Podcasts about Euphrates

Friday Bible Study (8/8/25) // 2 Kings 23: 21-37 // Website: https://mbchicago.org FOLLOW US Facebook: https://facebook.com/mbc.chicago Instagram: https://instagram.com/mbc.chicago TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mbc.chicago Podcasts: Listen on Apple, Spotify & others TO SUPPORT US Zelle to: info@mbchicago.org Website: https://mbchicago.org/give Venmo: https://venmo.com/mbchurch DAF Donations: https://every.org/mbc.chicago PayPal: https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=AA74AC7V5WYMJ 2 Kings 23: 21-37 (ESV)Josiah Restores the Passover21 And the king commanded all the people, “Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 22 For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem.24 Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. 25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.26 Still the Lord did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27 And the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”Josiah's Death in Battle28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. 30 And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.Jehoahaz's Reign and Captivity31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents[a] of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.Jehoiakim Reigns in Judah36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 37 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.Footnotesa. 2 Kings 23: 33 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 227 - All About Boards Jake and Brendan continue our series on game components with a deep dive on BOARDS!  What types of boards exist?  How do they enhance the experience of playing a game?  What are the best boards?  Are tiles also boards?   Timestamps 5:00- what are boards? 13:30- network boards 27:45- other types of boards 32:05- information on boards 46:15- game progress on boards 48:05- scaling boards 50:35- alternate / expansion boards 53:00- players creating the board 57:05- modular boards 59:35- signposting on boards 1:03:05- favorite boards   Games Mentioned Catan, Quantum, Broom Service, Pax Pamir, Agricola, Ticket to Ride, Root, Castles of Burgundy, Pandemic, Scrabble, Tigris and Euphrates, Blood Rage, Heat, Barrage, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Molly House, Sky Team, Troyes, Santiago, El Grande, Hansa Teutonica, Mexica, Five Tribes, Babylonia, Hey That's My Fish, Arcs, Tikal, Carcassone, Praga Caput Regni, Findorff, Great Western Trail    Preplanners A few deep dives are in the works, so get in some plays of Apiary, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Dominion, and more Root!    Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0   Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!

Joshua 24:15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will SERVE the LORD.

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”(English Standard Version)

This week we are going to cover the rules for Through the Desert. Through the Desert is a game designed by Reiner Knizia and is illustrated by John Gravato, Atha Kanaani, Damien Mammoliti, Scott Nicely, et. al.. The game is published by KOSMOS.Through the Desert is a part of the Knizia Tile-Laying Trilogy (Samurai, Through the Desert, Tigris and Euphrates).About Through the DesertUsing camels to make caravan routes through the desert and try to reach the oasis while cutting off other players' access, because no one wants to share their resources.Chapters:00:00 Introduction & Setup03:40 Objective / Playing the Game07:29 Game End / Final Scoring08:42 Tips & Reminders10:12 Through the Desert: Bazaar15:00 MCG Thoughts

Theme music by UNIVERSFIELD & background music by PodcastACC. Thi Nguyen InterviewC. Thi Nguyen's websiteThe main subject of our conversation, Nguyen's book Games: Agency as ArtThe excellent interview Thi did on The Ezra Klein Show; highly recommendedThi's game recommendations: El Grande, Tigris & Euphrates, & RootGazza - Cheating in Chess vs GoChinese pro Go player Qin Siyue was banned for 8 years - linkShow your support hereEmail: AllThingsGoGame@gmail.com

In this gripping episode of Bible Streams, we plunge into the intense and awe-inspiring visions of Revelation 15 and 16. Join Alex, Jo, and Chris as they unpack the seven bowls of God's wrath, the sea of glass mingled with fire, and the climactic cry of “It is done!”.We start with the heavenly prelude in chapter 15, where the saints stand victorious, singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. We explore how this worship sets the tone for the final judgments, drawing powerful connections to the Exodus story and God's covenant faithfulness. Things heat up as we move into chapter 16, with each bowl pouring out escalating plagues—from festering sores to a cosmic earthquake that shakes the very foundations of creation. The hosts dive into the meaning of 'Armageddon' and the drying of the Euphrates, pondering what these images meant to the early church and how they speak to us today.With lively banter and a nod to Old Testament echoes like the plagues of Egypt and the prophecies of Ezekiel, this episode brings clarity to the chaos of divine justice. We wrap up by reflecting on the hope beyond the havoc—how the un-creation of the old world paves the way for the new heaven and earth. Whether you're a seasoned Bible reader or just curious, join us for a conversation that balances the weight of judgment with the promise of redemption!Resources"Revelation (NIV Application Commentary)" by Dr Craig Keener– A detailed analysis that bridges the historical-cultural context and application for today."The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament" by Dr Craig Keener – Offers essential historical and cultural insights on the New Testament, including Revelation."Discipleship on the Edge" by Darrell W. Johnson – A study on Revelation that considers its relevance for Christian discipleship."Reading Revelation Responsibly" by Michael J. Gorman – A user-friendly guide to understanding the apocalyptic message of Revelation without fear or misinterpretation.Big thanks to Tim Whittle for editing and extra production on this podcast. Get more info at Riverlife Church, and find us on Facebook and Instagram.Subscribe to Bible Streams on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Amazon.

Daily Anglican prayer - Monday morning – 28th July 2025. Readings NRSV: Psalm 71; 2 Samuel 10; John 8. 31-47. Led by Felicity Scott, an Anglican prayer minister in Queensland, Australia. The full prayer transcript is available by going to this episode on the Podcast website. https://dailyprayeranglicanprayerbookforaustralia.podbean.com Welcome to Monday Morning prayer. We proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ: GOD in his infinite mercy, forgives all sins, and through our baptism in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we are given a rebirth into new life, free from the burden of all sin. ALLELUIA With faithfulness we respond to the good news: We acknowledge Christ as our saviour and accept with gratitude, that we are forgiven for all wrong doings, past and present. To honour the gift of forgiveness, we release our burden of guilt and rise up to live in the glory of God forever more. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Blessed be God forever. Let us Pray.   1 God's love has been poured into our hearts, through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  Romans 5.5     Glory to God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit:  as in the beginning, so now, and for ever. Amen.     2 The Opening Canticle, A Song of God's Marvellous Acts I will sing a new hymn to my God:  O Lord you are great and marvellous,  you are marvellous in your strength, invincible.  Let the whole creation serve you:  for you spoke and all things came to be;  You sent out your Spirit and it formed them:  no one can resist your voice.  Mountains and seas are stirred to their depths:  rocks melt like wax at your presence;  But to those who revere you:  you still show mercy.  Judith 16.13–15     3 The Opening Prayer The night has passed, and the day lies open before us;  let us pray with one heart and mind.    Silence may be kept. As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,  so may the light of your presence, O God,  set our hearts on fire with love for you;  now and for ever.  Amen.   4 The Psalms as appointed. A pause is observed after each. Psalm 5 At the end of the (last) pause there may follow Creator Spirit, Advocate promised by our Lord Jesus: increase our faith and help us to walk in the light of your presence, to the glory of God the Father; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.   6 One or two Readings from the Bible as appointed.   1st Reading 2 Samuel 10; The Ammonites and Arameans Are Defeated 1Some time afterward, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him. 2David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent envoys to console him concerning his father. When David's envoys came into the land of the Ammonites, 3the princes of the Ammonites said to their lord Hanun, “Do you really think that David is honouring your father just because he has sent messengers with condolences to you? Has not David sent his envoys to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” 4So Hanun seized David's envoys, shaved off half the beard of each, cut off their garments in the middle at their hips, and sent them away. 5When David was told, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. The king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.” 6When the Ammonites saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, as well as the king of Maacah, one thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men. 7When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army with the warriors. 8The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate; but the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the open country. 9When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the picked men of Israel, and arrayed them against the Arameans; 10the rest of his men he put in the charge of his brother Abishai, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. 11He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12Be strong, and let us be courageous for the sake of our people, and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” 13So Joab and the people who were with him moved forward into battle against the Arameans; and they fled before him. 14When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem. 15But when the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates; and they came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. 17When it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. 18The Arameans fled before Israel; and David killed of the Arameans seven hundred chariot teams, and forty thousand horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. 19When all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore. Hear the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 2nd Reading John 8. 31-47. True Disciples 31Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free'?” 34Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. 36So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 37I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. 38I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.” 39They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did, 40but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41You are indeed doing what your father does.” They said to him, “We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.” 42Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. 43Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. 44You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.” Hear the message of Christ. Thanks be to God.   7 The Canticle, A Song of Isaiah ‘Behold, God is my salvation:  I will trust and will not be afraid;  ‘For the Lord God is my strength and my song:  and has become my salvation.'  With joy you will draw water:  from the wells of salvation.  On that day you will say:  ‘Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name;  ‘Make known his deeds among the nations:  proclaim that his name is exalted.  ‘Sing God's praises, who has triumphed gloriously:  let this be known in all the world.  ‘Shout and sing for joy, you that dwell in Zion:  for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.'  Isaiah 12.2–6      8 The belief and principle is said I believe in God, creator of heaven and earth, whose love and merciful forgiveness endures everlasting. I believe in Christ the saviour, whose example of love and compassion, taught us a restored way to live, in collaborative unity with all people. I believe in the Holy Spirit, whose divine guidance brings us together to be one with the Holy Trinity.      9 The Prayers Lord have mercy.  Christ have mercy.  God have mercy.    10 The Lord's Prayer and the Collect of the Day   Our Father in heaven,  hallowed be your name,  your kingdom come,  your will be done,  on earth as in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  Forgive us our sins  as we forgive those who sin against us.  Save us from the time of trial  and deliver us from evil.  For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours  now and for ever. Amen.    Prayer of the Week   Following the seventh Sunday after Pentecost Provident Father, With the prayer your Son taught us always on our lips, we ask, we seek, we knock at your door: Help us so to seek that we may truly find, So to ask that we may joyfully receive, And so to knock that the door of mercy may be opened for us Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen   11 Intercessions and Thanksgivings may be made according to local custom and need.   Let us Pray Let us pray for the world and for the church. God, how great your majesty abounds before us. We thank you for all your generosity. May the peace and blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be abundant across all nations and countries forever more. Humbly we Pray – LORD hear our prayer   Holy God divine and merciful, your blessing on the people is loved by all, for which our gratitude knows no end. Grant, we pray, your saving blessing on all those experiencing times of trouble or strife, that they may receive the guidance of wisdom to lead them to a path of safety. Humbly we Pray – LORD hear our prayer   Almighty God, hear our prayer to bring about a change throughout the people, we ask for your grace to relay the wisdom to each man and each woman how to co-exist in peace and the will to do so, to continue to respect one another and teach their offspring to do so also. Humbly we Pray – LORD hear our prayer   Blessed God, we ask your blessing for those listed on the Anglican cycle of prayer: Monday 30 June The Diocese of Niassa – Anglican church of Mozambique and Angola The Parish of Bundaberg West: Sue Barker, Michael Vercoe Inala Careforce All Prison ministry chaplaincy teams All people joining in this prayer offering. Humbly we Pray – LORD hear our prayer   12 The Morning Collect Eternal God and Father,  by whose power we are created  and by whose love we are redeemed:  guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,  that we may give ourselves to your service,  and live this day in love to one another and to you;  through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   13 The Lord be with you. And also with you.  Let us praise the Lord.  Thanks be to God.    God did not give us a spirit of cowardice  but a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.  May we rekindle the gift of God within us.  Amen. see 2 Timothy 1.6–7   Music by John Keys – Anglican Chant Canticle organ accompaniments. A reminder disclaimer to the listener. The readings in the podcast may include ancient and old-fashioned sayings and instructions that we do not in any way condone as in use or to be used in today's modern world. The readings have not been modernised to reflect todays thinking, instead the readings remain from the old version of the NRSV bible. The podcast owners explicitly declare that each listener is responsible for their own actions in response to the bible readings and the podcast owners bare no responsibility in this sense.

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 223 - Ode to the Tile In this quite academic episode, Paul goes into full teacher mode with Brendan to discuss the many ways different types of tiles are used in board games.  Stay tuned to hear Paul use the term "recreational mathematics" MULTIPLE times!   Timestamps 2:00- background 5:00- types of tile laying games 9:00- spatial puzzles and math stuff 16:00- tiles and theme 19:30- tiles and interaction 23:00- squares 32:00- dominos 35:20- polyominos 39:40- hexagons 47:00- other shapes 51:00- mechanical systems   Games Mentioned Tigris & Euphrates, Tetris, Patchwork, My City, Isle of Cats, Stamp Swap, Renature, Blokus, Animalia, Isle of Skye, Glen More, Carcassone, Scrabble, Kingdomino, Dragomino, Renature, Gardlings, Barenpark, A Feast for Odin, Expeditions, Cascadia, Keyflower, Hex, My Island, Aqua, Flow, Alhambra, Miyabi, Akropolis, Llama Land, Honey Buzz   Preplanners A few deep dives are in the works, so get in some plays of Apiary, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Dominion, and more Root! Also, start thinking about what your "guilty pleasure" board games are (if that's even a thing).   Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0   Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!

In Episode 257 Mark Johnson from the Boardgames To Go podcast joins us to discuss Tigris & Euphrates covering the mechanisms, the production, and our overall feelings of the game.We discuss a poll on which modern era our favorite games were from and then talk about some games that have been on our tables including Tycoon: India 1981 and Castles of Tuscany.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:45 Poll Time: What Timeframe was your #1 Favorite Board Game Published Within?03:39 Intro to Mark Johnson and Board Games To Go06:48 Tigris & Euphrates Description09:18 Gameplay and Mechanisms28:21 Production and Theme32:39 Final Thoughts28:28 Tycoon: India 198150:41 Castles of TuscanyIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205Join our Discord server at:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

Rabbi Daniel Rowe responds to questions about Jewish belief and Jewish philosophy in a weekly Q&A with students in the Aish Jerusalem foundations program. Today's topics include: 00:00 A recap of the Questions asked 01:30 Does the improbability of intelligent life prove God? 14:20 Could there be intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? If so would that impact Torah or make our lives less significant? 16:51 If aliens exist why are they not mentioned in Torah? 18:30 What about Rabbinic laws that seem no longer relevant? 24:49 An example of kosher milk 25:52 An example of horse-riding on Shabbat 29:00 An example of 2-days Yom Tov (Jewish festivals) outside of Israel 31:10 An example of reading the Torah with Targum (Aramaic translation) 31:46 Bible criticism and claims of different writing styles in Torah 50:30 Do Jews want a promised 'Greater Israel' from the Nile to the Euphrates? Be sure to subscribe to the channel for weekly videos on Jewish philosophy, wisdom and world-changing ideas. Rabbi Daniel Rowe is a popular Rabbi, philosopher and educator at Aish, who uses his deep knowledge of Judaism, science, and philosophy to captivate and educate audiences across the globe. Follow Rabbi Rowe on social media for regular new uploads and updates: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2IUE77xD5uF_1xmWxWoBSg Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1qPQn7TIWdQ8Dxvy6RfjyD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rabbidanielrowe/ Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cd5debfe-684c-411d-b0bc-223dcfa58a39/rabbi-daniel-rowe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabbi-daniel-rowe-23838711/?originalSubdomain=uk TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rabbi.daniel.rowe #jewish #rabbi #jewishwisdom #torah #bible #jewishphilosophy

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 221 - Balancing for Player Count (WWTA) A game development episode in which Pete, Paul, and Brendan ask the important questions: What makes games flexible or inflexible when it comes to player count? Should a publisher put a suboptimal player count on a box? Are there games that you would only play at one player count?   Timestamps 02:40- main topic begins 05:00- games with fixed player count 18:03- challenges and solutions for player count flexibility 30:00- game design discussion 40:30- player count variants 49:45- games that are naturally scalable 54:15- games you would only play at one player count 58:20- what player counts should go on the box? 1:08:50- closing thoughts   Games mentioned Unrest, Werewords, Codenames, Star Realms, Magic the Gathering, A Feast for Odin, Fromage, Earth, Planet Unknown, Wingspan, Honey Buzz, Crits & Tricks, Lobby Snacks, Enchanted Plumes, Viticulture, Age of Innovation, Dune Imperium, Watches and Clocks of Dickory Docks, Robotrick, 7 Wonders, The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, Fellowship of the Ring the Trick-Taking Game, Santorini, Race for the Galaxy, Kingdomino, Cascadia, Incan Gold, Not Alone, A Game of Throne: The Board Game (second edition), Unlock, Tigris & Euphrates, Root, Orapa Mine, Santa's Workshop, No Loose Ends, Trinket Trove, El Grande Pete's dev diary on No Loose Ends https://boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogpost/175099/developer-diary-no-loose-ends   Preplanners Pete is still putting Brenan through the reps of Root expansion factions so we can make part two of our deep dive on that game!   Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0   Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!

