Podcasts about jersualem

In this first edition of the weekly Q & A sessions at the Aish HaTorah Yeshivah in Jersualem, Rabbi Daniel Rowe answers a variety of questions on many different Jewish topics. 1. What is the Jewish view of evolution? Does it contradict Torah? 2. If we lose freewill in the Messaianic era and lose the ability to gain reward then why should we pray for such an era? 3. What about religions that accept the Divine authorship of Torah but believe they have reasons to argue that God also gave other texts? 4. Where does Rabbinic authority cone from? This is one of many videos in which Rabbi Daniel Rowe addresses questions on Jewish philosophy and Jewish ideas. Subscribe for more videos about Jewish Wisdom, thought, and Jewish issues. Rabbi Daniel Rowe is a popular Rabbi, philosopher and educator at Aish, who uses his deep knowledge of Judaism, science, and philosophy to captivate and educate audiences across the globe. Follow Rabbi Rowe on social media for regular new uploads and updates: YouTube: / @rabbidanielrowe Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1qPQn7T... Instagram: https://instagram.com/rabbidanielrowe... Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cd5... LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabbi-dan... TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rabbi.daniel.... #jewish rabbi #jewishwisdom #torah #evolution #messiah #aish

Wie man ein unübersetzbares Buch übersetzt: Ein Gespräch mit dem Übersetzer und Verleger Hannes Riffel über die erste deutsche Ausgabe von Alan Moores Roman „Jerusalem“.

Zeit für eine kurze Visite in Eichstätt fand der Abt der deutschsprachigen Abtei Dormitio in Jerusalem, Pater Dominikus Schnabel OSB. Bei einem Treffen am 6. Juli berichtete er über die gegenwärtige Situation in Jerusalem und in seiner Abtei: „Wir versuchen Hoffnungsoase zu sein in diesem Ozean von Leid.

For educational videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxtDczKFAGnBkpECH3kjziA Hanukkah is a wonderful time filled with games, food, family, and fun.It's also the celebration of an ancient miracle, and retelling and remembering the story of that miracle is an essential part of the holiday, for young and old. The story of the courageous Maccabees is retold in simple yet dramatic text, accompanied by vibrant paintings of the battle, the Temple of Jersualem, and the oil which miraculously burned for eight long nights.A traditional recipe for latkes is included, as are directions for the dreidel game, for readers who want to continue the festivities at home. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/avant-garde-books/support

The dust has settled on UK Games Expo for another year but that won't stop us talking about all the awesome people, board games, card games, RPGS and miniatures games we got to see at the show. Games Mentioned 00:06:03 Distilled 00:18:30 Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan 00:22:42 Codename Brassage 00:24:05 Celestial Affinity - The Decimation of Bearmount https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cerberusstudios/celestial-affinity-the-decimation-of-bearmount 00:27:05 Coraquest 00:29:16 Coalitions 00:33:36 Stomp the Plank  00:36:17 The Rich and the Good  00:43:33 Sorastro 00:48:24 The Detective Society 00:56:39 Conquest – the Last Argument of Kings 00:59:99 Imperial Miners 01:05:24 Jersualem 01:10:18 Marrakesh 01:13:00 Beast This episode is available on iTunes or your favourite podcast player via our feed http://polyhedroncollider.libsyn.com/rss Intro and Outro Music: "Ouroboros" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Jon's News Ferret: "NewsSting" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Don't forget to visit www.polyhedroncollider.com and YouTube for more great reviews and interviews, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter and check us out of twitch.tv/polyhedroncollider qfgi9tua

Israel har nettopp feiret sitt 75 års jubileum som selvstendig stat. Te'ena ben Haim i Jersualem forteller om en fin feiring, men de politiske spenningene i landet la en liten demper på feiringen. Vi får også høre en stolt mamma fortelle om at sønnen Jonathan nå er kommet inn i det militæret og har begynt utdannelsen som fallskjermjeger. Samtidig ber både Te'ena og andre mødre i Israel om at de unge soldatene ikke må "bli plukket før sin tid" men få leve og få et langt og godt liv. 

Thank you for joining us! #GladTidings #WelcomeToTheFamily #OcoeeGT Join us for service in person or online every Wednesday at 7pm (EST) and Sundays at 8:30am, 10am, & 11:45am (EST) 2009 Fullers Cross Rd. Ocoee, Fl 34761 If you would like to get connected to what God is doing at Glad Tidings Church, text GUEST to 407-993-2496 If you would like to support GT financially you can give through the OcoeeGT app, or online through our website by clicking here http://www.ocoeegt.com/giving. Text ‘OCOEEGT' to 73256 to give using your mobile device. For more information about Glad Tidings Church, visit ocoeegt.com face or follow us on our social media platforms below. Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/ocoeegt/ Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/GladTidingsChurchOcoee

Former US marine and current Novelist and Whisperlord Haenkules drops by the Betaverse to talk about his book An Argonaut Sails for Jerusalem, life in the corps, why you don't want to get sent to hawaii, what it's like to get 600,000 likes on the instagrams and many more exciting twists and turns.

Der Holocaust war ohne Zweifel ein furchtbares, ein fürchterliches Vergehen an dem Volk der Juden. War das aber das größte Vergehen, das es gab, wie vor Kurzem ein Bundesminister in Jersualem sagte?

The dichotomy of insecurity and inspiration that came into Jersualem's royal household serves as a model for our reactions to disruption throughout our lives--including in the national parks.

Scripture Reading: John 4:1-42 (I had posted that we would cover the whole chapter but that was just my ambitions getting the best of me) Now when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was winning and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were), 3 he left Judea and set out once more for Galilee.4 But he had to pass through Samaria. 5 Now he came to a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, so Jesus, since he was tired from the journey, sat right down beside the well. It was about noon.7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water to drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies.) 9 So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you—a Jew—ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)10 Jesus answered her, “If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 “Sir,” the woman said to him, “you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water? 12 Surely you're not greater than our ancestor Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.”13 Jesus replied, “Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 He said to her, “Go call your husband and come back here.” 17 The woman replied, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “Right you are when you said, ‘I have no husband,' 18 for you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with now is not your husband. This you said truthfully!”19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming—and now is here—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ); “whenever he comes, he will tell us everything.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”27 Now at that very moment his disciples came back. They were shocked because he was speaking with a woman. However, no one said, “What do you want?” or “Why are you speaking with her?” 28 Then the woman left her water jar, went off into the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Surely he can't be the Messiah, can he?” 30 So they left the town and began coming to him.31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 So the disciples began to say to one another, “No one brought him anything to eat, did they?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Don't you say, ‘There are four more months and then comes the harvest?' I tell you, look up and see that the fields are already white for harvest! 36 The one who reaps receives pay and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together. 37 For in this instance the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”39 Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the report of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they began asking him to stay with them. He stayed there two days, 41 and because of his word many more believed. 42 They said to the woman, “No longer do we believe because of your words, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this one really is the Savior of the world.” Samaria—Geography and HistoryOur discussion of the text must begin with an understanding of Samaria and its relation with Israel lest we miss some of the most shocking elements in the story.Here is an abbreviated version of a Christian website's explanation:Samaria was both a region and a city that experienced many changes throughout biblical history. The city of Samaria was located in central Israel, about 30 miles north of Jerusalem and about 6 miles northwest of Shechem.As the Israelites were dividing the Promised Land, the region of Samaria was given to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. King Omri, the sixth king of the northern kingdom of Israel, bought a hill in the Valley of Shechem in the region of Samaria and built the city of Samaria, which became his capital city (1 Kings 16:23–24). Eventually, the name of the capital was applied to the entire northern kingdom. Omri's son, King Ahab, erected a temple to Baal in the city of Samaria (1 Kings 16:32).[The woman at Jacob's well] brought up a centuries-old controversy: “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem” (verse 20). “This mountain” is a reference to Mount Gerizim in the central Samaritan highlands, the place where the Samaritans had built their own temple, which they considered the true temple of God.The Jews of Jesus' day disliked the Samaritans because of their religious syncretism and their mixed racial heritage. The temple in Samaria located on Mount Gerizim was destroyed in 129 BC by the Jews, adding to the hostility between the two groups.As a region, Samaria was significant in the Old Testament as being synonymous with the northern kingdom and in the New Testament as an idolatrous area Jews tried to avoid.Here's also a map that will be quite helpful: From the brief explanation and map above there are some key points we should keep in mind:The Bible passage emphasizes that Jesus had to pass through Samaria. Other routes did exist. So, did he have to pass through Samaria because of a geographic reason (e.g., he was in a hurry and Samaria was the shortest route)? Or did he have a plan that required going through Samaria? Verse 23 tells us that “the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers.” (Also, keep in mind how John uses the word dei (had to) in other verses, like John 3:14, “so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”)The Jews would have considered the Samaritans as racially impure. Consider the following verses in 2 Kings 17:1 In the twelfth year of King Ahaz's reign over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for nine years. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not to the same degree as the Israelite kings who preceded him.5 The king of Assyria marched through the whole land. He attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. 6 In the ninth year of Hoshea's reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes.24 The king of Assyria brought foreigners from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites.Therefore, the Samaritans were neither Jew nor Gentile. They were somewhere in between. This tension surfaced in many ways, from considering Samaritans unclean to outright military conflicts.The Samaritans believed that the true holy mountain was Mt. Gerizim. That was a political and religious challenge against the Jews. To insult the Jerusalem temple was the greatest offense after insulting God himself (or perhaps there would have been little distinction between the two insults). Add to this the fact that the Jews destroyed the Samaritan temple in 128 BC.The brief explanation above talks about religious syncretism. This means that Samaritans mixed their Judaism with pagan religions—the kind of offense that led to their destruction in the Old Testament. For our purposes, we must also be aware that of the Old Testament writings Samaritans only accepted a form of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament). So, they rejected David and the Davidic line, but they expected the prophet of which Moses spoke.The Woman at the Well and Gender DynamicsIn this story Jesus crosses a gender barrier that no longer exists in our culture. Because we can hardly imagine the scandal, I want to make a few points about the woman at the well and the gender dynamics of first century Israel.According to Jewish sages, Jewish men were to avoid conversation with women. Although requesting water from strangers was expected if one's need was urgent, a conversation of more than a few minutes between a man and woman would warrant the assumption of sexual intercourse. The conversation described in this story would be grounds enough to divorce a woman. The gentile world (Roman and Greek) had similar standards. Even the Samaritan woman immediately identified the gender scandal amplified by the racial scandal. “How can you—a Jew—ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?” Samaritan women were unclean, considered as menstruants “from their cradle.”Imagine the following scene in a movie: A guy and a girl are walking in opposite directions in an office. They bump each other. She drops the papers she was carrying. Both immediately reach down to pick up the papers. Their faces nearly meet. They exchange some nervous glances and words. What's going to happen? We all know the answer. This is how their romantic story begins. Believe it or not, there is a similar expectation at the well. Consider Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24:12-14):12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, ‘Drink, and I'll water your camels too'—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”Consider also Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 29:9-20, but I skip some verses):9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of his mother's brother Laban, and the sheep of his mother's brother Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of his mother's brother Laban. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and raised his voice and wept. 12 Jacob told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and that he was Rebekah's son, and she ran and told her father.15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 And Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in figure and appearance. 18 Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than to give her to another man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him like only a few days because of his love for her.Finally, consider Moses and Zipporah (Exodus 2:16-21):16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. 18 When they came to their father Reuel, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?” 19 They said, “An Egyptian saved us from [t]the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 So he said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him [u]to have something to eat.” 21 And Moses was willing to live with the man. And he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.I am obviously not suggesting that that story between Jesus and the woman at the well is romantic. I am suggesting that John's audience would have been immediately nervous upon hearing the setting of the storyThe woman at the well was probably of disrepute. Consider the following:The woman goes to the well alone in the hottest part of the day. This has led to much speculation, but it is quite likely that no one wanted to be around her. (The culture would have discouraged being around overt sinners.)The woman had been divorced five times. The story does not say that she had been committing adultery, but five husbands had found some ground to divorce her. The most reasonable explanation is adultery.The woman was living with a man who was not her husband. This would have been seen as sinful and socially unacceptable.Main Themes in the TextNow that the background of the story has been discussed, we can focus on its main themes and lessons. I am a little short on time, so I will set these out as bullet points:The Gift of Living Water. Like the reaction of Nicodemus to Jesus' requirement that one must be born again, the woman at the well is puzzled (or bothered) by Jesus' offer of living water. Can Jesus be greater than Jacob? The woman's tone is unclear. She might be responding in mockery. Keep in mind that that the woman probably emphasizes “our” in “our Father Jacob.” Apparently Samaritan tradition emphasized their descent from Jacob although they were aware of the Jews' version of their ancestry (2 Kings 17).Jesus' offer of living water is not demeaning bodily needs for regular water. Jesus is using the source of the regular water—the sacred well—as a springboard to discuss something ever holier. Moreover, Torah was often compared to water and a good teacher to a well. But were wisdom (and here I am using wisdom and Torah nearly interchangeably) will make one hunger and thirst for more of it, the living water is enough to satisfy forever.Living water is literally fresh, running water, which was the preferred water for purification. Additionally, water could refer to God (Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned Me, The fountain of living waters, To carve out for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That do not hold water.”) and to the blessings of the end times (Zechariah 14:8 “On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem . . . .”).Salvation Is from the Jews. The woman recognizes Jesus as a prophet. She was probably thinking of the Taheb, the restorer, who would be like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18) since Samaritans apparently did not believe in the prophets after Moses in the Old Testament. Jesus corrects her misunderstanding. The Jews are right, the Samaritans are wrong. Salvation comes from the Jews. This an affirmation of the Jewish sacred writings and prophesies within them. Christians are just as committed to the Old Testament as the Jews.Worship in Spirit. “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” That time is ending, Jesus tells her. Now we worship in spirit. I will quote the scholar Craig Keener at length here.“John here refers to worship empowered by the Spirit. Some argue that the passage refers to worship with the human spirit, that is, passionate worship with one's whole heart. But more natural expression for this existed in the LXX . . . . Moreover, the human spirit is hardly John's usual sense of “Spirit”; apart from references to Jesus' personal spirit (11:33, 13:21; 19:30), the only other probable exception, 3:6, includes a reference to God's spirit, and fourteen undisputed references plainly refer to God's Spirit .”Also consider that the preposition “in,” as in “in Jersualem” or “in Gerizim” seems to retain its locative sense. “In spirit” probably means inside the power of or indwelling of the Spirit. Given the emphasis on prophetic inspiration in early Jewish conceptions, John's audience probably understood the phrase in terms of inspiration as well.Spirit and truth is most likely another hendiadys. Jesus is the truth. Similarly, the Spirit can be considered one with the truth. The Mission and the Revelation. Jesus says, “But a time is coming—and now is here—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers.” She responds, “I know that Messiah is coming (the one called Christ); whenever he comes, he will tell us everything.” In the climax of the story, Jesus responds, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”You know I try to keep a scholarly tone, but wow. This is incredible. The prophesies are coming true. (The Samaritans seem to have believed that the era of divine favor (rahutha) ended soon after Moses. The era of divine displeasure (panutha) was upon them and would end with the Taheb, who would restore the era of divine favor.) And, as it turns out, the Taheb is looking for worshippers in the Spirit regardless of race, gender, or sinful past. And the wait is over. The Christ is not coming—he is here. Question from Last WeekThe Fate of the UnevangelizedLast week we discussed that Jesus did not come to judge but to save. (John 3:17) People are already condemned by their wrongdoings. (John 3:18) Christ offers a way to be reconciled with God, both in the sense of being forgiven and in the sense of one's very nature being turned from darkness to light. So, the question naturally arose, what happens to those who never hear of Jesus?This is a difficult question but it is a very important one. Honest Christians disagree. The answer will depend on several theological commitments. As you guys already know, I have been trying to avoid taking a position on most theological debates. To some extent I will do that here as well. I will present options. There is, however, one theological position that I must and will affirm. Christ is “the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [him].” So, I will not discuss any position that denies the truth that Jesus' sacrifice is the only way to be reconciled with God. Those views can simply be labeled as non-Christian. I do not mean that as an insult but simply as an accurate description. And non-Christian beliefs are not the focus of our Bible study.I also need to give an extremely important introduction. The Christian conception of God is that he is perfectly good, perfectly just, and he loves us self-sacrificially. God has organized all of history in light of his plan of mercy and salvation for us. He wishes that no person should perish. (2 Peter 3) If God is who he says he is, then the question of the unevangelized is not as emotionally charged as it seems. I can trust that however it is resolved, it is done so in a loving and just way—indeed in a more loving and just way than I can even imagine. With that said, let's move on to the possibilities.Roughly, the answers to this question can be divided into five categories:(1) Gospel Exclusivism. This is the view that people must hear the gospel to be saved. There is no way around it. (You can find an example here.) This view may seem unfair, but that is not necessarily the case. Many Christians believe that God unilaterally chooses those who are saved. Those who are not chosen could be placed in situations in which they will not hear the gospel, since they will not be saved anyways. A different way to argue for the fairness of “gospel exclusivism” is that God knows exactly who would and would not respond to the gospel message. Those who would respond in denial may be placed in situations where they will never hear it, since they would reject it if they heard it anyways.(2) General Revelation Inclusivism. This is the view that people can react positively (in humility and faith) to the revelation they have received. Their faith in God brings them into salvation through Christ's sacrifice. (Notice, this is not a different path to salvation.) Here's an example of this view:The Bible says that God wants all persons to be saved. Those who have never heard of Christ will not be judged on the basis of what they don't know; they'll be judged on the basis of what they do know. So what do people who have never heard of Christ know? There are two truths God has revealed to everyone, everywhere. First, he exists. We all know this by observing the natural world around us. And second, there's a moral law. We all know this by experiencing our conscience within us. Every one of us has a moral sense of right and wrong.So those who never hear of Christ can still respond to the light they have been given in nature and conscience. On the basis of their knowledge of God and the moral law they can turn to God for forgiveness and new life. Just like people who lived prior to the time of Christ, they can be saved through Christ, even though they haven't heard of Christ.(3) Postmortem Evangelism. This is the view that unevangelized persons will have the opportunity to respond to the gospel after death. An example of this view is found in Postmortem Opportunity: A Biblical and Theological Assessment of Salvation After Death, by theologian James Beilby. The argument is simple. God desires every individual to be saved, and because a person can only be saved by placing conscious faith in Christ, God will make an opportunity in this life or the next for that person to respond in faith. Because the Bible and Christian theology do not give us a reason to think God can't or won't do this, at least so goes the argument, there is a strong possibility that there will be postmortem opportunities for the unevangelized and pseudoevangelized.(4) Christian Universalism. By calling it Christian, I am not implying that this view is in fact correct. I add the word Christian to distinguish this form of universalism from a decidedly non-Christian one. Non-Christian universalism claims that there are many ways to be reconciled with God. Most religions, if not all of them, take us to the same place. That denies the exclusivity of Jesus, which is a core Christian tenet. On the other hand, there is a Christian form of universalism. It claims that all people, whether in this life or the next, will accept Christ as their savior. Notice that this is technically not a different view from the prior three. It simply adds a modal distinction—not only may people come to saving faith but they will. (If all will come to faith, how exactly they do so is not all that important.)(5) Agnosticism. This is the view that we cannot know for certain. Notice, this is not only stating that one does not know but that one cannot know. Scripture does not tell us, is the claim.I must add a couple of comments before I leave this discussion. First, I am not implying that all these views are equally likely considering scriptural data. Universalism, for example, has a great deal of trouble making sense of passages like Jesus' description of the narrow gate to salvation (Matthew 7:13) and Jesus' rejection of some hypocritical followers (Matthew 7:23). I am implying, however, that someone can hold one of these views and properly call themselves a Christian—even if they might be a Christian who is incorrect.Second, notice the one unifying theme. Christ is the only way to salvation. Everyone reconciled with God, both in the Old Testament and New Testament, is saved through Jesus.I hope this is helpful. We can discuss this matter further during the Bible study.

