Podcasts about Gomorrah

264. Simple Ideas for Incorporating Art with Children and Teens with Courtney Sanford   Colossians 3:23 NLT "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."   **Transcription Below**   Questions and Topics We Discuss: Can you give us an overview of the seven major forms of art and give an example of ways our children can engage with each? What are the best art supplies to have on hand? As our children grow, why is this helpful in the teen years to have a healthy way to express ourselves and our ideas?   Courtney Sanford is a dedicated wife, and mother who triumphantly homeschooled her three children. With one pursuing a career in orthodontics, another just finishing a master's degree while working in higher education, and the youngest studying computer science at Regent University, Courtney's commitment to their education has yielded remarkable success.   Passionate about nurturing creativity and self-expression, she guides students through captivating art classes, exploring the intersection of imagination and skill. With her background as a graphic designer and experience in studio art, Courtney embarked on a new adventure as an art teacher.    As a multitasking mom, author, artist, teacher, and adventurer, Courtney embodies the spirit of embracing life's opportunities and fostering a love for learning and artistic expression.   Beyond her love for education, Courtney has an insatiable wanderlust. She finds joy in traversing the globe, hosting art retreats, and volunteering at Spiritual Twist Productions: both painting sets, and serving on the board of directors. When time permits, Courtney indulges in spring snow skiing, hiking in exotic locations, and leisurely walks with her dog, Zoey.   Delightful Art Co. was born out of a time when life gave Courtney a handful of lemons, and she creatively transformed those lemons into refreshing lemonade. The Covid shutdown rather forcefully prompted a major shift from in-person art classes to online classes.    Courtney's Website   Thank You to Our Sponsor: WinShape Marriage   Other Episodes Mentioned: 202 Simple Ways to Connect with Our Kids And Enjoy Breaks with Beth Rosenbleeth (Days with Grey) 223 Journey and Learnings as Former Second Lady of the United States with Karen Pence   Continue the conversation with us on Facebook, Instagram or our website.   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)   Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*    Music: (0:00 – 0:09)   Laura Dugger: (0:10 - 1:36) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.   I am thrilled to introduce you to our sponsor, WinShape Marriage.   Their weekend retreats will strengthen your marriage, and you will enjoy this gorgeous setting, delicious food, and quality time with your spouse. To find out more, visit them online at winshapemarriage.org. That's W-I-N-S-H-A-P-E marriage.org. Thanks for your sponsorship.   Courtney Sanford is my guest today, and she's an amazing artist and teacher and author, and I'm just so excited to share this conversation. If you're like me and you're ready for summer and your rhythm changes with your kids, she's going to share some super practical tips for incorporating art and beauty into our homes.   And I think that you're going to conclude this conversation by knowing where to begin and understanding why it matters. Here's our chat.    Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Courtney.   Courtney Sanford: Thanks for having me.    Laura Dugger: I'm so excited to hear more about your story, so will you share what has led you into the work that you get to do today?   Courtney Sanford: (1:37 - 4:20) I sure do like to share that story. I didn't start off as a homeschooler. I didn't imagine that that would be where my life went, but I was always a creative person.   I was a graphic designer, and I worked in the Performing Arts Center, and I got to do lots of fun design for shows. Then along came kids. I actually enjoyed dropping them off at school and going to Target, and I was okay with that.   We didn't do public school because the school near me didn't look safe, and we had lived near Columbine High School and thought it was just a beautiful, beautiful school. And when we left Colorado, we thought, oh, isn't it sad that our kids won't go to school there? And then just about a month later, the whole Columbine shooting happened, and so we were kind of traumatized by all of that.   And then when I saw the school that my precious five-year-old would go to, it didn't look safe, and so we sent them to a private school. So here we are spending a lot of money, having high expectations, and the kids were doing all worksheets all the time, and they started to dread going to school, and they didn't love learning, and the excitement of learning just kind of drained out of them. And so we looked into other options and decided that homeschooling would be the way to go, and I found the classical model and just loved the way that sounded, and we tried it, and it worked, and the little lights just came back on in their eyes, and they started to love learning again.   And I just found my people, and I just learned everything I could about homeschooling, and I just poured myself into it wholeheartedly as unto the Lord. And had a great time, and I just loved my time with my kids, and I felt like it was successful, and I encouraged other people to do it, but I wasn't really sure that it worked until they got into college and they turned out to be successful, thriving humans, and we're really proud of them. One will be a doctor in about a month.   He's about to graduate. He has a wife and a little girl, and then my second one has her MBA, and she works for a Christian college where she leads trips, and she's getting ready to take a group to Paris and London, and so she kind of ministers to students through that, and then my youngest is still in school staying to be a software developer. So now I can confidently say it was worth all the energy that I put into it.   It was hard work, probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but so worth it.   Laura Dugger: (4:21 - 4:40) That's incredible, and I love hearing the success story where your children are now, but you really also inspired them with beauty and art in their learning and growing up time, and I'm curious, are there any personal lessons that the Lord has taught you through art?   Courtney Sanford: (4:41 - 6:32) Oh, goodness. Yeah, I think my desire was to make learning interactive because I saw what they were doing in the private school, which was sit in a chair all day and do your worksheets, and it was just worksheet after worksheet after worksheet and then a quiz, and then you get graded, and so I was thinking if I'm going to pull them out, I've got to do better than that, and so that was my standard, and I was going to beat that standard every day, and so I pulled in art because that's what I knew, so if we were learning about an animal, we would draw the animal. If we were learning about a continent, we would draw the continent until we could draw it from memory, and I really learned with them. I did not have a great elementary education or even high school education, so I would learn this stuff, and then I would think of creative ways to get them involved with it, so a lot of times it was drawing.   It could be painting. It could be making things out of clay. We used to make things out of Rice Krispie Treats, and then they could take it to their co-op group.   Well, it was a classical conversations group, but they do presentations, and so we made a Mayan temple out of Rice Krispie Treats, and we would make volcanoes, and then they could take it to their friends and share it with them and tell them about it, so anything I could do that would get us out of the chair using our hands and using our senses and think, you know, how can I incorporate all five senses, and that just made learning so much more fun for them and for me, and so a lot of it was art. Some of it was science.   Anytime I could incorporate a sense of play into what they were learning, I could see that they would learn so much more.   Laura Dugger: (6:32 - 6:55) I love that, trying to incorporate all five senses, especially. That gets some ideas coming, but can you even back it up, and because you're an artist, will you give us an overview of the seven major forms of art, and can you give us examples as parents for ways that we can engage our children with each of those?   Courtney Sanford: (6:56 - 10:58) Oh, sure. Let me think. All right, so drawing, of course, you can draw what you see, so when I teach students to draw, I do a progression, so we'll draw from line art, and you can find line art anywhere.   It might be in a children's book, so using the library was key for me, so I'd get a laundry basket, and I would go to the library with an index card of what we'd be studying, and I would grab all kinds of books related to that, so when you come home, you get out a kid's book. If you see a good line drawing, say you're studying a lizard, if you see a good line drawing, draw from that. They could even trace it to start with, so you draw from the line drawing, then once they get really confident with that, you go to drawing from photos, and then you go to drawing from real life, so maybe you have a fish tank.   Maybe there's a fish in the fish tank, and you could draw from that or draw things in your yard, so that is how I break down drawing for them, and it could be years. You could draw from line art for years before you go to drawing from photos, and then to drawing from real life, and drawing's great for learning to memorize things. For painting, painting's just fun, and so I like to go to the kitchen table every afternoon and paint what you see, so you start off with the younger kids.   You could start with color and markers and fill in the areas, and then you can teach them how to shade using painting. Sculpture is also fun with kids. I like air-dry clay, and I like Sculpey clay.   I like to get a one-pound block of Sculpey clay and teach them the basic forms, like roll out a snake, do your hands together. Those of you who are listening, you can't see my hands, but I am making a sphere with imaginary clay. These are really good for developing their fine motor skills, too.   We also make the letters out of roll-out snakes and form your letters. That will really help if they're reversing letters. It takes a while to build the whole alphabet, so maybe you do three or four letters a day.   You work on it a couple times a week. It might take a month to make the whole alphabet, but that can be one goal, to get them working in three dimensions. We usually do additive sculpture, like adding on, and you can use found objects to make sculptures.   One time, my son took apart a pen. I rearranged the pieces into a human shape, and it was lovely. Getting them thinking in three dimensions is related to sculpture.   Carving, I don't like to do until they're old enough to be safe with a knife, but once they are, especially the boys love to go outside in the yard and get a log. They spend a lot of time carving spoons. Just a simple shape they can hold in their mind and then carve it is a good activity.   It keeps their little hands busy, too, if you want to read aloud to them and you don't mind a little mess in the house, they can carve. You can also carve out of a bar of soap as well. For that, that's a subtractive sculpture technique.   Let's see. That's the three main ones, drawing, painting, sculpture. I know film is one.   Film, I don't really incorporate much into my homeschool, except we will occasionally watch a movie about history. That has gotten me into trouble a few times because some of those movies that I think are going to be historic turn out to have racy scenes in them, and I'll have to jump up and get in front of the TV or cough really loud. But there are some good films that you can watch together as a family.   That's about as far as I went with film.   Laura Dugger: (10:59 - 11:19) I would, if you don't mind me interrupting there, too. I feel like that's one that our girls have actually begun to develop on their own, where our eldest daughter once wanted a video camera, so she got the old-school video camera. They're making their own movies, and I've seen that as a form of creative, artistic play.   Courtney Sanford: (11:20 - 11:49) Oh, that's fabulous. Yes, so when my kids were little, we didn't even have phones or video cameras on the phones, so that wasn't an option. When we first started homeschooling, our TV died, and so we did not even have a TV for years.   We just decided not to replace it, which forced us into audiobooks and reading aloud and then just playing outside instead and reading books. So that was a blessing.   Laura Dugger: (11:49 - 12:03) I love that because that's one of the other forms. That was new to me, that literature is an art form. Sorry, I sidetracked you because we still have literature, architecture, theater, and music.   Courtney Sanford: (12:04 - 14:20) Yeah, I think the best thing that we did for our kids, of course, I love teaching them to write using Andrew Pudewa's method with IEW. It's kind of imitative writing, so you learn to imitate good writers. But also, my husband read aloud to the kids every single night.   That was his time with him. He gave me a break, and he would read for hours. He loved it.   The kids loved it. And he would choose classics or funny things, you know, science fiction. Probably not the books that I would choose.   I would choose classics and things related to what we were studying, but he chose what he wanted to read. So I would read aloud in the afternoons, and we would do audiobooks like Story of the World and all the Jim Weiss readings. And then he would read aloud at night.   And just whatever he wanted to choose, he would read aloud. And I think hearing good language produces good speakers and good writers. So he gets about 50 percent of the credit for the success of the kids, I think, for just reading aloud every night.   It was such a great thing to do for the kids. And then the last one, architecture. I do incorporate architecture when I'm teaching about a culture.   So, if we're doing art history or history, we'll look at the buildings. So, of course, you do that with ancient Egypt. You look at the pyramids.   When you're talking Old Testament times, you look at the tents. And then as I go through art history with the high schoolers, I'll point out more and more like neoclassical, of course, comes from the ancient Greeks, but it's come to symbolize power and authority. And that's why we see it in government buildings.   So, my degree is graphic design, but it was in the School of Architecture. So, I had a lot of history of architecture and I appreciate it. And so I'm always pointing that out to my kids.   And I do that in my class, in my art history class. I always incorporate the architecture just as a part of understanding a culture.   Laura Dugger: (14:21 - 14:29) I love that. And was there anything specific that you did with your kids for encouraging music or also theater?   Courtney Sanford: (14:30 - 15:29) Oh, yeah. One thing I wish I had done more of was kinder music. I don't know why we didn't do that much kinder music, but now I'm learning more about it.   I wish I had done more of that. And I did put them in piano lessons. One wanted to do violin.   So, they had a few years of learning the basics of music, and then they really got into theater. We have a great Christian youth theater nearby. And so that was a really good experience.   In their Christian youth theater, they would sing praise and worship songs before and during and after a play. They would be praying for the audience and singing worship songs in addition to the singing on the stage. And that whole experience was really good for them.   Even my quietest kid got a big role in a play one time, and he had to memorize a lot of lines and sing in front of people. It's just such a great experience for them.   Laura Dugger: (15:30 - 15:57) I would think so. Even if they don't choose something that we would consider a very artistic career, I can see why all of this is still beneficial. That leads me to another question for you.   Regardless of the way that all of us parents listening are choosing to educate our children, why is it still beneficial for all of us to incorporate art into our homes and into our parenting?   Courtney Sanford: (15:58 - 21:59) That's a great question. So, the first line of the Bible says God created. So, the first thing we learn about God is that he was creative.   He created everything. And then just a few lines later, it says then he created man in his own image. So that tells me that we were created to be creative, to create.   Now, he doesn't let us create stuff out of nothing like him, which is probably for our own good. That would be a mess. But we can create things out of what he created.   And there is a study done by George Land. And there's a video on YouTube of George Land giving a talk about this creativity study that he did. And he created a test for NASA to help them find creative engineers when they were trying to get to the moon.   And they used it to study creativity in children. And they tested five-year-olds. So, they found a group of 1,600 five-year-olds who were in school.   And when they tested them at five years old, 98% of them tested as creative geniuses. So, their plan was to go every five years and test them again just to see what was going on. So, they went back after five years.   The kids are now 10. And it dropped down to like 27%. They went back another five years when the kids were 15, and it was down to about 17%.   And then they were so depressed, they stopped testing them because they could see they began as very creative. So, we're created creative. And a lot of moms will say, yes, I can see that in my children.   But something happens. And this was all in school. Something happened during school that taught them to not be creative.   So, the school teaches the kids to be obedient, to sit still, and to get the same outcome from every kid. Right? There's an expected answer on every test.   And you're to try to get the answer that the teacher wants. That's not creative. So, the first thing to do to preserve their creativity is don't send them to school.   That's the safest bet. And then when you do homeschool them, which I think is the best environment for them, don't do what they do in school. To bring them home and to go to all this trouble just to do the same thing that they're doing in school is not worth the trouble.   So, you've got to not do what they're doing in school. And so, for me, that meant don't do worksheets, make the content interactive. So, I did rely on curriculum, but I didn't rely on the curriculum to be the teacher.   So, I get the content from the curriculum, and then I make it interactive using artistic, creative skills so that they can be creative. And I don't teach it out of them. So, if you have young kids, that's good news.   They're already creative. You just have to don't teach it out of them. If your kids are older and maybe they've been in school, then you might have to like undo some of that training and set up some experiences where you ask them or even like in my classes, I'll set up a challenge.   And I expect everyone's to be different because everybody's going to do it a little bit more creatively in their way. And so, at the end of class, instead of like calling out the answers to see if everybody got the same thing, they're holding up what they did and telling me what they were thinking. And everybody's is different.   And then I really praise the ones who did something different. Maybe they changed the colors. Maybe they put glasses on Mona Lisa.   You know, maybe they gave her a cat to hold. So, I reward thinking outside the box. Now to to pour in beauty, and I think I might have heard this from Charlotte Mason, beauty in, beauty out.   So, you've got to load them with beauty. Now, I think that we were naturally drawn to beauty and people will argue with me about this. They'll say, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.   But I betcha I could find something that's beautiful and do a survey. And I betcha I could get 100% of people to say, yes, that's beautiful. And I could find something else, maybe a Hindu goddess sculpture.   And I could find something that 100% people would say that is not beautiful. And so, I think that ingrained in some of us because we're created by God, I think we have a sense of appreciating beauty. I do think that it gets taught out of a lot of people.   So, with my kids, I show them a lot of beauty. And this can be as simple as get a coffee table book from the secondhand bookstore on art and put it on your coffee table. Get books from the library and have lots of beautiful things to look at.   And so, when I now when I was teaching my own kids, this is kind of a fly by the seat of my pants. Make it up as I go. Now that they've left home and I can think about it, I'm putting together books that are a little bit more thoughtful.   So, in my books, you will see I've chosen a piece of art that is beautiful and I will pair it with the lesson. And then I'll give you an art activity. So, for example, in Into the Woods, you'll see I've chosen a beautiful piece of art and I paired it with a poem, which is another piece of beauty.   Yes. And then I'll give you an art lesson so that they can get creative with it as well. So, it is this hard to pull it together.   So that's why I'm making books to help parents. So, you have something beautiful and something to do with it. And so, that's how I pour in beauty to give a beauty in beauty out.   Laura Dugger: (21:59 - 22:36) I love that so much. And just even holding this resource, it is so beautiful. There's so much to it.   When it arrived, our daughters were delighted to go through it and to dive in and get to learn. But I'm just thinking many listeners are fellow homeschool parents and also many are not. But I don't want them to be discouraged because I'm even thinking of your courses or if they do intentional art in the evenings or on weekends or summer break and winter break.   There are still ways for all of us to incorporate this.   Courtney Sanford: (22:36 - 24:28) Yes, for sure. Yeah. Even so, my mom, I was public school.   And of course, the word hadn't been invented back then, but my mom appreciates art and poetry and she would always have art books on the coffee table. And I would just stop and, you know, in my free time, flip through the pages. And those images stuck with me my whole life.   She had one that had a Monet on the cover of the Field of Red Poppies. And that was just ingrained in my mind as a piece of beauty. So just something as simple as putting it out on your coffee table.   She also took us to museums whenever we traveled. And she didn't make a big lesson out of it, but I was exposed to beautiful buildings. You know, most museums are in beautiful buildings.   You see the beautiful architecture. And I was exposed to a lot of art that way. So, that was that totally goes with which with summer vacations and your vacations to, you know, make an effort to see a gallery or an art museum when you're traveling.   That makes a big difference. It'll make an impression on them. And of course, the books you could do in the summer.   We have summer classes and we have an art retreat that might not line up with school because it's in May. But the books you could for sure add on. Hopefully someday we'll have evening classes so that you could go to school.   We've got some this coming year that will start at four o'clock. So, hopefully some kids can go to school and come home and join an art class. So, we're working on getting it out as we as I get teachers willing to.   Most of my teachers are homeschool moms, too. And by the end of the day, they're tired. So, I've got a few.   I've got a young lady who's just graduating and she's going to do some late afternoon ones for us next year. So pretty excited about that.   Laura Dugger: (24:28 - 25:04) I love that. And then even thinking of the beauty and beauty out stepping outdoors. There's so much beauty in God's creation and so much change depending on where you live throughout the seasons.   But I love how you also brought up the library, because anytime I'm trying to learn something new, that's my first go to is put books on hold at the library. And so, if we're wanting to know what to add to our library cart just to get us started into this, can you share books that you recommend, both yours and others that you think would be good additions?   Courtney Sanford: (25:05 - 26:19) Oh, that's a good question. Yes, there are. I love to think about the biographies of artists.   And if so, if you're studying ancient history, you could look up a biography on Giotto. And they're still tell the stories in such a nice, kid friendly way. Like there's the story of Giotto.   He was actually watching the sheep. And while he was out in the fields, he would draw on the sides of rocks like big rocks. But you get another rock and you would draw on the sides of rocks.   And another artist was walking through one day and he saw these drawings on the rocks. He was like, wow, you're really talented. Come with me.   I'll make you an apprentice. And those stories are just they're fun to read together and hear those kinds of stories. And of course, the Usborne books of art are beautiful and they often have projects for the kids to do.   I can't think of any specific ones, but I do love a short paperback on the particular artists. And so, I kind of line those up along with the period in history that we're studying.   Laura Dugger: (26:20 - 26:32) That's great. And even you're making me think of picture book biographies on artists. We've always enjoyed those as well.   Obviously, the illustrations are fantastic, too, but the storylines are so interesting.   Courtney Sanford: (26:33 - 27:23) Yes. So, I just grab whatever they have. I had a big laundry basket.   And and I know card and I just grab whatever I could find and sometimes let the kids choose. And sometimes I would choose. If you're going with geography, you can find beautiful photos of the different areas.   See the landscapes or the sunsets. And that can through photography. And you can really get to know a place through beautiful photographs.   I like that part, too. And then that might inspire a pastel drawing of a landscape. Maybe it's a beautiful sunset you could recreate with pastels.   So, photography books are really inspirational, too.   Laura Dugger: (27:23 - 28:10) It's a great idea. And circling back, you had mentioned Andrew Pudewa earlier in our conversation. And I remember learning from him that with writing, the worst way we can teach our children is to say just free write, just write something down or here's a prompt to finish this sentence because better writing comes through imitating.   And so, you've even mentioned tracing is a great way to start. That's not cheating in art if you're not stealing credit from them. But if you're just practicing and tracing, this is a way to imitate.   And so, I'm wondering, do you have any other cautions for ways that may be the wrong way to introduce our kids to art?   Courtney Sanford: (28:11 - 30:50) I agree that. Yeah, you can get writer's block. What I find funny is that some people are so afraid to imitate artists.   But if I were teaching piano, I would teach your kid how to play something by Bach in which he would learn what Bach did. And nobody would say I'm stealing from Bach. You know, and you learn to play Beethoven by playing Beethoven and you you learn to reproduce those pieces of music.   I do the same thing in art. We look at what the masters did and we'll copy it in order to learn what they knew. And that way we build.   We're like standing on the shoulders of giants. So, we don't want every kid to have to start with inventing the wheel themselves. We'd never get very far.   We want to learn what the masters knew and then build on that. So, I do a lot of imitation. And then as the students ready, I let them know you are free to change this or to experiment with it.   So just last week we were drawing and painting red poppies and learning about Georgia O'Keeffe. And so, I said we can do an imitation of her poppy. And I'll show you step by step how to reproduce her poppy.   