all !!! About Maxim W. Furek -Maxim Furek's rich background includes aspects of psychology, addictions, music journalism, and the paranormal. He has a master's degree in communications from Bloomsburg University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Aquinas College. Maxim has interviewed celebrity demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren and white witch Dr. Frederick Lamonte Santee. He was featured on Coast to Coast with George Noory, Exploring the Bizarre with the legendary Timothy Green Beckley and Tim R. Swartz, and Art Bell's Midnight in the Desert with Heather Wade. Maxim has written numerous rock biographies and paranormal-themes books, including: —The Lost Tribes of Bigfoot, published by Hangar 1, with the innovative Immersive Book Technology (IBT), documents an extensive timeline of Big Foot sightings over the years, offering a glimpse into the cultural and historical contexts in which these sightings have occurred. —Sheppton: The Myth, Miracle, and Music was featured on Australia's Mysterious Universe and on numerous podcasts. —The Death Proclamation of Generation X: A Self-Fulfilling Prophesy of Goth, Grunge, and Heroin has been used at Penn State University as “recommended reading” for “Introduction to Abnormal Psychology” and “Health Psychology.” —Flying Saucer Esoteric: The Altered States of Ufology explores the chronology of “flying saucers,” tracing historical accounts of theologians and astronomers who lived in the days Before Christ to the 2023 Congressional hearings and the Mexican alien corpses. —Coal Region Hoodoo: Paranormal Tales from Inside the Pit has been described as “A fascinating look into Pennsylvania's paranormal wormhole through a never-seen-before sociological and popular culture lens.”

"From the Cradle to the Throne” (Galatians 4:1-11)Before Christ, we lived like spiritual orphans—slaves to the law, trapped by the world's systems, stuck in a "cause-and-effect" mindset. But in Christ, we're no longer slaves. We're sons and daughters of the King. In this message, we explore Paul's vivid imagery of a young heir under guardianship and discover the breathtaking truth of our adoption into God's family. We don't just receive forgiveness—we are given full belonging, full intimacy, and a full inheritance. Through Jesus, we cry out “Abba, Father” with boldness and confidence, living not for approval, but from the approval of the One who has already called us His own. It's time to leave behind the ABCs of spiritual preschool and step into the wonder of grace.Need Prayer? Email us at roseburgfcc@gmail.comConnect with us on social at www.facebook.com/roseburgfccTo support the ministry of First Christian Church go to www.roseburgfcc.org/giving

Send us a textSatan bound? Already happened or still to come? This thought-provoking theological discussion dives deep into one of Christianity's most debated eschatological questions.The conversation centers on Revelation 20:1-3, where Scripture describes Satan being bound for a thousand years and cast into a bottomless pit "so that he would not deceive the nations anymore." Through careful biblical analysis, the participants examine when this binding occurred – was it at Christ's resurrection, at Pentecost, or is it still a future event?A breakthrough moment comes when the discussion shifts to Matthew 12, where Jesus speaks about binding "the strong man" before plundering his goods. This parallel language creates a compelling connection to Revelation 20 and suggests Christ may have already bound Satan through His death and resurrection. As one participant notes, "If he hasn't done that, none of us are saved today."The group explores how the tearing down of "the middle wall of partition" between Jews and Gentiles relates to Satan's binding. Before Christ, Satan kept the nations deceived and separated from God's covenant promises. After Christ's resurrection and Pentecost, the gospel began spreading to all nations, breaking Satan's monopoly on the Gentile world.This discussion challenges popular dispensationalist interpretations that place Satan's binding entirely in the future. Instead, it suggests the millennial kingdom described in Revelation 20 may be the current age of gospel proclamation rather than a future thousand-year period.Whether you're a seasoned theologian or simply curious about end-times prophecy, this episode will sharpen your understanding of Scripture and deepen your appreciation for Christ's victory over the powers of darkness. Join the conversation and consider: Has the strong man already been bound?The Balance of GrayGod, doubt, and proof walk into a podcast... it goes better than you'd expect!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

Send us a textWhy does the Bible say Satan is bound when evil seems to run rampant in our world? This apparent contradiction has confused Christians for centuries, leading many to postpone Satan's binding to some future date. But what if Christ already bound the enemy during His earthly ministry?In this thought-provoking episode, we dive deep into the biblical teaching about Satan's binding and casting out. Through careful examination of Matthew 12, John 12, and Revelation 20, we uncover a profound truth: Jesus didn't come to establish an earthly political kingdom as many expected. Instead, He came specifically to bind "the strong man" and plunder his house by rescuing those held captive.The evidence of this binding was visible in Jesus' ministry when He cast out demons, demonstrating His authority over the enemy's domain. More significantly, when approaching the cross, Jesus declared, "Now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out." This wasn't a future promise but a present reality being fulfilled through His sacrificial death.We explore how Revelation's description of Satan being bound "so that he can no longer deceive the nations" aligns perfectly with Christ's mission to fulfill God's promise to Abraham that through his seed all nations would be blessed. Before Christ, God's revelation was largely confined to Israel, but afterwards, the gospel broke forth to reach people from every tribe and tongue.This understanding transforms how we view spiritual warfare. Satan may still be active, but he's on a leash, restricted in ways he wasn't before Christ's victory. As believers, we don't fight for victory; we fight from victory. The war has been decisively won, though individual battles continue until Christ's return.Join us for this enlightening conversation that will challenge common misconceptions and strengthen your confidence in Christ's complete triumph over the powers of darkness. The truth about Satan's binding isn't just theological—it's practical hope for every believer facing spiritual opposition today.The Balance of GrayGod, doubt, and proof walk into a podcast... it goes better than you'd expect!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

Before Christ saved us, we were utterly powerless against the sin that so easily entangles us. But now, we have an entirely new position. In Christ we have strength to fight sin and live for God.

Because of Jesus's blood and His work on the cross, the cross has become a worldwide symbol of hope and God's love. Time is measured by the cross and divided into B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini, Latin for "In the Year of Our Lord"). In the new series, "The Cross," Duane Sheriff explores the mystery of the cross and how Jesus' sacrifice transforms our identity, freeing us from sin, legalism, addictions, and worldly influences. According to 1 Corinthians 1, the message of the cross may appear foolish to the world, but for those who believe, it is the power and wisdom of God. In this episode, Duane shares his testimony of experiencing an open vision in which he saw himself united with Jesus during His crucifixion and resurrection.Click for FREE offer ➡️https://pastorduane.com/the-cross/

Christ meets our deepest need. The weight of our sin is a significant debt continually increasing. Before Christ can erase this debt, through His atoning work on the cross, we must first confess our sins. Only then can we experience pardon, forgiveness, and true peace.

Before Christ, we were like kids dreaming of driving—stuck under rules, waiting for freedom. But Galatians 4:3 says we're no longer under the world's system of cause and effect. We don't earn God's love—we receive it as His children. Break free from spiritual slavery and step into the full freedom of sonship in Christ!

Before Christ died on the cross, to defeat our sin and give us the opportunity to be with Him forever, we had to try and defeat our own sin…without the power of the Holy Spirit living in and through us. Every time we sinned we had to offer something to God in return for forgiveness. Now, we automatically are forgiven and loved if we have surrendered our whole life to God! In today's message, Pastor Dan will remind you of the old ways so you can be thankful for the new ways! God's way! 

The Great CommissionMatthew 28:16-20“The eleven disciples” verse 16 The word “eleven” reminds of the loss of Judas Iscariot who betrayed Christ then later committed suicide. Judas' loss reduced the count of the disciples to eleven. The case of Judas has many modern-day illustrations, such folk start well and seem to be ready and willing to serve Christ. But they fall out by the way and do not make it into His service.“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” verse 18 To understand this text on power, it is important to know that the word translated “power” primarily means “authority” not strength or might. Before Christ gives the disciples the commission, He first informs them of the authority for the commission.if you would fulfill the great commission given you, you must recognize Him as authority over you.Thank you for tuning into Daily Bible Benefits Have a good and godly Day

On this episode of Preaching the Text, John Hoyum and Steve Paulson discuss the baptism of Jesus according to Luke's retelling. We see the connection to Epiphany in this text because of a revelation of what forgiveness of sins means. Before Christ's coming, forgiveness was given and people were baptized by John in anticipation of Christ's coming. Now being baptized, Jesus has revealed himself as savior from sin – not as one to be anticipated, but as one who has presently arrived. Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Bible in One Year with Chad Bird Broken Bonds: A Novel of the Reformation, Book 1 of 2 by Amy Mantravadi Junk Drawer Jesus By Matt Popovits More from the hosts: John Hoyum Steven Paulson  

Before Christ saved us, we were utterly powerless against the sin that so easily entangles us. But now, we have an entirely new position. In Christ we have strength to fight sin and live for God.

Light it plays a vital role in the Christmas season doesn't it? What would Christmas be like if there weren't any Christmas lights!? Christmas and lights they have to go together. There is just something awesome about getting a hot Cup of coco, feeling brisk air on your face, and just casually strolling through a light display and seeing all of the different lights, experiencing the excitement of the kids as they look in awe and wonder.  Winter season, similar to the state of humanity before Christ came… Before the light of Christ came, the world was intimately familiar with darkness. Before Christ, God's people were waiting in darkness experiencing the difficulties of living in oppression under Roman tyrannical rule, there was spiritual silence for more than 400 years.  Please join us as Pastor Donnie teaches on the light that Jesus brought from Luke chapter 2.