The Play Podcast - 050 - Jersualem by Jez Butterworth Host: Douglas Schatz Guest: David Ian Rabey The Play Podcast is a podcast dedicated to exploring the greatest new and classic plays. In each episode we choose a single play to talk about in depth with our expert guest. We discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing. Jez Butterworth's play Jersualem is one of the landmark plays of the 21st century, acclaimed for both its lyrical and elusive text exploring English identity, and for its electrifying theatrical production. The once-in-a lifetime performance is happily being repeated with the current West End revival, and it seems fitting that our 50th episode be devoted to this remarkable play. I'm joined by David Ian Rabey, Emeritus Professor at Aberystwith University and author of The Theatre and Films of Jez Butterworth.

This morning we discuss Rabbi Avraham Kook's often-repeated statement that as our rabbis identify the Churban (destruction of the second Bet HaMikdash - Holy Temple in Jersualem) as due to Sinat Chinom, unjustified hatred, it will be rebuilt only through its antidote, Ahavat Chinom, unjustified love. And we tell a powerful story of how Rav Kook lived this. Then we share (without a full historical treatment, which this subject requires) the critical story of the Altalena, and Menachem Begin's dramatic order to not return fire, even when fired upon by brothers. Michael Whitman is the senior rabbi of ADATH Congregation in Hampstead, Quebec, and an adjunct professor at McGill University Faculty of Law. ADATH is a modern orthodox synagogue community in suburban Montreal, providing Judaism for the next generation. We take great pleasure in welcoming everyone with a warm smile, while sharing inspiration through prayer, study, and friendship. Rabbi Whitman shares his thoughts and inspirations through online lectures and shiurim, which are available on: YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/adathyoutube Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adathmichael/ Podcast - Mining the Riches of the Parsha: Apple Podcasts - https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches1 Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches3 Stitcher: https://tinyurl.com/miningtheriches4 Please contact Rabbi Whitman (rabbi@adath.ca) with any questions for feedback, or to receive a daily email, "Study with Rabbi Whitman Today," with current and past insights for that day, video, and audio, all in one short email sent directly to your inbox.

Why is Judah listed as the first tribe to receive their inheritance in the land of Canaan- Judah wasn't the firstborn son of Jacob- but his three older brothers were passed over, and he was the one who received the blessing of the firstborn in Genesis 49. Judah was the brother who swore to protect Benjamin and bring him home in safety to his father. Judah was the tribe that marched first when the children of Israel moved in the wilderness. And it was hundreds of years later that David, the shepherd boy from Judah, would be anointed as the king of God's people. But it wasn't until David's time that the Israelites drove out the inhabitants of Jersualem, the Jebusite fortress. We often know by sad experience what it is like to have an imperfect conquest of the strongholds of sin in our hearts. However, there was one village in the tribe of Judah - Bethlehem - that was so small that it wasn't even mentioned in the lists of the cities belonging to that tribe- The prophet Micah foretold that one day, a King would come from that village, and all the world would bow before Him- This is why Judah is listed first. And although the people of that tribe were not able to conquer the Jebusite stronghold, our Jesus has indeed conquered - riding triumphantly through the gates of Jerusalem and defeating sin, death, and hell. And now we have an inheritance that is so much better than the dozens of cities that belonged to the inheritance of Judah in the land of Canaan. We are full heirs of Christ's Covenant-

Ben Zaidi - "Jerusalem" from the 2022 album Acre of Salt on Nettwerk. “What are you?” is an eye-rolling question people of mixed heritages never cease to get asked and often have no idea how to answer. Seattle's Ben Zaidi tackles his unique background and the internal conflict of not knowing how to identify in today's Song of the Day, “Jerusalem.” Born to a Jewish father, Pakistani mother, and with Muslim grandparents, Zaidi candidly unpacks his familial stories and the complicated feelings surrounding them in the downtempo guitar strummer. “Sometimes I feel like Jersualem /There's three religions trickling through my veins,” sings Zaidi in the chorus. “By the time they sort it out /There'll be nothing left to claim.” “It is a strange fate being of mixed heritage in the whitewash of America,” Zaidi explains of the song. “Often it feels like the many cultures of my ancestors have been diluted, and I have been left with no heritage rather than many... I am starting, however, to see this disorientation as an identity of its own. Manzur Zaidi was my grandfather I never met. He and his family were Pakistani, and lived through the partition of India... I use their Arabic family name and my Hebrew first name to try to combine the two lineages that most describe my parents. It was only later that I discovered 'Ben' means 'son.' and that 'Zaidi' is also a Yiddish word, for 'grandfather.'" The song comes from his upcoming debut album Acre of Salt, set for release on June 3rd. Produced by Tony Berg (Phoebe Bridgers, Peter Gabriel, Beck), the record was recorded at Los Angeles' Sound City Studios along with backing band members Ethan Gruska, Sebastian Steinberg (Fiona Apple,) saxophonist Sam Gendel and Kane Ritchotte (Portugal. The Man). Watch the video for “Jersualem” at the link below. Read the full post on KEXP.org Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do we do when all our world is falling apart?Where can we look? To whom can we go for help?Psalm 46 can be divided easily into three parts based on the Selah's at the end of vs. 3, 7, 11. 46:1-3 Describes a natural calamityIt does not seem to be a literal description but a statement that even in the worst case scenario that we can trust God.46:4-7 Describes armies gathering for war outside Jersualem.Isaiah 36-37 and II Kings 18-19 describe a situation like this. But the nations gathered against God and His city will fall while God will not be moved.46:3 The word "roar" is the same word translated "uproar" in 46:6. The natural calamity of vs. 1-3 has a parallel in the the military crisis in vs. 4-7.46:8-11 God is our stronghold in all the earth10 To whom are these words addressed? It seems as it they are addressed to the nations which are told to stop fighting and acknowledge God as God. Jesus and Psalm 4646:5 Jesus is God's presence with man- John 1:14; 2:19-22; 4:19-24. The presence of God today is not tied to one city or one building like the Jerusalem temple, but to Christ.46:5 when morning dawns- The women came to tomb only to find Jesus was raised from the dead early in the morning- Matt. 28:1-2; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1-246:9 He causes war to cease- Zechariah 9:9-10 is quoted in Matt. 21:4-5 and John 12:14-15 and said to be fulfilled in Jesus.46:10 I am- In the Greek OT are the same words used by Jesus in John 6:35; 11:25; 14:6.46:10 I will be exalted- exalted is the same word in the Greek translation in John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32-33; Acts 2:33; 5:31Christ is exalted in His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. 

Our Lent series, or journey if you will, together will be a look at what is called the Journey Narrative in Luke's gospel. We'll walk alongside each other and alongside Jesus on his final journey to Jerusalem. What can we learn from this crucial final journey for our own faith lives? How can it serve to truly prepare our hearts for what is to come during Holy Week and beyond? We'll talk about that and so much more over the next six weeks. Join us and let's journey together - following Jesus, who not only shows us the way, but who is The Way.

Our Lent series, or journey if you will, together will be a look at what is called the Journey Narrative in Luke's gospel. We'll walk alongside each other and alongside Jesus on his final journey to Jerusalem. What can we learn from this crucial final journey for our own faith lives? How can it serve to truly prepare our hearts for what is to come during Holy Week and beyond? We'll talk about that and so much more over the next six weeks. Join us and let's journey together - following Jesus, who not only shows us the way, but who is The Way.

Jewish worshippers go undercover at Jersualem's Al- Aqsa Mosque

UN's World Food Programme says Covid and conflict make the impact of the drought worse in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. The WFP is asking for more than three hundred million dollars in aid after three rainy seasons failed to materialise. Also: Jewish worshippers go undercover at Jersualem's Al- Aqsa Mosque, and China's American-born snow princess takes gold - but no politics, please.

Luke 19:28-40 The Triumphal Entry (or "The One Mighty King who was Humble") Ross Tenneson / General Summary Exegetical Main Point: Jesus enters Jerusalem to begin his reign with all authority and all gentleness, making him worthy of all worship. Sticky: We must worship the one mighty king who was gentle. Introduction In our modern world, some things are easier than ever and some things ar harder than ever. It's easier to get food than ever, easier to get shelter than ever, easier to get education or access to technology than ever. On the other hand, it's harder to guard your attention and focus than ever. Even twenty-five years ago, there was not widespread cable television with any kind of channel for every kind of person. Fifteen years ago, there was not computers in our pockets programmed to consume as much of our attention as possible. They're so addictive we can spend hours on them a day (and many of us do). In light of this age of distraction and diversion, I want to ask this morning: what does our worship of Jesus look like on a day to day basis? Am I hungry for him? Am I seeking him? Am I praising him both regularly and spontaneously? The Scriptues are calling us into a whole life of worship (not just on Sunday mornings, but daily). And in some ways, in our modern world, this is harder than ever. So, let's go into our text and see what kind of heart the Scriptures are calling us to have towards Jesus. We have been on a journey with Jesus together for the last two years. In our text this morning: he arrives at his destination, the capitol city of Israel: Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, he is going to accomplish the most important deeds of his life— and of all history. These deeds are at the center of what he came to do and give meaning to everything else he did and taught. Revelation Luke 19:28 (ESV) 28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. The last several chapters of Luke captured a couple years of Jesus's life as he journeyed around the Judean countryside, teaching and performing miracles. In these remaining chapters of Luke, narrative time will slow way down as they focus almost exclusively on the last week of Jesus's life before his death and resurrection. The slowing down on his death and resurrection is saying to us: this is what matters most. For these events to unfold Jesus must first enter the city of Jerusalem. It sounds rather routine to enter and leave cities: we do it all the time. I can hop on 35W and be outside of Minneapolis in about twelve minutes. Yet, what we are witnessing here is not so ordinary. You see, Jesus has this title in the gospel of Luke that starts with a “C.” We tend to think it's his last name but it's not. Does anyone know what it is? Christ means “messiah.” The “messiah” is the king like David who is going to defeat Israel's enemies and rule from Jerusalem. Jesus's disciples are making these connections. Later in this passage they call him a “king.” In Israel, Jerusalem was the city where the king ruled from. Jesus is not just any old guy entering Jerusalem. He's doing so as the rightful ruler of Israel and Jerusalem is the seat of power where the king rules from. What we are seeing here is Jesus is taking steps closer to beginning his rule by taking steps toward Jersualem. There's a sense of tension as he approaches the city. Jerusalem and her people have not been loyal to him or his father for generations and generations. As we have travelled through this gospel, one thing we have seen are that the religious and political rulers of the people remain opposed to Jesus (even in this story the Pharisees oppose him as king). What typically happens to people who oppose kings who come into their city to rule? It doesn't take long for them to find their way into a dungeon or onto a nuse. Yet, what we will see in this story is this is not how Jesus acts at all, and it's going to reveal something precious about his character. So, let's keep reading and see what we learn about Jesus, Luke 19:29–35 ESV 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.' ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. First, Luke shows us a picture of Jesus's authority. He sends two of his disciples to villages on the outskirts of Jerusalem. He is just arriving at the mount of olives, a mountain that sits just East of Jerusalem and looks down upon it. He tells his disciples to go into the village ahead of him and where they will find a colt tied up (basically a young horse or a donkey). From other parts of the Bible, it's pretty clear that the animal Jesus rides is a donkey. He says “no one has ever yet sat” on it, which could point to the purity of his mission.[1] He also gives them authority to retrieve it from their owners: all they need to say is, “the Lord has need of it.” Then verse 32 says, “So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.” Events like these show that our Jesus has all authority: no questions. What's distinct about a king is that others obey his words. He commands and others obey. Yet, this King's words go beyond those of mere earthly kings. He commands not only people to obey, but all of creation and different circumstances. He can command his disciples to fetch a colt from those who had never met him, and they will obey. More than that, they found things just as he told them. In all that we are about to witness in Jesus's life, we should not fail to see that he always has all things in control. Moreover, this interaction shows us all of our possessions are just on loan from him. When he asked for this donkey, he was only asking for what was already his own. Church, you should be prepared: at any time Jesus may tell you to do something or require something from you. You belong to him and so do all your possessions. So, his disciples go and find the colt Jesus had told them about. The owners of the cold ask, “why are you untying our property?” They reply, “the Lord has need of it.” And it works: they hear that and release their colt. While I wouldn't recommend you trying this, “the Lord has need of this,” we should have the same trust God can give us anything we need when we need it. What does Jesus mean by, “the Lord has need of it?” Was Jesus tired of walking, did he need a beast to carry him the final leg to Jerusalem? I doubt it. The necessity for the colt was not so much for any inability or lack Jesus had, but rather to communicate a message. What message is he communicating? First, it is common for kings to ride on beasts of burden and for their animals to carry them places. A young colt or donkey isn't the only animal Jesus could have chosen. Yet, Jesus's choice of a young colt is meant to communicate something incredible to us about his character: What is it showing us about his character? First off, when Jesus comes back soon, he won't be riding a donkey. Revelation 19:11 says, Revelation 19:11 ESV 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. Jesus will be riding a great war horse. His war hourse symbolizes that he will come to bring righteous and final judgemeng against sin. Yet, that's not what our king chose to ride as he enters Jerusalem in his first coming. Rather than a war horse, he came on a young, gentle, peace-time animal. The prophet Zechariah captures what Jesus is signalling to his people by riding this colt. Zechariah 9:9 Zechariah 9:9 ESV 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. When Jesus comes not on a mighty war horse, but on a donkey. Zachariah uses the word “humble” to describe him. That word also means “without property” or “poor.”[2] Jesus does not come to Jerusalem seeking wealth, prestige, or power. He does not come seeking to associate with powerful people. He comes as a poor man for poor men. The cloaks thrown over the donkey would have been how the poor would have made a saddle.[3] What does Jesus's humility change about the way he approaches the city? In humility, this king does not come to immediately assert his complete rule and judge his enemies. Instead, he comes to serve and help needy sinners. There's a character trait that goes along with deep humility: gentleness. Jesus pairs these ideas together in Matthew when he says he's “gentle and lowly in heart.” Pride leads us to be brutal and impatient with others, especially our adversaries. On the other hand, Jesus has a patience and gentleness with people that's unmatched. Kings with unquestioned authority fill history: yet few if any of them were ever gentle. Brutal, merciless rulers fill the pages of the Bible (as we studied the book of Daniel we saw that being proud and being violent went hand in hand). Yet, there was one king with all authority who somehow also possessed all gentleness: Jesus of Nazareth. He is the one mighty king who was humble! So, when he came into rebellious Jerusalem, the city that had spurned his and his Father's rule for centuries, he came not to tear it to the ground brick by brick and destroy its people. He would have been righteous in doing so, yet his character is humble and gentle. He came to the city of Jerusalem not to kill his enemies, but to die for them to make them friends instead. Friends, this is unspeakably good news for us. Like the people of Jerusalem, we have lived with opposition and defiance against the rule of God in our lives. We, like the people of Jerusalem, deserve the sentence of death. And yet, this morning, Jesus comes to us just as humbly. As I speak, he is inviting you to come to him as the one who shed his blood for you so that he could forgive all your sins and welcome you as a son or daughter. If you don't know him yet, he is welcoming you this morning to turn from your sin and trust him. Because Jesus is a gentle savior, we as sinners can flee to him rather than fleeing from him. Whether your just wanting to start following him this morning or have followed him for decades, you can flee to him rather than from him because of his humble heart. Here's what Dane Ortlund writes, “When we sin, we are encouraged to bring our mess to Jesus because he will know just how to receive us. He doesn't handle us roughly. He doesn't scowl or scold. He doesn't lash out, the way many of our parents did. All of this restraint on his part is not because of a diluted view of our sinfulness. He knows our sinfulness far more deeply than we do. Indeed, we are aware of just the tip of the iceberg of our depravity, even in the most searching moments of self-knowledge. His restraint simply flows from his tender heart for his people.”[4] Now church, we love to hear messages about Jesus's gentleness and humility. We love far less being humble like he was. Yet, the Lord's call on us to be gentle like Jesus is never more important times like ours. We live in a time of harshness and impatience. We tend to see those we disagree with not as friends with different perspectives, but foes. Yet, situations where we disagree with another or feel hurt by another test our gentleness like nothing else. I tend to be gentle with others until I believe I'm clearly in the right and they are clearly in the wrong and I have the “right” to overpower them. To my shame, I remember evangelizing once in a park and talking to some kids about Jesus. A man came up and threatened to call the police on me if I didn't stop. Instead of a humble approach to him like Jesus, I asked him if he had ever read the bill of rights. As I've reflected more on this incident in the years that followed, I've seen more and more how in the wrong I was to be harsh with this man. Even though legally I was “right,” my heart and my manner before the Lord was dead wrong! In any dispute, the person you are in conflict with is more important than winning. And even if we “win” an argument, yet do so in an un-christ-like way, we lost. And never is our gentleness more important church than when we disagree with each other. How is our church family any different than the world if we are harsh with each other or avoid one another and relational divisions separate us? The one mighty king who is gentle, the Lord Jesus shows us, this is the way. And now as we get to these last verses, these poor disciples who follow Jesus are going to show us what a proper response to the humility and authority of Jesus: Luke 19:36–38 ESV 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” “they spread their cloaks on the road.” These disciples at this moment are showing the reverence to Jesus that he is worthy of. He is riding on a young colt, with nothing but a cloak for a saddle (this would be how the poor would ride their animals). Around him, are all kinds of poor folks and outcasts who had begun to follow him.[5] We are seeing here a clear picture of the Christian faith: a king with all authority who has humbled himself to be a poor traveler and the poor and outcasts surrounding him to give him worship. He's the king who is vastly above all, yet somehow all are welcome to come and adore him. We see in verse 37 that he's approaching Jerusalem, riding down the mount of Olives toward it, and expectation is building. The disciples at this time remember all the mighty things king Jesus had done, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead. To what degree they understand that Jesus is going to become king by giving his life (rather than taking the lives of others) is unknown. Yet, their response is still right and appropriate for this moment: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” The earthly presence of God's king turns their worship and praise upward to God in the heavens. Because of the gift of Jesus, they can't help but praise God. This is what experiencing Jesus intimately should produce: passionate worship for God. As we experience this human king who brings the presence and rule of God into our lives, and does it so patiently and lovingly, the only proper response is worship. “Peace in heaven” means that the kingdom of heaven is now at peace with God's people on Earth because of what Jesus will do.[6] Church, our main point this morning is, We must worship the one mighty king who was humble. As the next verses show, when we worship Jesus passionately as he deserves, it will make people uncomfortable and even offend them. The Pharisees won't acknowledge that Jesus is this worthy of worship, so they oppose those who do: Luke 19:39–40 (ESV) 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” First point here: never fail to worship Jesus passionately because you think you will make someone else uncomfortable. When we pray and sing, raise your voice loud and give him the worship he deserves. I think Jesus's answer to the Pharisees underlines this very point: he is worthy, deserving, and due all worship. To be the one king with all authority who is also humble puts Jesus in a category of his own and demands that we respond to him with worship. “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” That means, Jesus will inevitably receive the worship he is due. You can silence these particular people here and now, but make no mistake, there will be passionate worshippers of Jesus. And we can see this in history, after two thousand years of persecution of the true church, Jesus is still receiving passionate worship from all kinds of people. The last thing we want is to be silent and not praise king Jesus and for mere stones to out worship us! Church, we should feel a deep burden to worship Jesus because we are aware of his worth. Sometimes we can love our spouse or our child so much it hurts in our guts. We should feel this way about Jesus, and I confess that many times I don't and need God to keep changing my heart! We should sense he is so worthy of worship that even the stones would have to praise him if we don't. Application I'm sensing a tension in my own lives and ours as a church family: While Jesus is completely worthy of all our worship, we struggle to passionately praise him daily as he deserves. What do I mean by passionately praising him daily? Worshiping Jesus looks like reading Jesus's words, praying to to him, singing to him, and thinking about him (he should be on our minds). You may be thinking that I'm talking about duties you should do just because they are the right thing. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about ways to spend time with the one your soul adores. If I were to say, “here are some sweet ways to connect with your spouse or your best friend.” You wouldn't think, “Great, another to-do list!” But, “that's exciting to me because I want to find ways to be closer to that person.” My plea is that we would daily take advantage of these different ways Jesus gave us to know him! This will mean finding out what idols or distractions are getting in the way. We can't both worship Jesus daily as he deserves and spend hours on apps, streaming, and media. We can't both worship Jesus and watch endless sports or movies. None of these things are wrong on their own, but when they consume large chunks of our schedule, they become our priority and choke out our greatest priority: worshipping Jesus. My plea this morning is that as you see a king who is so mighty yet so gentle and therefore so worthy of worship that we would give him more and more of our daily attention, more of our focus, and more of our hearts. Psalm 119:20 says, My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 119:20. In a holy heart, there is a burning and a yearning for God on a daily basis. I'm not there yet, and I believe many of us are not there yet. Right now, Jesus is coming to us humbly through the preaching of the gospel and presence of his Holy Spirit. Let's respond to him with the hearty worship he is worthy of! Exported from Logos Bible Software, 12:17 PM February 2, 2022. [1] Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke: 9:51–24:53 (Vol. 2, p. 1554). Baker Academic. [2] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 856. [3] John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, trans. David W. Rev. William Pringle, vol. 1, Calvin's Commentaries 23 Volume Set (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2009), 447. [4] Dane C. Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers (Crossway, 2020) 54. [5] John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, trans. David W. Rev. William Pringle, vol. 1, Calvin's Commentaries 23 Volume Set (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2009), 447. [6] I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Exeter: Paternoster Press, 1978), 716.