And in doing that, we're going to cause us to look more closely at it and study her blends. Like she would blend from yellow to orange to red in every petal. And we can study that technique.   And then as we do it and we practice it, we look more closely at hers and it kind of becomes a part of us. And then we'll find another flower and we'll use that same technique on a flower that we choose. Or maybe it's a flower we make up and we take that technique and we can apply it.   And it's a much better way to learn than trying to learn it yourself without looking at what the masters did. So, I think that I think I pulled a lot of that from Andrew Pudewa. The idea of I'm going to assist you until you say I got this.   I can do it from here. So, I do assist until they get it. And then I always say whenever you're ready, as soon as you're ready, change it and make it your own or do your own thing.   And because turning them loose too soon can break their confidence. So, you want to build them up until they can confidently experiment on their own.   Laura Dugger: (30:51 - 32:34) Let's take a quick break to hear a message from our sponsor. I'm so excited to share today's sponsor, WinShape Marriage, with you. WinShape Marriage is a fantastic ministry that helps couples prepare, strengthen, and if needed, even save their marriage.   WinShape Marriage is grounded on the belief that the strongest marriages are the ones that are nurtured, even if it seems like things are going smoothly. That way they'll be stronger if they do hit a bump along their marital journey. Through their weekend retreats, WinShape Marriage invites couples to enjoy time away to simply focus on each other.   These weekend retreats are hosted within the beautiful refuge of WinShape Retreat, perched in the mountains of Rome, Georgia, which is just a short drive from Atlanta, Birmingham, and Chattanooga. While you and your spouse are there, you'll be well-fed, well-nurtured, and well-cared for. During your time away in this beautiful place, you and your spouse will learn from expert speakers and explore topics related to intimacy, overcoming challenges, improving communication, and so much more.   I've stayed on site at WinShape before, and I can attest to their generosity, food, and content. You will be so grateful you went. To find an experience that's right for you and your spouse, head to their website, WinShapeMarriage.org.  That's W-I-N-S-H-A-P-E Marriage.org. Thanks for your sponsorship.    Well, and as parents, once we're past the resistance to maybe invest some of our time or our money or allow the mess into our home, but if we push past through that and we're ready to get started, I'd love to go over some practical tips.   So, Courtney, first, just what are some great art supplies to have on hand?   Courtney Sanford: (32:36 - 37:13) A number two pencil and some Crayola markers you probably already have. Those are great tools. I like to have my kids work in an art journal, and you can get these real inexpensive at Michael's.   It'll say on the cover, mixed media art Journal, and they come in different sizes. I kind of like the big ones, and that will allow you to use paint, pencil, and marker or anything you want. If it says sketchbook, it's not going to hold up to paint very well.   So that's why I get the mixed media paper. So, I start with the art journal, and then I like to make that journal be their book on a subject. So right now, I'm doing ancient history with some kids, and so they are making their own book about ancient history.   So, every week we'll do a drawing or a painting or watercolor on a lesson in ancient history. And so, each piece is not a masterpiece to hang on the wall. Each piece is a part of the story in their book.   That takes all the pressure off. So, they don't see this as, I don't know if this is going to be good enough to hang on the wall. That's not even a question.   It's a part of the story in your book. They can also take some notes. They can show their grandparents and review the topic by presenting it to their grandparents and showing off their book.   And then you can collect their books and put them on a shelf. It's not all over the house making you crazy. And then you can see from year to year how their skills have improved.   So, I kind of like every year I like pick a topic to be the subject of our art journal. So, I call it arts integrated learning. So, I'm pairing an academic subject with art for that year.   So, it could be poetry. It could be history. It could be science.   Whatever you pick. That's what you'll add to your art journal with.   Pencils. I like blending tools too. There are some people call them stompies.   For those of you who are watching. Here's one. It's just rolled up newspaper, but you can buy these at Michael's.   They're really cheap. But it takes a drawing to the next level. You can just blend things out and shade things really lovely.   Mark Kistler does some videos and teaches you how to. He'll go shade, shade, shade. And so that's a good way to start.   And it really elevates a drawing and it gives them a lot of confidence. And then of course the good eraser. The book drawing with children is a really good one for our parents to read and then teach from in that book.   They suggest you have them draw with markers so that they don't spend an hour erasing. If you have someone who's a perfectionist, they will make one mark and spend 20 minutes erasing it. And so, if you go right to drawing with markers, that's gonna teach them to make a good mark first and then keep going and not spend half an hour erasing.   When I get to age nine or 10, I like to use acrylic paints, but I only buy four colors of paint and then I make them mix all the other colors. So, we use yellow, magenta, blue, and white. Those are like the colors in your printer.   Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the ones in your printer. And those colors can make all the other colors. Now your printer has black, but I don't give kids black.   Instead of black, they could make purple or brown or dark color. So, you know, you teach them how to mix the colors that they want. They'll learn to mix it because they want green or they want purple, or they want brown.   And then they develop a sense of color theory, and you don't even have to teach it. They'll figure it out because they want those colors. If they find, if, if you don't feel confident in that, you can buy craft colors of the specific colors, especially brown.   That's a hard one to mix. But I do like the coverage of acrylic paints. I like watercolors too.   That's a little bit easier to get into. You just take it slow and practice a lot. So that's really all you need.   It's pretty simple.   Laura Dugger: (37:14 - 37:27) Well, and I'm wondering too, even with the acrylic paint at that age, once they're older, that one, I'm assuming can stain. So are there any tips that you have for containing the mess?   Courtney Sanford: (37:28 - 38:32) Yes, I get, and they're a little bit hard to find. So go to Amazon and find a, a tablecloth that is plastic on one side and felt on the other side. I forget what you call it, but there'll be like picnic tables, tablecloths.   And the plastic ones are going to drive you crazy because they're too thin. So, if it's flannel backed, it's a little bit thicker. So I get a white one at the beginning of the year.   And that comes out anytime we do clay or paint, and it goes over the kitchen table and I don't worry about cleaning it. You just let it dry, fold it up. And I put mine in the China cabinet right there by the table.   And then anytime we do something messy, that tablecloth comes out and, and then just fold the mess back up in it. And it works, it works really great to, and then you might, if you're, if you're a neat freak, maybe plan on buying one at the beginning of every school year so that you get clean slates. And then the paint that gets onto the tablecloth is actually lovely and it'll be pretty next time you get it out.   Laura Dugger: (38:33 - 39:11) Oh, I love that. That's a genius tip. I appreciate that for coming indoors because in the summer, I guess we could take it outside depending on where we live.   But then what about any hacks for finding the time to do this? And I guess I'm thinking back to a previous episode with Beth Rosenbleeth. She's the one who started Days with Grey and she would talk about different art prompts that she would set out for her children in the morning for a variety of ages.   But were there any things that kind of required minimal time from you, but had maximum return for your kids?   Courtney Sanford: (39:11 - 41:06) Yeah, that's a good point. I had, I wouldn't say I had a strict schedule, but I had a pattern to my days. And the time after lunch was a good time to do messy things in the kitchen because we were in the kitchen anyway.   And as I could clean up lunch and start dinner, I could be in the kitchen with them and they could be creative at the kitchen table with minimum involvement from me. One of my best afternoons was we had the microscopes out to do something specific and I left it out as I was cooking chili. And as I cut up each ingredient, I would cut a thin slice for them to look at under the microscope.   And so they were looking at a bell pepper and a red pepper and celery and tomato. And they were so, they so enjoyed that and I was able to cook dinner at the same time, which was fabulous. And that turned, it was probably like a 15-minute science lesson into like four hours of discovering things under the microscope.   So that element of play and you can do that with your art supplies too. Like I'll demonstrate a technique and then leave it out. I'll turn my attention to cooking dinner while they see what else they can do with it.   And, um, you know, I'll give them a few tips. Like, um, if you mix these three colors together, you're going to make brown and then turn your back and let them discover it for themselves. So, um, I'm a big crock pot person.   And so after lunch would be the time I need to clean up lunch and put something in the crock pot. So that would be a good time for me to get them started on art or science and, um, and then turn my back and let them have that, um, that discovery time without me hovering or telling them what to do or something.   Laura Dugger: (41:06 - 41:22) Oh, that's a great rhythm. I love these ideas. And then I kind of want to go in chunks of age.   So, thinking of little kids, how would you define the difference between a piece of art and a craft?   Courtney Sanford: (41:23 - 43:41) Yeah, a craft is going to be something where the focus is on following directions and that's important. They need to learn how to follow directions. And so we would do, especially around the holidays, I might do a craft and we all follow directions.   Um, a piece of art is going to be where they're, they all come out different. They're allowed to play and express themselves. Um, for me personally, if I'm doing a craft when I'm done, I think, oh, I could make 50 of these and sell them.   If it's an art, when I'm done with a piece of art, like one of these paintings behind me, when I'm done with that, I'm thinking I could never do that again. That took so much out of me. I'm exhausted.   A little piece of my soul is in that that's art. That's the difference. Um, so I don't sell my paintings because there's a little piece of my soul in, um, my husband makes fun of me for that.   He's like, you could just sell your paintings. They're like, what? They're, they're like my babies.   I can't, I can't part with them. It took so much out of me to create them. Um, but a craft, yeah, I'll just give away things that are, that I just followed directions for, um, in terms of kids, younger kids will enjoy crafts, but getting to high school, they recognize it as slave labor and they don't want to do that.   They are in what the classical education people call the, the, um, poetic stage, you know, they want to express themselves and they want to be unique. I think this is why they get tattoos. The tattoo is a way of saying this is who I am.   This is what it means to me. I'm unique. Um, so I think if we don't teach them to express themselves in art, they're going to get tattoos.   So that might encourage moms to, to give them the skills so that they can express themselves. You know, they need to be able to write poetry or write songs or paint a painting or do a drawing. There's that need inside of us to do that that God put in us.   And if they don't have an outlet, then they're going to find something like tattoos or something that we don't want them to be doing. Yeah. I mean, some of my kids are tattooed.   It's not bad.   Laura Dugger: (43:42 - 44:25) Well, and you've kind of answered a follow-up question I had because we talked about little kids, but I'm thinking of teens. So going back, my background is in marriage and family therapy, and we would encourage everyone that journaling is a free form of therapy. But I think of art as the same way.   And there's even studies that show when you're engaged in something artistic, the critical side of your brain goes offline. So you can't think negative thoughts while you're creating something new, but with teens, there's that added benefit of getting to express themselves. So is there anything else with art that you see as basically free therapy for adolescents?   Courtney Sanford: (44:26 - 46:54) Oh, sure. I do see it a lot. I experienced it because I started my business because of the shutdown and because I was teaching in person and then I had to switch to online teaching.   And so, the group that I had moved online and I figured out how to do it and got a little bit better at it. And then that summer I offered a class for adults. These were directors and I was in classical conversations at the time.   And so a whole bunch of teachers are expected to teach Western cultural history without a lot of background. And so some of the moms asked me if I would do my art class for them. And so I had about a group of like 50 adults and we would get on for an hour and a half every day.   And this was at the height of the shutdown when turning on the news, just stresses you out. Going to the grocery store was stressful because people were in masks or they weren't in masks or, you know, we didn't know anything. It was such a stressful time, but that hour and a half that we had together, we, our focus was on discovering a piece of art.   So, we were looking at beautiful things and then we were creating something and that changed our focus from what was going on in the world. And we would just relax, and we'd enjoy it. Having the live class kept our focus on it.   And when I don't have a live class in front of me, I'll be like, oh, I should put the laundry in or I should start dinner and I get distracted. But with that, you know, with other people on zoom, it keeps me focused. And so, we'd have this wonderful hour and a half vacation from the world.   And after it was over, I would just have this sense of peace. And then I'd come down and be like, oh yeah, that's still going on. And it was, it was so good for our mental health.   And, and I get, I hear moms tell me that the hour and a half once a week they spend with me doing art has been such a blessing. Like one student lost her father a year ago and this is helping her. She said she's finally coming out of her depression and she's finding a way to express herself and find beauty again.   And it's, it's been transformative for some students. So, it is a blessing. And I didn't, I didn't read that somewhere.   That's just from my experience. So, I'm a big believer in that.   Laura Dugger: (46:54 - 47:51) I can see why I think you're bringing up two points. I don't want to miss both with art therapy and then also art in community. So art and community first, I think for all of us at any age, what can we do as this is airing probably when everybody's getting out for summertime, how can we gather others alongside of us for whether it's our kids or us as peers to get to engage in these activities together.   And so, I want to follow up with you on that, but also before I lose my thought, I also want to link back to Karen Pence's episode. She had started art therapy for veterans, I believe, and just incredible. The healing that is possible through this.   So, do you have any thoughts Courtney on ways that we can this summer gather together community at different ages and do something artistic?   Courtney Sanford: (47:51 - 52:15) That is a good question. So, we have, I have found the online classes are the easiest for people to get to. And it's I get people ask if we can do it in person, but honestly it's hard to get people out or they're busy.   They're doing things in summer. So, we do offer a class online in the summer that's live. We have recorded classes that you could do alone or get a few people together and, do them together.   I have some sampler packs too. So, some of them are just three lessons. You could get some friends together and find, maybe you could find three, three times during the summer to do.   I have like a Vango sampler pack and a couple of short ones that you could just pay for the video and do with your friends or maybe a mother daughter event. Maybe you do the self-paced class with your daughter. And I've had some seniors, like seniors in high school, do a mother daughter class together and just say, this is such a good time for us to spend a little bit of time together, a little bonus time before they go off to college.   During the school year, we have, I have a watercolor artist friends. She lives near me and she's a professional watercolor artist and she does the class called Bible journaling. And that is a beautiful combination of a devotion and a watercolor time together.   Those are hour and a half classes too. And they meet once a week. And we sometimes we'll have grandmas, we'll have high school students, we'll have mother daughter pairs do it together.   And they actually have a little prayer time, a little study of scripture. And then then Kate teaches them step-by-step how to do a beautiful watercolor and incorporate some hand lettering in it. So that's just a beautiful fun time together.   So I highly recommend her class during the school year. If, if a mom could get away, or if you have a high school daughter to do it together, that is a great experience. And then I have a short version of art history that you could do with friends or your high school daughter.   It's called paint your way through marvelous to behold, which is just 12 lessons that goes through. And that's a variety of drawing and painting. If you wanted to do something like that.   So, lots of things, or you can check out the books. And if you feel confident following step-by-step instructions in a book, you could use the book or a combination of videos and books. If you're feeling kind of like you could lead a art group, you could get the cell page video, watch the video and then do, you know, exactly what I said, do that live with a group.   And if you have any art experience doing that, you could get, probably get, I would like invite all the homeschool moms in your co-op group to get together. And I do some, sometimes I'll go to do a mom's group, do a watercolor or I love to do the milkmaid with moms because the milkmaid is this beautiful painting from the Dutch masters of a woman cooking. She's just pouring milk.   I think she's making bread pudding and it's just so beautiful. It's like, what I think I look like homeschooling. I'm wearing like a long gold gown and those suns coming in and everything's perfect.   I'm like, this is the ideal. This is what I think homeschooling is going to look like. And then I kind of use that painting as a launch pad for painting Delft tiles from the period.   And so sometimes I'll, I'll do that with some homeschool moms because I like to encourage homeschool moms. I know it's hard. And I had some mentors when I was homeschooling that I really appreciated.   So, I'm always happy to, to be the support and be able to say it's worth it. Keep going. I know you're driving a crappy car, but it will be worth it.   And so, the sacrifices you make now totally pay off. And you know, before I know it, my son is going to be homeschooling his daughter. She's seven months now, but it's going to fly by, you know, she'll be four before you know it.   And I'll be teaching her how to paint. I suppose.   Laura Dugger: (52:16 - 53:13) When was the first time you listened to an episode of The Savvy Sauce? How did you hear about our podcast? Did a friend share it with you?   Will you be willing to be that friend now and text five other friends or post on your socials, anything about The Savvy Sauce that you love? If you share your favorite episodes, that is how we continue to expand our reach and get the good news of Jesus Christ in more ears across the world. So, we need your help.   Another way to help us grow is to leave a five-star review on Apple podcasts. Each of these suggestions will cost you less than a minute, but it will be a great benefit to us. Thank you so much for being willing to be generous with your time and share. We appreciate you.    I don't want to miss what website to direct everyone to. If they want to sign up for one of these classes, where's the best place to follow up?   Courtney Sanford: (53:14 - 54:27) Go to delightfulartco.com and on that page, you'll see live classes, self-paced classes, summer retreats. I've done adult retreats before. I'd be open to doing it again if people want to.   So, I have, I would call it private retreats. So, if you want to get a group of women together, maybe somebody has a beach house, I'll come and do the art. It could be a one day, two day, or three-day event.   So that's an option. And we have self-paced classes. So, lots of things to look at.   I have a lot of sample classes on the website too. If you want to drop in and see what they're like. I think there's a how to paint Monet's water lilies is on the site.   You can watch that and see what it's like. Some people are afraid to try an online art class, but we all loved Bob Ross, and we watched him. So, if you can imagine saying, Bob, stop, could you do that again?   That's what my classes are like, and I'll be happy to stop and show you again. And then you can hold up your work at the end and I can give you some feedback. So, I'm like the new Bob Ross.   Laura Dugger: (54:27 - 54:46) There you go. That's wonderful. Thank you for sharing that.   And Courtney, I just have a couple more questions for you. If let's turn it back to parenting. If we want to get started today and we just want next step to get started.   What is an art prompt that we can still try today?   Courtney Sanford: (54:47 - 57:26) I would look at what you're, what, what are you teaching your kids? So, if you're teaching them, maybe you have a library book on the coffee table that you're studying biology. Pull out one thing from that and draw what you see and reproduce that.   Just one drawing a week. And before you know it, you'll have a whole biology book. So, I like to instead of saying parents, you have to add on another course.   You have to add art to everything else you're doing. Slide it into what you're already doing and it will enhance what they remember about that. And it's not like a whole other subject.   So just use art as a tool to help them remember what you want them to learn anyway. So, anything you want them to teach, if you have a photo or a drawing, have them trace it or draw it. I actually another good way to start is if you have little kids and Bible story time, let them draw what you're reading about.   My son loved to do stick figures. So, I have the whole Bible told in stick figures from when I'm from my youngest kid. And it is fabulous, especially like Sodom and Gomorrah.   And, you know, there's a lot of violent stuff. Boys love that stuff. So, he illustrated a lot of the Old Testament because I read it every morning, and he would just draw what he heard me.   I think I was using the Children's Illustrated Bible. So, he had some things to look at. That's another great way to get started.   Just let them look at the story and draw in their own art journal. So, there's so many fun ways you can use it in every subject. I had a mom tell me she read me an email.   She said, my daughter is just blooming in your classes. I wish every subject could be taught with an art journal and a paint palette. And I replied, we're working on it.   We're we've got we've got Latin and art, science and art, literature and art. There's just so many ways to find inspiration and what you're already studying and find the beauty in that subject. So, in our site, our art and biology course, students do a beautiful watercolor of the DNA strand.   And they draw the cell in watercolor. And it's just beautiful. And it helps them remember it and practices their art skills.   So, it's like a two for one. Think of it as a two for one. Take art and put it in another subject.   Laura Dugger: (57:26 - 57:46) I love win wins. That sounds amazing. And Courtney, I just have one final question for you today.   We are called The Savvy Sauce because savvy is synonymous with practical knowledge or insight. And so is my final question for you today. What is your savvy sauce?   Courtney Sanford: (57:47 - 58:15) The beauty, in beauty out, has been kind of my savvy sauce and also as unto the Lord. So, whatever I do, I do as unto the Lord. If I'm homeschooling, I'm teaching biology.   I'm going to do as unto the Lord. I'm not going to hand out a worksheet. I'm going to make it.   I'm going to make it a great experience. So, I would have to say whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as unto the Lord and not for men.   Laura Dugger: (58:16 - 58:36) What a great place to end. Courtney, you are so inspiring. You've given us great ideas and kind of confidence to get to put this into practice.   Even if we're not artists like you, we're all created in God's image and therefore can be creative. So, thank you for your time and wisdom today. Thank you so much for being my guest.   Courtney Sanford: (58:37 - 58:40) You are sure welcome. I had a great time. It's good to talk to you.   Laura Dugger: (58:41 - 1:02:25) You as well. One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term gospel before?   It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news.   Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death, and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.   We need a savior. But God loved us so much, he made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.   That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus.   We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us. Romans 10:9 says, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” So, would you pray with me now?   Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you. Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life?   We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.   If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me, so me for him. You get the opportunity to live your life for him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason.   We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you ready to get started? First, tell someone.   Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible.   I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the book of John. Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ.   I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you. We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.   And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “In the same way I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.   And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

Join us for the finale of season one, as we break down Genesis 19, and the great destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Visit our linktree: https://linktr.ee/scatteredabroadnetwork Visit our website, www.scatteredabroad.org, and subscribe to our email list. "Like" and "share" our Facebook page: https:// www.facebook.com/sapodcastnetwork Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ the_scattered_abroad_network/ Subscribe to our Substack: https://scatteredabroad.substack.com/Subscribe to our YouTube channel: The Scattered Abroad Network Contact us through email at san@msop.org. If you would like to consider supporting us in any way, don't hesitate to contact us through this email.