Jesus was likely born between 5 and 6 B.C.That's seems odd, of course. Our calendar is broken up into B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (anno Domini, the year of our Lord) so doesn't that mean Jesus was born in year one (since we don't count year zero)?Actually, the issue is a bit more complex than that.Although the Gospel writers did not focus primarily on preserving a precise chronological history of Jesus' life and ministry, we can still approximate some key dates by comparing historical markers with passages of Scripture.Let's take a look at what we know from Scripture and history.Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS: A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and Clearly A Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church History Audio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to Enjoy A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library SUBSCRIBE HERE

In his Confessions, Augustine dedicates the book's final section to reflecting on time. How do Christians live within time yet still live towards eternity, the telos of all time, the appointed time? Many Christians live in the past, bound by their memories, regrets and accomplishments, while others live in a state of anticipation, living in the future. But the past is past, never to return, and the future never exists in itself. We can get lost in the memory of—or anticipation of—non-existence. Rather than getting lost in time, Augustine explains how all time can be brought to immediate awareness in three different aspects. He writes: “The present considering the past is the memory, the present considering the present is immediate awareness, the present considering the future is expectation.” The only proper place for human attention is the present moment which ever presents itself. But this awareness must be “merged into” or brought before God Himself. The means that there is a need for humans to bring our existence in time to the eternal presence of God. We worship our way towards eternity. Our lives aim not to amass a hoard of things but to encounter God through sacred moments. Therefore, how we face time matters immensely. Christians sanctify or redeem time by bringing God's eternal reality into their present moment. The Church trains her sons and daughters to do this through the Sacraments in which God's own life is offered by grace. Through the sacraments the Church enters eternity, and most specially, the Holy Eucharist brings the faithful into the eternal moment of worship through the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Christians also encounter God through sacred moments as they follow the Church's calendar by dedicating the seasons and weeks to the life of Christ and his saints. Living according to the calendar of the Church helps Christians realize that eternity is not some future reality after death but the ever present and commanding reality in which time unfolds. These events marked history as such to influence the naming of two epochs, B.C. and A.D. – Before Christ and In the year of our Lord. How shall we engage with time? Redeeming time (KJV): Ephesians 5:15-20 Sanctifying time: Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. OK, God didn't rest because He was tired! Shabat is mainly used as “to cease, to stop.” All done! Instead of God doing more, He ceased from doing. And that's the idea of the 7th day … a pattern for us to cease from doing and “be” still (cease from striving) and know (wonder, contemplate, imagine, exalt) … that I am God. So God sanctified time sort of like we sanctify food … we approach food sometimes like it's something to be crammed and flushed out our bodies! Sanctifying creation: I Timothy 4:4-5 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. We make created things holy by the word of God and prayer. Holy time, Holy water, holy oil, holy communion, holy food, and so forth! Holy? To set apart with thanksgiving to the one who created it and gifted it to us! This is a call to live in a sacramental universe. To be a royal priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices until the Lord returns.

Read Online Jesus said to his disciples: “In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” Mark 13:24–25The “tribulation” of which our Lord speaks, refers to a great persecution of the Church and of those with faith. Regarding this tribulation, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the “mystery of iniquity” in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. (#675).Is this “final trial” happening today? Though it is impossible to apply Jesus' prophecy and the Catechism's teaching to one specific moment in time, the fact remains that this trial and tribulation will take place. That is for certain. But how and when it will take place we do not know. It might be that it already has taken place or that it is taking place right now. Only God can properly interpret these prophetic words.With that said, this final trial and “mystery of iniquity” does take place in all of our lives in various ways. When we devote ourselves to the love and service of God, we can be certain that our faith will be tested and that persecution will be experienced in one way or another. Knowing this, however, should not frighten us. On the contrary, it was spoken by our Lord to prepare us and to help us endure whatever trials we experience in life. Jesus' words must instill hope within us when we endure the suffering caused by evil.Jesus also said that when we see persecutions, trials and tribulation, we must “know that he is near, at the gates.” In other words, the greater the suffering one endures for their faith, the more present God is. He is there, at the gate of your heart, waiting for you to run to Him in trust and hope.As we approach the end of our current Church year, most of our readings at Mass will focus upon the end times. We will read about Jesus' glorious return in glory, the end of the world, and the establishment of His permanent Kingdom as Heaven and earth are united as one. It could take place today or tomorrow, or it might not take place for thousands of years. But it will happen. On that day, the day of the final judgment, the only thing that will matter is our fidelity to God. For that reason, we must daily strive to live as if that day were today. We must diligently prepare for that day and live for that glorious moment alone. If life is easy right now, we should work to be more selfless and sacrificial so as to be prepared. If life is challenging right now, we must enter those challenges with hope and trust, uniting every suffering to Christ's sufferings as a sacrifice of love.Reflect, today, upon Jesus' prophecy that “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” As you do, know that these are words spoken not only to the Church as a whole, but also to you. Jesus wants you to know that any suffering and tribulation you endure, every “darkening of the sun” or any way that you feel “shaken” are opportunities for you to turn to God in trust. Invite our Lord into these experiences and know that they are signs of His closeness to help purify you and prepare you for the glorious day of His return.Most glorious Judge, You will return one day in glory to judge the living and the dead. Before that day, You have revealed that Your Church will endure much suffering. Please give me hope during those moments in my life so that I can offer to You every suffering I endure as a sacrifice of love, offered in union with Your own perfect sacrifice. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured image above: Christ Pantocrator, via flickr

One hundred and two years ago, Benito organized a March on Rome with the intention of forcing the king of Italy to yield the government to him. It worked, and Benito was appointed prime minister.Thirty-two-year-old Antonio had a problem with that, and spoke out against Benito.Benito got tired of Antonio's criticism and had him thrown into prison, where he died 11 years later.But while he was still with us, he wrote 30 notebooks containing more than 3,000 pages of history and analysis. The prison notebooks of Antonio Gramsci are considered by historians to be highly original contributions to 20th-century political theory.Wizard Academy vice-chancellor Dave Young brought Antonio to my attention last week when he forwarded to me a glistening quote written by this shackled young writer:“The old world is dying. And the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”Those words of Antonio Gramsci dance and sting like honeybees, don't they?In return for his gift of Antonio Gramsci, I sent Dave a couple of the enthusiastic ramblings of American scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson:“I will defend AD and BC, year of the Lord, AD, ‘Ano Domini,' and BC, ‘Before Christ.' I'll defend the use of those because a lot of hard work went into creating that calendar – the Gregorian calendar – which is now used worldwide. It's based on a Christian construct, but it had a lot of very interesting science that went in behind it.I'm not just going to ‘swap out' the words to dereligify it. I don't mind leaving credit where it's due.I don't know any atheist that still uses AD and BC. They use ‘Common Era,' CE, and BCE, ‘Before Common Era.'But who are they fooling? It's the same numbers of years. They're just trying to ‘paint over' a religious reference.I don't have that much objection to the religious participation in civilization.”But this next comment of Neil deGrasse Tyson serves as a sort of counterbalance to that first one:“Ben Franklin was the world's most famous scientist in his day. But he's not remembered in America as that; he's remembered as a founding father.He invented the lightning rod.What's the tallest structure back then? The steeple makes the church the tallest structure in any city. What is the most susceptible to a lightning strike? The tallest structure. So lightning was taking out churches left and right, and if you were the other church that wasn't taken out, you had good argument for saying the people in the church that burned down were worshiping in the wrong way.Ben Franklin then invents the lightning rod, which does two things: It dissipates charges that build up under your structure that would otherwise be part of the lightning strike, and it sends them back into the air without the benefit of lightning. So that makes you less susceptible to begin with. And if the lightning strikes it, then it directs all of the charge through the metal and not through your house.So Ben Franklin does this, and churches are no longer destroyed by lightning, even if they're hit, and he's accused of heresy for thwarting the will of God.”Neil deGrasse Tyson is famous for his atheism but he vigorously defends the use of the Christian system of dating the history of the world in years that count backward and forward from the day that Jesus was born.Benjamin Franklin doubted the divinity of Jesus, but he invented the lightning rod to make sure that churches did not burn down. And they accused him of heresy for it.*As I consider articulate Antonio and bumbling Benito of Italy, I recall the words of a delightful American writer who was born in the same year Antonio was born. When she was accused of being too critical, the delightful Dorothy Parker responded:“How could I possibly overthrow the government when I can't even keep my dog down?”Me...

Last week we saw Paul look back at his past, B.C. (Before Christ).This week we look at his life, post conversion, in the present, A.D. (After the road to Damascus).But his secret to living in the present is by focusing on the future.“For to me to live (present) is Christ and to die (future) is gain."Philippians 3 is all about Paul's past, present and future. And it's true for us, too.Come and see your story in light of who you were, who you are, and who you will be, because of Jesus Christ.See you Sunday!Pastor Jacob

Before Christ saved us, we were utterly powerless against the sin that so easily entangles us. But now, we have an entirely new position. In Christ we have strength to fight sin and live for God.

One of the distinctive marks of those that have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is a desire to serve him. When Paul wrote his first letter of encouragement to the Thessalonians, he noted that their trust in Christ caused them to turn from idols to serve the living and true God. (1 Thessalonians 1:9)  Before Christ, our lives were consumed with serving idols of money, pleasure, self, promotion, pride, opinion and even the “American dream.”  After Christ, our life gains a new purpose — to serve Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:20)  Today, let's be reminded that our service to Christ should not to be a drudgery, but a delight.  Download Notes Thanks for joining us for this episode and please take a moment to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you enjoy this content, please don't hesitate to leave us a 5-star review and share this podcast with your friends.  We'd like to extend an invitation to you and your family to join us for worship this week at Grace Baptist Church. We'd also love to connect with you online at https://gracekettering.org. Thanks again for checking out this episode, and we look forward to having you join us again right here on the Grace Baptist Church Podcast!

I don't think there's any competition on this: the cross is the single most visible and recognizable symbol in human history. It's everywhere. But what does it mean? Before Christ came, the cross was a gallows, a firing squad, a guillotine. All the cross meant was that you'd lost. It was not a symbol of strength—it was a symbol of weakness. Galatians 3 is perhaps the most complete picture on the meaning of the cross. Let's look at 1) why the cross is necessary, 2) what actually happened on the cross, and 3) how the cross makes us different. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 18, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 3:10-14. 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.

This teaching is relevant for us today. Although the underlying elemental principles of our day manifest differently, they nonetheless enslave us the same. Cultural currents like hyper-individualism, careerism, aestheticism, consumerism, technological optimism, inclusivism, polarization, and coercion are always pushing and pulling us along. Let us instead imitate our Father as dear children, looking to the teaching and example of His Son, Christ Jesus. Galatians 4:1-3   Before Christ, we were enslaved to the elemental principles of the world—powers behind the way the world works. Galatians 4:3-5   Because of Christ, there's been a fundamental change in how people relate to both God and the world. God has adopted us into His family. Galatians 4:6-7   God's spirit inspires us to cry out, “Abba! Father!” This way of addressing God comes straight from Jesus's private prayer life. (See Mark 14:36.) Galatians 4:4-11   God has redeemed us from slavery, set us free, and adopted us, making us heirs of a mighty inheritance. As His children, we address Him as “Abba Father”. In such a state, how could we go back to slavery? How could we return to the old way of relating to God and the world?The post Adopted first appeared on Living Hope.