Having set the background for the times of Israel's first earthly king, Saul, the record now introduces us to him in chapter 9. He was in stature and beauty all that any nation could want as their representative, head and shoulders taller than anyone in Israel and at first a truly humble man from the least significant and somewhat ignominious tribe. His father's asses are lost and sought after for 3 days, indicating his diligence. In seeking the asses he seemingly stumbles across Samuel the seer (the former title for a prophet as one who foretold future happenings). When he and his servant come to Samuel's town he is expected by the prophet, whom God had forewarned, and is honoured in the sacrifice with the shoulder normally reserved for the Governor (see Isaiah 9:6). Additionally he is told the asses had been found and he is required to stay overnight as Samuel had more to say. Isaiah from verse 13 of chapter 52 till the end of 53 will reveal to us Yahweh's suffering Servant exalted. That Servant is – the Lord Jesus Christ (typically seen at that time in their diseased and humiliated, and yet recovered and elevated king Hezekiah). Despite his abject appearance the Servant would astound the world's rulers. The message that was seemingly unbelievable was nonetheless true. He was an extension of God, Yahweh's saving arm, yet unlike ideally chosen human dignatories, lacking in outstanding beauty; our truest representative carried all our weaknesses, sufferings and passions. Throughout his life our Lord sympathised with all our frailties and temptations: Hebrews 4verses 13-5:10. Verses 4-6 outline the way in which our Lord was in himself able to bare our sins away by his perfect life and his offering of himself on the tree: Colossians 2:11-15; 1 Peter 2 verses 21-25. Jesus' essential sacrifice became the means of our redemption to the Father. Truly “he bore our sins to the tree” and when he was reviled he opened not his mouth in response (1 Peter 2 verses 22-25). Jesus was without guile. He was the Lamb of God “which takes away the sin of the world”: John 1:29. His offering totally freed from sin and he has, like a father, birthed us as the liberated children for his kingdom (Hebrews 2:10-18). Verse 9 tells that although the Jewish rulers sought to have his body cast into Gehenna, like a common criminal they failed. This was because the rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, begged Jesus' body from Pilate and laid it in a new, unused tomb. The principal under the Law involved here is the sacrifice being placed in a clean place by a fit person – ie Joseph's new tomb had not been contaminated, corrupted by another dead body: this is an imperative ritual principle. God, although grieved by His Son's death, was pleased with the result of that offering: the redemption of mankind. Despite Jesus dying without a child he has brought many sons to birth (as the father of the future age: Isaiah 9verses 6-7; Hebrews 2 verses 10-18). Isaiah 53 verses 12 says that our Lord was numbered among the transgressors – though he personally was sinless: the Apostle Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 5 verses 18-21. Revelation 15 verse 2 is a small vision of the victorious saints with Christ having completed the judgment of the great whore described in the pouring out from the seven bowls of judgment the seven plagues of chapters 15-16. The crystal clear sea speaks of a world without nations and at peace. These bowls plagues to be poured out and describe the judgments of the Lord GOD Almighty to be poured upon the guilty snd to chastise them for their persecution of the faithful believers of the Lord Jesus Christ. The events of chapter 2 begin and end the work of the seventh trumpet. The angels of this great and marvellous are said to have “the seven last plagues”. The plagues are a series of calamities and disasters affecting the enemies of Israel, and the Saints and Witnesses, with whose blood they have intoxicated themselves. They are called the last plagues “for in them is God's wrath fulfilled”. These outpourings are outlined in chapter 16 of Revelation. The troubled sea of the wicked (Isaiah 57 verses 20-21) is to become tranquil once God's wrath has been pacified (the final outcome of these judgements will be a world at peace – Psalm 46 and Revelation 21). The nations will be pacified and will learn true worship; as verses 3-4 of chapter 15 indicate. Verses 5-8 provides a glimpse into the Most Holy Place of that Temple after those judgments have been completed. Chapter 16 deals with the outpouring of those bowls of judgment. Note the command of the mighty angel who unleashes the Divine wrath on the persecutors of God's faithful saints. Verse 2 sees the first bowl poured on Catholic Europe after the accession of Napoleon to the throne, as emperor of the French on September 22nd, 1793. The second bowl was of Napoleon's campaigns in naval battles. The third was against the alpine districts and rivers of northern Italy – which region had witnessed savage persecution of the saints by the Roman Catholic Church. The angel effecting those calamities acknowledged the justice of our Sovereign in so repaying the evils done in the name of religion. Verse 8-9 tell of the severe scourge delivered to the Austrian-Hungarian seat of Catholic Europe in Vienna in the battle of Austerlitz. The fifth bowl saw Napoleon continue his campaigns against the Hapsburg emperors of Austria. The culmination of this bowl was Napoleon's capture and imprisonment of the Roman pontiff himself. Napoleon's work having been completed sees him removed from the scene. The great impediment to Israel's return and restoration was the Ottoman Empire. The sixth bowl was poured upon this eastern Islamic power – symbolised in the drying up of the river Euphrates. This began around the early 1800s and was finished by the end of World War I. The frog-like message that emerged from the French Revolution was the death knell for the old colonial empires and saw a surge of nationalism. The same spirit is evident today in the Arab Spring. The final outworking of nationalism will be a bringing of Armageddon and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to establish the one empire to last forever – the kingdom of God on earth: Daniel 2 verses 44-45. These frog-like spirits emerge from the dragon (eastern Europe United under Russia); the Beast ie United Western Europe; and the false prophet – the pope. Interestingly the European Union was created in 1956 by the Treaty of Rome. Armageddon is the battle of the Lord GOD Almighty in the land of Israel. It is described at length in Ezekiel 38 and Joel 3 (which is the source of the coined Hebrew word “Armageddon” meaning a bundle of sheaves in a valley for threshing, or judgment). The 16th chapter concludes with the pouring out of the final bowl of judgment on Rome itself – called Great Babylon. Having punished those nations which supported the Beast (of chapter 17) Rome will next heavily feel the Almighty's vengeance for her evils. Chapters 17-19 give greater details of these judgements and the reasons for which they will be meted out.