Friday, 23 May 2025   “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16   “You behold! I, I send you as sheep in wolves' midst. You become, therefore, sagacious as the serpents and simple as the doves” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told the apostles what it would be like on judgment day for the cities that rejected their message. He now continues His words to them, saying, “You behold! I, I send you as sheep in wolves' midst.”   The pronoun is emphatic, “I, I send you.” Jesus is personally sending them, knowing in advance what they will face. The emphasis looks back on everything He had already faced, knowing that they too would receive like treatment. Thus, they shouldn't feel that what they were to experience was unique or unknown to Him.   As for the metaphors, they are self-explanatory to anyone who knows the difference between wolves and sheep. This wording was known to Israel from their writings, such as when the Lord, through Ezekiel, spoke of the leaders of Israel in their treatment of the people –   “Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.” Ezekiel 22:27   This and other instances from Scripture told them that they should expect ill-treatment. They were like lambs. Their message was harmless and should be taken as inoffensive. And yet, when it was heard, they would face vile accusations, possibly be attacked, and so forth. Because this was expected, He next says, “You become, therefore, sagacious as the serpents.”   From the earliest account of man on earth, the serpent is portrayed as a cunning beast. It is the serpent that caused Adam to fall through his deceptive tongue. Barnes notes that the Egyptians used the serpent in their hieroglyphics as a symbol of wisdom. Thus, this was something understood beyond the borders of Israel as a common theme.   Jesus is telling them to be cunning like serpents, not in a negative way, but in the sense that they should be aware of the attacks that would come against them and respond accordingly in a sagacious manner to the situation at hand. Further, He says, “and simple as the doves.”   The adjective translated as simple, akeraios, is most literally translated as unmixed, being derived from the negative particle a and the verb kerannumi, to mix. Saying unmixed, however, may leave the reader not sure what is being referred to.   However, the word simple is from the Latin word simplus which then carried through old French. It signifies a medicine made from one constituent. Thus, it is unmixed or pure. This meaning continues in intent today.   As for the dove, they are just that, pure, untainted by other constituents that might corrupt them. They simply act as doves regardless of the world around them being fraught with terror or easy manipulation. In other words, they don't join in the terrorizing, nor do they cunningly try to manipulate their surroundings to obtain what they need.   As such, one can see the beauty of the symbolism of the dove representing the Holy Spirit. He meets His purpose within the Godhead without any form of terror or manipulation. Rather, He inspires, helps, edifies, and leads according to the love and wisdom of God, reassuring and comforting those who are His.   Life application: Today, there are nations that have carried the gospel message for eons. The nation itself has been identified with the Christian faith. There are those who are within such nations who are trying to retain their country within that same context. Therefore, they go out and preach the gospel in the streets, hand out tracts, appeal to the masses concerning what is right, etc.   It is true that some of these people are annoying to the point that nobody wants to listen to them. Some of them stand on street corners and condemn everybody to hell. That is not a very good selling point concerning one's message, but they do it anyway. Despite people like that, there are those who truly care about sharing the grace of God in Christ Jesus, they pass on a message that is inoffensive, pure, harmless, and good. And yet, there are wolves out there that literally attack them, steal their Bibles, publicly tear them apart, stomp on them, etc.   Some will come up and shout in the faces of these people as if what they are doing is harmful. And yet, it is the most loving thing they could do. They just want people to know Jesus. Some are converted, making their efforts worthwhile. Some will never be converted and continue to rage against Jesus. They must face the same judgment Jesus spoke of in the last verse. It will be more sufferable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for them on that day.   Despite this, it is right that we present the gospel, even if it receives serious animosity and blowback from those we speak to. Our words will serve their purpose if they are rightly spoken in accord with the words of Scripture. So be bold, cunning, and simple all at the same time. But be sure to speak!   Lord God, help us to be people of powerful pronouncement as we walk in Your presence. May our words convey to others the knowledge we possess concerning the riches and glory of the gospel so that others can be saved. Without us, who will speak? Help us to do so! Amen.

Thursday, 22 May 2025   Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! Matthew 10:15   “Amen! I say to you, it will be sufferable – land Sodom and Gomorrah – on judgment day than that city” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus instructed the apostles to out-swing the dust from their feet of any house or city that rejected their word concerning the coming of the kingdom of heaven. Now, He tells them what that act signifies, beginning with, “Amen! I say to you.”   As has been seen, this forms an emphatic declaration concerning what follows. He is stressing the importance of what follows. In this case, it is the ramifications for rejecting the word they carry, saying, “it will be sufferable.”   It is a new adjective, anektoteros, signifying more endurable, more tolerable, etc. It is derived from the verb anechó, to endure, bear with, tolerate, etc. In this case, a single word that will fit the surrounding thought is sufferable. Next, to describe what is sufferable, He says, “land Sodom and Gomorrah.”   The epitome of what is considered biblical punishment and judgment on sin is found in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. So poignant was this lesson found in their writings that the memory of it is referred to throughout their history.   At times, the cities are referred to as the epitome of wickedness. At times, they are used as the epitome of judgment upon it. In Isaiah 1, both thoughts are referred to at one time –   “Unless the Lord of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah. 10 Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah.” Isaiah 1:9, 10   These warnings didn't end with Jesus' words, though. They are referred to in 2 Peter and Jude. Finally, in Revelation 11, Jerusalem of the tribulation period is equated to Sodom and Egypt, a stinging and shameful rebuke.   Of these cities and what will be sufferable for them, Jesus says, “on judgment day than that city.” In other words, at the time when judgment is meted out upon the world prior to the lost being cast into the Lake of Fire, Sodom and Gomorrah will receive less punishment than such a city. How could that be?   The reason isn't the direct, flagrant, and open wickedness of these cities. Rather, it is a matter of revealed light. As Jesus says elsewhere –   “But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:48   Sodom and Gomorrah were cities filled with perverts and wicked people, but they only had the light of general revelation to direct them, along with the consciences that God gave them. Israel, on the other hand, had God's special revelation in the form of the law, the writings, and the prophets.   They were given these things to lead them to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. Upon His arrival and His proclamation that everything they were promised was about to be presented to them, they rejected what these writings proclaimed. In their rejection, there could be no excuse. This is a truth that continues to this day.   Life application: Today, it is popular among Christians to give Israel and the Jewish people a pass for their conduct and their way of life. Condemnation of those around her comes quickly, as it should, but when it comes to pointing out the behavior of Israel, there is often not a peep made.   And yet, it is Israel the people who bear the name of God, who openly hold “pride” parades, condone abortion, promote or tolerate wickedness, etc. Christians should support the nation in their state of return because God has ordained it, while not failing to call out their corruption as well as their rejection of Jesus.   Jews must be evangelized like any other group of people. Those who reject Jesus will be eternally separated from God. What came upon them for the past two thousand years was a self-inflicted wound. Paul explicitly says this when writing to those at Thessalonica –   “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16   Be sure to pray for Israel, be willing to call out their flaws, and be sure to have tracts ready to hand out to any Jews you meet, just as you would for any other person.   Heavenly Father, help us to think clearly about how You have presented Your word, including its warnings, to the people of the world. Judgment really is coming, and people must be warned of the consequences for failing to heed the word You have given us. May we be bold in this, O God. Amen.  

In chapters 18 and 19, Abraham pleads with God on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, primarily on behalf of his nephew Lot. Discover the stark contrast between Abraham's steadfast growth in grace and Lot's descent into carelessness. Reverend Eric Alexander calls us to consider the depth of our own faith and live for the things that are eternal, as Abraham did, in Hear the Word of God. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/581/29

