Ancient nation and ethnoreligious group from the Levant
POPULARITY
Categories
Original airdate 4/10/26: Mary welcomes Dr. Tim Chaffey to discuss the controversial Hebrew Roots Movement. Far from simply trying to understand the Jewish roots of the Bible, this movement seeks to answer the question about what happens when Gentiles and Jews get saved: do Gentiles become Jews? For centuries, the people of God were Jews, with the exception of some Gentiles who came to faith in the God of Israel. The early church consisted mostly of Jewish believers in Jesus, but when the gospel went to the Gentiles, there was a new dynamic that, unfortunately, even led some to believe that Christians were the new Israel and now received all the promises of God solely. This teaching continues today across the church spectrum. Why is there so much confusion about who is who, when the epistles clearly address these things head on? But with the HRM, there is even more confusion regarding the Mosaic Law, the feasts of Israel, who is a Jew, and what is Israel. Here to help us sort it all out is Dr. Chaffey, whose comprehensive article on the subject can be found here. Stand Up For The Truth Videos: https://rumble.com/user/CTRNOnline & https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgQQSvKiMcglId7oGc5c46A
Pastoral Reflections Finding God In Ourselves by Msgr. Don Fischer
Gospel John 12:1-11 Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, "Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days' wages and given to the poor?" He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus said, "Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came, not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too, because many of the Jews were turning away and believing in Jesus because of him. Reflection These next two weeks are very, very important, for they talk about the very essence of why Jesus came into the world and the resistance and the acceptance that He encountered. Three people in the story stand out, obviously. Judas, Lazarus, and Martha. Judas represents all those who reject Jesus, Martha, all those who accept him, embrace him, and long for that same strength that he has to be something that touches everyone's life, to be anointed. And the image of the aroma going through the whole house is so beautiful. And then there was Lazarus, who more than almost anyone else, witnessed the power of God over death, over everything that would harm us. So we see three major actors in these next two weeks that set the stage for the recognition of who Jesus is and how he touched so many people and how some rejected it. Which one are you? That's the question. Closing Prayer Father, you have now come to the end of your ministry. You are about to make so many statements, so clearly stating who you are. And that you had to return to the father in order for all these things that you are talked about, that you are, that we can become. Open us to this great mystery of transformation. That's the gift of Christ's redemption. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ephesians 6:1-4 (ESV)Andrew, Isack, and Edwin discuss the shift in the relationship between children and fathers when the Gentiles became Christians.Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here. Let us know what you are learning or any questions you have. Email us at TextTalk@ChristiansMeetHere.org. Join the Facebook community and join the conversation by clicking here. We'd love to meet you. Be a guest among the Christians who meet on Livingston Avenue. Click here to find out more. Michael Eldridge sang all four parts of our theme song. Find more from him by clicking here. Thanks for talking about the text with us today.________________________________________________If the hyperlinks do not work, copy the following addresses and paste them into the URL bar of your web browser: Daily Written Devo: https://readthebiblemakedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=25050The Christians Who Meet on Livingston Avenue: http://www.christiansmeethere.org/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkAboutTheTextFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/texttalkMichael Eldridge: https://acapeldridge.com/
It's the week before Resurrection Sunday. I hope you have been preparing your heart to celebrate this Sunday, for it is truly the most important celebration for us as Christ-followers. And in preparation, I'd like us to focus on a very unusual question, which is: What kind of god dies? If you or I were given the assignment to determine how the sins of mankind could be forgiven, would we ever have come up with a plan that God becomes man and dies? The disciples certainly had difficulty hearing Jesus when he repeatedly said he had come to die. Even though there were many clues and prophecies from the Old Testament showing the coming Messiah would die, their belief at the time was Jesus was Messiah, and he had come to save them from Rome, not from their sins. I've been trying to put myself in the disciples' shoes as they grappled with Jesus' mission. Clearly Jesus told them, the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). He told them he was the Good Shepherd, and the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He even gave them an indication of the kind of death he would die when he said, Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up (John 3:14). But they just couldn't hear it because what kind of god dies? Only the true, eternal God would have put this plan in place. To send his only Son who was equal with God the Father for the purpose of dying could only come from the mind and heart of God himself. Then think of this—the way Jesus died was not only the most painful and horrendous way to die, the Jews believed any crucified person was condemned by God. Don't you imagine in those early days following the crucifixion, the disciples must have struggled to understand why Jesus had to die and why he died on a cross. He died this ignominious death, and all along they thought he was from God—which of course he was. But how could he be from God and die on a cross?
Want more exclusive content?! http://prometheuslens.supercast.com to sign up for the "All Access Pass" and get early access to episodes, private community, members only episodes, private Q & A's, and coming documentaries. We also have a $4 dollar a month package that gets you early access and an ad free listening experience!==================== SummaryJoin us in our Louis Ginsberg Legends of the Jews LIVE study. Join us every Sunday night 8pm EST live on Youtube and be a part of the conversation!====================
Chabad Chassidus is an all-embracing world outlook and way of life which sees the Jew's central purpose as a unifying link between the Creator and His world. Written by the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad, Tanya is the central text of Chabad Chassidus. It shows the reader a path to realizing their purpose and developing a deeper relationship with G-d. Choose from one of the two formats available: through Lessons in Tanya - a profound and clear explanation of the Alter Rebbe's writings, or through an audio class.
Buried in the writings of a first-century Jewish philosopher is a description of a community that most Christians have never heard of. A group of men and women living on the outskirts of Alexandria, Egypt who abandoned everything, their wealth, their status, their former lives, to pursue one thing: a vision of God's light. They were called the Therapeutae. And the women among them, known as the Therapeutrides, were not silent observers. They were philosophers. They were mystics. They were equal participants in the spiritual life. For centuries, their story has been overlooked, misunderstood, and even claimed by early Christian writers as their own. Then Dr. Joan Taylor, one of the most respected scholars in the world, traveled to Egypt and found the place where they lived.Dr. Joan Taylor is Professor Emerita of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King's College London, a Fulbright scholar, former Visiting Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, and the author of what has been called the best commentary ever written on Philo's account of this community. In this episode, she takes us inside the world of the Therapeutae, reveals the political firestorm in Alexandria that forced Philo to write about them, and exposes the powerful role of women that history tried to bury. This is one of those conversations that will change the way you read your Bible.In this episode you will learn:What Jewish life looked like in first-century Alexandria, one of the most important and overlooked cities in the biblical worldWho Philo of Alexandria was and why his testimony is so significant for understanding Judaism and early ChristianityThe brutal conflict between Jews and Greeks in Alexandria and how it shaped everything Philo wrote about the TherapeutaeWho the Therapeutae actually were and what their radical daily life of contemplation, fasting, and Scripture study looked likeWhy the Therapeutae are completely distinct from the Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls communityThe mystical spiritual practices that drove this community, including trance-like experiences of divine lightThe Therapeutrides: the women in this community who were educated philosophers and full participants in the spiritual lifeHow the existence of these women should reshape the way we read New Testament passages about women in the early churchDr. Taylor's trip to Egypt where she identified the actual location of this community near Lake MareotisWhat happened when early Christianity collided with the Therapeutae in AlexandriaCheck out Dr. Taylor's books: Women Remembered: Jesus' Female Disciples - https://a.co/d/0bJltOiA Jewish Women Philosophers of First-Century Alexandria: Philo's 'Therapeutae' Reconsidered - https://a.co/d/0hXKfwoSSubscribe and follow The Dig In Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thejohnnyova Follow all things Johnny Ova: https://johnnyova.comGrab Johnny's book, The Revelation Reset: https://a.co/d/hiUkW8H
Brethren, [with all] my heart's desire and goodwill for [Israel], I long and pray to God that they may be saved.2 I bear them witness that they have a [certain] zeal and enthusiasm for God, but it is not enlightened and according to [correct and vital] knowledge.3 For being ignorant of the righteousness that God ascribes [which makes one acceptable to Him in word, thought, and deed] and seeking to establish a righteousness (a means of salvation) of their own, they did not obey or submit themselves to God's righteousness.4 For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit at which it ceases to be, for the Law leads up to Him Who is the fulfillment of its types, and in Him the purpose which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled. That is, the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of righteousness (right relationship to God) for everyone who trusts in and adheres to and relies on Him.5 For Moses writes that the man who [can] practice the righteousness (perfect conformity to God's will) which is based on the Law [with all its intricate demands] shall live by it.6 But the righteousness based on faith [imputed by God and bringing right relationship with Him] says, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into Heaven? that is, to bring Christ down;7 Or who will descend into the abyss? that is, to bring Christ up from the dead [as if we could be saved by our own efforts].8 But what does it say? The Word (God's message in Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word (the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach,9 Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.11 The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed.12 [No one] for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all [of us] and He generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him [in faith].13 For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved.14 But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to believe in Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?15 And how can men [be expected to] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings! [How welcome is the coming of those who preach the good news of His good things!]16 But they have not all heeded the Gospel; for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed (had faith in) what he has heard from us?17 So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).18 But I ask, Have they not heard? Indeed they have; [for the Scripture says] Their voice [that of nature bearing God's message] has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the far bounds of the world.19 Again I ask, Did Israel not understand? [Did the Jews have no warning that the Gospel was to go forth to the Gentiles, to all the earth?] First, there is Moses who says, I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, I have been found by those who did not seek Me; I have shown (revealed) Myself to those who did not [consciously] ask for Me.21 But of Israel he says, All day long I have stretched out My hands to a people unyielding and disobedient and self-willed [to a faultfinding, contrary, and contradicting people].
I. Christ is our Peace. II. Christ makes peace by breaking down, abolishing, creating, and reconciling. III. Use this peace by receiving it, and using it.
Monday, 30 March 2026 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' Matthew 18:16 “And if not he should hear, you take with you yet one or two, that ‘upon mouth – two witnesses, or three, it should stand, every word.'” (CG) In the previous verse, Jesus said, “And if he should sin against you, your brother, you withdraw, and you confute him – between you and him alone. If he should hear you, you gained your brother.” Next, He will cite words from Deuteronomy 19:15, beginning with, “And if not he should hear.” Jesus has been speaking of the “little ones,” meaning those who accepted the message by simple faith, like a little child. If a matter arises between two of them, there should first be a private attempt to reconcile. If that does not resolve the issue, because the person will not hear, “you take with you yet one or two.” This means that the matter is worth elevating. Someone might do something to another that was upsetting, but does that mean every matter needs to be handled this way? Rather, some disputes are better left unaddressed. But this is a matter where someone has been really wronged by another. Bringing one or two more to stand as witnesses thus fulfills a necessary requirement of validation. The reason for this is explicitly stated by Jesus, saying, “that ‘upon mouth – two witnesses, or three, it should stand, every word.'” As noted, this was a precept of the Law of Moses, and Jesus is currently speaking to people under the law. However, it is a precept of wisdom that extends beyond the law. This is certain because Paul repeats the sentiment in his epistles – “This will be the third time I am coming to you. ‘By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.'” 2 Corinthians 13:1 Paul was careful to ensure that a precept which is logical and appropriate not be overlooked simply because the law was fulfilled in Christ. Life application: With a precept from the law being addressed by Paul, it would be easy for someone to conclude that we are somehow bound to the other precepts of the law as well. Without understanding what God has done in Christ, this is what many have concluded over the years. But such a position ignores the entire weight and significance of what Christ came to do. Just because there are precepts in the law that make sense and should be applied to our continued walk, it in no way logically follows that we are somehow bound to the Law of Moses, in part or in whole. The same is true with verses in Acts where Paul apparently observed Jewish rites, customs, and practices. Law-observing heretics will point at those examples and say, “See, Paul never stopped observing the law, and neither should we.” Again, such a thought ignores what is clearly stated elsewhere, such as – “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; 20 and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; 22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23 Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Paul was an apostle. It was his job to get converts. Paul was also a Jew. If it meant observing a now-fulfilled law in order to open the eyes of his fellow Jews to their need for Christ, that is what he did. Elsewhere, such as in Galatians 2, he argues against Peter for this same thing when in the presence of the Gentiles. The Gentiles were never under the law. In Peter's failure to uphold the integrity and truth of the gospel, he turned from grace back to the law. And he did it not for saving Jews, but to save face with the Jews. It was an unacceptable action because it harmed the Gentile believers, confusing them and bringing them into a bondage they never faced before. Be careful to think things through. Don't get swayed by the failed arguments of law observers. Stand fast on the grace of God in Christ. Lord God, may we be faithful people who faithfully follow You. There is no need to find our righteousness in the law. Rather, we find it in You. You are the Lord, our righteousness. May we remember this and cling to it all our days. Amen.
In case you didn't realize what the Trump Effect is about…Mamdani's wife has been exposed as a Jew-hating, America-hating MuslimMamdani's city council an illegal got deported[X] SB – Hugo Chavez statue coming downHugo Chavez statues coming down. Apparently, Democrats only like living rapists and not dead ones.Comey subpoenaed$16.6B in arms sales to Middle EastThe Japanese PM laughed at Biden's autopen picture…History, when left unattended, behaves like that uninvited drunk relative who shows up to the party, ready to remind everyone who ruined 1987.Nations carry that same emotional baggage, except instead of cranberry sauce stains, they carry war guilt, generational shame, and constitutions written under occupation. For decades, Japan has been politely sitting at the geopolitical dinner table, speaking only when spoken to, contributing economically while whispering apologies into the void like a country stuck in an eternal customer service loop.Then, in walked Donald Trump, who does not do quiet reverence the way diplomats prefer. He does not tiptoe around history as if it might explode underfoot. Instead, he treats it like a battle scar. Something you acknowledge, maybe even joke about, because the alternative is letting it define you forever.And in one offhand quip about not tipping off the enemy, referencing Pearl Harbor attack, he did something extraordinary. He made it human again.Q: "Why didn't you tell U.S. allies…about the war before attacking Iran?"President Trump: "We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?" pic.twitter.com/esV9iyvMiV— CSPAN (@cspan) March 19, 2026Predictably, the Left responded like a smoke alarm detecting burnt toast.Outrage was immediate, theatrical, and almost ritualistic. Because for them, history is not something to be processed and integrated. It is a sacred museum where everything must remain frozen behind velvet ropes, accompanied by hushed tones and pre-approved emotional reactions. They traffic in permanent grievance, because grievance is power, and power is never relinquished voluntarily.But something fascinating happened outside the American outrage-industrial complex. Something that didn't quite fit the narrative.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Friends of the Rosary,Today, March 29, is Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, the beginning of Holy Week. This feast commemorates Christ's entry into Jerusalem. Following the Jews' example, we proclaim Christ as a Victor over death and sin, taking us with Him into the kingdom of His Father in heaven.We say Hosanna to the Messiah, the Son of God, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.But He is the sign of contradiction, as He is acclaimed by some and reviled by others.Sent into this world to unchain us from sin and the power of Satan, He underwent His Passion, a punishment for our sins, completing the Paschal Mystery.In the Procession with the Palms, in the Gospel, we see a very large crowd spreading their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. People were crying out and saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David.”When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken and asked, "Who is this?" And the crowds replied, "This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee." (Matt 21:7-11)In the Liturgy for Palm Sunday, the priests and deacons wear red vestments. There is a special procession at the beginning of Mass, and we witness the blessing of the palms and the gospel reading of the entrance into Jerusalem (Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; John 12:12-16; Luke 19:28-40). The priest explains the meaning of Holy Week, the last days of Christ on earth, and the celebration of our Lord's paschal mystery, after the five weeks of Lent.It's a solemn celebration in union with the whole Church: We remember and dramatize Christ's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey, to complete his work as our Messiah: to suffer, to die, and to rise again.United with him in his suffering on the cross, we share his resurrection and new life.The palms are blessed with the following prayer:Almighty God, we pray that you bless these branches and make them holy. Today we joyfully acclaim Jesus our Messiah and King. May we one day reach the happiness of the new and everlasting Jerusalem by faithfully following him who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.Today's Mass recognizes that Jesus' triumph and kingship, which will be revealed when he is lifted up on the cross.Jesus' experience of being loved and hated, of being welcomed and then rejected, provides us with the strength to endure the hardships and injustices of our own lives.United to Jesus, our suffering leads to glory.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• March 29, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET
The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to Matthew When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor. When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me.” Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God's Son.'” The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way. From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God's Son!”