    The Mongols were famous for their ultimatums of destruction and submission. No shortage of thirteenth century states received demands for their unconditional surrender to the Great Khan granted divine mandate to rule by Eternal Blue Heaven. Initially, the Mongol imperial ideology was extremely black and white: you could submit to Mongol rule, or face total annihilation. There was no room for other relationships, for the Great Khan had no allies, only subjects. But as the thirteenth century went on and the dream of Chinggisid world hegemony slipped away as the divisions of the Mongol Empire went their separate ways, the Mongol Khans in the west began to seek not the capitulation, but the cooperation of western Europe to aid in their wars against Mamluks. For the Ilkhanate's sixty-year struggle against the Mamluk Sultanate, the Il-Khans sought to bring the Popes and Monarchs of Europe to a new crusade to assist in the defeat of the Mamluks, an ultimately fruitless endeavour, and the topic of today's episode. I'm your host David, and this is Kings and Generals: Ages of Conquest.       The first Mongol messages to the Kings of Europe came in the late 1230s and 40s, accompanying Batu and Sube'edei's western invasion, asking the Hungarians how they possibly could hope to flee the grasp of the Mongols. We know the Mongols sent a number of envoys to European monarchs and dukes, and employed a variety of peoples in this enterprise, including at least one Englishman. Over the 1240s and 50s, European envoys like John de Plano Carpini or William of Rubrucks to the Mongol Empire returned from Karakorum with orders for the Kings and Popes to come to Mongolia and submit in person.While Rus' and Armenian lords and kings did do so, there is little indication that European rulers even responded to these demands. For the Mongols, who seemed poised to dominate everything under the Eternal Blue Sky, there was little reason to adopt more conciliatory language. From their point of view, the Europeans were only stalling the inevitable: soon Mongol hoofbeats would certainly be heard in Paris and Rome. The Mongols treated the European states as their diplomatic inferiors, subjects basically in a state of rebellion by fact that they had not already submitted. Cruel, threatening and demanding letters were the norm, and it's safe to say any future efforts at alliance were greatly hampered by this opening salvo. The rare diplomatic exception was an embassy sent to King Louis IX of France during his stay in Cyprus in 1248 just before the 7th Crusade. There, messengers came from the Mongol commander in the west, Eljigidei, an ally to the reigning Great Khan, Guyuk. Headed by two Christians in Eljigidei's service, the embassy bore letters from Eljigidei. These letters called Louis ‘son,' and had no demand of submission, but mentioned Mongol favouritism to Christians, urged the French King not to discriminate between Latin and non-Latin Christians as all were equal under Mongol law, and wished him well in his crusade. The two Christian representatives of Eljigidei asserted that he was a Christian and that Guyuk himself had already been baptised. The urged Louis to attack Egypt, and prevent its Ayyubid prince from sending forces to aid the Caliph in Baghdad, who the Mongols were soon to attack.     Louis, is should be noted, almost certainly had not been anticipating any cooperation from the Mongols; he had  been well aware of their attacks on Hungary only a few years before, learned of Mongol demands and treatment of foreign powers from travellers like Carpini, and apparently received Mongol ultimatums for his submission in 1247. Further, a devout Christian, it is unlikely he would have gone looking for allies among “pagans,” even for fighting against Muslims. Still, he reacted well to Eljigidei's messengers and sent a return embassy with gifts with them back to Eljigidei which were to be sent on to Guyuk, while the initial letter was forwarded back to France and ultimately to King Henry III of England. Ultimately, it was for naught. Guyuk was dead even before Louis received Eljigidei's letter, and  Eljigidei himself was soon put to death in the following political turmoil. Little is known of the embassy Louis sent back with Eljigdei's representatives, but from the little heard of it through William of Rubruck a few years later, it seems to have achieved nothing beyond meeting Guyuk's widow and the regent, Oghul Qaimish, who portrayed Louis' gifts as tokens of the French King's submission.  Following the meeting on Cypress, Louis IX suffered a humiliating defeat in Egypt at Mansura, captured and was ransomed by the newly emerging Mamluks. By the time he returned to France and received Oghul Qaimish's reply, not only was she dead, but the responding letter was essentially another demand for his surrender. This first non-threatening Mongol embassy succeeded only in making the King of France feel like he had been tricked, especially since the new Great Khan, Mongke, sent a letter back with William of  Rubruck that disavowed Eljigidei's embassy. It has been speculated that Eljigidei was using the embassy to spy on Louis, as he was wary of the sudden arrival of Louis' army in Cyprus, and a desire to find out his military intentions, rather than any genuine interest in cooperation at this point.  His hope may have been to ensure that this new army attacked Mongol enemies, rather than get in the way of the Mongols.       The halting of the Mongol advance at Ayn Jalut by the Mamluks, and fracturing of the Empire into independent Khanates after Great Khan Mongke's death left the new Ilkhanate in a precarious position. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, the only direction they could expand not at the expense of fellow Mongols was against the Mamluks, who fortified their shared border with the Ilkhans. Even a small raid could trigger the arrival of the full Mamluk army, a dangerous prospect against such deadly warriors. Yet the Ilkhans could not bring their full might to bear on the shared border with the Mamluks in Syria, as it would leave their other borders open to attacks from the Golden Horde, Chagatais or Neguderis, in addition to the trouble of provisioning an army in the tough, hot and dry conditions of the Levantine coastline, a route the Mamluks secured and fortified. Opening a new front against the Mamluks was necessary, and there were already convenient beachheads established  in the form of the remaining Crusader States.   A shadow of their former selves, the Crusader states were represented by a few major coastal holdings like Antioch, Tripoli, and Acre, and inland fortifications like Krak de Chevaliers and Montfort, as well as the Kingdom of Cyprus, whose ruler, Hugh III of Cyprus, took the title King of Jerusalem in 1268. The Crusader States had shown neutrality to the Mongols, or even joined them such as the County of Tripoli did in 1260 after the Mongols entered Syria. In early 1260, the papal legate at Acre sent an embassy to Hulegu, most likely to discourage him from attacking the Crusader holdings. Along with information from the Kings of Armenian Cilicia, their most important regional vassals, the Mongols would have had a vague knowledge of western Europe and their crusading history. The Ilkhanate's founder, Hulegu, sent the first letter to the west in 1262, intended once more for King Louis IX, though this embassy was turned back in Sicily. This letter was friendlier terms than most Mongol missives, but still contained threats, if rather subdued. Pope Urban IV may have learned of the attempt, and the next year sent a letter to Hulegu, apparently having been told that the Il-Khan had become a Christian.  Delighted at the idea, the Pope informed Hulegu that if he was baptised, he would receive aid from the west. In reality, Hulegu never converted to Christianity, and died in 1265 without sending any more letters.       His son and successor, Abaqa, was the Il-Khan most dedicated to establishing a Franco-Mongol alliance and came the closest to doing so. Due to conflict on his distant  borders with the Golden Horde and Chagatayids, as well as the troubles of consolidating power as new monarch in a new realm, for the 1260s he was unable to commit forces to the Mamluk frontier. As a good Mongol, Abaqa was unwilling to allow the enemy total respite, and made it his mission to encourage an attack from the west on the Mamluks. His first embassy was sent in 1266, shortly after becoming Il-Khan, contacting the Byzantines, Pope Clement IV and King James I of Aragon, hoping for a united Christian front to combine efforts with the Mongols against the Mamluks, inquiring which route into Palestine the Christian forces would take. The responses were generally positive, Pope Clement replying that as soon as he knew which route, he would inform Abaqa.       Abaqa sent a message again in 1268, inquiring about this progress. James of Aragon found himself the most motivated by the Il-Khans requests, encouraged by the promises of Abaqa's logistical and military support once they reached the mainland. James made his preparations, and launched a fleet in September 1269. An unexpected storm scattered the fleet, and only two of James' bastard children made it to Acre, who stayed only briefly, accomplishing little there.        Not long after, King Louis IX set out for Crusade once more, making the inexplicable choice to land in Tunis in 1270. Despite his well planned efforts, the Crusade was an utter disaster, and Louis died of dysentery outside the walls of Tunis in August 1270. Prince Edward of England with his army landed in Tunis shortly before the evacuation of the crusaders, and disgusted by what he saw, set his fleet for the Holy Land, landing at Acre in May 1271, joined by Hugh of Lusignan, King of Cyprus.  Edward's timing was good, as Abaqa had returned from a great victory over the Chagatai Khan Baraq at Herat in July 1270, though had suffered a major hunting accident that November.       The Mamluk Sultan Baybars was campaigning in Syria in spring 1271, the famous Krak des Chevaliers falling to him that April. Tripoli would have fallen next, had Baybars not retreated back to Damascus hearing of the sudden arrival of a Crusader fleet, and was wary of being caught between European heavy cavalry and Mongol horse archers. Soon after landing Edward made his preparations for an offensive, and reached out to Abaqa. Abaqa was delighted, and sent a reply and orders for Samaghar, the Mongol commander in Anatolia, to head to Syria. Edward did not wait for Abaqa's reply, and there is no indication he ever responded to Abaqa's letter. He set out in mid-July, ensuring his army suffered the most from the summer heat, while missing the Mongols who preferred to campaign in the winter. Suffering high casualties and accomplishing little, he withdrew back to Acre. In mid-October Samaghar arrived with his army, raiding as far as to the west of Aleppo while an elite force of Mongols scouted ahead, routing a large group of Turkmen between Antioch and Harim, but was soon forced to retreat with the advance of the Mamluk army under Baybars.       Missing Samagahr by only a few weeks, in November Edward marched south from Acre at the head of a column of men from England, Acre, Cyprus, with Templars, Hospitallers and Teutonic Knights. They ambushed some Turkmen on the Sharon plain, forced the local Mamluk governor to withdraw, but with the arrival of large Mamluk reinforcements the Crusaders fled, losing their prisoners and booty.  That was the closest the Mongols and the Franks came to proper coordination. Edward helped oversee a peace treaty between the Mamluks and the Kingdom of Jersualem, but the heat, difficulties campaigning, political infighting and an assassination attempt on his life permanently turned him off of crusading. By September 1272, Edward set sail for England. A  few weeks after his departure the Mongols again invaded, besieging al-Bira but were defeated by the Mamluks in December.        Edward's brief effort in Syria demonstrated the difficulties prefacing any Mongol-Frankish cooperation. The Mamluks were a cohesive, unified force, well accustomed to the environment and working from a well supplied logistic system and intelligence network, while the Franks and Mongols were unable to ever develop a proper timetable for operations together. The European arrivals generally had unrealistic goals for their campaigns, bringing neither the men, resources or experience to make an impact.       Abaqa continued  to organize further efforts, and found many willing ears at the Second Council of Lyons in France in 1274, a meeting of the great powers of Christendom intended to settle doctrinal issues, the division of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and plan the reconquest of the Holy land. Abaqa's delegation informed the Council that the Il-Khan had secured his borders, that peace had been achieved between all the Mongols Khanates, and he could now bring his full might against the Mamluks, and urged the Christian powers to do likewise. The current Pope, Gregory X, fully supported this and made efforts to set things in motion, but his death in 1276 killed whatever momentum this process had had. Abaqa sent another round of envoys, who reached the King of France and the new King of England, Edward. The envoys brought the Il-khan's apologies for failing to cooperate properly during Edward's crusade, and asked him to return. Edward politely declined. This was the final set of envoys Abaqa sent west. Perhaps frustrated, he finally organized a proper invasion of Syria, only an army under his brother Mongke-Temur to be defeated by the Mamluks at Homs, and Abaqa himself dying soon after in 1282. His successors were to find no more luck that he had.        The most interesting envoy to bring the tidings of the Il-Khan to Europe did not originate in the Ilkhanate, but in China: Rabban Bar Sawma, born in 1220 in what is now modern day Beijing, was a Turkic Nestorian priest who had set out on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem before being conscripted to act as a messenger for the Il-Khan, in a journey which is a fascinating contrast to that of his contemporary Marco Polo. Even given him his own dedicated episode in this podcast series, but we'll give here a brief recount of his journey. Writing his accounts down upon his return to Baghdad later in life, he described how he brought messages and gifts to the Byzantine Emperor Andronicos II Palaiologus, marvelled at the Hagia Sophia, then landed in Sicily and made his way to Rome, having just missed the death of Pope Honorius IV. Travelling on to France, he was warmly welcomed by King Phillip IV, and then on to Gascony where he met the campaigning King Edward of England, who again responded kindly to the Il-khan's envoy.  On his return journey, he met the new Pope Nicholas IV in 1288 before returning to the Ilkhanate.    Despite the generous receptions Rabban Sauma was given by the heads of Europe, and despite the Il-khan's promises to return Jerusalem to Christian hands, the reality was there was no ruler in the west interested, or capable of, going on Crusade. By now, the act of Crusading in the Holy land had lost its lustre, the final crusades almost all disasters, and costly ones at that. With the final Crusader strongholds falling to the Mamluks in the early 1290s, there was no longer even a proper beachhead on the coast for a Crusading army. The sheer distance and cost of going on Crusade, especially with numerous ongoing issues in their own Kingdoms at hand, outweighed whatever perceived benefit there might have been in doing so. Further, while Rabban Sauma personally could be well received, the Mongols themselves remained uncertain allies. From 1285 through to 1288, Golden Horde attacks on eastern Europe had recommenced in force. Even the new Khan of the Golden Horde, Tele-Buqa, had led an army into Poland. For the Europeans, the distinctions between the Mongol Khanates were hard to register; how could messages of peace from some Mongols be matched with the open war other Mongols were undertaking? All evidence seems to suggest that the western Franks did not understand that the Golden Horde and Ilkhanate were separate political entities. Recall earlier the conflicting letters Louis IX had received in the 1240s, where one Mongol general offered friendship, only to be tricked in seemingly submitting to the Mongols and then receive letters in the 1250s telling him to discount the previous envoys. Together these encouraged unease over perceiving the Mongols as allies, and served to further dampen interest to pursue these alliances.       In contrast, the Mamluks had somewhat greater success in their own overseas diplomacy: in the 1260s Baybars initiated contact with the Golden Horde, ruled by the Muslim Berke Khan, encouraging him to keep up his warfare with his Ilkhanid cousins. Sultan Baybars also kept good relations with the Byzantine Empire and the Genoese, allowing him to keep the flow of Turkic slave soldiers from the steppes of the Golden Horde open, the keystone of the Mamluk military. There is also evidence they undertook some limited diplomacy with Qaidu Khan during the height of his rule over Central Asia and the Chagatayids. While the Mamluks and Golden Horde never undertook any true military cooperation, the continuation of their talks kept the Ilkhanate wary of enemies on all borders, never truly able to bring the entirety of its considerable might against one foe least another strike the Il-Khan's exposed frontiers. But, did the Golden Horde, in the 1260s, perceive this as an alliance? We only have Mamluk accounts of the relationship, but scholarship often supposes that the Golden Horde Khans perceived this as the submission of the Mamluks, and any cooperation was the cooperation between overlord and subject. As many of the Mamluk ruling class were Qipchaqs, so the Mongols had come to see as their natural slaves, it may well be that Berke saw the submission of the Mamluks as a natural part of their relationship, especially since he already ruled the Qipchaq homeland. This alliance, alongside never resulting in direct cooperation, was also never always amicable. When the Jochid Khans grew annoyed with the Mamluks, they would halt the trade of Qipchaq slaves and threaten to deprive the Mamluks of their greatest source of warriors. During the long reign of Mamluk Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad, a daughter of the Golden Horde Khan Ozbeg was wed to him, in an effort to cement the relationship after a rocky start to the 1300s. Al-Nasir soon accused her of not actually being a Chinggisid, insulting her and infuriating Ozbeg. Yet the relationship survived until the invasions of Emir Temur at the close of the fourteenth century, when the Mamluks and Golden Horde once again took part in a doomed west-Asian effort to ally against Temur.       Ilkhanid-European contacts continued into the 14th century, but with somewhat less regularity after Rabban bar Sawma's journey. An archbishopric was even founded in the new Ilkhanid capital of Sultaniyya in 1318, and Papal envoys would travel through the Ilkhanate to the Yuan Dynasty in China until the 1330s. A few envoys came from the Il-Khans still hoping to achieve military cooperation; Ghazan Il-Khan continued to send them before his invasions, including the only one that actually defeated the Mamluk army and led to a brief Mongol advance down the coast, occupying Damascus. News of Ghazan's successes did spread rapidly, for the Spanish Franciscan Ramon Llull learned of it and promptly sailed all the way across the Mediterranean, hoping to be among the first missionaries to land in the newly reclaimed Holy Land. But upon arriving in Cypress, Llull learned of Ghazan's equally quick withdrawal. The combined news of a Mongol victory followed by sudden Mongol withdrawal must have only affirmed the opinion of many of the futility of taking part in any more crusades with the Mongols.  Military operations against the Mamluks mostly ceased after Ghazan's death, until a formal peace was achieved between them and the Ilkhanate at the start of the 1320s. Naturally, no further messages for alliances with the powers of Europe were forth coming, and consequently putting an almost total end to European interest and contacts with the Middle East for the next five centuries. European-Mongol relations would continue for some time longer in the territory of the Golden Horde, where the attention of our podcast moves next, so be sure to subscribe to the Kings and Generals podcast for more. If you enjoyed this and would like to help us continue bringing you great content, then consider supporting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. This episode was researched and written by our series historian, Jack Wilson. I'm your host David, and we'll catch you on the next one.   