Fr. John-Mary Bowlin serves as Parish Priest at St. Jude Catholic Church in Gun Barrel City, Texas. He served in the U.S. Army and was ordained a priest in June of 2012.     In Today's Show: I can't stop feeling anxious about the end times even after going to Confession and doing lots of reading and research. Can you tell me what the Catholic church teaches about this subject? When multiple mysteries of the Rosary are being prayed, should the Salve Regina be prayed in between? Is it correct that if we are in friendship with sinners or don't warn them of their sin, God will hold us responsible if they go to Hell? Would we be condemned to Hell for this error? How does Catholicism view self-help and self-improvement and how does that fit in with surrendering to God's will? What does the church teach about forgiveness, particularly forgiving those who have committed exceptionally grievous offenses against us? In Matthew 19:24, it says "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” I was wondering how to interpret this. I am thirteen and one of my largest aspirations is to be rich and successful, and I wanted to know if you could be rich, have fast cars, big boats, etc. and still do right by the Lord. Father Bowlin's brother priest invades the show... There's a life sized image of Our Lady. It appears she has no head covering. I don't recall where this is at, but it is outside. I thought it was odd. I've always seen Our Lady with a head covering. Your thoughts, please? What measures can we take whilst wearing saint medals and praying using "shrines" with imagery of Jesus and Mary etc. to avoid idolatry? For those like myself who don't have access to a solid youth formation group in their area, what might you recommend as an alternative for kids? Why hadn't Jesus taken His Mother Mary to Heaven at His Ascension? Before Christ, the Jews did not know about the Trinitarian nature of God until Jesus manifested himself. Is it possible that like Jesus, there might be another person of God that hasn't been manifested to us yet, or is the mystery complete? Does being blind, visually impaired or hearing impaired impede someone from being accepted into the priesthood? Are there situations of extreme poverty when parents are able to live with their daughter and her husband and children even though the daughter and husband were not married in the church?   Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Before Christ saved us, we were utterly powerless against the sin that so easily entangles us. But now, we have an entirely new position. In Christ we have strength to fight sin and live for God.

NEWS: We have just launched our new community ‘CIRCLE' - A Private Community for Ethically Conscious Designers and Changemakers / https://www.thisishcd.com/landing/circle-a-community-for-ethically-conscious-designers-changemakers Fast-track your career with our 12-week training programme: https://www.thisishcd.com/coaching-mentoring-for-innovators-change-makers We have an absolutely incredible treat for you on the show. Let me tell you a bit of a background. So when I'm travelling, or when I lived in Australia, and I get asked where I'm from, I say I'm from Ireland. But when I'm in Ireland, I say I live in Dublin, I'm from a place called Drogheda. And when I'm in Drogheda, I tell them where I grew up. Well the location is not only the place of my birth, but it's really, really historic. It's on the banks of the River Boyne, a hugely historic location in Irish history for various reasons but this river is known internationally as the Brú na Bóinne, which refers to the mansion or the palace of the Boyne. And from the age of about 8 or 9, I remember going on a school tour and I became somewhat obsessed with this area of the river because on the bend of that river is a Neolithic tomb that predates the pyramids and is approximately 3,200 years old, Before Christ. It's a World Heritage Site and it's quite simply a remarkable and a spiritual location, for me particularly, that I believe offers us a really rich connection to the past. In this episode, I speak with Anthony Murphy of Mythical Ireland. Now Anthony is also from where I'm from in Drogheda and over the last 30 or so years, he has really explored the surrounding areas of Newgrange and has become a well of knowledge about that area. Together with local artist Richard Moore, who coincidentally was instrumental in encouraging me as a teenager to pursue my love of design, well they've explored and uncovered knowledge that offers us new perspectives into what it might have been like at the time of Newgrange. Now of course, a lot of this is speculation, but we discuss nevertheless, what we believe we do know. There's an unbelievable revelation for me in this conversation, about things like, how they transported these huge boulders that are engraved from over 120km away to the site at Newgrange, how do they do that? Back and forth from the UK and further afield using boats? I'm keen to learn more about the potential of the social structures at that time to try and get a peek of what it was like. Anthony was happy for me to get a clearer picture on what that might have looked like at the time. So from a Human Centered Design perspective, I'm really curious what we can learn and derive from the Neolithic period and where we are today. linkedin.com/in/anthony-murphy-42018622 https://mythicalireland.com/

In today's message, Pastor Jason Huffman takes us through what our lives will look like BC/AD, or before and after Christ. Getting to know God is a choice, and having a better relationship with Him means choosing Him. Before Christ we were truly dead in our sins, but there is eternal hope for those who choose Him and His glorious grace. 

The fact of the Blessed Trinity is present in the first 3 letters of the Bible, the first 3 words, the first 3 verses, the first 3 chapters, and up to its entire structure as "the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms [Writings]". Before Christ came, no one could see it. After Jesus Christ revealed the truth of Three Persons in One God, it is to be found everywhere. This podcast is a sample chapter from "Crucifixion to Creation: Roots of the Traditional Mass Traced Back to Paradise". The book is available in print, as audiobook and ebook here: ⁠https://bit.ly/Crucifixion-to-Creation

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that: Before Christ's second coming, the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. In this powerful presentation, Deacon Harold explains how the antichrist deception has already begun to take shape in the world. However, we know that death does not have the final say. Deacon Harold proclaims that this is not a time for wimps or cowards. Our Blessed Mother assures us that if we dedicate ourselves to prayer and make a serious effort to live the Truth of our faith, then strengthened by Christ's Body and Blood in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, we can overcome the weakness of sin and break the hold that Satan has on us that prevents us from becoming the people that God wants us to be.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Browse Great Resources: https://store.parousiamedia.com/ Join the Parousia mailing list at: https://www.parousiamedia.com/mailing... Parousia is committed to proclaiming the fullness of truth! If you wish to help us in our mission with a donation please visit our website here: https://www.parousiamedia.com/donate/ to learn ways that you can contribute.

Before Christ saved us, we were utterly powerless against the sin that so easily entangles us. But now, we have an entirely new position. In Christ we have strength to fight sin and live for God.

Before Christ comes into our lives we live in the default pursuit of salvation on our own. Even people who don't think they are religious live with a doctrine of earning their way to goodness. At the same time, modern people believe that we deserve every good thing. This leaves us anxious and entitled. The Christmas gospel comes in and offers peace and grace in a Savior. Jesus comes to us with "grace upon grace," and that undoes our anxious striving while giving us the gratitude of receiving grace. Receive this Messiah, for only in Him is "grace upon grace."