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Keith discusses the new power shift in the housing market, where buyers now have more power in the Northeast and Midwest.  Ken McElroy joins us to discuss the current state of the real estate market, highlighting a significant decline in apartment building values and a predicted further drop in home ownership rates, potentially below 60%. They note that while some states, like Arizona, have surpassed pre-pandemic housing supply levels, others, like the Northeast and Midwest, still face shortages. Ken emphasizes the importance of affordability and the shift towards renting, predicting a significant increase in renters. He also shares insights on strategic property investments and the benefits of buying at current market lows. Resources: Use the discount code "KEN10" to get a discount on the Limitless Expo event. Show Notes: GetRichEducation.com/559 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  You get paid first: Text FAMILY to 66866 Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search “how to leave an Apple Podcasts review”  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text ‘GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Automatically Transcribed With Otter.ai  Keith Weinhold  0:01   Welcome to GRE. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, apartment building values have crashed about 30% in the past few years. Well, it's the opinion of today's qualified guest that it's going to get even worse from here. We'll also discuss why rents in the Phoenix area are declining, and a bold prediction on a collapse in the home ownership rate and the hordes of renters that that will create all today on get rich education.   Mid south home buyers, I mean, they're total pros, with over two decades as the nation's highest rated turnkey provider, their empathetic property managers use your ROI as their North Star. So it's no wonder that smart investors just keep lining up to get their completely renovated income properties like it's the newest iPhone. They're headquartered in Memphis and have globally attractive cash flows and A plus rating with a better business bureau and now over 5000 houses renovated. There's zero mark up on maintenance. Let that sink in, and they average a 98.9% occupancy rate, while their average renter stays more than three and a half years. Every home they offer has brand new components, a bumper to bumper, one year warranty, new 30 year roofs, and wait for it, a high quality renter. Remember that part and in an astounding price range, 100 to 180k I've personally toured their office and their properties in person in Memphis, get to know Mid South. Enjoy cash flow from day one. Start yourself right now at mid southhomebuyers.com that's mid south homebuyers.com   Speaker 1  1:59   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  2:15   Welcome to GRE from the Tigris to the Euphrates to the Mississippi and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Weinhold GRE founder Forbes real estate council member, Best Selling Author, look for my work in the USA today as well, and you are back inside for another wealth building week of get rich education. What's all that really mean? Ah, I'm just another slack jawed mouth breather with a mic here. Before we get to today's guest, Ken McElroy, let me tell you about housing's new power shift and where we're at today. Three to five years ago, sellers held all the power in virtually every market because the housing supply was so miserably low everywhere. So you had more one tours of real estate and few that were willing to sell. That is still mostly true on a national level, but the new power shift is about the fact that the Northeast and Midwest are replete with home buyers. Queues of buyers are lining up for the few available properties like I've touched on before, and look low available housing supply in these areas, the Midwest and Northeast, that's not a symptom of mass in migration. Hordes of people are not stampeding into Buffalo for the nightlife. It's all due to chronic under building, partly from strict regulation, especially in the Northeast. A big part of the power shift, though, is that we now have fully 10 states that are above pre pandemic supply levels, and you'll notice that none of these are in the Midwest and Northeast. The 10 states are Arizona, which we'll talk about more today, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington. Here in these places, is where the tables have turned, because supply is catching up with demand in those 10 states. So that's where we're seeing softer home price growth and where buyers have the power, these are some of the states where you can find better deals. Motivated sellers and builders in these places will often buy down your mortgage rate, give you closing cost credits or reward you with incentives, like a free year of property management. In fact, our GRE investment coaches guide you for free to exact property addresses where builders will buy down your mortgage rate to 5% today, one of them will even give you a $9,800 post close credit instead, if you so choose. Often do. Those like that are in those 10 states. They're elsewhere too. You can get started at GRE investment coach.com, conversely, 40 states have less for sale housing inventory than they did as compared to pre pandemic times. This is where sellers still have the power some of the most competitive markets in the nation are buffalo, Hartford, Providence and Boston, where more than 10 active home buyers vie for every single listing. That's per Zillow. That's sort of the real estate equivalent of a Taylor Swift or Beyonce ticket queue. At the other end of the spectrum, shoppers have an easier time in Miami with only 2.6 shoppers per listing, followed by Houston at 3.4 New Orleans at 3.5 and San Antonio at 4.3 nationally active listings are up 31% over last year. That's quite a bit, but we're still 12% below pre pandemic, 2019 inventory levels. And is all this good news or bad news? It totally depends on who you are. If you're holding property in the Northeast and Midwest, you're pretty happy about this strong appreciation in the single family space, but in the southeast, appreciation is non existent. There's even mild depreciation, especially in parts of Florida. If you're looking to own more property in the nation's southeast quadrant, you're now enjoying less buyer competition. In fact, sellers are competing for you, and let's avoid being too assuming. Here I've been talking about things on the state level. States are not monoliths. Philadelphia is not Pittsburgh, Seattle is not Yakima. Cities have different supply situations. Even within one city, the scenario varies, of course, really the bottom line here is that today's recovery from 2022 national supply abyss has been an uneven recovery, where builders are frozen, appreciation soars, where builders hustle, buyers win. So if you're looking for deals, find that short queue.    Today's guest is a familiar one to GRE listeners. He's based in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is the Phoenix Metro. Arizona, though it's fast growing, is still just the 14th most populous state, but Arizona is an interesting market, because we're going to get to see what happens when you have an overbuilt condition, like we do there. We'll discuss that market and the national market as well. Get a key gage on the direction of rents, occupancy and prices, first in the single family space, and then we'll talk about apartments. Anyone that's paid attention to real estate that past few years. Knows that when mortgage rates spiked in 2022 single family values have held up, apartment values plummeted due to their interest rate resets. We'll get insight on if the beleaguered apartment space has bottomed out price wise, or if apartment values still have further to fall.    I'd like to welcome in frequent GRE guest, and he was also one of our earliest back in 2015 Ken McElroy. Ken authored a bunch of successful books, both within and outside of the rich dad series. He's also a well known, successful apartment syndicator with over 10,000 units across several states, and he's also in other parts of the commercial real estate sector, including billboards and self storage. So it's really great to have back on the show. Ken McElroy   Ken McElroy  8:57   good to be here, Keith, thank you. It's been 10 years, man, since we've been doing   Keith Weinhold  9:01   this? Yes, 10 years back in episode 25 since you were first here, more than a decade of this. So we know each other's work really well, and it's such an interesting time in the apartment space. I want to get to that later in our conversation today and really find out if you think that the apartment space has bottomed out. But before we do that, let's talk about the single family space. The audience should know that you can meet both Ken and I in person, as we're both faculty members on the spectacular real estate guys Investor Summit C, which is actually underway now. We're recording this just before the summit. So let's discuss the direction of rents and occupancy. We'll get to price later and Ken although most states still have a housing shortage statewide, Arizona's active housing inventory for sale is 24% above pre pandemic levels. That's what realtor.com tells us, and this. Deeply due to a lot of building, a lot of building usually does not bode well for price growth or rent growth. So tell us about rent, direction and occupancy in the single family space in the Phoenix Metro.   Ken McElroy  10:15   There's a bunch of things happening in the Arizona market. First of all, one is we've had a lot of people move here right in the last 4,5,6, years. Yeah, post pre pandemic, post pandemic, all of that. We are a pretty small state. You got Phoenix, got Tucson, you got Flagstaff, a bunch of other small cities that kind of surround some of those. But it's not like a Texas or a Washington or a lot of these California, like a lot of states, and have a lot of cities to draw from. If people move to Phoenix, that's pretty much where they're they start a lot of times, not every time, but and so it's really interesting. When we have net in migration into Arizona, it really moves the needle for most of these cities. Is kind of the point. And so we're always going to be affordable, we're always going to have great weather, it's safe. We got pretty normal politics, I should say, as compared to some of the others, we really do have a growing population. And so what happened? We had a nice run on the real estate. As you do, you know, we had a nice run on the apartments. We had a nice run on the single family that tapered off when the interest rates went up, essentially, right? You know, we actually built too much. We built too many apartments. We built too many houses. When interest rates went up, people kind of pulled back. That's what you're seeing now. So right now, it's a great time to be a home buyer. It's a great time to be a renter in most of those cities in Arizona specifically. And why would that be? It's because they have a lot of choices. So on the single family side, the listings have gone up, and therefore some of the prices have you know, people are starting to negotiate a little bit more. Now here's the interesting thing, Keith, if you measure it on last year or the year before, it has huge numbers, like you just quoted, you know, 24% but what's happening is things are on the market like 40 days, you know, you know what I mean, like from a week or two, it's doubled or tripled, as you know, that's still not a very realistic market. The market is still, in my opinion, pretty healthy. It's not unbalanced, and before it was a seller's market, and so it's just normalizing. And normalizing, to me, if you go over year, over year, over year, is I think MLS says four to six months of inventory, right? I think things are just normalizing. But if you've been through the run, this is like the end of the world, right? But it's not. It's just things are settling down, and it's the greatest time because they're supposed to be a little bit of friction between the seller and the buyer. I believe there should be just about right. It's never just right, as you know, it's usually pulls on one harder on one side or the other. But we just went through an incredible time where the sellers pretty much got whatever they wanted and the landlords pretty much got whatever they wanted, and so this is just pulling back, you know, the tide's going back out. There's no cause for concern, at least in my world at all. It's supposed to be this way, and we need affordability. We need people to be able to buy homes. We need people to be able to rent. Yeah, I'm in the landlord business, but I don't want rents to run. There needs to be a balance there, even though it's good for me, if it does, but it's not good, because what happens is, then the government gets involved, and what they need to get involved in is adding supply, right? And not capping the rents. You know, what they need to do is just work with developers. And you know, because we're growing here in Arizona right now, we're seeing a pullback, but I think it's needed. There's nothing wrong with this. It weeds out a lot of, you know, realtors that weren't doing much, that just got their license, were hanging around, say, with mortgage folks and title people and lazy contractors and all that stuff. So whenever there's a pullback, the professionals win.   Keith Weinhold  14:01   Well, this is some really good perspective here. We're all victims of the recency bias, and, yeah, you're talking largely about market normalization. What sure wasn't normal or healthy, in a lot of ways, was back in 2021 when you might have had 50 offers for one available property, and people had to bid 50k over the asking price, and they might have waived their inspection, which is typically not a good idea when we talk about rents in the direction of rents, especially there in the Phoenix metro with single family homes, which I know your wife, Daniil, is pretty intimately involved with. Typically, this new supply increases competition. It increases the competition for landlords competing for more of those tenants, which is something that typically is not good for rents. Have we seen declining rents in the local market there in Phoenix?   Ken McElroy  14:54   Of course, yeah. And I'll tell you, there's a bunch of factors. So there's always cross currents. People want one. Answer, but there's not right, like, so let's just pick on a whole bunch of things that went wrong at the tail end of all of this. It was Airbnb. Like, Phoenix and Scottsdale are a huge Airbnb market. I've rented Airbnbs there. Sure. It's incredible, right? And so what happened was a lot of people said, oh, I can buy this house, throw some furniture in it. And, you know, I can get 10,15, 20 grand a month in rent out of these things. And they were right. And then what happened was, there just was too many, so became oversaturated. So you're definitely seeing those back on the market. And so interesting fact, Heath, all you got to do is look at the pictures. And if you see bunk beds. You know, it used to be an Airbnb like, you know what I mean? So that was the one, but two, let's don't forget this run that we just had put a lot of people into the rental market for the first time on the single family side too. So we never really had this many landlords on the single family side as well. And so there's all these mistakes that people made. They bought incorrectly. They had capex work. They bought with floating rate debt. And when rates went up, they weren't cash flowing. They wouldn't know how to manage them. So So there's all this stuff that was kind of going on behind the scenes, on the apartment side of the equation, which is where I hang out. Mostly, I watch all this. And because my class A buildings are competing for single family. They have single family typically wins because it has a yard, has a garage. Nonetheless, I gotta pay attention to it. So it's been interesting to watch. At one point you could not find a home in the Scottsdale area under 500 grand period like nothing. And now, of course, those are starting to come down a little bit more, and there's some softness in the rent, so the renters are have more choices. Now, why is that? There's a couple reasons. If you're a renter and you're looking for a place, you know, I'm sure you're considering a house, but not everybody wants a house, especially if you're single or maybe it's just you and somebody else, and maybe you don't have a pet. There's a lot of reasons that people just don't want to have to a home. So you've got condos and you've got apartments and you've got homes, and then you have school districts. So people definitely want to be in certain school districts based on their children. So you have all these cross currents going on, on where people want to be. And so what does all that mean? What that means is there are certain markets, from a rental standpoint, that are doing extremely well, still, both on apartments, on condos and houses. And then there are other markets that absolutely are not just depends on the concentration of all those things and all those factors that are going on. The one thing that's actually disrupting a market more than anything is apartments and condos. Because, for example, Danielle just had a condo that she owned, and the condo was worth, let's say, 300 grand, but it's probably 25 years old now, yeah, and there's apartments going up, you know, a block from there, right? So her renter is said, you know, I'd rather go over here. Brand new amenities, nine foot ceilings, brand new fitness center, all this stuff. So apartments really do reach into that rental market a little bit. And so there is some spillover between that. But primarily what's going on in Phoenix is there's a lot of new construction. And not just Phoenix. This is Tucson and Greater Phoenix. There's a lot of new construction that was started when rates were low. They were started in 2122 and you know, like, because I'm a builder, it could be a year to 18 months when we're opening a project from the time we put our the shovel in the dirt, we're not even open for a good 18 months. So there's a lag period. And those started opening in 23,24 and certainly 25 and these big projects, two, 300 unit projects, which I have several going right now, they're one to two year lease ups, so you could be looking at two or three year lag on some of the housing that's being provided. So that's all here now that is been good for renters. There's a couple horror stories going on, and I'll just explain. So downtown Phoenix, there was a whole bunch of apartment projects and condo projects that were built trying to attract people to live in downtown Phoenix? Well, there's challenges for downtown Phoenix too, and we won't have to get into that. I don't particularly think that there was ever the real demand for the amount of housing. So what you've done is people build a lot of housing in concentrated areas around the stadium in West Phoenix, near the Cardinal Stadium downtown Phoenix, you know, right in the heart of the business district. So if you were to rent something today, it would be four months free on a 12 month lease.   Keith Weinhold  19:48   Wow, that's about the steepest concession I've ever heard of in my life.   Ken McElroy  19:54   Yes, that's today. So all you gotta do is Google it and you'll see. And the only reason that happened, Keith, is. Is because there was too many units delivered at at a short period of time, and there was the demand, wasn't there? Gosh, now go 10 miles up to Tempe, go to Chandler, go to Scottsdale. No concessions, right? So again, you know, when you look at a market, you're going to see that it typically a lot of these concentrate in certain areas. And so there's a lot of areas in Phoenix where the consumer or the renter has an upper hand a lot. And so they're driving their choices based on their monthly rent. All of that plays into this thing, but the there's areas that are rock solid. And you know that would be Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and there's areas that are over built that would be the west side, downtown Phoenix, the south side, there's areas that there's pockets that you know are in disruption you can kind of pick your poison, right? Like, if you're a landlord, there are areas that you want to buy in areas that you don't want to buy in. And as a renter, you have the same kind of choices. So when you blend it all together, you guys get the national news. But really it's pretty pocketed, just like it can be in any market.   Keith Weinhold  21:12   Well, you bring up so many good points there. Some of these markets that have done more building than usual are in this situation where there is landlord competition for tenants. Now, nationally, we're still under built, so it's interesting to talk about one of these overbuilt conditions in that competition for tenants, like we've been talking about, in general, a tenant prefers a single family home, and it's privacy for sure. They can't always afford that, but the apartment market and the single family rental market are somewhat interrelated, because if there's so much new apartment supply, it's got the appeal of being brand new, and there might even be concessions given, like you've mentioned there Ken and that can make it very attractive for a potentially wannabe single family home renter to go ahead and rent an apartment instead. So this glut of new apartment supply actually can affect the single family rental market somewhat, and competition is really interesting. I mean, certainly in my real estate investment career, I've experienced that. The first time I ever experienced that was that I owned several doors, and they were about 25 years old, and they had garages, each one of them a new apartment complex was built close to those so brand new, and you had to drive by this new apartment complex. Everything nice, shiny new, painted new parking lot, everything a prospective tenant had to drive by that in order to get over to look to my units. That softened my rent somewhat. The one thing that saved me a bit is that my running units were in Anchorage, Alaska, I had the garages with my units. The new apartment building didn't. They only had carports, so I did have a differentiator to help soften the blow in a rental market that became more competitive. Tell us more about the competition for tenants there in Phoenix, whether that's on the single family side or the apartment side can with concessions. And does that mean that you're altering the length of leases there in the local market? Or tell us more about how you're doing that competition?   Ken McElroy  23:10   It's a great question, yeah. So I would say generally, a home is going to be about 1000 bucks more on the average, like if you were just to put a number on it, three bedroom, Rambler type home with a garage in a yard. It's going to be maybe three grand. That apartment, the equivalent was is going to be maybe two grand. So roughly, those are kind of the numbers. But what happens if you're going to rent a house, you're definitely going to pay more money, that's for sure. And of course, depending on the area, depends on the on the rent. Now what's happening in a lot of these markets, like West Phoenix, for example, where you have 1000s of units being added at once, and you get this one month, two month, three month, and the extreme, of course, being four months free, if you're a renter and your rent is two grand, but you get three months free, let's say or four, you're going to take that deal, right? Because your your your average rent is, what 12,13, $1,400 a month, not 2000 so all of a sudden, it's going to impact those single families. So what's happening right now is the apartments that got delivered in in a lot of these geographic areas, these sub markets are definitely impacting the single family rental market. Now, if you're a family and you've got kids and you got pets and you want to be in a school district, you're not even looking you're basically just trying to find the best deal on a home. I get that. But if you have a choice, the rents are about the same, you're going to take the house, sure period I would, you would. So now what's happening is there's, there's such a difference between the rental price of a home versus the rental price of a brand new apartment that people are going to gravitate to the apartments, because those landlords trying to fill those things up are scrambling and marketing to anybody. And everybody and cutting whatever deals they can, because they're just trying to get out of those construction loans. It's a weird market right now. And of course, there are areas Keith that this does not exist at all, right, like you go into like Tempe, and you're not going to have because it doesn't have the available land, you know, which is around Arizona state for example, the Arizona State University. You go into North Scottsdale, you're not going to find this because North Scottsdale doesn't like apartments. And, you know, the homes are a million bucks and up, but there are definitely pockets where this is happening. So if you're a renter and you have choices, this is a great time for you and and to be honest, it's about time, because it was a seller's market and a landlord's market for a long time, and so it's just reverting back to the mean.   