God is the one who qualifies. And this means we are called to act. A daily devotional by Vince Miller.

Slideshow for this message is available Introduction As a society we disagree. With so many people, so many backgrounds, perspectives, religions, this disagreement is inevitable. Now, resolving factual disputes, in theory, should be relatively easy: find a group of experts to collect the data and ask them to lay out the conclusions. This approach works fabulously when the issue at stake is the atomic weight of helium. We hear the expert opinion and we have no reason to question it. It's settled. But what if those FACTS have implications? As humans we are programmed, maybe even hard-wired, to dismiss FACTS that don't align with our worldview. We have this built in tendency to interpret, favor, selectively recall certain information that confirms our prior beliefs or values. This tendency is strongest when we are dealing with highly emotionally charged issues or deeply entrenched beliefs. Social scientists call this MOTIVATED REASONING. We are all motivated to look at data a certain way based on your preconceptions. Take a hot topic issue. Are we all being objective with the data? What does the data say about climate change, or gun control or vaccination or the safety of nuclear energy or genetically modified foods? I'm sure you have an opinion on that. We are all biased. We are all victims of our own MOTIVATED REASONING. According to studies done on this subject, this MOTIVATED REASONING has nothing to do with the level of education a person has, the family they grew up in, the type of culture in which a person lives. None of us are immune to this. Now today we get to John chapter 11. This is the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. This is one of the only examples we have in the Bible of Jesus intentionally making a miracle more dramatic. What Jesus is doing is graciously creating a situation in which even those who are heavily biased by motivated reasoning will have to confess the truth. He's trying to establish the FACTS of who he is so dramatically, so indisputably, so incontestably, so undeniably, so indubitably that his opponents will have no choice. Some will believe. But we will also see some, astoundingly, harden themselves further in unbelief. Now before we get too judgmental, let me assure you, all of us in the room are approaching the text this morning with MOTIVATED REASONING. Jesus will tell is things we don't want to hear and we are hard-wired to go to great lengths to explain those things away, to find alternate explanations, to rationalize, to justify and to excuse ourselves from the implications. So as we begin would you just ask the Lord to remove that from you right now. “Lord, would you allow the truth to penetrate my heart regardless of the implications and protect me from my motivated reasoning.” Overview We are in John chapter 11 and we are at a bit of a turning point in the book so we would do well to take a moment to get our bearings. Chapter 11 and the story of the raising of Lazarus occurs sometime between September and April. We know that because of two time markers we have been given in John 10 and 12. This is a calendar of the Jewish feast and how the Jewish calendar overlays on top of our Gregorian calendar. If you remember in John chapter 8-9 it was the feast of tabernacles. That's here in September/October. In John 10 we are told it is the feast of dedication (Hannakah) which is here in December and in John 12 we are told it's passover. And this is Jesus' last passover. So today we enter John chapter 11, which means we are somewhere in between those two which means we are approaching the final months of Jesus' ministry. Think about where we are in the book. We are just a little over half way. That tells you something about the emphasis doesn't it? The gospels are essentially four biographies of the Life of Jesus of Nazareth but they are oddly heavily lopsided in their content. If you were to count the number of chapters in Mt-Jn you'd have 89 chapters. 85 of those chapters focus on the last 3 1/2 years of Jesus ministry. Of those 85 chapters 27 of them deal with the last 8 days of his life. Why? Because you give space for that which you want to emphasize. The focus of Jesus life is his death. Because it is through his death that we achieve atonement, redemption, forgiveness of sins, resurrection and life. That becomes the entire focus of the epistles that follow. So we are roughly halfway through the book of John and John will spend as much time on these last 8 days of Jesus life as he does on the previous 33 years of Jesus life. Now there are events which really set the stage for these last eight days and John 11 is one of the most significant. Now to understand it, let's pick it up where we left off last week. Remember from John chapter 10, Jesus preaches the sermon on the good shepherd. The Jews say, tell us plainly who you are and Jesus says, "I and the Father are one." The Jews pick up stones to stone him. I want to focus for just a moment on the geography and strategy behind that move for just a moment. Let's ask the question, why does Jesus make this move to the area across the Jordan. Answer: this is almost certainly a political move on the part of Jesus. The emperor in Rome at this time is Tiberius. And the way Roman emperors ruled their empire is to appoint prefects over the various districts of the Roman empire. So the area we call Israel was broken up into these various regions. Here's a map that demonstrates that. In John 10 Jesus is in the city of Jerusalem celebrating the feast of dedication at the temple. Jerusalem was part of the region of Judea and this whole area was under the governing jurisdiction of Pontius Pilate who of course features heavily in the chapters to come. After the Jews pick up stones, Jesus flees and heads East to Perea. This area along with Judea were under the Jurisdiction of Herod Antipas. To go from Jerusalem to Perea is not very far, maybe something like 15-20 miles. Why would Jesus do this? You have to understand Pilate's situation. Pilate at this time, was a bit of a crippled ruler. Early on in his reign he was very powerful. He ruled with significant authority. He had a protector in Rome named Seganus who funded and protected him. But a couple things happened that changed that. First, Segenus his protector was executed for sedition. And then Pilate did a few things that upset the Jews and Rome sided with the Jews. So Pilate got in trouble and he no longer had a defender. Pilate was in the dog house with Rome and the Jews knew it. He couldn't muscle his way around among the Jews. The Jews had leverage on him and could get him to do their bidding. And the overwhelming evidence of this in the NT is the crucifixion. Just a cursory reading of the text shows that Pilate doesn't want to crucify this guy but the Jews force his hand. So Jesus flees from the area of Judea where Pilate is ruling because the Jews have all sorts of power there. He crosses over the Jordan river and ministers in Perea where Herod Antipas is ruling. Now let's talk about Herod Antipas. This is a different Herod by the way, than Herod you read about in nativity story. Herod Antipas and Tiberius (who, remember, was the emperor) were childhood friends. He's got all sorts of protection from Rome. In addition to that, Herod Antipas is ruling a largely gentile area. The Jews don't factor into the politics of this area. The Jews have no power over Herod Antipas. So Jesus flees to this area to escape the Jews and particularly to escape the political power the Jewish leaders enjoy in this area over Pontius Pilate. So he's going to be in Perea for 2-3 months. Now only Luke records this part of Jesus' ministry. And there's one very significant interchange that Jesus has that is going to be very helpful both in illustrating this political dynamic but also in setting us up for John chapter 11 and the raising of Lazarus. Now you have Pharisees coming to Jesus and warning him that Herod wants to kill him. Now right there, just that in and of itself, ought to be a red flag. Didn't the Pharisees, just a chapter earlier want him dead? Something doesn't seem right. Something's afoot. I'm pretty sure the Pharisee isn't motivated by his affectionate desire for the wellfare of Jesus. And almost certainly this is a ploy. Herod doesn't care about Jesus. Herod Antipas probably barely knows who Jesus is. He hasn't stirred up any trouble in his domain. So when the Jews say, “Herod wants to kill you.” Jesus knows it's a trap. The Pharisees are trying to push him out of the territory of Herod Antipas and move him into the territory of Pilate where they have control. That's what's going on. Now Jesus knows that and so he responds. 32 And he said to them, Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.' He's saying, my time has not yet come. It's really kind of dark humor. He responds, “You guys are coming from Jerusalem, the city that always kills the prophets. Remember Jeremiah? remember Micah? Prophets have to die in Jerusalem, so until I go there I'm safe.” If you wanted to make an analogy you might say, “Surfers don't have to worry about being eaten by sharks unless their surfing in shark infested waters and prophets don't have to worry about dying unless they are in Jerusalem.” Do, you realize the Jews of Jesus' day would actually build tombs for the prophets. They didn't pretend that the bodies were there, but they wanted a place to put wreaths and garlands as if to say, “We are so embarrassed that our forefathers killed the prophets who wrote our Bible.” And of course we would never do that. In another place Jesus is going to say, “You build tombs to the prophets, but you are going to bring the blood of Abel to Zechariah upon yourselves.” All those prophets spoke of Jesus, and they are trying to kill Jesus! And then you have this lament. 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Behold, your house is forsaken. Jesus isn't in Jerusalem. But he's mourning their hardened hearts. And then he says this marvelous, prophetic WORD. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'" What does that mean? Jesus, right here is quoting Psalm 118. Psalm 118 is a Messianic Psalm. This is the Psalmist giving God's people instruction on how they are to receive their Messiah. It's almost like the Psalmist is giving them a future hymn book. When Messiah comes, you sing this Psalm. Who hasn't woken up and said, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Yeah, that's true. But that's not what this Psalm is talking about. It's talking about the day that Messiah comes. And when that day comes, you should all cry out, “Hossana” which means save us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. That's how you welcome Messiah. And so what Jesus is saying to the Pharisees is this: the next time you see me will be when all of the inhabitants of Jerusalem spill out of the city and lay down their garments and palm branches and WELCOME ME AS MESSIAH, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." The whole city is going to welcome me as KING. Now, here's the point, if you were to have been there when Jesus said those words, you would have said, “That's impossible. By this time it was public knowledge, The Pharisees hate Jesus. The Pharisees and Saducees control that entire hill. They control the temple. The disciples of Jesus are convinced that a journey to Jerusalem is the same thing as a journey to the grave.” How in the world, Jesus, are you going to OPENLY walk into Jerusalem with the crowds welcoming you as Messiah, when you know good and well that the Pharisees and Sadducees are BENT on destroying you? Well the answer in part the raising of Lazarus. And you want to talk about MOTIVATED REASONING? This is a text book example. Now let's regain our bearings. Jesus has crossed over the Jordan and has had this entire exchange with the Pharisees in the relative safety of Herod Antipas. But now Jesus gets word that Lazarus is sick. Jesus is good friends with Lazarus. Lazarus lives in Bethany. Where is Bethany? Bethany is only about a mile from Jerusalem so Jesus would have likely stayed here when he was in the city for Feasts. But notice the region in which Bethany lies. Bethany is right here, back in the region of Judea, right where the Pharisees want him (back in the jurisdiction of Pontius Pilate where they have control). So this is a dangerous mission. Jesus, come back to the area where you were just about stoned to death. As we continue through the text you can detect the disciples resistance to the suggestion that they should go back up to Judea. As a side note, it's very interesting that John distinguishes which Mary he's referencing. Mary, the one who annointed Jesus feet with oil and washed it with her hair. Why is that interesting? Because he hasn't yet told the story yet about Mary anointing Jesus feet with oil. That's coming later in chapter 12. This is a pretty good evidence that John assumes you've got the other gospels in your hand. Remember John wrote his gospel last. What he's doing is assuming that you as the reader know the story as told by Matthew, Mark and Luke and since we've been introduced to more than one Mary in the synoptic gospels, he's clarifying which one he's referencing. At any rate, Jesus gets word that his friend Lazarus is very ill. Now notice the careful wording of Jesus. This is an illness that does not lead to death. He doesn't say, Lazarus will not die. He says it's an illness that doesn't culminate, terminate in death. Instead it's a sickness that leads to the glory of God. Now let's get very specific as to what is meant by that. God's doesn't receive glory from the fact that illness exists. Illness is not part of the original design. God did not look at illness in the garden and pronounce it good. Death is the consequence of sin. But, this disease and its associated suffering will be the mechanism through which God's glory over illness is displayed. In the end, the illness DOES not win. The illness lead to death. In the LONG VIEW, this illness actually leads to resurrection life. And it's at that moment that God's glory is revealed. Now at this point, the disciples understand PRECISELY ZERO of what Jesus means by this. Here's almost certainly what is going through the disciples minds. They get word that Lazarus is sick and Jesus, using his divine insight responds to the messenger, this is not a sickness that leads to death and he sends the messenger away. Sweet! Instead this is an illness that leads to the glory of God. Great! He's going to get healed like many of the others that Jesus healed. There are multiple examples in the Scripture where Jesus heals from afar with a mere word. I'm certain that's what the disciples thought. I'm certain that's what the messenger who returned thought. I'm sure the disciples thought, it will be interesting to hear the rest of the story next time we meet up and see Lazarus. I'm sure everyone mentally checked the time and said, “Okay's about noon on Thursday and Lazarus will say, ‘yeah, right about noon on Thursday I just instantly started feeling better.'” And everyone forgets about it. Jesus announces no further intention. But, we as readers get special insight into his plan. But our special insight is shocking! Did you hear that? Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Let's zoom in on that word for love. As you know, there are several words for love for love in Greek and this is the word agape. It's the highest form of love. It's perfect, unconditional, pure. It most often refers to DIVINE love because only God can love with that much purity. So the text says, he LOVED these three with that kind of love. Now look at verse 6. The word so is a strong word. It means THEREFORE. Jesus LOVED these guys and on the basis of his love for them, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Did you hear that? Because God loved them so perfectly, in a totally unconditional way, he didn't come when they called upon him in their moment of GREATEST need. This is bottomlessly instructive for us. We think it ought to read, since Jesus loved them so much, he immediately did what they asked and went to the aid of Lazarus to make sure he wouldn't die. We think that the Love of God means doing what we we want. God if you loved me you would fix this financial problem in my life. God if you REALLY loved me, you'd fix this relational problem that I am experiencing either in my marriage or with my kids, or my friends or in the church. That, Lord would be evidence of your love for me. God if you REALLY, REALLY loved me then you would get rid of this cancer or this disease or this health handicap. But actually the love of God is doing what is best for the person even if it involves our suffering. Did you catch that? God LOVES you; and so often times he will wait those two extra days. The very best thing in the world for you right now might be the delay of God. Why did he wait two additional days? When Jesus arrived on the scene Lazarus had already been dead four days so If he had set out immediately, Lazarus would have still been dead two full days. But he waited. Why? Because he wanted to establish with spectacular certainty that LAZARUS was not just mostly dead, but CERTAINLY dead. God's delays are not denials. The fact you think its a delay is an evidence of your MOTIVATED REASONING. What Mary and Martha wanted was for Jesus to swoop in and overcome sickness. What Jesus wanted was to swoop in and overcome death. Which is better? Now at this point, remember, the disciples still have no idea that this is what's going to go down. Remember, the last thing they heard was that this was not an illness that leads to death. They assumed this was a healing from afar. That was two days ago when Jesus said that. They've completely forgotten about Lazarus. They've totally learned to trust Jesus. He's not going to die. End of story. Move on with our life. But then Jesus, undoubtedly, surprises them and says. Now I'm not sure they are even making the connection at this point between Lazarus and Judea. I think because they have so completely abandoned the idea that the sickness of Lazarus was a problem that when they hear Jesus say, “Let us go to Judea” they understood him to be updating them on their itinerary. And their initial reaction was this idea is not one of your better ideas, Jesus. To our ears this would be like Jesus saying, “let us go to Kabul international airport in Afghanistan.” What's wrong with JFK or Kona? When they hear this suggestion, they get real concerned. Jesus, you know the politics over there. Last time we were there they tried to kill you. You barely escaped with your life. Are you sure, Jesus? So out of their mouths comes this complaint and Jesus' response: Now Jesus is basically forcing them to square their theology with their fear. He says, why do we work in the day instead of the night? Because in the day you can see. You don't stumble in the day. There's no fear of stumbling when there is light. The light of the world prevents you from making a wrong step. If you are with me, guess what? It's daytime. Why? because I am the light of the world. You can't make a mistake if you are following me. Keep that in mind folks. You can't make a mistake if you are obeying what Jesus tells you to do. There is no possible way to REGRET obedience. That is a perfect step made in the light. The outcome might be horrendous by any other standard, but it's not a mistake. It's not a mistep. Following Jesus means you will never stumble. And the converse is true as well. "If anyone walks in the night he stumbles, because the light of the world is not in him." If you do anything apart from Jesus, if you make decisions in life and don't include Jesus, if you ignore your conscience and push Jesus to the side, then whatever decision you make, no matter how successful it is in the eyes of the world, will result in stumbling. You can't be on the right path if the path doesn't include Jesus as Lord and savior of your life. You will CERTAINLY stumble. Listen, we are going to Judea. Yes, it is dangerous. But you won't stumble because I am the light of the world. Now he tells them what their Judean mission will be. The disciples are, at times, dense; however, this is not one of those times. Jesus had plainly told them this was not a sickness that leads to death. How else is a person supposed to interpret those words? The disciples hear Jesus say, “I'm going to go wake up Lazarus.” Again, how else are they supposed to interpret those words. Jesus, I'm sure he's tired. After all, he's had a brush with death. But you told us it wasn't a sickness leading to death. Right? I'm sure he's sleepy. Do we really need to go to Judea and risk our lives to get him out of bed? He'll wake up when he's kicked the virus and feels better. Now comes plain language. Now here's where things get chilling. I am glad for your sake that I was not there so that you might believe that I really do have power to raise people from the dead. Which means what? Which means that they currently DO NOT believe. This is basically our stopping point. The miracle itself we are going to talk about next time. But I want you to just hear what Jesus is saying. You guys have been following me around for a few years now. And you still don't really believe. And this is applicable for all of us as well. We believe in Jesus, but we don't really believe he has power over the things we are suffering RIGHT NOW. You believe. But you don't believe. Jesus says to to his disciples, you believe I can heal people. You've seen that. But do you realize who I am? Who I really am? I can raise people from the dead. I can overcome the grave. You don't yet believe that. Now as evidence that they don't belive that, look what Thomas says. So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” This gives you some idea of the level of danger represented in Jesus' suggestion. In the minds of the disciples, this was a suicide mission. This was Normandy. These guys know the hornets nest of Judea. Now what does Thomas mean here? This is one place in the Bible where you'd love to have some tone, inflection and intonation. Either Thomas is saying: “Jesus, I'm so committed to you, I'll gladly go to Jerusalem and die with you.” In that case it's a very commendable statement of loyalty… “Fine, if you want to go to Jersualem to try and raise Lazarus from the dead, you'll likely be having to raise more than just Lazarus. We are all dead if we go there.” In this case it's heavy sarcasm But in either case, in both cases, what is Thomas lacking? He does not believe that Jesus has power OVER death. Either we will die, Jesus will die or both. But someone is going to die. And Jesus says, “I'm glad Lazarus died, so you can believe.” He's painting them into a corner. Let's apply this. Gospel Message Let me assure you. All of us today walk into the room with motivated reasoning. None are unbiased. None are objective. None are willing to just receive truth without question. There are FACTS presented here that our conception of reality wont readily support. What is the FACT established in this passage? The FACT above every other FACT is that Jesus has power over suffering and death. The FACT is that Jesus has purposes in SUFFERING and DEATH. Jesus is LORD over it. The whole Bible is written to establish that FACT. Now that conflicts with a deeply emotional conviction that if God loves me, I will not suffer. And so when we suffer, our MOTIVATED REASONING kicks in. How can God still love me. And rather than interpreting our circumstances through the love of God we interpret the LOVE of God through our circumstances. That's motivated reasoning. If you are suffering right now, what is true of Lazarus is true of you, "your suffering is for the glory of God." But I guarantee you that if you are suffering right now you are motivated to reason differently. It doesn't feel that way. The FACT that Jesus is LORD over suffering is in conflict with your sense that if Jesus loved you, he would rescue me from suffering. This passage is teaching us to look beyond our feelings to what is true. Of course it feels that way. Of course the suffering is not fun. Suffering always hurts. For Lazarus the coughing and the vomiting and the sweating and the fever were all real. He had to endure all that. The evil of suffering had its way. If God was to exercise supremacy OVER death, then logically speaking, death and the accompanying suffering must have its way first. Perhaps the silence of God in our life is the silence of those two days. Perhaps God is waiting so that he can establish with such spectacular certainty that he is sovereign over the suffering you experience. We don't know his good purposes. But we know that they are for his glory and our good. I'm glad, for your sake, that you are suffering. Why? How can you say that? Because through the suffering you will believe. You will know who I am. There's no alternate explanation. And would you not agree, that there is no more loving thing in the world that God could possibly do for you than to help you see him more clearly. Baptism This evening, we have a baptism service. And so come out to that. Come out and watch a FUNERAL and a BIRTH. That's what baptism is. We bury the old man. This man whose MOTIVATED to reason that this world is all about me. We put that old man in the grave. And what rises is new life. New life is born. Unless a man is BORN AGAIN, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. If you are not a Christian and are wondering how you become one, the answer of the Scriptures, is repent and be baptized. The Bible sees these events are simultaneous. It's a physical expression of what has taken place in the heart. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:4 ESV) Baptism is our funeral and birthday. We get a death certificate and a birth certificate on the same day. So bring a dinner to enjoy on the lawn afterwards. Bring a chair or a blanket and let's listen to the stories of life and celebrate Jesus' victory over death.