Roger Mitchell: In this episode of The Confessional, Roger Mitchell sits down with Tal Brown — Israeli-born Silicon Valley AI entrepreneur, former army intelligence tech architect, and the man behind Zone7's groundbreaking injury-prediction platform — for a deeply human conversation about integrity, sacrifice, and what it costs to chase your ambitions across continents. A true “third culture kid,” Tal reflects on leaving family behind to go build in the Bay Area, and the reality of being an Israeli and a Jew in 2026. Tal (and Roger) also reflect on selling B2B sportech into a sector that often doesn't actually have the desire to change. This alone is essential listening for all those hoping to make a career in sport innovation. Raw, honest, principled, and quietly philosophical — this one stays with you. Brought to you by Lockroom.
Chabad Chassidus is an all-embracing world outlook and way of life which sees the Jew's central purpose as a unifying link between the Creator and His world. Written by the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad, Tanya is the central text of Chabad Chassidus. It shows the reader a path to realizing their purpose and developing a deeper relationship with G-d. Choose from one of the two formats available: through Lessons in Tanya - a profound and clear explanation of the Alter Rebbe's writings, or through an audio class.
Palm Sunday 2026 Exodus 12:3-7, 12-13 ESV 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. 7 "Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. Matthew 21:1-5 ESV Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'" Matthew 21:6-9 ESV 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 2 Kings 9:13 NIV 13 They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, "Jehu is king!" Psalm 118:25-26 25 Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. John 12:12-13 ESV 12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" 1 Macabees 13:51 51 On the twenty-third day of the second month, in the one hundred seventy-first year, the Jews entered it [Jerusalem] with praise and palm branches, and with harps and cymbals and stringed instruments, and with hymns and songs, because a great enemy had been crushed and removed from Israel. Luke 19:41-42 NIV 41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
Send us Fan MailKen Corkins and pastor Rocky Ellison discuss Romans 3:21–31 (RSV) as Paul's conclusion that everyone—Jew and Gentile—sins and cannot save themselves by obeying the law. They explain key terms Paul uses: saving faith in Jesus as the perfect God-man and sacrifice, justification as being declared not guilty and made sinless by God's response to faith, grace as an undeserved gift, redemption as being bought back from slavery to sin, and expiation as Jesus' suffering and death that makes amends for sin. They highlight God's divine forbearance in delaying deserved punishment to give people time to believe, exclude boasting based on works, affirm one God who saves all through faith, and note Paul will next show in Romans 4 how Abraham was saved by faith.NEW!: Rate us at Podchaser Find us at www.pondergmc.org. Feedback is welcome: PonderMethodist@gmail.com Music performed by the Ponder GMC worship team.Cover Art: Joe WagnerRecorded, edited and mixed by Snikrock
Scripture: John 12:12-27, 19:16b-22 Ben Rudeen Kreider, pastor at Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship, provided the message on this Palm Sunday. From the ubiquitous Buc-ee's billboards to the variety of incredibly creative signs seen at yesterday's No Kings rallies, signs are everywhere. A good sign grabs your attention in a short phrase with what a movement is about. Palm branches waved while Jesus rides in on a donkey colt--both are symbols, or signs with meaning. Pilate had a sign for the world to see hung above Jesus when he was nailed to the cross: "King of the Jews." These words were meant to mock, deride and belittle. To send a message that anyone who dared cross or insinuate kingship was a threat to the Roman Empire. Yet we as followers of Jesus cling with faith to the truth of that sign posted above him. The paradox of faith is that we believe that this man deserves all titles of honor and respect and admiration and gratitude, that he is indeed King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the very Son of God.
Prepared to Feed the Church (1) (audio) David Eells, 3/29/26 Meats or Empty Sweets? K.H. - March 2011 (David's notes in red) The dream began as I arrived at this large convention center. (This represents the corporate church.) I walked through the glass front doors and went over to where a group of people were standing. As soon as I walked over to the group, a young woman came and asked if I wanted to help serve food. I agreed, as I enjoy serving others, and followed her into the kitchen area. (This dream is feeding the Church.) When I entered the kitchen, I saw many other volunteers lined up to get trays of food to take to the two different rooms, so I got in line. I was first given a tray and was told to go into the first room out of the kitchen door. In the first room, there were rectangular tables of people along the walls and two rows of tables down the middle; the room was filled with very hungry people. I noticed that the men, women, and children in that room had very worn clothes and were gaunt-looking. (Most of the church is starving for heavenly food.) I went to the first table in the middle of the room and started putting down the plates of food on my tray. (If we are partaking of the body and blood of Christ, we will be dressed up with Him as our wedding garment, and we will spiritually be healthy and strong. Rom.13:12 The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk becomingly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. Notice that if we are putting on Jesus, we are putting on truth and not letting the flesh have its way.) After I finished passing out all the plates I had, I noticed that all of them had a slice of pie. (Pie is sweet and can fill you up if you eat enough of it, but you will have a sugar high and then a sugar low, and there is no substance to it.) As I watched the people begin to eat their pie, I realized that the pie slices were hollow -- there was no fruit in the pie. I was very disturbed by this and understood why they were so skinny, as they were not being fed properly. (Teaching what is sweet to the flesh is fruitless and will not make you strong in the Lord.) There were some people in the room who seemed to understand that there was no substance to their meal, but there were some who searched all over the plate and inside the crust to try to find the fruit that was supposed to be in the pie. (Some people in the apostate church are satisfied with the emptiness that they have grown accustomed to, but some are searching for the truth because they know there is more to Christianity than what they have been taught or fed.) (Man's opinions and traditions have no spiritual fruit or nourishment and do not clothe one's nakedness, so that spiritually their sin is revealed. Many don't know they are in this condition because those whom they consider spiritual seem the same way. Rev.3:16 So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see. Those who do hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. Matthew 5:6) I didn't want to continue because I began to feel so sad for those people who were still starving and not receiving what they had come for, but I felt in my spirit that I needed to deliver food to the next room. So, I went back into the kitchen and got another tray of food, and walked to the second room. As I entered the room, the tables were all set up the same way, but the people in that room had less-worn clothes and looked much healthier than the people in the other room. When I passed the plates of food out to the people in the second room, I realized that there were slices of meat, like a meatloaf. (Unlike the pie, you can become full by eating the meat and you will stay full longer without having the sugar high/low effect.) This meal seemed to satisfy all of the people much more than in the other room. (This second room represents those Christians who eat the meat of the Word and are getting fed by the true Word, not the empty gospel.) (Also, they are not just hearers of the Word deluding themselves, but doers of the Word. Jesus said that His meat was to do the will of His Father. He said that only those who hear and do the Word would have a house that would survive the waves and winds of life. Mat.7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. 26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof. It would be far better for some to stay home and read their Bible than to go to a spiritually poverty-stricken and starving church only to be fed leaven.) As soon as I woke up from this dream, the Lord reminded me of this passage in Joh.6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth hath eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which cometh down out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down out of heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: yea and the bread which I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have not life in yourselves. 54 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he that eateth me, he also shall live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven: not as the fathers ate, and died; he that eateth this bread shall live for ever. (Jesus is the Word made flesh, which we must eat. It is plain that a person cannot just blindly go to “church”, as the Jews did, and not partake of the Word for himself and expect to have life.) There are so many Christians who are spiritually starving under the apostate church, and I am thankful for the Lord giving me this reminder to pray for His children who are still searching for Him so that they find the truth sooner rather than later. Only when Christ is in us through eating the Word do we bear His fruit, 30-, 60- and 100-fold, and are strong to withstand the attacks of the enemies who come to plunder us of our heritage. Transformed to Bear Fruit in Others Judy Fahrnow - 06/12/2016 Notes: [David | Debbie Horton ] In a dream, I was in the living room, feeding a small baby boy a bottle of milk. (This represents feeding her spiritual man of “Christ in you”. 1Pe.2:2 As newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation. Mat.12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. We are the mother of Christ if we feed our spiritual man the Word of God. In the parable of the seed of the sower, the seed of God is His Word, and our heart is the womb to bring forth the fruit of Christ 30-, 60- and 100-fold. When the baby is born, this fruit of Christ is revealed to the world for we are to look like our Father. Luk.1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. And Elizabeth said unto Mary, who like us was to bear the fruit of Jesus, 45 And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord.) The neighborhood kids kept coming into the house and getting out all of the baby boys toys. (Other Christians try to distract our born-again man with the things of the world so we don't grow up in Him. Eph.5:15 Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise; 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.) Col.3:2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. 3 For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. Manifested here is phaneroo, and it means “to make visible” [as in a birth]; “to cause to shine” [as the shining forth of the glory of Christ].) I didn't want all that chaos, clutter and noise as I was feeding the baby. (Because we must concentrate on the milk of the Word so our spiritual man will grow up into the meat and image of Christ. 2Co.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.) Then I told all the other children to pick up the toys and put them away and that they had to leave. I ushered them out the door, closed it, and locked the door so they could not try to come back inside. Mat.6:33 But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Luk.10:41 But the Lord answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things: 42 but one thing is needful: for Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Jos.1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Gal.5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would.) Then, as I was going back to where the baby was to feed him, I couldn't find him. Then I noticed he was bigger and walking around the room, and I thought, “Well, I can't feed him anymore from a bottle; he needs more grown-up food or a jar of baby food”. (Judy's fruit of Jesus grows quickly from the milk of the Word to the meat because she is concentrating on the spiritual and not the carnal; the Word and not the world. Heb.5:12 For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. 13 For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. Notice that experiencing the Word and not just knowing it is going from milk to meat: 14 But solid food is for fullgrown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. We must use the Word to experience it and grow to maturity. Jas.1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. 23 For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: 24 for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing.) Then I was also wondering where I was going to find clothes to fit him because he was growing so fast, and he just kept growing and growing until he was very tall, maybe seven feet tall. (Our spiritual clothes are our works of righteousness and show our maturity, as in being a member of the Bride. Rev.19:8 And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [Lampros, meaning “radiant”; i.e., glory] and pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. He also had wide shoulders. Isa.9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Then I felt I needed to find my husband to tell him what had happened. (Our spiritual husband is Jesus, Who is the Word, which is the seed that brings forth His life in the womb of the natural man. Judy here represents the natural man who brings forth the spiritual man of “Christ in you”. All of God's people are called to bear the fruit of Jesus. The first-fruits of these sons of God is the Man-child who will lead God's people through the wilderness tribulation in the days to come. This Man-child will be caught up to the throne of God's authority to do this work.) He then said he needed to go to his father, and we got into the car, and he backed the car out of the driveway and drove to a big open field. Mat.13:38 The field is the world. He got out of the car and looked up, and I saw the heavens open up and he ascended into Heaven, just like Jesus did. (Our personal Man-child will live with our Father in heavenly places. Eph.1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ: 2:6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus.... The first fruits Man-child company will now be caught up to the throne to minister to the Woman Church in the wilderness. Rev.12:5 And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days.) The seed is in the fruit. Those who have the fruit now have the seed. The next thing I knew, I was back home in my living room. (Ready to go to work in the Kingdom.) I didn't drive back. I was just “there,” back in my home. I was feeding another baby, and he also started to grow really fast. (Once our spiritual man is grown, we are capable of feeding and raising other spiritual men so that they, too, can bear fruit quickly and live in heavenly places in Christ. Luk.6:42 Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.) As I watched him grow, I had another baby in my arms, feeding him, and again he grew really fast, and another baby appeared in my arms, and I was feeding him. It was like the babies just kept coming and coming and growing up very fast. ... And then the alarm clock went off. (The time will come when the time is up to bear the FIRST-fruit in others but in the wilderness many will bear the fruit of Christ through them. Just as the disciples of Jesus, the first-fruit, grew up to bear His fruit so it will be with many others. This is what Jesus taught in Joh.12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. We must die to our own will and the toys of this world and seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. The catching to the throne of the FIRST-fruit is near.) I asked the Lord for a verse regarding this dream and opened the Bible and put my finger down on Eze.37:4 again he said unto me, prophesy over these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. (This is the way the revival will bring in the dead religious multitudes and give them life in Christ. Even as Satan's minions fight to stop us. Many have been diligent to get the Word out to others so they can grow up quickly.) (I also asked for a Word by random computer and received Pro.14:23 In all labor there is profit; But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.) (Meaning, let's talk about it less and feed the spiritual man more or we will end up spiritually poverty-stricken.) Man-child / Bride Feed Apostate Baby Believers Missy Pollock - 04/24/2012 B. A. notes in green | David's notes in red In a dream, I was walking on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere (the wilderness tribulation), following a young man. I had a love for this young man whom I had never felt before. (In type, Missy is following Jesus in the Man-child who will lead the Bride and under her the Church through the wilderness tribulation.) This young man went into a field (the world) and when he came back out of the field, he had a baby in his arms. He was now dressed in shepherd-like clothing that was multicolored. (Having this multicolored clothing on when he came out of the field means he was anointed to be the Man-child.) (Joseph's coat of many colors represents the attributes of the light of Christ, the Man-child.) I asked him with great concern for the baby, “Where did you get that baby?” (Which represents believers in the worldly church who have not yet matured.) He didn't say anything. I kept following him with this baby. The next thing I knew, we were on the second floor of a house, walking into a room. (No longer walking on earth, walking in the first stage of the spiritual realm, walking in the light, walking in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.) In this room was a crib full of babies. I asked the young man again with great concern for these babies, “Where did you get all these babies?” He didn't answer, but I knew he had rescued these babies because he loved and cared for them. (The Man-child will rescue many baby Christians from the apostate leadership.) I was holding one of the babies, and it was cute with very dark skin. (They are very dark because they have been walking in the apostasy of the church.) I also noticed the baby had sharp claws on its hands and feet (meaning they have beastly works and walk). I asked the young man, “Are you sure this baby is human?” He said, “Yes, I'm sure”. I felt funny asking this. I said, “I hated asking that, but I wasn't sure”. (The beast nature in the spiritual land of their life keeps the believers from maturing. Exo.23:29 I will not drive them (meaning, the carnal man) out from before thee in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee. 30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee (meaning the spiritual man), until thou be increased, and inherit the land.) After that, I felt this dark presence of a man (representing the apostate leadership) come up from behind me, and he tried to seduce me (by speaking leavened words which are doctrines of demons). I said, “Leave me alone; get away from me”. Then, all of a sudden, I realized where the young man got the babies. I said to him, “I get it. I know where you got these babies”. He got these babies from carnal women who couldn't take care of them (because they don't have the unleavened Word of God to feed them). (Isa.4:1) And seven women (the seven churches, representing the sects of Christianity) shall take hold of one man (Jesus in the Man-child) in that day, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name; take thou away our reproach.) I said, “You bought them from him”, meaning the dark-presence man. (The Man-child paid the price to receive the Unleavened Bread and feed the babies who were under the false prophet, apostate leadership.) Then the dark presence of this man was gone. (When you expose the darkness by speaking the light of the truth, it must go.) (When you reject the seduction of leaven, he has no power.) I then went over to the crib full of babies. With each of the babies was a birth certificate-type document showing ownership (born of God, purchased by the blood of the Lamb). I noticed one of the babies was a little chubbier than the rest and it didn't have any hair (representing, overindulging in the world and no submission to God). I picked this baby up and started taking care of it. I immediately loved this baby. I took the baby with me out of the room, into another room where there was a set of stairs that went down to the first floor. A man was standing on the stairs, almost at the bottom, keeping guard. (Watching for thieves, like the Pharisees, stealing God's sheep.) Joh.10:1 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.) I would tell the baby, “Mommy loves you,” and I would just kiss and kiss the baby and tell it that I loved it over and over again. (I was feeding the baby with kisses, which are the Word of God. Son.1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; For thy love is better than wine.) (Love of the brethren is one of the most common themes in the Word, and “Love never faileth.” Love them into the kingdom.) This room looked like the reception area of a doctor's office. A woman was standing by a desk, looking at some files in her hands. She asked me, “Didn't you use to wear glasses?” (Seeing the world's way.) I said, “Yes, but not anymore because I can see now”. She then took a card out of one of the files and put it really close in front of my face, and it was all blurry. (She is not near-sighted but far-sighted, like those with faith who see things far off as already in their possession.) She then took it away quickly and said, “You can see”. (I used to wear glasses but stopped wearing them, believing that my eyes are healed in Jesus' name. The card, blurry when I looked at it, was showing that I had learned to walk by faith and not by sight. I represent the Bride, and the test was to see if I was qualified to be in the Bride and take care of the baby.) (Only those who walk and see by faith for the babies can teach faith to them.) These are the verses that the Lord gave me: 1Co.15:27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. (28) And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all. (“Things” in this verse is italicized in the Numerics because it is the chosen people who are being brought into submission and subjection to the Father, like the overindulgent and under-submissive baby Christians that the Man-child and Bride were caring for in the dream.) 