Pastor Andy Davis traces the angelic worship of Christ throughout the whole of scripture. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT- On May 21st, 1738, Charles Wesley lay seriously ill in bed fearing for his life. But as he lay there fearing for his life, he feared more for his eternal soul because at that point he had no assurance of salvation. He and his brother John, had been pursuing a religion of Christianized good works and morality. They were part of a group called the Oxford Holy Club, and they sought to earn their salvation by good works, by mission trips, by other things, but they had no assurance of salvation. They only had ever-increasing anxiety about eternal hell and destruction. For almost two years they sought this assurance. John and Charles Wesley had been on a mission trip to the New World and on the way back, they were in a serious storm with a group of Moravian believers. They saw the supernatural joy and peace and confidence even in the midst of that storm that those Moravians had. They had absolutely no fear of death, but that could not characterize the Wesleys at that point, so they began to study the religion of the Moravians who often spoke of the testimony of the Holy Spirit to the soul of a genuinely converted person. The Wesleys had seen that supernatural peace during that storm, and they longed to know it, a total freedom from death. The Moravians linked that sense of assurance to the promise in Romans 8:16, the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children, but they had not experienced that testimony, that assurance at all. If anything, things just seemed to get worse and worse for them until that day, May 21st, 1738 for Charles Wesley, ironically, Pentecost Sunday, Pentecost Sunday commemorating the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church. Charles Wesley had been fighting for his life against his illness, but also pleading with God for assurance of salvation. As he lay alone in his bed between visits by his brother John and doctors and well-meaning friends, Charles had a personal encounter with God through the out-poured Holy Spirit that changed his life forever. Assurance flooded into his soul. He felt strange palpitations in his heart, and he cried aloud, "I believe, I believe." He wrote in his journal that day, "I have now found myself at peace with God and rejoiced in the hope of loving Christ." Now his more famous brother John Wesley would soon have his own conversion experience at a prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street there in London. Though John Wesley would become the leader and driving force of the movement known as Methodism, Charles Wesley would become the movement's poet and hymn writer. He wrote over 6,000 hymns seeking to put the theology of Christianity in lyrics that illiterate people could understand easily. Seven months after his conversion, Charles Wesley was walking through the streets of London on Christmas day. The bells were ringing, celebrating the birth of Christ. He hurried home and wrote the poem that would become arguably the most celebrated Christmas song of all time, now known as Hark, the Herald Angels Sing. The original poem that Charles wrote was, "Hark! How all the welkin rings. Glory to the King of Kings." Welkin means “heavens.” A number of years later in 1753, the greatest Methodist preacher of them all, George Whitfield changed the lyrics to what we know today, "Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king. Peace on earth and mercy mile God and sinners reconciled.” That improvement is well appreciated. It's already a challenge to have one obscure word, hark meaning “listen,” and even more obscure archaic word, “welkin,” would probably have sunk him for good. The heavens were indeed ringing with the praise of angelic army the night that Jesus was born. We can obey the word “hark" to listen to their celebration only by faith. Faith in the word of God. There is a listening of the soul with the ears of faith that we must do to be able to listen to them celebrating. There's a seeing to see the incarnate Christ laying there. There's a seeing we can only do by faith, faith in the word of God. I. Angelic Worship of Christ The call to listen to the angelic praise is a doorway into my Christmas meditation with you today. I want to trace out over all of redemptive history, even before history began, angelic worship of Christ. Angelic worship of Christ. My purpose is not that we will merely hark to angelic worship of Christ, but join with them in understanding the greatness in the majesty of Jesus Christ and that God's will may be done on earth as it is in heaven through that worship. Hebrews 1 makes it plain. When God brought his son into the world, He wanted the angels to worship him. Hebrews 1:6 says, "When God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God's angels worship him.’" This is an amazing statement if you think about it. It's an open claim to God of God concerning the deity of his son. The scripture makes it plain that God commands all worshiping beings, angels and humans to worship him and serve him only. Worship is reserved for God, and yet here's God calling on the angels to worship his son when He brings him into the world. That is proof that the Son of God, the birth of Jesus is a matter for worship. This is deity coming into the world, and the angels complied. "The scripture makes it plain that God commands all worshiping beings, angels and humans to worship him and serve him only. Worship is reserved for God, and yet here's God calling on the angels to worship his son when He brings him into the world. " I want to trace out more fully the history of angelic worship of the second person of the Trinity and follow it in historical order in nine steps. First, angels worship the pre-incarnate Christ. Second, angels announced the coming Christ. Third, angels celebrated the birth of Christ. Fourth, angels protected the newborn Christ. Fifth, angels strengthened Christ in his weakness. Sixth, angels announced the resurrected Christ. Seventh, angels celebrated the heavenly ascension of Christ. Eighth, angels assisted in the spread of the gospel of Christ's kingdom. And then ninth, angels will celebrate Christ's glory for all eternity. II. Angels Worship the Pre-Incarnate Christ First, angels worship the pre-incarnate Christ. Christ alone of all human beings that's ever lived, made a voluntary choice, a willing choice to enter the world as a human being. He's the only one that that is true of. He made this assertion to Pontius Pilate when He was on trial before Pilate in John 18, “Jesus said to Pilate, ‘You are right in saying that I'm a king. In fact, for this reason I was born and for this, I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’" In other words, "I chose to enter the world and I chose to enter the world to build a kingdom based on truth and to invite people into that kingdom of truth." That was a choice that Jesus made. He's the only human being that ever was pre-existent before He took on a human body and chose to enter the world, and that is to build a kingdom of truth. So also this statement in John 6, Jesus said, "I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life and I will raise Him up at the last day." It is the same thing. "I chose to enter the world not to do my will, but to do the will of the Father. And this is the Father's will that I save all the elect that He has given me." Philippians 2 makes it plain that Jesus shared eternal glory with God on a heavenly throne of glory before He entered the world. He had equality with God, a radiant glory with Him. That's what Charles Wesley meant when he said, "Mild he lays his glory down, born that man no more may die." Before Jesus was born, the angels saw that glory and they worshiped him in his glory. Two key passages show this in the Old Testament, Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1. First, Isaiah 6:1-3 says, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs. Seraphs each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another. 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. The whole earth is full of his glory.'" The Lord the seraphim worshiped was Jesus. John 12:41 makes it plain that Isaiah saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him. The seraphs are angels, an order of angels, the spirit beings of the word. The Hebrew word literally means “burning ones.” They're like on fire. They're brilliant, they're bright. This lines up with the statement made of them in Hebrews 1:7 in speaking of his angels, he says, "He makes his angels winds as servants, flames of fire." The seraphim are burning ones, they're on fire, a holy fire. This fiery terminology also lines up with the vision in Ezekiel 1 of cherubim, fiery beings that could almost defy description and who move mysteriously below a throne of glory. Ezekiel 1 says this, "I looked and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north, an immense cloud with flashing lightning surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in that fire was what looked like four living creatures." Picture a cloud that is radiant and bright and in the center of it, it's on fire, a fiery cloud. In the center of that are these four living creatures called cherubim. These cherubim have four faces and two sets of wings, and there are these high mighty, awesome glorious wheels under them. Wheels sparkling like diamonds and the cherubim move like lightning with fire flashing back and forth among them. Ezekiel 1:13-14, “The appearance of the living creatures were like burning coals of"fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures. It was bright and lightning flashed out of it." The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning. It's energetic, crackling with energy, crackling with light and fire, and that the cherub had moved north, south, east, and west with lightning speed and whatever direction the spirit moves them. High above those cherubim sat the enthroned pre-incarnate Christ. Ezekiel 1:22 and following, "Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice and awesome like a barrier, like a ceiling. And under the expanse, their wings were stretched out, one toward the other and each had two wings covering its body. And when the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings." This is awesome. They stood quiet under the voice of the one seated on the throne. There's a reverence that they have and a quietness. They lower their wings and they wait to hear him speak. They're ready to do His will. They're motionless, they're reverent. They're waiting on the voice of the pre-incarnate Christ. This is the description of that glorious throne, Ezekiel 1:26-28, "Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like glowing metal as if full of fire. And that from there down he looked like fire. And brilliant lights surrounded him like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day so was the radiance around him." This was the appearance of the likeness, of the glory of the Lord. ‘And when I saw it,’ says Ezekiel, ‘I fell face down.'" You have this angelic activity moving wheels within wheels that just defies description, and brightness and loud noise and power and then a barrier and then high above that a throne and one seated on it. That barrier represents the infinite gap between creator and creature. It's an infinite gap between God and the highest archangel and all creatures below. That gap represents that difference, the holiness of God, God, the creator over all creation. They recognize it, and they're quiet under it. Ezekiel the prophet was granted this vision of the pre-incarnate Christ on the throne of heavenly glory. This is the glory that Jesus laid aside when He entered the world and was born of the virgin and was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. This is the glory laid by, this is the glory you wanted back at the end of his ministry. When He said in John 17:5, "And now Father glorify me with the glory I had with you before the creation of the world,” it's a glory He deserves. A radiant display of his greatness, which He laid by. Before Christ was even born, the angels in various orders of various types worshiped and served him. III. Angels Announced the Coming Christ Secondly, the angels announced the coming Christ. The word “angel “is just a transliteration of a Greek word, which means “messenger.” Those that are dispatched with a message from God to earth. God regularly in the Old Testament dispatched angels to bring messages from God. At the time of Christ being conceived, the angel Gabriel was dispatched. The angel Gabriel told in his encounter with John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, he said "I'm Gabriel and I stand in the presence of God." He has the honor of proximity, of closeness to the throne of God. That's Gabriel. He was sent also to the Virgin Mary with the most amazing message that any angel has ever carried to any human being. In Luke 1, he said to Mary, “'Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God. You'll be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end.’ ‘How will this be’, Mary asked the angel, ‘since I'm a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high wall overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.’" This is a message that Gabriel spoke to Mary, the deepest theology ever communicated in the pages of scripture. “Mary, you'll have a baby and the baby will have no human Father. He'll be conceived miraculously by the power of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit will overshadow your body and that's where this baby is going to come from. This baby will be the Son of David. He'll have a genealogy through you and also through Joseph, and he will be rightly called the Son of David. He'll be human because he is your baby and also descendant of David of the house and lineage of David. But he will also be divine because he's called the Son of God.” This is the mystery of the incarnation, the mystery of the virgin birth. It's central to our faith. Jesus Christ was born in the normal way, looked like any other human baby that was born, but He was conceived by the supernatural power of God on a virgin's body. And so this doctrine of the incarnation of Jesus as being fully God, fully man is central to the Christian faith, was initially announced by an angel, announced by an angel to Mary. The angel was also dispatched in a dream to Joseph, the guardian of that Holy Family to give him a different version of the same message. Matthew 1, “Joseph, Son of David, ‘Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She'll give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God with us.” The angelic message to Joseph concerning this baby's mission is a little bit different, but easily harmonizeable to Mary.’s The child born is going to reign on a throne forever. To Joseph, He's going to save His people from their sins and we know that that's by His death, His bloody death on the cross, but the theology of the essential nature of who this baby is is the same. I mean fully God, fully man is wrapped up in the word Emmanuel, “God with us”, conceived in a human mother by the power of the Holy Spirit. The angels were dispatched to carry this message and the theology of Jesus Christ to Mary into Joseph. IV. Angels Celebrate the Birth of Christ Third, angels celebrated when this baby was born, they were there to celebrate the birth of Christ. This is the most famous angelic involvement. Angels were sent to Bethlehem the night that Jesus was born, and they were sent to worship Him. This is the direct and obvious fulfillment of God's command in Hebrews 1:6, when God brings his firstborn into the world, He says, "Let all God's angels worship Him." They came to do that in direct obedience to the command of God. First an angel, a single angel, is dispatched to the shepherds on the hills outside Bethlehem, as we’ve already heard. “There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks. At night, an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. And this will be as sign to you. You'll find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Again, angels are given a role of dispensing theology to human beings. But this time it's simple working-class shepherds who are just out there at night watching over their flocks in the hills surrounding Bethlehem. Suddenly an angel comes with heavenly glory, a radiant display. This is one of the key texts for me. Understand that glory involves sometimes physical light, a radiant display. And so it is. This angel came with the glory of the Lord that shone around there at night, and it caused instant terror. The angel gives the message that Christ the Lord is born in Bethlehem. He is Christ, He is Lord, He's Savior. These terms are initially understandable. They immediately take root in the heart of any believer, but they will take all eternity to unpack in their fullness. The shepherds understood these words. The simple proof of the angel's words was the oddity of seeing a baby wrapped and laid in a feeding trough for animals. That's highly unusual. So when you go down and you see this baby wrapped up in swaddling clothes, that will be a sign that our words are true. “Then suddenly a huge multitude of the heavenly host appears. A great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to men on whom his favor rests." This must have been what Charles Wesley and George Whitfield had in mind when they wrote, “Hark, the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King." God told them to do it. It says, "Let all God's angels worship Him,” and they did it with gladness and with powerful voices. I want you to understand a word that is easy to misunderstand and that is the word “host.” I asked some people earlier this week, "What is a heavenly host?" And they said, "Well, when you host somebody, you're opening up your home, you're welcoming them." Friends, that is not what host means here. It's not like the angels are saying, "Hey, you all come." I know I'll never say it like you guys do, "Y'all come," saying, "I want you to come and enjoy." That's not what's going on. It's not what the Greek word means. The Greek word is “stratia”, which is a military term. This is an army, a huge army. Imagine how that would've looked to us rebels against heaven to have a heavenly army arrayed in military weaponry surrounding us. It really would be terrifying. It's not a choir of angels, it's an army of angels. If you want to see the kind of damage they can wreak on planet Earth, read the Book of Revelation. The kind of damage that they wreak gladly when God tells them to do it, pouring out wrath on the ecology and on the people of Earth before the Second Coming of Christ. It's an heavenly invasion. But not that night, though they could have done that kind of damage because we all deserved it. We're all rebels against the throne of God. They were there to celebrate the birth, effectively, of our and God's champion who came to fight on our behalf. They're there to celebrate as He went forth, as David did in the day when he defeated Goliath. He is the representative of heaven and of us, the people of God to fight our battle for us. They're there to celebrate, and there's lots of them. It's not a little, it's a huge army. They're not there to invade rebellious Earth and destroy it like we all deserve, but they're there to proclaim, "Glory to God and peace from God to those on whom his grace or his favor rests." That's the message. This is the same army of angels that will be dispatched in waves in Revelation to destroy all sinners at the end of the world. But at this point they're there to celebrate the birth of the Savior forth. V. Angels Protected the Newborn Christ God also dispatched an angel to warn Joseph in a dream to flee the murderous King Herod and his killing soldiers. Matthew 2, “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the Land of Israel for those who are trying to take the child's life are dead.’ So he got up and took the child's mother and went to the Land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judean places, his father Herod, he was afraid to go there having been warned in a dream. He withdrew to the district of Galilee and went and lived in a town called Nazareth.” An angel was dispatched to Joseph in a dream to say, "Get up and take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you." They escaped just in time before the soldiers came and killed all the boy babies two years old and under. Then later, once Herod was dead and the danger had passed, the angel came and told Joseph to bring the child back. Certainly angels protected Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus at that point, but I'm certain that angels protected Jesus throughout the 30 years that He was growing up. The demons knew who He was. Satan knew who He was, and yet He lived a normal upbringing. He grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God. When He grew up, He was a carpenter. When the time came, He was revealed out of obscurity by John the Baptist. But in all of that, there must have been a wall, an angelic wall of protection, around Jesus as He was growing up. Revelation 12 depicts the devil as a dragon ready to devour the male child who will rule over all the world the moment it was born, but he couldn't do it. VI. Angels Strengthened Christ in his Weakness Fifthly, during Jesus' life on earth, He was subjected to all the same weakness that we are— pain, weariness, hunger, thirst. At two key moments in Jesus' weakness, his physical bodily weakness, angels were dispatched to strengthen the King of angels. First, after his temptation by the devil in the desert. In Mark 1:13 it says, "He was in the desert forty days being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals and angels attended him." It's an amazing thing how Jesus, the infinite King of glory, was so weakened by his fasting that God had to send angels to keep him alive and to feed him out in the desert. Second, in his agony in Gethsemane, in Luke 22 it says, "An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him and being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." We cannot fully understand what was happening in Gethsemane as Jesus was fully aware that He was about to drink the cup of God's wrath in our place on the cross and to shed His blood in our place. God, I believe, mysteriously revealed to Jesus' human mind what it would be like to be under the wrath of God and it just about killed Him, dropping Him to the ground, and He was growing faint. An angel was dispatched in some mysterious way to strengthen Him to survive that moment in Gethsemane as great drops of blood were pouring from His face. It is a marvelous and an amazing thing that this infinite King of glory needed help, physical help from angels at those two times. VII. Angels Announced the resurrected Christ After Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, angels were sent from heaven to tell his followers that Christ had risen just as He had predicted. In Matthew, an angel came down and rolled back the stone and sat on it. I've always loved that picture. He's very comfortable in the presence of Roman soldiers. He's not afraid of them at all. They're terrified of him and he just easily rolls a massive boulder and sits on it. It's just a beautiful picture. But he's there announcing the resurrection. The same thing in John's Gospel. You have two men dressed in white sitting in the empty tomb where Jesus' body had been. One at the head, the other at the feet. In Luke's gospel, the same thing as women went to finish the burial rituals that had been hurried because the Passover was coming. It says in Luke 24, "Suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground. But the men said to them, 'Why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen just as he said.'" Angels are not usually dispatched to proclaim the facts of the gospel of Christ's death and his burial and his resurrection, though they would do an amazing job, ordinarily not. But here at the very beginning of the spread of the Gospel, after the resurrection of Christ from the dead, angels are dispatched to tell his immediate inner circle of followers what had happened. VIII. Angels Celebrated the Heavenly Ascension of Christ Seventhly, angels celebrated the heavenly ascension of Christ. After Christ rose from the dead, He spent forty days with His disciples, giving them many convincing proofs that He was alive.He was training them and teaching them and getting them ready for the spread of the Gospel worldwide to the ends of the Earth. After that, after He had given all of that proof, at the end of that time, forth days, He ascended from the surface of the Earth up through the sky, through the clouds, and ultimately into the heavenly realms. The Book of Hebrews tells us that He passed through the heavens, plural, through circles of heavens, so higher and higher. First, the atmosphere, and then beyond all the physical realms of heaven, what we call sky and outer space and beyond that into the circles of heaven, the heavenly spheres of existence in the spiritual realm. He passed through all that. The author of Hebrews gives us the language of passing through, and the scripture reveals that as He did, the angels celebrated his passing as a triumphant conqueror. In Psalm 47, it says, "God has ascended amid shouts of joy and the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets, sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises to our King, sing praises." It's a marvelous picture we get of the angels celebrating the accomplishment of the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ. I also think it's interesting the angels were dispatched to tell the disciples to move along now and get on with their lives as they're standing there outside Jerusalem with their heads craning up, looking and waiting for the Second Coming of Christ 2000 years ago. God sent two angels to say, "Time to move along." “They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going when suddenly, two men dressed in white stood beside them. Men of Galilee, they said, ‘Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you've seen Him go into heaven.’” IX. Angels Assisted the Spread of Christ's Kingdom Eighth, as I just said, Scripture does not assign to angels the work of evangelism and missions. The ministry of reconciliation has been entrusted to us, the followers of Christ. That's our job. It is our work to go to the ends of the earth and to proclaim the gospel. As the scripture says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news?" But it's not angels that do it. However, angels have consistently assisted that spread as they were dispatched from heaven to do. For example, in Acts 8, an angel working along with the Holy Spirit told Philip the Evangelist where to go so he could proclaim the Gospel to an Ethiopian eunuch. We can see angels dispatched to guide evangelism and missions in Acts 8. So also God dispatched an angel to rescue Peter and the Apostles from prison in Acts 5, and also Peter from prison in Acts 12, causing chains to fall off and making the twelve soldiers guarding him to fall into a deep sleep. Also an angel is dispatched to Cornelius the centurion, to tell him to send men to Joppa to find a man named Peter who would bring a message by which he and all his household would be saved. The angel was not dispatched to give the message. He could easily have done it, but instead to send messengers to get Peter to come and do it. So it was angels that did that. "The ministry of reconciliation has been entrusted to us, the followers of Christ. That's our job. It is our work to go to the ends of the earth and to proclaim the gospel." In heaven, we're going to find out throughout thousands of years of redemptive history, how active the angels have been in the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth. As the author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 1:14, "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" They have helped the spread of the gospel for 2000 years. X. Angels Will Celebrate Chris’s Glory for All Eternity Ninth and finally, angels will celebrate Christ's glory for all eternity. As I said before Christ was born, angels worshiped and celebrated all along. As redemptive history has unfolded, we are told that angels were learning. "They long to look into these things," Peter tells us. 1 Peter 1:12, “Even angels long to look into these things.” They weren't omniscient. They didn't know where all this was heading. They were learning as events were unfolding. As we see for example in Daniel 12, one angel asks another angel about timing and timetable. They don't know when the timing is going to be for all of these things. They're eager to learn, and they are learning as events unfold on planet Earth. As those events unfold, they celebrate them, like the birth of Christ. They're celebrating. It's not like they didn't know it was coming, but now it's broken into history and they are celebrating. They're tracking events unfolding, and they're learning and they're celebrating with pure hearts. I believe that they're going to celebrate when all is said and done for all eternity. They're going to celebrate what was done to rescue a multitude of sinners from every tribe and language and people and nation. They're going to celebrate what God has done through the second and the third person of the Trinity. By the working of Jesus' bloodshed on the cross, by His resurrection and by the outpouring Holy Spirit on the people of God, the spread of the Gospel, the angels are going to celebrate every detail of what happened for all eternity. In Revelation 5:11-12, it says, "Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels numbering thousands upon thousands and 10,000 times 10,000, 100 million angels. They encircle the throne and the living creatures and the elders. And in a loud voice they sang, ‘Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.’" So there's 100 million angels celebrating the Slain Lamb, who by his blood rescued people for God. Just as it said earlier, "You are worthy because you were slain and with your blood, you purchase people for God from every tribe, language, people and nation." You're going to celebrate that, that radiant glory for all eternity they're going to celebrate. We wouldn't even know about it except that God had dispatched an angel to John to write the Book of Revelation. As it says in Revelation 1, "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John." An angel was entrusted with the Book of Revelation to bring down to John and the island of Patmos. Then He says, at the end of Revelation 22:16, “I, Jesus have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and I'm the bright and morning star." Angels will be worshiping and celebrating Christ's victory at the cross for all eternity. Revelation 7 says, "After this, I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before the throne and in front of the lamb. They're wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands and they cried out in a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne to the lamb.'" The next verse, "All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, they fell down on their faces before the throne. And they worship God saying, 'Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen.'" The angels are celebrating a redemption they didn't need. It wasn't for them that Christ became incarnate. Surely it is not angel He helped but the sons of Abraham, us, flesh and blood, and yet the angels are celebrating with every bit as much joy as if it had been them. They're going to celebrate it for all eternity. So what about you friends? What about you? We here at First Baptist Church do not believe in a secular Christmas. We believe in Christ at the center of it. We want to join in that angelic worship and celebration. We want to see who this child is, this incarnate son of God, and we want to join the angels in celebrating. What about you? What about you? I understand at Christmas time it's a time for people to go to church maybe with family and friends. My desire is that there'd be no person listening to my words today, who would be in a lost, dying state. All you have to do is hear all of this truth that you've been listening to of who Jesus is, of why He came. Of what He did at the cross and of how God raised him from the dead, and understand it is by simple faith in that story that you will be forgiven of your sins. There is no reason for anyone in this room to end up perishing eternally. To be terrified when that army does invade and punishes the rebels who never would yield to God and to Christ. There's no reason for that. All you need to do is cross over from death to life is simply listen and hear like, "Hark, the herald angels sing." What are they singing? "Glory to the newborn King." See this incarnate deity laying there. See in that, your own salvation. If you are already a Christian, I want to wish you all a wonderful merry Christmas. You're going to enjoy time with your family tomorrow, but as you do so, let's bring Christ right into the center of that time. I don't know what your traditions are, what your habits are, but in our family, we love to read scripture as part of our celebration, to talk about the actual facts of the birth of Christ, of the gospel. Choose some Scripture and read it together with the people that you're with. Make Christ the center of your celebration. Close with me now in prayer. Father, we thank you for this time of year in which we get to focus on a vital detail of our Christian faith, and that is the incarnation of Christ, the giving of the God man, the birth of Jesus as the savior of the world. We needed Christ. It was a rescue mission. As the angel said to Joseph, "You'll give him the name Jesus, because he will save His people from their sins." Lord, we need that. We thank you. I pray, oh Lord, that you would be working deeply in the hearts of people who hear this message that they would believe and trust and follow you. And for all of us who years ago did, Lord pray that you'd renew our faith and help us to celebrate as the angels did In Jesus' name, Amen.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present an encore appearance by paranormal researcher Maxim W. Furek, whose eclectic background includes aspects of psychology, addictions, and rock journalism. He has a master's degree in Communications from Bloomsburg University and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Aquinas College. The main focus of this episode is the legend of the Philadelphia Experiment, about a purported attempt during World War II to make ships invisible to the enemy, with results that went awry. Furek will also explore the pop culture of the early days of the modern UFO field, featuring such controversial characters as Ray Palmer and Richard S. Shaver. Furek has written numerous rock biographies, as well as paranormal-themes books, such as Coal Region Hoodoo: Paranormal Tales from Inside the Pit and Flying Saucer Esoteric. He is a contributor to Fate Magazine, Normal Paranormal, and Paranormal Underground. The book Flying Saucer Esoteric: The Altered States of Ufology cxplores the chronology of “flying saucers,” tracing historical accounts of theologians and astronomers who lived in the days Before Christ to the 2023 Congressional hearings and the Mexican alien corpses myth.