Keith Weinhold  25:46   Let's wrap up the discussion about rents and occupancy with what's happening nationally. Ken, since in apartment buildings, you invest in multiple states there, we know, for example, that the home ownership rate recently fell from 65.7% down to 65.1% fewer homeowners means more renters. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they're all going to be absorbed immediately, either. So talk to us about that.    Ken McElroy  26:13   There's an affordability problem, right? We haven't seen a massive adjustment with house prices now you have in areas, of course, I saw your recent podcast on Florida. You know how right the price of a house is, is less than a car today? Yeah, you're right, like so, but what's happening is there are markets that are pulling back, right. There are markets that had a bigger bubble than others, and they're pulling back. And so there's great deals in those markets. A lot of areas in Florida being one of those markets, there are other markets where you don't have that. So we are definitely seeing the same thing. And so we're having, in my opinion, it's the greatest time, because you have people that are, I think, should be able to buy a home. But interest rates seem to be holding at Six 7% and the pricing, albeit, hasn't run like it has, but it's certainly not pulling back like crazy either. It's still over 400 on the average, you know. So if you look at the delta between what it costs to buy a home just mortgage only, and you look at what it costs to rent, it's never been bigger. So the difference between your rent, the rent and a mortgage, has never been bigger. And the other thing Keith, that doesn't get talked a lot about are everything non interest rate and everything non mortgage. So let's start talking about insurance. Let's talk about property tax. Let's talk about, you know, capex. So there's a really good survey that bankrate.com did that said that right now, the average cost to own a home, not mortgage, is 1500 a month. So now that's average. I'm sure there's some that's less. I'm sure it's some that higher. So when you take 1500 a month to own it, plus the mortgage you're talking about quite a bit. It's a heck of a financial commitment when you can just rent for 12, 1314, 1500 and call it a day, you're going to move the needle twice as fast, and you're going to be able to get out of whatever financial situation you're in twice as fast when you don't have all those other costs. So what's really going on now? And the reason why you're starting to see this home ownership rate go down, and I actually make a prediction, gonna do it right now on your show, I think it's gonna go down below 60. I think for the first time in our history, we're gonna see home ownership in the 5050 nines, which is a massive statement. But if you take a look at under Obama got up to 69 and then it was, first of all, it was Clinton, and before that, and then kind of ran, but then it kind of got pulled back under the Bush, and then Obama kind of took the brunt of it. You know, when all that stuff was falling out, but it's been falling, and it's falling. Why it's falling? Because people can't afford a home, and they need to be able to afford a home. So we can't build affordably. The single family market is not affordable, and inflation surpassing wage growth, so you have this massive shift of people, in my opinion, moving from home ownership to the rental side. And there was a time where 1% shift Keith was 1 million people,   Keith Weinhold  29:27   1 million new renters, with every 1% drop in the home ownership rate   Ken McElroy  29:32   was 1 million people. So imagine that it doesn't sound like much when you go 65.7 to 65.1 right? That's a lot of people. When you got about 142 million people in the US, or a billion, right? 340   Keith Weinhold  29:46   350 million in 300 Yeah, about 145 million houses,   Ken McElroy  29:51   45 million, yeah, something like that. So you start to take a look at these numbers. They're massive. So these little 1% movement. It is a lot of people. I think we're going to continue to see it. People need to put their stake in the ground here and get on the landlord side of this, because we're going to see a massive shift of people because they can't afford they're going to be permanent renters, renters for life. And it's not good. I'm not advocating, but it just is what it is, with wage destruction, with inflation, with the affordability, the way it is, people are going to be forced into the rental side of the equation, whereas before, we were always kind of working on the fluctuations of the interest rates and the policies of the President, let's say, or whatever it was, to try to get people to be homeowners, or whatever it might be. Now, we might be in some kind of a permanent state unless something really changes, because we're four or 5 million houses short in the US as a result of the last 20 years. As you know,   Keith Weinhold  30:54   I recently saw a media article that was titled The hidden cost of home ownership, and they were talking about hidden costs as things like maintenance, property taxes, property insurance, utilities. I don't know how in the heck those costs are hidden. Any prospective homeowner needs to be aware of those costs, and inflation impacts those costs, where inflation cannot impact your fixed rate, principal and interest payment. There we have it a brazen prediction from Ken that the home ownership rate will drop below 60% in this cycle and the hordes of renters that that's going to release, we're talking about the direction of rents and occupancy in both Phoenix and the nation at large. We're going to come back after the break and talk about the direction of real estate prices. You're listening to get rich education. Our guest is Ken McElroy. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold.   the same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. 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Can you corroborate Is that what you're seeing as far as values go there on the ground, or is it different in the sub markets    Ken McElroy  34:20   it's definitely different in the sub markets, but I would definitely concur that it is flat, Keith, it's a very interesting time. People are used to selling things fast. Oh, I'm going to sell this and it trades, and then they're moving it right to something else. They're not used to the markets that you and I grew up in, right which is, you remember the old days where we would list something and it might be on the market for three or four or five months. These people, these kids, these let's last 10 years, they have never seen anything like that. So for me, I think we're just moving back to what I would consider to be normal. I don't see a problem with flat at all. In fact, I think homes are unaffordable and. And flat isn't necessarily bad. That means that both sides are kind of doing deals. That means the seller doesn't hold the cards, and it means the buyer doesn't hold the cards, and so right now is a great time to buy because if a seller is sitting on something for even a couple months, they're not used to it. There's deals to be had right now. And it's, I think, if you have the dry powder and you have the ability to move, is a great time to buy.   Keith Weinhold  35:26   You had mentioned, when we were talking outside this show, that your wife, Danielle has made some interesting moves in her single Yeah, yeah, tell us about that.   Ken McElroy  35:36   It's a fantastic move. I mean, one of the greatest, obviously, I'm doing these big apartment deals, she can't relate, and she's doing these small houses, which she loves. She doesn't like debt. She likes to pay them off, and she manages them all herself. And so she bought this condo years ago, and it's worth about 300 grand, and she paid like 164 years ago, and the rents have dropped. You know, per our last conversation, they were used to be around 1900 now they're around 1700 but the same time, rents have dropped. And why would rents drop? Because there's more competition. There's new apartment buildings being built around the area. The tenants have more choices. Again. There's, you know, rents came down a little bit. So she lost couple 100 bucks a month there, and the HOA hit her with costs. Our insurance went up, our landscaping went up, so all of a sudden their HOA fees started going up. So the rents came down, and the HOA costs went up, squeezes on, yeah, so all sudden she's got this squeeze and so she's looking at it. And I said, you really ought to take a look at your what we call imputed equity. In other words, she has no debt on this thing, so she literally has another way to say it is she has 300,000 sitting in a condo, an asset. What does it matter? What it is and she gets maybe, what does she make it 500 a month, maybe $6,000 okay? Net Cash Flow a year, right? Nothing. So you take your 6000 you divide it by your 300 and it's not a very good return. Yeah, eight. Okay, so she's looking at what we call imputed equity. What's your return on the equity you have? Okay, so she said, I'm going to start looking at these homes that have, like you said, the garages and the yards, because again, we know that should be able to get closer to $3,000 a month on those so she started scouring, and she found one, and it was about 450 grand. So she had to come up with another 150 grand. And so what she did was she sold the unit, the condo she had that had rising HOA and lowering rents for 300 she did a 1031 exchange into the $450,000 house, and then she had to come up with another 150 but her rent now is three grand, and she was able to increase her cash flow By almost $1,000 for a month. So that extra 150 generated about $12,000 of net cash flow gain. And so again, she just purely looked at the math on one and did a 1031 moved it into another one. And now she's super happy it's in a home. And as you know, in a lot of these homes, not always, but you tend to have people that don't move as much. So this the guy that moved in has his son. He has him in a local school. He's young. He's probably going to be there for years, so she's probably not going to have the turnover that she would in a condo project. That's really more like an apartment building. That's what she just did. And so don't forget, when prices are high, you're exiting high and buying high. When prices are in flux, a little bit like they are flat, you're going to be able to find deals. So it's a really good time to take a look at imputed equity and what's your real, true return, and is there a better asset class for you to be able to move that money into? Because this is truly about managing money and maximizing your return on your own dollars. And that's a move that she just made, and she's going to be on the cruise. She'll see you, and I'm encouraging her to actually do a talk on it, because there's a lot more detail to how she pulled it off. But it only took her, like, four or five months to do it, and it worked perfectly.   Keith Weinhold  39:22   Yeah. Well, congratulations there. I'm a fan of debt around here, as you know, on the summit, Daniel and I'll have to have a chat, and I'll talk about why financially free beats debt free and all of that. But I would love to hear her reply. She probably has some really good, sound reasoning for that can nationally apartment values have followed perhaps an astounding 30% because the way I see it is that three or four years ago, there were tons of new apartment starts with those freakishly low mortgage rates like you touched on. Start to completion of an apartment building can be as long as two years. So those starts have now become completion. Dollars, and they need to be leased up. So that's the glut, and that's why apartment vacancies are common in a lot of American markets today, with higher mortgage rates now, we have fewer starts and with less new future apartment supply coming onto the market, which would have been completed in 2025 to 2027 I mean, that's something that could portend well for the future, but the current apartment glut still needs to get absorbed by tenants. So talk to us about that.   Ken McElroy  40:29   That's a great, great tee up for me. Okay, so I'm going to do seven transactions this year. Now, that's all 200 plus units. So I bought 360 unit building and brand new in Las Vegas. We just closed on a 282 unit in north Scottsdale. We bought 152 unit in Phoenix. And on and on and on and on and on. We're really, really, really busy right now, because, to your point, why would we be doing that now? Here's why apartments are valued based on how they're operating period. So high vacancy, high concession, flat rents, high expenses. That's all bad if you own it, it's really good if you buy it. So you want to buy at today's numbers, and that's what we're doing. We're buying at today's numbers, and we think that there's a little window that we've got through 26 to be able to acquire a bunch of apartments at these low values. To your point, they've definitely dropped. There's another case as to why, because the next piece is when the mortgage rate's high, cash flow is less. So when your mortgage payment is higher, all things being equal, your cash flow is less. So when rates went up, then people could pay less, and that drove values down. So if we could lock in today with all this disruption, so that's what we've been focused on. And it's been a very exciting year for our company. And in addition to that, to your point, but you and I have never spoken about, we just broke ground on another deal, and we're just leasing up on a deal down in Tucson that we're we're a 300 unit building that we're just finishing, and we just broke ground on a 312 unit, and we got a couple more slated because we're trying to break ground today. And why would we would break ground today because there's not a lot of subcontractors bidding on the stuff. So we're getting better pricing. The interest rates are high. This is true. That's not necessarily a positive, but we're breaking ground in anticipation of opening in two years, when all this stuff gets absorbed, we're going to be opening and so, you know, if we could time it today with 25 we break ground, we're going to open in 27 this stuff will be absorbed by then the blood will be in the streets in 25 and 26 and maybe early 27 and then it's going to shift again, Keith, and you know, people are slow to react. And so we think we're going to hit this little window at optimal time to be able to open up brand new product in two years.   Keith Weinhold  43:05   That's great. Ken we've been having these conversations for over a decade now, I know, and the way that I see it is that MC companies, your company, was built exactly for times like this. Is that to say that you think apartment values have reached their bottom,   Speaker 2  43:22   so I actually don't think they have yet. That's a funny comment, and here's why, because we also went through this extend and pretend time with lenders, right? So the lenders, whoever bought something, was trying to hold on to it forever. But now, with this new administration and the battle with the, you know, Powell still in office for another year. Who knows really, what's going to happen with rates? Maybe a quarter here, quarter there, whatever. But the reality is, there's no relief in sight. It doesn't appear. Because now we have this high vacancy, we have high expenses, and I don't think there's going to be a lot of interest rate relief. And so I think the lenders are going, you know what? We're gonna start listing these. So we're starting to see just in the last few months, brokers call. I got a call the other day from a broker out of San Antonio. He said a lender called me. They gave me nine deals. He said the keys, they gave me the keys on nine deals now and then I got another one in Dallas. It was 35% occupied, and the loan was 25 million, and the guy said they would take 14, so that's an $11 million haircut to the lender. So you're starting to see these. These are coming into my emails, right? Because they flooded. We are kind of deal. Yeah, it's so good. Now I've passed on everything so far because I think the knife is still falling a little bit, and so I think we're in the first few innings of seeing these kinds of deals, and there needs to be a lot of them, right? Like they need to be everywhere. And then when they're everywhere, everything's listed, and people are looking at them, and there's all this interest, then I think we're going to be at the bottom, but we're darn close. I mean, we're darn close, I would say. Right? We're probably by end of the year close. That's why, if a prudent investor, is getting their dry powder together, now they're meeting with their broker relationships, now they're meeting with their lender relationships, now they're putting together their LPs, and they're starting to go out and look at deals. Now, even if it's no no, no, no, no, no, no. This is the time for you to build relationships and be ready to strike when you start to see stuff this year, toward the end of the year, will will be the bottom and then I also think next year is going to be rocky for a lot of things. Then you're going to see a lot of lender write offs.    Keith Weinhold  45:37   This is really good guidance for what you the listener, can accidentally do if you are a prospective apartment building buyer. Great insight there. Ken. Ken, yes, you and I are about to be together on the real estate guys Investor Summit to see but there's another great event that begins at the end of next month that you put together.    Ken McElroy  45:59   Tell us about that. This is great. I have now we have about 4000 investors. So these are all high net worth people that invest with us. And you know, this is our 24th year in business. So when I meet with all of them, we used to do these investor summits, they would say, What about gold? What about silver? What about oil? What about water? What about timber? What about self storage? What about Office? What about retail? So I'm like, I'm going to create a conference where I can have everything in one spot, and we can invite high net worth, accredited people be able to come there and listen to the best of the best. So no professional speakers, just people that are really doing deals. You know, like we have guys that are building wellness spas and hospitality. Obviously, we have some single family. We got multi family. Got a retail guy, industrial guy, commercial guy, office guy. We got a gold panel. And then we got these economists, and you probably know some of the names. So we got George gammon coming. We got Jeff Snyder, who's unbelievable Euro dollar University. He's coming. We got Brent Johnson, who created what's called the milkshake theory. And just Google it, you'll see it's all about the central banks. We got Jim Rickards, who wrote currency wars and a new case for gold. And we got Lawrence Lepard, who just wrote this book called The Big print. All coming as speakers unpaid, and they're just going to try to deliver the best value they can to the people. Because I tell you what, Keith, I don't know about you, but it's confusing. I'm reading about tariffs, I'm reading about inflation. I'm reading about unemployment. I don't know where interest rates are going. I'm feeling it at the street level, at the main street level, with my apartment buildings, they're harder to manage. The expenses are going up. I try to create this environment to where people can show up and hear real real things, and they can make real decisions and course correct, right, and also take advantage of of some other things. We're also having a manufacturing panel, and I got a whole panel just on the Trump tax bill, because the opportunity zones, the bonus depreciation, all the stuff, these are things that you can do to be able to take action. So this is limitless expo.com. Since we're on your show, they can do KEN10. KEN10, which is a discount, the prices do go up. Obviously they're the highest. They are in July, because that's when the event is but in June, they're still lower. So I would suggest that people go this year, especially with this new administration, and everybody's like, what is going on? Hopefully we can it's starting to clear up some of the confusion that we all have right now and try to figure things out.   Keith Weinhold  48:36   It seems like all we do know is that we don't know limitless ought to help clear some of that up. It is July 31 to August 2. Tell us where it's taking place.   Ken McElroy  48:47   Yeah, it's at the gaylord in Texas, in Dallas, Texas. It's called the Gaylord Texan. It's limitless expo.com. Now we did it last year. There'll be 2000 people. We have 50 speakers. We have five stages, 50 speakers. It's a really high end event. What I mean by that is these are real people doing real deals with real businesses, real investors. It's been fantastic. I haven't had to pay speakers because of the quality of the attendee. That says a lot. It's really been interesting and great. And by the way, I don't really think having big speakers to sell tickets is the way to go. I'd rather have a real quality event, and it's really interesting once you set your mind on something. Because my investors and other investors show up because they do more than invest in just what we do. Like real estate. Everybody wants a little piece of real estate, but they also want to know about Bitcoin. They also want to know about gold, you know. And these are things that I'm not that proficient in, you know. I want to hear from experts in those fields. So it's really been a great, great event.   Keith Weinhold  49:48   You kind of crowdsource the need. You listen to what your audience was asking about, and then you delivered it for them. Limitless expo.com, use the discount code KEN10 to get. Get a discount. Ken McElroy, it's been great chatting about the direction of rents and prices in the both single family space and apartment space. It's been great having you back on the show.   Ken McElroy  50:09   Yeah, for sure. Keith, always great. Man. Good seeing you.   Keith Weinhold  50:18   Yeah. Ken, decidedly bullish on buying real estate, even calling it a great time to buy. He basically believes that because buyers have more power than they did three and four years ago, and they have more options, an emphatic prediction that the home ownership rate will fall below 60% there is profundity here. I mean, the census figures on this go back to the 1960s and the lowest it's fallen in all that time was 63% by the way, homeownership peaked in 2004 at 69% apartment values have crashed about 30% and It's probably going to get worse. So the worst isn't over, but likely will be by about the end of this year. So in Ken's opinion, most of the worst is over. I'm reading in between the lines there on that one. Hey, I hope you've been enjoying this show lately. Next week, we're going to change things up somewhat here. Recently, we've had rather prominent guests on the show, like the father of Reaganomics, David Stockman, then Russell gray last week, this week, the owner of 10,000 running units, Ken McElroy. And you know their perspectives and experience and influence, they are terrific. And I trust that you've learned from them. Next week, we'll have two GRE listeners here on the show, regular listeners, perhaps people more like you, because you can probably relate well to their stories. Until then, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream.   Speaker 3  51:59   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively.   Keith Weinhold  52:22   You know, whenever you want the best written real estate and finance info, oh, geez, today's experience limits your free articles access, and it's got paywalls and pop ups and push notifications and cookies disclaimers. It's not so great. So then it's vital to place nice, clean, free content into your hands that adds no hype value to your life. That's why this is the golden age of quality newsletters. And I write every word of ours myself. It's got a dash of humor, and it's to the point, because even the word abbreviation is too long. My letter usually takes less than three minutes to read, and when you start the letter, you also get my one hour fast real estate video. Course, it's all completely free. It's called the Don't quit your Daydream letter. It wires your mind for wealth, and it couldn't be easier for you to get it right now. Just text gre 266, 866, while it's on your mind, take a moment to do it right now. Text GRE TO 66866   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building, get richeducation.com    