The Time Is Late (2) (audio) David Eells 5/18/25   The Warnings Have Ended Michael Boldea Jr. - 08/14/2006 (David's notes in red) Rom.13:11-12 And this, knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. My heart is heavy, my soul is burdened, and as so many who have been called, anointed, and charged to preach a message of warning and repentance to this nation, I am a weary man. Though the time is upon us, though undeniable events continue to come to pass, still most of Christendom suffers from a severe case of abject indifference. I often feel as though I am a man standing outside a building engulfed in flames, screaming at the top of my lungs for those inside to come out, to save themselves, to escape the fire, while all the while, those inside stand by the windows and wave merrily, coffee in one hand, donut in the other, unaware of the tragedy that is about the befall them. Seeing that they will not heed the warning, the only option left is to run into the burning building and drag as many out, by force if need be, and lead them to safety. This is the mindset that I have adopted over the years. Since early youth, when I served as my grandfather's translator, I realized that some would hear and heed, but most would not. There is no doubt God has been merciful to this nation, first having raised up men from within your own borders to speak a heavy but needed truth, men who were promptly dismissed or ridiculed as being instigators, those who would enjoy stirring up provocation, simply for the sake of being provocative. Though the message fell, in large part, on deaf ears, they labored, and wept, and labored some more, for it was their calling, their mission, their sovereign duty toward an omnipotent God, one they could not as readily dismiss, as the message itself had been by the masses. Then, in His infinite mercy, God called on faithful servants from half a world away, and placed the same message in their hearts, in some cases almost identical, and sent them in the hope that perhaps the nation might heed the message if spoken from new lips. These too, were promptly rejected, either for being too harsh, not having the right credentials, or not having graduated from a proper theological seminary. We have found a reason, and an excuse to reject every messenger that has come, that has spoken, and that has warned. In their hearts, some consider, that surely God is merciful enough to send yet another messenger, to give yet another warning, as though they were waiting for a bus, they think to themselves, “I'll catch the next one, I'll believe next one”, but I say to you this day, the warnings have ended. (Certainly, after this warning was given many lost their lives to foolishness that scripture surely corrected. Since history repeats when men take no heed this revelation is still true today.) To be clear in what I am trying to relay, for this is the core reason I write this article today, I will repeat myself: the warnings have ended. No new messengers are waiting in the wings, no new warnings are coming, but merely the visions and forewarnings of the specific judgments that are about to unfold. These words are not my own, and I write them with a heavy heart, but on three separate occasions while in prayer, I heard the same phrase repeated, over and over again: “The warnings have ended, the warnings have ended.” The time has come for the true servants of God to weep between the porch and the altar, to lament and cry out, to stand in the gap and be fearless for righteousness' sake. If you must stand alone, dear brother, then so stand, for you will be in good company, counted among such giants of the faith as Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. They too stood alone in the face of overwhelming odds, with only the truth of God's Word on their side, but the truth proved to be more than enough. So I say this day, to you whom God has been urging to step up, to take up the charge, to be on the front lines of the battle that is raging, be fearless in unmasking deception, and propagating righteousness, for you are on the side of right. If our desire were to spread a false gospel, to deceive the sheep, to bring division to the house of God, then there would be reason for fear, for God Himself would be set against us, but since He stands with you, since He is the one urging you into battle, be bold, and brave and confident in Him and you will always be the majority. Recently I was rereading Foxe's Book of Martyrs, and weeping, and I thought to myself, where have all the valiant defenders of truth gone, those that even in the face of death would proclaim the name of Christ, and pour out their lives to their final breath for His sake, with a smile on their lips? Is their time past? Surely it cannot be, for this is the greatest time in the history of the Church, the time in which God needs warriors, faithful and true, fearless and uncompromising, to do battle against the forces of darkness. No, the time for the valiant, faithful soldier has not passed, but rather, many of those who have been called to this service are quick to bow out, finding either excuse or justification for their unwillingness to do battle. The time has come to blow the trumpet, while time still remains, for it is quickly running out, and the sheep that slumber are too many to number. It is incumbent upon all servants of righteousness to proclaim truth and defend it, if need be, with their very lives. Jude 20-23 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.     Removing Stumbling Blocks to the Kingdom Deborah Horton - 08/06/2013 (David's notes in red) In a dream, a small group of people, maybe 30-50, including myself, were walking up a mountain (seeking the Kingdom of God; Mount Zion). Some were ahead of the main group and about the same number were trailing at the rear. It was a stretched-out grouping. Now even though we were walking up a mountain, somehow the road was perfectly level (because straightened the way that leads to life), but the effort needed to walk was as if we were climbing. (We climb against the gravity and magnetism of the world and our flesh.) The road was also completely straight. David wasn't in the group but was encouraging us onward. He was also the only one who could (or was allowed to) go both up and down the entire mountain, which He did with ease many times. In a vision within the dream itself, I saw that sometimes he was with us and sometimes he was at the top of the mountain or possibly below us. (As we have seen in other revelations, the Davids will be on top of Zion in the presence of the Lord and they will be with the righteous on their journey up the mountain of God's Kingdom. They will do those things that they have seen of the Father.) Next, I was in an enclosed space of some kind off to the side of the road, but I can't call it a room. The lighting was subdued. David and a handful of other people were there. A Siamese cat was limping on its left front leg, as it was facing me, making this its right front leg, and I asked David if that was alright because I was concerned. He said, “Yes, it's supposed to be like that”. (Siamese cats seem to be some of the meanest cats out there. They represent rebellion and self-will. We know who this person is, but also this represents many. Their limping is by the hand of God. “Yes, it's supposed to be like that”. The limping right leg represents their inability to walk with God.) Then David somehow, I can't remember if he just lifted it up or there was a ladder or whatever, but it was a project for him to put the cat on the back of a horse, which is what David was there to do, allowing us to keep on walking up the mountain. (“It's supposed to be” that rebels are turned over to the strength of their own rebellious, beastly, flesh so that the rest may see this and continue to enter the Kingdom. There's an old saying that “Getting on a high horse” means being very prideful and arrogant, lifting yourself up in your own strength to be a stumbling block to others. One of the greatest signs that we are in the end times is that Jesus said to let the tares and the wheat grow together until the harvest, and He has been and continues to separate them by turning them over to demons. Mat.13:37 And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil [one]; 39 and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, 42 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear. (As to those who are stumbling blocks to others trying to enter the Kingdom, we hear of Jesus: Luk.11:52 Woe unto you lawyers! for ye took away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. 13:24 Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein.) End of dream. Siamese cats were specially bred in Tibet (Far East; the sun rises in the East) to be guardians of the temple treasures. They were cross-eyed (probably due to bad breeding or the product of a bad seed but they say it is) to scare off demons. They were big, too, and weighed approximately 25 pounds and had blue eyes. The monks (demon-possessed, foreign to the kingdom, religious leaders) trained them so that they would attack anyone who touched the gold, etc., that was in the temple. (In the natural, these people cannot be trusted with the temple gold, for they are thieves and take possession of what is not theirs, like Judas. On the spiritual side, anyone who possesses the spiritual attribute of gold in the temple of Jesus Christ will be attacked by the rebels and Pharisees.) Visitors could walk through and look at all the stuff, but if they touched anything, the cats would jump on their heads and blind them. (The rebels are out to blind anyone who goes for the spiritual gold.) I asked for a verse for the dream and received Act.2:36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified. (They crucified the Man-child, who then ruled over them, just as it will be.)   Harvest Awaits While Laborers Play Debbi Rennier - 07/23/2006 (David's notes in red) Mat.9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few. 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest. Over the last three nights, the Lord has given me the following dream: I saw the most beautiful, golden wheat field gently rippling in the breeze. This field was of gigantic proportions, as large as California and Texas combined. I seemed to be floating just above the field, and as I gazed downwards, I saw hands reaching up out of the wheat field. The hands were of all sizes and colors. They seemed to be trying to reach or grasp for something or someone. I then saw a few people, perhaps a half a dozen or so, go into the field and start to help those whose hands I saw grasping. Those whom they helped in the field also began helping others. This scene was really heartbreaking as there were so many who reached up and so few to help. Many more were missed and overlooked than were saved. I then looked at the edges of the enormous field and saw much frantic activity. Construction workers were busily building large churches and big houses. I saw businesspeople rushing to work and car dealerships selling expensive cars. They were all totally oblivious to the tragic scene in the wheat field. They rushed about as if nothing was wrong. I then woke up. The Lord led me to the 10th chapter of Hosea. Then HE spoke: “People keep building and laying up treasures here on earth. They will be destroyed. Seek that which is lost. Do not waste your time on the foolish things that will perish...”   Liquidate Luxuries S.L. - 02/27/2015 (David's notes in red) In this dream, I am driving a horse and carriage. (Representing the old scriptural ways.) The kind that you would see in New York Central Park. I see many people. I am driving around this narrow course that they have cordoned off. As I go, I'm stopping and picking up people and they ride for a while, and then they get off, and more people get on. (Many have ‘gotten off' “the narrow course” because of disobedience to the Scriptures, or falling into faction, and others have come to take their place.) Sometimes there are obstacles in the way that I have to avoid. But I can't veer off. I have to be very careful to stay on this path. The whole area is like a very large and busy city block. (Temptations to get off the narrow road.) Then the scene changes, and I am in a very large restaurant. It is very crowded and there are many tables with people eating and drinking. (I asked about the restaurant and at random got Psa.49:6 They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.) (Large ministry serving unspiritual food.) I am sitting at a small table with a few friends, and a sister in Christ. Then I got up in search of a restroom. When I found the ladies' restroom, I noticed that it was very crowded. (Getting rid of waste from lives.) All of the women crowding around it are very financially wealthy, wearing richly made dresses and hats, and the restroom itself looks to be made of marble. It is too crowded to get in. (Many are getting rid of the luxuries of life, which is a weight and distraction.) My sister and I both had the same idea that we needed to find another restroom, so we left there and found one a few blocks away. This restroom is much humbler and one that not many people know about. (Some have already cast out the luxuries that slow our progress.) So, we are moving down the street pretty quickly. (Meaning, able to progress quickly without the distractions. We must get light and ready to move into the wilderness through liquidation.) I noticed that our pace had increased and we are both taking long strides. We come to what looks like the outskirts of town. I see a hill (a higher place in God) with several red brick apartment buildings on top. (Apartments are congregations of God's people built together into a holy temple in the Lord.) Closer towards us, I see there is an area that is being graded by a bulldozer. (What comes to mind is “earth mover”.) They are preparing the area for more buildings. (Dirt or flesh must be conformed in order to build the Kingdom.) I looked over just opposite this hill, and there's another hill, and on top of it, I saw white horses and white chariots. The horses have riders. They are milling about and exercising the horses. (This is Jesus in the Man-child ministries who are ready to begin the tribulation.) Next, my attention is drawn back to the bulldozer. It suddenly whirls around and moves out of the area very fast! I mean, like someone punched the fast-forward button. (The foundation is prepared; people must get out of the way for the building to start. This means the people who make up the buildings are coming.) We both follow him, going very fast. Now, keep in mind we are still on foot, but now it's like we are in racecars. We are going around curves, and I am trying to slow down. I hear the other sister who's with me say, “This is very scary”. Finally, we managed to slow down and stop. (There is much business that does not promote spirituality) Then I woke up. While meditating on this dream, the Lord brought this scripture to mind: Mat.24:37 And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. 38 For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. 40 Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left: 41 two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through. 44 Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh. I also asked the Lord for another word concerning this dream, at random, and my finger came down on Amo.4:4 Come to Beth-el, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes every three days; 5 and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill-offerings and publish them: for this pleaseth you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah. 6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places; yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. 7 And I also have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest; and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. 8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, and were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. 9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: the multitude of your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-trees hath the palmer-worm devoured (A curse on the distractions): yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. 10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have carried away your horses; and I have made the stench of your camp to come up even into your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. 11 I have overthrown cities among you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a brand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith Jehovah. (Stop, repent, seek God) 12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel; and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.     Wait for the Director K.H.- 10/23/2011 (David's notes in red) The dream began with me walking to my seat in a band hall. As soon as I reached my seat, I was asked by a girl to bring some papers up front to the band director's desk, so that's what I did. As I turned around, I saw a couple of young girls come through the back door of the hall, giggling and sitting in the back row of chairs. Then, I went back to my seat. I began to warm up playing the flute, and after I was done warming up, I sat looking around the room. A few minutes later, more than half of the people began to play their instruments. The sound was deafening! There was so much discord because they were playing without the band director. (Instead of being in “one accord”, the whole group was in discord. Rom.15:5 Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus: 6 that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.)(The discord in Christianity because of denominationalism weakens us.) A small group of us, including me, remained ready to play but waiting for direction. (Listening and waiting on direction from God is the key to walking as He walked. Isa.30:21 thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.) I then realized that the band director wasn't there yet, and I was perplexed at why there were so many doing their own thing and not realizing that the band director was not there. A young man stood up and said, “Wait!” A few more people stopped playing and began to wait. (Some Christians are easily distracted and do things without waiting on the Lord.) I was grieved that some were still playing with complete disregard for what the man said. (Many Christians are not paying attention to what is going on around them and what the Lord is speaking to them.) Then, I woke up. (Saul did not wait for Samuel to sacrifice and bring the Word of the Lord and it cost him his kingdom. David waited for the sign in the mulberry trees and conquered his enemies.) The Lord impressed in my heart how important it is to seek His face, His direction, His truth, and walk in the steps He has ordered for me. Listening to the voice of the Lord is so important, especially in the days ahead. The world is getting darker and darker; the only way to be able to see clearly is through the Lord's eyes. Psa.27:14 Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, And let thy heart take courage; Yea, wait thou for Jehovah. Lam.3:26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Jehovah. Mic.7:7 But as for me, I will look unto Jehovah; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. Then I thought of Php.2:1-4 If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions, 2 make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3 doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself; 4 not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. The majority of the body of Christ is in much discord right now. The Lord reminded me of this passage in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 about the body and how we all need one another. 1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. 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. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body. 16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? 18 But now hath God set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased him. 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20 But now they are many members, but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee: or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary: 23 and those parts of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness; 24 whereas our comely parts have no need: but God tempered the body together, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked; 25 that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer with it; or one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.   Covert Attack on Christians and Jews B.A. - 04/20/2015 (David's notes in red) I dreamed that I was in the Spirit and I was in a secret meeting room in the basement of the White House. There was a group of people sitting around a table, and each of them had an outline of a plan they were discussing concerning Christians and Jews. The only thing I was allowed to remember was that when a particular part of this plan/agenda is revealed, it will create a great uproar with apostate Christianity. (The recent leftist administrations raised up ISIS who rampaged through the middle east to kill Christians and Jews. Since the conservatives were behind President Trump to execute the lawless leftists, they are looking for their chance to strike back. The new age in their seances are talking to aliens who are masquerading demons that hate Christians. You see we have the perfect foundation to bring the mark of the beast to exterminate Christians who will break that law. Jesus said we would be hated of all nations for His name sake. As a result, many apostates will give in to their flesh and fight against the Beast and will lose, in a repetition of history. Dumitru Duduman received of the Lord that the communists in this country would start a civil war.) I asked the Lord for a verse concerning this dream and I received: Psa.112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. Pro.1:7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction. According to the Lord, history always repeats: Ecc.1:9 That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 10 Is there a thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been long ago, in the ages which were before us. Whenever God's people have turned from His Word to their own religious, self-seeking ways, He has always sent conquerors to bring them to their cross. From the lesser kingdoms around Israel to the world-ruling kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome and the coming Dragon kingdom made up of the seed of all of the above seven heads, they all conquered God's people when they went astray from the Word. To a large extent, Christianity has become a harlot that must be crucified of evil and evil people. God has ordained and raised up Governmental Administrations to do this necessary work of returning His people to the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. When I read this dream, this verse was spoken to me concerning it: Eze.21:31 And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee; I will blow upon thee with the fire of my wrath; and I will deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, skilful to destroy. This scripture is in the midst of many pages of judgment spoken against God's apostate people. God departs from all of this for a moment to address Ammon here, warning that brutish men would destroy them. It appears that this text is out of context until you see that Ammon means “My people”. They are sons of Lot through Ben-Ammi, which means “Son of My people”. Lot was called a righteous man, but his children became enemies of God's people, just like there are enemies among Christians who claim to be Christian today. In like manner, Abraham had seed who became enemies of God's people. The Harlot is that enemy in our midst who claims Christianity but does not follow God's Word, which is His only true seed. Lot had two daughters who represented God's people. On one level, the older daughter represents His Old Covenant people, whose offspring were called Moab, and the younger daughter represents His New Covenant people, whose offspring were called Ammon. These two daughters had what in the letter would be called an incestuous relationship with their father, Lot, although he knew it not. However, in the spirit of the Word, a different story is told. The relationship of these two daughters to their father was exactly like the relationship of Israel and the Church to their Father. Her Father was also her Husband. The Lord's Bride is also His children. Mother and child were born of the same Father. If you question Jesus being a spiritual Father, remember Isa.9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given (Jesus); and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. “Everlasting Father” can also be translated as “Father of eternity”. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this. Jesus was the Sower who sowed His seed in our hearts, which brings forth His fruit in us. He is the Father of our eternal lives. Paul also called himself a father because he sowed the seed of the Word, which is Jesus' seed in the parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. 1Co.4:15 For though ye have ten thousand tutors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I begat you through the gospel. In two parables Jesus is our husband and our spiritual Father and we are all sons of The Father. Brutish men will bring the apostate Church to the cross but even then, some will not repent and will die in their sins, denying their Lord.   Hidden Manna: Urgent Call to the Apostate Church Deborah Horton - 10/07/2007 (Jan Albayalde | David ) In the dream, the first image I remember is several people coming to greet other people. Of two ladies who were coming my way, the one whom I thought I was supposed to greet stopped in front of someone else and they hugged, so the other lady came toward me and I thought, “Were we supposed to hug?” because it didn't seem like what we were supposed to do and she wasn't the person I thought was supposed to be for me to “greet” (or receive). This young woman was very elegantly and understatedly dressed. (In God's eyes, there are only two women -- the True Church and the Laodicean or harlot Church of Babylon.) (Jan went on to speak of all the scandals in the Church that turned people off.) I remember being surprised by that, too. All I remember was that she had on a very expensive beigey-colored sweater with darker minkish-colored cuffs, and it was stunning. But as I looked at the sweater, my eyes were drawn to a button (like a political button) that was on her left front side. It was white and in solid, thick black writing, there was the number “11”. As I focused on the button, it ended. (You were impressed by her beauty and wealth. The “11” on the woman could represent the coming destruction or persecution of the rich Laodicean church.) (Also the prosperity movement is clearly seen by the beast as a fleecing of the ignorant sheep. Also the political button could be speaking of the apostates being overly political rather than representing the Lord to ALL men.) Then I found myself reading the outside of a very thick, hardbound book. Apparently, I'd been reading for a while because I was coming to the end of a long, single-spaced list on the right-hand side of the cover. Each item in the list was just a short phrase (no more than four words) of some sort. They all must have been mundane, normal stuff, because none of them were outstanding. Then I got to the end, and I was stopped cold. The last three items in the list were “survival”, “hunger” and “fear”. Anything I remembered up to that point from the list was knocked out of my mind by those three words. Then I woke up. I almost never ever dream about anything with numbers. (I had the same thought as you -- that this is Hidden Manna that you have “been reading for a while.” You have read it so many times it's become “mundane” and that is why you were brought up cold, taken by surprise, by the last three words because the Lord was impressing you that this is His survival guide to the Laodicean Church; a call to overcome because hunger and fear are truly at the door. What is Hidden Manna? A guide to survive the coming persecution of the apostate church. If this is a dream from the Lord, maybe the Lord is saying the hour is late, persecution, the number “11” is coming to the apostate church and the Lord is encouraging the progression of the book into people's hands; hunger and fear are at the door, and they certainly are. You were to greet (receive) the wealthy, beautiful woman because she is the one who needs the survival manual -- you've been thinking Hidden Manna is for the True Church, those already right with God, hence your surprise.) It is then time to impart this labor of love (or a hug) to the apostate church to prepare them for “survival”, “hunger” and “fear”. The number 11 could indeed be a political button. The apostate church has been pushing politically as never before to press retaliation for the 9/11 loss of life issue. There could also be another “9/11” attack by the DS.   Plundering Egypt Jacob Patek - 09/01/2012 (David's notes in red) The dream has two parts. It started with a group of UBM brothers and I all walking together across a university campus (Which the Lord is giving us.) at what I would say was 12 noon, as the sun was directly overhead (noon being the time of day when the sun is at its highest and casting no shadow -- Jesus directly above our heads). (High noon was a 1952 Western American film: the time for a showdown with the enemy when victory was won back from them.) We were walking into what seemed like a bank and our thoughts were, we are going to take back all that the enemy has taken from us. (NESARA/GESARA is doing this in the natural realm. Also, Satan has plundered the people of God of their rightful and legal heritage. God has already put in our account every need, according to His riches. Phi.4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.) As we walked in, there were two women sitting at the front desk. We simply told them we were here for all of our money. It ended up amounting to five million dollars. (5 is the number of grace, which has met all of our needs.) (When I first woke up, I thought we had robbed the bank, but as I meditated on the dream and the Word, I felt the money was already deposited into our accounts and we were making a withdrawal. [Our money will be in our QFS account]) As we withdrew the money, one of the secretaries sitting at the front desk called someone. (The Lord will provide all of our financial needs to build His Kingdom. The DS is being plundered and President Trump/Cyrus has recovered all the gold. We all have a QFS account and the money will be there, and the NESARA/GESARA is about to go into effect.) At this point in my dream, I could see she was talking to a man whose head was shaven (meaning he had no submission to God). He was very irate and filthy, and from the looks of it, a very strong man. (Jesus has plundered the strong man of his goods in this world and given them to us and we are to divide the spoils of the god of this world. Luk.11:20 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] 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 (as Jesus did), 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. If you are not chasing demons, you are running from them. Claim what is yours as sons of the living God. Plunder Egypt with your faith! Didn't He say in Mar.11:24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.???) The strong man said, “Don't they know who I am, and why don't they respect my authority? I am the leader of the most powerful gang”. (No, we don't respect his authority because it is no longer his; it is ours: 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. Let us plunder his world.) This is when we all walked out of the bank and back across the campus. (This is the first of three university campuses the Lord is giving to the Man-child ministries to teach in.) Next, we stopped at a deli shop and ordered only a loaf of bread and sat down to eat (possibly meaning that we are partaking of the body of Christ and having fellowship one with another in the Spirit). End of the first part of this dream. The second part of my dream had only me and two other brothers in it. It started with two of us walking to the gas station. As we were walking, I was telling him that this was the gas station I used to walk to when I was a child. (In my dream, I told him of a story involving this gas station that actually happened when I was a child around the age of seven). I proceeded to tell him that when I was younger, I walked to this gas station with some of the neighborhood kids, and while we were getting our soft drinks, one of the kids stole a package of baseball cards. I asked him why he did that and if he knew that was wrong. His reply was, “It's only a pack of baseball cards”. (With the desperate economic situation about to hit our world, the immature in Christ will be tempted to steal and justify it in their minds. But God has a better answer in this dream. Live by faith!) As we approached the gas station, we saw an elderly woman restocking a newspaper stand. The brother wanted to buy the day's newspaper and was holding some money to pay for it. He asked the woman how much it was, and she replied, “I don't know”. We started searching for some sort of price tag and found a couple, but the prices were outrageous, somewhere in the range of $90. Then he said, “It's usually $3.49, but it used to be only 50 cents”. (In the natural and in the tribulation, inflation will to go through the roof and we will need to know the principles of our supernatural provision above to escape this.) We ended up not getting the newspaper. (Filling our minds with the bad news is costly to our lives. Better to refuse it and accept the Good News in the first part of the dream.) End of dream.   Antichrist School System Diana McIlroy - 11/21/2009 (Rex Veron's notes in red) Mat.19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for to such belongeth the kingdom of heaven. Joh.12:23 And Jesus answereth them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. 1st Dream: Shane came home from school with a seed to plant. (Coming home with the seed [teaching] to plant in the midst of the home. Seeds bear fruit of a specific kind; error cannot birth truth, nor truth produce error. A mixture is still error. When Achan took the spoils of the people from Ai, he took that which he was commanded not to take. Not only did he take it but he hid it in the midst of his tent [his heart] among his family [Joshua 7]. We are commanded to “touch not the unclean thing” (Isa.52:11). What better way to propagate error than to start with the children in school? This is also true of the spiritual school, the Church.) We planted it outside and when it grew, it grew all over the farm property -- garden, fields, pastures. (A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 1Cor.5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Satan can use the school system to take over the world with his leaven.) It wasn't a bad plant to look at, but it was useless. We couldn't eat it and the animals couldn't eat it either, but it overgrew the existing crops that we could've eaten. What appeared good had no power to give life. 2Tim.3:5 holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away. Joh.6:63 It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, are life. Mat.5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. The goal is obvious to look like the church and to talk like the church but to be full of antichrist. Antichrist is not necessarily recognizable; deception is the plan. The plant looked harmless. 2nd Dream: I went to class with Claire. The class was being taught by Oprah Winfrey. (A type of the New Age teaching through the Jezebel spirit that is invading the schools -- physical and spiritual. 2Pet.2:1 But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.) She proceeds to say, “Now we will watch the video.” The video showed a big animal that you could see through. Behind the bones of the rib cage, there were two children (so basically they were trapped in the belly of the beast). (Nothing is ever mentioned about the children being in “fear”. They are lulled into acceptance of the world beast's methods and belief systems.) Next in the video, they are saying to the kids that they shouldn't listen to their mother. (Antichrist schools are going far beyond their traditional educational role to impose their politics and spiritual understanding on the young minds. This is the seed that invades the house to bring division between the parents. And we have seen this escalate in these days, how they've let in LGBTQ+ and their sick sexual perversion, with transgenders teaching in the schools, purposefully confusing children about their sexuality and telling them to keep their “transgender identity” secret from their parents, and many other lies. The Trump administration has been making many changes to the U.S. Department of Education and cleaning it up.) Luk 12:52-53 for there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53 They shall be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother in law against her daughter in law, and daughter in law against her mother in law. The DS has thrived on division because of their factious spirit. Father also is dividing His called from among this world. 2Pet 2:15 forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing; 16 but he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man's voice and stayed the madness of the prophet. 17 These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved. 18 For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error; (the children) 19 promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage.) In the video, the two kids inside start reaching through the bones and beating their mother with a stick. 2Ti.3:1-4 But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Then the video says, “especially if she is a believer” -- then the two kids start stabbing her. So, then I get up and say, “That's it, we're out of here!” They would let me leave, but not allow my children to come with me. It seemed pretty clear that God was saying to get them out of the traditional school system. So we did. (This is true of the literal and spiritual school systems. This is a warning of that which is already here, regarding the apostate church and leadership. Children generally idolize their teachers. The use of Oprah is a type because of the idolization of such TV personalities, as well as sports figures. This also points children to the “get rich if you believe it my way” teachings. Like the “give to get”, “God doesn't want you poor and you can have everything you want” leadership in most churches of today. The entertainment industry is also a trap for child trafficking and prostitution.)   Jesus Rebukes Worldly, Patriotic Idolatry G.C.- 5/01/07 (David's notes in red) I dreamt I was walking around in a building. I kept seeing paintings and pictures of Jesus of all kinds. In every room there seemed to be a painting or wall mural of Him. This was upsetting because I do not like all the paintings of Jesus, because I know they are idols and pagan images. Then I walked into a classroom with about 30 other American Christians. I recall that most of them were women. They were in long dresses, wearing bonnets and/or veils. Jesus was in the front of the class by the teacher's desk. His face was fuzzy, and I could not make out his facial features. He was standing there talking to the people, and He was very angry with them. He was so upset with what these people had been doing. He was telling them to repent. One of the things I heard Him say was that He was upset that they were actually embracing George W. Bush as a Christian and exalting him as a good man. He was really upset that they could not discern that he was a wicked man. (We should not idolize any person in government or judge them as a ‘Christian' because we don't see as God does. We should not exalt Donald Trump, as well as many in his administration who proclaim Christianity. Christians want to make America a “Christian” nation, which, as we will see, it is not.) This really bothered Him and He was very wroth because of it. You should have seen the room. The women were weeping and wailing, crying out and begging for mercy. Most of them were on their knees and completely terrified and broken. I remember some other things the Lord said. He threatened a plague on them as well for their evils. I don't know if He was merely threatening them with it or if He said that it was absolute. I'm reminded of these scriptures in Eze 8:7-18 And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. 8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold, a door. 9 And he said unto me, Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do here. 10 So I went in and saw; and behold, every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about. 11 And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel; and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, every man with his censer in his hand; and the odor of the cloud of incense went up. 12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? for they say, Jehovah seeth us not; Jehovah hath forsaken the land. 13 He said also unto me, Thou shalt again see yet other great abominations which they do. 14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of Jehovah's house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz. (The false virgin birthed son of God at Babel) 15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? thou shalt again see yet greater abominations than these. 16 And he brought me into the inner court of Jehovah's house; and behold, at the door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun (Baal, the false god) toward the east. 17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have turned again to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. (To please the sun god, Nimrod, Baal, false father of Tammuz from Babel, mothered by Semiramis the false virgin.) 18 Therefore will I also deal in wrath; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them. The building is the church and the rooms are the different sects. The different images of Jesus represent the different ways they view Jesus -- Who He is and what He does and what He believes, etc.; they are idols and not the true Jesus. They are “another Jesus”, which Paul warned of. The women are the different sects of Christianity who bow down to these idols. Jesus' angry rebuke is a reflection of their need to turn back to the Word and away from their idolatrous religious sects. They are in bed with the beast by confusing the kingdom with worldly government. Their worldly patriotism has caused them to worship one like themselves, a professor but not a possessor of the life and nature of Christ. An honest person only has to read the Sermon on the Mount once to know this. The coming plague represents the coming tribulation, just as the judgments on Egypt were all called plagues. Their grief at Jesus' rebuke for their ignorance of Him and their lack of fruit is similar to these verses in Isaiah: Isa.32:9 Rise up, ye women that are at ease, [and] hear my voice; ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech. 10 For days beyond a year shall ye be troubled, ye careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come. 11 Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones; strip you, and make you bare, and gird [sackcloth] upon your loins. 12 They shall smite upon the breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine. 13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city. 14 For the palace shall be forsaken; the populous city shall be deserted; the hill and the watch-tower shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; 15 until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be esteemed as a forest. 16 Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness; and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field.   Your House Is Left... Desolate Jarred Smith - 04/04/2008 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I saw a house. There did not appear to be any houses around it and it also seemed that it was elevated on a hill. (The original house of the Lord, His body, the temple.) I was standing, looking at it from a distance of about 30 feet away, so all of the detail of the front of the house was shown. It was beautiful, like a brand-new house that was built. Shiny windows, beautiful doors, new shingles, one-story, no garage and an open dining room with a nice-looking table you could see from the outside. (The Book of Acts Christianity, feeding on the pure unleavened bread of the Word.) THE walkway to the house was new, and the grass was so green you would think they were made of emeralds. (New Life born from above, God's Jewels walking in the WAY of life.) What really set off the grass was the clear and sunny sky above. (There was an open heaven; the SON was not obscured.) There was a sign out front. It was white (holy), newly painted with the words, “WELCOME ALL YE BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST”. (There were no denominational divisions, which Paul said was a work of the flesh; for “all ye are brethren”, as Jesus said: Matthew 23:1-12) In the next scene I was looking into the dining room at the nice table. It was a long table, longer than it was wide; it accommodated many people. These were people in everyday casual clothes. I could not overhear the conversation, but it was joyous with laughing and merrymaking. I could pick up on that they were talking about the things of God, possibly Jesus and all of them shared openly, without any form of a leader there or anyone who was running the show. (This is a beautiful picture of the early church gathering to eat the “Bread of Life” which was given for the sins of the whole world. 1Jn.2:2 and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. Much room to accommodate others. They are dressed casually, not in “church” attire, not in formal clergy outfits or fancy suits. They are joyful with the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and Christ is the Head; no man is running the show as with the Nicolaitan clergy of our day, for the five-fold ministry was used as God's vessel.) I saw this and was about to ask someone there a question about what they were talking about, but all of a sudden, the scene changed again. In the final scene, I was looking at the house from the original point of origin, as in the first scene. This time the house was a total wreck. It seems as if I was transported many years later, and no one was there to take care of the house. There was something different about the house this time. Other than the faded brownish-green yard, the scuffed-up ruined walkway, (the walkway is marred by the “walk” of unclean people) the broken windows, (eyes that cannot see), the dining room table (that was once so beautiful) now a wreck, warped, broken; (Their table is unfit to eat from. Psa.69:22 Let their table before them become a snare; And when they are in peace, [let it become] a trap. 23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see; And make their loins continually to shake. 24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, And let the fierceness of thine anger overtake them. 25 Let their habitation be desolate; Let none dwell in their tents. 26 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; And they tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded. 27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity; And let them not come into thy righteousness. 28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous. Their table is the typical apostate church-service format: a few songs, announcements, offering, sermon; week after week.) the shingles were flapping in the wind and missing here and there; there was the sign out front. I looked at it, and nearly all of the white paint was gone and all that was there was bare wood. (Holiness and purity are gone; bare wood: 2Ti.2:20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor.) Instead of reading, “WELCOME ALL YE BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST,” it read “WELCOME ALL YE CLERGY AND LAITY”. (The kingdom of God usurped by the NICO-“LAITAN” clergy system of hired professional preachers that God says He hates (Rev. 2:7,15). This is a priestly order between the people (laity) and God that Catholicism and later protestants adopted from the Pharisees.) As soon as I read this, my eyes were opened. This house once belonged to one group of people, and that group of people abandoned the house. (Because it was corrupted.) Now the house belonged to another group of people. (The sheep have left the folds of men, the apostate leaders usurped the house just as they did in Jesus' day.) I was thinking all of this in my head when I heard someone say, “This is the house they, (the first church), met in”. (Falsely proclaiming themselves to be the inheritors of the original faith.) I looked up and saw no one, but instead I saw many other signs around the house to try and cover up the broken windows. (Denominationalism dividing up the house, causing more blindness.) Some repair was made to the shingles, but the grass and the walkway remained the same. Also, it seemed as if the sky, once sunny and clear, was now darkened slightly by overcast clouds. (The church world attempts to substitute its patches of programs, money, entertainment, erroneous teachings like the pre-trib rapture, legalistic tithing, “once saved, always saved”, etc., and so the SON was obscured.) A person came up to me from behind and had a sketch pad and a pencil in his hand. He had asked me to sketch out what the original house looked like when I was there. For some strange reason, an artistic ability came over me and I was able to sketch out the house with precise detail, using just a regular pencil. (In these days God is sending reformers who are giving the revelation of what the original house looked like to the modern church. Ezekiel was a type of the Man-child who was caught up to the throne of God. He was commanded to show the original house to the house. Eze 43:10 Thou, son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. 11 And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, make known unto them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the egresses thereof (What is leaving the house), and the entrances (What it is to enter the house) thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof; and write it in their sight; that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them. 12 This is the law of the house: upon the top of the mountain  (Mount Zion, the Bride) the whole limit (limits of conformity to the Bride) thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house. When it came to sketching the sign, I had come to leave it blank. (It is the individual's responsibility to put his name there, to make the original church their church. Jude 3 Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints. ... Isa.30:20 And though The Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be hidden anymore, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers; 21 and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.) Why, I don't know, but I then began to sketch out a little girl standing next to and leaning on the sign. (Reformers are giving the revelation of the innocent, young, primitive Church to the modern church.) Once I was done, I was going to go back to the sign and fill in the letters “WELCOME ALL YE BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST”. My pencil broke, and something compelled me to put it down and look at the sign once more. I lowered the sketch pad, lifted my eyes and behold, the old house was in worse shape than ever before. (Jesus gave the revelation of the true house and they killed Him for they were unregenerate. All will not be welcome in the original house, only those who come out from among them. Rev.18:2 And he cried with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For by the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations are fallen; and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth waxed rich by the power of her wantonness. This time, the sky was almost dark, and a haunting feeling rushed over me as if this were a haunted house. (The great falling away in tribulation of the demon-haunted house of death. Fallen, fallen is Babylon…) There was a mighty wind blowing that seemed to knock me off my feet (tribulation). This time, the house was showing some of the walls busted out, with the studs showing in some places. The grass was no longer there. There was nothing but dirt. (The house of fleshly corruption.) The walkway was torn to bits. There was hardly any trace of it. (“The Way” has been corrupted.) The signs in the windows that the second group had put up were all busted, revealing once again the broken windows. (The denominations joining together as the one-world harlot) The dining room had no table this time for it had deteriorated due to termites or something. (Table of corrupt spiritual food.) The roof was caved in on one side. Overall, the house had been deserted for some time, even after the second group left. I looked at the sign out front. This time the words “WELCOME ALL YE CLERGY AND LAITY” were scratched out to the point you could not even read them. Underneath this was written in big bold letters, in what looked like human blood dripping from them: “TOO LATE”. (Rev.18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.) Those who do not forsake the corrupt house will be ruled by the wolves and will be reprobated and condemned to be destroyed by the beast of the world. Rev.17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her utterly with fire. 17 For God did put in their hearts to do his mind, and to come to one mind, and to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.) I looked at my sketch to see what was going on. The sketch looked like the house I was looking at right now; something had caused my original sketch of the original house to change to what my eyes were seeing before me now. (Given the truth, they turned it into a lie.) I saw the little girl standing next to the sign. The sign read “TOO LATE” in the sketch as well. The little girl's eyes had been darkened out. They were so dark. (Instead of the innocent girl of the primitive Church, there's an immature girl full of hate. 1Jn.2:11 But he that hateth his brother is in the darkness, and walketh in the darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes.) I looked into those eyes and then heard a beastly, deep roar coming from in the midst. I looked up to see what it was and then I woke up... (The source of her hatred is the Satan-ruled beast that has invaded her. Mat.23:38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. But the saints shall say, “Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh”.)