David is made king of Israel and comes to take the city of Jersualem from the Jebusites. We long for the day when we can join David and the ultimate king of Jersualem in the heavenly city, the new Jersualem, when there will be no more pain, morning, crying or disablity. But rather we all will be made whole.

On today's Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck breaks down the decision this week by Ben & Jerry's ice cream to boycott what it calls "Occupied Palestinian Territories": the Biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria and eastern Jersualem. The Israeli government is not taking Ben & Jerry's move lightly and is fighting back, urging U.S. states to hold the radical left, "woke" ice cream maker accountable and calling for consumers to boycott the boycotter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The controversial Israeli opposition leader visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jersualem's old city in 2000. His appearance was followed by an upsurge in violence between Palestinians and Israelis. Mike Lanchin spoke to an Israeli, and a Palestinian who were there that day. This programme is a rebroadcast. (Photo: Ariel Sharon at the compound. Credit: AFP/Getty Images.)

The struggle for justice in Israel/Palestine on the left has changed dramatically since 1948. We welcome Dr. Noam Chomsky to discuss the issue, what led to the current terrain, and what the future may hold. Note: This episode was pre-recorded before the recent rising violence against Palestinians in Jersualem. Support this podcast

“There was a certain man who was a believer, and he was a nobleman and a fearer of God. He was rich in the things of this world, and he was well endowed with the qualities of nature; he belonged to a famous family and a well-known tribe. His name was SHIBAN the Sa'ora. He dwelt in the city which is called [...] KHAN BALIK , [...] the royal city in the country of the East. He married according to the law a woman whose name was KEYAMTA. And when they had lived together for a long time, and they had no heir, they prayed to God continually and besought Him with frequent supplications not to deprive them of a son who would continue [their] race. And He who giveth comfort in His gracious mercy received their petition, and He showed them compassion. For it is His wont to receive the entreaty of those who are broken of heart, and-to hearken unto the groaning of those who make supplications and petitions [to Him]. [....] Now God made the spirit of conception to breathe upon the woman Keyamta, and she brought forth a son, and they called his name " SAWMA.” And they rejoiced [with] a great joy, neighbours of his family and his relations rejoiced at his birth.’       So begins the history of Rabban bar Sauma, as translated by E. Wallis Budge. There were a number of travellers, missionaries, diplomats and merchants who made journey from Europe to China during the height of the Mongol Empire. While Marco Polo is the most famous of these, we have also covered a few other travellers in previous episodes. Yet, there were also those who made the harrowing journey from China to the west. Of these, none are more famous than Rabban bar Sauma, the first known individual born in China who made the journey to Europe. Rabban bar Sauma was a Turkic Christian monk who travelled from Khanbaliq, modern-day Beijing, across Central Asia, the Ilkhanate, the Byzantine Empire, Italy, all the way to the western edge of France, visiting Khans, Emperors, Kings and Popes.  Our episode today will introduce  you to Rabban Sauma and his incredible journey across late 13th century Mongol Eurasia. I’m your host David, and this is Kings and Generals: Ages of Conquest.       Sauma was born around 1225 in the city of Yenching, on which Beijing now sits. Yenching of course, we have visited before, when it was known as  Zhongdu, the capital of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty. The Mongols took the city after a bloody siege in 1215, which we covered  back in episode 7 of this season. Sauma was born to Turkic parents, either Onggud or Uighur, two groups which had long since recognized the supremacy of Chinggis Khan. Sauma’s parents were Christians of the Church of the East, often called, rather disparagingly, Nestorians. Nestorius was a 5th century archbishop of Constantinople who had argued, among other things, the distinction between Christ’s humanity and his divinity, and that Mary was mother of Jesus the man, but not of Jesus the God. For if God had always existed, then he could not have had a mother. For this Nestorius was excommunicated at the Council of Ephesus in 431 and his followers scattered across the east. From the Sassanid Empire they spread across Central Asia, reaching China during the Tang Dynasty. By the 12th century, the adaptable Nestorian priests converted several of the tribes of Mongolia, from the Naiman, the Kereyit to the Onggud, to which Sauma likely belonged. These Eastern Christian priests stayed influential among the Mongols for the remainder of the 13th century, with a number of prominent Mongols adhering to their faith. Sorqaqtani Beki, the mother of Great Khans Mongke and Khubilai, was perhaps the best known of these.       The young Sauma took his Christian faith seriously; so seriously, his parents sought to dissuade him, fretting the end of their family line if their son became a monk. Refusing fine meats and alcohol, Sauma instead hungered for ecclestical knowledge and purity. Accepted into the Nestorian clergy of Yenching in 1248, at age 25 he donned the tonsure and garb of the monk. Developing a reputation for asceticism beyond even his fellow monks, he largely secluded himself in his own cell for 7 years before leaving the monastery for the mountains. His devotion to Christ made him famous among the Nestorians of North China and Mongolia, attracting the attention of a young Onggud Turk named Markos. From the Onggud capital of Koshang in modern Inner Mongolia, Markos was mesmerized by the stories of the holiness of Sauma. The 15 year old Markos marched by himself to Sauma in 1260. Impressed by the youth’s tenacity even as he attempted to dissuade him from joining the monastery, Sauma eventually took Markos under his wing. Markos proved himself an excellent student, and within three years was accepted into the Nestorian monastic life.        Sauma and Markos became fast friends and pillars of the Nestorian community around Yenching, which by then was the capital of the new Great Khan, Khubilai, and renamed to Dadu, “Great City,” or Khanbaliq, “The Khan’s City,” to Turkic and Mongolian speakers. Khanbaliq is the origins of Marco Polo’s somewhat distorted version of Cambulac. While Sauma was happy to spend his life in the mountains near Dadu, Markos was much more energetic, and sought to convince his friend to partake in the most difficult of journeys; to the holy city of Jerusalem to be absolved of their sins. Sauma tried to scare Markos off this goal, and it was not until around 1275 that Sauma was convinced to accompany his friend. They went to Khanbaliq for an escort and supplies, and here news of their mission came to the most powerful monarch on the planet, Khuiblai Khan. Several sources, such as the Syriac Catholicos Bar Hebraeus, attest that Sauma and Markos were sent west by Kublai to worship in Jerusalem or baptize clothes in the River Jordan. Such a task is similar to the orders Kublai gave to Marco Polo’s father and uncle, instructed to bring back Catholic priests and sacred oil from Jerusalem for Yuan China. Khubilai often tried to appear a friend to all religions within his realm, and may have felt the need to honour his own mother’s memory, as she had been a Christian. That Sauma and Markos went with the blessings of the Great Khan holding his passport (paiza) would explain the favoured treatment they received over their voyage. Interestingly though, the main source for Bar Sauma’s journey, a Syriac language manuscript compiled shortly after his death from notes and an account he had made in his life, makes no mention of Khubilai’s involvment. Historian Pier Giorgio Borbone suggests it was deliberately left out, instead playing of the religious aspect of the pilgrimage as emerging from Markos and Sauma themselves, rather than imply they only made the journey on the order of Khubilai.       Setting out around 1275, Sauma, Markos and an escort began their journey to the west. Through the Yuan Empire they were met by ecstatic crowds of Nestorians coming out to see the holymen, showering them with gifts and supplies. Two Onggud nobles, sons-in-laws to the Great Khan, provided more animals and guides for them, though they warned of the dangers now that the Mongol Khanates were at war. They followed one of the primary routes of the Silk Road, via the former territory of the Tangut Kingdom, the Gansu Corridor, to the Tarim Basin, cutting south along the desolate Taklamakan desert, the harshest stretch of their journey. After staying in Khotan, they moved onto Kashgar, shocked to find it recently depopulated and plundered, a victim of Qaidu Khan. Passing through the Tien Shan mountains to Talas, they found the encampment of that same Khan. Here they minimized any connections they had to Khubilai, instead portraying themselves on a mission of personal religious conviction and prayed for the life of Qaidu and his well being, asking that he provid supplies to assist in their journey.  Qaidu let them through, and Sauma and Markos continued on a seemingly uneventful, but strenuous trip through Qaidu’s realm, the Chagatai Khanate and into the Ilkhanate.       Sauma and Markos’ journey to Jerusalem halted in Maragha,  chief city of the Ilkhanate. There, the head of the Nestorian Church, Patriarch Mar Denha, found use for these well-spoken travellers affiliated with the Khan of Khans. Mar Denha had not made himself many friends within the Ilkhanate, in part for his hand in the violent murder of a Nestorian who had converted to Islam. As a result the Il-Khan, Hulegu’s son Abaqa, had not provided letters patent to confirm Denha in his position, wary of alienating the Muslims of his kingdom. Mar Denha believed monks sent from Abaqa’s uncle Khubilai would be most persuasive. Abaqa Il-Khan treated Sauma and Markos generously, and perhaps influenced by his Christian Byzantine wife, on their urging he agreed to send Mar Denha his confirmation. In exchange, Mar Denha was to provide an escort for Sauma and Markos to reach Jerusalem, but the roads were closed due to war between the Ilkhanate and the Mamluk Sultanate. When Markos and Sauma returned to Mar Denha, he told them visiting his own Patriarchate was just as good as visiting Jerusalem, and gave them new titles. Both were made Rabban, the Syriac form of Rabbi. Markos was made Metropolitan of the Nestorians of Eastern Asia, essentially a bishop, and given a new name: Yabhallaha, by which he is more often known, while Rabban bar Sauma became his Visitor-General. Suddenly promoted but unable to return east due to a breakout of war between the Central Asian Khanates, Rabban Sauma and Mar Yabhallaha stayed in a monastery near Arbil until the sudden death of Mar Denha in 1281.       His experience with the Mongols and knowledge of their language made Yabhallaha a prime candidate to succeed Mar Denha, and the other Metropolitans anointed him Patriarch of the Nestorians. Wisely, Rabban Sauma encouraged Yabhallaha to immediately seek confirmation from Abaqa Il-Khan, who appreciated the move and rewarded Yabhallaha and the Nestorians of the Ilkhanate with gifts, such as a throne and parasol,  as well as tax privileges. Abaqa soon died in 1282, and Yabhallaha and Sauma faced scrutiny under Abaqa’s successor, his Muslim brother Teguder Ahmad. Accusations were made that the Nestorians were defaming Teguder Il-Khan in letters to Khubilai. Placed on trial before the Il-Khan, the two friends fought for their innocence and outlasted him. In 1284 Teguder was ousted and killed by Abaqa’s son Arghun. Mar Yabhallaha immediately paid homage to Arghun, in him finding a firm supporter. With Arghun’s backing, Yabhallaha removed his enemies from within the Nestorian church and strengthened his power. Desiring to complete the war with the Mamluk Sultanate, under Arghun efforts to organize an alliance with Christian Europe against the Mamluks reached new heights. Since the days of Arghun’s grandfather Hulegu, the Il-Khans had sent envoys to Europe in an effort to organize a Crusader-Mongolian alliance against the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt. Despite some close attempts, there had not yet been successful cooperation. Arghun was determined to change this and organize the coalition which  would finally overcome the Mamluks.   Desiring the most effective envoy possible, Arghun turned to Mar Yabhallaha to suggest an influential, well travelled and respectable Christian to send to spur Crusading fervour, aided by promises that Arghun would restore Jerusalem to Christian hands. Yabhallaha had just the man. Turning to his longtime friend, Yabhallaha asked Rabban bar Sauma to carry the Il-Khan’s messages westwards. Provided letters for the Kings and Popes, as well as paizas, gold, animals and provisions, in the first days of 1287, after a tearful goodbye with Mar Yabhallaha, the 62 year old Rabban Sauma set out, accompanied by at least two interpreters from Italy in his escort. The first steps of his route are unclear, likely taking the caravan routes from northern Iraq to somewhere along the southeastern Black Sea coast. From there they took a ship to Constantinople and met the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II. As recorded in the Syriac history of Rabban Sauma, quote:    “And after [some] days he arrived at the great city of CONSTANTINOPLE, and before they went into it he sent two young men to the Royal gate  to make known there that an ambassador of [Khan] Arghon had come. Then the [Emperor] commanded certain people to go forth to meet them, and to bring them in with pomp and honour. And when RABBAN SAWMA went intothe city, the [Emperor] allotted to him a house, that is to say, a mansion in which to dwell. And after RABBAN SAWMA had rested himself, he went to visit the [Emperor, Andronikos II] and after he had saluted him, the [Emperor] asked him, "How art thou after the workings of the sea and the fatigue of the road?" And RABBAN SAWMA replied, "With the sight of the Christian king fatigue hath vanished and exhaustion hath departed, for I was exceedingly anxious to see your kingdom, the which may our Lord establish!"   Emperor Andronikos II politely welcomed the embassy, dining them and providing a house for their stay. Giving the gifts and letters from Arghun, Rabban Sauma met his first frustration as efforts to broach military aid led nowhere. The Emperor Andronikos provided gifts, excuses, and promised exactly no military aid for the Il-Khan. Whatever disappointment Rabban Sauma felt was offset with a tour of the sites of Constantinople, especially the great church of Hagia Sophia. In his homeland churches were small buildings or even mobiles tents; in Ani, in Armenia, he saw a city famous for its many churches. But nothing could compare to the majesty of the Hagia Sophia, the quality and colour of its marble, its 360 columns, the great space and seemingly floating roof. The mosaics, the shrines and relics alleged to date to the earliest days of Christianity, all captured Sauma’s heart. Of the church’s famous dome, Sauma wrote:  “As for the dome of the altar it is impossible for a man to describe it [adequately] to one who hath not seen it, and to say how high and how spacious it is.” In his  often laconic account of his travels, it is these icons of Christianity which earn the greatest description, and stood out to him more than his usually unsuccessful diplomatic efforts.    Departing Constantinople, by sea he set out for Rome. The voyage was rough, and on 18th June 1287 he was greeted by a terrifying spectacle, the eruption of Mt. Etna where fire and smoke ascended day and night.  Passing Sicily he landed at Naples, where he was graciously welcomed by Charles Martel, the son of the Napolese King Charles II, then imprisoned in Aragon. From the roof of the mansion  Sauma stayed at, on June 24th he watched Charles’ forces be defeated by the Aragonese fleet in the Bay of Sorrento. Sauma remarked with surprise that the Aragonese forces, unlike the Mongols, did not attack the noncombatants they came across. European chroniclers attest that later in June, after Sauma had moved onto Rome, the Aragonese began ravaging the countryside anyways.   In Rome later in 1287, Sauma’s hopes to meet the Pope were dashed as Pope Honourius IV had died in April that year. Finding the Cardinals in the midst of a long conclave to choose his successor, Sauma was welcomed before them as the envoy of the Il-Khan. Unwilling to commit to any alliance without a Pope, the Cardinals instead asked where Sauma came from, who the Patriarch of the East was and where he was located. Avoiding Sauma’s attempts to get back to his diplomatic purpose, the Cardinals then shifted to theological matters, grilling Sauma on his beliefs. The Nestorian impressed them with his knowledge of the early church, and managed to deftly slide past the disputes which had caused the excommunication of Nestorius some 860 years prior. Finding no progress on the diplomatic mission, Sauma engaged in a more personal interest, exploring the ancient relics and monuments to Christendom.  The account of Sauma’s journey indicates he visited “all the churches and monasteries that were in Great Rome.” At times, he misunderstood the strange customs of the locals, believing the Pope enthroned the Holy Roman Emperor by using his own feet to lift the crown onto his head.    With no progress to be made in Rome until the new Pope was elected, Sauma searched for Kings of the Franks most known for Crusading. After a brief tour of Tuscany, by the end of September 1287 Sauma was in Paris, there greeted with a lavish reception by King Phillip IV, who hosted a feast for this illustrious envoy. In Rabban Sauma’s account, he wrote”    “And the king of France assigned to Rabban Sawma a place wherein to dwell, and three days later sent one of his Amirs to him and summoned him to his presence. And when he had come the king stood up before him and paid him honour, and said unto him, "Why hast thou come? And who sent thee?" And RABBAN SAWMA said unto him, "[Khan] ARGHON and the Catholicus of the East have sent me concerning the matter of JERUSALEM." And he showed him all the matters which he knew, and he gave him the letters which he had with him, and the gifts, that is to say, presents which he had brought. And the king of FRANCE answered him, saying, "If it be indeed so that the MONGOLS, though they are not Christians, are going to fight against the Arabs for the capture of JERUSALEM, it is meet especially for us that we should fight [with them], and if our Lord willeth, go forth in full strength.”   Moved by the willingness of the Mongols to restore Jerusalem to Christian hands, Phillip promised to send a nobleman alongside Rabban Sauma to bring his answer to Arghun. With at least one king seemingly onboard, Sauma spent the next month touring Paris, visiting churches and impressed by the great volume of students within the city. Phillip showed Sauma the private relics of the French Kings, including what Phillip claimed was the Crown of Thorns, sold to his grandfather by the Emperor of Constantinople in 1238.        Around mid-October 1287, Rabban Sauma had moved across France to Gascony, where the King of England Edward I, old Longhsanks himself, was staying at Bordeaux. Edward was known to the Mongols, having gone on an inconclusive Crusade to Syria in 1271. Abaqa Il-Khan had attempted to coordinate movements with Edward during his campaign, but neither side had been able to line up their forces. Edward, then just the crown prince of England, had succeeded in doing little more than carry out small raids, assist in organizing a treaty between the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Mamuk Sultan Baybars. and survive an assassination attempt. Abaqa had sent envoys in 1277 apologizing to Edward for being able to provide sufficient aid and asked for him to return, but to no avail. Edward, by then the King of England, was by then rather more concerned with France and the conquest of Wales.   Ten years in early 1287, Edward had promised to take up the Cross again, and was excited by the arrival of Rabban Sauma late that year. Promising assistance, he invited Rabban Sauma to partake in the Eucharist with him, gave him leave to visit the local churches, and provided gifts and assistance when Sauma went back on the road to Rome. Feeling himself successful, by the time he returned to Rome in early 1288 a new Pope had been elected, Nicholas IV. The first Pope from the Franciscan Order, Nicholas was a man keenly interested in missionary efforts and the restoration of the Holy Land to Christian hands. It was under his aegis that John de Monte Corvino would travel to Dadu to establish a Catholic archbishopric there. Having interacted with each other during Sauma’s first visit to the Cardinals, Sauma and the new Pope got on splendidly. Kissing the hands and feet of Pope Nicholas, Sauma was provided a mansion for his stay in Rome and invited to partake in the feasts and festivities around Easter. Sauma on occasion led in the Eucharist beside the Pope, drawing crowds from across Rome eager to see how this foreign Christian undertook Mass. Though the language differed, the crowds were ecstatic that the rites themselves seemed the same.          Despite their friendship, no promises of organizing a crusade against the Mamluks were forthcoming. The Pope lacked the influence to send a large body of armed men on yet another disatrous journey. The crusades of the 13th century to the Holy Land had been catastrophes. The most thoroughly organized crusades of the century were those organized by King Louis IX of France. The first had ended in his capture by the Mamluks in Egypt in 1250, while the second had resulted in his death outside of Tunis in 1270. If even this saintly, highly prepared king had been met with failures, then what chance would any other force have? Nicholas wanted to convert Muslims and retake Jersualem, yes, but was very aware of the practicalities involved by this point.    And so, Rabban Sauma decided to return to the Ilkhanate. Nicholas asked Sauma to stay in Rome with him, but Sauma insisted he was only there as a diplomat, and it was his duty to return east. The Nestorian did convince the Head of the Catholic Church to give him, somewhat reluctantly, holy relics: a piece of Jesus’ cape, the kerchief of the Virgin Mary, and fragments from the bodies of several saints. Along with those were several letters for the Il-Khan, Mar Yabhallaha and Rabban Sauma. Copies of these letters survive in the Vatican archives, and though the letter to Yabhallaha confirms him as head of the Christians of the East, it is surprisingly condescending, explaining basic tenets of Christianity. Embracing Rabban Sauma one final time, he was dismissed and by ship, returned to the Ilkhanate.       On his return, he was warmly welcomed by his longtime friend Mar Yabhallaha and the Il-Khan Arghun. Arghun hosted a feast for them, personally serving them and richly rewarding the old man for his great efforts. Yet his efforts came to naught. The Pope had provided no assurances, and despite continued correspondence neither Phillip nor Edward committed men to the Holy Land, too preoccupied with their own conflicts. Arghun sent an embassy in 1289 telling the two monarchs that he would march on Damascus in January 1291 and meet them there. Distracted by turmoil on his borders, Arghun instead died of illness in March 1291. Acre, the final major Crusader stronghold, was taken by the Mamluks two months later, ending the Crusader Kingdoms and the possibilities of European-Mongol cooperation. Despite some outrage in connected circles in Europe, the fall of Acre merited no revival of any Crusader spirit for the region.       Rabban Sauma largely retired to his own church for his last years, but along with Mar Yabhallaha continued to visit the court of the Il-Khans, particularly Geikhatu who continued to patronize minority religions of the Ilkhanate.  Perhaps in 1293 they met another international traveller; Marco Polo, who spent much of that year in the Ilkhanate during his return from China. We have no way of confirming this, though we can imagine Geikhatu Il-Khan introducing two men who had both travelled across the continent, humoured by the individuals brought together by Mongol rule. Polo had arrived in China around the same time that Rabban Sauma and Markos had begun their own western journey. As Marco had spent much of his time in China in Bar Sauma’s city of birth, perhaps Polo told him of the things he had missed in the last twenty years, what had changed in Dadu and what had stayed the same, stirring memories in Rabban Sauma of land and family that he never saw again.       Rabban Sauma died in January 1294, leaving his friend Mar Yabhallaha alone in an Ilkhanate that, after the death of Geikhatu and conversion of the Ilkhans to Islam, grew increasingly mistrustful and hostile to non-Muslims. By the time of Mar Yabhallaha’s death in 1317, the brief flourishing of the Nestorian church under Ilkhanid patronage was over, and their influence across Central Asia dissipated with the continued conversion of Mongols across the region. The journey of Rabban Sauma was forgotten. His persian diary on his voyages was translated into Syriac not long after his death but was lost until its rediscovery in the 19th century. Translated now into several languages, Sauma’s journey shines another light on the integration of East and West under the Mongols, when for the first time a Christian Turk from China could travel to the Pope and Kings of Europe. Our series on the Mongol Empire in the late thirteenth century and fourteenth century will continue, so be sure to subscribe to our podcast. If you’d like to help us keep bringing you great content, please consider supporting us on patreon at www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals, or consider leaving us a review on the podcast catcher of your choice, or sharing this with your friends. All your efforts help immensely. This episode was researched and written by our series historian, Jack Wilson. I’m your host David, and we’ll catch you on the next one. 