If our calendar is broken up into B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (anno Domini, the year of our Lord) doesn't that mean Jesus was born in year one (since we don't count year zero)?Actually, the issue is a bit more complex than that.Although the Gospel writers did not focus primarily on preserving a precise chronological history of Jesus' life and ministry, we can still approximate some key dates by comparing historical markers with passages of Scripture.Here's why many scholars say Jesus was born between 5 and 6 B.C.Get the newsletter at ReasonableTheology.org/Subscribe. The weekly email includes:the latest article or podcast episodea helpful theological definitiona painting depicting a scene from Scripture or church historya musical selection to enrich your daythe best book deal I've found that week to build your library.Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS: A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and Clearly A Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church History Audio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to Enjoy A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library SUBSCRIBE HERE

“All that I Have Commanded You” ❤️ Last Sunday, Young Adult Pastor Lachlan Warell preached a message on the Great Commission.  Lachlan encouraged us to not be solely satisfied with knowing about the Great Commission but to fully live out and fulfill it.  Before Christ ascended to heaven, He said these very words to His disciples:  ““All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬ With these words, Christ expressed to His disciples what His expectations were. That everything they were to do to spread the Gospel and build the Kingdom of God was to be preoccupied with the making of disciples of all nations.

NOTES: Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20 (NLT) Our mission is a CONTINUATION of Jesus's mission. Our mission has ETERNAL significance. Our mission is a PRIVILEGE. Our mission gives MEANING. SHARE YOUR STORY And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT) HOW TO SHARE YOUR STORY 1. Who I was BEFORE Christ. 2. What made me realize I NEEDED Christ. 3. How I COMMITTED to Christ. 4. How Jesus has CHANGED my life. SHARE YOUR LIFE LESSONS As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. Titus 2:1 (NLT) SHARE AN INVITATION “Come and see,” John 1:39 (NLT) BOTTOM LINE: Jesus not only calls us TO him but to GO FOR him. THE CHALLENGE: PRAY and SHARE

Before Christ, your identity was in Adam, and the bloodline of Adam is deserving of spiritual death because of sin. The Bible says that one man's trespass brought condemnation to all men in Adam. By one man's disobedience, many were made sinners and by one man's obedience, the many will be made righteous. We deserve death but because of Christ, we're now a new creation. If you're not living a victorious Christian life it may be because you don't believe your identity has changed.

Don't forget the Episode Guide Download for THIS episode! Download it for free to interact with Scripture for yourself. Something is keeping us from being a light in our world. A question asked in for KING+COUNTRY's song "What Are We Waiting For?" inspired me to explore what the Bible says about light and our identity as Christ followers to be light. Join me on a journey through the Old and New Testaments to glimpse what we're up against as children of light and how to overcome the darkness. What are you waiting for?   In this episode, I discuss the following: Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include: Read in context Study a topic Review section titles Episode Guide Download Looking at "light" from a biblical worldview God made a distinction between light and darkness in creation - Genesis 1:2-5 God made a spiritual distinction between light and darkness - Isaiah 60:1-3 Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness - John 1:4-5, John 1:12 The darkness doesn't want to be overcome - John 3:19-20 Before Christ, not only did we love darkness, we WERE darkness - Ephesians 5:8-9 We have an enemy that stands against the light - 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 In Christ, we are delivered from the domain of darkness - Colossians 1:13 How should we respond? Shine - Luke 8:16 Walk as children of light - Ephesians 5:8-9 Confess our sin - 1 John 1:5-10 Other episodes that study 1 John Episode 447 Episode 455 Episode 457 Episode 464   Our transformation cannot happen apart from Christ. You cannot will yourself to become light without the life and light of Christ.   Additional Resources "What Are We Waiting For" by for KING+COUNTRY Lyrics - NewReleaseToday.com The heart behind the album "What Are We Waiting For?" by for KING+COUNTRY - WayFM YouTube Interview "How Do I Walk in the Light?" - A Look at the Book lab My favorite Bible Study Software - Logos Bible Software Affiliate Link This Week's Challenge Spend some time studying the topic of light in the whole of Scripture. Feel free to use the verses listed in the show notes as a starting point, but I encourage you to find even more. The Bible has a lot to say about light and darkness. Consider what Scripture has to say about Jesus being light. Note what Scripture has to say about followers of Christ as it relates to being light and walking in the light.