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Acts - Chapters 16 and 17.

Motivated by Greed (vv. 3-4; cf. Isaiah 14:12-14)Promising Freedom (vv. 2-3, 5; cf. Genesis 3:1-6; 6:5-6; Judges 17:6; 21:25)Denying Reality (vv. 1, 3, 6-10)Discussion StartersMonday—What are false prophets/teachers? Why do you think Peter feels the need to warn us that they will be around until the end?Tuesday—How was Satan motivated by greed? (Isaiah 14:12-14) What are some different things that we can be greedy for? Which do you struggle with?Wednesday—What do false teacher promise freedom from? Do they ever deliver that freedom? Why not? Are you ever tempted to think freedom means fighting God's commands?Thursday—What does it mean to deny reality? How did those in Sodom and Gomorrah do it? How can we be tempted to deny reality?Friday—How are these acts of judgment (and deliverance) from history meant to comfort you? How do they help you see the future (and prepare for it)?

Hey there! Ready to add some flavor to your day? In this episode of 'Relish,' Rowan Miller and Don Patterson delve into some mind-boggling Old Testament tales that'll leave you scratching your head and pondering life's deeper questions. Ever wonder why God almost killed Moses for not circumcising his son? Or the intriguing story behind Lot's wife and her infamous glance back at Sodom and Gomorrah? We've got you covered! Join us for a laid-back discussion full of laughter, insights, and the kind of storytelling that might just spice up your outlook on some of these classic biblical narratives. Don't miss it!   Do you have questions for Pastor Don?  send them to tmadask@gmail.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbkAVsuqU5_zWnmGca-OYaw/videos Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RELISH319 Apologetics, Theology, Kalona, Wellman, Washington, Kalona Mennonite Church, West Chester Community Church, Jesus, Christianity, Christian, Church, Best New Christian Videos, Podcast, Relish 

Arcana Coelestia 7443. And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, upon which My people stands, that no noisome fly be there. That this signifies that they shall not be able to infest by falsities of malevolence those who are in the spiritual church, although they are near them, is evident from the signification of “severing,” as being to separate so that there is no communication; from the signification of “day,” as being state (see n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850), and therefore “to sever in that day” denotes to separate in that state; from the signification of “the land of Goshen,” as being the midst or inmost in the natural (n. 5910, 6028, 6031, 6068), and as the sons of Israel were in Goshen, as being also the church (n. 6649); from the representation of the sons of Israel who are here the “people of Jehovah,” as being those who are of the spiritual church (see above, n. 7439); and from the signification of the “noisome fly,” as being the falsity of malevolence (n. 7441). Thus “no noisome fly being there,” denotes that they could not flow in, consequently could not infest by means of these falsities. That they could not infest by means of these falsities, is because these falsities are falsities from the evils in the outermost parts of the natural mind, that is, in the sensuous, from which sensuous, thus from the falsities therein, they who are in good and truth can be elevated (according to what was said just above, n. 7442); and when they are being elevated, they are then also separated from those who are in falsities there. 7449. The land was destroyed from before the noisome fly. That by this is signified that the natural mind was corrupted in respect to all truth, is evident from the signification of “being destroyed,” as being to be corrupted; from the signification of “the land of Egypt,” as being the natural mind (see n. 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301); and from the signification of “the noisome fly,” as being the falsity of malevolence (n. 7441). It is said that it was corrupted in respect to all truth, because truth is wholly corrupted by means of falsity from evil. [2] It was from this signification that the Lord commanded His disciples to shake off the dust of their feet if they were not received, as in Matthew: Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city (Matthew 10:14-15; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5; 10:10-12); by the “disciples” here are not meant disciples, but all things of the church, thus all things of faith and charity (n. 2089, 2129, 2130, 3354, 3858, 3913, 6397); by “not receiving, and not hearing,” is signified to reject the truths of faith and the goods of charity; and by “shaking off the dust of the feet,” damnation. That “it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city,” is because by “Sodom and Gomorrah” are meant those who are in evil of life, but who have known nothing of the Lord and the Word, and thus could not receive. From this it can be seen that there is not meant a house or city which would not receive the disciples, but those who are within the church and do not live the life of faith. Everyone can see that a whole city could not be damned because they did not receive the disciples and at once acknowledge the new doctrine which they preached. Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Todaywe're looking at Luke 18:1-8. Jesus is teaching a lesson on how men oughtalways to pray and not to faint. We are to pray without ceasing, and here Jesusgives us a story of contrast. There is a widow who has no standing with thecourt, going to an unjust judge, asking to be avenged of her adversary. In ourfirst lesson, I said this widow is like us in some ways, but that's beforewe're saved. We have no standing with God; we are lost, hopelessly andhelplessly lost.  Butthe contrast begins when we realize what Jesus says at the end of this story: "Shallnot our Father in heaven, shall not our God avenge his own elect who cry untohim day and night?" He closes by saying, "Yes, he'll avengethem speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he really findfaith on earth?" Eventhough this widow is lost and helpless and can't find help unless she bribessomeone, which she has no money to do, the judge avenges her because she'sdriving him crazy with her screaming and yelling, "Help, help, help!"Jesus is basically saying to us, "Hey, you're not like that widow anylonger. You're a child of God, you are in the family of God, you have thepromises of God in the Bible."  Godis a great and awesome God; He loves His children, protects His children, andcares for His children. In Romans 8, we can call Him Abba, Father, dearprecious Father. We can sit in His lap; He longs for us to come into Hispresence. “If God spared not His own Son, how much more freely through Himshall He give us all things” (Romans 8:32). The unjust judge did it becausehe got weary of this woman crying to him. God is teaching us to pray withoutceasing, but remember, you have a Father who is ready, willing, able, andpowerful to answer your prayers. ThenJesus closes this passage asking the question, "Shall He find faithwhen He comes?" In Luke 17, we see the story of Noah and the ark,where only eight people were saved. The gospel was preached, the message ofhope was preached for hundreds of years, and no one responded by faith to trustNoah's message and escape the judgment of God. Remember at Sodom and Gomorrah,only four people were saved from that destruction.  Jesusis saying, "Shall the Son of Man, when He comes, find faith on theearth?" According to 2 Timothy 3:1-7, in the last days, it will beperilous times, evil, terrible times. People will be blasphemers, haters ofGod, and haters of Christians. It's not going to get better, my friend; it'sprobably going to get worse before Jesus comes again.  ButHe's reminding us we have a heavenly Father. You don't need to bribe Him. He'sa God that doesn't have to be bribed; He has a willing heart. The Bible says “ifwe ask anything according to His will, we know that He hears us, and we canhave this confidence that whatever we ask of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).  He will give it to us if it's according to Hiswill. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires ofyour heart” (Psalm 37:4). Jesusis teaching us to pray in this passage with faith, believing we have a loving,kind, providing heavenly Father, Who, when we come to Him, will meet every needwe have. What an awesome God we have! Come to Him today in faith, believing. Weare not like the widow with no standing. Through Jesus Christ, we have fullaccess, and He is also our intercessor, making intercession for us (Hebrews7:25). We have the Holy Spirit making intercession according to the mind andwill of God (Romans 8:26-27).  Thereis no reason we should not be crying out to our Heavenly Father day and night,"Oh God, we need help in this evil, wicked, cruel world. We need yourprotection, your grace, your strength." We can do that today.  Let'sbe encouraged to pray always and not to quit. Our Heavenly Father is waitingfor us to come to Him! Godbless!

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Acts, - Chapters 14 and 15.

Gods many; Ruling judges; Which god do you worship (serve)?; Two "worlds"; Constitutions; Legal systems; Governing ourselves; "Shechem"; Circumcision?; Living God's way; Nimrod the hunter?; "Leaven"; Making the word of God to none effect; Baptism?; The Temple Laver; Hyrcanus and Aristobulus; Death of Zachariah; Sacrificing; Gen 17:4; Antisemitism?; Sons of Shem; Melchizedek; Good sons; Following Abraham; Corban?; Agreement with Egypt; Becoming Israel; Gen 18:1; "plains" of Mamre; 3 men?; nun-tzdek-biet+yod+mem (stood by); Divine spark; Referencing spirit; Where is Holy Spirit leading you?; Learning the Tree of Life; "Elder"; Church jobs; Hunters and Shepherds; Reading the bible; Testing forgiveness; Entertaining angels; Understanding societal relationships; v9 Sarah; Bible translators; Robbing Christ's Church; Sarah's denial; Fear not!; Lacking faith; Cry of Sodom and Gomorrah; Bargaining for Sodom; LORD and Lord; Today's politics; Seeing divine spark; Blessing from Shem; Abraham's case; Sin of Sodom; Aleph-lamad-vav; Plains and Oaks?; Walking in Spirit and Truth; The sin of Sodom; Weakening the poor; Long, fat breadlines; The need for challenge; Giving life; "Mamre" mem-mem-resh-aleph; Rebellion?; Understanding Abraham; Church of Constantine in Milan - ordered baptism; Blood money; Mixing iron and clay; Anti-Christian ministers; Welfare snares; Legal charity; Willful ignorance; "Mara" mem-resh-aleph - not spirit and truth; Beyond rebellion; Covetousness; Consequences; Job 39:18; Job 39:9; Revealing required corruption; Unicorn; Instant Christians; Zeph 3:1; Revealed lies; Becoming merchandise; False freedom; Opening eyes; Who is your savoir?; Sour grapes; The Harlot; Sloth; Gather and care for one another.

What if an ordinary day, a simple act of kindness, brought you face-to-face with the Divine? Genesis 18 thrusts Abraham into such a moment. Mysterious visitors arrive, YHWH's promise of a son defies human biology, and Sarah laughs at what she believes must be impossible. But then, the conversation shifts. The strangers are from God—even the preincarnate Son of God Himself accompanied by two angels—and God reveals impending judgment against Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham, in astonishing boldness, begins to intercede. How close can humanity draw to God? Can we truly plead for mercy against divine justice? Is anything too hard for the Lord, and how does He respond when we dare to ask?  The Rev. Robert Smith, pastor emeritus in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Genesis 18.   Genesis isn't just the start of the Bible; it's the foundation of everything. Creation, sin, judgment, grace, covenant, and promise all take root in this remarkable book. The stories are ancient, but their truths are eternal. In this new series from Thy Strong Word, Pastor Phil Booe and his guests walk verse by verse through Genesis, exploring how God reveals Himself as Creator, Judge, and Redeemer. From the grandeur of the cosmos to the struggles of ordinary families, Genesis introduces us to a God who speaks, acts, and keeps His promises. So, whether you've read it a hundred times or are just now cracking it open for a serious look, this series will help you see Genesis with fresh eyes—and a deeper faith. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Thursday, 8 May 2025   And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Matthew 10:1   “And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority – unclean spirits, so to eject them, and to cure every disease and every malady” (CG).   In the previous verse, Chapter 9 finished with Jesus telling the disciples to beg the Lord of the reaping to eject toilers into the reaping. Chapter 10 now begins with the words, “And having summoned His twelve disciples.”   This thought contains a new word, proskaleó. It signifies to call toward oneself, and thus to summon. Matthew completely omits the appointment of the twelve apostles in his gospel narrative. They were already appointed by this time, according to Mark 3:14 and Luke 6:13. In fact, instead of calling them apostles here, he calls them twelve disciples.   It won't be until the next verse that he will call them the twelve apostles. Despite that, Matthew designating them as the twelve indicates that they had already been selected out of all of the disciples as the twelve preeminent ones.   This calling is in response to the final verses of Chapter 9. People were coming with every sickness and disease. Jesus looked at the multitudes and had compassion. These masses before Him would be but a small portion of the people who needed such help spread throughout Israel.   Jesus, therefore, is beginning the expansion of the ministry by calling these twelve. As such, the narrative continues with, “He gave them authority.”   The word signifies authority, such as having jurisdiction to accomplish duties or appointed tasks. Thus, it is power, not in the sense of physical might, but power to wield influence, weight, etc. The Greek word is derived from a verb indicating to do what is lawful or permitted. This authority that Jesus is giving them is for “unclean spirits, so to eject them.”   To this point, only Jesus is recorded as having ejected demons. That right and authority will now be given to them. This will increase the ministry in a great measure. These men had learned how to conduct themselves by spending time with their Master. They are sufficiently prepared to meet the tasks before them because of this.   However, there is a specific incident recorded later where they will not be able to eject a demon. Jesus will rebuke them for this and set them straight on the matter. That is coming in Matthew 17:14-21. Despite this, they will have the appropriate authority to do what is necessary in this regard, “and to cure every disease and every malady.”   Not only did they have the full authority to eject demons, but they were also given the authority to tend to people's physical ailments as well. Again, to this point, only Jesus has accomplished these things. The ministry will now greatly expand because of this delegation.   Life application: In the analysis of this verse by the Pulpit Commentary, they make at least two blunders in their review. One thing they say is that the twelve were “To be heads of the tribes of the new Israel.” The statement has no meaning. There is one Israel, not an old and new.   Israel is a people group descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was renamed Israel and became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus explains the matter later, saying, “So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28).   He is speaking there of these same twelve tribes, meaning the real descendants of Israel. Again, this is confirmed by the apostles' final question to Jesus before He ascended, along with His response –   “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' 7 And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.'” Acts 1:6, 7   It was perfectly understood by these men that the kingdom promised to Israel was coming. They wanted to know the details. Jesus instead told them to get about the business of establishing the church, a completely different entity. Paul's words in Romans 9-11 clearly refer to this as well.   A second stunningly ridiculous statement made by them says, “Observe that nothing is said of their receiving authority to convert. This God himself keeps.” This is standard Calvinist thinking that blinds people to the plain sense of words elsewhere in the Bible. In fact, this statement is refuted in this same Chapter –   “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 12 And when you go into a household, greet it. 13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” Matthew 10:11-15   This was the point of sending these men out, meaning to obtain converts. The miracles of ejecting demons and healing people were to be a sign to them to believe and accept that Jesus was their promised Messiah.   The point being made is that just because you are reading a commentary, you should take the time to think through what is said. Be ready to dismiss things that do not line up with Scripture. However, you cannot do this unless you know Scripture. Be sure to read your Bible!   O God, help us to be responsible with our time, reading Your word, contemplating it, studying it carefully, and applying it to our daily lives. Without it, we are at the mercy of men who may or may not be explaining it properly. May this never be the case. Help us in this, O God. Amen.

Sodom & Gomorrah - Rough Stuff These gents are back! Their debut release "Bells Of Awakening" was a very melodic and catchy track. And they do it again, but then on steroids! -- Yellow Fever Records is proud to present our latest sampler featuring six refreshing bangers. With this sampler, we're bringing you the freshest and most exciting sounds in jump music today. From ethereal melodies to driving basslines, these tracks showcase the diversity and innovation of the jump music scene. With this release, Yellow Fever continues our commitment to supporting harddance artists and pushing the boundaries of the jump genre. Whether you're a die-hard fan of electronic music or a newcomer to the scene, this sampler is sure to satisfy your craving for cutting-edge beats and melodies.