Jesus Delivered Us (audio) David Eells – 6/22/25 Father, fill us with faith as we discover what has been accomplished for us by the sacrifice of Jesus. How that he bound the strong man and delivered us from evil. Give us understanding that we be not ignorant of satan's devices. Help us to stand on Your Word and swing our sword of the Spirit which the fallen angels cannot resist. We ask for your grace and power to open up Your Word to our hearts and minds and make us all the spiritual warriors You have called us to be. The enemy fears those who know their rights. Saints, I'm going to talk to you today about what Jesus provided for us and our deliverance from the demonic hoards. When the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, He replied, (Luk.11:19) And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. (20) But if I by the finger of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. (21) When the strong [man] (The word “man” is actually not in the original; it was added-in later. Jesus was calling the devil “the strong” when He was spoiling his kingdom.) fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: (22) but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. (23) He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. So it actually reads, (Luk.11:21) When the strong fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace. These “goods” Jesus is talking about are the things that the devil, “the strong,” has been given authority over in this world, and the “court” here represents his kingdom where he, “the strong,” rules and reigns. (Luk.11:21) When the strong  fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace: (22) but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him (That was Jesus who overcame him!), he taketh from him his whole armor wherein he trusted. Did you know that the devil has no armor? His kingdom has no armor. He and his demons have no armor if we believe it. They have no protection against the authority that God has given to us. The protection has all been taken away from them. His “whole armor” has been taken away since it is God in (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. And He gave us authority in (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. This is something that has already been accomplished; it isn't something that we have to accomplish. God has given us authority to partake of everything that Jesus did for us at the Cross. (Col.1:12) Giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet (The Greek there is “made us competent or able.”) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Whatever a saint walking in light is entitled to, God made us able to partake of that, so if you think that you lack ability, you are just wrong and you need to study the Scriptures. For example it says in (Eph.6:13) Wherefore take up the whole armor of God (So we have been given God's armor and the devil has none), that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. (16) Withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one]. So, through faith in this Word we can cast down all of his weapons against us. We are invincible. And in (Php.4:13) I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me. Jesus made us able to be a partaker in whatever we need. He made us able to plunder the devil's kingdom, and the devil's kingdom is wherever the devil rules or his curse reigns. Wherever the devil has ability, we now have the ability to take it away from him. The devil has no power if we believe this. Do you remember when Joshua and Caleb were seeking to bring the children of Israel into the Promised Land? After spying out the land, these two said that their enemies' defense was removed from over them. We read this in (Num.14:9) Only rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. The demons and the people they use are the ones who should fear us. All that the other ten spies could see were the giants, but Joshua and Caleb saw that the enemy had no armor. That's the way we have to see the enemies of God's Kingdom. It makes no difference whether those enemies are the lusts of the flesh, works of darkness, demons, the devil, or whatever. Their defense is removed from over them. They have no power against the Word of God. Jesus was the “Stronger” Who came and took away their whole armor (Luke 11:22). Praise be to God! So Jesus has already divided the spoils for us. Those “spoils” of the devil's kingdom are all the places where he has taken advantage of your life or taken authority over the things or circumstances that God has put in your hands. All these add up to “spoils.” When Jesus went about doing good and “healing all who were oppressed of the devil” in (Acts 10:38), He was spoiling the devil's kingdom. If you are being oppressed of the devil, Jesus destroyed this oppression. He broke this power everywhere He went. Whether it was hunger, sickness, demonic possession, or mental need, it didn't make any difference; Jesus broke the oppression and He told us to do the same thing because (Mat.12:30) He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. The devil's power over God's people rests in the fact that God's people don't know that his power has already been broken, and they don't know the authority that's been given to them. Although the Word speaks it plainly, it still has to be a revelation that you pick up and use like a sword. The Bible says of Jesus in (Col.2:15) Having despoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. He already made spoil of our eneies. “Triumphing” is not the victory. “Triumphing” is celebrating the victory that has already been won. Jesus triumphed over the devil and He rubbed the devil's nose in what He had accomplished on the Cross. The victory was at the Cross; what came after the Cross was the triumph, which is our responsibility. (2Co.2:14) But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place. We are to simply celebrate His victory. Hallelujah! What we need to do is repeat what the Word says about our circumstances or situation, and we do that by stating what the Word says about our authority and righteousness. All we have to do is believe that. The devil wants us to look at ourselves and our failures and the curse around us, but we just need to remember that we have authority over that curse. We've been crucified with Christ and we're not alive anymore; now it's Christ Who lives in us. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. When we remember what the Word of God says about us and about our circumstances, we can celebrate the victory. When we are praising God for what He has done, this is triumphing over the devil; it's celebrating the victory! Praising God is not necessarily singing songs, and some songs that you sing in church don't really praise God. Many songs don't even confess the Word of God. They don't celebrate the victory, and as a matter of fact, a lot of them just confess the problem. We are not under the curse anymore because (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (14) that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (He became accursed for us so that we could have Abraham's blessings.) So, how was Abraham blessed? (Gen.24:1) … And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. (Gal.3:15) Brethren, I speak after the manner of men: Though it be but a man's covenant, yet when it hath been confirmed, no one maketh it void, or addeth thereto. (16) Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (17) Now this I say: A covenant confirmed beforehand by God, the law, which came four hundred and thirty years after, doth not disannul, so as to make the promise of none effect. (18) For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise: but God hath granted it to Abraham by promise. So, now we are celebrating the victory that He has already accomplished. Jesus said in (Joh.16:33) … In the world ye have tribulation: be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. And He said in (Joh.19:30) … It is finished… That's what we have to remember when we look around us and, instead, we see the very opposite. If we apply the Word to the problem, we are going to spoil the principalities, the powers, and the rulers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). The Bible says when Jesus took away the devil's armor, He divided the spoil. (Isa.53:12) Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death… Jesus said in (Luk.11:23) He that is not with me is against me… He's talking there about those who are dividing or plundering the spoils. If you are with Jesus, then you are going to do what He did, and what He did was plunder the devil. All of His physical life, He plundered the devil, and by His victory over the devil, He made it possible for us to plunder the devil's kingdom too. We should be spoiling the devil's kingdom; we should be destroying the curse around us. We should be bringing people into victory by putting faith in their hearts. We should be delivering those who are captive by casting out demons. And we should be delivering those who are oppressed of the devil by healing the sick. We should be doing everything our Lord Jesus did. Jesus went on to say, (Luk.11:23) He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. So you are either going to be “gathering” or you are going to be “scattering.” That means you are either going to be on the attack or you are going to be on the run. You're going to be doing one or the other, and sad to say, most Christians are on the run because they don't understand what Jesus did. They don't understand what the Word of God says. They don't understand what their position and calling is in this world. As believers, we are on the attack. We are going into the Promised Land to take this land for Jesus Christ, and not a man there can stand before us. The Lord said in (Jos.1:5) There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Most Christians don't understand that the victory has already been given to us. We are not supposed to go in there and lose people; we are supposed to go in there and conquer the enemy. It's been given to us to conquer the enemy. Jesus said in (Joh.20:21) … as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. God did not send Jesus to fail. He sent Him with the Word of God and He sends us with the Word of God too. He says in (Eph.6:17) And take the … sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We have to take the Sword of the Spirit and we have to fight, because if we don't fight, we are going to lose. If we are not plundering, if we are not gathering the spoils, we're being scattered. The word “scattereth” there is from the Greek word skorpizo, and this is where we get the English word “scorpion.” It's from the same root as the Greek word skorpios, meaning “to penetrate and to put to flight.” When a scorpion stings with its tail, it penetrates and puts to flight because of the pain and misery it inflicts. Jesus spoke about scorpions. (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. In the kingdom of the devil, scorpion spirits are tormentors. When a scorpion spirit stings you, just as with a real scorpion, it hardly ever kills, but it's very painful. Scorpion spirits can torment your body with sickness and pain, and they may also torment you with fear. (1Jn.4:18) …fear hath punishment… If you are not plundering, the devil is going to penetrate you with one of these spirits, causing you to flee. If you are not plundering, then your thinking is contrary to the Word of God and you are not going to stand up to the devil. (Luk.10:18) And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I have given you authority… If your Bible says “power” instead of the word “authority,” then it has the wrong word because the Greek there is exousia, and it means “authority.” “Authority” is the “right to use power.” You have been given the right to use God's Power. (19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power (Now that word is the Greek word dunamis, meaning, “power.”) of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. (20) Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you… This is talking about serpent and scorpion spirits. These are different kinds of spirits and they have different works. In the kingdom of the devil, the serpent spirits have authority. While the poison a scorpion inflicts is in its tail, the poison that the serpent inflicts is in its head, and as the saying goes, it's the head that wags the tail. The Bible says in (Deu.28:13) And the Lord will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God… You are going to be above and not beneath; you are going to be the head and not the tail, just as Israel was supposed to be the head and not the tail. The tail reveals something about the head in most of God's creatures. For example, you can tell a dog's attitude when you look at its tail. If his tail is standing up in the air and wagging back and forth, you know that dog is happy and content, not fearful. But if his tail is tucked down between his legs, you can tell he's feeling guilty or fearful. You can read his mind by looking at his tail. The superior authority is always the head and not the tail. And the serpent's poison being in the head symbolizes that the serpent spirit poisons the mind. The job of the serpent spirit, mostly, is not to bring about torment, but to change your mind. Their job is to deceive, as the Bible says in (Gen.3:1) Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. He was subtle. He was crafty. He was wise in an evil way. (2Co.11:3) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness (So the “serpent” is a beguiler.) your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. Serpent spirits beguile. They are deluding spirits and deceiving spirits. They want to change your mind, just as the serpent changed Eve's mind, because he wanted to pervert her knowledge. He wanted her to partake of knowledge that was forbidden. (Gen.2:17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it… He wanted her to partake of knowledge that wasn't legal. Scripture tells us about different ways we can receive things through the spirit realm that are illegal. Let's go to (Deu.18:9) When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. (10) There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, (11) or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. (12) For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. (13) Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. (14) For these nations, that thou shalt dispossess, hearken unto them that practise augury, and unto diviners; but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. (20) But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. (21) And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? (22) when a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him. You see, there is false or deceptive knowledge. Going to consult familiar spirits or deceiving spirits, even if they claim to be prophets, is illegal. Going to consult wizards or necromancers is not allowed. All these operate in forbidden knowledge. But the devil wants to give you forbidden knowledge because he wants to delude you. He can make the “tail” do whatever he wants if he can change your mind, if he can change the knowledge that God has given you. If he can do that, then he's got you. That's why these serpent spirits have been given authority in the devil's kingdom. They are higher spirits than scorpion spirits because their primary purpose is to deceive you. Some of these “serpents” are “seducing spirits” that operate by giving you false doctrine. (1Ti.4:1) But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. They seduce you by giving all kinds of flesh-pleasing reasons why it is advantageous for you to believe their doctrines. There are seducing spirits forbidding you to eat meats, or to marry (as in this context), and so on, because if you have a false doctrine, that head is going to wag that tail. The devil knows the rest of the body is going to follow. The most important thing for the devil is that you accept the spirits that work in your head; that's the way he can control the rest of your life.  Remember, we are not to receive forbidden knowledge. Instead, we're supposed to be (2Co.10:5) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. You'll win the battle if you start with the head, but if you have spirits of rejection, fear, anxiety, condemnation, or guilt, then the devil has a stronghold in you. If you have anything that he can use against you, then you've got a “spy in your camp”. And the devil has rights now, because one demonic spirit can open the door for other demonic spirits so that you won't be able to stand up against the devil, who is looking to destroy you. We read in (Mat.12:43) But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not. (44) Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. (45) Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation. The devil's seducing spirits are “double agents.” They talk in your mind as if they are your friend and as if they belong to you, but whatever is speaking in your mind that's contrary to the Word of God is a stronghold of the enemy by which he can conquer you. You have the authority to cast it out. Get rid of it! Father, continue to grant us repentance as You bring to our attention where we have read or listened to things that are not according to Your Word and accepted those things we might have once believed as true that were not. Lord, help us to search our hearts and minds for any past church doctrines or religious beliefs that are not true. We only want what is True to be what we base our faith in. Father, help us to discern and destroy the strongholds we may have and get rid of them! Amen. Thank You Lord! The Bible says in (Rev.9:1) And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth (That's speaking of Satan.): and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss. (2) And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. (3) And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. (4) And it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads. (5) And it was given them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when it striketh a man. As we've learned, the tormenting spirits are scorpion spirits. In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:23-35, the Lord says that He will turn you over to the tormentors until you should pay what is due (Matthew 18:34), and those tormentors are these scorpion spirits. Nobody is ever going to see with their physical eyes the creatures described here from the bottomless pit, because they're coming to the second heaven. It's like the angel here in (Rev.14:6) And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven (The Greek word means “middle heaven.”), having eternal good tidings to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation and tribe and tongue and people; (7) and he saith with a great voice, Fear God, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters. “Middle heaven” means the angel is in the second heaven. That means you don't see him, although the angel is right here with us in the devil's kingdom and he's preaching the Gospel. We can see what's in the first heaven, but the second heaven is a different realm, a “twilight zone,” if you will. And so this scorpion spirit of Revelation 9 has been given five months to torment those people who don't have the seal of God on their foreheads, but they are not able to see this spirit that came out of the bottomless pit. Satan has authority to loose these angels that the Bible says were held for the end of time, for a time and a season when God was going to judge the earth. (Rev.9:1) And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss.) (Rev.13-15) And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the horns of the golden altar which is before God, (14) one saying to the sixth angel that had the trumpet, Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates. (15) And the four angels were loosed, that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men.) Satan was given authority to loose them when he was cast out of heaven, and that's what is happening here. The Bible says, (Rev.14:11) And the smoke of their torment goeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, they that worship the beast and his image, and whoso receiveth the mark of his name. As we read, both smoke and torment are also mentioned in Revelation 9. Out of the smoke came tormenting spirits that were like locusts and like scorpions, and we've seen that these are demons with the authority to penetrate and to put to flight. Other demons are mentioned often in the Scriptures. For instance, (Rev.16:13) And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs: (14) for they are spirits of demons… People who have a gift of discerning of spirits have seen frogs in the spirit realm, and those frogs were evil spirits, just as the scorpion spirits are evil. You know, the devil always sends his “big guns” after you when you get into a deep trial, a heavy trial that will have a really terrible outcome if you lose it. The Bible says in (1Jn.4:18KJV) … Fear hath torment… During a battle or a trial, you may have suddenly felt a spirit of fear just come down on you. That's another one of the devil's “big guns,” and if you listen to it, if you give in to it, you are going to run from the devil. Now we are commanded in Ephesians 6 what we should do! (Eph.6:11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. (13) Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil [one]. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  We should put up a shield of faith to quench those “fiery darts” of the wicked one. What does a fiery dart do? Just like the tail of the scorpion, it's made to penetrate and put to flight. It's made to conquer you, but with the shield of faith, you can quench rejection, fear, depression, anxiety, condemnation, or any other of these fiery darts, which are tormenting spirits that come against you, because they can only come against you if your mind isn't right. But if you have faith in your mind, how is it possible for fear to come into you? If you have faith in your heart, how is it possible for depression, or anxiety, or any of these other spirits that seek to take hold of you, to conquer you? Remember what the Scripture says about you. (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. Don't ever think that whatever the spirit may be that's coming against you, is you. When these kinds of deceiving spirits speak into your mind, that's when you have to use the armor and put up your shield of faith. Don't accept those thoughts as yours. They're not coming from you, and they don't belong to you. There's a doctrine in the apostate church about the “holiness” of oppression, the “holiness” of sickness. They want you to believe that this martyr's syndrome is good for you, but you know if God promised you an “egg,” He's not going to give you a “serpent.” (Luk.11:11) And of which of you that is a father shall his son ask a loaf, and he give him a stone? or a fish, and he for a fish give him a serpent? (12) Or if he shall ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion? The serpent and scorpion represent doctrines of death, but an egg represents life. What some churches have is actually a doctrine of death because they think that God is going to send them a “scorpion” or some other curse. And as for sickness, they think they are going to have to put up with it but Jesus and the apostles didn't. They claim that Paul's “thorn in the flesh” was sickness, but it never was, and Paul even said it wasn't sickness. (2Co.12:7) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. I am not stating that there was a demon inside of Paul, but an angel of Satan was humbling him. The word “messenger” in the Scriptures, 181 of 183 times, is translated as “angel,” so an angel of Satan was sent to buffet him, and the word “buffet” means “to beat or strike repeatedly.” Paul was not talking here about an infirmity or sickness; only the KJV says that Paul's “thorn in the flesh” was an “infirmity.” No Bible derived from the ancient manuscripts has this translation because that's not the word “infirmity”; it is the word “weakness.” Scripture says that Christ was crucified through weakness. (2Co.13:3) Seeing that ye seek a proof of Christ that speaketh in me; who to youward is not weak, but is powerful in you: (4) for he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth through the power of God. This same Greek word asthenes translated as “weakness” in 2 Corinthians 13:3 by the King James, is what the King James in 2 Corinthians 12:9 claims is “infirmity.” Paul did not have an infirmity. The Bible says, (Psa.103:2) Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits: (3) Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases. God is not going to turn around and say, “No, Paul, you keep this disease. It's good for you.” This is not our God. Those churches claim that it was sickness in order to make a person who is going through sickness and suffering feel righteous, but most of the suffering that God's people go through is because they don't believe the Word. God promises an egg while the devil wants us to settle for a scorpion, and it's sadly true that for most people, what's ruling their life is a scorpion. If you listen to rejection, anxiety, fear, or guilt, you are being ruled by the devil. If you listen to shame or unbelief, you are being ruled by the devil. (Rom.6:16) Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves [as] servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? You can't listen to what God says and listen to what the devil says at the same time. (1Co.10:21) Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: ye cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons. You can't partake of the Lord's Table and the table of demons at the same time because everything demons will feed you is contrary to the Word of God. God promised us in (Exo.23:27) I will send my terror before thee, and will discomfit all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. (28) I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. A hornet is like a scorpion, because it also penetrates and puts to flight. It's a little bitty thing, but it can move a great big man. So you see, God can make our enemies fear us, and they do fear us if we know our authority.  If we know what the Word of God says and we step out and swing that Word of God like a sword (Ephesians 6:17), they fear us. Our daughter had a dream once about five chickens that represented five evil spirits that were bothering my mother. Well, those chickens were “chicken,” because just as soon as we gave them the Word, they ran. Evil spirits do fear us, but they recognize whether or not we know the Word of God. And they know whether or not we're standing on the Word of God, but they'll try to bluff us as long as they can. The devil wants us to fear him, and he is constantly trying to make us fear the “fiery darts” of the curse that he administers. But we know the Word of God says we've been delivered from all that. (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; (14) in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. And the Bible tells us who we are in Christ. (Rom.6:11) Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. (18) And being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness. Now that's a sword. That Word is a sword for you to use against the devil's lies. The devil wants you to act on what he says, but the Lord wants you to know who you are in Christ and act on what He says about you. If you don't act on what the Lord says, you don't get anything, because (Jas.2:17) Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. The devil's kingdom operates the same way. He can come by and put a little thought in your mind, but if you don't accept or act on it, if you don't chew or meditate on it, you are not guilty. The devil can put these little thoughts in your mind but you can reject them, and if he gets a little stronger, you can get a little stronger. You can speak up and just rebuke him! You can throw the Word of God into his face as Jesus did! Our faith and understanding of what Jesus did for us make us free from being fearful of any weapon the devil has.  Remember, we read that Christ took away the devil's “whole armor” (Luke 11:22). He took away all of his power (Matthew 28:18). He delivered us out of the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13). All of this is our shield, and you need to use this knowledge. You don't fear the devil when you know who you are and that you don't have to give in to him. However, many people do give in to the devil; they give in to the spirits he sends against them, because they don't believe they have any other choice. Well, there's a reason that the Gospel is called the “Good News.” We do have another choice; we have authority over the devil. He has to move when we say, “Move!” If we step out and exercise that authority over him, he has to move. Thank you Father! As we've seen, the word skorpizo, refers to scorpion spirits, and the devil comes to scatter. Jesus said in (Joh.16:32) Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered (That's the word, skorpizo.), every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. Fear scattered the disciples when the men came for Jesus in the garden (Matthew 26:50-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47- 53; John 18:1-14). They were afraid the same thing was going to happen to them, but we know that (Joh.3:27) A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. The devil sent a spirit there to put fear in them so they would just abandon Jesus in his affliction. To be perfectly just, He had already told them that this is what He came for, so what could they do? The devil also comes to divide. There's another word used in the Scriptures, which is diaskorpizo, and it means “to scatter and separate.” A good example of that is, (Joh.11:52) And not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God that are scattered abroad. That means not only are they scattered from their land, but they are separated from each other, and the devil did it through those scorpion spirits. They divided, they separated, and scattered the Body of Christ, just as God warned us through the apostle Paul. He said in (Act.20:29) I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock; (30) and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. All of God's people are supposed to be coming out of the bondage they're in and back to this one land. Do you know what that means? It means that we are supposed to be one. Jesus said, (Joh.10:16) And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and they shall become one flock, one shepherd. This is what the Tribulation is going to do. God's people are going to become one Flock with One Shepherd, but for now they are diaskorpizo, they are “scattered abroad,” separated. They wanted to hang out at Jerusalem and have Church but the persecution scattered them to spread the gospel. Scorpion spirits separate the Body, separate the Flock, and they do this with false doctrine, false understanding, and false thinking. I've heard people say about our teachings, “Well, aren't you doing the same thing?” No, and when you look around us, you see people from all different backgrounds here. We all get along very well. We want the Flock to be one, but there is only one way the Flock is going to be one, and that's to give up sectarianism, because sectarianism is a work of the flesh. Let's read that in (Gal.5:19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties (The three Greek words there mean “contentions,” “dissentions,” and “sects.”), (21) envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Demon spirits come in to make you believe the lie that you are something great, or that you have everything you need without the rest of the Body, but the Bible tells us in (1Co.12:13) For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit. The Body needs to be one, because the Body has different parts of God's knowledge and different parts of God's gifts. When all are put together, the Body is edified, it's “built up.” (Eph.4:15) But speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ; (16) from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love. God wants His Flock to be one, and we want His Flock to be one, but the devil is warring against this unity. The devil knows that when God's Flock is one, it's going to be a powerhouse, and so we want to learn not to be separate from our brethren. We want to know what it is that has deceived our brethren to make them separate from us. Babel always seeks to be one but their motives were evil and God scattered them, most likely with scorpion spirits.. The mind-deceiving serpent spirits deceive different members of the Body in different ways to keep them from knowing the truth. Since the head wags the tail, the rest of that body, whether it's one person or a group of many people, is going to follow whichever way the head leads. That's the job of the serpent spirits, but other demon spirits do the same thing. They sow their seeds of fear, doubt, unbelief, anger, lust, and so on, and if you receive their seed, your flesh will take on their nature. Your flesh will take on the nature of these demonic “gods” of the lusts of the flesh. Now Jesus sows a Seed, too, and if we believe and act on and live on it, we take on His Nature. The Spirit of Christ is come in order to sow His Seed in our hearts so that our hearts take on His Image. What's an “image”? Well, it's an imagination. The Bible says, (Rom.1:21) Because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings… In other words, they “became vain in their imaginations.” So, what is a “vain” imagination? The Scriptural word for “vain” is mataioo, and it means “aimless, foolish, futile, without purpose.” A “vain” imagination is not doing what it's supposed to do; it's not working for God anymore. Your imagination was created to do something for you on this earth for God. If it's not fulfilling that purpose, then it's fulfilling another one, and it is vain. (Rom.1:21) Because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened. If you become vain in your imagination, if you have the kind of imagination that, for instance, brought the Flood (Gen.6:5-7) And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (6) And it repented Jehovah that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (7) And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the ground; both man, and beast, and creeping things, and birds of the heavens; for it repenteth me that I have made them.), then your senseless heart is being darkened, because those imaginations are evil; know that the gods of the lusts of the flesh are taking advantage of you through this ground that they've gained in you. We need to be (2Co.10:5) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. This is talking about re-taking the ground, these high places, that those spirits have taken from us. Anywhere you are being ruled by any lust, there's a demon around. He doesn't necessarily have to be on the inside; he might be on the outside, but he's still there. You can rebuke him, and when you rebuke him, he has to leave. If you know who you are in Christ, if you know the authority you have in Christ, and if you repent and believe it, when you rebuke the demon, he has to leave.  So whatever problem you may have or situation you may currently be dealing with, you don't have to keep it. You don't have to be ruled by it any longer. You can take the authority you have in the Name of Jesus, and it has to leave. Any stronghold in your thoughts, or evil imaginations that the devil has used against you, you bring them into the obedience of Christ and cast them all away. Amen. Now, I want to remind you that the most important thing is to submit yourselves unto God. (Jas.4:7) Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We do this by repenting and believing what the Word says about us. “Resist the devil, and he will flee” is a promise to us from the Word of God. If we submit to God and resist the devil, he has to flee, but the devil's not going to tell us that. He's going to try to convince us that he doesn't have to leave. He's going to try to convince you that you're in bondage to this lust. No, we're not in bondage to this lust. We've been set free from that bondage because Jesus bound the strong man and then He plundered him. Jesus crippled the devil.  In the animal kingdom, when the mothers want to teach the babies how to hunt, the predator mother cripples the prey first. It may be a bird or a rabbit, and she sends the cub after it. She's teaching that cub how to be a predator. We need to understand that's what our Lord did for us. He went and crippled the devil. And not only that, He also took away his armor. Our Lord made it possible for us “little cubs” to run out there and jump on that old, mean devil. We can see a parable from God when we look at the animal kingdom. So now the devil is crippled, he has no armor and he's defenseless before us, but we have to know it and we have to believe it. We have to speak the Word of God; we have to swing the Sword!  Now I'd like to share with you the following testimonies:   God's Word Gave Faith for Deliverance From Ten Afflictions - Anonymous Wonderful things have taken place in our lives since reading “Sovereign God, For Us and Through Us.” We have been delivered of Asperger Syndrome (autism), bipolar disorder, asthma, sinus infections, food allergies, acid reflux, esophagitis, lacking a thyroid, broken toes, and smoking, over less than a five-month period through faith in the Word. My oldest son, at eleven years old, has been healed of Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, and bipolar disorder. Since my faith was awakened, I took courage in the promises of God and took him off of all his medication, which amounted to seven pills a day. He had been taking pills for five years to control behavioral problems. We were able to finish the school year with minimal problems, he had absolutely no withdrawal symptoms. By faith I called the school to tell them we were taking him off of all his meds because we had prayed and believed that God had healed him. It was a great opportunity for his teachers to see a miracle. Since then, we have had trials of our faith. The symptoms tried to come back. But I had already been through “hell on earth” from this demonic activity that we had earlier mistaken for mental illness. There was no way I was going to accept it back, once I knew the truth! The medications that he had been taking made him a zombie! They took away his personality and stunted his growth. Now he is happy, with an animated personality. He is able to eat and has gone through a big growth spurt! My middle son, aged five years, was healed from severe asthma! He was taking two inhalers twice a day, Singular pills, and Nasonex nasal spray for chronic sinus infections. In addition, he had to have nebulizer treatments. He has not had to take any of it since we stood on faith for his healing! We have had trials of our faith for him also. Twice it tried to come back, but I rejected it and cast it out again. He runs around and jumps on the trampoline and doesn't have problems breathing or being out of breath or with chronic sinus infections anymore! My youngest son, at age three years, has been healed from food allergies and severe acid reflux. He had been allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts. Every time he would eat these foods he would have constant reflux and esophagitis so bad that he would almost lose his voice and would wake up crying all night. We stood on faith for this also. He has not had any problems with reflux or allergies to foods since. Again, when we were tested on this, we stood firm on God's promises. The symptoms left very quickly. My husband was healed from severe acid reflux disease and has not had to take Nexium for four months now! He can eat whatever he wants without any trouble. My son had also recently broken two toes on his right foot, so we prayed over them. They were completely healed within two days! He is able to fully bend them and move them now. He had injured the same foot years ago by dropping a weight on it and had not been able to bend those toes for years. But since God healed them, he has regained the motion in his toes on that foot!  God delivered me from smoking, too. The thing that seemed like such a mountain to me just six months ago is just a side thought now. I had tried to quit smoking once, but had done it with more of a white-knuckle approach. I mostly went about it through my own willpower. Satan would tempt me often to start again. I would be jealous when I saw others smoking because I still wasn't depending on God for strength. I needed my crutch back. I started smoking again. Later while reading Sovereign God, I knew I needed to forsake this idol for good. This time I prayed to God to take the desire away for smoking. If any part of my deliverance came from my flesh, it would be another struggle, and possible failure again. After I prayed to God to deliver me, I knew instantly that I was delivered. I still had some cigarettes that I finished up, but I realized that the desire to smoke had left me. When the last one was gone, I knew I would never again want another. (Note: It might have been better to throw that partial pack away, but, thank You, Lord, for my deliverance.) It has been that way ever since – like I've never smoked a cigarette in my life! Praise God!  These deliverances all happened simultaneously once I realized what Christ really did at the Cross. He still offers the same healing today that He did during His ministry on earth!  I have received a tremendous miracle. Ten years ago, I had my thyroid removed because of a cancerous tumor that had been growing in it. Since then I had taken total replacement hormone for my body systems to function. If I missed more than two or three days in a row of taking it, I would not be able to hear my alarm to wake up in the morning or to think clearly that day.  The doctors had told me that I could not live without this replacement hormone – the body cannot function without it indefinitely. All the body systems would shut down and I would eventually slip into a coma and die. About a year ago the doctors kept having to retake my thyroid blood levels and adjust my prescription dosage down. Every six weeks, when I would go in to have the blood level drawn again, it would still be too high! Because I didn't understand what was happening at the time, I was becoming frustrated at the lab and the doctor. After I read “Sovereign God,” I realized that God had been growing my thyroid back all this time in preparation for the coming wilderness time ahead! I reached up to my neck and felt around the scar. Sure enough, there was something there again!   I had wondered about this situation in a wilderness-type environment, with no access to meds or health care. Now I don't have to be concerned about it anymore because I have received a tremendous miracle. I have been off my thyroid replacement meds for three months now. I feel more energy now than while taking it. God is good! He truly will meet all our needs even before we ask or before we have come to fully know the truth! God has wonderful things for me to serve Him with in the near future. I won't leave this earth until He is finished with me. Thank You, Father, for Your gifts! Another testimony:   Set Free from Unforgiveness by A.L. I had unforgiveness in my heart toward someone. The Lord said it was time to be delivered, and He started working with me. This took about one year. It was rough at first. The enemy didn't want to leave, trying several times to keep me from forgiving. I put up a wall when this person was around. It was my way to keep from being hurt anymore. Some encounters were better than others, but the more I prayed, the better they got. Oftentimes, my memory would be flooded with all the hurtful things that I had buried inside. But I would cry out to the Lord and ask Him to forgive me for holding onto them and to please take them. He always did. There were times that I would be mad or aggravated with this person and would start ranting about what they had done. These rantings, the out-loud ones, were always to my mom. The rantings in my mind were to the Lord. He would always settle me down and take that memory so that it would be gone. My mom would very gently and lovingly look at me and tell me to let it go and remind me that I had to forgive this person. Most of the time it worked, but a few times I would fire back at her out of frustration and tell her, “I know. I'm working on it, but it doesn't go away overnight.” My mom prayed for me a lot, probably more than I realized.  During this time, the Lord had me listen to the audio of “The Curse of Unforgiveness” series. [This is also in book form and available at no charge from ubm1.org as a PDF.] I downloaded it to my iPod and would go for a walk and listen to it. I listened to it several times. The more I prayed and overcame, the more layers the Lord peeled off.  During the winter months, I like to stand or sit in front of the fire to pray. It's always quiet and peaceful. One night, the Lord put this person in my mind, so I started to pray. As I was praying, I asked the Lord to forgive me for having unforgiveness, anger, hurt, and bitterness in my heart. I asked Him, “Would You please take it?” As soon as I said those words, I felt it all come out of my chest. It was gone. I can't explain, but the feeling was great! I started praising the Lord with tears streaming down my face. I was free!  The next night I was in my same spot, praying. The Lord brought this person to my mind again, only this time, I had to ask for love. I told the Lord, “I don't love this person. Would You please forgive me and give me love for them?” As soon as I said those words, I felt the love of God go right in through my chest. This feeling is indescribable – a hundred times better than the night before. I stood with tears streaming down my face, praising the Lord for His grace to get me through to the end.  I love this person now and pray for them. I can be around them without it bothering me. There are no more buried memories. The Lord tilled up all of the roots so they could be plucked up and He could plant His Seed. Whenever I am delivered of something, I ask the Lord to fill that spot with something from Him. Thank You, Heavenly Father for Your grace to get me through to the end.  We learn that it is the Father Who turns people over to the tormentors. Scripture consistently tells us God uses demons for chastening (Matthew 18:34). When we want to take away a demon's authority, we need to make sure that the groundwork has been done first so that we have the legal right to take away his authority. We must forgive. Jesus tells a story of a master who had forgiven his servant a great debt, but this servant went out and would not forgive his fellow servant a much smaller debt. Jesus said that His Father would turn that unforgiving servant over to the tormentors until he should pay what was due.  Let's read that parable. (Mat.18:21) Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? (22) Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven. (23) Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, who would make a reckoning with his servants. (24) And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, that owed him ten thousand talents. (25) But forasmuch as he had not [wherewith] to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.  (26) The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. (27) And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. (28) But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a hundred shillings: and he laid hold on him, and took [him] by the throat, saying, Pay what thou owest. (29) So his fellow-servant fell down and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee. (30) And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay that which was due.  (31) So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were exceeding sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. (32) Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me: (33) shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee? (34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. (35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. The Lord said He will turn you over to the tormentors until you pay for what you have done because if you don't forgive, you are not forgiven. The devil knows when he has this right. He knows when you are not forgiven and he torments you, and his demons will continue to torment you, until you take that right away from him. This is necessary because you can't be saved while you are holding on to unforgiveness. If you don't forgive, you are not forgiven, which is the very foundation of salvation. If you want to take away the demons' rights over you, you need to forgive and you need to believe that Jesus delivered you from them at the Cross. That's the key. (Col.1:13) Who delivered us (it has already been done) out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.  Like this person's testimony, if you will be sure to forgive everyone and exercise your faith toward God's promises, you will be a new person who is free to love and to associate with good people. I say that because so many of these people don't feel comfortable around good people and don't associate with good people. When they're around good people, they feel convicted. In my experience most demonic torment and much sickness is based in unforgiveness. See - The Curse of Unforgiveness

Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Mesopotamia by Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid and comedian Phil Wang to learn about the history of cuneiform, the oldest writing system in the world.In the 19th Century, European scholars began to translate inscriptions found on ruins and clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia - an area of the world between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that encompasses modern Iraq, as well as parts of Syria, Iran, Turkey and Kuwait. The script they deciphered became known as cuneiform, and this distinctive wedge-shaped writing system is perhaps the oldest in the world. The earliest cuneiform tablet is in fact over 5,000 years old.These clay tablets reveal much about the daily life of people in this part of the ancient world, recording everything from the amounts of beer sold by brewers and the best way to ask the gods for advice, to squabbles between husbands and wives and even the lullabies used to get babies to sleep. The first recorded epic poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, is also preserved thanks to cuneiform. This episode traces the history of cuneiform, exploring how this script worked, who used it and what they used it for, what it tells us about the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia, and how it was finally deciphered.This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Hannah Cusworth and Matt Ryan Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: James Cook

SCRIPTURE- Jeremiah 13:7"So I went to the Euphrates and dug a linen loincloth out of the hole where I had hidden it, but now it was rotting and falling apart. The loincloth was good for nothing."REFLECTION- Sr. KathleenMUSIC- "Imagining" Instrumental- "We Are Many Parts" InstrumentalNOTES-

Send us a textWho are the great spiritual avatars that appear throughout human history, and why do they come when they do? Dr. Douglas James Cottrell takes us on a profound exploration of divine consciousness made manifest in physical form.These awakened beings—Buddha, Christ, Sai Baba, and others—embody what Sai Baba himself described perfectly: "The only difference between you, the seeker, and me, the teacher, is that I know who I am. God is inside of me." Understanding this single statement illuminates the entire purpose of avatars in our world.Dr. Douglas reveals why these spiritual "crossing guards" appear at critical junctures when humanity has drifted from its divine path. Like cosmic traffic officers stopping us before we rush headlong into spiritual disaster, they redirect us toward love, integrity, and awareness through example rather than force. Their miraculous abilities—from Christ's transmutation of water to wine to Sai Baba materializing objects from thin air—serve not as mere spectacle but as awakeners of faith.Most fascinating is Dr. Douglas's explanation of the three prophesied incarnations of Sai Baba, with the final avatar now appearing as a young man destined to guide world leaders through our planet's current "renovation time." The signs of this transformation surround us: biblical prophecies fulfilling as the Euphrates dries up, climate shifts accelerating, and social structures destabilizing—all part of Earth's necessary rebalancing.Yet within this challenging transition lies hope. By 2035-2040, Dr. Douglas foresees humanity emerging transformed, with future generations barely remembering the upheavals of our current time. His message is clear: stay on the path of love and service, for "if you're living the right things and trying to help, you cannot go wrong." A timely reminder that even as the world transforms around us, our spiritual compass remains our surest guide.Support the show

The Lord our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying, You have dwelt long enough in this mount:Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places near there, in the plain, in the hills, and in the lowland, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their descendants after them.Deuteronomy 1:6–8 KJ2000

You have friends, snacks and a great new game all ready to go… but uh oh. This game is not color blind friendly and your non-gamer friend is… well this is a drag! We have moments like these a lot in gaming. Inviting non-gamers into a gaming space and having little hiccups take some of the fun away. So how can we avoid that? Want to ask a question or give us your two cents about the state of euros? Hit us up at cardboardphilosophypod@gmail.com! Want to play some of Robert's games? Grab them here! - https://www.allplay.com/board-games/partner/bitewing/ Cites and Sources Azul - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/230802/azul Bridges of Shangri-La - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/8190/the-bridges-of-shangri-la Captain Sonar - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/171131/captain-sonar Flip 7 - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/420087/flip-7 Fruit Fight - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/339214/fruit-fight Heat: Pedal To The Metal - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/366013/heat-pedal-to-the-metal High Society - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/220/high-society Hot Streak - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/446497/hot-streak Jungo - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/424816/jungo Just One - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/254640/just-one Go - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/188/go Medici - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/46/medici Mexica - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2955/mexica Monopoly - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1406/monopoly Nanatoridori - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/387388/nanatoridori Pax Pamir - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/256960/pax-pamir-second-edition Quantum - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/143519/quantum Rheinlander - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/111/rheinlander Risk - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/181/risk Scout - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/291453/scout Spring Cleaning - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/387015/spring-cleaning Stephenson's Rocket - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/204/stephensons-rocket The Game of Life - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2921/game-of-life Through The Desert - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/503/through-the-desert Thurn & Taxis - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21790/thurn-and-taxis Ticket to Ride - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9209/ticket-to-ride Tigris & Euphrates - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/42/tigris-and-euphrates Uno - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2223/uno Veiled Fate - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/315695/veiled-fate Viking See-Saw - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/351810/viking-see-saw Wingspan - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/266192/wingspan

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 216 - Innovation and Games without Guard Rails (Look Mom, No Hands!) Look mom, no hands! Brendan and Pete are diving into a discussion without guard rails (games) and then review Carl Chudyk's, Innovation. Timestamps Show Business - 0:00 Games without Guard Rails - 3:08 Innovation - 20:54   Games Mentioned lost ruins of arnak, Keyforge, Magic: the Gathering, Tigris & Euphrates, Modern Art, Root, and Innovation Preplanners Game design discussion on balancing for player count hosted by Paul coming up soon?! Also, "wow" factor in games!   Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Bell with Crows by MKzing -- https://freesound.org/s/474266/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 hammer v2.wav by blukotek -- https://freesound.org/s/337815/ -- License: Creative Commons 0   Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!

Joel and Lynn Rosenberg dive into a compelling discussion about China’s role in biblical prophecy and the end times. Drawing from Revelation 16, Joel unpacks what it means for China to be a “prototype of the tyrannical Antichrist society” and explores the idea that China could lead the coalition known as the “kings of the East” in the prophetic battle of Armageddon. The conversation covers the signs of the last days, China’s persecution of Christians, and the miraculous growth of Christianity within its borders despite overwhelming oppression. The Rosenbergs also highlight the geopolitical challenges posed by China and encourage listeners to pray for the persecuted church, for America’s leaders, and for wisdom in facing these end-times realities. If you’ve ever wondered how today’s global headlines fit into biblical prophecy—or what the future might hold for China and the world—this is an episode you don’t want to miss. (00:02) "Revelation 16: The Sixth Angel"(03:24) "Stay Awake: Rapture Nearing"(07:06) Literal Interpretation of Revelation(12:45) "Isaiah 49: Global Divine Message"(13:45) "Messiah's Global Salvation Mission"(17:23) Pray for China and Global Leaders Learn more about The Joshua Fund: JoshuaFund.comMake a tax-deductible donation: Donate | The Joshua FundStock Media provided by DimmySad / Pond5 Verse of the Day: Revelation chapter 16:12. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East Prayer: Praying that God will give the persecuted church in China the boldness to continue preaching God's Word.Pray for the hundreds of millions of Chinese to have the courage to continue renouncing communism and abandoning atheism. Pray that American leaders will have the courage to stand against this regime.Related Episodes:The Russian-Iranian-Turkish Alliance of Ezekiel 38 & 39 (The War of Gog & Magog) #18Is The War of Gog & Magog Coming? #40Is The War of Gog & Magog Coming? Part 2 #47China's Complex Relationships with the US and Israel #276 Links for Reference https://www.inspirationtravel.com/tjahttps://www.joshuafund.com/learn/latest-news/join-us-on-our-alaska-cruise Donate a generous monthly gift to The Joshua Fund to bless Israel and Her Neighbors now and for the long haul. Become an Epicenter Ally today! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Revelation 16:1-21   16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.” 2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and a harmful and painful sore afflicted the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. 3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. 4 Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, the One who is and who was, O Holy One, because You judged these things; 6 for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” 7 And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” 8 And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given power to scorch people with fire. 9 And the people were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. 10 And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, 11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pain and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds. 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; 14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the entire world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and people will not see his shame.”) 16 And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon. 17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” 18 And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. 20 And every island fled, and no mountains were found. 21 And huge hailstones, weighing about a talent each, *came down from heaven upon people; and people blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because the hailstone plague *was extremely severe.     BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener's Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net

To fully understand what is happening here, we must return to the scene on earth where the final war—the War of Armageddon—is reaching its peak. The Antichrist, still in power and enraged by the destruction of his headquarters in Babylon, now targets Jerusalem to establish his final seat of authority. Stages of the Campaign of Armageddon So Far: Stage I – Movement Toward Jezreel Valley: This happens as the Euphrates is dried up and the Antichrist begins advancing westward across the Euphrates into Israel, aiming to invade Jerusalem in his last-ditch effort to defend his empire from God. Stage II – Babylon Attacked and Destroyed: God ensures the final and complete destruction of the city with the final vial judgment, as the Antichrist marches on Jerusalem. We mentioned how God possibly could have used Russia for this. Daniel 11:44 speaks of the moment the Antichrist receives this news about this. Stage III – The Siege of Jerusalem and the Battle at Bozrah (Petra): The Antichrist being enraged over the report of the total destruction of Babylon, desires the total annihilation of all believing Jews and Christians and launches a final offensive: At Bozrah (Edom): He targets the protected Jews hiding in Petra. Prophets like Jeremiah foretell the Lord's defense and destruction of the Antichrist's forces there. And at Jerusalem: Armies from all nations besiege the city. Prophets Joel, Isaiah, Micah, and Zechariah describe the siege in vivid, prophetic detail. Jerusalem will be surrounded, humbled, and pressed—but will cry out in repentance and faith. Contact us @ 4faithfoundations@gmail.com For more Bible lessons, teachings, books, video teachings, and resources please visit our website @ faithfoundations.church