2Ch.33:3 For he (Manasseh, the dark presence leadership) built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he reared up altars for the Baalim, and made Asheroth, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of Jehovah, whereof Jehovah said, In Jerusalem (the Bride) shall my name be for ever. 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven (He caused God's people to sacrifice their lives to demons) in the two courts of the house of Jehovah. 6 He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom (his leadership sent his spiritual children to hell); and he practiced augury, and used enchantments, and practiced sorcery, and dealt with them that had familiar spirits (all forbidden knowledge and false prophecy demons), and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger. 7 And he set the graven image of the idol, which he had made, in the house of God (he raised up the golden calf in God's house), of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name (Hebrew meaning: “nature, character and authority”) for ever: 8 neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from off the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them, even all the law and the statutes and the ordinances [given] by Moses. (Because of this dark leadership, the people were driven from the land of milk and honey into captivity to the beast.) 9 And Manasseh (meaning “causing to forget”) (This apostate leadership of God's people caused them to forget His Word and ways. He) seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (as the apostate leadership), so that they did evil more than did the nations whom Jehovah destroyed before the children of Israel. Dan.2:12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. (The beast will destroy the harlot as Revelation says. He will destroy all the apostate leadership [or dark presence man] by bringing them under submission to it. In Revelation 17, the beast is a corporate body of spirits from the abyss who enter perdition or destruction, as in the corporate body of the sons of perdition.) Psa.80:18 So shall we not go back from thee: Quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name. 19 Turn us again, O Jehovah God of hosts; Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. (Father will grant grace to many apostate babies to turn to Him because they are not as responsible as their leaders are for their sins.) Bride to Feed the Tribulation Church Eve Brast - 01/12/2011 (RS and David's notes in red) I dreamed I was at my dad's parents' old house in Highland Park in Dallas, Texas. Their home had been built during the Great Depression in the 1930s (the world is coming to a great depression) and was surrounded by million-dollar mansions when I was young. (Eve here represents the Bride, for she was the bride of Adam, and Jesus was the last Adam. The house that Eve was raised in represents the Church, which is overshadowed by this world. The Church is returning to the depression era in the Tribulation, while being completely outclassed and encircled by the world beast.) They had refused to sell their lot. (Like Naboth, they will refuse to sell their inheritance land [their lives] to Ahab, representing the beast.) I was on what appeared to be a transparent racetrack in the air above their house. (We are running a spiritual race, which is unseen, in heavenly places, above the church which is earthly.) I was running around on this track, preparing all sorts of healthy fruits and salads for God's people. (The Bride is preparing the Word from heaven for the people.) The Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me to go downstairs and feed the people. (She was to feed them the true Gospel.) I went downstairs into the kitchen and dining area and set the food I had prepared near the double sink on the right side of the kitchen. I had a small plastic container of dried cranberries that I had prepared for myself that I set down with the other food. (Cranberries are a very healthy fall fruit, but when dried, they are preserved so they can be eaten any time of the year, like the Word that will go forth from the first-fruits Man-child ministry, preserved by many methods of recordings, so many can partake of them any time. The Bride will be first to partake of this ministry. Cranberries are the color of blood, representing those who are washed in it and have lived the crucified life.) I didn't charge anything for the food I had prepared. (The Bride gives the clean Word of God freely as Jesus comanded.) There was another fruit stand in the dining room with a sign on it that read $1.00 each. (The harlot church merchandises the Word.) Nobody was at the stand. It was deserted. Nobody was running it, and nobody was buying the fruit. (An abomination of desolation. The Holy Spirit and the righteous will be leaving the apostates who make merchandise of the Word. God's true people will not buy the harlot's food anymore.) There was a huge, polished, wooden statue of the Babylonian king standing in the center of the fruit stand. (The harlot church is united with the beast and worships its image.) It was as tall as a large tree, with a bald eagle in front of it with its wings spread back against its sides. It was all carved out of the same piece of wood. (The one world order is being carved out. The large tree was the Babylonish head of gold in the image of the beast in Daniel 2 and 3 that was hewn down and conquered.) As I was looking up at the head of the statue, I heard a faint rumbling. I became disoriented, or it seemed as if the statue was about to fall over on me. I quickly looked away from it and the fear left me. (Babylonish U.S. is about to incur devastating earthquakes; the rumblings are already being heard in fault zones. As long as we look at the physical when things begin to fall apart, we will be fearful, but if we turn to the Word, the fear will leave and we will not fall in these judgments. Isa.26:3 Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]; because he trusteth in thee.) I remembered my cranberries and went back to the sink area to get them. (The Bride will remember the Man-child teachings and will be able to feed many.) Three women who looked like my mom came and received my food joyfully and thankfully. (When the shakings above begin, many from the church who have scoffed at the Man-child teachings will receive them with joy from the Bride because they are answers and deliverance in tribulation.) I was glad they appreciated it, but I noticed my cranberries were gone! I was disappointed because I cherished eating them because they were sweet and sour at the same time. (In reality, I don't care for cranberries that much.) (The cranberries represent the Word through the Man-child: sweet in your mouth but bitter to your belly, representing death to the flesh.) I then went back over to the fruit stand, and a woman appeared in a white and black maid outfit. She was violently stirring a bowl of ingredients and resentfully preparing the “king's dainties” for him and his household, she said. I then looked over to the left of the fruit stand and saw two kings sitting and dining together. They were dressed in royal robes with their crowns on their heads. The Babylonian king was on the left, and the Persian king was to his right. Servants waited on them as they dined. As I looked at the Babylonian king, his image alternated with that of Obama's. He was pretending to be the Persian king's friend (Cyrus Trump) but secretly was intending to destroy him and the Persian kingdom (The new Republic. Alexander the Greats Grecian Kingdom conquered this. History must repeat.). (My notes here are not prophecy but an attempt to put a puzzle together.) (Obama and the D.S. who are covertly “violently stirring” the Middle East nations of factionalized Islam and, in effect, delivering them over to unceasing war, which is how they make money. The powers that be who own the capped wells in the U.S. will soon open them because of the high price of oil elsewhere. The destruction of these nations was predicted in Jeremiah 25:20-26, where at the end of this list of nations Babylon (U.S.) overthrows Iran. Along this list we can see the Philistines and Gaza (the Palestinians), Elam (Persians - Iran), Medes, and Sheshach (Babylon) falls last. History must repeat according to Ecc.1:9.) As I came up behind them, I saw my cranberries in a decorative clear glass candle holder sitting in front of the Persian king (Trump). I reached in between them and quickly took the candle holder and emptied the cranberries into my right hand and placed the candle holder back in front of the Persian king. Suddenly, a hand appeared out of nowhere and replaced my cranberries with a crimson (Blood) candle in the candle holder, escaping the notice of the kings. (The Man-child ministry served under both of these kings in Daniel, as they will today. The Bride, Eve, will partake of the fruit, but they will partake of the light, as they did in Daniel's revelation. He, as the Man-child ministry of his day, gave much light from God to the rulers.) (This reminds me of the handwriting on the wall in the book of Daniel to the Babylonian king (Obama and his puppet) that his kingdom would be given to the Medes and the Persians (Trump).) (Trump is conquering Babylon D.S. America. The Man-child, Daniel, pronounced the judgment that the Persian king, Cyrus Trump, would conquer the Babylonish eagle, but history shows he would later be conquered by Alexander the Greats Grecian kingdom. Obama is attempting his second run now. The U.S. is at the very bottom of the list in Jeremiah 25 to fall as Sheshach (Babylon) .) The candle's wick had been lit in the past and was burnt, but was not currently lit, but was soon to be lit again. (Obama's two separated terms. Jesus will soon return in the body of the Man-child to bring the light to the Church and the rulers, once again, as persecution also returns.) I then turned and walked away, eating the cranberries out of my right hand. Then I woke up. (Those who increasingly come into the Bride will feed on God's Word through the Man-child and Bride.) Bride Not to be Captive Shelly Lynch - 01/22/2013 - 5:55 AM (Grace Multiplied) (David's notes in red) I had a brief dream this morning, the day following my trial in which I fell into sin and repented and received the Lord's forgiveness! I believe He gave me this dream to encourage me that I would be restored and content to be a doorkeeper in the Kingdom! Hallelujah! I saw the Marriage Feast banquet hall. (The Marriage Feast represents tribulation, for it is the last seven days before the Bride is taken to the Groom's home while escorted by the virgins.) I saw food served and cake for dessert, too. I saw busloads of people getting off the buses (Revival!) coming into the banquet hall, and I was helping hang up their coats and looking for more hangers, as there were so many coming in the door. (Hanging their coats is resting from their old works) I was running from the kitchen to the dessert table, taking out more cake (God's Word is sweeter than honey), as the food (truth) was disappearing rapidly. The people were very hungry (having come from a famine of hearing the Word)! (Shelly is a type of the Bride here who feeds the immature saints during the marriage feast, just as in Song of Solomon.) Then I saw a black man stand up at the podium and begin to speak to the crowd in the banquet hall. Then I woke up. (Not sure why he was a black man.) (To those unfamiliar with the sovereignty of God to teach His people with vessels of dishonor, it would come as a shock that the beast is one of the primary teachers to create sons of God. He will bring tribulation in the form of fiery trial on the apostate church to turn them to God.) Scripture given after prayer by random: Jer.52:13 and he burned the house of Jehovah, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burned he with fire. (Father will use the beast to purge out unregenerate Jerusalem leadership from among regenerate, heavenly Jerusalem leadership.) I was also given: Jer.52:16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen. (The Lord always chooses the poor in spirit to keep and raise His vineyard.) 17 And the pillars of brass that were in the house of Jehovah, and the bases and the brazen sea that were in the house of Jehovah, did the Chaldeans break in pieces, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon. (The brass is the least mature, 30-fold, of the three metals representing the people of God: gold, silver and brass. The brass will go to Babylonish captivity.) The new leadership is the Bride. She is also black, but for a different reason: persecution from the false brethren. Son.1:5 I am black, but comely, Oh ye daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon. 6 Look not upon me, because I am swarthy, Because the sun hath scorched me. My mother's sons were incensed against me .... (I also got Lamentations 4:22 by random, I believe this is a promise to me personally and for the Bride. Lam.4:22 The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no more carry thee away into captivity : (The bride will be purified in spirit before tribulation and will escape Babylonish captivity, but the Edomite Christians will go under the beast for crucifixion and to reap what they have sown against their brethren.) He will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; He will uncover thy sins. Another I got by random after prayer: Lam.4:12 The kings of the earth believed not, neither all the inhabitants of the world, That the adversary and the enemy would enter into the gates of Jerusalem. 13 [It is] because of the sins of her prophets, [and] the iniquities of her priests, That have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her. (The world and the apostate leadership do not believe that they and their followers will be taken into bondage by the beast for their sins.) Still another I got by random after prayer: Jer.52:31 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the [first] year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison; 32 and he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, 33 and changed his prison garments. And [Jehoiachin] did eat bread before him continually all the days of his life: 34 and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him by the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life. (This is showing that some of the apostate leadership that is not spiritually killed will repent and be given favor by the beast, for God is able to make our enemies to be at peace with us, if we please Him, as he says.) Original Word Restores Original Church Eve Brast - 12/13/2015 (David's notes in red) When I woke up this morning, I had been dreaming of a harvest of restoration and when I looked over at the clock, it was 5:55 AM. (5 is the number of grace, which is the only way the Church will receive the restoration it does not deserve. Remember when Jesus, as a type of the Man-child ministry of our day, came and started the restoration at a time when the people were blind, sinful, sick spiritually and physically, following evil apostate leaders. They deserved nothing, but He gave everything to them; He met all their needs by grace as He is about to do in our day. “The things that have been are the things that shall be”. Hallelujah!) I dreamed that my husband and I and our boys went back to Texas (meaning: “friends”) to reclaim my Father's land that he had willed to me and that my mother had signed over to me the deed of ownership. (We are a gathering of friends whose ambition is to reclaim our Father's land willed to us through the New Testament or will. It was deeded to us by the early mother Church. The Promised Land is everything He gave us in His will, the New Testament. Joshua was told that every place in this land that we put the soles of our feet, He will give to us. Every place in the New Testament where we stand on His Word will be given to us.) This has all been stolen by a great army of plunderers, but restoration is coming by grace. Joe.2:25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you. 26 And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of Jehovah your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame. 27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Jehovah your God, and there is none else; and my people shall never be put to shame. 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. We had come to reclaim it from a cruel landlord who had swindled it away from me through deception and trickery. He was well known for his reputation for dishonest practices in stealing properties away from people. (Satan and his ministers have come to steal what was willed to us through the New Testament from our Father. These thieves have been talking many out of the promises because they have no faith, rather than teaching us how to live on them. 2Co.11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light. 15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. Joh.10:8 All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.) What shall we do about this theft of our land for the last 2000 years? Let's go back to our text in Joel: Joe.2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Jehovah, and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God? 18 Then was Jehovah jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. 19 And Jehovah answered and said unto his people, Behold, I will send you grain, and new wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith (Our land shall once again bear fruit unto us by promise.); and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations; 20 but I will remove far off from you the northern army (He will get rid of the army of thieves.), and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, its forepart into the eastern sea, and its hinder part into the western sea (They will be driven totally out of our land, meaning reprobation); and its stench shall come up, and its ill savor shall come up, because it hath done great things. 21 Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice; for Jehovah hath done great things. 22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength. Our land shall once again bear fruit unto us by believing the promises. 23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he giveth you the former rain in just measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first month. 