32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to save his life will loseit, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  Luke17:30-36 describes what will occur when Jesus Christ returns in judgment todefeat His enemies and establish His kingdom on earth (Rev. 19:11-20:6).Believers in every age of the church can take warning from these verses, butthey apply in a special way to Israel at the end of the age (see Matt.24:29-44). When Jesus comes for His church and takes it to heaven, it willhappen "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor.15:52). Nobody taking part in the rapture of the church need worry about beingon a housetop or in a field and wanting to get something out of the house!However, when the Lord returns to the earth, His coming will first be precededby a "sign" in heaven (Matt. 24:30-31), and some people might try tohurry home to rescue something. "Remember Lot's wife!" Theverb taken in Luke 17:34-36 does not mean "taken to heaven" but"taken away in judgment" (Matt. 24:36-41). The person"left" is a believer who enters into the kingdom. Noah and his familywere "left" to enjoy a new beginning, while the whole population ofthe earth was "taken" in the Flood. In spite of their sins, Lot andhis daughters were "left" while the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were"taken" when the fire and brimstone destroyed the cities. Thefact that it is night in Luke 17:34 but day in Luke 17:35-36 indicates that thewhole world will be involved in the return of Jesus Christ in glory. "Behold,He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him" (Rev. 1:7). Threetimes the disciples had heard Jesus talk about people being "taken"and "left," so they asked Him a most logical question: "Where,Lord?" Our Lord's reply has the sound of a familiar proverb: "Justas the eagles [and vultures, Matt. 24:28] gather at a corpse, so the lost willbe gathered together for judgment." The description of the last battlein Revelation 19:17-21 certainly parallels the image of carrion-eating birdsgorging themselves on flesh. Inother words, when the Lord Jesus returns to judge His enemies, there will be aseparation of the saved and the lost. Whether it be day or night, whetherpeople are working or sleeping, the separation and judgment will come. Thosewho are saved will be left to enter the glorious kingdom, while those who arelost will be taken away in judgment. Eventhough the primary interpretation of these verses is for Israel in the endtimes, they do emphasize for the church the importance of being ready whenJesus returns. We must not be like Lot's wife whose heart was so in Sodom thatshe looked back in spite of the angels' warning (Gen. 19:17, 26). There aremany professed Christians today whose plans would be interrupted if Jesusreturned! (note 1 Thes. 5:1-11) Our Lord's warning in Luke 17:33 findsparallels in Matthew 10:39; Luke 9:24; and John 12:25, and is a fundamentalprinciple of the Christian life. The only way to save your life is to lose itfor the sake of Christ and the Gospel. Jesuspictured civilization as a "rotting corpse" that would one day beripe for judgment. The discerning believer sees evidence of this on every handand realizes that the "days of Noah" and the "days of Lot"are soon on us. Our Lord can return for His church at any time, so we are notlooking for signs; but we do know that "coming events cast their shadowsbefore." As we see many of these things begin to come to pass (Luke21:28), we know that His return is nearing. Arewe looking for His return, and do we really want to see Him come? Remember, Lot'swife, and don't look back but be looking up! Godbless.

26 Andas it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son ofMan: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage,until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed themall. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, theybought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot wentout of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. InLuke 17, Jesus, on His way to Jerusalem, has been especially teaching Hisdisciples about forgiveness (vv. 1-6), faithfulness (vv. 7-10), and thankfulness(vv. 11-19). In verse 20, the Pharisees brought up the subject of the coming ofthe “Kingdom of God”, referring to the time when the Messiah would set up Hiskingdom on earth. Jesus reminded them to quit looking for a physical, political,and material kingdom and to look for a spiritual one (v. 21).Thenin Luke 17:22-30, Jesus turns and speaks to His disciples about His return, theday of the Son of Man. Today, this passage challenges us to live withreadiness, not distracted by the world's noise or lulled into complacency.Jesus uses vivid Old Testament examples to show how sudden and certain Hiscoming will be, urging us to stay faithful and alert.Jesus warnsHis disciples that a time will come when they'll long for His presence, but itwon't be as they expect. False voices will cry out, “He's here! He's there!”but Jesus says not to chase them. His return will be unmistakable, likelightning flashing across the sky. It will be sudden, visible to all, andimpossible to miss (Read Revelation 1:7; and 19:11-16). Yet, before that day,He must suffer and be rejected, a reminder that the path to glory goes throughthe cross (v. 25).Todrive home the urgency, Jesus points to two Old Testament events: the days ofNoah and the days of Lot. In both, people were consumed with everydaylife—eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, building. There's nothingwrong with these activities, but the problem was their focus. They were sowrapped up in the ordinary that they ignored the warnings of coming judgment. BothNoah and Lot lived in days of religious compromise and moral declension, notunlike our present time. During "the days of Noah," population growthwas significant (Gen. 6:1), lawlessness was on the increase (Gen. 6:5), and theearth was given over to violence (Gen. 6:11, 13). In Lot's day, the unnaturallusts of Sodom and Gomorrah were so abhorrent to God that He completelydestroyed the cities. Only Lot, two of his daughters, and his wife (who laterwas destroyed) were saved from the terrible judgment.Jesussays it will be the same when He returns. The world will be caught off guard,living as if life will go on forever. But for those who follow Him, the call isclear: stay awake, stay faithful, and don't get lulled into spiritual sleep.This isn't about obsessing over dates or signs but about living each day withpurpose, doing God's work, and keeping our hearts fixed on Him. The suddennessof His coming isn't meant to scare us but to spur us to live differently. To beready, expectant, and aligned with His kingdom.So,here's the challenge for us this week: Live ready. Take a moment each morningto ask yourself, “If Jesus returned today, would I be found displaying thereality of Jesus Christ in my life. Living a life of forgiveness, faithfulness,and thankfulness because of my faith and love for the Lord?”  Today, identify one area where you're temptedto drift into complacency—maybe it's neglecting prayer, chasing distractions,or ignoring a call to serve. Commit to one intentional action to counter thatdrift.  Maythe Lord help us to be prepared for His coming living with eternity in view andnot be caught off guard like the world was in Noah's or Lot's day. Will you be readywhen He comes?

Isaiah 1:1–20 (Listen) 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. The Wickedness of Judah 2   Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;    for the LORD has spoken:  “Children1 have I reared and brought up,    but they have rebelled against me.3   The ox knows its owner,    and the donkey its master's crib,  but Israel does not know,    my people do not understand.” 4   Ah, sinful nation,    a people laden with iniquity,  offspring of evildoers,    children who deal corruptly!  They have forsaken the LORD,    they have despised the Holy One of Israel,    they are utterly estranged. 5   Why will you still be struck down?    Why will you continue to rebel?  The whole head is sick,    and the whole heart faint.6   From the sole of the foot even to the head,    there is no soundness in it,  but bruises and sores    and raw wounds;  they are not pressed out or bound up    or softened with oil. 7   Your country lies desolate;    your cities are burned with fire;  in your very presence    foreigners devour your land;    it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.8   And the daughter of Zion is left    like a booth in a vineyard,  like a lodge in a cucumber field,    like a besieged city. 9   If the LORD of hosts    had not left us a few survivors,  we should have been like Sodom,    and become like Gomorrah. 10   Hear the word of the LORD,    you rulers of Sodom!  Give ear to the teaching2 of our God,    you people of Gomorrah!11   “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?    says the LORD;  I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams    and the fat of well-fed beasts;  I do not delight in the blood of bulls,    or of lambs, or of goats. 12   “When you come to appear before me,    who has required of you    this trampling of my courts?13   Bring no more vain offerings;    incense is an abomination to me.  New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—    I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.14   Your new moons and your appointed feasts

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Acts, - Chapters 12 and 13.

In this episode, we're wrapping up our Genesis Takeaway series with a powerful reflection on the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. At first glance, it's a story of judgment, but when we slow down and look deeper, it reveals profound lessons about hesitation, obedience, and trust.Are you struggling to move forward in faith? Do you find yourself looking back at what's familiar, even when you know God is calling you into something new? Today, we're diving into the dangers of hesitation, the cost of looking back, and the temptation to stop short of God's best.Join me as we explore how these lessons apply to our daily lives and what it truly means to trust God's call forward—without hesitation. Plus, I'll share a personal story about my own struggle with letting go and stepping into freedom.Don't miss this episode—it just might be the encouragement you need to take your next bold step of faith!Ready to change your marriage without the exhausting work of trying to control your husband? Sign up for my FREE mini-course, The 4 Things You Must Do To Become The Happiest Wife. Discover ways to work with me at www.myhappyvault.comQuestions? Email Jill directly at Jill@thehappiestlives.com

https://www.modernrootslife.com/jtfollowsjc In this engaging livestream, JT discusses his recent explorations of historical sites in Florida, including the Henry Flagler Museum, while also teasing upcoming collaborations with notable guests. The conversation flows into community engagement, addressing viewer questions and thoughts on various topics, including architecture, spirituality, and the importance of unity within the community. The session culminates in a discussion with Paul from Understanding Conspiracy, where they delve into deeper themes surrounding historical narratives and community connections. In this conversation, the speakers discuss the importance of community and local meetups for those interested in conspiracy theories. They share personal experiences exploring historical sites and emphasize the value of fellowship in understanding and navigating beliefs within the conspiracy community. The discussion also touches on the challenges of staying diverse in topics, the role of faith in these discussions, and the need to integrate knowledge into daily life while living with purpose in the current 'little season.' In this conversation, the speakers delve into the complexities of biblical narratives, particularly the Book of Judges, and draw parallels with other stories such as Sodom and Gomorrah. They explore the nature of good and evil, the role of spiritual warfare in contemporary society, and the implications of modern technology on prophetic interpretations. The discussion also touches on the influence of figures like Albert Pike and the shifting ideologies among younger generations, emphasizing a resurgence of traditional values amidst societal chaos. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the challenges faced by younger generations regarding economic disparity, shifting political ideologies, and the impact of AI on employment. They discuss how the current societal landscape is shaping the attitudes of the youth, leading to a more conservative approach to wealth and work. The conversation also touches on the dangers of abundance and dependency on technology, emphasizing the need for purpose and community in an increasingly automated world. Finally, they explore the potential future of humanity amidst these changes, advocating for proactive discussions about societal issues.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jt-s-mix-tape--6579902/support.

The boys got together to take a look at the first 100 days of Trump's presidency. We talk about inept bumbling, cruelty, misery, war, and how it's still not fascism. Jacobin: This Is America by Daniel Bessner The Nation: The New McCarthyism Was Started by Liberals by Jeet HeerSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

In the depths of the city of angels, where devilish sinners prance, There live two drag queens, luring innocent souls to Gomorrah with their twisted dance. With rainbow flags flying, amidst the woke chaos no one can hear, The cries of good 'ol Americans drowning their sorrows in watery domestic beer. But down in the South, where mint juleps flow like water and the bayou air is pure, The laws of the Crawdad and the Bible are the only cure. So put down that wig, makeup, and butt-plug, and travel with us to where cornfields sway, Escape the madness of the big city of L.A., and order a bowl of Crawfish Étouffée. Need a website or domain? Check Out Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you're ready to launch, head to: https://www.Squarespace.com/BALD to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain! Hims can help you find the ED option that's best for you! Start your free online visit today at https://Hims.com/BALD Now is the time to join the Naked Wines community! Head to https://NakedWines.com/BALD, click ‘Enter Voucher' and put in our code BALD for both the code AND password for 6 bottles of wine for JUST $39.99 with shipping included!  That's $100 off your first six bottles! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://BetterHelp.com/BALD and get on your way to being your best self! Follow Trixie: @TrixieMattel Follow Katya: @Katya_Zamo To watch the podcast on YouTube: http://bit.ly/TrixieKatyaYT To check out our official YouTube Clips Channel: https://bit.ly/TrixieAndKatyaClipsYT Don't forget to follow the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: https://bit.ly/thebaldandthebeautifulpodcast If you want to support the show, and get all the episodes ad-free go to: https://thebaldandthebeautiful.supercast.com If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be amazing! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: https://bit.ly/thebaldandthebeautifulpodcast To check out future Live Podcast Shows, go to: https://trixieandkatyalive.com To order your copy of our book, "Working Girls", go to: https://workinggirlsbook.com To check out the Trixie Motel in Palm Springs, CA: https://www.trixiemotel.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sink or Walk on Water? Part Two In Walking on Water Part One, we looked at the following account of Yeshua walking on water: But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God's Son!” (Mt 14:24-33) Last week, we found one answer as to why Yeshua walked on water. We'll look at some other answers next week, but our second question was, “Why was Peter afraid of the wind?” Hadn't the wind been blowing just as fearfully up until then? He didn't think about that before he crawled out of the boat? Knowing what Peter knew about the dangerous time of the morning watch, the last watch of the night, we can venture an educated guess. To know what Peter knew, we refer to the Torah: “When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city. But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.'” (Ge 19:15-16) The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the LORD; and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace. (Ge 19:24-28) Yeshua came to rescue the disciples from the windstorm in the last watch of the night [in Roman calculation, the fourth watch; in Hebrew calculation, the third watch]. From the texts above, we can see that the last watch of the night before the dawn is a dangerous time. Especially back then, who could know the precise moment when the sun would break the horizon, ending the last watch and beginning the timeframe of morning? When the morning dawned, destruction could begin, rescue could end, or righteousness could view the destruction from afar, or “the place where he stood before the LORD.” In this account of Genesis Nineteen, Peter could see the traditional explanation of the destination of three groups of people: the righteous (Abraham), the lukewarm (Lot and his wife and daughters), and the wicked (the cities of Sodom). Yeshua reminds the Laodiceans in Revelation of the danger of remaining in the category of the lukewarm, who ultimately cannot stand in the same place as the righteous in the Kingdom. It doesn't mean they are not rescued, but it does mean they are not in good “standing” relative to the righteous. At the crossing of the Reed Sea, Peter has this reference for destruction following the last watch of the night: So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak,

Pastor Dave Gargano's sermon focuses on the story of Lot and Sodom from Genesis, emphasizing the gravity of sin and the importance of heeding God's warnings. He illustrates how Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt for looking back at her past, symbolizing the dangers of allowing one's past to hinder spiritual progress. Pastor Dave warns that negotiation with God, disobedience, and lingering in sin can lead to dire consequences. He encourages the congregation to move forward in faith, leaving behind past transgressions and embracing God's mercy and righteousness.Genesis 19:1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”9 And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! 13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”18 Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! 19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”21 And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Pastor Dave Gargano's sermon focuses on the story of Lot and Sodom from Genesis, emphasizing the gravity of sin and the importance of heeding God's warnings. He illustrates how Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt for looking back at her past, symbolizing the dangers of allowing one's past to hinder spiritual progress. Pastor Dave warns that negotiation with God, disobedience, and lingering in sin can lead to dire consequences. He encourages the congregation to move forward in faith, leaving behind past transgressions and embracing God's mercy and righteousness.Genesis 19:1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”9 And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! 13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”18 Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! 19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”21 And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

On Sunday morning, our sermon series in Genesis continued in chapter 19 with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. While the story abounds with wickedness, there are lots of gospel reminders within. Believers, don't look to the world for satisfaction, look to Christ. We hope this message blesses you in the Lord. Originally April 27th, 2025. Hank Atchison.Covenant Church. Tuscaloosa, AL.

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Acts, - Chapters 10 and 11.

In this episode of the Strength and Weakness podcast, Davion and Guy begin an honest and empathetic discussion around the controversial "clobber passages"—six key scriptures often cited in debates over homosexuality and Christian faith.They open by addressing Genesis 19 and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, asking: Was the city's destruction really about homosexuality, or was there more to it? Together, they explore the context, cultural implications, and modern interpretations that continue to divide churches and shape theology today.Also: Guy announces the release of his upcoming book and documentary, "Following Jesus in an LGBTQ+ World," featuring both hosts!Subscribe and join us next week as we break down the remaining five passages in Leviticus, Romans, Corinthians, and more.

Abraham's plea for Sodom and Gomorrah teaches us powerful lessons about God's justice and mercy. As Dr. John unpacks this passage, we see how Abraham's bargaining reveals God's heart for the righteous and His determination to treat them differently from the wicked. Through this prayer, we learn how to intercede for the nations, understanding God's mind and praying with passion for His people.Confident Faith: In this 4-week series on Genesis 18-25, Dr. John Neufeld looks at the life of Abraham and unpacks the topic of faith. How is faith formed? How does faith mature? And how can faith help us trust in what God has promised, even though we can't see it yet?

Genesis 19:27-29God Destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Welcome to Day 2616 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom – Theology Thursday – “When Angels Do Time” –  I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible. Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2616 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2616 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Today is the 53rd lesson in our segment, Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not To Bore Me With The Bible written by Hebrew Bible scholar and professor the late Dr. Michael S Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God's redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it's also a book that seems strange to us. While God's Word was written for us, it wasn't written to us. Today's lesson is: “When Angels Do Time.” Most Bible study resources describe fallen angels as demons who joined Lucifer in his rebellion against God. But what if I told you that the only place in the New Testament that describes angels sinning does not call them demons, has no connection to Lucifer, and has them in jail? Welcome to the world of 2 Peter and Jude. 2 Peter 2:4: “For ... God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.” Jude 6: “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.” Second Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 are nearly identical in their description of angels doing time, but there are differences that help us figure out “what in the spiritual world is going on.” Jude 6 defines what 2 Peter 2:4 means by the angelic sin. These sinning angels “left their proper dwelling.” Second Peter doesn't say they were in cahoots with Satan, or that they did anything in Eden. It tells us they left their designated realm of existence and did something in another realm. But what did they do? Both 2 Peter and Jude compare the sin of these angels with the Sodom and Gomorrah incident, where the sin involved sexual immorality (2 Pet 2:7; Jude 7). Second Peter also connects it to the time of Noah. There is only one sin involving a group of angelic beings in the entire Bible, and it coincides with Noah and is sexual in nature. That incident is Genesis 6:1-4, where the “sons of God” leave heaven, their normal abode, and come to earth and father children (the nephilim giants) by human women. Two features in these passages in 2 Peter and Jude point to Genesis 6:1-4. First, “sons of God” is a specific phrase used elsewhere in the Old Testament of angelic beings (Job 1:6; 2:1; 3 8:7; Psa89:6; Peut 32:8 V Second, both 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 explicitly tell us that these angels are imprisoned in chains of gloomy darkness—in “hell” until judgment day. While it is true that Genesis 6:1-4 never tells us what happened to the sons of God who sinned, Jewish...

Have you ever paused to consider God's overarching plan for the world? In this episode, Dr. John reflects on God's revelation to Abraham about His judgment on the nations, specifically Sodom and Gomorrah. As Dr. John unpacks this pivotal moment, he explores how God's promise to bless all nations through Abraham still resonates today. It's a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty and His call for us to pray for the nations, that His kingdom might come.Confident Faith: In this 4-week series on Genesis 18-25, Dr. John Neufeld looks at the life of Abraham and unpacks the topic of faith. How is faith formed? How does faith mature? And how can faith help us trust in what God has promised, even though we can't see it yet?

⁠⁠Support us on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---UPDATE: The original upload had a serious mixing issue, which has now been fixed. We apologize for the inconvenience. In the winter of 1817, a caravan of half-starved Swabians crossed through miles of frozen forests to find their promised land: Ohio. In accordance with their egalitarian ethos and inspired by apocalyptic prophecy, these men and women rejected private ownership and held all things in common. This radical commune, which they called Zoar, would be the most successful intentional community in American history and one of the most enduring socialist experiments, lasting several years longer than even the Soviet Union.Gladio Free Europe's Ohio correspondent Jern (@realJernfer) returns for another stirring story of the Buckeye state. Founded by Pietist refugees from the German state of Wurttemberg, Zoar put into practice the same kinds of radical ideas discussed previously among the Anabaptists, Quakers, and Shakers. Unlike most other communes, including Robert Owen's enlightenment dream of New Harmony, Zoar was stable and prosperous. Succeeding where so many others failed, the commune held together across multiple generations and even developed an early industrial economy. It attracted the envy and admiration of many other communities, including the controversial free-love society of Oneida.Zoar saw itself as a refugee from the sinful and venal world outside, taking its name from the town that sheltered the Biblical Lot after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet the community's influence over Ohio trade and finance meant the outside world could not be kept away. Ultimately, Zoar would be a victim of its own success, as its wealthy residents decided to dissolve the commune and divvy up their belongings into private hands. Despite ultimately failing in its mission to secede from the world of material things, Zoar is an inspiring story of what it looks like to build the New Moral World. And although its founders were sectarian socialists from the Holy Roman Empire, who spoke little English and had even less interest in the broader national project, the undaunted ambition of Zoar makes this small commune a quintessential chapter of American history.