Joshua 24:14–15  14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Ephesians 5:21-25, 6:1-4 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord... 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her... 6:1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” 4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.  I Peter 1:13-1613 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Hebrews 12:14 14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.           May: Focus on the Family Month            Building a HOLY FAMILY           1. A Holy Family Starts with a Holy Choice                    Joshua 24:15 "But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."          2. A Holy Family is Built on Biblical Roles.                   Ephesians 5:22–6:4                     Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord...                 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her...                 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.                    Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.          3. A Holy Family Practices Personal Holiness.                           1 Peter 1:13–16 "Be holy, because I am holy."           4. A Holy Family Pursues Peace and Discipline.                          Hebrews 12:14 "Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."        Our Response 

Welcome to Inside The Epicenter with Joel and Lynn Rosenberg. In this episode, Joel and Lynn unpack China’s rapidly growing influence in the Middle East—especially its support for Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities—and how this impacts Israel, the U.S., and the prophetic landscape. Joel draws direct connections between China’s actions, biblical prophecy about the “kings of the East,” and the dangerous spread of anti-Israel sentiment and propaganda. You’ll hear why Joel sees China as a prototype of the antichrist spirit and a significant threat to Israel, as well as why it’s so critical for Christians to pray for both China and global leaders. Dive into this episode for timely insights at the intersection of current events, biblical prophecy, and urgent calls to faith and action. (00:02) China's Support for Iran's Nuclear Ambitions(05:38) China-Israel Tensions Escalate(10:11) "Warning Fiction for World Leaders"(11:28) "Pre-9/11 Events & 'The Last Jihad'"(16:24) Ignored Warnings Lead to Global Crises(18:29) "Taking Evil Seriously" Learn more about The Joshua Fund: JoshuaFund.comMake a tax-deductible donation: Donate | The Joshua FundStock Media provided by DimmySad / Pond5 Verse of the Day: Revelation 16:12 - The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East Prayer: Praying that God will give the persecuted church in China the boldness to continue preaching God's word.Pray for the hundreds of millions of Chinese to have the courage to continue renouncing communism and abandoning atheism. Pray that American leaders will have the courage to stand against this regime. Related Episodes:China's Complex Relationships with the US and Israel #276Can Lebanon BREAK FREE From Iran #266Exploring China’s Role in Bible Prophecy: Joel Rosenberg’s Sermon at Cornerstone Chapel #265Special - Israel's Historic Strike on Iran #228 https://www.inspirationtravel.com/tjahttps://www.joshuafund.com/learn/latest-news/join-us-on-our-alaska-cruise Donate a generous monthly gift to The Joshua Fund to bless Israel and Her Neighbors now and for the long haul. Become an Epicenter Ally today! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

This week on the show we are throwing down with an age old question – why? But we aren't throwing down with it, how is! In this episode we talk about how the why we do what we do in games differs from the how we do it and how that impacts the end result! Want to ask a question or give us your two cents about the state of euros? Hit us up at cardboardphilosophypod@gmail.com! Check out Robert's latest games on Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitewinggamesnick/gazebo-and-gingham-travel-friendly-board-games   Cites and Sources Agricola - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/200680/agricola-revised-edition Azul - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/230802/azul Blood Rage - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/170216/blood-rage Bohnanza - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/11/bohnanza Bridges of Shangri-La - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/8190/the-bridges-of-shangri-la Bus - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/552/bus Cat Blues - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/414351/cat-blues-the-big-gig Ethnos - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/206718/ethnos Hearts - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6887/hearts Heaven & Ale - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/227789/heaven-and-ale Imperial Steam - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/338760/imperial-steam Just One - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/254640/just-one Kanban - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/284378/kanban-ev Lisboa - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161533/lisboa Lost Ruins of Arnak - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/312484/lost-ruins-of-arnak Medici - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/46/medici MLEM: Space Agency - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/387378/mlem-space-agency Modern Art - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/118/modern-art On Mars - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/184267/on-mars Orongo - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/165556/nyakuza The Palaces of Carrera - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129948/the-palaces-of-carrara Ra - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/12/ra Renature - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/300001/renature Schotten Totten - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/372/schotten-totten Seti - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/418059/seti-search-for-extraterrestrial-intelligence Tash Kalar - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/146278/tash-kalar-arena-of-legends Tigris & Euphrates - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/42/tigris-and-euphrates Vikings - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/27173/vikings Vinhos - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/175640/vinhos-deluxe-edition Weather Machine - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/237179/weather-machine Wheedle - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5393/wheedle Yellow & Yangtze - https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/244114/yellow-and-yangtze

The most important decision any of us will make is the decision to place our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. All other decisions pale in comparison. Why? Because this decision has eternal implications. Placing our faith in Jesus' death and resurrection for our sins provides us with forgiveness of our sins, and gives us the promise of eternal life.Main Points:1.  While many know Jesus, they have yet to believe. They still haven't decided to make Him their Savior and Lord. They are living in a place of indecision. I've heard people say, “I'm not ready yet. Maybe someday I'll become a Christian.”2. We must see that indecision is a decision. Failing to act, is an action. We don't know what the future holds. We have no promise of tomorrow. But we do have this moment and this opportunity to decide to follow Jesus. We cannot postpone life's most important decision. 3. Listen again to the powerful words from Joshua. “Choose today whom you will serve.” I believe this is a word from the Lord to you and me today. Choose whom you will serve. Make a decision. Place your faith in God. Settle the issue. Move forward as aß Christ-follower whose mind is made up.Today's Scripture Verses:Joshua 24:14-15 - “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”Matthew 6:24 - “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Quick Links:Donate to support this podcastLeave a review on Apple PodcastsGet a copy of The 5 Minute Discipleship JournalConnect on SocialJoin The 5 Minute Discipleship Facebook Group

1. Their Spiritual Assault2. Its Deadly Results3. Hard Hearts

Revelation 8:2-9:21, pt. 2   2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel's hand with the prayers of the saints before God. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. 7 The first sounded, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. 11 The star is named Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter. 12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. 13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”  9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him. 2 He opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will flee from them! 7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like human faces. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt people for five months. 11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. 12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still coming after these things. 13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And this is how I saw in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths *came fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. 20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21 and they did not repent of their murders, nor of their witchcraft, nor of their sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.     BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener's Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net

Revelation 8:2-9:21, pt. 1   2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense ascended from the angel's hand with the prayers of the saints before God. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. 7 The first sounded, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was hurled into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. 11 The star is named Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters because they were made bitter. 12 The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. 13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”  9:1 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key to the shaft of the abyss was given to him. 2 He opened the shaft of the abyss, and smoke ascended out of the shaft like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke of the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will flee from them! 7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like human faces. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt people for five months. 11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. 12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still coming after these things. 13 Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And this is how I saw in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths *came fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they do harm. 20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; 21 and they did not repent of their murders, nor of their witchcraft, nor of their sexual immorality, nor of their thefts.     BIBLE READING GUIDE - FREE EBOOK - Get the free eBook, Bible in Life, to help you learn how to read and apply the Bible well: https://www.listenerscommentary.com     GIVE -  The Listener's Commentary is a listener supported Bible teaching ministry made possible by the generosity of people like you. Thank you! Give here:  https://www.listenerscommentary.com/give     STUDY HUB - Want more than the audio? Join the study hub to access articles, maps, charts, pictures, and links to other resources to help you study the Bible for yourself. https://www.listenerscommentary.com/members-sign-up   MORE TEACHING - For more resources and Bible teaching from John visit https://www.johnwhittaker.net

"Eastward" (Ancient) of Eden?; Two creation accounts; How to get back to Tree of Life; Visions of Abraham; Euphrates = fruitfulness; "Help meet"; nun-gimel-dalet; What is woman?; Vessels of Holy Spirit; Gen 15:1; The word of God; "Vision" - biet-mem-chet-zayin-hey; Law of nature; Damascus; Eliezer = "helper"; Abraham's journey; Ur; God's prophecy to Abraham; Sons; Bondage opportunity; Righteousness; Giving purpose and value; Respecting the small things; Altars of stone and clay; "this land" = "erets"; aleph-resh-tzedek; freewill vs force; right to my body?; Charity alone; Turtledoves; Sophistry; Biblical "goat"; Red Heifer; Recognizing meaning; Driving away "fowls"; Moneychangers; Basics of who Abrahm was; Why Abraham?; Great darkness?; aleph-yod-mem-hey (horror); city?; gimel = cause/effect; sitting in darkness; v13: Bondage of Egypt; Satisfaction of righteousness; Virtue; Procreation a burden?; Selfishness; Revelation; Gathering in tens, hundreds and thousands; Giving to strengthen; Amorites = blood lickers; "President"; Where is love?; Are you a vulture? Amorite?; Abraham's altars; gimel-vav-zayin-lamad (turtledove); Welfare by forced giving; Lady Godiva; Gen 15:9 "Heifer"; Num 19:2 "Heifer" pey-resh-hey; Sacrifice; Doing what Christ/Moses/Abraham said to do; v18 - covenant for what land?; Living by faith; Covetous practices; Egypt (bondage) to Euphrates (fruitful); Kingdom of God AT HAND; Living by force; V19 List of names; Kenites - associated with Cane; Rolling back socialism; Weakened societies; Individual repentance; Spoiling; Giving your best; Division; Find fruitfulness.

On today's episode, Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid sheds light on the history of Ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, gave rise to writing, literature, astronomy, and law - shaping human history in ways that still resonate today. Drawing on her new book Between Two Rivers, Al-Rashid brings to life the stories of ordinary people from thousands of years ago: working mothers, enslaved individuals seeking freedom, and even a princess who may have founded the first museum. In conversation with archeologist and author Rebecca Wragg Sykes, Al-Rashid discusses the earliest written records, from economic tallies to personal letters, and explores how Mesopotamians grappled with timeless human concerns - love, illness, ambition, and the quest for knowledge. Why does Mesopotamia often remain in the shadow of Egypt and Greece? And what can we learn from this ancient civilization today? Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Oxford's Wolfson College, where she specialises in the languages and history of ancient Mesopotamia. She has written for academic and popular journals, including History Today, on topics as diverse as mental illness in ancient Mesopotamia to Late Assyrian scholarly networks. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events  ...  Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

736 I Will Not Leave You Or Forsake You, A Guided Christian Meditation on Joshua 1:4-6 with the Recenter With Christ app The purpose of this podcast is to help you find more peace in  and connect wi h the true source of peace, Jesus Christ.  Outline: Relaxation, Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation and Visualization. Get into a place where you can sit comfortably and uninterrupted for about 20 minutes.You should hopefully not be driving jor anything tensing or unrelaxing.  If you feel comfortable to do so, I invite you to close your eyes.   Guided Relaxation / Guided Meditation:   Breathe and direct your thoughts to connecting with God. Let your stomach be a balloon inflate,  deflate. Scripture for Meditation Joshua 1 ESV 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. RSV 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphra′tes, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Meditation on Scripture: This time of this scripture was a great transition for Joshua, who was to lead the Israelites into the promised land after Moses. It is interesting how different the demands on these two leaders was. Moses was predominantly responsible for leading the Israelites through the desert. Joshua was a warrior leader. Each had a very different mission. God used their different perspectives, temperaments and strengths do do His important work. Humans dont know what is required to do what God needs but God does. God guided Moses just enough for him to be able to do what was needed. There were many times when Moses didnt know exactly what to do but worked it out. Sometimes he failed but God helped him resolve the problems. Similarly Joshua received the support he needed to do what God called him to. Whatever God calls us to, He prepares us for. This is what gave Joshua courage. God was fulfilling his promises through Joshua. God would not allow Joshua to fail because He had called him. God will not allow you to fail if you are accomplishing God's purposes. This is why discernment is so important. When we do our own will we can fail.  Each one of us has things we are called to. Similar to Moses and Joshua, we don't know or understand what those things are until it comes, or even later than that. Also similarly, with God's help you can accomplish all that God truely calls you to. Have trust and confidence in the Lord. God will never fail or forsake you.  Meditation of Prayer: Pray as directed by the Spirit. Dedicate these moments to the patient waiting, when you feel ready ask God for understanding you desire from Him. Meditation of God and His Glory / Hesychasm: I invite you to sit in silence feeling patient for your own faults and trials. Summarize what insights you have gained during this meditation and meditate and visualize positive change in your life: This is a listener funded podcast at patreon.com/christianmeditationpodcast Final Question: If you consider the invitation and command to persevere in the faith, what change in your life does that bring to your mind?  FIND ME ON: Download my free app: Recenter with Christ Website - ChristianMeditationPodcast.com Voicemail - (602) 888-3795 Email: jared@christianmeditationpodcast.com Apple Podcasts - Christian Meditation Podcast Facebook.com/christianmeditationpodcast Youtube.com/christianmeditaitonpodcast Twitter - @ChristianMedPod  

The sixth angel sounds his shofar releasing four rogue angels from their prison at the Euphrates. A 200-million-man army is also summoned.  Revelation 9:13-21; 10:1-7 plus many references from other parts of the Bible.  #everydaychristians

We've spent a lot of time over the years singing the praises of the games we love, but they can't be perfect right? Surely there's something, one little thing, that bugs us - a small blemish in our otherwise most beloved games? Before we come clean, we talk about Classified Information, Starline Hill, Panda Spin, and SHASN: AZADI. 03:13 - Classified Information 11:54 - Starline Hill 13:35 - Panda Spin 25:32 - SHASN: AZADI 41:56 - Things we hate about games we love 42:39 - Throught the Ages: A New Story of Civilization 44:14 - Tigris and Euphrates 44:36 - Archipelago 45:09 - Cthulhu Wars 45:17 - Cosmic Encounter 45:57 - Diplomacy 46:09 - Innovation 48:28 - El Grande 49:26 - Age of Steam 49:26 - Arboretum 49:26 - The Estates 49:26 - Fresh Fish 50:28 - Marvel Champions: The Card Game 51:22 - Brass: Lancashire 51:30 - Barrage 51:38 - Agricola 53:57 - Blood on the Clocktower 54:08 - A Feast for Odin 56:22 - Sidereal Confluence 56:22 - Stationfall 56:22 - Alchemists 57:30 - Yellow and Yangtze Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

[Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished…] Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say,“Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was,     for you brought these judgments. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,     and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!”7 And I heard the altar saying,“Yes, Lord God the Almighty,     true and just are your judgments!”8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish 11 and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. 21 And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.1.     Have you ever mistaken God's patience with your sin as a lack of interest in it?2.     Did the sermon lead you to identify any areas where you have been avoiding repenting? Share if appropriate.3.     Have you ever thought that God's mercy has run out for you? Is

Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Mesopotamia by Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid and comedian Phil Wang to learn about the history of cuneiform, the oldest writing system in the world.In the 19th Century, European scholars began to translate inscriptions found on ruins and clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia - an area of the world between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that encompasses modern Iraq, as well as parts of Syria, Iran, Turkey and Kuwait. The script they deciphered became known as cuneiform, and this distinctive wedge-shaped writing system is perhaps the oldest in the world. The earliest cuneiform tablet is in fact over 5,000 years old.These clay tablets reveal much about the daily life of people in this part of the ancient world, recording everything from the amounts of beer sold by brewers and the best way to ask the gods for advice, to squabbles between husbands and wives and even the lullabies used to get babies to sleep. The first recorded epic poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, is also preserved thanks to cuneiform. This episode traces the history of cuneiform, exploring how this script worked, who used it and what they used it for, what it tells us about the inhabitants of ancient Mesopotamia, and how it was finally deciphered.If you're a fan of historical puzzles, amazing archaeological finds and the intimate details of everyday life in the ancient world, you'll love our episode on cuneiform.If you want more from Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid, check out our episode on Ancient Babylon. And for more ancient history with Phil Wang, listen to our episodes on the history of Kung Fu and the Terracotta Warriors. You're Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Hannah Cusworth and Matt Ryan Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: James Cook

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 206 - What We Talk About When We Talk About If Games Can Be Mean Pete, Brendan, and Jake debate whether games can be mean with our usual sense of decorum and mastery of the oral argument.  Timestamps Can Games Be Mean - 0:00   Games Mentioned In the year of the Dragon, Terraforming Mars, Magic: the Gathering, Barrage, Root, The Resistance, Tigris and Euphrates, Catan, The Estates, Game of Thrones: the Board Game   Preplanners Guild of Merchant Explorers will be our next deep dive.   Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!

Sequence Hymn #455 O Love of God, How Strong and TrueOffertory Anthem "Pie Jesu" from Requiem (Rutter) Lawren Casagrande, soloistCommunion Hymn #571 All Who Love and Serve Your CityPost-Communion Hymn #150 Forty Days and Forty NightsTHE COLLECT OF THE DAYO God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from thy ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of thy Word, Jesus Christ thy Son; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.FIRST READING Genesis 15:1-12,17-18Reader A reading from the Book of Genesis.The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.”ReaderThe Word of the Lord.PeopleThanks be to God.PSALM Psalm...