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. (This thief of a landlord looked just like our current landlord, whose name is Doug. The name Douglas is an Anglicized form of the Scottish surname Dubhghlas, meaning “dark river” from Gaelic dubh “dark” and glais “water, river”. Douglas was originally a river name, which then became a Scottish clan name (belonging to a powerful line of Scottish earls). It has been used as a given name since the 16th century.) (This dark water river represents the deceptions that stole the promises from God's people. Jesus spoke to us a river of living water, which we also must speak. Joh.7:37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water. 39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified. 40 Some of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, This is of a truth the prophet. But the apostate leaders speak a river of the waters of darkness and death. 2Pe.2:17 These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved. The worldly will receive their river of lies, but the true Church will not. Rev.12:16 And the earth(ly) helped the woman (Church), and the earth(ly) opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth. If the worldly swallow it, the righteous know it is no good. The Harlot church is a member of the body of the Beast and rides on his back. 17:3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness: and I saw a woman (Harlot) sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, 5 and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. As members of the Beast body, they and their leadership, the False Prophet body, speak the deceptive doctrines that rob God's people of their promises, their land. Rev.16:13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs: Let us agree with and speak the Word to live on our Promised Land. 1Pe.4:11 if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God (i.e., say what God says); if any man ministereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever, Amen. Isa.8:20 To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them (meaning only darkness with no new day and no light of the sun/Son). Gal.1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema (Meaning: “devoted to destruction” or “cursed”). 9 As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema. Those who preach the dark river of lies, rather than the truth of the Word, are cursed and to be destroyed by the coming destroyer if there is no repentance. 1Jo.2:18 Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now have there arisen many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour. It was their last hour, for the Beast came and destroyed their nation, and now it is our last hour and, once again, the antichrist leaders are multiplied and separated from us by the Word. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us. When the Word is preached to the wicked, they can no longer hide in the Church but depart, for they do not love the Lord and keep His commandments. In this way, the Church is sanctified. God's solution is to believe only the Word to abide in the temple of God, Jesus Christ. 24 As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. The original Word is the only model to create the true Church, meaning “called-out ones”. Back to Eve's dream: My husband (representing our Bridegroom, Jesus), was an excellent negotiator and He walked the entire property with me. (Jesus will lead us on the walk of truth.) There were corn stalks on the entire property from border to border, as tall as we were, surrounding the two mobile homes in the center of the property. (Mobile homes represent tabernacles in the wilderness. Corn stalks represent the people of God, in which individual kernels must fall to the ground to bear much fruit, as Jesus said.) These corn stalks were covered with ripe honeydew melons growing in clusters of five on each stalk, like giant grapes, instead of corn. (These corn stalks have a very sweet and large fruit on them.) My husband was very pleased with the crop. It was morning, and the sky was so blue, and the sun/Son shone on the crop like bright white light. It wasn't yellow like the usual morning sunlight. (Without the pure sunlight of God's Word, Jesus Christ, there will be no fruit. All disciples who love the Lord will devour His Word.) When my husband and I came to the back of the property, we saw a large pile of rusted-out car bodies lying next to the back fence line. (Vessels representing the way and works of God's people having come under the curse of death and being rejected.) He became angry at the cruel landlord, Doug, and went over to where he was standing next to the left mobile home. My husband then began to argue my case for me (Jesus is a paracletos, meaning a lawyer) to the landlord and told him that because of the rusted pile of cars that he had piled up at the back of the property, he had no legal right to it. (According to our law, because the apostate leaders have not brought forth fruit in the people, God would give the vineyard to those who would bring forth the fruit.) He then ordered him to return the property to me and to remove all the rusted cars from the property. (Remove their fruitless people from the Promised Land.) The landlord knew that what my husband had said was right. (Because it's in the Word.) He acted ashamed and fearful and agreed to give my father's land back to me and hurriedly left. Mat.21:33 Hear another parable: There was a man that was a householder, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country. 34 And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits. 35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them in like manner. 37 But afterward he sent unto them his Son, saying, They will reverence my Son. 38 But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance. 39 And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him. Just as the wicked leaders do today. 40 When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto those husbandmen? 41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. 42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone (Jesus, the WORD) which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; This was from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes? The hated and persecuted ones will be the head, just like Joseph, David, Jesus, and the Man-child. 43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44 And he that falleth on this stone shall be broken to pieces: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust. 45 And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. And so it speaks of the apostate leaders today. 46 And when they sought to lay hold on him, they feared the multitudes, because they took him for a prophet. After this, David showed up. (Representing the David Man-child company, who are the coming reformers to bring forth the Lord's fruit.) He had with him his personal assistant, Allison. (Who is a recovery room nurse that I currently work with at the hospital. Allison's name used to be masculine and means “son of the noble one”. Recovery room nurses help the surgery patients to recover from their surgeries until they are stable enough to return to the nursing units on the hospital floors.) (The Lord is raising up many who are gifted to help the sick Church in the restoration process.) Allison had been David's personal assistant for many years, in this dream. She knew everything about David and his family. (This is a good description of many who are doing this work now, but after the coming anointing, they will be very much more successful.) She was telling me all the details about his wife and children and everything they had been through together over the years. (The Church in the past has fallen away and persecuted the Davids, as it was with Joseph and his brethren before their restoration.) (UBM has helped many people over the years recover what the enemy has stolen from them [and the greatest days are just ahead].) I walked with David and Allison into the kitchen of the left mobile home, and I saw David's wife standing near the kitchen sink. The mobile home had been extremely run-down, but now the kitchen had been completely restored. (This is a picture of the restoration of the spiritual family of the Davids. His wife here represents the restoration of the Church that once brought forth the fruit of Jesus.) She was young and beautiful, and she was wearing a white knit top with sleeves that went down to her forearms, a long skirt, and a white head covering. (Representing restoration of the Church from the curse, in righteousness, purity, and submission to her head.) She was standing with her hands clasped together and had a peaceful smile on her face. She watched with pleasure as her and David's children ran in and out of the kitchen, playing and running among the ripe crops of honeydew melons. (The individual children of the Church will come forth from the kitchen, representing them having partaken of the good spiritual food prepared by the reformers and Allison, and bear the sweet fruit.) Their laughter filled the air, along with the smell of the ripe fruit. (There is great joy in bearing the fruit of the Word.) I looked up at David, who was standing to my left in the kitchen, and I smiled at him. I felt so much joy in my heart at this restoration that was taking place. He was very tall and had a serious look of wisdom and radiance about him, but there was a sparkle in his eyes. He said, “It's time for the harvest.” (In the harvest will be the Great Reformation, even in the midst of a religious world falling apart. This is so people will have examples by which to make their decisions about who they will follow and who is the Lord. When they see the fruit, they will know who is of the Lord.) As we walked out of the mobile home, there was an old forest green farm truck with wooden slats on the sides. A carpenter was driving it. There were a bunch of other carpenters in the truck bed who jumped out with tools to restore the rest of the left mobile home, and also to help with the harvesting. (Restoring the Church to its former glory.) Some of them started to work on the mobile home, while others helped David and me and the recovery room nurse, Allison, pick the honeydew melons. We took them to an outdoor processing area behind the mobile homes. Then I heard the voice of the Father say, “You must cut off the rinds”. (The rinds are the external body or flesh that carries the fruit. This vessel is just for keeping the fruit and seeds to feed the saints. Those who bear fruit will be able to richly feed others. Whereas the apostate church only sees that their bad education and titles are the qualification.) So I went back into the kitchen, got a paring knife out of the drawer, and came back out to help cut off the rinds from the melons. David had his own special pocketknife that he used for this purpose. As we were all working together to harvest the fruit and cut off the rinds, Allison was explaining to me that David had recently gotten his car restored, and she pointed over to where it was parked behind the right mobile home. It was a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse. I was amazed and said, “That looks exactly like the very first new car I ever owned! It too was a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse!” (The car or way of progress and rest must look just like the original way 2000 years ago.) (The meaning of the name Mitsubishi is “programmable logic controllers”.) (And this will “Eclipse” the old worldly religious programming and logic that brought forth no fruit. Rom.12:2 And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.) This is when I woke up. I asked Father for a verse or text for this dream and when I flipped open my Bible and was going to put my finger down, I heard the Spirit say to turn back a page, so I fumbled to flip back exactly one page and I put my finger down on Isa.60:16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the nations, and shalt suck the breast of kings; and thou shalt know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. The whole chapter is a wonderful promise to God's elect. (Isaiah 60 is all about the restoration of the original, glorious Church. This text shows that Beast kingdoms will ultimately serve God's true Man-child and Bride. As Beast kings of the past kingdoms saw the glorious God of the true disciples of God, they feared and bowed to Him and served His Kingdom representatives like Pharaoh of Joseph, Ahasuerus of Mordecai and Esther, Nebuchadnezzar of the three Hebrews and Daniel, Darius of Daniel, Darius of Zerubbabel, Cyrus of Sheshbazzar, etc.
Matthew 21:1-11When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.' This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,‘Tell the daughter of Zion,Look, your king is coming to you,humble, and mounted on a donkey,and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,‘Hosanna to the Son of David!Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!Hosanna in the highest heaven!'When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?' The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.' What's your favorite parade? From the Macy's Day Parade to Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, and countless Independence Day celebrations, we Americans love parades. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from attending or marching in one. Growing up in Anderson, we had the Midnight Parade. It was on the night of July 3rd, but it started at midnight, claiming to be the first July 4th parade in all the land. I loved watching the civic groups march along the route, many I would have never known existed had it not been for the parade. I remember the joy of little kids getting so excited about terrible candy thrown at their feet. Who knew Tootsie Rolls and Airheads could make someone so happy?Most special of all was when we surprised my mom with tickets to the Rose Parade in Pasadena. Every New Year's Day it was on in our house growing up. As we watched, she always said, “Can't you just smell it? I bet the smell is amazing.” And the parade did not disappoint. The floats were extraordinary, the bands terrific, and the smell indeed was amazing.Every parade tells a story — a story of identity, values, and heritage. Mardi Gras tells a story of joy, indulgence, and fun. Pride tells a story of celebration, love, and identity. The Rose Parade tells a story of creation and beauty.And what makes a parade good is that it draws you in. You don't want to just watch it. You want to be part of it, not just a spectator. The people of Jesus' time were no strangers to parades. Because if one ancient people can be credited with the culture of parades, it's the Romans. They were known for their grand displays of power. One example was called the Adventus. That's when a Roman governor or emperor entered a city under Roman control. First came the golden eagle — the symbol of Rome. Then banners and battle flags with Roman gods on them. Then the trumpeters announcing their arrival. Then the display of power: cavalry and foot soldiers dressed in full armor. And then finally came the governor or emperor himself, riding a war horse or chariot. And behind him, chained prisoners — living proof of Rome's power.The Adventus parade told a story that was very clear: Rome is in charge. Rome has power. Rome wins. The Jews of Judea, including Jesus, were familiar with Adventus, because that's how Pontius Pilate would have entered Jerusalem for Passover. Pilate didn't actually live in Jerusalem. He lived in a Roman city near the coast. But every year, during Passover, he would come to Jerusalem.Because Passover made Roman officials nervous. It was a celebration of liberation from oppression under Pharaoh. And Pilate knew people might take that opportunity to protest their oppression under Caesar. So to remind everyone who was in charge, who had the power, Pilate would hold an Adventus. Coming from Caesarea, this huge procession would have entered Jerusalem from the west, quelling even the idea of an uprising.But there was another parade into Jerusalem, this one coming from the East. Jesus and his disciples were in Bethphage when he made an unusual request: Go into the next little town and bring me a donkey and her colt. Matthew even tells us Jesus somehow sits on both of them, which is a little odd and maybe even a little funny to picture. But that's not really the point.Matthew tells us this happened to fulfill the words of the prophet Zechariah: “Look, your king is coming to you, humble and riding on a donkey.” Jesus isn't just finding a ride into town. He is making a statement. He is telling the people exactly who he is. He is the one they have been waiting for.And thus begins the parade. With no flags or banners to wave, they take off their cloaks and line the street with them. There are no drums, just the sound of branches snapping off trees and being spread along the road. And the only music is the crowd shouting, “Save us, Son of David! Save us!” That's what Hosanna means: save us, please. This was a crowd of poor peasants, hurting under the occupation of Rome. And finally here comes their hope — the one they call Son of the king, the rightful heir to the throne; coming to overthrow Rome and restore the kingdom of David, just like his ancestor talked about, like his own mother sang about.Now that's a story. That's a parade that draws you in, one you want to be a part of, not just a spectator. I guess that's why we reenact this parade with palms of our own every year. We find ourselves in that crowd. We may not be poor peasants under Roman occupation, but we still know things are not as they should be. We need a change. We too want to crown Jesus. We too shout Hosanna — save us, O God.Save us from war and division.Save us from hatred and injustice.Save us from everything that keeps this world from being what you created it to be.I wonder when the crowd realized that their parade was not what they thought it was. When did it register that what they wanted Jesus to do and what Jesus was about to do were two very different things? At some point in the week ahead, the crowd is going to realize that their hope isn't going to play out like they thought it would. I imagine at some point they wandered over to the west side of town. Maybe they saw the Adventus, Pilate with all his power entering the city. Or maybe they just heard about it — the horses, the soldiers, the brute force. That parade lured them in. It told them a story, veiled in threats, about how the world works: a world governed by strength and power.Pretty soon after that parade of branches and cloaks, the crowd remembered Jesus on a donkey and compared that to Pilate's parade, Rome's parade, and realized he didn't stand a chance.They weren't in a parade on the east side of Jerusalem that day. They were in a funeral procession, following the hearse the whole time.So they switch sides. And in just a few short days they will go from “Save us!” to “Kill him,” from hail him to nail him.We are still in that same crowd. It's tempting to think we would have stayed by Jesus' side, that we would have understood, that we would have been different. But we are the same crowd. We want a savior who fixes things, who wins, who makes life easier, who proves we are right and our side is right. We want a powerful king, not a crucified rebel. We want victory, not sacrifice. We want resurrection, but we would really prefer to skip Good Friday.And when Jesus doesn't do what we want, we start looking for another parade to join. But Jesus never wanted to be king, at least not the way the world understands kings. His goal was never to display power, but to redefine it; passing on the crown so that he could pick up a cross instead. So this Holy Week, stay in the crowd. You've already started in the parade. You're already a participant in this story. So go a bit deeper. Gather with Jesus and the disciples around the table as we remember the Last Supper and celebrate First Communion with some young partners in mission. Walk all the way to Golgotha on Good Friday. Hear the chants of “Crucify him.” See how the same people who shouted Hosanna put Jesus on a cross.But the parade doesn't stop there. If we follow Jesus all the way, we will find ourselves at an empty tomb. And we will realize the parade wasn't just a funeral procession, but an inauguration, where Jesus is crowned not as a king, but as the savior; defeating sin and death not by power and force, but by obedience, humility, and above all, grace… Which he hands out like candy, freely to anyone who wants to grab it.That's my favorite parade. Not one of power. But one of grace.Amen.