Tonya's Journey: Exploring Truth, Healing, and Hidden RealitiesIn this episode Dan sits down with Tonya in their new production studio. Tonya shares her extraordinary and harrowing journey of personal healing and discovery, revealing her past involving satanic ritual abuse, time travel, and secret government projects like Montauk. From her childhood in Northern Georgia to her experiences with military programming and Freemasonry, Tonya delves deep into her fragmented memories and the process of integrating her human spirit into her healing journey. The conversation uncovers Tonya's interactions with secret societies, the impact of religious programming, and even ventures into historical events like Sodom and Gomorrah through time travel. This episode is a profound exploration of the truth behind hidden abuses and the path to ultimate healing.Covered in this episode:Meet Tonya: A Journey with Bride MinistriesTonya's Early Life and Surface MemoriesReligious Upbringing and Early Signs of AbuseUnraveling the Past: Core Memories and Shocking DiscoveriesThe Healing Journey BeginsDiscovering Military Programming and FreemasonryMarriage and Hidden MemoriesSignificant Events and Hidden MeaningsHealing and RevelationThe Role of the Human SpiritTargeted Individuals and TechnologyMontauk and Time TravelSodom and Gomorrah Time TravelConclusion and Next StepsAnd much more

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will explore EASTER!!!!! We will also play Part 1 of my interview with KIM A. LARSON: KIM A. LARSON, a Christian author from Minnesota, joined us to discuss her book, "Unraveling Fairy Tales - Learning to Live Happily Ever After". FROM HER WEBSITE: Kim Larson writes in a variety of genres, for the youngest to the oldest of readers. Her debut picture book, Goat's Boat Won't Float, will be released in the fall of 2024. She's published a devotional-style Bible study, Unraveling Fairy Tales: Learning to Live Happily Ever After, and a dozen poems and short stories in regional anthologies. When she's not writing, you may find Kim working in her garden or playing Sequence with her husband. I grew up on a farm in Minnesota with loving parents and four younger siblings. Life in the 1960s and '70s was much simpler, and my parents let us roam freely. The hayloft, farm animals, and my goofy siblings kept me entertained. Maybe that's why I didn't enjoy reading as a child—despite what this photo depicts. Thankfully, that changed in fourth grade. My teacher, Mrs. Zimmerman, read wonderful books to the class. Two of my favorites were Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. Sensing my reluctance to read on my own, my teacher suggested I read The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler. I loved these stories so much that I imagined becoming a writer someday. That dream lay dormant for many years—until I had children. Every night I read to my two boys before bed. I also made up stories, casting Jordan and Jesse as heroes. During the daytime, I helped people's dream of homeownership come true by originating mortgage loans. When my boys were grown, it was finally time to pursue my own dream! When I'm not writing, you may find me searching my flowerbed for monarch caterpillars. (Watch one emerge from its chrysalis here!) I collect flower and vegetable seeds in the fall to plant the following spring. I'm frugal and a homebody, so strolling no farther than my garden for fresh lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes brings me joy. But nothing is more important to me than my faith, family, and friends. https://kimalarson.com

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Acts, - Chapters 6 and 7.

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Acts, - Chapters 6 and 7.

Hosts Pastor Robert Baltodano and Pastor Lloyd Pulley Question Timestamps: Michael, Facebook (2:31) - What are your thoughts on Paul Washer? What about his stance on seven point Calvinism? Diane, ID (4:43) - Why would anybody be upset that they don't get as many rewards as someone else in heaven? Melissa, YouTube (8:39) - Were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed because of sexual immorality or because of a lack of hospitality? Trinity, NJ (12:10) - How would a hermaphrodite choose which gender they are? What does the Bible say about it? Noel, NY (15:16) - Was Adam the first person in the Old Testament to receive the Holy Spirit? CJ, MS (17:12) - Is your conscience and that little tug the Holy Spirit? Spencer, VA (19:10) - Why did God set Adam up with the animals before he made the woman? Why Bethlehem, and not somewhere else like Nazareth? Jake, Facebook (25:13) - Can my girlfriend move into the same house as me, but not live in the same room? Would that be okay or would that not be good? Scott, NY (33:38) - What type of humanity did Jesus have? Was Jesus's humanity like pre-fall Adam, or like us post-fall? Gene, NJ (39:06) - What denomination was Jesus Christ? Wade, NJ (43:22) - Why are there four different descriptions of the angels at the tomb in each of the four gospels? John, NY (46:49) - Why is there a blessing for the fish, birds, and man, but there isn't a blessing for the land animals? bombay, YouTube (49:41) - How do I confront an assistant pastor who dislikes the whole youth group due to thinking they are troublemakers? Maureen, YouTube (52:54) - Who was the young man that ran away naked in Mark 11:51-52? Kristen, email (53:33) - Why did Jesus sometimes tell people not to tell people about him, but other times Jesus instructed them to tell everyone? Ask Your Question: 888-712-7434 Answers@bbtlive.org

The Geography of Wrath Part Two Before the LORD Destroyed Sodom Last week, we looked at The Geography of Wrath, a preface to this lesson on the danger of the last watch of the night. “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.” (Ge 13:10) When Lot “lifted up his eyes,” he saw prophetically. Before their destruction, the five cities of the valley enjoyed an Edenic-like climate and prosperity, yet the prophetic phrase “lifted up his eyes” predicts a restoration of that area, which sits in the Arava. Revelation predicts a great miracles of the two witnesses, which helps us to understand "Sodom and Egypt": "And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified." (Re 11:8) What Sodom and Egypt have in common is that those who were saved and set on a path of righteousness (Lot and the Israelites in the wilderness) looked back at what at enslaved them as more to be desired than the Garden of Eden, the authentic Promised Land, that lay before them if they would walk in their salvation. When the bodies of the two witnesses are caught up from Jerusalem, it is a witness to be understood as a last warning to believers who, in those last days, continue to cling to the cargoes of Babylon, who persist in begging to go "by way of Zoar to Egypt" instead of repenting and returning to the righteous walk of salvation epitomized by Avraham. The night is far spent by then. The commercial success of the five cities lured Lot in. The deception was that its fruitfulness “like the Garden” was to be desired over the fruitfulness of the stars promised to Avraham. Lot's wife preferred the deception of luxury with wickedness over the promise of good gifts from above.The Midrash concerning Sodom details how travelers were lured in, then maimed or killed and their goods confiscated. “When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.'” (Ge 19:15) The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the LORD; and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the valley, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace. (Ge 19:24-28) Before Adonai destroyed Sodom, he sent warning of the wrath to come. Lot was aware of the blessings promised to Avraham, but he was also aware of the righteous life required for such eternal blessings. Lot chose precarious salvation over a life of obedience and teaching his children after him: “For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” (Ge 18:19) Lot was troubled by the wickedness of Sodom, but not enough to forfeit living in it: “and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men…” (2 Pe 2:7) It took the wrath of Adonai to remove him, not to abundant life, but bare salvation. “Insignificance” is the meaning of the small city Zoar in which Lot requested to live, and so was his contribution to the Kingdom of Adonai compared to Avraham. Avraham viewed the valley of Sodom and saw the smoke of the cities ascending like the smo...