We're spending the next week journeying through the details of Holy Week. The stories that often get left on the cutting room floor, so to speak, or that get bypassed and glossed over. What do Jesus' actions and teachings throughout the final week of his life have to teach us about our faith, both during Holy Week itself and throughout our faith lives?

In the first part of her “This week in Tudor history” for the week beginning 1st March, historian Claire Ridgway is going to be introducing you to Thomas Tresham, grand prior of the Order of St John of Jersualem, and Anne of Denmark, James I’s queen consort, as well as talking about another unhappy marriage for Margaret Tudor, and the birth of Mary Boleyn’s son.   You can see this podcast as a video at the following link: https://youtu.be/1d3E0LZgREE   1st March 1559 - Death of Thomas Tresham, landowner, Catholic politician and Grand Prior of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in England.   2nd March 1619 - Death of Anne of Denmark, queen consort of King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England. She died of dropsy and consumption at Hampton Court Palace aged 44.   3rd March 1528 - Margaret Tudor, widow of King James IV of Scotland and sister of King Henry VIII, married for a third time. She married Henry Stuart, Lord Methven. It was not a happy marriage.   4th March 1526 - Birth of courtier and administrator, Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, son of Mary Boleyn and her first husband, William Carey.   Teasel's Tudor Trivia video on St David's Day can be found at https://youtu.be/xGPFqRCnBxY Other videos on Margaret Tudor: August 6 - – Margaret Tudor’s Secret Marriage - https://youtu.be/CEE88HDbM4M   October 18 - Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland - https://youtu.be/4MyX4SfN5IE  Find out more about Henry Carey in this video - https://youtu.be/gcYG4d-6QeU   Videos about other Tudor events for these dates: March 1 - George Wishart, a man with close friends and bitter enemies - https://youtu.be/EQhEftMQuCc  March 1 - Thomas Campion died and was laid to rest - https://youtu.be/PEzda2lwj9Y March 2 - Henry VIII and his motto "She has wounded my heart" - https://youtu.be/PEK-M0CLInA  March 2 - Sir Thomas Bodley and the Bodleian Library - https://youtu.be/cDR9V-OH7s0 March 3 - A secret marriage for Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon? - https://youtu.be/yPlUHeSNi40 March 3 - Edward IV's son dies of a heart attack in the Tower of London - https://youtu.be/vcXWPbCLJ9w March 4 - Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn star in the spectacular Chateau Vert Pageant - https://youtu.be/ChANxD0evtM March 4 - William Bullokar and his 40-letter alphabet - https://youtu.be/n_GKQMR2myA    -- Claire Ridgway Historian and author, founder of the Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Society www.theanneboleynfiles.com www.tudorsociety.com https://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFiles http://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/ https://twitter.com/thetudorsociety https://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/ https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/

Jersualem verzaubert ihre Besucherinnen und Gäste. Heilig für drei Religionen und Magnet für Millionen von Menschen, die die Grabeskirche, den Tempelberg und den Felsendom einmal sehen möchten. „Das neue Jerusalem“ ist das Symbol in der Offenbarung des Johannes auf eine Transformation durch Gott. Auf der Schwelle von Leben und Tod, aber auch im Hier und Jetzt.

Beit Safafa was a Palestinian town between Jersualem and Bethlehem, before it was split into two halves in 1948 when the State of Israel was created. The Western half of the village, with the important Jaffa-Jerusalem railway, became part of Israel and the Eastern half was under Jordanian control. This situation remained so until Israel military occupied the Westbank of the Jordan River in 1967 and Beit Safafa was reunited. But the 19 years of physical separation between the people, left its mark until today.Beit Safafa has ancient history and several important archeological sites. In this guided tour, we discover the town with Ahmad Nabeel. He was suggested to me by Musa Othman, the son of the late historian Mustafa Othman, who wrote a book about the history of Beit Safafa.For the full transcript of this podcast episodes you can go to the website https://storiesfrompalestine.info/2021/01/29/beit-safafa/If you want to follow Stories from Palestine Podcast on social media, sign up for the newsletter or make a donation on Ko-fi, you can use this link: https://podspout.app/storiesfrompalestine

Rev Ewen Matheson Sermon from Cross Free Church of Scotland in Ness freely available to listen to and download: Date: 15/11/20 Time: Sunday 6pm Preacher: Rev Ewen Matheson Title: Babylon Rises & Jersualem Falls Reading(s): 2 Kings 20 vs 12-21 & 24 vs 1-20 Text: 2 Kings 24 v 10 Psalm: 137 vs 1-6 – Ayrshire Psalm: 51 vs … Continue reading Babylon Rises & Jersualem Falls

Quote (Nov. 2/3, 2020): "Whatever you are, be a good one." (Abraham Lincoln) Romans 7:22-25 -> Delight in God's Law. We are at war with being a prisoner of the law of sin and God's law; but he will deliver us. 2 Kings 18:3-8 -> "He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done." 2 Chron. 31:20-21 -> Hezekiah, throughout all Judah, did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God... He sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered." 2 Chron. 32:26 -> "Then Hezekiah repented of the PRIDE of his heart, as did the people of Jersualem; therefore the Lord's wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah."

David continues our mini sermon series on the book of Nehemiah.

This week we will be studying Acts 15:22-35, and worshipping under the theme "THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL: Pentecost Implications." This coming weekend is Pentecost - a week where we celebrate the fact that God the Holy Spirit does not elevate any one human culture above another, but his family boundaries stretch over all nations, languages, colors, and cultures. Based on the past week of social disharmony and tragedy, it's important for Christians to ask how we're currently doing at portraying a light to the world, i.e. a Spirit-given culture that supersedes any earthly culture. The Early Church struggled with cultural superiority too, repented of it, received the grace of Jesus Christ, and then became a more beautiful version. We're looking to be that light to the world too. 