-- Finches Diversify in Decades, Opals Form in Months,  Man's Genetic Diversity in 200 Generations, C-14 Everywhere: Real Science Radio hosts Bob Enyart and Fred Williams present their classic program that led to the audience-favorites rsr.org/list-shows! See below and hear on today's radio program our list of Not So Old and Not So Slow Things! From opals forming in months to man's genetic diversity in 200 generations, and with carbon 14 everywhere it's not supposed to be (including in diamonds and dinosaur bones!), scientific observations fill the guys' most traditional list challenging those who claim that the earth is billions of years old. Many of these scientific finds demand a re-evaluation of supposed million and billion-year ages. * Finches Adapt in 17 Years, Not 2.3 Million: Charles Darwin's finches are claimed to have taken 2,300,000 years to diversify from an initial species blown onto the Galapagos Islands. Yet individuals from a single finch species on a U.S. Bird Reservation in the Pacific were introduced to a group of small islands 300 miles away and in at most 17 years, like Darwin's finches, they had diversified their beaks, related muscles, and behavior to fill various ecological niches. Hear about this also at rsr.org/spetner. * Opals Can Form in "A Few Months" And Don't Need 100,000 Years: A leading authority on opals, Allan W. Eckert, observed that, "scientific papers and textbooks have told that the process of opal formation requires tens of thousands of years, perhaps hundreds of thousands... Not true." A 2011 peer-reviewed paper in a geology journal from Australia, where almost all the world's opal is found, reported on the: "new timetable for opal formation involving weeks to a few months and not the hundreds of thousands of years envisaged by the conventional weathering model." (And apparently, per a 2019 report from Entomology Today, opals can even form around insects!) More knowledgeable scientists resist the uncritical, group-think insistence on false super-slow formation rates (as also for manganese nodules, gold veins, stone, petroleum, canyons and gullies, and even guts, all below). Regarding opals, Darwinian bias led geologists to long ignore possible quick action, as from microbes, as a possible explanation for these mineraloids. For both in nature and in the lab, opals form rapidly, not even in 10,000 years, but in weeks. See this also from creationists by a geologist, a paleobiochemist, and a nuclear chemist. * Finches Speciate in Two Generations vs Two Million Years for Darwin's Birds?  Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands are said to have diversified into 14 species over a period of two million years. But in 2017 the journal Science reported a newcomer to the Island which within two generations spawned a reproductively isolated new species. In another instance as documented by Lee Spetner, a hundred birds of the same finch species introduced to an island cluster a 1,000 kilometers from Galapagos diversified into species with the typical variations in beak sizes, etc. "If this diversification occurred in less than seventeen years," Dr. Spetner asks, "why did Darwin's Galapagos finches [as claimed by evolutionists] have to take two million years?" * Blue Eyes Originated Not So Long Ago: Not a million years ago, nor a hundred thousand years ago, but based on a peer-reviewed paper in Human Genetics, a press release at Science Daily reports that, "research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye colour of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today." * Adding the Entire Universe to our List of Not So Old Things? Based on March 2019 findings from Hubble, Nobel laureate Adam Riess of the Space Telescope Science Institute and his co-authors in the Astrophysical Journal estimate that the universe is about a billion years younger than previously thought! Then in September 2019 in the journal Science, the age dropped precipitiously to as low as 11.4 billion years! Of course, these measurements also further squeeze the canonical story of the big bang chronology with its many already existing problems including the insufficient time to "evolve" distant mature galaxies, galaxy clusters, superclusters, enormous black holes, filaments, bubbles, walls, and other superstructures. So, even though the latest estimates are still absurdly too old (Google: big bang predictions, and click on the #1 ranked article, or just go on over there to rsr.org/bb), regardless, we thought we'd plop the whole universe down on our List of Not So Old Things!   * After the Soft Tissue Discoveries, NOW Dino DNA: When a North Carolina State University paleontologist took the Tyrannosaurus Rex photos to the right of original biological material, that led to the 2016 discovery of dinosaur DNA, So far researchers have also recovered dinosaur blood vessels, collagen, osteocytes, hemoglobin, red blood cells, and various proteins. As of May 2018, twenty-six scientific journals, including Nature, Science, PNAS, PLoS One, Bone, and Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, have confirmed the discovery of biomaterial fossils from many dinosaurs! Organisms including T. Rex, hadrosaur, titanosaur, triceratops, Lufengosaur, mosasaur, and Archaeopteryx, and many others dated, allegedly, even hundreds of millions of years old, have yielded their endogenous, still-soft biological material. See the web's most complete listing of 100+ journal papers (screenshot, left) announcing these discoveries at bflist.rsr.org and see it in layman's terms at rsr.org/soft. * Rapid Stalactites, Stalagmites, Etc.: A construction worker in 1954 left a lemonade bottle in one of Australia's famous Jenolan Caves. By 2011 it had been naturally transformed into a stalagmite (below, right). Increasing scientific knowledge is arguing for rapid cave formation (see below, Nat'l Park Service shrinks Carlsbad Caverns formation estimates from 260M years, to 10M, to 2M, to it "depends"). Likewise, examples are growing of rapid formations with typical chemical make-up (see bottle, left) of classic stalactites and stalagmites including:- in Nat'l Geo the Carlsbad Caverns stalagmite that rapidly covered a bat - the tunnel stalagmites at Tennessee's Raccoon Mountain - hundreds of stalactites beneath the Lincoln Memorial - those near Gladfelter Hall at Philadelphia's Temple University (send photos to Bob@rsr.org) - hundreds of stalactites at Australia's zinc mine at Mt. Isa.   - and those beneath Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance. * Most Human Mutations Arose in 200 Generations: From Adam until Real Science Radio, in only 200 generations! The journal Nature reports The Recent Origin of Most Human Protein-coding Variants. As summarized by geneticist co-author Joshua Akey, "Most of the mutations that we found arose in the last 200 generations or so" (the same number previously published by biblical creationists). Another 2012 paper, in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology (Eugenie Scott's own field) on High mitochondrial mutation rates, shows that one mitochondrial DNA mutation occurs every other generation, which, as creationists point out, indicates that mtEve would have lived about 200 generations ago. That's not so old! * National Geographic's Not-So-Old Hard-Rock Canyon at Mount St. Helens: As our List of Not So Old Things (this web page) reveals, by a kneejerk reaction evolutionary scientists assign ages of tens or hundreds of thousands of years (or at least just long enough to contradict Moses' chronology in Genesis.) However, with closer study, routinely, more and more old ages get revised downward to fit the world's growing scientific knowledge. So the trend is not that more information lengthens ages, but rather, as data replaces guesswork, ages tend to shrink until they are consistent with the young-earth biblical timeframe. Consistent with this observation, the May 2000 issue of National Geographic quotes the U.S. Forest Service's scientist at Mount St. Helens, Peter Frenzen, describing the canyon on the north side of the volcano. "You'd expect a hard-rock canyon to be thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years old. But this was cut in less than a decade." And as for the volcano itself, while again, the kneejerk reaction of old-earthers would be to claim that most geologic features are hundreds of thousands or millions of years old, the atheistic National Geographic magazine acknowledges from the evidence that Mount St. Helens, the volcanic mount, is only about 4,000 years old! See below and more at rsr.org/mount-st-helens. * Mount St. Helens Dome Ten Years Old not 1.7 Million: Geochron Laboratories of Cambridge, Mass., using potassium-argon and other radiometric techniques claims the rock sample they dated, from the volcano's dome, solidified somewhere between 340,000 and 2.8 million years ago. However photographic evidence and historical reports document the dome's formation during the 1980s, just ten years prior to the samples being collected. With the age of this rock known, radiometric dating therefore gets the age 99.99999% wrong. * Devils Hole Pupfish Isolated Not for 13,000 Years But for 100: Secular scientists default to knee-jerk, older-than-Bible-age dates. However, a tiny Mojave desert fish is having none of it. Rather than having been genetically isolated from other fish for 13,000 years (which would make this small school of fish older than the Earth itself), according to a paper in the journal Nature, actual measurements of mutation rates indicate that the genetic diversity of these Pupfish could have been generated in about 100 years, give or take a few. * Polystrates like Spines and Rare Schools of Fossilized Jellyfish: Previously, seven sedimentary layers in Wisconsin had been described as taking a million years to form. And because jellyfish have no skeleton, as Charles Darwin pointed out, it is rare to find them among fossils. But now, reported in the journal Geology, a school of jellyfish fossils have been found throughout those same seven layers. So, polystrate fossils that condense the time of strata deposition from eons to hours or months, include: - Jellyfish in central Wisconsin were not deposited and fossilized over a million years but during a single event quick enough to trap a whole school. (This fossil school, therefore, taken as a unit forms a polystrate fossil.) Examples are everywhere that falsify the claims of strata deposition over millions of years. - Countless trilobites buried in astounding three dimensionality around the world are meticulously recovered from limestone, much of which is claimed to have been deposited very slowly. Contrariwise, because these specimens were buried rapidly in quickly laid down sediments, they show no evidence of greater erosion on their upper parts as compared to their lower parts.- The delicacy of radiating spine polystrates, like tadpole and jellyfish fossils, especially clearly demonstrate the rapidity of such strata deposition. - A second school of jellyfish, even though they rarely fossilized, exists in another locale with jellyfish fossils in multiple layers, in Australia's Brockman Iron Formation, constraining there too the rate of strata deposition. By the way, jellyfish are an example of evolution's big squeeze. Like galaxies evolving too quickly, galaxy clusters, and even human feet (which, like Mummy DNA, challenge the Out of Africa paradigm), jellyfish have gotten into the act squeezing evolution's timeline, here by 200 million years when they were found in strata allegedly a half-a-billion years old. Other examples, ironically referred to as Medusoid Problematica, are even found in pre-Cambrian strata. - 171 tadpoles of the same species buried in diatoms. - Leaves buried vertically through single-celled diatoms powerfully refute the claimed super-slow deposition of diatomaceous rock. - Many fossils, including a Mesosaur, have been buried in multiple "varve" layers, which are claimed to be annual depositions, yet they show no erosional patterns that would indicate gradual burial (as they claim, absurdly, over even thousands of years). - A single whale skeleton preserved in California in dozens of layers of diatom deposits thus forming a polystrate fossil. - 40 whales buried in the desert in Chile. "What's really interesting is that this didn't just happen once," said Smithsonian evolutionist Dr. Nick Pyenson. It happened four times." Why's that? Because "the fossil site has at least four layers", to which Real Science Radio's Bob Enyart replies: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha", with RSR co-host Fred Williams thoughtfully adding, "Ha ha!" * Polystrate Trees: Examples abound around the world of polystrate trees:  - Yellowstone's petrified polystrate forest (with the NPS exhibit sign removed; see below) with successive layers of rootless trees demonstrating the rapid deposition of fifty layers of strata. - A similarly formed polystrate fossil forest in France demonstrating the rapid deposition of a dozen strata. - In a thousand locations including famously the Fossil Cliffs of Joggins, Nova Scotia, polystrate fossils such as trees span many strata. - These trees lack erosion: Not only should such fossils, generally speaking, not even exist, but polystrates including trees typically show no evidence of erosion increasing with height. All of this powerfully disproves the claim that the layers were deposited slowly over thousands or millions of years. In the experience of your RSR radio hosts, evolutionists commonly respond to this hard evidence with mocking. See CRSQ June 2006, ICR Impact #316, and RSR 8-11-06 at KGOV.com. * Yellowstone Petrified Trees Sign Removed: The National Park Service removed their incorrect sign (see left and more). The NPS had claimed that in dozens of different strata over a 40-square mile area, many petrified trees were still standing where they had grown. The NPS eventually removed the sign partly because those petrified trees had no root systems, which they would have had if they had grown there. Instead, the trees of this "fossil forest" have roots that are abruptly broken off two or three feet from their trunks. If these mature trees actually had been remnants of sequential forests that had grown up in strata layer on top of strata layer, 27 times on Specimen Ridge (and 50 times at Specimen Creek), such a natural history implies passage of more time than permitted by biblical chronology. So, don't trust the National Park Service on historical science because they're wrong on the age of the Earth. * Wood Petrifies Quickly: Not surprisingly, by the common evolutionary knee-jerk claim of deep time, "several researchers believe that several millions of years are necessary for the complete formation of silicified wood". Our List of Not So Old and Not So Slow Things includes the work of five Japanese scientists who proved creationist research and published their results in the peer-reviewed journal Sedimentary Geology showing that wood can and does petrify rapidly. Modern wood significantly petrified in 36 years these researchers concluded that wood buried in strata could have been petrified in "a fairly short period of time, in the order of several tens to hundreds of years." * The Scablands: The primary surface features of the Scablands, which cover thousands of square miles of eastern Washington, were long believed to have formed gradually. Yet, against the determined claims of uniformitarian geologists, there is now overwhelming evidence as presented even in a NOVA TV program that the primary features of the Scablands formed rapidly from a catastrophic breach of Lake Missoula causing a massive regional flood. Of course evolutionary geologists still argue that the landscape was formed over tens of thousands of years, now by claiming there must have been a hundred Missoula floods. However, the evidence that there was Only One Lake Missoula Flood has been powerfully reinforced by a University of Colorado Ph.D. thesis. So the Scablands itself is no longer available to old-earthers as de facto evidence for the passage of millions of years. * The Heart Mountain Detachment: in Wyoming just east of Yellowstone, this mountain did not break apart slowly by uniformitarian processes but in only about half-an-hour as widely reported including in the evolutionist LiveScience.com, "Land Speed Record: Mountain Moves 62 Miles in 30 Minutes." The evidence indicates that this mountain of rock covering 425 square miles rapidly broke into 50 pieces and slid apart over an area of more than 1,300 square miles in a biblical, not a "geological," timeframe.  * "150 Million" year-old Squid Ink Not Decomposed: This still-writable ink had dehydrated but had not decomposed! The British Geological Survey's Dr. Phil Wilby, who excavated the fossil, said, "It is difficult to imagine how you can have something as soft and sloppy as an ink sac fossilised in three dimensions, still black, and inside a rock that is 150 million years old." And the Daily Mail states that, "the black ink was of exactly the same structure as that of today's version", just desiccated. And Wilby added, "Normally you would find only the hard parts like the shell and bones fossilised but... these creatures... can be dissected as if they are living animals, you can see the muscle fibres and cells. It is difficult to imagine... The structure is similar to ink from a modern squid so we can write with it..." Why is this difficult for evolutionists to imagine? Because as Dr. Carl Wieland writes, "Chemical structures 'fall apart' all by themselves over time due to the randomizing effects of molecular motion."Decades ago Bob Enyart broadcast a geology program about Mount St. Helens' catastrophic destruction of forests and the hydraulic transportation and upright deposition of trees. Later, Bob met the chief ranger from Haleakala National Park on Hawaii's island of Maui, Mark Tanaka-Sanders. The ranger agreed to correspond with his colleague at Yellowstone to urge him to have the sign removed. Thankfully, it was then removed. (See also AIG, CMI, and all the original Yellowstone exhibit photos.) Groundbreaking research conducted by creation geologist Dr. Steve Austin in Spirit Lake after Mount St. Helens eruption provided a modern-day analog to the formation of Yellowstone fossil forest. A steam blast from that volcano blew over tens of thousands of trees leaving them without attached roots. Many thousands of those trees were floating upright in Spirit Lake, and began sinking at varying rates into rapidly and sporadically deposited sediments. Once Yellowstone's successive forest interpretation was falsified (though like with junk DNA, it's too big to fail, so many atheists and others still cling to it), the erroneous sign was removed. * Asiatic vs. European Honeybees: These two populations of bees have been separated supposedly for seven million years. A researcher decided to put the two together to see what would happen. What we should have here is a failure to communicate that would have resulted after their "language" evolved over millions of years. However, European and Asiatic honeybees are still able to communicate, putting into doubt the evolutionary claim that they were separated over "geologic periods." For more, see the Public Library of Science, Asiatic Honeybees Can Understand Dance Language of European Honeybees. (Oh yeah, and why don't fossils of poorly-formed honeycombs exist, from the millions of years before the bees and natural selection finally got the design right? Ha! Because they don't exist! :) Nautiloid proves rapid limestone formation. * Remember the Nautiloids: In the Grand Canyon there is a limestone layer averaging seven feet thick that runs the 277 miles of the canyon (and beyond) that covers hundreds of square miles and contains an average of one nautiloid fossil per square meter. Along with many other dead creatures in this one particular layer, 15% of these nautiloids were killed and then fossilized standing on their heads. Yes, vertically. They were caught in such an intense and rapid catastrophic flow that gravity was not able to cause all of their dead carcasses to fall over on their sides. Famed Mount St. Helens geologist Steve Austin is also the world's leading expert on nautiloid fossils and has worked in the canyon and presented his findings to the park's rangers at the invitation of National Park Service officials. Austin points out, as is true of many of the world's mass fossil graveyards, that this enormous nautiloid deposition provides indisputable proof of the extremely rapid formation of a significant layer of limestone near the bottom of the canyon, a layer like the others we've been told about, that allegedly formed at the bottom of a calm and placid sea with slow and gradual sedimentation. But a million nautiloids, standing on their heads, literally, would beg to differ. At our sister stie, RSR provides the relevant Geologic Society of America abstract, links, and video. *  Now It's Allegedly Two Million Year-Old Leaves: "When we started pulling leaves out of the soil, that was surreal, to know that it's millions of years old..." sur-re-al: adjective: a bizarre mix of fact and fantasy. In this case, the leaves are the facts. Earth scientists from Ohio State and the University of Minnesota say that wood and leaves they found in the Canadian Arctic are at least two million years old, and perhaps more than ten million years old, even though the leaves are just dry and crumbly and the wood still burns! * Gold Precipitates in Veins in Less than a Second: After geologists submitted for decades to the assumption that each layer of gold would deposit at the alleged super slow rates of geologic process, the journal Nature Geoscience reports that each layer of deposition can occur within a few tenths of a second. Meanwhile, at the Lihir gold deposit in Papua New Guinea, evolutionists assumed the more than 20 million ounces of gold in the Lihir reserve took millions of years to deposit, but as reported in the journal Science, geologists can now demonstrate that the deposit could have formed in thousands of years, or far more quickly! Iceland's not-so-old Surtsey Island looks ancient. * Surtsey Island, Iceland: Of the volcanic island that formed in 1963, New Scientist reported in 2007 about Surtsey that "geographers... marvel that canyons, gullies and other land features that typically take tens of thousands or millions of years to form were created in less than a decade." Yes. And Sigurdur Thorarinsson, Iceland's chief  geologist, wrote in the months after Surtsey formed, "that the time scale," he had been trained "to attach to geological developments is misleading." [For what is said to] take thousands of years... the same development may take a few weeks or even days here [including to form] a landscape... so varied and mature that it was almost beyond belief... wide sandy beaches and precipitous crags... gravel banks and lagoons, impressive cliffs… hollows, glens and soft undulating land... fractures and faultscarps, channels and screes… confounded by what met your eye... boulders worn by the surf, some of which were almost round... -Iceland's chief geologist * The Palouse River Gorge: In the southeast of Washington State, the Palouse River Gorge is one of many features formed rapidly by 500 cubic miles of water catastrophically released with the breaching of a natural dam in the Lake Missoula Flood (which gouged out the Scablands as described above). So, hard rock can be breached and eroded rapidly. * Leaf Shapes Identical for 190 Million Years?  From Berkley.edu, "Ginkgo biloba... dates back to... about 190 million years ago... fossilized leaf material from the Tertiary species Ginkgo adiantoides is considered similar or even identical to that produced by modern Ginkgo biloba trees... virtually indistinguishable..." The literature describes leaf shapes as "spectacularly diverse" sometimes within a species but especially across the plant kingdom. Because all kinds of plants survive with all kinds of different leaf shapes, the conservation of a species retaining a single shape over alleged deep time is a telling issue. Darwin's theory is undermined by the unchanging shape over millions of years of a species' leaf shape. This lack of change, stasis in what should be an easily morphable plant trait, supports the broader conclusion that chimp-like creatures did not become human beings and all the other ambitious evolutionary creation of new kinds are simply imagined. (Ginkgo adiantoides and biloba are actually the same species. Wikipedia states, "It is doubtful whether the Northern Hemisphere fossil species of Ginkgo can be reliably distinguished." For oftentimes, as documented by Dr. Carl Werner in his Evolution: The Grand Experiment series, paleontogists falsely speciate identical specimens, giving different species names, even different genus names, to the fossil and living animals that appear identical.) * Box Canyon, Idaho: Geologists now think Box Canyon in Idaho, USA, was carved by a catastrophic flood and not slowly over millions of years with 1) huge plunge pools formed by waterfalls; 2) the almost complete removal of large basalt boulders from the canyon; 3) an eroded notch on the plateau at the top of the canyon; and 4) water scour marks on the basalt plateau leading to the canyon. Scientists calculate that the flood was so large that it could have eroded the whole canyon in as little as 35 days. See the journal Science, Formation of Box Canyon, Idaho, by Megaflood, and the Journal of Creation, and Creation Magazine. * Manganese Nodules Rapid Formation: Allegedly, as claimed at the Wikipedia entry from 2005 through 2021: "Nodule growth is one of the slowest of all geological phenomena – in the order of a centimeter over several million years." Wow, that would be slow! And a Texas A&M Marine Sciences technical slide presentation says, “They grow very slowly (mm/million years) and can be tens of millions of years old", with RWU's oceanography textbook also putting it at "0.001 mm per thousand years." But according to a World Almanac documentary they have formed "around beer cans," said marine geologist Dr. John Yates in the 1997 video Universe Beneath the Sea: The Next Frontier. There are also reports of manganese nodules forming around ships sunk in the First World War. See more at at youngearth.com, at TOL, in the print edition of the Journal of Creation, and in this typical forum discussion with atheists (at the Chicago Cubs forum no less :). * "6,000 year-old" Mitochondrial Eve: As the Bible calls "Eve... the mother of all living" (Gen. 3:20), genetic researchers have named the one woman from whom all humans have descended "Mitochondrial Eve." But in a scientific attempt to date her existence, they openly admit that they included chimpanzee DNA in their analysis in order to get what they viewed as a reasonably old date of 200,000 years ago (which is still surprisingly recent from their perspective, but old enough not to strain Darwinian theory too much). But then as widely reported including by Science magazine, when they dropped the chimp data and used only actual human mutation rates, that process determined that Eve lived only six thousand years ago! In Ann Gibbon's Science article, "Calibrating the Mitochondrial Clock," rather than again using circular reasoning by assuming their conclusion (that humans evolved from ape-like creatures), they performed their calculations using actual measured mutation rates. This peer-reviewed journal then reported that if these rates have been constant, "mitochondrial Eve… would be a mere 6000 years old." See also the journal Nature and creation.com's "A shrinking date for Eve," and Walt Brown's assessment. Expectedly though, evolutionists have found a way to reject their own unbiased finding (the conclusion contrary to their self-interest) by returning to their original method of using circular reasoning, as reported in the American Journal of Human Genetics, "calibrating against recent evidence for the divergence time of humans and chimpanzees,"  to reset their mitochondrial clock back to 200,000 years. * Even Younger Y-Chromosomal Adam: (Although he should be called, "Y-Chromosomal Noah.") While we inherit our mtDNA only from our mothers, only men have a Y chromosome (which incidentally genetically disproves the claim that the fetus is "part of the woman's body," since the little boy's y chromosome could never be part of mom's body). Based on documented mutation rates on and the extraordinary lack of mutational differences in this specifically male DNA, the Y-chromosomal Adam would have lived only a few thousand years ago! (He's significantly younger than mtEve because of the genetic bottleneck of the global flood.) Yet while the Darwinian camp wrongly claimed for decades that humans were 98% genetically similar to chimps, secular scientists today, using the same type of calculation only more accurately, have unintentionally documented that chimps are about as far genetically from what makes a human being a male, as mankind itself is from sponges! Geneticists have found now that sponges are 70% the same as humans genetically, and separately, that human and chimp Y chromosomes are  "horrendously" 30%