Harvest Bible Chapel Pittsburgh North Sermons - Harvest Bible Chapel Pittsburgh North
Introduction: Hebrews 1:1-3 - Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high... The Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:14-22): Will Speak God's Words – But they did not all listen See: John 12:49-50 and John 14:10, 24 Will be Like Moses – But they did not all believe See: John 6:32-35 and John 6:51, 57b-58 Will Die if He Lies – But they killed Jesus for telling the truth See: John 8:26b-28 | Psalm 22:7-8, 16-18 | Psalm 22:22-25 Jesus is the Prophet – Will You: Listen to Him? Believe Him? Speak His words? Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Audio Transcript 00:00-00:01Good morning, Harvest.00:03-00:05It's a joy to be with you this morning.00:06-00:11Open your Bibles, please, if you haven't already, to Deuteronomy chapter 18.00:12-00:16It's where we will be studying God's Word this morning.00:18-00:37And as is our usual, sometimes usual custom, I would ask, please, that you pray for me, that I would clearly, accurately preach God's Word, and I will pray for you that your hearts will be open to receive it.00:37-00:37Let's pray.00:43-01:18Gracious and holy Father, I pray, Father, you would open our hearts and minds to receive your word, that we would be absolutely convinced beyond all doubt that your word is true and that Jesus is your prophet who speaks your truth to us through your word, through your spirit at all times.01:19-01:30And I pray as we believe and trust in Him, you would transform our lives and make us more like Him every day.01:30-01:33We pray in Jesus' great name, Amen.01:35-01:44So in preparation for Resurrection Sunday, we are beginning a three-part series examining the three offices of Christ.01:45-01:47the office of prophet, priest, and king.01:49-01:53And we begin this morning with the first of these, which is prophet.01:55-01:59Now, we may listen to a lot of modern day prophets for advice on how to live.02:00-02:12The experts, the doctors, the internet influencers, the media talking heads, podcasters, entertainment celebrities, even astrologists and politicians.02:14-02:16The sources of information are endless.02:17-02:24And now we have AI at our fingertips to synthesize and summarize the sum and substance of human experience.02:27-02:40Now to be clear, I'm not talking about doctors who say eating this one food three times a day cures sleep apnea or the weird trick that cures tinnitus caused by eating this one food three times a day.02:40-02:47Now I'm talking about the major life information, answers to questions like, "Who am I?02:48-02:49What's my purpose?02:50-03:03What's the best way to live?" And when it comes to that kind of information, few to none of the infotainment talking heads can really help us, because they can only tell us what they know.03:04-03:11I'm not suggesting they aren't intelligent, but what they say may or may not be true.03:12-03:15But you say like, well, no, hold on, hold on Sprung.03:15-03:20I've heard it said that all truth is God's truth, wherever it's found.03:22-03:24Well, let's think about that for a minute.03:25-03:29God's word is perfect, pure and true according to Psalm 19.03:30-03:44So I have a metaphor this morning for us, For God's word, I think that everyone can relate to the delight over opening a brand new container of Play-Doh.03:45-03:46It's all one color.03:47-03:49Nobody's played with it yet.03:49-03:51It's not mixed up with other colors.03:52-03:57It's just fresh and clean, and it's ready for my artistic expression.04:00-04:04But you know, the inevitable happens, doesn't it?04:04-04:19Soon, what was once pure and clean, it's all mashed together with a lot of other colors and that original color becomes unidentifiable.04:22-04:23I think you get the point.04:25-04:29How do you discern God's truth in a mishmash of worldly ideas?04:30-04:37How do you extract the truth once it's all blended into futile human thoughts?04:40-04:45Well, this is the problem with the infotainment experts.04:46-04:53Their learning and experience and perspective is just a conglomeration of worldly thinking.04:54-05:09They can make educated guesses as to how to live and what's going to happen, but ultimately every single one of them is going to reach a point where they have to say, "I don't know." And some of them are speaking directly out of the pit of hell.05:10-05:13And those folks will drag you down to hell with them.05:14-05:20So you see, that's why when it comes to the astrologists and the mediums and perhaps the to celebrities and influencers.05:22-05:33Verse 14 of this morning's passage says that, "As for you, the Lord, your God, has not allowed you to do this." So to whom or what can we turn?05:33-05:37Where can we get truth for an accurate world view?05:38-05:41Because we need a perspective that is outside of ourselves.05:42-05:46Outside of this world, really, and that's what God's Word is.05:47-05:53It is the specific and special revelation of God about himself.05:58-06:01It comes from the throne of God.06:02-06:18The problem with the world is, people in the world, they look at the Bible and like, "Well, yeah, that's just one more system of thought like any other." In fact, it's probably even not as good as what AI can tell us now.06:19-06:21They have a low view of scripture.06:22-06:24We need to have a high view of scripture.06:26-06:33And as we learn from the word that was just read, we can get the truth from the prophet.06:34-06:36It is to him we must listen.06:38-06:40But what is a prophet anyway?06:41-06:42What does a prophet do?06:42-06:52We typically think of prophets as forecasting future events, often in a cryptic or mystical way, like that Nostradamus guy.06:52-06:58But biblically, that is only a partial description of what a prophet does.06:59-07:03Basically a biblical prophet speaks God's words to people.07:05-07:09The Old Testament prophets revealed three basic messages.07:11-07:18The first was that God sent many prophets to his people to rebuke them for breaking the covenant and worshiping idols.07:19-07:31This was perhaps the prophet's most important function, to remind the people of Israel that they, and only they, were in a covenantal relationship with the Lord God Most High.07:33-07:36and they were violating His covenant in a high-handed way.07:37-07:47Time and again He warned them to return to Him, or they would face the ultimate covenant punishment of being expelled from the Promised Land.07:48-08:03Not only did the prophets warn Israel and Judah that they would be punished by pagan nations for their idolatry, God also spoke to them about a future restoration, both near and at the end of the age.08:05-08:09And indeed, after the exile, they would return to the promised land.08:10-08:18And the nations that assaulted and tormented Israel in their exile, they would in turn be punished and overthrown by God.08:19-08:29And then finally, the Old Testament prophets spoke of the coming Messiah, a sometimes suffering, but ultimately victorious anointed servant.08:30-08:33The anointed one would bring salvation to his people.08:33-08:37He would inaugurate a new covenant between God and his people.08:38-08:45And the prophets gave many clues that would help the people identify the anointed one when he arrived.08:46-08:51Now, what did God expect his people to do in response to the prophets' messages?08:52-09:29expected, well no, he commanded them to repent and believe the messages to return to him and live in accordance with the covenant he made with them at Mount Sinai. And yet the Old Testament records a nearly continuous account of Israel's idolatry. They worship the idols of the nations around them. They And they sought out and listened to the words of false prophets, mediums, fortune tellers, and diviners.09:30-09:31They did not listen.09:32-09:34They did not believe.09:34-09:37They became futile in their thinking and their worship.09:37-09:47They mixed God's truth with the religions and lifestyles of the surrounding nations, and they ended up with the equivalent of this, gudo.09:49-09:52It's just a mash, a mishmash of ideas.09:53-10:02And when the prophets exposed their sin and their hypocrisy, they took offense and they put them to death.10:04-10:13So God, after bearing with his people for hundreds of years, he brought the covenantal curses down upon their heads and inflicted the ultimate punishment.10:14-10:16He exiled them from the promised land.10:18-10:22Now God of course kept his promises and he returned them to the land.10:23-10:37And roughly 400 years after that, the anointed one who was known before the foundation of the world, he was made manifest in the last times for the sake of all who would believe in and through him.10:39-10:45We of course know from the New Testament that Jesus is the promised Messiah.10:46-10:52He's the Son of God who fulfilled all that was spoken of Him by the Old Testament prophets.10:55-11:03As the writer of Hebrews says, "Long ago and at many times and in many ways, "God spoke to our fathers by the prophets.11:04-11:12"But in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, "whom He appointed the heir of all things, "through whom also He created the world.11:13-11:21"He's the radiance of the glory of God God in the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.11:21-11:36After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." And this verse summarizes the three offices of Christ that we're going to be studying this week.11:36-11:37First is prophet.11:38-11:48"In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son." And then priest, he has made purification for sins.11:48-11:53And then finally king, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.11:56-12:01So how do we know Jesus is the prophet foretold by Moses?12:02-12:08What evidence is there to conclusively connect Jesus to the promise of a prophet just like Moses?12:11-12:15Well, first the prophet will speak God's words.12:16-12:19Look at verse 15 of chapter 18 in Deuteronomy.12:21-12:27Verse 15 says, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers.12:28-12:35It is to him you shall listen." Thus the prophet would be raised up by God from among the Israelites.12:36-12:46And the gospels of Matthew and Luke establish that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary, and he was adopted by Joseph.12:47-12:50And both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David.12:51-12:53Jesus was born in Bethlehem.12:54-12:57His birth was attended by an angelic announcement.12:59-13:08And then when John baptized Jesus, God the Father announced that Jesus was his beloved son with whom he was well-pleased.13:09-13:17All of these events attest that Jesus was indeed raised up by God the Father from among the Israelites.13:18-13:29And these events disprove the idea that Jesus was merely a self-appointed and possibly deluded religious figure, as some people think he was.13:31-13:35And then verse 18 tells us that God's words would be in his mouth.13:36-13:47"I will put my words in his mouth and He shall speak to them all that I command Him." Now, we've already established that the prophets spoke God's words to the people.13:48-13:59But whereas they prefaced their statements with, "Thus saith the Lord," Jesus spoke as the Lord, out of the oneness that existed between Him and the Father.14:00-14:17For example, in John 12, verses 49 and 50, Jesus said, "For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment, what to say and what to speak.14:17-14:20And I know that his commandment is eternal life.14:21-14:38What I say therefore, I say as the Father has told me." And then in John 14, verses 10 and 24, he said, "The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.14:38-14:59And the word that you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me." As further proof of his prophetic office, Jesus spoke God's words in the way that the Israelites requested.15:00-15:13What I mean is this, In Exodus chapters 19 and 20, God descended in a dark cloud on Mount Sinai with thunders and lightnings and the mountains shook.15:14-15:18And out of that cloud, God spoke the 10 commandments to the people.15:19-15:54And when all the people saw the thunder and the lightning and the sound of the trumpet that they heard and they were seeing the mountain shake and the ground shaking beneath their feet, They were terrified and they stood far off and they told Moses, they said, "You speak to us and we will listen, "but do not let God speak to us lest we die." Certainly Moses continued to speak to the people and gave them God's commands during their journey to the promised land and during their wandering for 40 years in the desert.15:55-15:57And then in his final address to them in the book of Deuteronomy.16:00-16:21But in chapter 18, verses 16 and 17, Moses told the people that God would send a prophet in direct response to their request at Mount Sinai, to let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, or see this great fire anymore, lest I die.16:24-16:31So how did Jesus, in his speaking, demonstrate that he was the prophet sent by the Lord?16:32-16:37Well, there's three events that directly identify Jesus as the prophet.16:38-16:42And all of them occurred, not coincidentally, on a mountainside.16:44-16:48First, he was on the mountain when he was transfigured before Peter, James, and John.16:48-16:59and while talking with Moses and Elijah, and a bright cloud appeared and God said, "This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.17:00-17:08Listen to him." And the three disciples were like the Israelites of old, terrified by the voice of God.17:09-17:11But when they looked up, they saw only Jesus.17:14-17:26Second, the most direct connection A connection between the prophet and God speaking in the 10 commandments out of a stormy cloud is found in Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount.17:29-17:33Jesus, seeing the crowds, went up on the mountain.17:34-17:36And when he sat down, his disciples came to him.17:37-17:39And he opened his mouth and taught them.17:41-17:42And what did he teach them?17:44-17:50Well, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus exegeted the law, including most of the 10 commandments.17:51-17:59The greatest commandment, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and then to love your neighbor as yourself.18:01-18:12In that sermon, he showed the people that righteousness was not about outwardly keeping rules, but inward devotion to God that flowed from a broken and contrite heart.18:14-18:18a heart that revealed itself in confident dependence on God.18:20-18:31Instead of fire and terror, Jesus spoke to the people face to face on the mountain, just as they requested of Moses so long ago.18:32-18:41He revealed God to be merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.18:42-18:50And when Jesus finished, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority.18:52-18:57And yet, as so often happened in Israel's history, they did not all listen.18:59-19:06Yeah, there were those who did, but it seems for the most part, people were going out to Jesus for signs and wonders.19:07-19:08The crowds were fickle.19:08-19:10They were ambivalent about him.19:11-19:15and the religious leaders were so hostile, they wanted to kill him.19:18-19:26In Jesus, Israel got what she asked for hundreds of years earlier, a prophet speaking God's words to them face to face.19:27-19:35And even though his teaching astonished them, they eventually decided that Jesus really wasn't the prophet or Messiah they wanted after all.19:36-19:38They wanted a vending machine God.19:38-19:42They wanted a Messiah-o-matic and give them what they wanted.19:46-19:57You see, the divide between what the people craved and who Jesus is, is revealed in a third event that demonstrated the prophet would be like Moses.20:00-20:06The third thing Jesus did on a mountainside that proved He was the prophet like Moses is this.20:07-20:12He fed well over 5,000 people with bread and fish.20:14-20:36According to John 6, after everyone had eaten their fill and 12 baskets of leftovers were collected, the people said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world." And a day or two later, the people went looking for Jesus in Capernaum because they wanted more bread to eat.20:37-20:49Jesus knew what they wanted and he told them, "Do not work for the food that perishes, "but for the food that endures to eternal life, "which the Son of Man will give you.20:52-21:16"For on Him, God the Father has set His seal." And then the people said to him, "What must we do to be doing the works of God?" And Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." So the people said, "Jesus, what sign do you do that we might believe you?21:18-21:26What are you going to do for us, Jesus, that will persuade us to believe in you?" And then they said, "Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness.21:27-21:40Have you got more bread?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly I say to you, "it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, "but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.21:41-22:02"For the bread of God is he who comes down "from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life." The people responded to Jesus' assertion with grumbling.22:03-22:11First, because he said, "He's the bread that comes down from heaven." They're like, "We want food.22:11-22:12We want bread.22:12-22:21We don't want you." But their grumbling increased because of Jesus' next extraordinary statement.22:24-22:28He said, "I am the living bread that came down from heaven.22:28-22:31"If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.22:32-22:36"And the bread that I will give "for the life of the world is my flesh.22:36-22:41"Whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.22:42-22:47"This is the bread that came down from heaven, "not like the bread the fathers ate and died.22:48-22:57"Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever." Well, this was just all too much for the Jews.22:57-22:59This was just too bizarre.23:01-23:09Jesus was speaking of himself as eternal nourishment, and all they could think about was their temporary physical hunger.23:10-23:24Like the Jews in the wilderness who grumbled about God providing manna for 40 years, the crowds and even many of Jesus' disciples grumbled about Jesus being the true bread of God.23:25-23:32Like Moses, Jesus led and fed the people in ways that revealed His prophetic office.23:33-23:35But they did not all believe.23:36-23:37They took offense at Him.23:39-23:42Many turned back and no longer walked with Him.23:45-23:50So Jesus asked the 12 if they too wanted to leave Him.23:50-23:52But Peter said, "Lord, to whom shall we go?23:53-23:55You have the words of eternal life.23:56-24:00And we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.24:03-24:07You see, Peter recognized Jesus is more than the prophet.24:07-24:14He declares Jesus is the anointed one, the Son of God, because Jesus spoke God's words of eternal life.24:17-24:22And what was the most important thing that Jesus said during his earthly ministry?24:23-24:27What did he explicitly prophesy at least three times?24:29-24:33And what did he emphasize in other ways multiple times to his disciples?24:35-24:41That he would be mocked and flogged and crucified and that he would be raised to life the third day.24:42-24:44It's a pretty extraordinary prophecy.24:47-25:05But you see, this was extremely perplexing to the disciples because they said, "Jesus, you're telling the truth." And along with the words that he spoke and the signs and wonders that he performed, all of this amply demonstrated that Jesus was in fact the Messiah.25:06-25:14There's no way he could be a false prophet because they knew that a false prophet will die if he lies.25:16-25:18Look at Deuteronomy 18.20.25:19-25:38"The prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name, that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die." The religious leaders, particularly the Pharisees and their lawyers, they insisted that Jesus was a liar.25:39-25:43They claimed he was merely witnessing about himself and that his testimony wasn't true.25:45-25:57Well, Jesus countered that by saying that God the Father is also born witness about me and that he who sent me is true and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.25:58-26:02They did not understand that he'd been speaking to them about the Father.26:04-26:25So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own authority but speak just as the Father taught me." In this passage from John chapter 8, Jesus hints at what the religious