Pastor Ross preaches on Revelation 21. Easter 2020 Easter 2020 Ross Tenneson / General Easter / Resurrection; Garden of Eden / Revelation 21:10 Summary Sermon Main Point: Jesus’s resurrection opens the way for us to reach home. Connection (me) All of us desire to find true home. Home is the place where you feel complete acceptance, security, and hope for the future (most of us have experienced these things at some point in our lives, even if it was short lived). Inevitably, no matter how good your life gets, we feel a lack of those things: we feel alienation from others and a sense of discontentment or dread. Our COVID 19 situation has likely increased this sense as we feel a greater sense of isolation and less certainty about the future. We can try to cope with that feeling in a number of ways. I for one am a very nostalgic person. Often my thoughts will drift to a blue lake cottage in Northern Minnesota with the nicest grandparents you could picture and great friends next door and a seemingly endless stretch of summer days. Yet, there is no getting back there and dreaming of bygone days does not heal my heart in the present. Others of you may not have good days to be nostalgic about; maybe it would be a long stretch to call the house you grew up in a “home.” Perhaps you imagine how your past could be different or picture a future day where you finally have the family, the job, or the retirement you are looking for and will be able to be secure. All of us are on a common quest to find our true home, and the desire in our heart is the evidence of this truth. Tension (we) What does the Bible have to say about our desire to find true home and our difficult experience of not reaching it? What does the resurrection of Jesus have to do, if anything, with our desire for a place where we belong and are secure and happy? Revelation (God) The Garden In order to answer these questions, I want to tell you a story.[1] This story will span the entire length of the Bible and cover many thousands of years. As a result, it will be a universal, cosmic story that will appeal and relate to anyone from any background. In this story, I will draw connections with biblical imagery and focus on the pattern of finding home. The Bible begins with the story of God creating the world. He creates the first being Adam and places him in the home he made for him. What kind of home is it? Here is what Genesis 2:8-10 says, New Living Translation Chapter 2 8 Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. 9 The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. Eden is apparently the name of the region God put the man because God planted the garden in Eden. The word “Eden” means “delight.” The verse says that “a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden.” Here is one important detail I want to share about the text even though it is not stated clearly here: Scripture suggests that Eden was a mountain. So, there is a river flowing down the mountain to water the garden that was upon it. The mountain is called “Eden” and the “Garden of Eden” sits upon it. Why would I make the point that I think Eden is a mountain? As the story progresses, we will see more mountain imagery that will point to Eden being a mountain and connect what God is doing in the future to Eden. Also, there is a verse in the the book of Ezekiel that suggests Eden was a mountain. It’s kind of a mysterious passage that we can’t fully explain right now, but I want to read part of chapter 28, verses 13 and 14: “You were in Eden, that garden of God..I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God.”[2] Did you catch that in verse 14? Ezekiel refers to Eden as “the holy mountain of God.” So, we have good reason to believe that Eden was a mountain. Now, there is another important piece of information I want to share. Gen 3:8 says, English Standard Version Chapter 3 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. This leaps a little ahead in the story, so don’t worry, we will catch up soon. I want us instead to focus on the verse describing “the Lord God walking in the garden.” His walking represents his “presence.” This exact language will describe the Temple later in the Scriptures. The author of Genesis is tipping his hat that the garden of Eden is the first temple. In the Bible, a temple is where God especially reveals his presence and makes himself known. This means that the highest purpose of this mountain garden is so that mankind could share a relationship with maker. If we put all of this together (I know this is going to sound a little weird), we find that the home God prepared for his first people was a garden... mountain... temple. This garden mountain temple was true home for humanity: it contained everything people could ever want or need. First, it is a garden. The garden shows that Eden was a place of abundant provision. God gave Adam everything he needed. The most spectacular moment of God’s provision is when he creates Eve in the garden and gives her to Adam. They would get to cultivate and rule over this delightful land God had created for them. There would be perfect smells, perfect taste, perfect sights all around. Second, it is a mountain. The mountain could show that Adam and Eve will encounter the greatness of God in this place. The height of the mountain points to this. Third, it is a temple. Adam and Eve will share intimacy with God in this place. On top of this, there was the complete absence of pain and death. God’s imagination and goodness is so great in creating this place for people! I could never come up with the idea of a garden mountain temple on my own. Yet God devised this place to meet everyone’s needs completely (most of all by sharing himself with people in this place). There was no possibility of lack or want in the garden of Eden; no one could create a better place than this for people to live. I know it can be a struggle to believe that God is good when our situation is painful. Yet, I just want to remind you that this was God’s original plan for our world: to give us the greatest home our imaginations can conceive of. After Adam and Eve sin and destroy our access to this place, God continues to act in the Scriptures to bring us back to it. How could a being who creates such a place and faithfully acts to bring undeserving people back to it be a bad person? It’s impossible; he could only be good. Yet, sadly we know that Adam and Eve did not remain in their true home long. God said in Gen 2:16, 17 that Adam and Eve could eat from any tree in the garden except for the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” He warned that “in the day they would eat of it, they would surely die.” God had surrounded them with a world of “yes’s”— they could eat from any tree. He commanded them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were to trust him to define what was good and evil instead of seizing that role for themselves. Yet, after the devil, a fallen angel, tempts them to take the fruit from that tree, they made the worst decision in history. They commit treason against God by disobeying his commandment. God responds by banishing them from Eden, since his holy presence was there and God cannot dwell with anything unholy. He sets two angels to guard the way back into the garden, called “Cherubim.” I want you to try to remember the word “Cherubim” because it is going to come up again. Since then, all of the human race has been born, lived, and died outside of the true home God had originally created for us. Did you remember what God said would happen to Adam and Eve in the day they ate of the tree of knowledge? He says, “in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.” Now Adam and Eve’s bodies didn’t die in that very same day like we might expect. Instead, they were cast out of the garden and out of God’s presence. Here is the point: the author depicts their removal from the garden, their separation from God’s presence and true home, as part of death. In other words, death is about more than just your body dying in the Scriptures, it also includes humanity losing access to the place you were designed to live. And if losing our home is part of death, then getting it back is part of resurrection. Jerusalem As the story of the Bible unfolds, we see generations pass who are looking for a return to true home and for the one who (unlike Adam and Eve) will be obedient and be able to open the way back into Eden. Yet, the sinful failings we see in each successive generation shows that they are not the one. One character named Abraham captures this sense of disappointment when he says in Genesis 23, “I am a foreigner and a stranger.” Do those words capture how you feel about this world, which, although it is so good in some ways, is also so broken in others? David and Solomon Expectation and hope in the Old Testament that God will restore his original design for creation reach their height in King David and his son Solomon. David becomes king in Israel which the Bible describes as “flowing with milk and honey,” which means that it is an Eden-like place where God will provide for his people. As part of his military conquest, he captures Jerusalem, a city situated on five hills. David rules over his kingdom from his mountain-city and his people flourish. His son Solomon builds a temple on the mountain of Jersualem. Is anyone making some connections here? Moreover, 1 Kings 6 describes some of the features of the temple: It should have engraved “Cherubim” and “Palm trees” and “open flowers” God had Solomon fill the temple with garden imagery. So, the city of Jerusalem is another garden mountain temple. It’s all pointing back to the true home that Adam and Eve forfeited and God means to restore. Yet, David and Solomon both failed their tests: Like Adam, they give into temptation rather than trusting God. They also could not be the ones who would restore true home. What do we learn from these stories? (1) By the repeated use of the imagery of a garden mountain temple, God is showing that even though his people are faithless, he is faithfully working to restore our access to true home. Jerusalem is not this true home, but the symbolism shows that God is taking steps toward it. (2) If you feel out of place, scared or alone, or like this world cannot fulfill the longings in your heart, your story confirms exactly what the story of the Bible is teaching us: you are not home; you are aching and longing for it. Jesus If none of these figures are able to open the way back to true home, who can? One person describes the Bible this way: “the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.” Can we see clues in the story of Jesus that he is the one who will open the way for us to find home? (1) In the story of Jesus, unlike David and unlike Adam, there is no sin or flaw in Jesus’s life that prevents him from opening the way back into Eden. He is the exact opposite of Adam (in fact, he is a new and better Adam): Adam had all he ever wanted and still sinned against God. Christ lost everything, even his life, and never sinned against God. (2) In the gospel of John, he describes Jesus as a human temple. I know that sounds a little strange, but a temple was where God especially revealed his presence, and since Jesus was God in the flesh (and therefore bringing God’s presence where he went), he was a human temple. (3) In the night before Jesus dies for the sins of the world, the gospel author John points out a detail we should notice. John 18:1 says, English Standard Version Chapter 18 18 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Jesus, the night before he suffers and dies, spends his time in a garden. I’ve been to that garden when I visited Israel. You souldn’t be surprised to learn, at this point, that it sits on a mountain. The next day, Jesus dies an excruciating death by hanging on a cross (which is actually a tree). Just think about this: God provides Adam and Eve with trees that give them life, Jesus willingly hangs on a tree that gave him only suffering and death in order to give us life. After he dies, his disciples lay him in a tomb. It looks like Jesus, like all who had come before him, had failed. Death had conquered him. However, there is a detail about where is tomb is we should pay attention to. John 19:41 says, English Standard Version Chapter 19 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. Now on the third day, death does not have the final word: Jesus does. He rose from the dead and now lives forever! In light of what we have seen so far, what is one thing the resurrection teaches us? Think about it! You can put the pieces together! (1) When he comes back to life from the dead, he is in the midst of the garden. (2) He died and was buried in Jerusalem, so he is on a mountain. (3) Since Jesus was God in the flesh, God’s presence was with him where ever he was: he was a human temple. Jesus came back to life in the midst of a garden mountain temple. Jesus’s resurrection from the dead shows that he passed the test that so many before him had failed so that he is the one who is able to make a way for humans to return to their true home. Here is my main point in this sermon: Jesus’s death and resurrection opens the way for us to return home. Do you think I am stretching the meaning here and looking too much into these details? Let’s take a look at the book of Revelation that looks forward to the day Jesus returns to Earth. Toward the end of Revelation, John describes the home Jesus will create for his people. Here is what John writes in Revelation 21:10, English Standard Version Chapter 21 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, We can all see that John stands on a mountain and there is a city called “Jerusalem” descending to the earth. Okay, so we see the mountain, but what about the garden and the temple, Ross? Let’s see what else Revelation has to say about this city: Revelation 21:22 says, English Standard Version Chapter 21 22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. So, there is no temple structure in this city, but there is a temple: it is the very presence of God and Jesus. And is there a garden in this city? Chapter 22:1-3 says, English Standard Version Chapter 22 22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Yes, we can see that there is the tree of life, which is from the garden of Eden. Everything that was in the Garden of Eden is here, only it’s better now: in fact, the garden mountain temple has progressed into a garden mountain temple city. It will be a place without tears, disease, loneliness, or fear. Instead, God’s people will find perfect provision, peace with nature, whole relationships, and a face-to-face relationship with the God who made them. This place will be so wonderful, that it escapes our ability to imagine it (although the Scriptures gives us these symbols as an invitation to try). This is the true home that God originally designed us for and that our hearts longs to enjoy again. The resurrection of Jesus is about restoring his people to their home. Application (you) How can someone receive access to reach this home? If you are listening to this sermon right now, and are not yet a follower of Jesus, as good as this home sounds, as of right now, it won’t be yours. Since you are a sinner like me, when you die you will not reach true home, but instead the Bible is clear that God will not allow in this city and you will face judgement. Friend, I want more than anything for you to reach this home when you die. I need to make something clear: reaching home with God does not come down to what you do; it comes down to what Jesus has done for you and how you respond to him. Jesus said in John 14:6 English Standard Version Chapter 14 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus is the way to reach home. He says he is “the way” and no one “comes to the Father except through him.” When he died in the cross, he was receiving the punishment his people deserved. Someone becomes part of Jesus’s people when they put their trust in him as their savior and surrenders to him as Lord. This is the precise opposite of what Adam and Eve did in that garden. They refused to trust God and instead tried to do it their own way. Now, through Jesus, God is inviting us to trust him and promising that if we do, he will restore everything we lost. If you desire to go to be with him in a place of provision and rest forever, then please turn from your sin and from trusting in yourself (or whatever else you have placed your trust in). Instead, place all of your trust and hope in him. Trust that God will welcome and accept you not an account of anything you have done, but only on account of what Jesus has already done in you place. I want to answer one final question: can we experience true home even though we have not yet arrived? One of the most amazing things of believing in Jesus is that even though we do not yet live in a world that God has restored yet, we already get the most important aspect of it that will mark it as true home. When you place your trust in Jesus, you get a new experience of his presence and intimacy with him that is the most important aspect of feeling like you are home. My best moments of joy and happiness are when I am experiencing Jesus’s presence. Even if my life is in shambles, or I am feeling lost or lonely, when God reminds me of his nearness and I seek him, I feel deep, enduring joy. In one sense, I am waiting for my home. In another sense, since I have Jesus’s companionship, I am already home. One of the best parts of believing in Jesus is that you don’t have to wait to experience him till after the resurrection when the world is made new. You get to have him now! Friend, please don’t go to bed tonight without having put all of your trust in him. I urge you now to receive him as your lord and savior. And now brothers and sisters, let’s join several billion other Christians around the world who will worship Jesus for opening the way for us to reach true home with him forever. [1] I was inspired especially by the following two resources for much of this sermon: (1) The BibleProject Podcast, especially their series on the biblical imagery of trees and their episode on the cosmic mountain (https://bibleproject.com/podcast/series/tree-life-podcast/). I especially borrowed the idea of Eden as representative of “true home” from the latter episode I mention (https://bibleproject.com/podcast/exile-cosmic-mountain/) (2) Beale, G. K. The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God. IVP Academic, 2014. [2] G.K. Beale, “Adam as the First Priest in Eden as the Garden Temple,” SBJT 23/1 (2019): 11.

On this Holy and Great Monday, the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ begins. On this day, Holy Monday, Joseph the Righteous is interpreted as a type of Christ – a prefiguration of Christ – an icon of Christ – who typified in himself through his remarkable life – the betrayal, Passion, death and glorification of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are joined by Dr Anna Dimitriou who will share with us some thoughts on Joseph the Righteous. On this day, Holy Monday, we commemorate Christ’s encounter with the fig tree – which the Lord found adorned with leaves – but no bearing no fruit – on his return to Jersualem. On this day, Holy Monday, Mr Ulysses Coustas will also reflect on the divine Bridegroom of the Church.

We begin Holy Week by diving into Matthew 21:1-11, the entrance  of Jesus into Jersualem, wherin the prophecies of Ezekiel (chapter 10 & 43), Zechariah (chapter 9) and Nathan (2 Samuel 7) are fulfilled.

1. In the second bracha of Birchas Hamazon, there should be an opening of "nodeh"-thanks to Hashem and a closing of "hoda'ah"- thanks to Hashem. If one leaves out both, it is considered disgraceful. It is also wrong to conclude the blessing "Hashem, who gives lands," (bc it doesn't make Israel sound special) and wrong to conclude the third blessing with "Hashem, who saves the Jews." (more about this in #3) 2. There is a dispute if the fourth bracha of "hatov v'hameitiv" needs "malchus" -referring to Hashem as the King of the world. If the bracha if from the Torah, then it is a continuous stream of brachos following the ones before it and wouldn't require a new "malchus." But if the fourth bracha is drabanan then it is independent of the others and requires it own mention of "malchus." 3. There is a question of how to end the third blessing of Birchas Hamazon. The opening of the blessing discusses Hashem saving the Jews and rebuilding Jerusalem, but the focus of the bracha is Jersualem. Some say the collusion of the bracha could be "Hashem, who saves the Jews, " while others say it must be "Rebuilder of Jerusalem." It def shouldn't be both together, bc endings of brachos should not have two subjects. The reason is that "we don't perform mitzvos in bundles" and combine two separate praises at the end of a bracha. 4. One should mention bris, torah, and Kingship of Dovid in Birchas Hamazon. The Gemara seems to imply that women and slaves wouldn't say these phrases but that men certainly must. 5. In the 4th bracha of "Hatov V'hameitiv," we say "malchus" in the beginning of the bracha, and we also add additional references to Hashem's malchus. (Blessed are You, Hashem, our God, King of the universe, the almighty, our father, our King, ...the King who is good..) It is either to make up for the last two brachos missing a "malchus" or perhaps just for the 3rd blessings omission of malchus, bc its inappropriate to speak of Dovid's kingship and not mention Hashem's. 6.If someone forgets to mention Shabbos, Yom tov, or Rosh Chodesh in benching, and they have finished the third blessing, there is a special makeup bracha they can recite before they start the fourth bracha. However, once one began the fourth bracha already, they have to repeat the whole birches hamazon. However, a distinction is made between Rosh Chodesh and the others, as on Rosh CHodesh one is not obligated to eat a meal and so if they forget to say Yaaleh V'yavo they do not have to repeat. Only on Shabbos and Yom Tov, when we are obligated to eat a meal, does forgetting Yaaleh V'yavo warrant a repeat. 7. There is a dispute between R' Meir and R' Yehuda how much a person needs to eat to lead the benching. R' Meir says cazyis and R' Yehuda says size of an egg. R" Meir says "And you will eat" references eating (cazayis) "and you will be full" references drinking, while R" Yehuda says "and you will eat and be full" references eating size of an egg. 8. There is a Tanna'ic dispute if the words of zimmun change based on how many ppl are present. According to one opinion, we say the words never change, just like in shul the words are the same regardless of the size of the minyan. A second opinion says that we add more names for Hashem depending if the crowd is 10, 100, 1000, or 10,000. 9. When there are 4 people, the leader could say "bless Hashem" because he is talking to 3 who constitute a zimun themselves, but it is always preferable to include for an individual to include himself in his words and it is better to say "let us bless Hashem"

This episode is part 2 to our episode on John Knox. In this one Joel and Troy interview Douglas Bond on why it is John Knox is still so important to us today. He answers their questions on what his accomplishments were, who John Knox was, and was John Knox a misogynist? In the sermon, which is an exegesis of Isaiah 26:17-21, John Knox continues where he left off before discussing the destruction of Jerusalem and the reminder of what the Israelite s will have happen to them after it falls. He digs into Israelite history as well as the stories of wicked kings. Special thanks to Douglas Bond for reading this episode of Revived Thoughts. For one of Douglas Bond books, go to Bond Books. Douglas Bond, author of more than twenty-five books, is husband of Cheryl, father of six, and grandfather of five. He is Director for the Oxford Creative Writing Master Class, two-time Grace Award finalist, adjunct instructor in Church history, advisory member to the national committee for Reformed University Fellowship,  award-winning teacher, speaker at conferences, and leader of Church history tours in Europe.If you'd like to preach a sermon for Revived Thoughts, contact us at revivedthoughts@gmail.comFollow us for more content throughout the week!  Facebook InstagramTwitter Revived Thoughts

Paul's Journey to Jersualem

Interview with Chana Rachel Weinberg and Luna Ashti, a religious Muslim. We met on a breezy summer day in the Park Hatechnology in Jersualem to talk about Luna's private journey into modesty, fitness and Hijabs. Great way to improve your Hebrew. Enjoy

Interview with Chana Rachel Weinberg and Luna Ashti, a religious Muslim. We met on a breezy summer day in the Park Hatechnology in Jersualem to talk about Luna's private journey into modesty, fitness and Hijabs. Great way to improve your Hebrew. Enjoy

Ian shares with on Palm Sunday about Jesus' triumphant entry into Jersualem.

With all this talk about sports heroes and scoring touchdowns and winning forever, I think it’s time to remind ourselves that sports simply provide the perfect (over-simplified) context for SPIRITUAL truths.    That’s why we love watching the Olympics, Super Bowls and World Cups so much. When we watch an athlete performing at their absolute (optimus!) best we’re simply reminded of our own heroic potential.   Of course, we want to make sure we get off the couch and get into the arena of life and use their demonstration of greatness as an inspiration for our own pursuit of excellence (rather than as mere entertainment by people who are somehow gifted in ways in which we aren’t).   (Remember: According to Anders Ericsson, the preeminent researcher on what makes great people great: We ALL have “The Gift.”)   So…   Bringing it back the spiritual arena, Today we’re going to talk about Rumi.   As you may know, Rumi was one of the greatest spiritual beings in history and his beautiful poetry is beloved around the world. He was a Sufi—which is, essentially, a Muslim mystic. He was born in the 13th century in what is now Afghanistan. He lived and taught in Konya, Turkey which was, at the time, the capital of the dominant Selcuk Empire.   I smile as I recall studying Rumi and visiting his grave in Konya on my little philosophical tour over 15 years ago (during which I also studied Socrates in Athens, Jesus in Jersualem, and Marcus Aurelius near the Danube in Hungary).   So…    What does he say about how we should live? Well, in terms of the intensity with which our sports heroes lived, I love the way he encourages us to play the much bigger game of life.    These passages capture some of his spiritual intensity:   “I am burning. If anyone lacks tinder, let him set his rubbish ablaze with my fire.”   “Travelers, it is late. Life’s sun is going to set. During these brief days that you have strength, be quick and spare no effort of your wings.”   “He is a letter to everyone. You open it. It says, ‘Live!’”   Yep.   All in.   If Rumi played football, he would have played it like Jerry Rice.   If he coached basketball, he would have coached it like John Wooden.   Today’s +1.   If you feel so inspired, I’d love to have you join me in opening Rumi’s letter.   Let’s spare no effort of our wings as we set ourselves on fire so that others may feel the warmth of our glow and we can change the world, one person at a time, together, starting with you and me. Today.

We know for certain that a third Temple will eventually be built in Jersualem, so you’d expect to see a trend toward rebuilding the Temple, and that’s exactly what you see. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)

With all this talk about sports heroes and scoring touchdowns and winning forever, I think it’s time to remind ourselves that sports simply provide the perfect (over-simplified) context for SPIRITUAL truths.    That’s why we love watching the Olympics, Super Bowls and World Cups so much. When we watch an athlete performing at their absolute (optimus!) best we’re simply reminded of our own heroic potential.   Of course, we want to make sure we get off the couch and get into the arena of life and use their demonstration of greatness as an inspiration for our own pursuit of excellence (rather than as mere entertainment by people who are somehow gifted in ways in which we aren’t).   (Remember: According to Anders Ericsson, the preeminent researcher on what makes great people great: We ALL have “The Gift.”)   So…   Bringing it back the spiritual arena, Today we’re going to talk about Rumi.   As you may know, Rumi was one of the greatest spiritual beings in history and his beautiful poetry is beloved around the world. He was a Sufi—which is, essentially, a Muslim mystic. He was born in the 13th century in what is now Afghanistan. He lived and taught in Konya, Turkey which was, at the time, the capital of the dominant Selcuk Empire.   I smile as I recall studying Rumi and visiting his grave in Konya on my little philosophical tour over 15 years ago (during which I also studied Socrates in Athens, Jesus in Jersualem, and Marcus Aurelius near the Danube in Hungary).   So…    What does he say about how we should live? Well, in terms of the intensity with which our sports heroes lived, I love the way he encourages us to play the much bigger game of life.    These passages capture some of his spiritual intensity:   “I am burning. If anyone lacks tinder, let him set his rubbish ablaze with my fire.”   “Travelers, it is late. Life’s sun is going to set. During these brief days that you have strength, be quick and spare no effort of your wings.”   “He is a letter to everyone. You open it. It says, ‘Live!’”   Yep.   All in.   If Rumi played football, he would have played it like Jerry Rice.   If he coached basketball, he would have coached it like John Wooden.   Today’s +1.   If you feel so inspired, I’d love to have you join me in opening Rumi’s letter.   Let’s spare no effort of our wings as we set ourselves on fire so that others may feel the warmth of our glow and we can change the world, one person at a time, together, starting with you and me. Today.

We know for certain that a third Temple will eventually be built in Jersualem, so you’d expect to see a trend toward rebuilding the Temple, and that’s exactly what you see. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)

We know for certain that a third Temple will eventually be built in Jersualem, so you’d expect to see a trend toward rebuilding the Temple, and that’s exactly what you see. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)

In our international news week in review, Jason and BFM broadcaster Freda Liu discuss developments with the Paris Accord, turmoil in the Trump White House and Australia recognising Jersualem as Israel's capital.