Affirm: I will not value what is valueless.* Where this River flows, I will follow.Where It flows, I am Nourished.Where It flows, I am Success.Because It flows, I am Full,I am Home,and I can't depart. Love is the River,and Love is forever. I Love you, Nik p.s. In this episode, I share about being baptized in the River Jordan . See the original post, HERE.  Also, check out this song, Love is 4Ever. Please help me keep the show ad free + Get Merch!▶▶https://www.patreon.com/goodmornings"I will not value what is valueless."-A Course in Miracles, Lesson 133"He said, "My Father who's hidden." He said, "Enter your closet, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father who's hidden," that is, the one who's within all of them. But the one who's within all of them is the fullness. Beyond that, there's nothing else within. This is what's called "that which is above them."Before Christ, some came from where they were no longer able to enter, and they went where they were no longer able to come out. Then Christ came. He brought out those who entered, and brought in those who went out."-Gospel of Philip (Gnostic gospels) "You are moving into a season of increase of the supernatural. There is an igniting, even an explosion, of advancement within the spirit realm for you. So as you begin to see new things, feel new things, hear new things, and sense new things know this is my spirit awakening you to new realms, new truths, new dimensions, new realities, new experiences, and new encounters. This is a day of new beginnings for you, and I am compelling you to move into a higher level of activation. Now is the time to be busy. Now is the time to be active and working about your father's business. It is not a time to be preoccupied or distracted with lesser things, but to be intense, focused, and determined in advancing the call upon your life."-Neil Vermillion "Just remember that there is only. God here and there is only God in all that we see out there! The truth of God as one!"-Joel Goldsmith "When you enter His presence with PRAISE.He enters your life with POWER."-@amazinggracecoffee via IG"While standing on the shore you may have many things to say about the river. You will sing its praises, you will describe its beauty, you will have many opinions about it, and you have unending stories to tell about the river and its history. But you are describing the river and telling stories about it without having taken a dip in it even once. And whatever you may say about the greatness of the river without having gone into it, is simply meaningless. Once you finally dive in, once you surrender to the River of Existence - the perfect Master - you will be silent. You will have nothing to say."-Amma via @ramdasbelcheder"God is like a great river.Where it flows, we follow.Where it flows, life is nourished.Where it flows, movement is effortless.-@himalayanyogayatra via IG"Our individuality is an illusion.Whatever is happening is happening to the Total.That which breathes in us breathes in the trees.That which sings in us sings in the birds.That which dances in us dances in the rivers,in the brooks, in the springs.Our individuality is just an illusion."-Advaita Vedanta via IG @lightworker_54"Listen for the stream that tells you one thing.Die on this bank.Begin in methe wav of rivers with the sea."-Rumi Support the show