leaders are planning to do to him.26:26-26:34They want to kill him, and he knows that their murderous maneuverings will result in his crucifixion.26:36-26:38You see, this is the supreme irony.26:39-26:42A prophet will die if he lies.26:43-26:49But they killed Jesus for telling the truth, just like they did the prophets of old.26:50-26:56And when Jesus was lifted up on the cross, his opponents thought he got what he deserved.26:57-27:06They were certain he was a false prophet, because if he wasn't, he wouldn't be suffering a vicious and humiliating death at the hand of Gentiles.27:09-27:17He was on the cross, the chief priests and other religious leaders mocked Him, saying, "He saved others. He can't save Himself.27:18-27:40Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." And yet in the midst of His agony, Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" His enemies might have said, You're forsaken because you're a liar.27:41-27:44Everyone who gets hung on a tree is accursed.27:45-27:51The fact that we were able to get you crucified is proof that you, Jesus, are accursed by God.27:52-27:53You're no prophet.27:57-28:02But by crying out the first line of Psalm 22, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?28:03-28:13Jesus continues to speak the word of God in a way that reveals that the cross is the culmination of his earthly mission.28:15-28:17Psalm 22 is a messianic psalm.28:18-28:22It summarizes the Messiah's humiliation and exaltation.28:23-28:24Let's look at a few passages.28:26-28:27Verses seven and eight.28:28-28:30All who see me mock me.28:30-28:32They make mouths at me.28:32-28:33"For they wag their heads.28:34-28:35"He trusts in the Lord.28:36-28:37"Let Him deliver him.28:37-28:44"Let Him rescue him, for He delights in him." Then verses 16 and 18, through 18.28:45-28:46"For dogs encompass me.28:47-28:49"A company of evil doers encircles me.28:50-28:53"They have pierced my hands and feet.28:53-28:55"I can count all my bones.28:55-28:57"They stare and gloat over me.28:57-29:00"They divide my garments among them.29:00-29:27"For My clothing they cast lots." And finally, verses 22-25, "Reflect the Father's care in the midst of Jesus' great suffering and His resurrection." He says, "I will tell of Your name to My brothers, and in the midst of the congregation, I will praise You." Stop there for a minute and think about that.29:28-29:34Christ is on the cross, and he's telling the name of God to his brothers.29:34-29:39In the midst of the congregation, he is praising God.29:40-29:42All you who fear the Lord, praise him.29:42-29:48All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him.29:49-30:03All you offspring of Israel, for he is not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, "And He has not hidden His face from him, but He has heard when he cried to Him.30:04-30:19And from you comes my praise in the great congregation, my vows I will perform before those who fear Him." You see, even in the throes of death, Jesus preached to all who would listen and believe.30:20-30:38If those who heard Jesus cry began themselves to recite this Messianic Psalm, perhaps the realization began to take hold that what they were reciting was happening right before their eyes.30:41-31:00The psalmist's words are being fulfilled here and now, just as Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, "then you will know that I am He." And perhaps the horrible realization set in, we've killed the Messiah.31:01-31:12And perhaps that is why, as Luke records, all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, they returned home beating their breasts.31:13-31:15We have killed the Messiah.31:18-31:24But what looked like an accursed death to the crowd instead a triumph over death.31:25-31:34On the cross, Jesus put death to death, and in his resurrection, he offers eternal life to all who would believe in him.31:36-31:38All that Jesus said came to pass.31:39-31:41He said he would die, and he did.31:42-31:44He said he would return to life, and he did.31:45-31:48He is the reliable and trustworthy prophet.31:48-31:51Every word He spoke was true.31:53-31:55And He is still our prophet today.31:56-31:58We have His word.31:58-32:03We have God's word and His Spirit to lead us into all truth.32:05-32:17You know, everyone who preaches is obligated to faithfully and accurately speak in the name of the Lord Jesus and to preach His words, not our own.32:17-32:20In this way, Jesus is still our prophet.32:21-32:25He indwells his people to speak to his people from his word.32:28-32:35Therefore, now that you know that Jesus is the prophet, will you listen to him?32:38-32:45Will you daily cast off worldly thinking and unbiblical ideas and commit to reading and meditating on God's word?32:47-32:58Are you willing to jettison old patterns of negative thinking and replace them with what the Bible says about your worth and your purpose in Jesus Christ?32:58-33:05Will you conform your thinking to God's truth and Jesus' example and teaching?33:08-33:14Or will you continue to seek advice from the influencers and false prophets clamoring for your attention?33:16-33:17Will you look for guidance?33:18-33:26Will you look for guidance in the gudo that shapes and drives the lives of so many people?33:30-33:35The skeptic will say, "Ah, I don't believe anything in the Bible is true.33:36-33:37It offends my reason.33:38-33:39I'm an independent thinker.33:40-33:52I don't need a God or a religion to tell me what to do." But that same person has no problem with the collective hive mind telling them what to think.33:53-33:57And they'll employ artificial intelligence to do their thinking for them.34:00-34:03So much intelligence, so little wisdom.34:05-34:20The short of it is, if you refuse to listen to what Jesus says, If you take offense at him and his words, you're just like the Israelites and the religious leaders in past time.34:21-34:26You're essentially putting him to death in your heart and in your mind.34:28-34:31Now, there are probably very few people in this room that hate Jesus.34:34-34:44And if we took a survey of the people in this room, probably most of you would agree that, Yeah, we shouldn't be committing the kinds of sins which the world heartily approves.34:46-34:49We shouldn't be following all that chatter out there.34:51-35:05And yet how many of us choose to remain on friendly terms with the world and feel free to indulge in all its whims and entertainments and pleasures so long as we avoid open sin.35:08-35:22The most dangerous sin is the idea that we can listen to worldly prophets advocating for the lusts and pleasures of the world and follow along and yet still be devoted to Christ.35:23-35:30Beloved, you cannot listen to and serve multiple masters and still walk uprightly before Jesus Christ.35:31-35:35You must listen to Christ and serve Him only.35:38-36:14Jesus is the prophet. Will you believe in him? In some ways I have laid this sermon out like a closing argument in a court case. You've heard from the witnesses Moses, God the Father, Peter, and of course Jesus himself. And you have evidence to consider more than 5,000 people fed on a mountainside. Jesus transfigured on a mountain. And of course Jesus crucified on a cross just as he said he would be.36:17-36:36And then this singular fact. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures and according to his own prophetic words. He to pay the penalty for their sins and remove the penalty of death.36:37-36:43And rising again, he offers forgiveness of sin and eternal life for all who would believe in him.36:46-36:48So you've heard the evidence.36:49-36:51You must now render a verdict.36:52-36:59Will you believe that Jesus is everything he says he is, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world?37:00-37:03He's the one mediator between God the Father and humanity.37:04-37:07He is the only priest, prophet, and king.37:08-37:13And Jesus is the only name given among people under heaven by which we can be saved.37:15-37:22If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.37:23-37:26With the heart one believes and is justified.37:27-37:30and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.37:32-37:33Jesus is the prophet.37:35-37:37Will you speak His words?37:40-37:44As disciples of Christ, we are all prophets of His gospel.37:45-37:49We are to proclaim His life, death, and resurrection until He returns.37:50-37:52This is no mystery religion.37:53-37:56There is no hidden knowledge in the Scriptures.37:56-37:58There are no secret rites to perform.37:59-38:02The words of Christ are all out in the open.38:03-38:10And we have the awesome privilege of possessing the oracles of God, the word of God.38:10-38:13We have God's words in our hands.38:16-38:20It's not always been true, but it's true for us.38:22-38:28Do we have the ability to read it, to reason through it, to engage with it by the help of the Holy Spirit?38:31-38:38We can personally and intimately know God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.38:40-38:50Jesus reveals the truth so that we can repent of our sins, trust in His finished work on the cross and receive the gift of eternal life now and forever.38:55-39:16And we have the responsibility of repeating his words clearly to others so that they may hear and believe in him by faith too. God forgive us for shirking our responsibility to share the gospel and for being insensible to the the spiritual condition of the lost and the dying.39:18-39:19We must speak His words.39:19-39:22We must share the good news of what He has done.39:24-39:33We are like beggars dressed in fine linen telling other beggars where to find bread and new garments.39:34-39:37It is the most loving and kindest thing we can do.39:39-39:42as our worship team returns to the stage.39:45-39:46I will conclude with this.39:49-39:52Not everyone will listen to us.39:53-39:55But then they didn't all listen to Jesus either.39:57-39:58Not everyone will believe.40:00-40:02But then they did not all believe in Jesus either.40:04-40:08We are not responsible for the results of sharing the gospel.40:09-40:11The results are for God to work out.40:13-40:18Our responsibility is to faithfully speak the words of God from Scripture.40:19-40:24For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.40:25-40:25Let's pray.40:28-40:31The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.40:32-40:36The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.40:37-40:40The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.40:42-40:45The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.40:47-40:49The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.40:51-40:54The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.40:56-41:04Let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight.41:04-41:08O Lord, our rock and our Redeemer.41:09-41:09Amen. Small Group DiscussionRead Deuteronomy 18:14-22What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Can you assess how deeply worldly ideas influence your thinking? What about how deeply they influence your view of Scripture? How about your walk with Christ?What expectations do you have of God? That is, what do you want from Him, and what do you want to hear from Him? How do these questions and your answers relate to Israel's history with the LORD?It was said the sermon was constructed like a closing argument, requiring a verdict. Imagine you are a jury member – was enough evidence and testimony presented to render a judgment that Jesus is the Messiah? If not, what further evidence would you seek? Where would you look for that evidence?What are some reasons we don't take seriously our responsibility share the Gospel of Christ with others? How valid are those reasons?BreakoutPray for one another.
What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. ' Romans 3:9
Jewish communities in the United States will be observing one of the most sacred holidays of their religion, Passover, with increased security measures and concerns over hateful rhetoric as the war against Iran continues. The FBI is currently conducting an investigation into a terror attack against Temple Israel, the nation's second largest Jewish congregation, in West Bloomfield, Michigan, in which a driver drove a vehicle packed with fireworks through the front doors. Other recent violent incidents have confirmed fears there has been a palpable rise in antisemitism. FOX's Tonya J. Powers speaks with Liora Rez, the executive director of StopAntisemitism, who says there too many examples that show a sharp rise in the use of tropes that claim Jews are puppeteering governments, the media and financial institutions which is raising security concerns during the holidays. Click Here To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, the team takes our listeners -- and our boss -- up on their recommendations. After Borschel-Dan asked listeners for their favorite stand-up comedians, we received a deluge of responses. We decided to launch our stand-up tour with "Modi: Know Your Audience," which is available freely on YouTube. While both had heard of the very Jewish performer, this was their first-time watching a full-length show. Next, we discuss "The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel," which is now streaming on Netflix. The documentary sheds light on the origins of the still-hot band and focuses on its original guitarist Hillel Slovak. Born in Israel, gifted guitarist Slovak was the catalyst that brought both bassist Flea and lead singer Anthony Kiedis to the music world. For our duo of reviewers, it was a chance to revisit their high school soundtrack. Stick around to see who got the "oy," the "meh" and the "not bad" marks in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Send us Fan MailGUEST: PASTOR TRAVIS ALLENWe are entering Easter Week. Or as it is sometimes called, Holy Week or Passion Week, commemorating the final week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ that culminated in His crucifixion on this coming Friday and resurrection next Sunday.Many significant events occurred in the days leading to His crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus made what's called “The Triumphal Entry” into Jerusalem this weekend on Sunday, also know as Palm Sunday, when he presented Himself to Israel as their promised Messiah and King, His followers waving palm branches and laying their coats on the road as Jesus rode in on the colt of a donkey.On Monday, He came back into Jerusalem and cleansed the temple for the second time. On Tuesday and Wednesday, he taught in the temple and contended with unbelieving religious leaders of the Jews. He also instructed His own disciples about what was to come in the future.And then on Thursday began the more familiar events with His Last Supper with His disciples, His betrayal by Judas, His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His sham trials by the Jews and the Romans, leading to His crucifixion on Friday.Next weekend on the program, we will air a special program focusing on the person and work of Christ.This weekend, pastor Travis Allen of Grace Church in Greeley, CO, a long-time, favorite guest, joins us to discuss the significance of the events that occurred during Passion Week leading to Christ's death and resurrection.PROGRAM NOTES:Pastor Allen's Podcast: Pillar of TruthGrace Church, Greeley, CO
Absolute corruption! PLUS, Robert Steinbuch, Professor of Law at University of Arkansas - Little Rock, discusses the continual historic ignorance of Israel and wonders why so many Jews are still aligned with the Democrat Party when their policies foster antisemitism? Maaneli (Max) Derakhshani, Senior Science Advisor at the CO2 Coalition, tells Shaun there is no reason to fear CO2 and thinks that President Trump can do more with rolling back more environmental regulations. And our National Anthem: performed by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Inspiration for the Nation is the weekly Jewish podcast from Living Lchaim, hosted by Yaakov Langer.Isaac was shot at point-blank range… and what happened next will leave you speechless. Paralyzed in seconds, he faced death head-on—but his shocking mindset shift and refusal to give up turned tragedy into something unbelievable. This insane true story of survival, faith, and comeback will completely change how you see adversity.✬ SPONSORS OF THE EPISODE ✬► BF Design: Designed for RealityBF Design doesn't just create beautiful plans. They create projects that work, get approved and get built.Call here→ 732-961-1202See here→ https://bit.ly/4sEklMw► Wheels To Lease: #1 Car CompanyFor over 35 years, Wheels To Lease has offered stress-free car buying with upfront pricing, no hidden fees, and door-to-door delivery.→ CALL/TEXT: 718-871-8715→ EMAIL: inspire@wheelstolease.com→ WEB: https://bit.ly/41lnzYU→ WHATSAPP: https://wa.link/0w46ce► Help Make Pesach for ThemJust this past Shabbos, a missile struck Arad, leaving 170 families with nothing, as Pesach is just days away.Help struggling families in Israel make Pesach:Donate here→ https://tinyurl.com/RabbiMeirSupport4Pesach► Mossaica Press: The Top Haggadah for 2026 + The Top MachzoeHaggadah shel Pesach – B'Damayich Chayi by Rabbi Yehoshua Gavriel Forgy argues that the Seder's structure and language serve as an annual reintroduction to Jewish peoplehood: how Jews understand themselves, why they endure, and what life among the nations consistently requires.Code: INSPIRE for 15% OFFHaggadah → https://bit.ly/4cVHxknCode: INSPIRE for 15% OFFMachzor→ https://bit.ly/47s9mNG_____________________________________✬ IN MEMORY OF ✬This episode is in memory of:• Miram Sarah bas Yaakov Moshe• Shimon Dovid ben Yaakov Shloima#iftnLchaim.#jewishpodcast #judaism #robbery #newlife #god #death #judaism #israel
Pastoral Reflections Finding God In Ourselves by Msgr. Don Fischer
Gospel John 11:45-56 Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him. So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples. Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves. They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?” Reflection Caiaphas marks a significant change in the attitude of the Pharisees and scribes to Jesus. They were doing everything they could to discredit him, or to try to kill him, get rid of him, so people would stop following him. But even the Pharisees had a difficult decision to make. How could they do such a thing without any authority, without any assurance that they were doing the right thing until someone gave them a way out? Hey, it's okay to kill someone if you're trying to save people. So instead of discrediting Jesus, they said, Oh, now we can say we're saving the Jews from the Romans. It worked. And the plot was set. Closing Prayer Father, what we are longing for in the fullness of your presence within us is the gift of the Holy Spirit wisdom to help us to make moral decisions. Guide us with that wisdom as we choose what is true, what is life giving, what we need to turn toward, what we need to turn away from. You died to give us that gift, help us to use it. And we asked this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friends of the Rosary,The plot by the Jewish leaders against Lord Jesus continues to mount as we approach Palm Sunday and His sorrowful passion, according to today's main Gospel reading (John 11:45-56).The Pharisees knew Jesus' work was supernatural, but they prioritized their earthly prideful interests, planning to kill him. Picture the scene: the dominant Church of that time against the Author of Life.“The chief priests and the Phariseesconvened the Sanhedrin and said,“What are we going to do?This man is performing many signs.If we leave him alone, all will believe in him,and the Romans will comeand take away both our land and our nation.”So Jesus decided no longer to walk in public among the Jews, and he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples, while the Passover was near.The Scripture tells that in the meantime, “many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him.”Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• March 28, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET
Chabad Chassidus is an all-embracing world outlook and way of life which sees the Jew's central purpose as a unifying link between the Creator and His world. Written by the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad, Tanya is the central text of Chabad Chassidus. It shows the reader a path to realizing their purpose and developing a deeper relationship with G-d. Choose from one of the two formats available: through Lessons in Tanya - a profound and clear explanation of the Alter Rebbe's writings, or through an audio class.
Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Our shout-out today goes to Jason Wright from Dickinson, TX. Thanks for your partnership in Project23. We cannot do this without donors like you. Our text today is 1 Corinthians 10:23-33. "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For "the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. — 1 Corinthians 10:23-33 Paul closes the chapter by confronting one final misuse of freedom. Self-justification. The Corinthians had a saying they loved to repeat: "All things are lawful." Paul doesn't deny their freedom—he qualifies it. Not all things are helpful. Not all things build up. Freedom is not the highest value. Love, shaped by God's truth, is. Paul shifts the focus from personal rights to responsibility. "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." In a morally flexible world, that requires clarity. Paul is not talking about the neighbor's personal definition of good, but God's definition of good for the neighbor—what leads to truth, holiness, and salvation. Christian freedom was never meant to serve the self or accommodate moral drift. It was meant to serve the gospel. In everyday life, believers don't need to interrogate everything—God owns it all. But the moment another person's conscience is involved, freedom changes shape. What is allowed is no longer the question. What love requires is. Paul willingly limits his liberty—not because truth has changed, but because people matter. Using freedom to justify yourself turns liberty into leverage and knowledge into a weapon. Paul refuses that posture. His aim is simple and unwavering: "that many may be saved." That goal governs everything. Freedom submits to God's love. The best love. A love that leads to salvation and brings glory to God. This is not freedom that self-justifies; it is the justification of the Cross that limits self for the salvation of others. DO THIS: Identify one situation where you've been using freedom to justify yourself instead of serving others. Choose restraint this week for the sake of love and witness. ASK THIS: Where am I more focused on defending my rights than loving my neighbor? How might my freedom be confusing or wounding someone else's conscience? What would it look like to choose the glory of God over personal preference? PRAY THIS: Lord, teach me to use freedom wisely. Guard me from self-justification and shape my choices by love. Help me live for your glory and for the good of others. Amen. PLAY THIS: "I Surrender All"
Jewish communities in the United States will be observing one of the most sacred holidays of their religion, Passover, with increased security measures and concerns over hateful rhetoric as the war against Iran continues. The FBI is currently conducting an investigation into a terror attack against Temple Israel, the nation's second largest Jewish congregation, in West Bloomfield, Michigan, in which a driver drove a vehicle packed with fireworks through the front doors. Other recent violent incidents have confirmed fears there has been a palpable rise in antisemitism. FOX's Tonya J. Powers speaks with Liora Rez, the executive director of StopAntisemitism, who says there too many examples that show a sharp rise in the use of tropes that claim Jews are puppeteering governments, the media and financial institutions which is raising security concerns during the holidays. Click Here To Follow 'The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
IntroductionWe know that we are in deep trouble. Adam had the chance to do what was right, and he failed to do it. The problem is that we can only dig the hole deeper. We think that credit card debt is bad, but our debt is far worse. Our debt will never go away, even in death. We can't out-work it, out-live it, or out-think it. So our problem is very severe and beyond overwhelming. Lord's Day 6 of the Heidelberg Catechism helps us to see the eternal solution. Only God can implement this solution. Sin's Problem: We Need a MediatorThe catechism reminds us that we need a mediator. The very thought of a mediator means that something has gone wrong. A mediator means two parties are at odds. The very introduction of the concept of a mediator introduces an admission of our guilt. God is 100% righteous. We are 100% at fault. There is no way we can work to please God when we are 100% in debt. There is no payment plan. And the mediator's task is staggering: take people who have fully offended a perfect God and bring them into his presence as fully righteous. This is the greatest laundering effort ever in history! In fact, it is not hiding dirty money, but fully redeeming it to remove all controversy that surrounds it. Our cleansing requires someone who is both truly human (because it was humanity that offended God) and truly God (because no mere human can bear an infinite, eternal penalty and survive it). A human enduring his own sin would be in hell forever and never get out. There is no way that a person could pay the debt on behalf of another. This is why we need a person who is divine to endure an eternal punishment. The person also has to be human to stand in the place of the creature that offended. Only a divine person united to a human nature can absorb eternal wrath in a moment of time. Only Christ is such a mediator. God's Solution: The Folly of the CrossPaul addresses a church drunk on elitism. They love their gurus. They love how they can flaunt their spiritual gifts. Ironically, Paul, who had every credential to out-elite them all, goes straight to the cross. He does not call his accomplishments to their attention as he does in Galatians. No, he goes straight to the cross.That's a jarring move, because the cross was not a sentimental symbol like we make it today. No, the cross is a declaration of shame. In Roman culture, crucified criminals weren't even officially recorded. In Jewish culture, to be hung on a tree meant you were a covenant breaker, cursed by God. When the disciples watched Jesus die on the cross, they had every reason to think they'd been deceived. In their mind, God declared a messianic fraud who transgressed God's holiness. Paul knows all of this! He preaches it anyway. Why? Because the "foolishness" of the cross is precisely the point. Christ, who never broke the covenant, was publicly displayed as though he had, and that is why we need him. And because death could not hold him, the resurrection vindicates him completely. At Christ's weakest moment, he won the greatest victory. Worldly wisdom missed the cross. The Jews demanded signs and missed the sign of the cross. The Greeks sought wisdom and missed the wisdom of God standing right in front of them.Thus, the wisest people of this age did not see the wisdom of the cross. This is why Paul calls attention to the cross. If we do not see the wisdom of God's plan, then we will not see redemption. God's Proclamation: The Gospel Must Keep Being PreachedKnowing the facts about Christ isn't enough on its own. Calvin puts it plainly: as long as Christ remains outside of us, he is of no benefit to us. The work of Christ has to become our work. The Lord uses Gospel preaching that lays out Christ's cross to bring his people into their new relationship with Christ. The Corinthians had witnessed extraordinary manifestations of the Spirit, and probably interviewed eyewitnesses of the resurrection. However, Paul still keeps going back to the gospel. This message is not a one-and-done message. It is a message that is continually preached, and we continually need this message. The catechism traces this same pattern across all of redemptive history: the gospel was announced in Genesis 3:15, repeated to the patriarchs, foreshadowed in every sacrifice and ceremony, proclaimed by the prophets, and fulfilled in Christ. Generation after generation, God's people were sustained by this same message. It was repeated and repeated because we so easily forget Christ's message. We fail to see that without the gospel message, we have nothing. The cross of Christ is the message that Christ had to suffer for an insufferable people. We are such people. We don't outgrow the gospel. We need to hear it continually, because it is the ongoing means of grace by which God keeps his people alive and moving toward glory. It is in Christ, going to the cross, that God's wisdom is shown. It is in the cross that Christ is ultimately vindicated in his resurrection and ascension. His work was so perfect that the heavenly courts vindicated him. ConclusionSo how do we solve our unsolvable, eternal problem? We don't. We can't. But God has.He sent his Son. His son, who is fully God, fully man, stands in our place as the covenant breaker. We transgressed, but Christ did not. Christ bore what we deserved, was raised to prove he'd conquered it, and now the gospel goes out as the living word that unites us to him. The world will call it foolishness. Paul's response: “Fine. Call it folly. In that folly is life.”So let us not be ashamed of the Gospel. Let us keep hearing, submitting to the preaching, and clinging to the substance of the message: Christ. Let us exude the joy that we have been redeemed by the living God. That is our significance, our credibility, and our only boast is in Christ. Let us find it there, and live in it. Amen.
Read OnlineMany of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” John 11:45–48Tomorrow we begin Holy Week with Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Today's Gospel recounts events shortly after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, which took place in Bethany, near Jerusalem—just days before He would ride into the city on a donkey, greeted with shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (John 12:13).During the final months of His life, Jesus often stayed out of the public eye to avoid those plotting His death. However, He briefly emerged to perform His final recorded miracle: raising Lazarus from the dead. This miracle became the decisive moment that prompted the Pharisees to actively plot against Him. Some witnesses reported it to the authorities, and the Sanhedrin feared Jesus' growing popularity would provoke a Roman persecution upon the Jews. At the high priest Caiaphas' suggestion, they decided it was better for Jesus to die than for the nation to suffer.As high priest, Caiaphas spoke prophetically—even unknowingly—about Jesus' death, saying, “It is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish” (John 11:49–50). Commenting on this, Saint Augustine teaches: “This passage shows that the Spirit of prophecy can even work through wicked people to reveal future events” (Tractate 49 on the Gospel of John).Knowing that God's omnipotent power can use even evil actions to accomplish His divine plan should console us when we encounter injustice or malice in our own lives. Jesus was never a victim of circumstance; He remained in full control of His mission. At His arrest, He reminded His disciples: “Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father, and He will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).Jesus could have commanded the angels to overthrow the Sanhedrin and the Roman authorities, taking His place as an earthly king by force. But instead, He chose to submit to the Father's will, allowing the malice of Caiaphas to set His Passion in motion. Though Caiaphas acted with selfish intent, God, in His providence, used this evil act to advance His plan of salvation for all who would turn to Him in faith.This insight is essential as we enter the “Holy Weeks” of our lives—those times of trial, suffering, or injustice that we do not always fully understand. When we encounter crosses, it is easy to see them as obstacles to joy and peace. But Romans 8:28 reminds us: “All things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.” Every cross, injustice, or hardship is within God's providential care, just as Holy Week was. When we trust Him, even the evil we experience can be transformed into a path toward God's glory and for our good.Reflect today on the perfect wisdom of God's plan, which used even the sins of wicked people to bring about salvation. Consider any crosses, sufferings, or injustices you currently face. Instead of giving in to anger or despair, have faith that God can use them for good. If you remain in God's grace, trust that whatever He permits in your life is an expression of His almighty power and love, working all things for His glory and your good. Just as Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem, knowing that great suffering awaited Him, so too must we turn our eyes to our own “Jerusalem”—to the challenges and difficulties we encounter—and trust that God will work all things for good. All-powerful Lord, nothing deterred You from fulfilling Your Father's will. Your mission was to save many souls and to do so through the instrumentality of both the good and the wicked. Evil was conquered because You, in Your goodness, drew even greater good from it. Please help me to imitate You and to participate in Your glorious victory over sin and death by uniting every injustice and suffering I endure with Your Passion so as to achieve Your glory and victory in my life. Jesus, I trust in You. Image: The Judgment of the Sanhedrin: He is Guilty! by Nikolai GeSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.
Today’s Topics: Joshua Charles joins Terry for Friday with the Fathers 1) Gospel – John 10:31-42 – The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from My Father. For which of these are you trying to stone Me?” The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a Man, are making Yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the One Whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God'? If I do not perform My Father's works, do not believe Me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest Him; but He escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there He remained. Many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this Man was true.” And many there began to believe in Him. Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2, 3, 4) In Part Five, Terry and Joshua discuss Early Father of the Church: Saint Pope Leo the Great, Pt. 5
Why were the Jews told to lie to the Egyptians? Isn't that the ultimate חילול השם? "Jews are all about money!"
If you could make a million dollars for yourself or alternatively, help twenty people (including you) make $50,000, which is a better thing? The West and the Rest; People Around the World Vote With Their Feet. Why do radical Muslims, university academics, common criminals, and progressive politicians all seem to be motivated in the same direction? Why did God use strange metaphors to promise Abraham many descendants? The best parts of living in a civilized society. The American Alliance of Jews and Christians produces this show.