Jesus Is The Way - Humility To Glory (5)  (audio)  David Eells – 3/30/25  I'm going to continue with our study on Jesus is the Way – Humility to Glory and talk with you today about who and what is blessed of God and what it truly means to be blessed.   Father, in the Name of Jesus, we ask that You open our understanding. Help us, Lord, to retain the things that You say to us. We need the Holy Spirit to bring to our remembrance everything, Lord, to protect us, to guide us, and to give us wisdom in the days to come. We hold fast to that promise because we need so much, Lord, that Your Spirit will bring these things to our remembrance again. Thank You, Lord, for blessing our minds. We know that our minds were created to be much more useful than they have been under the curse. We also know that according to Galatians 3:13, Jesus bore the curse for us and, therefore, Lord, we know that You're working to restore our minds today. We thank You for that, Lord. Father, we want to understand what Jesus did for us. We want to be able to exercise faith in Your Will. And in order to know Your Will, we need to have knowledge, Lord, so we ask You to open our knowledge and give us understanding, in Jesus' Name. Thank You, Father! Praise You, God!   Now some people may be wondering, “David, what does that word ‘blessed' actually mean? What is it to be ‘blessed?'” So let's go first to Deuteronomy 28 because the first 14 verses speak of that, and we can translate these into what they mean for us in our day.   (Deu.28:1) And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God (“Hearken” there is the Hebrew shama meaning “to hear and obey.” Not just be hearers of the Word but be doers of the Word {James 1:22}.), to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day (We know that the Lord has given us commandments in our Covenant, too. We need to be diligent to study them and obey them, and we know that by faith, God's Grace gives us power to do just that.), that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth. This not talking about our physical nation where we live; this is talking about our spiritual nation. We are the nation of Israel. We who have been born again and believe in the sacrifice of Christ, according to Romans 11, have been grafted into the olive tree called “all Israel.” So we are Israel, not physical Israel, but spiritual Israel.     (Deu.28:2) And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. (3) Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. (4) Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy beasts, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock. (5) Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough. That was very important to them in those days, and this could translate into a few different things for us today, but basically, this was their livelihood and their food.    (Deu.28:6) Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. (So whether you're coming or whether you're going, meaning just about everywhere you are, you're going to be blessed.) (7) The Lord will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee… Now, we know that our enemies are both natural and spiritual, and Paul tells us this in (Eph.6:12) 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]. The Lord has promised us victory if we will “hearken” diligently unto His Voice, meaning if we will keep His commandments.     (Deu.28:7) The Lord will cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee: they shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways. In the midst of the trial, “hearken” unto the Word. Accept the good report, and the devil won't know what to do with you, and neither will your physical enemies (Numbers 13:30). Our physical enemies come against us as persecutions and a matter of crucifixion, so the best thing to do is lay down your life. Stop trying to save yourself by man's methods. Put your trust in the Lord and “hearken diligently” unto His Word.    (Deu.28:8) The Lord will command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and he will bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (9) The Lord will establish thee for a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee; if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. (10) And all the peoples of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. Wow! That certainly doesn't sound anything like Psalm 2, where we are told all the nations are going to come against God and against His people. Let's look at that.     (Psa.2:1) Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing? (2) The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, [saying,] (3) Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. And it's a far cry from what Jesus said in (Mat.24:9) Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. Instead, the Lord says the nations will fear you if you hearken unto His Voice.     (Deu.28:11) And the Lord will make thee plenteous for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee. (12) The Lord will open unto thee his good treasure the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. That's certainly contrary to what a majority of people believe about the Will of the Lord nowadays: “thou shalt not borrow.” The Lord says you'll lend, but you won't borrow, and that's part of the blessing, saints. If you hearken unto His Voice and believe what He says, He will provide your needs.     (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, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do [them,] (14) and shalt not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. “Other gods” there is the word elohim, and many, many people today choose to follow another “Jesus” of their own making.  Paul complained about that even back in his day, didn't he? (2Co.11:3) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. (4) For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, [or] if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with [him]. And if we follow after something other than the commands of God, He's not making any promises about blessing here. The blessing comes from our finding the Will of God in the Word and then walking in it through faith.    So who is it that receives the blessing of God? Let me remind you of the text we were studying last time in Matthew 5. (Mat.5:1) And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him: (2) and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying … (4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Evidently, the people who are obedient “to the Lord thy God,” who do His Will, and seek to be submissive to His commandments, are a people that mourn. Now how could that be? In what way is mourning righteous and just? The thought that comes to my mind is that the first thing we need to mourn about is our own life. As David said, “I will not be satisfied until I awake in thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15). The first thing we have to mourn about is not manifesting the Life of Christ.   James also speaks about this. (Jas.4:6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore [the scripture] saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Grace is all we need to walk with the Lord. We've learned that grace is His favor in our life; His favor makes us able. He's putting in us the desires that we need and giving us the power that we need. Grace is all we need, and God says He gives it to the humble.     (Jas.4:7) Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. (9) Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. (10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you. In whatever ways the Lord reveals to us that we're walking contrary to His commandments, that we're not hearkening unto His Voice, that we're not representing Jesus Christ to the world as true Christians, we have something to mourn about. And it should be grievous to us to not walk in His Steps because that's what it is to “abide in Christ” (1 John 2:27- 28; 2 John 1:9; etc.). It should be grievous to us to be anything contrary to the Will of God.    Of course, repentance always precedes faith. Faith alone won't overcome our own lack of repentance, and repentance is what mourning is all about. However, after we mourn what the Lord shows us about ourselves, we need to be careful not to spend too much time in condemnation. We confess our sin to the Lord, He forgives us, and then He cleanses us from it. (1 John 1:9) We need to go from there to faith. We need to reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God (Romans 6:11). So you repent and you mourn because of what the Lord shows you in your life, but He doesn't reveal everything all at once, or He would overwhelm us with grief. Thank God, it's “line upon line; here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). Otherwise, we probably would never come to faith because we would be overcome with condemnation. So He's very merciful. He leads us through our promised land to conquer one enemy at a time.     This reminds me of a vision my wife received in which she and her sister were standing underneath an apple tree, and worms were hanging out of the apples, just eating away at them. So my sister-in-law got a can of pesticide spray and started broadcasting it over the whole tree, but my wife said, “No, that won't work.” She took the can from her sister and told her, “This is how you do it.” She sprayed each one of those worms in the mouth, and as she did that, she realized that they were all little serpents, not worms. And, of course, that's what we have to do. We attack these things one at a time as the Lord shows them to us, and the first thing we have to change is our mouth as we're told in (Rom.10:10) for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. We have to put that wickedness to death. We have to use the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).    And what does God promise us if we humble ourselves in His sight, if we cleanse our hands and are afflicted and mourn concerning this problem, and turn our laughter into mourning? He says that He will exalt you. Humbling ourselves is the first step. Yes, we can be grieved over other people's sins, and there's a place for that, but first, we need to get the board out of our own eye, so we can see clearly to get the mote out of our brother's eye (Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 6:41-42). Certainly, we can cry out to the Lord to give us the grace to humble ourselves, because working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure is something that comes from Him, too (Philippians 2:13). It's not a case of picking ourselves up by our bootstraps. We're not deceiving God by mourning over something that we don't feel. He knows if our repentance is sincere or not. The Lord wants to give us a conviction of sin. He wants to put that mourning in our hearts concerning sin. He wants us to hate sin as He hates sin (Psalms 1:5,5:5-6; Romans 1:29- 32; etc.)     Needless to say, there is a place of mourning because of the persecutions and the tribulations that come upon us through the wicked people around us. Jesus told us in (Luk.6:21) Blessed [are] ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed [are] ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. (22) Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [from their company,] and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. We don't see that as a blessing, but it's listed here as one of God's blessings because when we're hated of the world, that means we're loved of God. If we weep because of what we're giving up in the natural, because of persecutions that we're suffering and enduring for Christ's sake, persecutions that we endure because of the crucified life, this is good.  The Lord is going to bless us for this.   Going on, He says (Luk.6:23) Rejoice in that day, and leap [for joy]: for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets. (Luk.6:24) But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. (25) Woe unto you, ye that are full now! for ye shall hunger. Woe [unto you,] ye that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. It's better to weep and mourn now, while the world is rejoicing, while the world's been given the high hand, so to speak.     We're heading into a time when, other than the judgments that are falling upon them, the world is going to think they have everything going their way. They will be given authority over the saints to bring them to their crosses. You and I are going to be hated; we're going to be ostracized. They will cast out our names as evil, and God says we can certainly mourn over that, but He also says to rejoice because your names are written in the Lamb's book of life (Luke 10:20; Revelation 20:12,15; etc.) and your reward is great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Hallelujah!    (Luk.6:26) Woe [unto you,] when all men shall speak well of you! for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets. There is a time coming of much weeping and mourning, but He also commanded us in the midst of that to rejoice and leap for joy because, when the world hates you, that means God loves you. You're on His side, and you're on your way to His Kingdom. When we're loved of the world, and we love the world, then we're departing from God.     Let's look at another good example of what God considers to be righteous mourning. (2Pe.2:6) And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly (God's judgment is coming upon the wicked, but, at the same time, He will save those who are His.); (7) and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked… If we're not grieved by and mourning over the wicked life of the people around us, it's because we don't have the conviction of God in our hearts. The Lord Jesus wept over Jerusalem. (Luk.19:41) And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, (42) saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. He was grieved at the hardness of heart in the people to not receive His Words from the Father.     It's right for us to be grieved because of the people around us who won't listen, won't submit to God, and who won't be convicted of sin, just as Lot was “sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked.” “Lasciviousness” is their license to “unbridled sensuality and excess.” Basically, it's their license to do what they want to do, and even among Christians, this is common. Their doctrines that promote lasciviousness and permit a person to live any way they want to live while still thinking that they are a disciple of Christ and are going to heaven are common. This is a strong delusion among major portions of Christianity, and it's just not the Truth. It's a deception that comes to people who are living after their own lusts and being bribed by self-will to please their flesh. Lot was sore distressed seeing this in the people around him, and we should be grieved today over people who call themselves “Christians” yet who walk in this way with the Lord.    (2Pe.2:7) And delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked (8) (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their] lawless deeds): (9) the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment… That is so true! People wonder why they're living under a curse, and it's because they have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness (Jude 1:4).     They're living the way they want to live, and they're paying the penalty for their unrighteousness because the blessings come upon the people that “hearken to,” that “hear and obey,” the “voice of the Lord thy God.” The blessings come upon the people who are diligent to keep His commandments. This should be highly motivating for us to get into the Word to find out what the Will of God is and come out from under the curse. Yet, sadly, multitudes of people have insulated themselves with lascivious doctrines that permit them to live the way they want.    We know that Jesus wasn't talking about what we loosely call “Christians”; He was talking about “disciples,” which means “learners and followers.” We need to lead people into discipleship, but if they desire to live in the lusts of their flesh, they will believe and promote these flesh-pleasing doctrines. And I tell you, the “Lots” in this world will be grieved. They will mourn. They will be distressed over these kinds of things. The text says that it “vexed [his] righteous soul,” but the Greek basanizó translated as “vexed” is actually “tormented, tortured.” It tormented Lot's soul to see the “lascivious life of the wicked.”     The lasciviousness being spoken about here is not referring to the wicked because we know that's how the wicked live. It's talking about those who are promoting the lifestyle among Christians, and the rest of the text agrees with that. (2Pe.2:9) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment; (10) but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion… The Numeric Bible states the word here for “dominion” is “lordship.” These people “that walk after the flesh” despise anybody ruling over their lives. They just want to do what they want to do, which is why they despise dominion, whether it be the dominion of those whom God has sent to be leaders or the dominion of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They would rather make up their own mind about what the Scripture says and their own “Jesus” that smiles upon their lifestyle.    (2Pe.2:10) But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities: (11) whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord. These self-righteous people, here, are the ones that are going to persecute the saints. They're self-righteous in their religion, and they rail at people who are dignities. The Greek word dóksa, translated there as “dignities,” actually means “glories; majesties; brightness.”     And who are the glories being spoken of here? (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. As we manifest Christ to a greater and greater degree, we grow from glory to glory: from star glory to moon glory, to sun glory. Paul pointed out the three different bodies that are given to the people who manifest the different glories (1 Corinthians 15:35-49). We grow into these glories, and the closer you get to Christ and manifest His life, the more that religious people will rail at you and come against you. But remember this: the fact that some people hate you is a good sign, and the Lord says to “leap for joy.”     (2Pe.2:12) But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed, (13) suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; [men] that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, revelling in their deceivings while they feast with you… Some people are actually trying to deceive us. They're “pretend Christians.” They live in the world because they love the world, but they like to “talk the talk” when they're among Christians. They're sons of perdition hidden in the midst (John 17:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3) whom the Lord is going to reveal for what they truly are.     And they love the hire of wrong-doing because they've been bribed by their flesh, which they love to please. (2Pe.2:13) Suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; [men] that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, revelling in their deceivings while they feast with you; (14) having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing; (15) forsaking the right way (We can see here that he's talking about people who profess Christianity.), they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the [son] of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing… Yes, just as Balaam did, these people love the pay, love the advantage gained by wrong-doing.    So, whom did Jesus cry over? It was God's people because they wouldn't come to Him (Luke 19:41). He grieved over them, saying, (Luk.13:34) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen [gathereth] her own brood under her wings, and ye would not! Much of our grief, too, is for Christians. It's for lost loved ones that we've prayed for to come into the Kingdom. It's like the grief that Lot felt about the people being led astray around him. If we have a holy heart and we are seeking to be pleasing unto the Lord, then we will be convicted by the Word of God, and we will feel the same thing.     (2Pe.2:15) Forsaking the right way they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the [son] of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing; (16) but he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man's voice and stayed the madness of the prophet. (17) These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved. (18) For, uttering great swelling [words] of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error… That's very true. Many so-called “pastors” preach wonderful words, but they're enticing people with lascivious doctrines. They're full of greed for tithes and offerings, but they're just filling churches with tares, as Peter says. (2Pe.2:3) And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.    We've studied and taught a lot about sanctification. We've been given warnings that there is a great falling away coming for those who are enticed away by lasciviousness (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 4:1). Nothing will be able to stand above the water in the flood that's coming except for those that are righteous. They are walking with the Lord, and they have grace and faith. Nothing else is going to preserve God's people in the days to come.    (2Pe.2:18) For, uttering great swelling [words] of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error; (19) promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage. Multitudes of Christians are in bondage in Babylon! They may think that, through their knowledge of Christ, they've come out of the world and they've escaped the corruption in the world, but in reality, they've just been brought into bondage again with something that is not Christianity.     (2Pe.2:20) For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. When people come back into bondage and they stay there, they become worse than the people in the world. They still walk in wickedness, yet they justify themselves because now they're self-righteous. They have knowledge but they're rejecting that knowledge. They're worse in God's eyes than the people in the world, and they're going to suffer greatly.     (2Pe.2:21) For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it (So these people have knowledge.), to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. When somebody has knowledge and yet they continue to do the things that are contrary to that knowledge, they're a deceiver. We just read, “their deceivings while they feast with you” (2 Peter 2:12). These people are deceivers, and the Bible says, (Jas.4:17) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.    (2Pe.2:22) It has happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire. This is heartbreaking! Great judgments are coming to the nations soon, and it's going to take away multitudes of people who consider themselves to be Christian. And because they don't have the mark of God, multitudes of Christians are going to take the mark of the beast.     (Rev.13:16) And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark on their right hand, or upon their forehead; (17) and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark, [even] the name of the beast or the number of his name. (18) Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six. However, we also see the people that have the mark of God in (Rev.14:1) And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.     Ezekiel also talks about God judging who is righteous and who is not righteous, based on whether they mourned and were grieved over the ungodliness that they saw around them. Let's look at that text first. (Eze.9:4) And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof. Again, we see this is not talking about the sin in the world, but the sin in the church. And the people that are marked in the forehead because they “sigh and cry over all the abominations,” are the people that are going to escape the wrath of God, the judgment of God, that's coming.     Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 repeatedly mention the “abomination” and the “desolation,” all leading up to chapter 9 and the mark of God. In chapter 8, we even see the image of the beast. And notice, when we read these chapters, how we don't find the theology that we hear in Christianity nowadays. In every case, the “abomination of desolation” described is God's people walking in the flesh in the Temple. They are the flesh man, and they are the beast ruling in the Temple of God. This is what God calls an “abomination.” And what does He give them for that? Desolation. The holy people of God grieve for them; they grieve for these people who walk abominably before the Lord.    (Eze.8:1) And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth [month]… Notice that these chapters are leading up to a time that's identified with six-six, and in the next chapter, six men come with their slaughter weapons in hand. That's six-six-six. And what does this identify? It identifies the end time, the time of the beast, the time of the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14). Now remember, in the New Testament there is no temple made with hands that God is interested in or concerned about being holy (Job 4:19; Matthew 26:61; Mark 14:58; etc.) It's the Temple “made without hands” that God requires and expects to be holy (Acts 7:48; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 9:11; etc.), and this is the only temple that can have an abomination of desolation.   Only the Temple of the Body of Christ can have an abomination that “maketh desolate,” because every other temple out there is desolate. God has departed from them. He will never again dwell in temples made with hands, and so they are desolate (Acts 17:24). But we are the New Testament temple; we can become desolate, “twice dead, plucked up by the roots” (Jude 1:12). That's the temple we need to be concerned about.     Paul told us, (Php.2:12) So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. And Peter exhorted, (2Pe.1:10) Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: (11) for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It should be the Lord Jesus Christ Who lives in us and Who manifests His holy Life in us.     Returning to our text in Ezekiel, God asks him (Eze.8:6) … Son of man, seest thou what they do? (All throughout these texts, it's always “what they do” and that's the abomination.) even the great abominations that the house of Israel do commit here (So the “beast” in the Temple is the corporate body of these people that walk in the flesh and are in rebellion against God.), that I should go far off from my sanctuary? (Or, in other words, “leave it desolate.”) but thou shalt again see yet other great abominations. (7) And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall.     (8) Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold, a door. (9) And he said unto me, Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do here. (10) So I went in and saw; and behold, every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts… This is just as Solomon said in (Ecc.3:18) … It is because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts.    Peter was given the same revelation. (Acts 10:11) And he (This is Peter.) beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth: (12) wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the heaven. (13) And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. (14) But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unclean. (15) And a voice [came] unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common. Then Peter was given the understanding that God was speaking to him of the Gentiles, because all lost people are beasts, and so he preached the Gospel to Cornelius and his family (Acts 10:34-48). So we can see clearly from these texts that the “abominable beasts” in the Temple of God are these people who walk in the flesh.    Back to (Eze.8:10) So I went in and saw; and behold, every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about. (11) And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel; and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, every man with his censer in his hand… Those 70 men are the Sanhedrin. They were the corporate body of the false prophet that ruled over the people of God in Jesus' day, and God calls this the “abomination.” (12) Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? (There's the image of the beast in the Temple.) for they say, the Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the land. (13) He said also unto me, Thou shalt again see yet other great abominations which they do. Again, notice there is no individual man.     There is a corporate body committing these abominations that make desolate, and that body is not only the priests; it's also the people. (Eze.8:14) Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz. (Tammuz was a false “Jesus” worshiped by Babylon. God is saying that in the midst of the Temple are those who worship “another Jesus” {2 Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:6}.) (15) Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen [this,] O son of man? thou shalt again see yet greater abominations than these. Well, this chapter goes on to speak of abomination after abomination, all committed by the people of God in rebellion against the worship of the true God. In their idolatry, they were creating gods after their own liking and in their own image.    (Eze.9:1) Then he cried in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause ye them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. (2) And behold, six men… That's the third six. This represents the beast, and all throughout history, the Lord has given the beast charge over God's people when they were in rebellion. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome each had authority over God's people in their day. Today we have a revival of Rome and, just as the Lord gave those earlier beasts authority over His people, He is going to do that again because the beast is in the Temple and there has to come a desolation.   In 70A.D. God brought the Roman armies into Jerusalem to slaughter those who hadn't already slaughtered each other. Multitudes of the Jews were so full of the beast that they were killing each other off, and when the Romans came into Jerusalem, they just finished the job. [Editor's Note: Referenced from The Works of Josephus, translated by William Whiston, Hendrickson Publishers, 1987.] But, once again, it was the corporate body of the wicked in the Temple that was an abomination to God, and so He destroyed both them and their Temple.    (Eze.9:2) And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his slaughter weapon in his hand… The Hebrew word for “slaughter weapon” is also translated “battle-ax,” and who does God call His “battle-ax”? Let's look at that. (Isa.10:5) Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation! (6) I will send him against a profane nation (This is Israel.), and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (7) Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few… (Well, the Assyrian beast thought this was their great idea to plunder Israel, but God says, “No, no, I put it in their hearts,” and He called these people His “ax.”) (15) Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith?… The Assyrians thought it was by their own might, but God says, “No, I gave you the strength to do this, and I sent you against these vain, abominable people, to judge them and bring them to their cross and, hopefully, to repentance.”     Truly, we're going to see a repetition of history come upon us in our day, although people with their lascivious doctrines teach that this is something which is only going to happen to little Israel far away from them. They refuse to understand that Christians are New Testament spiritual Israel. They are blind to the corporate beast body coming upon Christianity.     (Eze.9:2) And behold, six men; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen… I believe this is Jesus in the Man-child. Revelation 12 tells us the man-child ministry is coming in the end times, and it's coming again like Moses, like Jesus, to show God's people the correct way. What the Man-child teaches is going to separate the sheep from the goats. It's going to define who is going to be judged and who is not going to be judged.     (Eze.9:2) And behold, six men; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. (3) And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn by his side. (4) And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem (So notice that He is not bringing judgment upon the world. He's bringing judgment upon God's house, upon those who profess to be His people.), and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof. Does it grieve you that God's people have been so led astray, so deceived by their leadership, and so lured into sin by their own self-will? Now listen, nobody can be deceived by another man if they don't first have a lust to live in that way and accept these false and lascivious doctrines.    People are going to be self-deluded and self-deceived because, just like Balaam, they love the hire of wrong-doing. They love to please their old flesh. And they're being bribed by the flesh to accept a doctrine, a teaching, a lifestyle that is permitting the old man to live. Saints, we're here to live the crucified life (Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27; Hebrews 13:13), and if we don't lose our life, we won't gain our life (Matthew 16:26; Luke 9:25).    (Eze.9:5) And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite… He is speaking to the beast here, the six men. Six is the number of the beast, and six is the number of man. In fact, the sixth chapter of the sixth verse of the sixth book in the New Testament talks about the old man. (Rom.6:6) Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with [him,] that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin.    (Eze.9:5) And to the others he said in my hearing, Go ye through the city after him, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; (6) slay utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark … Now the mark being spoken of here is the mark of the Lord, and it identifies those who are members of the body of Christ, just as the mark of the Beast identifies those who are members of the body of the Beast. Jesus said there are only two men in the earth, Christ and anti-Christ (Matthew 24:40; Luke 17:36). The truth is that people love to identify themselves as “Christian”, but these marks will prove in the coming days who really are Christians and who are not.     (Eze.9:6) Slay utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but come not near any man upon whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house. (In other words, they've lived longer, and they know more, so they're more guilty than anyone else.) (Eze.9:7) And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. Great destruction is coming against Christianity because it doesn't reflect what was given to us through Jesus Christ. We are to (Jud.1:3) … contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints. The faith of our day won't count because religion has turned people away, through their own lustful desires, from true discipleship. (1Jn.2:6) He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. “Discipleship” is walking in the Master's Steps, and that means a disciple studies their Master to walk as He walked.    (Eze.9:7) And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and smote in the city. (Eze.9:8) And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy wrath upon Jerusalem? Well, we know this is coming again because it says in (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. The Israelites were types and shadows of the end time, and a great falling away will happen just as the Bible says (2 Thessalonians 2). And notice this is old Jerusalem receiving judgment. This is the old city and the people that belonged to it. This is not born-again Jerusalem.    Then in (Eze.10:2) And he spake unto the man clothed in linen, and said, Go in between the whirling [wheels], even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city… In other words, he brings judgment. The Man-child ministry is coming to bring judgment upon the city of God. These judgments are going to cleanse it of the goats and cleanse it of the tares. The Lord Jesus Himself spoke words that separated the goats from the sheep, separated the wheat from the tares. His Words brought judgment in His day, and the ministry of the Manchild will do the same in these days, but the people that will escape are the people who have been, and are going to mourn. They are the ones that are blessed, according to Jesus. While the world is rejoicing, they will mourn because of the great wrath and the judgment of God upon the people that call themselves “Christians.” They will mourn because of the great falling away of the people who had no faith.     We need to see and understand that the judgment that's coming is going to prove who has faith and who does not have faith. The judgment that's coming is going to prove who is a believer and who is not a believer. The wilderness tribulation for Israel was to prove whether they had faith or not. And, of course, Joshua and Caleb, who had faith, went to the Promised Land (Numbers 32:12). They didn't have to die in the wilderness because they had faith. They believed in the Lord. They spoke His Word, and they didn't die like the men who spoke the bad report, they spoke against the Lord and died in the wilderness (Numbers 26:65). Once again, today we are coming to a “wilderness” that God is going to use to prove who is truly of Him and who is not. The Word of God is going to separate the sheep from the goats. We need to put the Word in our hearts so that we have the conviction of Jesus Christ, so that sin is sinful to us, so that the rebellion of rebellious people grieves us.     Father, in the Name of Jesus, we're asking You, Lord, that You convict those “Christians” who have created a religion and a doctrine that pleases them because they don't have to give up anything. They don't believe they have to live a sacrificial life; they don't have to deny themselves; they don't have to take up their cross. Lord, we ask that You convict them mightily and that You bring them to You, Father, in the Name of Jesus. Thank You so much, Lord. Amen.  Now, I'd like to share some other scriptures about the blessings that will come from the Lord for those who have mourned, as we've been discussing. When the Man-child ministry begins, Jesus is coming with His reward!  Zion, the Bride, has gone through their time of mourning and warfare to get rid of their sins and their enemies within. To get rid of the leaven. Jer.9:17 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the skilful women, that they may come: 18 and let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters. 19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we ruined! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings. 20 Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation. 21 For death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces; to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets. 22 Speak, Thus saith Jehovah, The dead bodies of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman; and none shall gather them.     23 Thus saith Jehovah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; 24 but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he hath understanding, and knoweth me, that I am Jehovah who exerciseth lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith Jehovah. 25 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will punish all them that are circumcised in their uncircumcision: 26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, (All of the faction) and all that have the corners of their hair cut off, that dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.    Zec.12:10-11 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. 11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.  Psa.35:11-17 Unrighteous witnesses rise up; They ask me of things that I know not. 12 They reward me evil for good, To the bereaving of my soul. 13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I afflicted my soul with fasting; And my prayer returned into mine own bosom. 14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother: I bowed down mourning, as one that bewaileth his mother. 15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: The abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; They did tear me, and ceased not: 16 Like the profane mockers in feasts, They gnashed upon me with their teeth. 17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destructions, My darling from the lions.  The sorrow of persecution and crucifixion is now turning into joy for those of the remnant Bride. Est.4:1-3 Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry; 2 and he came even before the king's gate: for none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 3 And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.   Est.9:20 And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far, 21 to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 22 as the days wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. (Down goes the DS and religious factions.) Isa.40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of Jehovah's hand double for all her sins.    Psa 30:2 O Jehovah my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 3 O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. (Like Joseph, who came out of prison to the lies that were told about him by the harlot, to rule and preserve the people through the tribulation famine.)    4 Sing praise unto Jehovah, O ye saints of his, And give thanks to his holy memorial name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a life-time: Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy cometh in the morning. (Here is the joyful saints again) 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. (But through much tribulation shall we enter the Kingdom) 7 Thou, Jehovah, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face (As in the crucifixion of Jesus the Man-child type.); I was troubled. 8 I cried to thee, O Jehovah; And unto Jehovah I made supplication: 9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? 10 Hear, O Jehovah, and have mercy upon me: Jehovah, be thou my helper. (Been there)    11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. (Joy of the David's and the Bride.)    Joh.16:20-24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament (Because Jesus was crucified), but the world shall rejoice: ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. (Because He is coming again in the Man-child reformers.) 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow (This is the Woman Church in Revelation 12 in our day.), because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again (in the Man-child reformers of Rev.12), and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me no question. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father, he will give it you in my name. 24 Hitherto (Meaning until this time) have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full.    Psa.30:1-12 A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. (Representing the true house of God, not that of Babylonish captivity) A Psalm of David. I will extol thee, O Jehovah; for thou hast raised me up, And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. (This is the David Man-child but also Joseph the Man-child was resurrected from prison, like Jesus the Man-child was, to rule those who lied about him.)  Isa.61:1 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified…  6 But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. 7 Instead of your shame ye shall have double; and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8 For I, Jehovah, love justice, I hate robbery with iniquity; and I will give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which Jehovah hath blessed.  10 I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth bringeth forth its bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.     Isa.51:3 For Jehovah hath comforted Zion; he hath comforted all her waste places, and hath made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.  Isa 51:11 And the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: …    Isa.57:15-18 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite. 16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit would faint before me, and the souls that I have made. 17 For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him; I hid my face and was wroth; and he went on backsliding in the way of his heart. 18 I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.      Isa.66:10-14 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn over her; 11 that ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12 For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream: and ye shall suck thereof; ye shall be borne upon the side, and shall be dandled upon the knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass: and the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants; and he will have indignation against his enemies.    Isa.12:1-6 And in that day thou shalt say, I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; for though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Jehovah, even Jehovah, is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted. 5 Sing unto Jehovah; for he hath done excellent things: let this be known in all the earth. 6 Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel.    Rev.21:2-4 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God: 4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away. 

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Acts, - Chapters 4 and 5. "LIFT HIM UP" (Lyrics) I will come into Your presence Lord With the sacrifice of praise With a song I will exalt You Lord Blessed be Your Holy Name I will give You all the glory You delivered me from shame I'm created in Your righteousness Blessed be Your Holy Name Lift Him up His name be lifted higher Lift Him up Exalt His Holy Name Lift Him up His name be lifted higher Exalt His Holy Name

Pastor Mike continues a concept from the previous two messages. Despite the judgment of Sodom, Gomorrah and Noah’s time, God was not imputing their sins to them. These are examples of end time judgment. Audio>  

Why are these wildfires happening? Does the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah relate to Los Angeles? Also, is the garden of Eden going to be in heaven when we get there?

We're joined by one of the most influential frontmen in hardcore music history, the godfather of vegan straight edge: Karl Buechner of Earth Crisis, Path of Resistance and Freya. We were lucky enough to spend nearly three hours with Karl talking about his journey from being a young punk in Syracuse, to starting Earth Crisis and influencing countless people worldwide over the last 30+ years. An incredible chronological journey documenting the band's rise in the 90's, the controversies that followed, the people and bands that accepted and didn't accept them, his new venture as a sci-fi/fantasy author and MUCH more. Enjoy this incredible conversation with a key pillar of straight edge hardcore. Destroy the Machines!!! Pre-order Karl's debut novel, The Unraveling: The Counsel of Crows here: https://www.th3rdworld.com/products/the-unraveling-the-counsel-of-crows?srsltid=AfmBOopkHoweIRmA04Mpne9xwukHNiom8Ciw3KNIyyAC5POBlxVszK5f Join the HARDLORE PATREON to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episodes: https://patreon.com/hardlorepod Join the HARDLORE DISCORD to get in on the conversation about each episode, every week: https://discord.gg/jA9rppggef Cool links: HardLore Official Website/HardLore Records store: https://hardlorepod.com Try AG1 at DrinkAG1.com/HARDLORE to receive a free 1-year supply of vitamin D and 5 travel packs of AG1. Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code HARDLORE at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod FOLLOW EARTH CRISIS: INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/earthcrisisofficial/ FOLLOW HARDLORE: INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/hardlorepod/ TWITTER | https://twitter.com/hardlorepod SPOTIFY | https://spoti.fi/3J1GIrp APPLE | https://apple.co/3IKBss2 FOLLOW COLIN: INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/colinyovng/ TWITTER | https://www.twitter.com/ColinYovng FOLLOW BO: INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/bosxe/ TWITTER | https://www.twitter.com/bosxe 00:00:00 - Start 00:02:53 - The Unraveling 00:06:25 - How Many Years Vegan / Straight Edge 00:14:24 - Straight Edge Becoming More Than Just A Song 00:16:31 - Skateboarding 00:17:20 - Playing Bass 00:20:53 - Framework / Vegan Straight Edge 00:23:31 - finding Veganism 00:26:22 - Writing Along the Way 00:29:22 - The Wrenches 00:31:27 - All Out War Ep 00:33:35 - Reception To All Out War 00:35:36 - Straight Edge Rushmore 00:38:54 - Rise in Vegan Straight Edge Hardcore Activists 00:41:18 - Signing To Victory 00:48:01 - Firestorm 00:51:17 - Songs about Veganism and songs about straight edge 00:58:30 - Touring on Firestorm 01:03:06 - Destroy the Machines 01:06:28 - The Discipline 01:09:30 - Tour Stories 01:16:25 - When did Firestorm become the closer? 01:17:23 - Pardon This Interruption 01:21:15 - Floorpunch Yogurt Incident 01:27:32 - Path of Resistance 01:37:10 - Gomorrah's Season Ends 01:39:37 - Writing Style 01:46:35 - Touring on Gomorrah's 01:51:00 - Breed the Killers 01:54:58 - Earth Crisis Merch 01:59:59 - Roadrunner Treatment 02:01:56 - Slither 02:03:48 - The Break Up 02:09:14 - Bandanas & Construction Gloves 02:12:39 - What Brought Earth Crisis Back Together? 02:14:32 - Difference in Response 02:22:35 - The Bunker 02:26:03 - DVD 02:27:36 - Discord Q&A 02:39:53 - Top 4 Hardcore Records of All Time

What really happened to the damned cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Tristan Hughes and Dr. Dylan Johnson delve into the infamous biblical story to discover the context and supposed locations of these cities near the Dead Sea, and explore whether there is any historical basis to their destruction.They discuss the theological implications and examines archaeological surveys that sought to uncover the truth behind this fascinating ancient narrative.Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited and produced by Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe Ancients is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here

Fr. Mike breaks down the story of Sodom and Gomorrah today as we read Genesis 18-19, Job 7-8, and Proverbs 2:1-5. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.