Paul and Shane discuss one of the most esteemed brands in cycling, the Italian component maker, Campagnolo. Aside from their near life-long experience with the brand, their relationship was deepened by a factory visit to Campagnolo in Vicenza, Italy this past July. Campagnolo has one of the most decorated histories in cycling. Today they continue to make strides and not only stay relevant, but at the front of road cycling worldwide. Some Campagnolo history: https://www.campagnolo.com/ZA/en/Milestones/historyStory on Campagnolo and Lamborghini collaboration: https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hmn/2012/01/Strong--Light--Beautiful/3707721.htmlMore on Camgagnolo auto wheels: http://chainslapmag.com/2018/06/iconic-style-campagnolo-group-4-wheels/Tullio Campagnolo biography (and cool image of Campagnolo Alfa Romeo wheel): http://www.edubilla.com/inventor/tullio-campagnolo/List of Tour de France wins by component manufacturer, including historical images: https://cycling-passion.com/tour-de-france-winner-groupsets-year-year/Good interview with Campagnolo CEO, Valentino Campagnolo: https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/3837/in-the-name-of-the-father-valentino-campagnolo-profileTullio Campagnolo standing beside NASA satellite, 1969: https://cycling-passion.com/campagnolo-80th-anniversary-groupset/tullio-campagnolo-oso-6/Owen Mulholland on Bartali/Coppi duel: http://www.bikeraceinfo.com/riderhistories/Coppi-and-Bartali.htmlSome great Campagnolo imagery: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/982910-campagnolo-posters-pictures-info-just-cool-stuff.htmlGino Bartali, riding to save lives during WWII: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27333310Audio on Bartali and the Giro in Jersualem, 2018: http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/05/25/gino-bartali-world-war-iiMy Italian Secret, documentary (available on Netflix) that includes Bartali story: https://myitaliansecret.com/Pinterest is a good place for Campagnolo art, this is just a start: https://www.pinterest.com/donaldsmcneil/campagnolo-cycling/?lp=true

Week 3 of our God on Trial Sermon Series - Acts 5:1-10

Week 3 of our God on Trial Sermon Series - Acts 5:1-10

Preacher: Peter Ko Unstoppable Pauls Mission Gods Plan Gods unstoppable word

The Middle East has been a key focus of American foreign policy for the last three decades, and the events of 2017 ensure it will remain an area of focus. Between volatile proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, a declaration to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and new protests in Iran, entrenched conflicts transformed and created new flashpoints over the course of the year. As the lead negotiator for peace processes in the Middle East under Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, Ambassador Dennis Ross skillfully brokered agreements between Israel and Palestine, digging into the messiest relationships in the region. How do the conflicts in the Middle East today compare to the situation under other administrations? What is the next stop on the long road to peace? Join us as Ambassador Ross shares his extensive diplomatic experience and discusses the Trump administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East. SPEAKER: Dennis Ross Davidson Distinguished Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy MODERATOR: Jane Wales CEO, World Affairs and Global Philanthropy Forum; Vice President, The Aspen Institute For more information please visit: http://worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1800 We want to hear from you! Please take part in a quick survey to tell us how we can improve our podcast: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PWZ7KMW

The REAL reason Republicans still feel threatened by the President. PLUS: Why is Mahmoud Abbas suddenly getting tough on terror? Also: The Senate unanimously votes to recognize Jersualem as Israel's capital.

After completing his third missionary journey, Paul arrives in Jersualem. In this message, you'll learn how the resulting riot is actually caused by those who want God to make much of them rather than them making much of God.

In this podcast Ian Mobsby explores the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jersualem as the Jewish Messiah exept he was not the type of messiah they could imagine or wanted.  This was recorded at the Palm Sunday Morning Eucharist, March 2016.  For more information on St Luke's please see www.stlukespeckham.co.uk

Problems With Your U.S. Brokerage Account? By Douglas Goldstein, CFP®   Many readers have recently contacted me because they received a letter from their U.S. brokerage firm informing them that either “You can no longer purchase additional shares of mutual funds in your account,” or “We will no longer provide investment advisory services to you and/or you may only enter liquidating orders or non-solicited orders in your account.”   This letter is not a result of new American legislation; rather it means the brokerage firm handling your portfolio is no longer interested in working with clients living outside the United States. Don't despair. There are solutions that can possibly even improve your situation.   What action step you should take Even if you can't continue to work with your existing brokerage firm, you do not need to cash out your American account.  Rather, work with a firm that specializes in opening brokerage accounts for clients who have an Israeli address (see www.profile-financial.com/faq for details). Then, transfer over assets “in kind” to the new account. The new account (whether a joint account, individual account, IRA, or other type) can be an exact replica of the old account, unless you wish to change your investment structure. By moving everything over in kind (without selling) there are no tax consequences or reporting requirements.   Basically, after signing new account paperwork, a client's assets are easily transferred over to the “cross-border-friendly” U.S. brokerage firm. Within one month, clients get a brokerage statement from their old brokerage firm, and the next month they get the statements from the new firm (which they could also choose to get online for free).   If you receive a letter inviting you to leave your existing company, look at this as an opportunity to review your financial plan as well as your investments with an investment advisor who is licensed both in the United States and in Israel.   Douglas Goldstein, CFP®, is the director of Profile Investment Services, Ltd. He is a licensed financial professional both in the U.S. and Israel. Securities offered through Portfolio Resources Group, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, SIFMA. Accounts carried by Pershing LLC., Member NYSE/SIPC, a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. His newest book, The Retirement Planning Book, is available at www.profile-financial.com. Call (02) 624-2788 for a consultation about handling your U.S. investments from Israel. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of Portfolio Resources Group, Inc. or its affiliates.

How Quickly Should You Invest The Money You Inherit? By Douglas Goldstein, CFP® Though I often advise people to wait before investing an inheritance, sometimes you must take quick action. When do you need to act quickly? If you inherited a risky position, you should consider liquidating it. For example, the grandfather who always managed the stock portfolio passes away, leaving large amounts of money invested in a few individual stocks. Unable to live on her own, the grandmother who now owns the stock portfolio needs to move to a nursing facility. What would happen if she waited 12 - 18 months to deal with the account and then, just before she sold in order to pay her bills, the stock market crashed? How much money do you need now? If you inherit a portfolio of stocks, ask yourself if you are in a position to wait (possibly for years) to use the money. A fancy car or a luxurious vacation is not an emergency expense. On the other hand, paying for home health care or other medical procedures may very well be a question of life and death and cannot be delayed. Any money needed for the near future, regardless of the type of investment it was in when you inherited it, should be converted to liquid assets like short-term bank deposits, money market funds, and savings accounts. If that means selling Grandpa's stocks, it's the right choice. After all, wealth should first and foremost be used for your family's health and well-being. How to get the money quickly Depending on the account's structure, you may or may not have easy access to the funds. Even if an account is titled “joint account” or “transfer on death,” there may be a drawn out procedure to follow before the money is fully available. Your investment advisor should be able to walk you through the process. Nonetheless, make sure money is available to each spouse separately so that the survivor does not face undue financial pressure caused by bad planning.  Not sure how to structure your accounts? If you have assets, especially money in different countries, contact a cross-border investment advisor who can help you determine the best way to structure your portfolio. Learn more at www.Profile-Financial.com.   Douglas Goldstein, CFP®, is the director of Profile Investment Services, Ltd. He is a licensed financial professional both in the U.S. and Israel. His best-selling book, Rich As A King: How the Wisdom of Chess Can Make You a Grandmaster of Investing, is available at online, at bookstores, and at www.RichAsAKing.com. Call (02) 624-2788 for a consultation about handling your U.S. investments from Israel. Securities offered through Portfolio Resources Group, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, FSI. Accounts carried by Pershing LLC., Member NYSE/SIPC, a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not those of Portfolio Resources Group, Inc. or its affiliates.

Are You Getting The Social Security You Deserve? By Douglas Goldstein, CFP® The “Greenberg Settlement,” the resolution of a class-action lawsuit brought against the Social Security Administration (SSA), changes the way American olim receive their American Social Security payments. Under the SSA's Windfall Elimination Provision, if you receive a foreign earnings-based pension, your American benefits are reduced. Until now, claimants of Social Security living in Israel who also received Bituach Leumi old age pension had their payments from Social Security reduced under the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).  This was because Bituach Leumi was considered as an extra pension and counted as a “windfall.” In 2013, Ephraim Greenberg, a U.S. citizen living in Israel, brought a class action to change this situation because Bituach Leumi pensions are not dependent on earnings and therefore don't fall within the criteria of the WEP. Now you can claim your money back In July 2015, U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer determined that the Social Security Administration was wrong in reducing payments to U.S. citizens who receive Bituach Leumi. This is because Bituach Leumi payments aren't considered earnings-based in the same way as a private work-related pension is. Bituach Leumi payments are considered more of a social benefit for the elderly than a “windfall,” and therefore do not affect Social Security payments. (However, if you receive a work-related pension in addition to Bituach Leumi, your work pension would trigger the WEP reduction in Social Security benefits.) If your Social Security payments were reduced under the previous erroneous application of WEP, you can claim back the funds that are owed to you from September 2004. Furthermore, if someone who was unfairly penalized under the WEP has passed away, his heirs can apply for the funds retroactively. This is good news for the many American olim eligible for Social Security payments. Here's how I discussed the Greenberg Decision with the lawyers involved in the case, Ira Kasdan and Beth Johnson. We discussed the specifics of how to claim money that may be owed to you. To learn the specific steps involved in claiming withheld WEP as well as learning more about the provisions concerning with private pensions, listen to our 15-minute discussion at www.GoldsteinOnGelt.com/Kasdan. (The opinions expressed on The Goldstein on Gelt Show are those of the guest, and not necessarily my opinion or the opinion of Portfolio Resources Groups, Inc.) Douglas Goldstein, CFP®, is the director of Profile Investment Services, Ltd. www.profile-financial.com.  He is a licensed financial professional both in the U.S. and Israel.  Call (02) 624-2788 for a consultation about handling your U.S. investments from Israel. Securities offered through Portfolio Resources Group, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, FSI. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not those of Portfolio Resources Group, Inc. or its affiliates.

What You Need to Do After You Inherit an IRA By Douglas Goldstein, CFP® If you receive an inheritance, it might come in the form of property, a bank account, or brokerage account. But what if you receive an inheritance from someone's individual retirement account (often called an “IRA”)? IRAs are different from regular brokerage accounts A regular brokerage account is normally structured as either an “individual” or a “joint” account, and a person's will determines how the assets will be distributed upon his death. An IRA, on the other hand, is normally distributed via a “beneficiary designation.” That's actually much easier because when a person sets up his IRA, he instructs the brokerage firm or bank to list the names of primary beneficiaries (and contingent beneficiaries if one of the original ones has died). It's a comparatively easy procedure to move the money from an IRA to the proper beneficiary. Make sure you read this before receiving an inheritance from an IRA One of the great benefits that the United States gives the recipients of an IRA is that the assets inside the account may continue to grow tax deferred if they are transferred in a certain way. The recipient can transfer the money from the deceased's IRA to a “beneficiary IRA” and continue to have it grow tax-deferred. The inherited assets in an IRA can be sold (in the IRA) and other securities (like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds) can be bought in accordance with the new owner's wishes. There is no need to maintain the inheritance in the exact positions as you received it. Except for mandatory distributions, the assets themselves aren't subject to U.S. tax as long as they remain in the beneficiary IRA. The mistake many people make is that they: Withdraw the money from the IRA immediately upon receipt of the inheritance Pay a large tax, and then Reinvest the money in something else. Wouldn't you rather skip step #2? If you are designated as a beneficiary of someone else's IRA, or if you have an IRA account that you plan to leave your kids one day, make sure everyone understands the importance of maintaining the tax-deferred status as long as possible. If you're not sure how this affects you, send an e-mail to info@profile-financial.com and type “IRA” in the subject line.   Douglas Goldstein, CFP®, is the director of Profile Investment Services, Ltd. He is a licensed financial professional both in the U.S. and Israel. His best-selling book, Rich As A King: How the Wisdom of Chess Can Make You a Grandmaster of Investing, is available at online, at bookstores, and at www.RichAsAKing.com. Call (02) 624-2788 for a consultation about handling your U.S. investments from Israel. Securities offered through Portfolio Resources Group, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, FSI. Accounts carried by Pershing LLC., Member NYSE/SIPC, a subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not those of Portfolio Resources Group, Inc. or its affiliates.

When Should You Give Trading Authority to Your Children? By Douglas Goldstein, CFP® Recently, one of my clients had a serious fall at home, breaking his hip, and ended up in the hospital. As a result of his injuries, it was clear that he could not deal with his finances for the foreseeable future and had to hand over trading authority to his daughter.  As this all happened suddenly, decisions had to be made in a hurry, leading to mediocre results. If my client, who is over 80, had agreed to hand over trading authority earlier, he and his daughter would have been better prepared for a scenario where he could no longer make financial decisions. What is trading authority? A trading authority form is a legal document that allows someone else to act as your agent over your account. Your agent can have limited trading authority, which means that he can make transactions on your behalf but not withdraw any money, or full trading authority, which means he can make withdrawals from your account. A trading authority is similar to power of attorney. However, whereas power of attorney can be applied to all of your assets or to different aspects of your life, such as health care, trading authority only relates to your investment account. Why should I give anyone trading authority? Advanced age is not the only reason for granting someone else trading authority. What if you were going away on a sabbatical or a long vacation? Handling your account on a day-to-day basis may not be practical, so you would ask someone trustworthy to do it for you. As you get older, even if you are in perfect health, it may be wise to give trading to someone you trust to keep your best interests in mind. Then you can work together with him, handing over the reins gradually, before the time comes when you may no longer be able to be in full control. At the same time, if you are thinking of handing trading authority over to a friend or relative, make sure that it is only someone whom you can trust implicitly because a wrong decision can put your finances at serious risk. For more information about trading authority or power of attorney, watch a 3-minute video that I made called, “Should I give someone power of attorney?” at: http://profile-financial.com/poa.   Douglas Goldstein, CFP®, is the director of Profile Investment Services, Ltd. www.profile-financial.com.  He is a licensed financial professional both in the U.S. and Israel.  Call (02) 624-2788 for a consultation about handling your U.S. investments from Israel. Securities offered through Portfolio Resources Group, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, FSI. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not those of Portfolio Resources Group, Inc. or its affiliates.

By Douglas Goldstein, CFP® Regardless of the more modern way people look at gender, there are significant differences in how men and women should invest their money. Here's why: Women's pensions tend to be smaller Women's pension payouts tend to be lower than men's payouts, because most women work fewer hours and have lower salaries than their male counterparts. Even though “paternity leave” is becoming more common, most women still take additional non-paid time after having a baby. And, when they return to work, they may return to a part-time position. All this means a lower salary, and a proportionately lower contribution to a pension fund. Women live longer than men In Israel, the average lifespan of a man is 81 years, while a woman's life expectancy is 84. In the United States, average life expectancy for a man is 76 and for a woman 81. As women generally retire earlier than men and live longer, this means a lengthier retirement and more bills. Furthermore, if a pension doesn't increase with inflation, then the real value of the pension may not be the same towards the end of retirement as during the beginning of retirement. Essentially, this means that women have fewer resources to cover a longer time period. Since women tend to outlive their spouses, they need to master enough financial skills so they can take care of themselves, and need to be even more careful than men about financial planning. If nothing else, women need to be sure that regular savings are an integral part of their monthly budget during their working years. Start planning for retirement now If you have not yet started planning for retirement, call your financial advisor today and start working on a plan. If you are a woman and have any questions about personal finance, send me an email at: doug@profile-financial.com. If you are a man, give this article to the women (spouse, mother, daughter) in your life to read. Douglas Goldstein, CFP®, is the director of Profile Investment Services, Ltd. www.profile-financial.com. He is a licensed financial professional both in the U.S, and Israel. Call (02) 624-2788 for a consultation about handling your U.S. investments from Israel. Securities offered through Portfolio Resources Group, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, FSI. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not those of Portfolio Resources Group, Inc. or its affiliates.

Pastor Larry teaches on how Jesus was sought out by two different parties: one from a far off and one in Jersualem with tradition and religion.Support the show (https://connectionnyc.churchcenter.com/giving)

How do we deal with problems of opposition? How can we focus on some projects when in danger? Pastor Yuri draws conclusions and examples from Nehemiah's struggle in building the Jersualem wall while dealing with constant and growing danger.

When Jesus entered Jersualem on a donkey's colt, he was making a bold claim to be God's Messiah - the one all Israel had been waiting for. But what kind of Messiah was he going to be and how would he save us? Join us as Pads Dolphin takes us back to that first Palm Sunday.

There could be no stronger contrast between the visit of US President Obama to Jersualem, and Jesus' last entry to the Holy City. Jesus' entry was almost a parody of earthly power; and yet only Jesus' way can bring peace. [ Organ/Choir - Palm Sunday ]

Om ett djupt splittrat Israel, som går till val. Konflikt sänder från Tel Aviv, och möter hopplöshet och apati, men också en spirande framtidstro - på den religiösa, yttersta högerkanten. Hör röster från Tel Avivs liberala bubbla, segregerade bussar i Jersualem och ett kokande valmöte i Beit Shemesh. Konflikt sänder från det tjusiga boutiquehotellet Rotschild Hotel, mitt i Tel Avivs historiska Bauhaus-distriktet. Det är också mitt i det som brukar kallas ”Tel Aviv-bubblan” – en del av Israel som är liberalt, sekulärt och kosmopolitiskt – och alltmer skiljt från resten av Israel. Med för att förklara denna bubbla närmare är Sandra Weil, bosatt i Tel Aviv sen 15 år och aktiv som  curator  och kulturproducent, och Joel Lagerlöv, som bott i Israel sen 2001, gift med en israeliska och verksam i Israels dynamiska IT-sektor. Det andra Israel representeras av Jerusalem. Det är ett alltmer religiöst Israel, som kommit att bli en större och större del av landet, såväl demografiskt, politiskt som i vardagslivet. En av de frågor där dessa två olika delar av landet kommit i konflikt är den som gäller könssegregerade bussar. Sveriges Radios Mellanösternkorrespondent Cecilia Uddén, och dagens producent Sharon Jåma, tog en tur med en av dessa bussar, nummer 56, från det ultraortodoxa området Mea Sharim.   Polariseringen i Israel – och längtan efter en enande kraft – börjar nu få tydliga politiska konsekvenser. Den här valkampanjens stora överraskning, och israelisk politiks just nu klart starkast lysande stjärna heter Naftali Bennett, ledare för partiet Det judiska hemmet, ett nationalistiskt, religiöst parti. Bennetts uttalade mål är att jämka samman Israel i namnet av en utpräglad högerpolitik; bland annat vill han annektera stora delar av Västbanken. Ivar Ekman följde Bennett under en hektisk kväll tidigare i veckan, en kväll som började i Jerusalems stora synagoga. En annan tongivande röst i Israelisk debatt som ställer sig frågan om hur Israel ska enas – och handskas med de stora frågorna om fred och stabilitet –  men den här gången från vänster, är den socialt och politiskt engagerade danskättade rabbinen Michael Melchior. Enligt honom kan man konstatera att hur man än vrider och vänder på det, så kommer de religiösa partierna att dominera nästa koalitionsregering i Israel. Men ändå väljer en stor del av de tongivande israelerna att bortse från detta. Man måste börja prata med de religiösa, säger Michael Melchior till Cecilia Uddén. Producenter & reportrar: Cecilia Uddén och Sharon Jåma Programledare: Ivar Ekman

In September 2000 the Israeli opposition leader visited the Al-Aqsa compound in Jersualem's old city. Hear from an Israeli, and a Palestinian who were there that day. Photo: Ariel Sharon at the compound. Credit: AFP/Getty Images.

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is Michael Green. As Chairman of Carlton Communications he is one of the most powerful men in British television and the driving force behind digital TV. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he talks about his life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Jersualem by Vangelis Book: The Complete Works by Sigmund Freud Luxury: Digital TV

This week the castaway on Desert Island Discs is Michael Green. As Chairman of Carlton Communications he is one of the most powerful men in British television and the driving force behind digital TV. In conversation with Sue Lawley, he talks about his life and work and chooses eight records to take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Jersualem by Vangelis Book: The Complete Works by Sigmund Freud Luxury: Digital TV