Reading IGenesis 15:5-12, 17-18The Lord God took Abram outside and said,“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”Abram put his faith in the LORD,who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.He then said to him,“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeansto give you this land as a possession.”“O Lord GOD,” he asked,“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”He answered him,“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”Abram brought him all these, split them in two,and placed each half opposite the other;but the birds he did not cut up.Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,but Abram stayed with them.As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.When the sun had set and it was dark,there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,which passed between those pieces.It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,saying: “To your descendants I give this land,from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”Reading IIPhilippians 3:17—4:1 Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,and observe those who thus conduct themselvesaccording to the model you have in us.For many, as I have often told youand now tell you even in tears,conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.Their end is destruction.Their God is their stomach;their glory is in their “shame.”Their minds are occupied with earthly things.But our citizenship is in heaven,and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.He will change our lowly bodyto conform with his glorified bodyby the power that enables him alsoto bring all things into subjection to himself.Therefore, my brothers and sisters,whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,in this way stand firm in the Lord.GospelLuke 9:28b-36Jesus took Peter, John, and Jamesand went up the mountain to pray.While he was praying his face changed in appearanceand his clothing became dazzling white.And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodusthat he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,but becoming fully awake,they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,“Master, it is good that we are here;let us make three tents,one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”But he did not know what he was saying.While he was still speaking,a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.Then from the cloud came a voice that said,“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.They fell silent and did not at that timetell anyone what they had seen.

Second Sunday in Lent Old Testament Genesis 15:1-12,17-18 The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." But the word of the Lord came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. Then he said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess." But he said, "O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates." The Psalm Psalm 27 Dominus illuminatio 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? * the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, * it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who  stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army should encamp against me, * yet my heart shall not be afraid; 4 And though war should rise up against me, * yet will I put my trust in him. 5 One thing have I asked of the Lord; one thing I seek; * that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; 6 To behold the fair beauty of the Lord * and to seek him in his temple. 7 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe  in his shelter; * he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling and set me high upon a rock. 8 Even now he lifts up my head * above my enemies round about me. 9 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation with sounds of great gladness; * I will sing and make music to the Lord. 10 Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call; * have mercy on me and answer me. 11 You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." * Your face, Lord, will I seek. 12 Hide not your face from me, * nor turn away your servant in displeasure. 13 You have been my helper;  cast me not away; * do not forsake me, O God of my salvation. 14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, * the Lord will sustain me. 15 Show me your way, O Lord; * lead me on a level path, because of my enemies. 16 Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, *  for false witnesses have risen up against me,  and also those who speak malice. 17 What if I had not believed that I should see the goodness of the Lord * in the land of the living! 18 O tarry and await the Lord's pleasure; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; * wait patiently for the Lord. The Epistle Philippians 3:17-4:1 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. The Gospel Luke 13:31-35 Some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Understanding inspired scripture; Tree of Life; vs Tree of Knowledge; Hiding from light; Nakedness; Aleph; Jacob's wrestling; Seeing the whole truth; Blame game; Spiritual guidance; Entering bondage; Systems of God vs of the "world"; Abraham's journey; "Beersheba"; Abraham's land; Freewill offerings; Living by faith, hope and charity; Essenes; Blessing those that curse you; What is God teaching you today?; Representative money; Legal title; Agreement with government; Wrath of God; Euphrates river?; Gen 48:1; vav+yod+chet+tav-zayin-kuf?; Jacob vs Israel; Praying for daily bread; Allegories; Income tax?; Bondage of Egypt; Seeing your fault; Brothers of Joseph; Exploring whole truth; Ephriam and Manasseh; Rachel's death; Seeing with God's eyes; Blessing sons; Appetite for benefits; Which son was first?; Israel's blessing; Living by God's righteousness; "Displeased"; Foresight; Right and left hands; Golden calf; Another way of government; Hebrew (written) language; Sword and bow?; Making recompence; Pure republics; Tithing; Caring for others; Moses sword and bow?; Red Sea?; "Altars"; God's social security; Sacrifice by choice; Not to be like the world governments; "Civil law"; Individual responsibilities; Prodigal sons; Consequential choices; Learning lessons; Repentance; Blessing Egypt; Sitting in darkness; Darkness and Light; Bloodlines?; Purpose-driven life?; Making Godly choices; Giving choice to others; "darkness"; Separation; Absence; Gen 3:24; Flaming sword turning every way; Beacon?; Willingness to see and know self; Learning patience; NATO?; Knowing history; Divine spark; Things that obscure our vision and thinking; Curses being blessings; hey-pey-kuf; (hey-mem-tav-hey-pey-kuf-tav); Whirling?; Power of HolySpirit; Christ's kind of sacrifice; "Leaven"; Forced sacrifice; Living stones; Covetousness; Welfare snares; Are you Israel?; Stop sitting in darkness; Repent and seek His kingdom and righteousness.

I'm not sure why you'd make a hall of fame that's not also a sidewalk, but that's exactly what BoardGameGeek have gone and done - they've curated 25 games into their hall of fame, and we're here to judge them for their choices. It's weird that they didn't come to us first, honestly. Before we deck the halls, we talk about Arborea, Beyond the Horizon, and Taiwan Night Market.  02:49 - Arborea 10:32 - Beyond the Horizon 20:43 - Taiwan Night Market 32:00 - BGG Hall of Fame  38:57 - Diplomacy 40:35 - Acquire 41:55 - Cosmic Encounter 43:25 - Civilization 45:05 - 1830: Railways and Robber Barons 45:46 - Magic The Gathering 48:02 - Catan 49:03 - El Grande 49:58 - Tigris and Euphrates 51:04 - Ra 52:07 - Carcassone 53:29 - Power Grid  53:49 - Ticket to Ride 54:16 - Caylus 55:26 - Twilight Struggle 56:26 - Through the Ages 58:17 - Agricola 59:35 - Brass 01:00:25 - Race for the Galaxy 01:01:53 - Dominion 01:02:38 - Pandemic 01:03:39 - Seven Wonders 01:04:51 - Castles of Burgundy 01:05:14 - Terra Mystica 01:06:54 - Concordia   Get added to the BGB community map at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/map   Send us topic ideas at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/topics   Check out our wiki at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/wiki   Join the discussion at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/discord   Join our Facebook group at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/facebook   Get a Board Game Barrage T-shirt at: https://boardgamebarrage.com/store

In Episode 238 we each talk about 5 board games that have the types and level of player interaction that we really like. We also discuss a poll on whether complexity and price should have a correlation.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction00:44 Poll Time: Do you correlate complexity with price?14:02 Player Interaction19:52 Parks (Agricola)25:35 Ankh: Gods of Egypt (Carnegie)30:31 Clans of Caledonia (Gaia Project)34:35 My Little Scythe (Wolves, Gaia Project, Sol: Last Days of a Star)40:01 Stockpile (Pan Am, Lancaster, Modern Art)45:24 Nidavellir (Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest)48:54 Great Wall (Lancaster)53:10 Hegemony: Lead Your Class to Victory56:44 Troyes1:01:00 Carcassonne (Barrage, Terraforming Mars)1:07:44 Baseball Highlights 2045 (Blood Rage, Magic: The Gathering)1:12:31 Rebirth (Tigris and Euphrates, Samurai, Blue Lagoon)1:17:17 Fractal (Rising Sun, Blood Rage, Dune, Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy, Battle for Rokugan)1:25:34 Bruxelles 1893 (Lancaster, Barrage)1:30:33 Final ThoughtsIf you enjoy the show, please consider supporting us at https://www.patreon.com/boardgamehottakesFollow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/boardgamehottakes.bsky.socialJoin our Board Game Arena Community: https://boardgamearena.com/group?id=11417205Join our Discord server at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/vMtAYQWURd

ISRAEL'S PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu says he doesn't intend to allow the armed forces of Al Qaeda offshoot HTS south of Damascus. Is this a step toward fulfilling the land promised to Abraham's descendants in Genesis 15?We discuss a new report from Avi Lipkin in Israel where he describes a new Middle East, with an Israeli-Druze autonomous zone across southern Syria from the Golan Heights to the Euphrates River, and a Kurdish autonomous zone east of the Euphrates connecting to the Kurdish zone in Iraq, linking to Israel's allies in Azerbaijan.Would this fulfill prophecy? That's up for debate, but one thing is certain—we are living in prophetic times.

He was born sometime in the mid-fourth century on an island in the Aegean. For a time he lived successfully in the world, receiving a good education in Constantinople, then serving for a time for the Prefect of the Praetorium. But, becoming aware of the vanity of worldly things, he answered Christ's call, gave away all his goods to the poor and entered a monastery in Syria. After four years in obedience, he came to feel that the security of monastic life was inconsistent with the Gospel command to take no thought for the morrow; so he withdrew to the desert, taking with him only his garment and the Book of the Gospel. There he lived alone for seven years.   At the end of this period he set out on an apostolic mission to Mesopotamia, where he brought many to Christ: the city prefect Rabbula was converted after Alexander brought down fire from heaven, and a band of brigands who accosted the Saint on the road were transformed into a monastic community. He finally fled the city when the Christians there rose up demanding that he be made bishop. He once again took up a solitary life in the desert beyond the Euphrates, spending the day in prayer and part of the night sheltered in a barrel. There he remained for forty years. His holiness gradually attracted more than four hundred disciples, whom Alexander organized into a monastic community. Each disciple owned only one tunic, and was required to give away anything that they did not need for that day. Despite this threadbare life, the monastery was able to set up and run a hospice for the poor!   Alexander was perplexed as to how the admonition Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) could be fulfilled by frail human flesh, but after three years of fasting and prayer, God showed him a method. He organized his monks into four groups according to whether their native language was Greek, Latin, Syriac or Coptic, and the groups prayed in shifts throughout the day and night. Twenty-four divine services were appointed each day, and the monks would chant from the Psalter between services. The community henceforth came to be known as the Akoimetoi, the Unsleeping Ones. (Similar communities later sprang up in the West, practicing what was there called Laus Perennis; St Columban founded many of these.)   Always desiring to spread the holy Gospel, Saint Alexander sent companies of missionaries to the pagans of southern Egypt. He and a company of 150 disciples set out as a kind of traveling monastery, living entirely on the charity of the villages they visited. Eventually they settled in some abandoned baths in Antioch, setting up a there a monastery dedicated to the unceasing praise of God; but a jealous bishop drove them from the city. Making his way to Constantinople, he settled there with four monks. In a few days, more than four hundred monks had left their monasteries to join his community. The Saint organized them into three companies — Greeks, Latins and Syrians — and restored the program of unsleeping prayer that his community had practiced in Mesopotamia. Not surprisingly, his success aroused the envy and anger of the abbots whose monasteries had been nearly emptied; they managed to have him condemned as a Messalian at a council held in 426. (The Messalians were an over-spiritualizing sect who believed that the Christian life consisted exclusively of prayer.) Alexander was sent back to Syria, and most of his monks were imprisoned; but as soon as they were released, most fled the city to join him again. The Saint spent his last years traveling from place to place, founding monasteries, often persecuted, until he reposed in 430, 'to join the Angelic choirs which he had so well imitated on earth.' (Synaxarion)   The practice of unceasing praise, established by St Alexander, spread throughout the Empire. The Monastery of the Akoimetoi, founded by a St Marcellus, a successor of Alexander, was established in Constantinople and became a beacon to the Christian world. 'Even though it has not been retained in today's practice, the unceasing praise established by Saint Alexander was influential in the formation of the daily cycle of liturgical offices in the East and even more so in the West.' (Synaxarion)

It's Friday, February 21st, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark 10th anniversary of Muslim beheading of 21 Libyan Christians Saturday was the 10th anniversary of when 21 Christians died for their faith in Libya. Islamic State militants beheaded them on February 15, 2015 for refusing to deny Christ. Most of the believers were Egyptian Coptic Christians. Vicky Hartzler with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said, “Today, we remember the 21 young men who were brutally murdered by ISIS solely for being Christian. The U.S. government must continue to be an unrelenting voice against violence that targets religious communities, including Coptic Christians.”  In memory of the 21 Christian martyrs, More Productions released a short, 13-minute animated film last year called “The 21.” You can watch it through a special link in our transcript today at TheWorldview.com.  Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 and the overthrow of its then-leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi. Since then, numerous other militia groups have battled for control. According to Open Doors, Libya is the fourth most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian. 74-year-old pro-life woman arrested for praying outside abortion mill Authorities in Scotland arrested a 74-year-old pro-life woman recently for standing silently outside an abortion mill in Glasgow. Rose Docherty was holding a sign that read, “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.” Officials charged her with violating a new “buffer zone” law that limits activities around abortion mills. It's the first arrest under the law.  The arrest comes days after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance called out European leaders for violating the religious freedom of pro-lifers.  Kash Patel confirmed as FBI Director In the United States, the U.S. Senate confirmed Kash Patel as FBI Director on February 20th, reports The Epoch Times. PRESIDING OFFICER: “The Yeas are 51; the Nays are 49. The confirmation is confirmed.” Senators voted 51–49 to confirm Patel who gained prominence for exposing alleged FBI and Justice Department malfeasance during the Crossfire Hurricane probe into the Trump campaign. Crossfire Hurricane was the code name for the counterintelligence investigation undertaken by the FBI from July 2016 to May 2017, into links between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. Republican Senators  Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine crossed the aisle to join Democrats in voting against Patel's nomination. Surprisingly, GOP Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky supported Trump's nominee. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, age 91, serves as the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Before the vote was cast, he made this last-minute appeal. GRASSLEY: “Mr. Patel has spent his whole career fighting for righteous causes. He's been a public defender, representing the accused against the power of the state. He's been a congressional staffer, investigating the partisan weaponization of our legal system. And he served in key national security roles, protecting Americans from foreign enemies. He's received support from former FBI agents, former federal and state prosecutors, and organizations representing more than 680,000 law enforcement officers. “But Mr. Patel's resume, his accomplishments, aren't why he's the best person for this job. Mr. Patel should be considered our next FBI director because the FBI has been infected by political bias and weaponized against the American people. Mr. Patel knows it. Mr. Patel exposed it. I've got plenty of examples to show what's wrong with the FBI.” Kash Patel wrote the 2024 book entitled, Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy. Military chaplain fired for citing Romans 1 in sermon A Veterans Affairs chaplain is fighting for his religious freedom.  Rusty Trubey served as a chaplain at the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Pennsylvania. However, Veterans Affairs removed him from his duties for preaching a sermon from Romans 1. The sermon was entitled, “When a Culture Excludes God,” and included homosexuality as an example.  First Liberty Institute and the Independence Law Center are representing Trubey. Last week, they sent a letter to Douglas Collins, the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The letter noted, “This is a systemic problem. We know that you will do the right thing to correct not only the unconstitutional policies at the Coatesville Facility, but also throughout our [Veterans Affairs] system.” 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” U.S. poll: Only 40% believe in God of Bible; 4% have Biblical worldview Dr. George Barna released his latest American Worldview Inventory report. The study found that 46% of Americans agree that there is only one Supreme Spiritual Being who created and rules everything in existence. That number rose to 60% among self-identified Christians.  Dr. Barna noted many have a mix-and-match approach to faith: “The latest research finds that while two-thirds of Americans identify as Christian, only 4% hold a Biblical worldview. Even more alarming, just 40% believe in the God of the Bible, down from 73% three decades ago. Instead, Syncretism—blending elements from multiple worldviews—has become the dominant perspective.” Joshua 24:15 says, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Meta plans to build 30,000-mile-long sub-sea cable And finally, Meta announced last week it is building the world's largest sub-sea cable. The tech giant is known for its social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.  Under its new plan called Project Waterworth, it will bring industry-leading connectivity around the world. The cable will connect five major continents and measure over 30,000 miles. That's more than the earth's entire circumference! Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, February 21st, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. And now to close the newscast is my youngest child, Valor Tyndale McManus, who is turning 10 today. He's finally hit the double digits! Seize the day for Jesus Christ. (Adam@TheWorldview.com). 

Decision Space is the podcast about decisions in board games. Join our active and welcoming Discord community, Join the crew today! (Decision Space Patreon), or Leave us a review wherever you find this podcast! Episode 201 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Action Point Systems It's a throwback to the early days of Decision Space. Jake and Brendan have a wide-ranging, loosely planned conversation about a topic in board games. Today that topic is action point systems, which we've explored recently in Tikal and Mexica. We also bring cooperative games into the conversation and think about implication of action points for game design. All aboard! The Interdecisional Spaceship sets off for the next 200 episodes.   Games Mentioned Tikal, Mexica, Torres, Pandemic, Arkham Horror: the Living Card Game, Tigris & Euphrates, and more.   Preplanners Age of Innovation and Fromage coming up soon as deep dives!   Music and Sound Credits Thank you to Hembree for our intro and outro music from their song Reach Out. You can listen to the full song on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQuuRPfOyMw&list=TLGGFNH7VEDPgwgyNTA4MjAyMQ&t=3s You can find more information about Hembree at https://www.hembreemusic.com/.  Thank you to Flash Floods for use of their song Palm of Your Hand as a sting from their album Halfway to Anywhere: https://open.spotify.com/album/2fE6LrqzNDKPYWyS5evh3K?si=CCjdAGmeSnOOEui6aV3_nA Rules Overview Music:  Way Home by Tokyo Music Walker https://soundcloud.com/user-356546060​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/tokyo-music-walker-way...​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/pJThZlOuDtI Intermission Music: music elevator ext part 1/3 by Jay_You -- https://freesound.org/s/467243/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Contact Follow and reach us on social media on Bluesky @decisionspace.bsky.social. If you prefer email, then hit us up at decisionspa@gmail.com. This information is all available along with episodes at our new website decisionspacepodcast.com. Byeee!