Dr. Jonathan Sarna is one of the most well-regarded historians in America and the Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University. He has written and edited over 30 books (which is more than we have read…combined) and is the expert on the Jews of America. We rate the American presidents on whether they liked or didn't like Jews, discuss how bad antisemitism really is today compared to the past, and learn why we have always been blamed for everything — historically speaking, of course.Also:* A brief detour into the history of… Sex and the City.* The Jews that don't eat Turkey.* Rehabbing Ulysses S. Grant.* It's always the fault of the Jews - even before it happens.* What Jews can learn from Feminists.* What is going on with Jewish Studies departments in academia?* Why many Jewish academics prefer to sit the antisemitism discussion out.* Who hasn't gotten an antisemitic letter from Richard Nixon??* Honest Abe lives up to his name.* How bad is it really?Oh hey guess who else wrote something? Honored to make my debut in National Review with a piece about Israeli wartime humor.Also, friend of the pod and previous guest Jen Brick Murtazashvili had a wonderful piece in the Washington Post today about what we get wrong about this war (a lot). Here's a gift link. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe
Pastoral Reflections Finding God In Ourselves by Msgr. Don Fischer
Gospel John 10:31-42 The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God'? If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” And many there began to believe in him. Reflection The most important revelation that Jesus shared with all of us when he walked this earth is that when we see him, we for the first time see the fullness of who God the Father is. Jesus said the father is in me and I am in the Father. If you see me, you see the father. It's so, so important for us to understand this great mystery that the God who remains less visual in our minds can be seen fully in the person of Jesus. Help us to let go of the things of the past, particularly many images of the Old Testament, that keep us, from seeing the fullness of who Jesus reveals God to be. A lover, a friend, a companion, a source of love and life. Closing Prayer Father, as we near closer to Holy Week bless us with an awareness of the heart of Jesus' message, he is fulfilling what the prophets spoke of throughout the Old Testament. Help us to put the story together and see Jesus as He really is. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the first letter, the Rebbe responds to someone overwhelmed by a new position, claiming he has no time for learning, serving Hashem, or helping others. The Rebbe firmly rejects this, reminding him that a Jew's purpose is to serve his Creator. In the second letter, the Rebbe discourages the letter writer's practice of fasting, explaining that Chassidus does not promote afflicting the body. True avodah is refining the animal soul—through restraint in behavior, speech, and interpersonal conduct—without harming one's health, thereby preserving strength for Torah and mitzvos. PDF Link: https://www.soulwords.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/30-letters-30-days-27-28.pdf
This week is Parashat Tzav as well as Shabbat HaGadol . On Shabbat HaGadol , the final Shabbat that the Jewish People were in Mitzrayim , Hashem commanded them to begin the process of offering the Korban Pesach . Why did Hashem command the Jews to take the sheep for the korban four days before they were going to offer it? The Midrash answers, the time of the Geula had arrived but the Jews did not have the merits to be redeemed so Hashem gave them an additional commandment regarding the korban to help them. Look how precious a mitzvah is! Even the preparation of the Korban Pesach was able to give the Jews the merit to be redeemed. The parshiot we are reading now are discussing the korbanot . The pasuk says when a Jew brought a korban, it was considered a ריח ניחוח לה' – it brought up a pleasing aroma to Hashem. What did Hashem love so much about a korban ? Perhaps we can explain from a question asked by the Acharonim : Why is it that the construction of the Mishkan did not override Shabbat while the offering of korbanot did? Seemingly, the building of a home for the Shechina to dwell in should be more important than offering sacrifices there. Rabbi Menashe Reizman quoted the sefer Nachat Yaakov who answered that the construction of the Mishkan was primarily done by Hashem. It was not humanly possible for a person to put it up, as the pasuk says הוקם המשכן. Many of the vessels as well were made by Hashem. The Menorah, for example, Hashem told Moshe to throw it into a fire and the Menorah came out. All the embroidery was miraculously made. Regarding the construction of the Second Beit HaMikdash, there were enormous stones, some 30 feet tall. How was it possible for a person to lift them so high upon a wall. The Yerushalmi says, when the people made the effort, Hashem miraculously lifted those stones for them. So therefore, since the Mishkan and the Beit HaMikdash were made by Hashem, although it was very important to Him, that did not override Shabbat. The korbanot , however, were performed exclusively by us. All of the difficult tasks involved in bringing a korban were done by the sweat of the people and Hashem loved their deeds so much. He loves when we put toil in to fulfill a mitzvah. That is what is so precious to Him and that even overrides Shabbat. Although today we cannot put in the same efforts of offering an actual korban , there's still a lot that we can do. The Midrash at the beginning of this week's parasha brings a mashal about a king who was traveling through the desert and his good friend came there to give him a basket of figs and a barrel of wine. The king told him, "You have honored me greatly by coming all the way here to give these thing to me." The friend replied, "My master, the King, this is just a small token of the honor that I want to give you. When you come back to your palace, you'll see there how much honor I'm really going to give you." That's the mashal. The nimshal is Hashem tells us, "זאת תורת העולה – You have honored Me by bringing a korban olah ." And we tell Hashem, "This is just a small token of the honor that we're capable of bringing You. When You come back to Your palace, there we're going to give You the real honor." This Midrash is obviously talking about today's time when we can't offer a real korban . So what temporary honor are we giving Hashem? Learning about the korbanot , drawing lessons from the korbanot . That in it of itself is so precious to Hashem and He considers it like we are honoring Him. But we tell Hashem, "Soon, when You bring back the Beit HaMikdash, there we're going to truly honor You, the way we're supposed to." As for today, we're still learning the lessons of korbanot , we're seeing how precious the nitty gritty involvement of a Jew in a mitzvah is to Hashem. We hope that just like Shabbat HaGadol was the last Shabbat for the Jews in Mitzrayim , so too it will be our last Shabbat in this long exile. B'ezrat Hashem, we should see the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and be able to bring Hashem true glory inside of it. Shabbat Shalom.
Topics:Nissan, Miracles and Iran What can we expect in this month of Nissan, a month of miracles and redemption? 06:57Are there parallels between the redemption from Egypt and today's battles? 04:50How do Pesach and Mitzrayim reveal the inside story of history in general, and specifically the current war against Iran? 22:35What is the connection to the month of Nissan? 12:30What is the meaning of a miracle? 07:12How victory over Iran – and today's miracles – will bring to conclusion events that began with Abraham and Egypt over 3300 years ago? 12:40What will the Middle East and the world look like with the elimination of Iran as a threat? 18:30How can today's events help us bring our Pesach Seder alive? 22:30Can we see the Strait of Hormuz as a modern version of mitzrayim, as in dire straits? 25:08How today's war needs to be fought in our personal lives in microcosm? 30:00War in IranHow should we be reacting to the current war? 32:58What responsibility do we carry in this time? 37:25What should be our response to the ongoing attacks on Israel? 37:25Is Israel still the safest place? 39:43How can we say that when we see the danger and deaths wrought by Iranian missiles? 39:43Can we apply the Rebbe's words about the Gulf War to today's events? 44:35Why is today's war an unprecedented historic opportunity for the nations of the world? 45:40How should we respond to the antisemitic argument that Israel dragged the USA into this war? 45:40Did the Rebbe predict the fall of Iraq and asked not to publicize the details? 47:57What did the Rebbe say about ar'enu niflaos? 49:42Should we learn from Chezkiyahu and praise G-d for today's miracles? 51:55Should we be celebrating the miracles of G-d's protection by dancing in the streets? 54:27With most Jews now living in Eretz Yisroel, are we witnessing kibbutz goliyos? 55:31Shabbos HaGadol-PassoverWhy will we remember the Egyptian Exodus after the final redemption? 56:37Why are we required to remember the days (plural) that we left Egypt, when we left in one day? 57:57What lessons does that teach us in today's battles? 59:55MyLife: Chassidus Applied is a weekly video webcast that candidly answers questions from the public about all life matters and challenges, covering the entire spectrum of the human experience. The program's objective is to provide people with inspired guidance and direction, empowering them to deal with any issue they may face. MyLife demonstrates how Chassidus provides us with a comprehensive blueprint of the human psyche as a microcosm of the cosmos, and offers us all the guidance we need to live the healthiest possible life and build nurturing homes and families, bringing up the healthiest possible children, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.MyLife is a community-supported project, requiring hours of research and preparation each week. Please donate or sponsor an episode, to help us continue and expand this important work.Go here and here for our special section of programs and resources addressing these trying and unprecedented times
Not all the Jews rejected Christ, but many of the spiritual leaders were against Him because they had no spiritual discernment and they perceived Him as a threat to their position. There were also many people who only followed Jesus for self-serving reasons. The rejection of Christ was foretold by God and there are still many people today who will not hear. The Apostle Paul is an example of one called by God, who rejected Christ until God turned him around. In the end, God will have those He desires to have whether Jew or Gentile. John 1:11 VF-2425 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Faith Center in Glendale. Call 1-800-338-3030 24x7 to leave a message for Pastor Scott. You may make reservations to attend a live service, leave a prayer request or make a commitment. Pastor Scott appreciates messages and reads them often during live broadcasts. Follow @Pastor_Scott on Twitter and visit her official Facebook page @Pastor.M.Scott. Download Pastor Scott's "Understand the Bible" app for iPhone, iPad and iPod at the Apple App Store and for Android devices in the Google Store. Pastor Scott can also be seen 24x7 on Roku and Amazon Fire on the "Understand the Bible?" channel. ©2026 Pastor Melissa Scott, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved
The plethora of evidence the Jews missed
ON THIS EPISODE: (TIME STAMPS BELOW) A review of Project Hail Mary and reactions after playing multiple new video games including: Crimson Desert, Dragonkin: The Banished and Dread Delusion! Also, a SPICY question from a viewer: Does Paeter's view about playing evil characters allow for playing as a Nazi murdering Jews & Children? AND MUCH MORE! 00:00:30 Intro 00:06:07 Project Hail Mary Review 00:19:06 CGC & Christian Geek News(The Star-Blessed by Angie Dickinson, Return of the Guardian-King by Karen Hancock) 00:26:21 Listener/Viewer Questions & Feedback(Can Christians play as Nazis murdering Jews & Children?) 01:09:04 When Entertainment Becomes Too Important GEEK WEEK 00:58:41 TABLETOP GAMES: Four Against Darkness, 01:04:03 MOVIES/TV: Nobody 2, Weapons, Dark Series Finale, X-Files, 01:18:55 Spider-man: Brand New Day Trailer, 01:29:09 Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone Trailer 01:39:47 VIDEO GAMES: Crimson Desert, 01:59:49 Dread Delusion, 02:02:46 Dragonkin: The Banished, 02:11:13 THE OTHER GAMES I PLAYED, Final Fantasy Collection Of Saga, Tainted Grail: The Fall Of Avalon, Pathfinder Kingmaker DLC, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Remastered, Darkest Dungeon, Deck Of Ashes, Elminage Gothic, Dragon Quest 2 HD-2D Remaster, Labyrinth Of Refrain: Coven Of Dusk 02:54:49 On The Next Episode 02:56:21 Essential Issues Weekly: DC Comics Reactions (Some great moments and interesting ideas in this batch of DC Comics! Including brief explorations of the natures of Love, Compassion & Belief! Batman And Robin 30, Aquaman 14, Action Comics 1095, Green Lantern Corps 13, Wonder Woman 30, Nightwing 135) FREE STUFF BELOW! Get The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz & More Audio Entertainment From Spirit Blade Productions HERE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/44479037 or on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNC7Qz41mx8 Visit Our In-Game “No Man's Sky” Base With TONS Of Free Resources! At any Euclid Galaxy Glyph Portal, enter the glyphs corresponding to this sequence: 4,2,15,6,16,8,7,9,4,5,6,13 (Top row of glyphs is 1-8, bottom row is 9-16) Support this podcast and enjoy exclusive rewards at https://www.patreon.com/spiritbladeproductions Join Our Free Public Discord Channels! Invite HERE: https://discord.gg/5CRfFy2GG5 SUBSCRIBE TO PAETER'S SUBSTACK, @PAETERFRANDSEN: https://paeterfrandsen.substack.com/ Subscribe in a reader Open In i-tunes- itms://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-christian-geek-central-podcast/id258963175?mt=2 i-tunes Page Link- https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-christian-geek-central-podcast/id258963175?mt=2 Get fun, exclusive rewards for your support! Visit: https://www.patreon.com/spiritbladeproductions Or Become a Patron! All episodes are archived and available for download at www.spiritblade.com , Resources used to prepare CGC Bible Study/Devotional content include:"Expositor's Bible Commentary", Frank E. Gaebelein General Editor (Zondervan Publishing House),"The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament", by Dr. John H. Walton, Dr. Victor H. Matthews & Dr. Mark W. Chavalas (InterVarsity Press), "The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament", by Dr. Craig S. Keener (InterVarsity Press),Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Blueletterbible.org, The Christian Geek Central Statement Of Faith can be found at: http://christiangeekcentral.blogspot.com/p/about.html The Christian Geek Central Podcast is written, recorded and produced by Paeter Frandsen. Additional segments produced by their credited authors. Logo created by Matthew Silber. Copyright 2007-2026, Spirit Blade Productions. Music by Wesley Devine, Bjorn A. Lynne, Pierre Langer, Jon Adamich, audionautix.com and Sound Ideas. Spazzmatica Polka by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Freesound.org effects provided by: FreqMan
Chabad Chassidus is an all-embracing world outlook and way of life which sees the Jew's central purpose as a unifying link between the Creator and His world. Written by the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad, Tanya is the central text of Chabad Chassidus. It shows the reader a path to realizing their purpose and developing a deeper relationship with G-d. Choose from one of the two formats available: through Lessons in Tanya - a profound and clear explanation of the Alter Rebbe's writings, or through an audio class.
In this gripping episode, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe tackles a question that has troubled him for years: Why did Esther invite Haman (and Ahasuerus) to a banquet instead of immediately exposing his plot to annihilate the Jews? And why delay with a second banquet the next day rather than demand Haman's execution on the spot? The Talmud (Megillah 15b) asks the exact same question and provides ten (or more) reasons from various Tannaim and Amoraim, which Rabbi Wolbe learns through in detail.Key reasons include: setting a trap for Haman's downfall when comfortable (R. Elazar – "their table become a snare"); making the king jealous or suspicious (various views); preventing Haman from learning she is Jewish or plotting further; ensuring immediate execution before the fickle king changes his mind; arousing divine jealousy/mercy; making nobles jealous to conspire against Haman; and more. Elijah the Prophet confirms all reasons were in her mind—she layered multiple strategies in one move.Rabbi Wolbe reveals his personal "11th reason" that blew his mind: The first banquet fell on the first night of Pesach. Esther deliberately caused the Jews to miss their Seder (through fasting) to "test" Hashem's love for their service—showing how painful it is for Him when His children miss mitzvot (like the Seder). Hashem "couldn't handle it," tossing and turning (the king's sleeplessness = divine discomfort), triggering immediate salvation: Haman's blunders, execution, and reversal of the decree. This proves Hashem's immense love for our avodah—He values our Seder, Shabbat, tefillin, and mitzvot so deeply that He'd upend empires to restore them. Esther's delay was strategic: prioritize Hashem's desire for Jewish service over instant rescue.The episode closes with chizuk: Esther acted as part of klal Yisrael (not individually), declaring "me and my people." We must stay united, proud, and intentional in mitzvot—Hashem loves our closeness to Him more than we can fathom._____________The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud._____________This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan MarbinRecorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios (B) to a live audience on March 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas.Released as Podcast on March 27, 2026_____________Listen, Subscribe & Share: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinking-talmudist-podcast-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe/id1648951154Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0cZ7q9bGYSBYSPQfJvwgzmShare your questions at aw@torchweb.org or visit torchweb.org for more Torah content._____________About the Host:Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe, Director of TORCH in Houston, brings decades of Torah scholarship to guide listeners in applying Jewish wisdom to daily life. To directly send your questions, comments, and feedback, please email: awolbe@torchweb.org_____________Support Our Mission:Help us share Jewish wisdom globally by sponsoring an episode at torchweb.org. Your support makes a difference!_____________Listen MoreOther podcasts by Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe: NEW!! Hey Rabbi! Podcast: https://heyrabbi.transistor.fm/episodesPrayer Podcast: https://prayerpodcast.transistor.fm/episodesJewish Inspiration Podcast: https://inspiration.transistor.fm/episodesParsha Review Podcast: https://parsha.transistor.fm/episodesLiving Jewishly Podcast: https://jewishly.transistor.fm/episodesThinking Talmudist Podcast: https://talmud.transistor.fm/episodesUnboxing Judaism Podcast: https://unboxing.transistor.fm/episodesRabbi Aryeh Wolbe Podcast Collection: https://collection.transistor.fm/episodesFor a full listing of podcasts available by TORCH at http://podcast.torchweb.org_____________Keywords:#Talmud, #Megillah, #Esther, #Purim, #Miracle, #PesachSeder, #HashemsLove, #Haman ★ Support this podcast ★
P.M. Edition for Mar. 26. Major U.S. indexes fell today, with the Nasdaq dropping 2.4% and closing in a correction–more than 10% below its recent high. Plus, officials suspect that Iran is behind a series of attacks on Jews across Western Europe. The Wall Street Journal's chief European political correspondent Bojan Pancevski discusses how Iran is adopting Russia's playbook. And Wall Street bonuses hit a record. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices