Podcasts about judean

What happens when the Bible comes back to life in the Land of Israel? In this powerful Land of Israel Fellowship from the hills of Judea, Jeremy Gimpel visits a young family living, shepherding, and raising their children in the biblical heartland. He also takes us to Carmel, connected to the stories of King David, Naval, and Avigail. Ari Abramowitz shares a moving story from a Judean synagogue about a 14-year-old boy reading the Tochacha in Parshat Ki Tavo, revealing a deeper lesson about serving Hashem with joy. The episode also explores Prophets of Israel Daily and Jeremy's vision for Rooted: The Next Generation—a community raising young adults who love Torah, Israel, and the Jewish people and are ready to lead. From the Judean desert to the next generation, this is a story of Torah, roots, redemption, and the Bible coming alive in the Land of Israel.

Was the identification of Nero Caesar with 666 built on a convenient modern theory—or does first-century archaeology confirm the calculation?In this episode, Jay Rogers examines the Murabba'at papyrus, an ancient Aramaic commercial document that preserves the spelling Neron Kaisar, the exact form of Nero's name that produces 666 when calculated through Hebrew gematria.Rather than relying on speculation, this evidence comes directly from the world in which Revelation was written.Jay explores the archaeological discoveries from the Judean Desert, the significance of the 666 and 616 manuscript traditions, and why the spelling of Nero's imperial title matters for understanding the Beast of Revelation. He also addresses common objections and demonstrates how historical evidence strengthens the case that John's original audience would have immediately recognized the reference.If Revelation was written in the first century, the number 666 may not point to a distant future ruler at all—but to a persecuting emperor already known throughout the Roman world.Watch all of our videos and subscribe to our channel for the latest content >HereHere

Luke 1:65 NLT Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills.

Daily Dose of Hope August 4, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 25   Prayer:  Holy God, We come before you today distracted and with scattered thoughts.  Help us focus, Lord, on you and your Word.  Help us, in the next few moments, to be silent, still, and remember that you are God...Thank you, Lord, for your care and concern for our lives.  Thank you for how you show up in amazing and unexpected ways!  We give you glory, Lord Jesus.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  Today, we are finishing up the book of 2 Kings.  I think by this time, most of us know that the ending is not going to be a happy one – necessary yes but happy no.  Just a reminder, tomorrow we will be beginning our deep dive into Genesis and Exodus and we will start at the very, very beginning, Genesis 1.  Hope you will join us.   Today's reading is 2 Kings 25.  It appears the end has come.  The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, came and surrounded Jerusalem.  That meant no food could come in and after several months, the people were starving.  Eventually, the Judean army broke through the wall and fled.  But it was pointless.  The Babylonians caught up with them.  King Zedekiah was arrested.  His sons were killed in front of him and his eyes were gouged out.  Not very pretty.   The remaining treasures were taken apart and carried off to Babylon and then the Temple, the palace, and the homes were all burned.  Only the poorest of the poor remained.  Jerusalem was now a sad shell of itself, just as God told them it would be.   So what can we learn from this?   1.        Sin has consequences.  That seems to be the most prominent theme. 2.        Human kings have nothing on God.  Human kingship and wealth will only get you so far.  God is in control over everyone and everything.  3.        So many people start well and end poorly.  We see this throughout the Bible.  How will we ensure that we end well? 4.        God's purpose will always prevail.  And that brings me great peace, because I know that God is totally loving, just, and filled with truth and grace.  We can trust Him and his purposes. 5.        Be thankful for Jesus.  We live on the other side of the cross.  We have been offered forgiveness and mercy even though we don't deserve it.  Thank you, Jesus.   Join us for Genesis 1 tomorrow.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki          

In this episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal delivers a rich expository sermon on James 5:1–6, one of the most striking prophetic passages in the New Testament epistles. Drawing on the Jewish literary and cultural context of James's original audience — Jewish Christians scattered from Jerusalem by persecution — Tony unpacks why this text is not a blanket condemnation of wealth, but a devastating judgment oracle against those who hoard riches and oppress the vulnerable. Along the way, he explores the eschatological weight of accumulated wealth, the theology of God's omniscient justice, and the stunning comfort available to the suffering believer. The episode closes by returning to James's thesis: that trials of every kind, including economic oppression, can be counted as joy because of who God is and what He has done in Christ. Key Takeaways James is a deeply Jewish book written to a specific audience — Jewish Christians dispersed from Jerusalem by Saul's persecution, not a general audience of wealthy or Gentile believers. The prophetic "Come now" signals a judgment oracle, not a direct address — James is not rebuking wealthy members of his congregation, but pronouncing eschatological judgment on oppressive landowners using a technique common in Amos, Malachi, and Micah. Hoarding wealth is not morally neutral — it is self-condemning — The corroded gold and moth-eaten garments are not just symbols of decay; they serve as legal evidence against those who refused to use their wealth for God's glory and the good of others. Withholding wages from laborers constitutes a form of murder — In the ancient world, depriving workers of their wages could literally cost them their lives. James draws on Old Testament law to frame predatory economic exploitation as a capital sin. God sees and hears the cries of the oppressed — The wages of defrauded workers "cry out" to the Lord of Hosts, echoing the blood of Abel in Genesis 4. God's justice is not passive or delayed out of ignorance — it is certain and coming. Matthew 25 reframes Christian mercy as care for the body of Christ — The sheep-and-goats judgment is not a general humanitarian mandate, but a specific call to care for persecuted brothers and sisters — and to recognize that mistreating them is mistreating Christ Himself. Trials are counted as joy through the doctrine of imputation — Suffering is not stripped of its pain, but it can be moved from the loss ledger to the profit column because God uses adversity as the instrument of sanctification and glorification. Key Concepts The Prophetic Address: Who Is James Actually Talking To? One of the most common misreadings of James 5:1–6 is assuming James is directly rebuking wealthy Christians in his own congregation. Tony Arsenal corrects this by grounding the passage in its literary and historical context. James employs a well-established prophetic technique — seen in Amos, Malachi, and Micah — of addressing an absent party in order to pronounce judgment on them, while simultaneously comforting those who overhear the oracle. His audience is the dispersed, impoverished Jewish Christians who fled Jerusalem under Saul's persecution. There were almost certainly no wealthy landowners in the room. The "Come now, you rich" is a judgment declaration directed outward, designed to assure the suffering poor that God has seen their oppressor and will act. Far from being a proof-text for radical poverty, the passage is a pastoral comfort wrapped in prophetic fire. Corroded Gold as Legal Evidence Against the Soul James's claim that gold and silver have "corroded" is deliberately shocking — and theologically precise. Gold, uniquely among metals in the ancient world, does not corrode. By saying it has already corroded, James is not making a metallurgical claim but a moral and eschatological one. The accumulated, hoarded wealth of the oppressor has lost its purpose. It sits idle while workers starve, and in doing so it becomes evidence — a legal witness — against its owner in the court of divine justice. Tony draws a direct line between this image and Jesus's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount about treasures stored on earth being subject to moth and rust. Both brothers — Jesus and James — appear to be drawing on the same shared wisdom, likely rooted in the same household and the same mother's instruction. Unused wealth does not just fail to help others; it actively indicts its holder. Counting It All Joy: The Accounting Logic of Sanctification Tony closes the sermon by returning to James 1:2 — the thesis statement of the entire letter — and unpacking the word "count" as an accounting term, directly related to the doctrine of imputation. Just as righteousness is reckoned to the believer in justification, so suffering can be reckoned as joy in sanctification. This is not a call to pretend pain isn't real, or to perform contentment. It is a theological reframing: what belongs in the loss column of the ledger can, by faith, be moved to the profit side — not because the trial was pleasant, but because God is sovereign, good, and working all things toward the believer's conformity to the image of Christ. The oppressor means their wickedness for evil. God means it for glory. The supreme example is the cross itself — the only truly innocent man, suffering the worst evil ever committed, for the redemption of His people. Memorable Quotes The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you — and the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees you — and that should be a great source of comfort. Imputation is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the loss ledger — what should be an expense — and we're able to move it to the profit. Not because it didn't hurt, and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified. Full Transcript Tony Arsenal: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you." It's always a little, uh, strange to sort of jump into the middle of a series, and, um, you know, Wes is one of the most competent preachers that I know personally, so I trust that he has given you a good and satisfying overview. Uh, but I don't feel like I would be doing my responsibility if I didn't at least touch on a few things, uh, related to the, the intro to James that I think is relevant for this particular passage in a way that maybe is not relevant for the rest of the book. So some of this I hope is review, I, I anticipate is review, but I think it's worth, uh, touching on. James, as you know, is the, the half brother of Jesus. He was the leader of the Jerusalem church, and specifically he was sort of the figurehead of the Jewish church as a whole. Um, the Jewish church was the only church for the very early part of the church's growth. There were always, uh, Gentile believers. Even in the Old Testament, there were Gentiles who trusted in the Lord of Israel and the God of Israel. They were often called God-fearers. They rarely converted all the way to Judaism, but they were sort of seen as an attachment to the Jewish people. They didn't participate in all of the blessings of the Jewish people, but they did participate in most. They often had the same kind of protection. They were in a form of covenant with God. Um, they were able to worship and offer sacrifices. The temple itself had a whole portion of the temple dedicated called the Court of Gentiles, specifically for these Jewish worshipers. And as the church spread, primarily through persecution, which we'll touch base on here in a minute, as the church spread out from Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth, it took on a, an increasingly Gentile Greek flavor. As more and more primarily initially Greek converts came into the church, and then of course, as it spread to other sort of non-Hellenistic lands, other, other types of people, other nations, other people groups joined the church, the scriptures which-- the New Testament we receive primarily from Paul, at least in terms of the epistles, um, also began to take on a more Gentile flavor. Not because Paul was a Gentile, but because Paul was ministering primarily to Gentiles What we'll see here is that James is a very Jewish book. I'm sure that along the way there's been several kinds of things pointed out to you to show that, but I wanna show a couple things that not only establish James as the author, James the brother of, of Jesus, but also root the, not only the author, but the audience in a distinctly Jewish Christian, uh, context. So you don't have to turn there, I'll read this, but in Acts, uh, 15, which is the, the great Jerusalem Council, uh, we read this. It says, "With the following letter..." So the, the council meets, they make a decision about what k- what parts of the Jewish law were going to be commended to and recommended, uh, and required for the Christian believers, the Gentile Christian believers, and when they're done, they send this letter to all of, all of the churches. And it says, "With the following letter, the brothers, both apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are at, of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings." Now, I don't know about you, but I always sign my emails the same way, right? I've got, like, my work signature that I have to use, that the, the hospital makes me use with all the proper formatting and colors and fonts, but I always have the same signature. Mine is very simple. I just say, "Thanks," right? I just sign it as, "Thanks," above my signature, and I'm sure you all have that sort of characteristic way you sign a s- sign an email, or maybe it's the way you say goodbye at the end of a phone call. My father-in-law always says, "So long," which is a phrase you don't hear very often, so it's very distinct to him. We all have these little tells in our communication that sort of tip off who they're from. If you turn quickly back over to James 1, so just flip the page, uh, to the left here, he starts his letter by saying, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, greetings." It's the only two letters in the New Testament that we have where the author identifies himself, sends to a sort of generalized audience, and then signs it, "Greetings." Now, James, the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the Jerusalem Church. He was the leader of the Jewish ch- the Jewish Church in general, and he signed the letter coming from the Acts Council as sort of the presiding minister. If, if we were, y- you might call them, like, the moderator of your business meeting, or we would call them the moderator of our presbytery or our session in the Presbyterian context I come from. He was the one who sort of, like, presided over there, and so the letter that went out to the churches was signed in his name and written, drafted by him. So we see this characteristic way that the letter is addressed with this final word, "Greetings," which is not used frequently in the New Testament We also see when we look at the language carefully that the audience of this, uh, of this letter, it's debated and there are good arguments, but i- in my opinion, it's very clear that the audience of this letter is not Jewish Christians in general or, uh, Jews who have not yet converted. There are some people who would say that 'cause they're called the 12 tribes. But instead it is the Jewish Christians who originally dwelled in Jerusalem and were sent out into the countryside after the persecution that was started primarily by Saul. If you look at Acts, Acts 1 which is, uh, the passage where Saul begins to persecute the church or where Saul kinda comes on the scene as the persecutor of the church, there's a couple distinct, um, distinct linguistic markers we should touch base on. Starting in verse one it says, "And p- Saul approved of his execution. And there arose a day-- that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. They were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church and entered the house after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison." When we look at this and we compare it to that, uh, again, that first verse of James where he says to the ones who are scattered, we see that there's a pretty strong linguistic parallel that tells us that the people he has in mind for this letter, the people he's addressing, are the same people who were dispersed or scattered out of Jerusalem in the persecution. When he says to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, that word dispersion is not really a translation. It's what we call a transliteration. So it's not like we've taken a word and sort of given it an English word. We've just changed the word, the letters over to English letters. In Greek, the word is diaspora, dispersion, and in, uh, Acts 1, the verb used to, to sort of describe this scattering of them is diaspero. And it is a picture of scattering seed. This is what a farmer would do. So it's not even the normal word we would use when someone is fleeing persecution. It's this idea that God has scattered Christians out into the world, in this case by persecution. He scattered them out into the world to be planted. A lot of this is where we get phrases from Tertullian about the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Now, why does this matter? As I mentioned, we often think in Gentile categories when we're reading the New Testament, and for good reason. One, we're all, all Gentiles, I'm presuming. I, I don't, I don't think-- I think I mentioned this last time, and no one came up and corrected me. I don't think anyone here is ethnically Jewish with ancestry that they're directly aware of, you know, where they trace their lineage directly back. Europe is a, a big amalgamation of just about everything, so most of us probably have a smattering of different ethnicities. But none of us are ethnically Jewish to the idea that we would, uh, identify as such in the same way. And even if we were, we've been raised and grown up in a Gentile context. We live in the West. We have-- We think in different categories. And what's more is most of the New Testament is written primarily to Gentiles by someone who is ministering to Gentiles. So Paul uses a fair amount of, of Hebraisms or things that are related to the Old Testament. Of course, he's explaining the Old Testament, and he makes ample reference to the Old Testament because that is the word of God, and it is profitable for our teaching, our correction, our reproof, and ultimately for our, our sanctification. But he uses metaphors and language in a way that is not common to the Israel context that Jesus and James and Peter and the other apostles were raised in. We don't have time to go there, but there's even some metaphors that Paul uses that are actually used the opposite way in, uh, in the more Hebraic Jewish, uh, epistles we have. One example that comes to mind is, um, Paul looks at the concept of milk, and that's not necessarily a good thing, right? It's not a bad thing, but it's what immature believers use, right? They can't handle the meat of the Bible. They have to be given the milk of the gospel before they can progress to the meat. In the Book of Hebrews, which I don't think was written by Paul, and in other places, Peter uses milk as a way to talk about nourishment, right? We think of the land flowing with milk and honey. Milk was not seen as some sort of substandard food that was only for babies. It was seen as, like, the richest, best thing that you could eat. We all have a linguistic environment that we grow up in. We all have a shared vernacular. You know, if I say something like, "You can't get there from here," everyone knows what that means. Obviously, you can get there from here, but you have to take this circuitous route. We know what that means. I think if we went around the room, we probably would find that there is this shared language. And then if we took individual families, we'd find that even within those families, there's further narrowing down of sort of like inside jokes and words that are used in ways that are not necessarily the same as others So when we read James, or when we read the letters of Peter or the letters of John, we should default to thinking more along the lines of comparing them to the words of Christ in the Gospel, first and foremost, and then to the Old Testament before we start to think about them necessarily comparing them to Ja-- or to Paul or to other kind of first century Hellenistic literature. That's not, of course, to say that Paul and James contradict. I'm sure that we went through a long explanation with much detail when you got to James chapter two, which is, of course, the most famous example. Paul uses the word justification or justify in a legal sense to make or to declare someone to be righteous. It's the verdict that the judge delivers, and it communicates the status. It actually performs what it says. When the judge says, "I find you not guilty," it changes your status from being potentially guilty to being cleared of all charges. Paul uses it slightly differently. He's not using it in the sense of to make someone righteous or to declare them righteous. He's using it to say they've been shown to be righteous. They've been validated. They've been vindicated. And if we get that mixed up, that's the source of all sorts of confusion. So when we come to this passage, and we'll get there, I promise, when we come to this passage, we have to understand some of the metaphors and the language that's being used draws from an existing body of shared cultural language that is foreign to us and is in some ways foreign to the rest of the New Testament, apart from what we see in the Gospels And it's important to remember, and this is why it's so key to land, that the audience of this letter is the persecuted, poor Jewish Christians who probably had a fairly comfortable life, relatively speaking, living in Jerusalem. These are city folks. These are people that live in Jerusalem or farm into the fields immediately around Jerusalem. They were established. They owned land. They probably had family that they had to leave, and now they're scattered out into the country with nothing. They're sent out into the world with no jobs, no family connections, no social welfare. Because they've left the Jewish faith, at least from the perspective of the Jews, they can't even go to their Jewish brothers and sisters and rely on the hospitality that's required in the law of Moses This is so important when we think about how James opens the letter and delivers what I think is his thesis statement. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of every kind." Trials like not knowing where the next meal is gonna come from, not knowing where the next roof over your head is, not being sure you can feed your children. We all face real trials and tribulations in our life. Some of them are related to our faith, and some is just the fallen human condition in the fallen world we live in. But we're talking here about a totally different category of, uh, trial and persecution than most of us hopefully will ever experience That brings us to our actual passage now. James opens up this section with a linguistic marker that signifies this is a change in topic. He says, "Come now," or another way to translate it might be, "Now listen. Listen up." When my son is doing something that, uh, I need him to stop or I need to give him instructions, I hold him by his shoulders and I say, "Look at my eyes. I want your eyes right here. Look at my eyes." That's what Paul is doing. He's stopping and he's interrupting the flow of language. This shows us this is a new topic and a new audience. James is not speaking to rich Christians in his audience. First, 'cause there likely weren't any rich Christians directly in his audience. Remember, these are the, the poor Christians scattered out into the Judean countryside, into Samaria He's using a technique that's really common in the prophets. It's common in Jesus, where he's addressing the people who are not really listening as a way to establish that they will be judged, to hold them accountable, but also to comfort those who are hearing the message. This is a form of prophetic address. We see this in Amos, where he's chastising the Jewish leaders. Uh, in Malachi and Micah, this happens. Malachi is primarily, at least initially, is primarily, uh, a book that is railing against the rich leaders in Jerusalem who had oppressed their own brothers and sisters. The chances that those Jewish cr- uh, Jewish leaders were reading his prophecy or hearing his prophecy is pretty slim. So he was addressing a different group to establish the judgment that he was proclaiming on another party. Jesus does this when he says like, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees." There were probably scribes and Pharisees in the audience there, but he wasn't just talking to the people in front of them. He was pronouncing a judgment oracle, a judgment prophecy on all people who fit that category, and James is doing the same thing here James is not opposing wealth generally. Sometimes James is used as kind of a New Testament example to justify the idea that we should all be poor and wear shabby clothing and walk around barefoot and dirty all the time. Right? This is a key passage that's used, uh, in parts of the church that really emphasize sort of a poverty-based lifestyle. Think of like the wandering monks of the Middle Ages or the, the, um, sort of more radical exclusionists that exist even in our day. I remember when I was in college, I was really enamored with this figure named Shane Claiborne. Some of you have probably heard of him, and I remember I was so impressed because he, he didn't buy new shoes. He just cut new shoes out of duct tape and put them back together. Now, there's some, you know, there's some rugged, uh, rugged get-it-done-ness that, uh, I think us, uh, New Englanders can appreciate, but God does not call us to wear duct tape shoes, at least not universally. I'm not gonna comment on whether he calls Shane Claiborne to do that. I also don't think Shane Claiborne does that anymore. Um, some of us he may call to a lifestyle of poverty in association with a mission field or in association with a specific calling. He does not call us generally to be poor or to not gain wealth What he is opposing here is the refusal to use wealth appropriately for God's glory and the accumulation of wealth just for wealth's sake We'll see that as we unpack the language here a little bit. He establishes that he's not just talking about the earthly hoarding of wealth, as though somehow the very act of accumulating wealth was itself the problem. What he's doing is he's pronouncing an eschatological judgment on those who hoard wealth and use it to oppress others. We see here he says, "Come now, you rich, and weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you." Th- that word weep and howl, those are li-- those are words that are most commonly used in prophetic literature to describe the final cry of anguish. Think about the weeping and gnashing of teeth that Jesus talks about. This is the language he's using. He's talking about the final estate of those who refuse to submit their wealth to God He says, "Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be the evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasures in the last days." Now, remember what we said. We, we should read this not in light of some general wisdom, although it is general wisdom that if we accumulate wealth, it tends to not actually go well for us if we're not utilizing it in God-honoring ways. But we should read this in light of the most obvious connection, his big brother, Jesus, who taught his people, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." To maybe land this linguistic, uh, this linguistic connection a little more, I don't know, vibrantly, I'm gonna speculate a little bit. So if you don't like it, then you can disregard it. This is not God's Word. This is a speculation. I can just imagine little Jesus, little nine-year-old Jesus, and probably little six or seven-year-old James and the rest of their siblings, and there's quite a few of them. And we have Joseph, uh, who maybe at this time was still living, although probably not. We know he was living until Jesus was later, you know, 12, he was still around, but we don't know exactly when he left the picture. But he was a carpenter, and he was not, probably not overly wealthy. Uh, they had had to pick up and move, you know, cross-country anyways. They-- We don't know exactly where they were from initially, but they went to Bethlehem, and then they returned to Nazareth. They probably didn't have a lot. There were a lot of mouths to feed and only one business. They didn't have a farm. They didn't own livestock that we know of. I can just imagine a time when little J- little James or one of his sisters was frustrated about the fact that they didn't have anything. And I could picture Mary getting down and going, "Do not store up treasures in, in, uh, in heaven or on Earth. It's all gonna waste away." The same way we might tell our children kind of a, a moral kind of story. Sometimes we have this picture, last time I was here I, I spoke on Philippians 2, we have this idea that Jesus was somehow like Superman, that he, he was just pretending to be a normal human most of the time. As it touches his humanity, as, as we think about Jesus as a human, he had a, his own human set of thinking faculties, his own human knowledge. He grew in wisdom and stature is what Luke teaches us. Well, where did he get some of this wisdom? There's a good reasonable argument to be made that some of the pr- more proverbial type sayings that we see in Christ, that they actually come from the wisdom of his mother and father. And a really good reason to believe that is James relies on the same exact, uh, sort of proverbial wisdom to l- land his point. He doesn't create his own metaphor, he goes back to, at the very least we can say he goes back to the words of Christ. That's a very safe position to take. But this is the shared linguistic context that they both grew up in And he says, "You've done this in the last days." Now, the, the phrase last days in the Bible, uh, in the New Testament generally refers to the time period from Christ's resurrection to his return. We, for a lot of reasons, think about it as kind of like that climactic end period in time. Depending on your, your persuasion, maybe this is when the Antichrist comes, or maybe this is before or after, or maybe during the time when the church is raptured. But in either case, we think of that sort of last period in time before Christ finally comes back. But the New Testament writers are really talking about the entire duration, from Christ's resurrection to his return is what they're referring to. But it does have in view this idea that we are in the last times. The, the final judgment is not necessarily strictly something that's out there in the future. We are living in the last days now, and so what we do and what we say and, and how we worship and if we worship is eschatology. It is the theology of the last times He also positions this as though this is a universal thing going on with those who hoard wealth. This is a very shocking image. Um, we have very good ways to preserve things in our modern world, right? We have ways to m- to make, uh, stainless steel that won't rust, or at least won't rust quickly. But most things in the ancient world, even most precious metals, corroded. Um, I remember when I was growing up, there was this project in my hometown. I lived in a, a little town called White Bear Lake in, in, um, Minnesota, although little is relative. It's pretty big compared to most of what we have out here. And I remember when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old, they had this big building project to build this brand-new, beautiful lakeside pavilion in the center of town, and it w- just gleamed in the sun. It was so gorgeous, and it was made of copper, and everybody loved it, and two years later, it was bright green. I think it's still bright green. I think they figured out it wasn't worth repairing, so they, they just, they just make sure it doesn't keep getting worse, and at some point, I'm sure they either have or will tear it down. But the one metal in the ancient world that didn't do this was gold. It's part of why gold is such a durable measurement of wealth is because it doesn't wear out. It doesn't corrode. It's very soft. It's very easy to damage it, which is why we don't build statues out of it, or we don't build, uh, buildings out of it usually, but it didn't corrode. So when James says here, "Not only your silver, which tarnishes and corrodes, but your silver and gold have corroded." Not are corroding, but have corroded. The rich hearer of this is probably, you know, sitting around like Scrooge McDuck with a pile of gold coins thinking, "Ah, it looks pretty good to me." And what James is saying is, "No, no, no. No, it's corroded. It's eating away at your heart. It's lost its value because you refuse to use it, and so it sits in a pile doing nothing for no one, except serving to further your own condemnation." This is such a crazy, shocking situation that the insanity of not using your wealth, period, the insanity of sitting on your wealth in the ancient world is going to serve as a form of evidence justifying the condemnation of these wicked fools And further, the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. There's something about money. I was-- When I was here a couple times before, I preached one of the wealth passages out of Ecclesiastes, and there's something about money that has a unique way of really, really wrecking us. Either we don't have it and we want it, or we have it and we don't wanna lose it, or we have it and we don't spend it wisely. It seems like there's an infinite number of ways to screw it up. And we landed last time that the gospel is good news because with the nearly infinite ways of screwing it up, we're going to screw it up. But the one way that he talks about screwing it up here is hoarding it and sitting on it and not using it Moving on into verses four and five, James moves us now to a more sort of temporal register. He starts out by talking about what wealth is and what it's doing and how it will ultimately affect the entire life and eternity of those in his targeted audience, those he's proclaiming this prophetic, uh, judgment against. But in verse four, he moves back to the behaviors that are being, uh, being engaged in to show the state of these people's souls. He says, "Behold, the wages of the laborers you, who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." James here points at the, at the behaviors that show this hoarding behavior, and he does it for a number of reasons. One, he needs to call out sin. That's part of the role of a Christian, and especially a leader or a minister in the church, is, um, to not only call out sin in the body of, of Christ, but in a, I think a very particular way, and there's all sorts of, uh, all sorts of theological controversies flying on around about Christian nationalism and other associated things. Some of it is just the spirit of the age. Um, post-COVID, there's a, a real strong sense that our government has failed us and we need to replace it with something else. But there is a, a true way, and I, I think some of those things are a little misguided, but there's a true way that the church, particularly her leaders, should be speaking to the culture around us, and yes, even to the government, to proclaim the truth of God into a wicked and godless culture. This might take the form o- of a m- minister who goes to a town hall meeting to speak out against a gambling association that's going to be forming, or a, an elder in the church or a deacon in the church who goes to speak to, uh, to the city hall or to the state legislature about the wickedness of abortion and about what we see it does to women's lives when they are fooled into thinking that this is the right thing for them. Again, the church is not the state, and the state is not the church, and we should be very careful not to cross those lines for all sorts of reasons. But we as a culture, as a Christian culture, in the United States particularly, have lost sight of our responsibility to speak truth in all circumstances to those in power So James is doing that, of course. But even more so, this is a way that he establishes for his direct audience, for the Jewish poor Christians who have been scattered in this diaspora, in this dispersion. He looks at them in a sense and says, "I see you. I see what's happening to you." And as God's representative, as his chosen voice for this message, as his inspired author, God sees you too This goes back again, the first two chapters of James serve as kind of a thesis statement and table of contents for the whole book. We get an idea of what may have been happening, the actual, uh, acts that were being engaged in, in, in chapter two verse six, he says, "You have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?" James has in mind here a form of predatory land purchasing, where the rich were sort of sweeping up property. They were sweeping it up, and then they were charging probably exorbitant prices to those who would lease the land to try to eke out a living. Does that sound at all like any of our current context, right? When's the last time any of us have tried to buy a house and found anything reasonable? Well, a large part of that is that there are big companies that are scooping up all the land and buying all the, the developments. Now, I'm not commenting on those particular situations. I don't know those people. I don't know their hearts, and some of those things actually are doing good things for the community. But we're familiar with this idea of someone who will purchase a resource, who will then jack the price up in order to turn a profit on it. I'm not opposed to turning a profit. Y- y- yeah, it takes money to run a business, and you have to, you have to recuperate those funds if your business is going to survive. But there's a, there's a way that that can be done that is a predatory act These rich landowners were getting fat on those that they were victimizing In our, in our modern world, we tend to think of someone who is overweight as unhealthy, for good reason, right? Too much weight, and I say that with someone with a little too much padding around the middle, so no, no judgment on this, but too much weight is not healthy, right? We hear that from our doctors, that there's a healthy weight range and there's an unhealthy weight range. In the ancient world, obesity was not the concern, right? Malnutrition was the concern. And so when you see, uh, a king in the Old Testament who's, who's noted to be fat, that's not always negative. Sometimes it is, but he's noted to be fat or he's noted to be large. Even the word for glory, I'm sure you've heard this before, the word for glory in the Old Testament has to do with being heavy. So this idea of weightiness or, um, being able to eat enough to actually gain weight instead of being thin was seen as a good thing, but not when you use it as a way to victimize other people. A person who gathers wealth honestly and enjoys it, that's, that's Proverbs right there. That's the Book of Ecclesiastes in its sort of positive sense, is that we, when we accumulate wealth and we use it for God's glory, it's perfectly okay for us to also use it for our enjoyment. God wants us to enjoy the fruit of our labor. But when we accumulate wealth and use it as a way to gain power over someone and to abuse them, that is what James is railing against here And ultimately, with the audience that James is writing to, this is a form of murder. This is why he says, "You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter." Because a person who can't feed their family in the Old Testament or in the New Testament era was likely to see them die. There are not a ton of people in modern America that are starving to death on the streets. It's not to say it doesn't happen. It's not to say that there's not things like food insecurity or malnutrition, but there are, there are plenty of places people can go to get their basic food needs met. It was not like that-- It's not like that in most of the world now, and it certainly was not like that in the ancient world. And so a, a landowner who again refuses, we're talking about the Jewish landowners, refuses to obey the Jewish law to leave some leftovers for the poor, and instead gleans all the way to the corner so that they can turn a little bit of extra pro-profit, is not only sinning against the Old Testament law, but is committing murder in the strictest sense by refusing to preserve the life of these poor, uh, Christians who are destitute And again, James is encouraging his readers here that the Lord has not ignored their plight. We can think back to the Book of Habakkuk, where Habakkuk basically lodges a lawsuit against God, saying, "You are not paying attention. You're not doing your thing. You're not being faithful to your covenant." And God says, "Let me show you how faithful to my covenant I am. The Chaldeans are on the way." And Habakkuk is like, "Whoa, wait a second here. That's not what I had in mind." God sees the oppression of the poor. He knows when His people are targeted. He knows when children are abused or when widows are ignored. He knows when the government does something to shut down a church, or when the medical institution refuses to acknowledge your personal rights. He sees those things, and He's not ignorant, and He's not static. He's not sleeping on those things. The purpose here is to comfort the oppressed by showing that God is not ignorant of what has happened to them. Just two quick Old Testament examples that use similar language. In Genesis 4, we read of Cain and his murder of Abel, and in verse eight it says, "Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?' And the Lord said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.'" Numbers, uh, 35 verses 30 says, "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. And you shall accept no ransom from him who has fled to the city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land except for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it." There's a rich history in the Old Testament of language of inanimate things, land, blood, wealth, other kinds of things that give testimony to God in some way, and specifically of these inanimate, uh, impersonal things testifying to the sin of the people that dwell around them. Even Christ says, "If these people do not worship me, the rocks will cry out." Now, the rocks are not literally crying out, although it certainly would be within God's power to make the rocks sing. But Christ is not saying in that passage that the rocks are going to form mouths and begin singing Hosanna or whatever song they might have been doing. What he's saying is that the very rocks themselves give testimony to the glory and goodness of God. So even if the people around here fail to do so, the entire rest of creation is doing so, and that is what James is saying here. My dear brothers and sisters scattered in the dispersion who have nothing, and in society's eyes are nothing, some of you are facing persecution. Some of you will be killed for your faith, but God sees because the wealth that is being accumulated on the breaking of your own backs is crying out. The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you We often want justice in the moment. I think we always want justice in the moment, don't we? I think it's a really hard discipline to say, "That person wronged me, but I'm okay letting God sort it out." That is a hard pill to swallow, but it is often the pill that we have to take. It's the medicine that God uses to further our justification, our j- our, uh, excuse me, our sanctification Paul says, you know, "Do not take vengeance. Let the Lord do that." We can trust, and this is where the comfort of this passage comes for us, brothers and sisters, we can trust that when we are wronged, that when someone has done something to us that is a violation of God's law, that that sin will be punished. Now, when we're dealing with other Christians, that sin has already been punished, and so it is not, it is not appropriate for us to hold onto that and to take vengeance. That's what the parable of the unmerciful servant is all about If I as a Christian refuse to forgive my brother and sister when they've wronged me, it's me saying that I'm a better judge of their sin and I'm a better executioner than the Lord is when he punished that sin on the cross. But that sin was not atoned for when we're talking about unbelievers. When we're talking about those who will ultimately end their earthly life and find themselves waking up in flames, that sin has not been atoned for, and so God will have his justice, and we will have our justice. We won't turn there, but in Revelation, we're familiar with the passage, I think it's chapter six, where the martyred saints are under the throne and they say, "How long, O Lord?" Well, God doesn't answer their question, but he gives them new clothes. When Job cries out and he's, he's saying, "I don't understand why this is happening. Why are you targeting me, God? Why, why are you a hunter with your arrows in my liver?" God doesn't tell him why, but he says, essentially, "I'm God and you're just going to have to trust me that this is right." We see a very similar, uh, kind of situation here when we think about when, uh, when Abraham, uh, when God tells Abraham what he's about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah, and then Abraham negotiates, apparently negotiates with God, uh, trying to secure the salvation of the city for the sake of the righteous. And we read starting in verse 20 of chapter 18, he says, "The Lord said to, to Abraham," he says, " 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. If not, I will know.' " God is always seeing and investigating the sin of people We're, we're teaching my son, August, the children's catechism, which is a, a great resource. Um, and one of the questions is, "Can you see God?" And the answer is, "No, but he always sees me." Now that may feel at first to some people like a little bit of a heavy-handed answer, but knowing that God sees us is not just there to correct our sin. It should do that, right? Even the secret sins we commit in the dark when, when we're not being watched by anyone else, even, even those God sees. But do you know what else He sees? He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees your progress. He sees you, and that should be a great source of comfort Now this passage, especially verse six, can be a little bit hard to apply because although we're the targeted audience, we're not the target of the judgment oracle. So I think what we have to do, we have to, we have to think about this in light of the way that God talks about the judgment of unbelievers in other places in the scripture, and how that helps us to understand kind of what our, what our status is. If you'll take your Bibles and open to Matthew chapter 25, I think the, um, the account here of the goat and sheep judgment, uh, is instructive for us Starting in verse 31, it says, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King answered them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on the left, 'Depart from me for you for, uh, depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, I was naked and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also, uh, they also will say, answer saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not minister to you?' Then he will answer them saying, 'Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Now, this passage is sometimes understood as a general command to feed the poor or the sick, or to visit those in prisons, or any of the f- the sort of mercy ministry things that, that, um, are mentioned here. And those are all things that Christians should do, right? We should be engaged in, um, in mercy ministry to the poor, to those who are destitute. We should be mindful and thoughtful of those who have needs around us. What this passage is teaching, though, is not a general command to feed all people, but a specific command to care for your brothers and sisters in Christ when they have a need He doesn't say to the righteous, "You did these to everyone." He says, "Whatever you did to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me." All of the things that are listed here, the, the six mercy ministries that are listed by Christ here, are things that persecuted Christians were suffering at the time, persecuted Jew- Jewish Christians, and that would be common experiences for, for Jewish Christians and for all persecuted Christians. Right? They're hungry. They don't have food. Our diaspora Jewish Christians don't have land to farm, and even if they're able to scrape together enough funding to lease out a farm, they're being, uh, they're being totally overwhelmed by the cost of that. The sort of homeowners association dues of these pyramid schemes that were going on in the first century, they were so exorbitant that it wasn't even subs- subsistence farming. Christians were being thrown in, uh, in prison. They didn't have enough money to replace their clothes when it wore out. They couldn't have access to clean water. We take clean water as such a, such a basic thing, and it's so easy. You just turn on the tap, or you just go to the store and you buy a bottle of $7 water. It wasn't like this in the first century. If you didn't have a well, you didn't have water, unless you had someone who cared enough to share this precious resource with you. And so what Christ is saying to, to his people, both in the immediate audience on the Sermon on the Mount, uh, and in this, the Olivet Discourse here, what he's saying to his people is when someone in the body of Christ does not have what they need, the body of Christ should step up and make sure that that is the case, that they take care of that person. And likewise, he's saying to those who are not a part of the body of Christ, "Depart from me, I never knew you." Now, the intro to this, why it sometimes is called a parable, is the sheep and the goats. We sometimes go way too far into the arena of comparing the behavior of sheeps with the behavior of the people here, right? Sheep are nice, they're affable, they listen to you. In reality, from what I understand, sheep are pretty dumb and can be very stubborn, right? And then we, we read and we go, "Goats are stubborn, they're rebellious, they're not really good for anything." Well, there's a reason people have goats on farms. They, they can be stubborn, right? They can be destructive, but they also serve a purpose. So the point here is not that sheep are good and goats are bad. The point is that sheep are not goats and goats are not sheep. And, uh, another point that comes with this is sheep don't become goats by behaving like goats, and goats don't become sheep by acting like sheep. I have some friends that will tell you they have very affectionate, friendly, lovable goats, right? I'd, I would... If I could get my kids one of those little pygmy goats that everybody loves, I would do that, 'cause they can be very kind, very sweet, and they're very smart. But they're not sheep. And if you read this passage carefully, this fact that those who are taken to the right are, are in fact taken to the right is not because they fed the poor. It's not because they ministered to Christ by feeding the least of these. They did those things because they were part of the kingdom The King says to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The sheep on the right were always going to be the sheep on the right. They were predestined according to the counsel of God's will before all time to live and walk in good works. That's just Ephesians 2 there. That's also just James 2 there. You have faith, I will show you my faith by my works. This is evidence language, loved ones Likewise, the ones who are told to depart into eternal darkness were also predestined not to inherit this kingdom. No kingdom was prepared for them before the foundation of the world. They have no inheritance. They have nothing. They will end up in the state that they are trying to impose on these poor Jewish Christians. They will end up in the state that they may be trying to impose on some of us in this room And for the final verse here in, in chapter five, in verse six here, there's a lot of discussion and debate in the commentaries about who the identity of this righteous one is. It says, "You've condemned and murdered the righteous person, he does not resist you." Now, some commentators will take the fact that this is the singular righteous person, that he has been murdered and h- was condemned, and will take this as a reference to Christ. And that would, would make good sense, right? The Jewish, the wealthy Jewish landowners, the wealthy Jews in Jerusalem who per- who persecuted and cast out, um, the Christians, they were in the same group of people who condemned and murdered Jesus And at least at the time of writing this, and in many ways in our own day, God is not necessarily resisting them. He's allowing them to store up judgment for the coming day of wrath There are others who will take this as sort of the hypothetical singular, right? The righteous one or the righteous person is this, uh, representative hypothetical person that represents all of the persecuted Christians. And so it's more like saying, um, to the, the wealthy landowners who are persecuting Christians, "You have condemned and murdered the Christians, the righteous people, and we do not resist you." Now, at the end of the day, it's, it's always good to have good, sober, well-intentioned, text-based debates about what the Bible means. We can and we should try to convince others, uh, when we think they're wrong about what the scripture means. So that's not what I'm saying here. But in many ways, which of those two perspectives it actually is doesn't change the interpretation of this passage. Like we read in Matthew 25, like we read in Acts 9 when Christ comes and confronts Saul, what you do to God's people, you are doing to Christ himself. What you do to the body, you have done to the head. It's a little bit weird to say that when I stub my toe, I injure my head, but that's true, right? I don't injure my toe as though it's some separate piece. It's not like I'm a Lego man where I can just swap out a hand that gets cracked and put it back on. When I injure my toe, I injure myself. My whole body is injured even though it's specific to a part of my body. When you-- when someone persecutes you, when they, uh, try to extort your wealth, your funds, when they try to harm your body, when they try to take away your children, all things that are happening not just out there in the world, but in our country, even in our own region. When they try to tell you that because you don't wanna play a basketball game, that you can't play sports at all. When a city taxes a portion of a church's property because they don't think it's being used for religious purposes, they are doing that to Jesus Christ himself, and God will not be mocked This should call us both to faithfulness and to encouragement How people treat Christ or how people treat Christ's people, including how we trust, tr- uh, treat Christ's people, shows us what we think about Christ. The people who take care of the church do so because they love God, and they do it out of a regenerated heart that already loves God. And the people who hate the church do it because they hate Christ, and they do it out of their wickedness and out of their wicked heart This brings us back again to the thesis statement of James. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." And then he says later in that, uh, first chapter in verse nine, "Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass, he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower fails, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." Now, you're all coming up to the end of James here. Um, we probably have two, two more sermons, I would guess, and the rest of this chapter is reinforcing this. It's unpacking for the immediate audience and therefore for us, it's unpacking that although the rich have their punishment coming to them, that likewise our consolation, our comfort from Christ is also coming to us. He closes the whole letter out, he returns to his thesis statement to say, "I'm not going to pretend that the trials you're going through are joyful, but you can count it all joy." You can reckon it, you can impute it as joy, my brothers and sisters. You can put it in the joy column instead of the t- the pain column, right? We had discussion about the beautiful word imputation in the announcements and scripture reading in the beginning here Imputation is a, is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the, in the loss ledger, right? We're taking what should be an expense, and we're able to move it to the profit. We're able to move it to the positive side, not because it didn't hurt and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified When we are oppressed and opposed, those who are oppressing and oppose us mean it for evil, just like Joseph's brothers, uh, and Pharaoh, and all sorts of wicked men in, in the Old Testament and in our own world. Pilate, Herod, you mean, you name it in the Bible, this applies. They meant their wicked acts for wicked things, but God, rich in mercy, works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And what is that purpose? That we might be transformed into the image of Christ so that Christ may be glorified and He may be the firstborn among many brothers. When we face trials and suffering of every kind, it leads us to our sanctification and to our ultimate glorification. We do not earn those things. We don't sanctify ourselves any more than we justify ourselves, or that any more than we will glorify ourselves or will raise ourselves from the dead. That is all God's work from start to finish. But God does use these things that He brings us through as a way to bring about that work It's like he bends us over the hammer, over the anvil of trials, and he hammers us until we become a sharp sword in the hand of, in his hand. Or he polishes us with a rough cloth until we become a smooth, beautiful gem, right? Think of any number of refining things that need to be done. It always involves, if the thing was, uh, was a person, it always involves something that would hurt a little bit. It always involves a little bit of damage to wear away the impurities. Our sanctification and our glorification is no different than that. He uses adversity. He uses the wicked actions and intentions of, of evil men and women. He uses those things to glorify us. So although we should never, uh, we should never seek those things, right? You don't have to go and make yourself the soft target to the wicked people. It's okay to keep your head down. There's nothing wrong with that. The Jewish Christians were probably doing their best to keep their heads down most of the time, and that's fine. There's not any words in scripture about being a coward if you don't, if you don't put a target on your back. But your target is gonna get there eventually, and that's not a bad thing. We can welcome that. We can count it as joy because of who God is and what he's done. The supreme act of suffering, the supreme act of, of evil happened to the only innocent person there ever was, and it happened to him for us.  this episode is available below.

One commentator has said that a parable is “storytelling with a message,” that also declares a truth, and that also asks for a response. So, when Jesus is telling a parable, it's not just a literary exercise or a brain teaser. He's using a story to call His listeners into some kind of transformation. But whether it ends up being an "ah-hah" moment for the listener depends upon their heart. Maybe parables are the ultimate heart detectors. Art credit: "Heart and Soul" by Jan Camerone. Other photos Pastor Chris referred to in this sermon: Model of a working first century Judean fishing boat. Model of the “Jesus Boat” they found at the Sea of Galilee in 1986. The actual “Jesus Boat” on display. The Sea of Galilee from Capernaum. Farther up the hill looking down toward Capernaum. “The Sower” by Millet (1850). “The Sower” by Van Gogh (1888). “The Sower” by Melani Pyke (contemporary).

→ Watch on YouTube → Detailed Show Notes(00:00) Israel is scattered because they rejected God's statutes and covenants.(09:05) Israel caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire and the Lord was very angry with them for this. These chapters are a warning to us today. We are to take care of the weakest among us. When we do, we show the Lord we desire his presence.(11:48) In 721 BC the Assyrian empire carried away the ten tribes of Israel. The text offers clues as to when this record was written.(13:21) King Hezekiah sends an invitation to all of Israel to return to the temple in order to avoid destruction. Individual families who are obedient are saved.(19:01) The Israelites have divided loyalties to many gods. Being committed to our faith significantly impacts our posterity.(21:33) In Isaiah's day, the kingdom of Judah is ruled by King Hezekiah. He takes a bold stand against the Assyrian army and Rabshakeh's rhetoric. This story is also found in Isaiah 36-37.(26:23) Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord promises to stop the Assyrian army, defend Jerusalem, and preserve a remnant of Judah. The incredible fulfillment of this prophecy is a pivot point in world history.(36:37) Hezekiah allows Babylon to see all the precious things of his house and he is reprimanded by Isaiah for doing so. Isaiah prophesies that Babylon will carry Judah into exile.(39:09) Hezekiah secures the city of Jerusalem by building a tunnel to divert water from the Spring of Gihon into the pool of Siloam inside Jerusalem's walls. He also covers up the water source so that his enemies cannot access it. God honors our best efforts with blessings.(43:43) Manasseh is an evil king of Judah who shed innocent blood, including sacrificing his own son. According to tradition, he even killed the prophet Isaiah.(46:12) Josiah is 8 years old when he began to reign as king. Hilkiah, the high priest in Josiah's day, discovered “The Book of the Law,” which many believe to be the core text of Deuteronomy. The prophetess Huldah proclaims that God's wrath will come upon the people of Judah.(50:29) Josiah's religious reforms are outlined in 2 Kings 23. Josiah burns the Asherah, takes down the high places, slays many priests, stops child sacrifice, and holds Passover.(55:37) The Book of Mormon and doctrines of the Restoration help bring balance to the reforms of Josiah.(1:04:42) Josiah is killed in battle and is replaced by a series of unrighteous kings. King Zedekiah is the last of the kings of Judah. Many of the people of Judah are carried captive into Babylon during this time. This is where the story of Lehi in the Book of Mormon picks up. He prophesies of the coming destruction and takes his family into the wilderness for safety.(1:09:33) After King Zedekiah is captured, Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed by the Babylonians. Gedaliah, a Judean, is appointed to govern the remnant. King Jehoiachin, after over 30 years of captivity in Babylon, is released and allowed to live, sparking hope for the return of the Davidic dynasty.(1:12:05) One son of Zedekiah, Mulek, flees to the Americas and his posterity are the people of Zarahemla, or the “Mulekites” in the Book of Mormon.(1:15:01) Christ is The King. If we put someone or something else on that throne, we will end up lost, captive, and scattered. → For more of Bryce Dunford’s podcast classes, click here. → Enroll in Institute → YouTube → Apple Podcasts → Spotify → Amazon Music → Facebook The post Ep 380 | 2 Kings 16-25, Come Follow Me 2026 (July 13-19) appeared first on Talking Scripture.

This sermon explores Psalm 63, written by David while fleeing through the Judean wilderness, likely from his son Absalom. The message emphasizes that God should not merely be a part of our lives but should be the very center and source of our existence. Through David's example of desperate seeking after God in the midst of extreme trial, believers are challenged to examine what competes for the throne of their hearts. The sermon contrasts worldly attempts at satisfaction with the soul-quenching fulfillment found only in Christ. It calls Christians to seek God for who He is rather than what He can do for them, to worship authentically, and to cling to Jesus as their ultimate treasure. The New Testament application emphasizes that through Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, believers have constant access to God's presence and can find true contentment in Him regardless of circumstances.

Read OnlineAfter entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:1–2After making a quick trip across the Sea of Galilee to deliver two men from demonic possession, Jesus and the disciples return to Jesus' “own town,” likely Capernaum, the fishing village and hometown of Peter, Andrew, James and John, and probably Matthew, whom Jesus had not yet called to be an Apostle.Though the Gospels say little about Jesus' ordinary daily life in Capernaum, it is clear that this small town served as a center for His Galilean ministry, becoming the crossroads where ordinary human lives intersected with extraordinary divine grace. Few in Capernaum could have realized that their village would become the center for the unfolding of God's promise of salvation, from which the teachings of the Messiah would go forth to the world.Though Jesus' act of forgiving the paralytic's sins in today's Gospel, followed by his miraculous healing, holds great significance, equally important is the setting in which these actions took place. Capernaum, in many ways, represents our hometowns, homes, daily lives, occupations, communities, and families. The Son of God's entrance into our world did not take place in a visibly magnificent way; it was humble, hidden, and ordinary. Beginning in Bethlehem, Jesus' birth took place within a dwelling for animals, and He was laid in a feeding trough. Shortly afterward, He narrowly escaped death from Herod, becoming a refugee in Egypt as an infant. Later, Jesus was raised in Nazareth—a small town viewed as insignificant by the wider Judean and Galilean communities. He learned carpentry from Joseph, made pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the Jewish feasts, and lived like any other child and young man.Even after Jesus began His public ministry, He continued to live a humble and simple life. He was a wandering preacher, traveling on foot through many towns and villages with a band of disciples. He relied on providence for food and shelter, owned little Himself, and related compassionately with people of every status and background.To the ordinary eye, Jesus was an ordinary man. To the eyes of the Father, He was the Divine Son, cloaked in humility, whose true glory remained hidden from many eyes.Jesus' humble, simple, and ordinary life was significant. The Father could have sent His Son into royal splendor and worldly power, establishing Him as an earthly king admired by all. Yet, He chose humility because by embracing the ordinariness of daily life, Jesus sanctified human existence, transforming everyday tasks and encounters into pathways toward union with Him. When we engage in ordinary things in union with Jesus' life—with His virtue, diligence, dedication, care, and generosity—our daily activities become infused with extraordinary grace.By becoming the crossroads where ordinary human lives intersect with extraordinary divine grace, we are invited to see every ordinary part of our lives in the same way the people of Capernaum encountered Jesus' extraordinary grace. Jesus is waiting for us around every corner, in every conversation, duty, and activity. Like in Capernaum, He remains cloaked in humility, often veiled from immediate recognition. With faith, we must discern Him in the ordinary, recognize His humble presence, love Him, and follow Him.Reflect today on the people of Capernaum and see yourself among them. How would you have reacted to someone who seemed so ordinary yet taught, forgave, and healed with such grace? That same Lord is present all around us in our daily lives, no matter how ordinary they might appear. Look for Him, invite Him into your “town,” and allow Him to sanctify your daily work, drawing you out of the ordinary into the extraordinary life of grace.My hidden Lord, You are present within me and all around me, yet often I fail to perceive Your humble presence in the ordinary circumstances of my daily life. Grant me the eyes of faith to recognize You, a heart eager to love You, and the strength to follow You faithfully, so that all I do may be infused with Your grace and dedicated to Your eternal glory. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Christ Healing the Lame Man, by Jacopo BassanoSource: 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.

Send us Fan MailThe podcast explores the dramatic life of King Manasseh of Judah, widely considered one of the most wicked kings in biblical history, as a profound demonstration of God's grace, mercy, and willingness to forgive even the worst of sinners. It also serves as a cautionary tale about parental influence and legacy.Major Points from the NarrativeA Long, Wicked Reign: Manasseh became king at just 12 years old and ruled Jerusalem for 55 years—the longest reign of any Judean king. He completely reversed the godly reforms of his father, King Hezekiah, by rebuilding pagan high places, practicing sorcery, consulting mediums, desecrating the Temple with idols, and even sacrificing his own sons.Divine Judgment and Captivity: Because Manasseh and the people ignored God's prophets, the Assyrian army captured Manasseh "with hooks," bound him in bronze chains, and exiled him to Babylon.Repentance and Restored Grace: In his severe distress, Manasseh humbled himself and prayed fervently to God. Highlighting a reading from the Apocrypha text The Prayer of Manasseh, the podcast underscores his deep confession of guilt. God answered his plea, forgave him, and remarkably restored him to his throne in Jerusalem.Later Reforms: Following his restoration, Manasseh spent his remaining years tearing down the pagan idols he built, fortifying Jerusalem's defenses, and commanding Judah to serve Yahweh.The Long Shadow of a Parent's Legacy: Though Manasseh repented, his son Amon chose to imitate the wicked, idolatrous years of his father's youth rather than his later years of righteousness. Amon refused to humble himself and was assassinated after a brief two-year reign, which ultimately paved the way for the godly King Josiah.Practical Applications for Listeners1. No One is Beyond the Reach of God's Grace. The primary spiritual takeaway is that God is exceptionally compassionate, patient, and ready to grant remission of sins to anyone who genuinely repents. If the "most wicked king" could be forgiven and saved, no listener has sinned too deeply to turn back to God.2. Pay Attention to Divine Warnings The narrative warns against spiritual stubbornness. Listeners are urged to pay attention when rebuked by God—whether through scripture, preaching, or life circumstances—and to pivot quickly rather than ignoring the warnings as Manasseh initially did.3. The Reality of Parental Influence The episode highlights how a parent's early life of rebellion can deeply impact their children. Children often mimic a parent's worst seasons rather than their later corrections.4. Intercede for the Next Generation For listeners who may have come to faith later in life and worry about the negative influence they previously had on their children, the speaker exhorts them to turn to fervent prayer—asking God to awaken their children, show them mercy, and break the cycle of generational sin.Bible Insights with  Wayne ConradContact: 8441 Hunnicut Rd Dallas, Texas 75228email: Att. Bible Insights Wayne Conradgsccdallas@gmail.com (Good Shepherd Church) Donation   https://gsccdallas.orghttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTZX6qasIrPmC1wQpben9ghttps://www.facebook.com/waconrad or gscchttps://www.sermonaudio.com/gsccSpirit, Truth and Grace MinistriesPhone # 214-324-9915 leave message with number for call backPsalms 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

THE MIRACULOUS OF HEAVEN: Rub Some Spit On It Jenn Davenport John 9:1-11 TPT: Afterward, as Jesus walked down the street, he noticed a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Teacher, whose sin caused this guy's blindness, his own, or the sin of his parents?” Jesus answered, “Neither. It happened to him so that you could watch him experience God's miracle. While I am with you, it is daytime and we must do the works of God who sent me while the light shines. For there is coming a dark night when no one will be able to work. As long as I am with you my life is the light that pierces the world's darkness.” Then Jesus spat on the ground and made some clay with his saliva. Then he anointed the blind man's eyes with the clay. And he said to the blind man, “Now go and wash the clay from your eyes in the ritual pool of Siloam.” So he went and washed his face and as he came back, he could see for the first time in his life! This caused quite a stir among the people of the neighborhood, for they noticed the blind beggar was now seeing! They began to say to one another, “Isn't this the blind man who once sat and begged?” Some said, “No, it can't be him!” Others said, “But it looks just like him—it has to be him!” All the while the man kept insisting, “I'm the man who was blind!” Finally, they asked him, “What has happened to you?” He replied, “I met the man named Jesus! He rubbed clay on my eyes and said, ‘Go to the pool named Siloam and wash.' So I went and while I was washing the clay from my eyes I began to see for the very first time ever!” 1) JESUS SEES AND CARES FOR HIS CREATIONJohn 9:1 TPT: Afterward, as Jesus walked down the street, he noticed a man blind from birth. Jeremiah 1:5 TPT: “Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew you intimately. I had divine plans for you before I gave you life, and I set you apart and chose you to be mine. You are my prophetic gift to the nations.” Psalm 23:5 TPT: You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit; you give me all I can drink of you until my cup overflows. Matthew 10:29-31 TPT: You can buy two sparrows for only a copper coin, yet not even one sparrow falls from its nest without the knowledge of your Father. Aren't you worth much more to God than many sparrows? So don't worry. For your Father cares deeply about even the smallest detail of your life. 2) GROSS/HARD = PROGRESSJohn 9:3 TPT: Jesus answered, “Neither. It happened to him so that you could watch him experience God's miracle. James 1:2-4 TPT: My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up in you the power of endurance. And then as your endurance grows even stronger, it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.2 Timothy 3:12 TPT: For all who choose to live godly as worshipers of Jesus, the Anointed One, will also experience persecution.Psalm 118:13 TPT: They pushed me right up to the edge, and I was ready to fall, but you helped me to triumph, and together we overcame them all.John 9:16 TPT: Then an argument broke out among the Pharisees over the healing of the blind man on the Sabbath. Some said, “This man who performed this healing is clearly not from God! He doesn't even observe the Sabbath!” Others said, “If Jesus is just an ordinary sinner, how could he perform a miracle like that?”3) OUR OBEDIENCE COMPLETES THE MIRACLEDeuteronomy 28:1-2 ESV: “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. John 3:21-22 TPT: But those who love the truth will come into the Light, for the Light will reveal that it was God who produced their fruitful works.” Then Jesus and his disciples left for a length of time into the Judean countryside where they baptized the people. Psalm 119:4-8 TPT: God has prescribed the right way to live: obeying his laws with all our hearts. How I long for my life to bring you glory as I follow each and every one of your holy precepts! Then I'll never be ashamed, for I take strength from all your commandments. I will give my thanks to you from a heart of love and truth. And every time I learn more of your righteous judgments, I will be faithful to all that your Word reveals— so don't ever give up on me!~ Have a Blessed Week! ~

The Assyrian king Sennacherib's throne room depicted gruesome scenes of warfare and visitors got the message that he was not to be defied. But now it seems that at the end of all the scenes of siege, torture and exile, there's Judean king Hezekiah, standing alone. So what's the real message? You don't want to be the star of an Assyrian relief.

Jim Hoffmeier | Jun 7 2026 God loves his people and wants to be in a close relationship with them but he expects pure worship and undivided devotion to Him. These twin themes are the focus of Malachi chapter 1. Malachi was God's prophet to the returned Judean exiles in Jerusalem and Judah after the seventy years in Babylon. This community had many challenges getting reestablished in their promised land. While some of God's promises had been fulfilled, others had not. Consequently, the Jews were apparently wondering if God really loved them. Their discouragement resulted in problems in the religious and social life of the community. Into this situation, God spoke through Malachi–the last prophetic voice in the Old Testament–to address these issues and to assure the people of God's love and faithfulness and to underscore what he expected of them.

Episode Summary We've domesticated Psalm 23. We've turned it into background noise for grief and decoration for walls. But David wrote this psalm with dirt under his fingernails — as a shepherd who knew exactly what it cost to keep sheep alive. This week, Steve McKenzie opens "The God Who Is…" — an 8-week summer series through the Psalms — by recovering what Psalm 23 actually says. It is not a poem about peaceful places. It is a gritty, oxygen-giving declaration about who God is and what that means for people who are running out of steam. What's Covered The Name Behind the Shepherd — YAHWEH is the most holy, most terrifying designation for God in Scripture: self-sufficient, timeless, inexhaustible. He needs nothing. He lacks nothing. And he has personally attached that name to the word shepherd — and made it yours. Why Rest Is Impossible — and Why That Matters — Sheep cannot lie down on command. Four conditions must be met: freedom from fear, friction, flies, and famine. Every one of them is the shepherd's job. Cast Sheep — A cast sheep has rolled onto its back and cannot get up. Legs flailing, unable to breathe, slowly dying. The shepherd finds it, flips it, massages blood back into its legs, and holds it until it can stand. This is what "restores my soul" means in Hebrew. The Valley Is Not a Detour — The Wadi Kelt is a real ravine in the Judean wilderness — deep shadow, flash floods, predators. And it is the right path. You cannot reach the high pastures without walking through it. A Table in Enemy Territory — Middle Eastern hospitality law: a chief who fed a fugitive at his table placed that person under full protection. God doesn't wait for your enemies to disappear. He sets a table in the middle of your crisis. What's Really Chasing You — Radaph (Hebrew) means to chase down and overtake with violent intent — the same word used for Pharaoh's chariots. You thought something was hunting you. Look back. It's Goodness and Faithful Love. Scripture — Psalm 23 (CSB) The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live. Take the Next Step Subscribe so you don't miss a week. Share this episode with someone who's exhausted and barely holding on. And if you're in the area — come find us Sunday.  

What happens when the gospel calls us to step past our safety zones and engage with the people we've deemed completely "beyond the pale"?In Part 3 of our series, John Herron explores one of the most seismic shifts in the early church: the radical inclusion of the Samaritans in Acts 8. For centuries, a deep-seated gulf of bitterness, ancestry, and religion had divided Jews and Samaritans, making Samaria a boundary line no self-respecting Judean would ever cross.By tracing the trajectory through Luke's Gospel, John breaks down how Jesus spent His ministry intentionally preparing the soil to shatter these old prejudices. John challenges us to look past our own "holy huddles" and ask a transformative question for our lives and our city today: Who is our Samaria, and what happens when we realize the Spirit is already out there waiting for us?

Welcome back to Gnostic Insights and to the Gnostic Reformation on Substack. This week I was listening to one of the radio preachers I like to listen to and I caught a sermon on the Pentecost, and I realized I had at that point a Gnostic insight that Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, when it infused the disciples in the upper room—that is the coming of the Third Order of Powers released by the Christ after his resurrection—that the Third Order Powers are the “anointing of the Holy Spirit.” So quickly, let’s look at the Acts of the Apostles book out of the New Testament, Chapter 2, which is what we now call Pentecost. And when the day arrived that completed the fifty days after Passover, they were all gathered together in one place, and suddenly there came a noise, like a turbulent wind borne out of the sky, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared before them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest, one each upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them to utter. Now dwelling in Jerusalem, there were devout Judeans from every nation under the sky, and on the advent of this noise, the multitude gathered and were confused, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and astounded, saying, look, are not all of those who speak Galileans? And how is it that each one of us hears his own language, the languages in which we were raised? And all were amazed and entirely at a loss, saying to one another, what does this portend? But others, ridiculing them, said, ah, they’re full of sweet new wine. But Peter, standing up along with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them all. Judean men and all of you staying in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and lend your ears to my words, for these men are not drunk, as you suppose, as it is the third hour of the day. Rather, this is what was declared through the prophet Joel. And in the last days it shall happen, says God, that I will pour forth from my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall dream dreams.” [Hart's New Testament] Pentecost by el Greco Now, it’s a much longer passage, and it’s very thrilling and exciting, but we don’t have time today to go into it. Perhaps we’ll speak about this in more depth very soon. But that is the first Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon humanity. And I’m going to talk about that today to clear up that confusion, because I’ve always had a bit of a confusion over what we speak of as the Holy Spirit dwelling in us in a Christian manner, or the Holy Spirit coming like tongues of fire in the Pentecost story of the upper room in the book of Acts, yet we all have the Holy Spirit of the Fullness of God within every cell of our bodies and throughout our entire organism. All of the Second Order powers are infused with the power of God. So what is the Holy Spirit then? And now I understand the distinction between the infusion of the Third Order of Powers and the infusion of the Second Order of Powers. You see, we are Second Order Powers. The Aeons of the Fullness are First Order Powers. They have their place Above. We are their fruit. We are their spores. (And I actually ran across a radio preacher, of all things, again last week, saying that the original word for fruit as used in the New Testament is spore. And I’m like, yes, that is exactly what I’ve been saying. So that was another cool Gnostic insight that came by way of a Christian radio preacher. So you can never tell what you’re going to hear on Christian radio.) So, we are the spores of the First Order of Powers. We are their fruit. We are their children. We are the Second Order of Powers, and that is all living things in the cosmos. Everything that moves around, everything that’s soft and squishy, the meat, as I like to say, as opposed to the mud, which is the realm of the Demiurge—the rocks and minerals, the molecules and atoms. But the Third Order of Powers is the army of the Christ. We’ve spoken of that often. We’ve had three recent episodes about the indwelling of the Christ. For example, The Gnostic Redemption of the Nag Hammadi from May 29th, 2026, Army of the Christ, May 16th, 2026, and Understanding Gnosticism: The Path to Inner Knowledge from May 9th, 2026. These all have to do with the coming of the Third Order of Powers. And the coming of the Third Order of Powers didn’t come to Earth until Christ walked the Earth in the form of a human, and that is Jesus the Christ. He’s the only one who has ever claimed that “I and my Father are One.” Jesus is not the same as Buddha. Jesus is not the same as Muhammad or any other prophet. Jesus is not simply a good teacher or an exemplar of morality and ethics. If you think that, as many modern theologians do—the postmodern theologians, the deconstructionists—they have reduced the power of Jesus to that of a prophet or a teacher. And even people I hear, strangely enough, out there on YouTube, claiming that Jesus was a fraud—that there is no such thing as anything that happened in the Bible, Old Testament or New Testament. That’s an absurdity that is being promulgated by non-believers. If you are a believer in the Father, then you are a believer in the Christ, because Christ was the emissary of the Father to Earth to bring the correcting algorithm, I like to call it, to Earth to patch up our Second Order Power that has been forgotten. We’re born with it. We fully instantiate it within our bodies, but we’ve overlaid it with all kinds of junk, karma and memes from our environment that cloud our gnosis, cloud our ability to perceive the power of the Aeons within us. Christ came, the Third Order of Powers, the army of the Christ, to help us to remember, to remind us of our Second Order power, to remind us of where we come from, to remind us of the Father and the Aeons above. I took notes from the Pentecost sermon I listened to, and I’m going to represent these notes as a Gnostic teaching for you, because once you have the gnosis working in you, once you’ve come to terms with Christ and the Father and the Aeons and the gnosis that you were born with, once you begin to remember your inherent transcendence, then you can read the New Testament with eyes wide open. You can understand the mysteries of the New Testament much better than typical Christians do, because they’re trapped in a formula that is derivative of the early Catholics that had stripped the gnosis out of the Bible in the first place. So we must free ourselves from the doctrine, but not free ourselves of the gnosis. Tricky. The occasion known as Pentecost was when Jesus had been crucified, entombed, resurrected, and then ascended back up above into the Fullness—above the Fullness, because he’s the king of all. And he had promised that he would send a helper—to not worry. He had told his disciples, don’t worry, I’m sending you a helper to help you bring the gnosis to the world, essentially is what he said. This was also promised in the Old Testament. And here I’m going to read you a very important verse out of the Old Testament and translate it for you into Gnostic terms. The verse is Ezekiel 36:24—28, where God promises to cleanse and put a new heart and a new spirit into believers. Now it’s tricky when going all the way back to the Old Testament, because the God of the Old Testament is not the God Above All Gods. The God of the Old Testament, Jehovah, well, it’s pretty much equivalent to the Demiurge. And that’s very dicey, very tricky. The ego of the God of the Old Testament, the ego of Jehovah, is when Jehovah speaks in very egoistic terms about itself and about obedience and the law because, remember, Jehovah is law-bound. The Demiurge doesn’t remember; the Demiurge has forgotten its origins above. When this radio preacher referenced Ezekiel 36, I went to what’s called the online Bible Gateway. That’s a resource you can use. And you type in any phrase or any citation, such as Ezekiel 36:24—28, and it will give you all of the various translations. And you can choose which translation you read or you read them all. Well, since this was a Hebrew exhortation, I decided to use the Orthodox Jewish Bible, which does have a lot of Hebrew in it. So then we have to go into Hebrew translations, but that was a good exercise as well. Oh, to go back and clear up confusion about how to read the Old Testament—if the Old Testament is largely demiurgic, it’s basically when Jehovah is speaking that’s demiurgic. But the prophets were in touch with their gnosis. The prophets were talking to the God Above All Gods. They weren’t talking to Jehovah. They were talking to the God Above All Gods. So their prophecies are coming from above. That seems a pretty simple way to understand it. So the histories are one thing. That’s the histories of the of the Hebrews who were the people of Jehovah. Jehovah was their tribal god. And then there are the prophets who were speaking to the God Above All Gods and giving the Hebrews instructions from the God Above All Gods. These are higher instructions than Jehovah. You see, Jehovah doesn’t remember that it’s a fallen part of an Aeon. Here at Gnostic Insights, we talk about that Aeon as Logos. Many other Gnostics call it Sophia. I prefer Logos. That’s out of the Tripartite Tractate. Logos split apart when he fell and abandoned the chaos down below. And the Demiurge is part of that chaos. So the Demiurge put this world in order, formed the heavens and the Earth in a godlike manner, because he had all the blueprints. He had the remembrance of how things went together, but he didn’t have the remembrance of the Father or the remembrance of his better ascended Self, that being Logos, or the Aeons out of which he fell, the Fullness out of which he came. The Demiurge woke up down here in chaos and remembered that things should not be chaos, wanted them to go back into an orderly manner, had the blueprints of Paradise, essentially, that’s how you can put it, and formed this Earth. But this is an imitation. This is a deficiency of Paradise, and it’s especially deficient because there’s no love here. The minerals do not know love. The mud does not know love. Love doesn’t come from the bottom up, from the Demiurge up, from Jehovah up. Love, consciousness, comes from the God Above All Gods down to us in the form of a Second Order Powers. But we have forgotten, and the Demiurge forgot. So here is a word from one of the prophets who was in touch with the God Above All Gods, giving assurance that salvation would come, that remembrance would come. The Demiurge doesn’t block the prophets because it egotistically thinks that the prophets are speaking of it. You know, the Demiurge takes personally being God, but he’s mistaken in that. He’s a lesser god, the god of this cosmos, but the God Above All Gods is the one who speaks through the prophets. Here’s Ezekiel 36:24—26, from the New King James Version. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Or as The Orthodox Jewish Bible puts it, A lev chadásh also will I give you, and a ruach chadasháh will I put within you; and I will take away the lev ha-éven (stony heart) out of your basár, and I will give you a lev basár. Now, when it speaks of I will give you a new heart, in Hebrew that is lev chadásh. Lev means inner self, the seat of will and moral character. Chadásh means anew, fresh, renewed, restored. So lev chadásh refers to a renewed inner disposition. A transformed moral center. A recreated will aligned with the Father rather than with stubbornness or idolatry. And when it speaks of and put a new spirit within you, in Hebrew that word, the new spirit, is ruach chadasháh. And it means a new spirit, an awakened pneuma. And pneuma is a Gnostic term. That is the spiritual part of us. Our One Self. So the ruach chadasháh is the spirit. Ruach is spirit, breath, animating force, inner vitality. That’s what it means. Chadasháh means fresh, new, renewed. So in Ezekiel, ruach chadasháh means a new animating principle. A renewed inner drive or spiritual vitality placed within the person. You see where I’m going with this? This is the Third Order of Powers. A new motivating force that empowers obedience and life. This cleansing of a new heart and putting a new spirit within you, ruach chadasháh. It means stripping away the meme shroud is how I generally refer to it in the Simple Explanation. Peeling off all those layers of confusion that obscure our originating Fullness. That’s the filthiness. It’s not the original sin. We aren’t born with original sin. We are born as Second Order Powers, much loved out of the first order powers of the Fullness of God. We forget when we come down here into this material world created by the Demiurge. And then we plug into this culture around us. Think of the media and the social media and all of the lies and confusions that are spread, both purposefully meant to mislead you and confuse you, and just accidentally because people make mistakes and people say the wrong things, even when they think they’re saying the right things. So that’s the filthiness. And the idols— these are the things that you cling to. Generally this narcissistic age we live in is an age of idols, but the idols that we worship aren’t little statues of gods. They are our exercise equipment and our bags of makeup and our, well, of course they can be influencers and they can be movie stars and television actors and musicians and sports figures and politicians. Those can be your idols if you treat them as idols, if you idolize them, if you go all weak in the knees and do anything they say. But we also have our own idols in the form of the things that we cling to and pile up around us that we buy, got to have this, got to have that, got to have this, got to have that. These are idols. So this is a promise to cleanse us from that. In other words, to strip away your meme shroud and let the Fullness shine forth from within you. But it goes beyond that, because it says, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. And that new heart is the lev chadásh, which is new spirit. And the new heart is lev basár, which literally means in Hebrew, a heart of flesh, a soft, receptive psyche. Oh, see, our psyche, that is not our pneuma—that's a Gnostic term as well. We have our pneuma, which is our spiritual Fullness. We have our psyche, which is our psychological aspect—our ego lives there. And we have our hylic, which is the material to which we are bonded in this material world. So this passage promises to put a new heart within us, a lev basár, a soft, receptive psyche; that is to soften our hearts, because they’re hardened by the world and by the memes we cling to. It says, furthermore, I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh. And the heart of stone in Hebrew is lev ha-éven, meaning heart of stone, or a hardened psyche. Going to remove that heart of stone, which is very interesting, because of course, I say that the hard rocky places, the stones are demiurgic. That’s the material level, that’s the elemental level. So the heart of stone is the demiurgic heart that we have put inside of us, that we’re bonded to. But this passage wants to turn it into a new heart, a heart of flesh, a soft, receptive psyche, as we were originally born with—lev basár. So it says, I will give you that new heart and put a new spirit within you, and take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. The heart of stone, lev ha-éven. And the purifying waters are what do it. I will sprinkle clean water on you. In Hebrew, that was literally mayim tehorím, meaning clean, purifying waters. Jesus spoke of the purifying waters. In the New Testament, in the Gospel according to John, Chapter 3, a Pharisee named Nicodemus had sneaked out one night to speak privately with Jesus. He didn’t want anyone to know. And Nicodemus said to Jesus, Rabbi, we know that you have come as a teacher from God, for no one can produce these signs you perform unless God is within him. And in reply, Jesus said to him, Amen, amen, I tell you, unless someone is born from Above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And Nicodemus says to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Jesus replied, Amen, amen, I tell you, unless a man is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed, because I’ve told you it is necessary for you to be born from Above. [Hart's New Testament] Jesus is speaking of the same water, the water of the spirit, that cleanses us and allows us to be born again from Above. Later on in the book of John, Chapter 7, verse 37, Jesus stood up and said loudly, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and let him drink. Whoever has faith in me, just as scripture has said, out of his parts living streams of waters will flow. Now he said this in regard to the spirit, whom those who had faith in him were about to receive, for as yet there was no spirit, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. [Hart's New Testament] And this is speaking of the Holy Spirit—what we call the Holy Spirit—because of course we have spirit, we’re born with spirit, because we have the Fullness of God within us, the First Order of Powers. But he’s talking of the Third Order of Powers, the army of Christ that comes after Jesus is “glorified.” And glorified means risen from the dead, ascended into the sky in front of hundreds of witnesses. And glorified means that Jesus is living Above, just as we will all be living Above, in a glorified body, in the presence of the Father. Now, the promise that Jesus referred to—he was quoting out of the Old Testament—something that all of the listeners in his audience already knew. And it’s from Isaiah 12:3 that says, Therefore with joy will you draw water from the wells of salvation. The water that is being drawn is this water that’s being referred to, that we’ve been discussing, out of Ezekiel 36:24—28. That is the living water, the mayim tehorím—the Holy Spirit that bathes us now within and without. We draw the living water of the Third Order Powers into us. This is why accepting the mission of the Christ into your innermost being is essential, because there’s no other way to wash away the memes, the obscurations of the world around us that confuses us and causes us to forget. We’re born with a noble nature. We’re born as Second Order Powers, directly from the Fullness above, but we get lost in the confusion of this world that is created and run by the Demiurge. We forget our ethereal origins. We forget about the Father. We forget about the Aeons and the Fullness of God. The spirit that we’re born with becomes smothered, smothered by the worldly memes we cling to and that cling to us. The living water that comes into our new softened heart can only come when you relinquish the ego that is causing you to hold on tightly to those memes, all those false promises that the world gives. They will not save you. They will not make you happy. They might give you a momentary piece of pleasure when something arrives in the box from Amazon on the front porch, but as soon as you’ve used it, it’s just another thing. But the living water never dies. It’s living waters from the Father flowing all the way downstream through the Son, through the Fullnesses, and only through Christ inside of us can we be washed, baptized from within to loosen the hold. So, the lev chadásh, renew your psychic heart, captures the same teaching that the Tripartite Tractate teaches—that the psyche must be reoriented and made stable. The ruach chadashá, awakening within you the spirit that is from Above, is the same as activating the pneumatic seed, as we say in Gnosticism, not a moral reform. The lev basár, a living heart, soft, able to receive the light, receptive, this is the Tripartite Tractate’s softened, harmonized psyche, that can receive the pneumatic imprint of Christ. And the divine seed will rise within you and rule in peace is what the Tripartite Tractate says of the pneuma ruling through the psyche once integration occurs. So, this is the Gnostic paraphrase then of Ezekiel 36:26—28: I will renew your ego's psychic heart, and I will awaken within you the pneumatic spirit—the One Self that flows from above. I will remove the heart hardened by the archons and the never-ending war, and I will restore your Second Order heart, soft, receptive, and able to receive the light. Through this new heart and new spirit, the divine seed of the Christ within you will rise and rule in peace. That’s just another way we could say the phrase in Ezekiel, in a more Gnostic way. It’s a bath, loosens the hold, washes away those memes, those sins, as the church likes to call it. But it’s more than just your mistakes and your problems. It’s all the stuff that we have around us. That is the job of the Christ, to open our eyes to our original Second Order power, to live within us, to correct our mistakes, to correct our faulty algorithms, to protect us from this demiurgic immersion that we find ourselves in, in this material world. We Second Order Powers are the children of the Aeons of the Fullness, who are themselves the Totality of the Son. The Third Order Powers are the army of the Christ, who represents all of the Powers of the ethereal plane, individually and collectively working for our redemption. Step aside. Take your ego off the throne. Take the Demiurge off the throne, if you’ve enthroned it. Put down your idols. Push away your possessions, at least long enough to allow the Third Order Powers to come in. Ask the Christ to come in and wash you with the Holy Spirit. Invite the Holy Spirit, the army of the Third Order of Powers, into your organism, literally, and it will cleanse you. It will wash you. Walk in the Spirit of God. Let your eyes be opened to the truth. We’ll talk more about this again. Until then, God bless us all, and onward and upward. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Stripe Credit Card *Choose your item *Item A - $10.00Item B - $25.00Item C - $50.00Total$0.00Submit

Welcome back to Gnostic Insights and to the Gnostic Reformation on Substack. This week I was listening to one of the radio preachers I like to listen to and I caught a sermon on the Pentecost, and I realized I had at that point a Gnostic insight that Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, when it infused the disciples in the upper room—that is the coming of the Third Order of Powers released by the Christ after his resurrection—that the Third Order Powers are the “anointing of the Holy Spirit.” So quickly, let’s look at the Acts of the Apostles book out of the New Testament, Chapter 2, which is what we now call Pentecost. And when the day arrived that completed the fifty days after Passover, they were all gathered together in one place, and suddenly there came a noise, like a turbulent wind borne out of the sky, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared before them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest, one each upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them to utter. Now dwelling in Jerusalem, there were devout Judeans from every nation under the sky, and on the advent of this noise, the multitude gathered and were confused, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and astounded, saying, look, are not all of those who speak Galileans? And how is it that each one of us hears his own language, the languages in which we were raised? And all were amazed and entirely at a loss, saying to one another, what does this portend? But others, ridiculing them, said, ah, they’re full of sweet new wine. But Peter, standing up along with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them all. Judean men and all of you staying in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and lend your ears to my words, for these men are not drunk, as you suppose, as it is the third hour of the day. Rather, this is what was declared through the prophet Joel. And in the last days it shall happen, says God, that I will pour forth from my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall dream dreams.” [Hart's New Testament] Pentecost by el Greco Now, it’s a much longer passage, and it’s very thrilling and exciting, but we don’t have time today to go into it. Perhaps we’ll speak about this in more depth very soon. But that is the first Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon humanity. And I’m going to talk about that today to clear up that confusion, because I’ve always had a bit of a confusion over what we speak of as the Holy Spirit dwelling in us in a Christian manner, or the Holy Spirit coming like tongues of fire in the Pentecost story of the upper room in the book of Acts, yet we all have the Holy Spirit of the Fullness of God within every cell of our bodies and throughout our entire organism. All of the Second Order powers are infused with the power of God. So what is the Holy Spirit then? And now I understand the distinction between the infusion of the Third Order of Powers and the infusion of the Second Order of Powers. You see, we are Second Order Powers. The Aeons of the Fullness are First Order Powers. They have their place Above. We are their fruit. We are their spores. (And I actually ran across a radio preacher, of all things, again last week, saying that the original word for fruit as used in the New Testament is spore. And I’m like, yes, that is exactly what I’ve been saying. So that was another cool Gnostic insight that came by way of a Christian radio preacher. So you can never tell what you’re going to hear on Christian radio.) So, we are the spores of the First Order of Powers. We are their fruit. We are their children. We are the Second Order of Powers, and that is all living things in the cosmos. Everything that moves around, everything that’s soft and squishy, the meat, as I like to say, as opposed to the mud, which is the realm of the Demiurge—the rocks and minerals, the molecules and atoms. But the Third Order of Powers is the army of the Christ. We’ve spoken of that often. We’ve had three recent episodes about the indwelling of the Christ. For example, The Gnostic Redemption of the Nag Hammadi from May 29th, 2026, Army of the Christ, May 16th, 2026, and Understanding Gnosticism: The Path to Inner Knowledge from May 9th, 2026. These all have to do with the coming of the Third Order of Powers. And the coming of the Third Order of Powers didn’t come to Earth until Christ walked the Earth in the form of a human, and that is Jesus the Christ. He’s the only one who has ever claimed that “I and my Father are One.” Jesus is not the same as Buddha. Jesus is not the same as Muhammad or any other prophet. Jesus is not simply a good teacher or an exemplar of morality and ethics. If you think that, as many modern theologians do—the postmodern theologians, the deconstructionists—they have reduced the power of Jesus to that of a prophet or a teacher. And even people I hear, strangely enough, out there on YouTube, claiming that Jesus was a fraud—that there is no such thing as anything that happened in the Bible, Old Testament or New Testament. That’s an absurdity that is being promulgated by non-believers. If you are a believer in the Father, then you are a believer in the Christ, because Christ was the emissary of the Father to Earth to bring the correcting algorithm, I like to call it, to Earth to patch up our Second Order Power that has been forgotten. We’re born with it. We fully instantiate it within our bodies, but we’ve overlaid it with all kinds of junk, karma and memes from our environment that cloud our gnosis, cloud our ability to perceive the power of the Aeons within us. Christ came, the Third Order of Powers, the army of the Christ, to help us to remember, to remind us of our Second Order power, to remind us of where we come from, to remind us of the Father and the Aeons above. I took notes from the Pentecost sermon I listened to, and I’m going to represent these notes as a Gnostic teaching for you, because once you have the gnosis working in you, once you’ve come to terms with Christ and the Father and the Aeons and the gnosis that you were born with, once you begin to remember your inherent transcendence, then you can read the New Testament with eyes wide open. You can understand the mysteries of the New Testament much better than typical Christians do, because they’re trapped in a formula that is derivative of the early Catholics that had stripped the gnosis out of the Bible in the first place. So we must free ourselves from the doctrine, but not free ourselves of the gnosis. Tricky. The occasion known as Pentecost was when Jesus had been crucified, entombed, resurrected, and then ascended back up above into the Fullness—above the Fullness, because he’s the king of all. And he had promised that he would send a helper—to not worry. He had told his disciples, don’t worry, I’m sending you a helper to help you bring the gnosis to the world, essentially is what he said. This was also promised in the Old Testament. And here I’m going to read you a very important verse out of the Old Testament and translate it for you into Gnostic terms. The verse is Ezekiel 36:24—28, where God promises to cleanse and put a new heart and a new spirit into believers. Now it’s tricky when going all the way back to the Old Testament, because the God of the Old Testament is not the God Above All Gods. The God of the Old Testament, Jehovah, well, it’s pretty much equivalent to the Demiurge. And that’s very dicey, very tricky. The ego of the God of the Old Testament, the ego of Jehovah, is when Jehovah speaks in very egoistic terms about itself and about obedience and the law because, remember, Jehovah is law-bound. The Demiurge doesn’t remember; the Demiurge has forgotten its origins above. When this radio preacher referenced Ezekiel 36, I went to what’s called the online Bible Gateway. That’s a resource you can use. And you type in any phrase or any citation, such as Ezekiel 36:24—28, and it will give you all of the various translations. And you can choose which translation you read or you read them all. Well, since this was a Hebrew exhortation, I decided to use the Orthodox Jewish Bible, which does have a lot of Hebrew in it. So then we have to go into Hebrew translations, but that was a good exercise as well. Oh, to go back and clear up confusion about how to read the Old Testament—if the Old Testament is largely demiurgic, it’s basically when Jehovah is speaking that’s demiurgic. But the prophets were in touch with their gnosis. The prophets were talking to the God Above All Gods. They weren’t talking to Jehovah. They were talking to the God Above All Gods. So their prophecies are coming from above. That seems a pretty simple way to understand it. So the histories are one thing. That’s the histories of the of the Hebrews who were the people of Jehovah. Jehovah was their tribal god. And then there are the prophets who were speaking to the God Above All Gods and giving the Hebrews instructions from the God Above All Gods. These are higher instructions than Jehovah. You see, Jehovah doesn’t remember that it’s a fallen part of an Aeon. Here at Gnostic Insights, we talk about that Aeon as Logos. Many other Gnostics call it Sophia. I prefer Logos. That’s out of the Tripartite Tractate. Logos split apart when he fell and abandoned the chaos down below. And the Demiurge is part of that chaos. So the Demiurge put this world in order, formed the heavens and the Earth in a godlike manner, because he had all the blueprints. He had the remembrance of how things went together, but he didn’t have the remembrance of the Father or the remembrance of his better ascended Self, that being Logos, or the Aeons out of which he fell, the Fullness out of which he came. The Demiurge woke up down here in chaos and remembered that things should not be chaos, wanted them to go back into an orderly manner, had the blueprints of Paradise, essentially, that’s how you can put it, and formed this Earth. But this is an imitation. This is a deficiency of Paradise, and it’s especially deficient because there’s no love here. The minerals do not know love. The mud does not know love. Love doesn’t come from the bottom up, from the Demiurge up, from Jehovah up. Love, consciousness, comes from the God Above All Gods down to us in the form of a Second Order Powers. But we have forgotten, and the Demiurge forgot. So here is a word from one of the prophets who was in touch with the God Above All Gods, giving assurance that salvation would come, that remembrance would come. The Demiurge doesn’t block the prophets because it egotistically thinks that the prophets are speaking of it. You know, the Demiurge takes personally being God, but he’s mistaken in that. He’s a lesser god, the god of this cosmos, but the God Above All Gods is the one who speaks through the prophets. Here’s Ezekiel 36:24—26, from the New King James Version. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Or as The Orthodox Jewish Bible puts it, A lev chadásh also will I give you, and a ruach chadasháh will I put within you; and I will take away the lev ha-éven (stony heart) out of your basár, and I will give you a lev basár. Now, when it speaks of I will give you a new heart, in Hebrew that is lev chadásh. Lev means inner self, the seat of will and moral character. Chadásh means anew, fresh, renewed, restored. So lev chadásh refers to a renewed inner disposition. A transformed moral center. A recreated will aligned with the Father rather than with stubbornness or idolatry. And when it speaks of and put a new spirit within you, in Hebrew that word, the new spirit, is ruach chadasháh. And it means a new spirit, an awakened pneuma. And pneuma is a Gnostic term. That is the spiritual part of us. Our One Self. So the ruach chadasháh is the spirit. Ruach is spirit, breath, animating force, inner vitality. That’s what it means. Chadasháh means fresh, new, renewed. So in Ezekiel, ruach chadasháh means a new animating principle. A renewed inner drive or spiritual vitality placed within the person. You see where I’m going with this? This is the Third Order of Powers. A new motivating force that empowers obedience and life. This cleansing of a new heart and putting a new spirit within you, ruach chadasháh. It means stripping away the meme shroud is how I generally refer to it in the Simple Explanation. Peeling off all those layers of confusion that obscure our originating Fullness. That’s the filthiness. It’s not the original sin. We aren’t born with original sin. We are born as Second Order Powers, much loved out of the first order powers of the Fullness of God. We forget when we come down here into this material world created by the Demiurge. And then we plug into this culture around us. Think of the media and the social media and all of the lies and confusions that are spread, both purposefully meant to mislead you and confuse you, and just accidentally because people make mistakes and people say the wrong things, even when they think they’re saying the right things. So that’s the filthiness. And the idols— these are the things that you cling to. Generally this narcissistic age we live in is an age of idols, but the idols that we worship aren’t little statues of gods. They are our exercise equipment and our bags of makeup and our, well, of course they can be influencers and they can be movie stars and television actors and musicians and sports figures and politicians. Those can be your idols if you treat them as idols, if you idolize them, if you go all weak in the knees and do anything they say. But we also have our own idols in the form of the things that we cling to and pile up around us that we buy, got to have this, got to have that, got to have this, got to have that. These are idols. So this is a promise to cleanse us from that. In other words, to strip away your meme shroud and let the Fullness shine forth from within you. But it goes beyond that, because it says, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. And that new heart is the lev chadásh, which is new spirit. And the new heart is lev basár, which literally means in Hebrew, a heart of flesh, a soft, receptive psyche. Oh, see, our psyche, that is not our pneuma—that's a Gnostic term as well. We have our pneuma, which is our spiritual Fullness. We have our psyche, which is our psychological aspect—our ego lives there. And we have our hylic, which is the material to which we are bonded in this material world. So this passage promises to put a new heart within us, a lev basár, a soft, receptive psyche; that is to soften our hearts, because they’re hardened by the world and by the memes we cling to. It says, furthermore, I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh. And the heart of stone in Hebrew is lev ha-éven, meaning heart of stone, or a hardened psyche. Going to remove that heart of stone, which is very interesting, because of course, I say that the hard rocky places, the stones are demiurgic. That’s the material level, that’s the elemental level. So the heart of stone is the demiurgic heart that we have put inside of us, that we’re bonded to. But this passage wants to turn it into a new heart, a heart of flesh, a soft, receptive psyche, as we were originally born with—lev basár. So it says, I will give you that new heart and put a new spirit within you, and take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. The heart of stone, lev ha-éven. And the purifying waters are what do it. I will sprinkle clean water on you. In Hebrew, that was literally mayim tehorím, meaning clean, purifying waters. Jesus spoke of the purifying waters. In the New Testament, in the Gospel according to John, Chapter 3, a Pharisee named Nicodemus had sneaked out one night to speak privately with Jesus. He didn’t want anyone to know. And Nicodemus said to Jesus, Rabbi, we know that you have come as a teacher from God, for no one can produce these signs you perform unless God is within him. And in reply, Jesus said to him, Amen, amen, I tell you, unless someone is born from Above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And Nicodemus says to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Jesus replied, Amen, amen, I tell you, unless a man is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed, because I’ve told you it is necessary for you to be born from Above. [Hart's New Testament] Jesus is speaking of the same water, the water of the spirit, that cleanses us and allows us to be born again from Above. Later on in the book of John, Chapter 7, verse 37, Jesus stood up and said loudly, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and let him drink. Whoever has faith in me, just as scripture has said, out of his parts living streams of waters will flow. Now he said this in regard to the spirit, whom those who had faith in him were about to receive, for as yet there was no spirit, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. [Hart's New Testament] And this is speaking of the Holy Spirit—what we call the Holy Spirit—because of course we have spirit, we’re born with spirit, because we have the Fullness of God within us, the First Order of Powers. But he’s talking of the Third Order of Powers, the army of Christ that comes after Jesus is “glorified.” And glorified means risen from the dead, ascended into the sky in front of hundreds of witnesses. And glorified means that Jesus is living Above, just as we will all be living Above, in a glorified body, in the presence of the Father. Now, the promise that Jesus referred to—he was quoting out of the Old Testament—something that all of the listeners in his audience already knew. And it’s from Isaiah 12:3 that says, Therefore with joy will you draw water from the wells of salvation. The water that is being drawn is this water that’s being referred to, that we’ve been discussing, out of Ezekiel 36:24—28. That is the living water, the mayim tehorím—the Holy Spirit that bathes us now within and without. We draw the living water of the Third Order Powers into us. This is why accepting the mission of the Christ into your innermost being is essential, because there’s no other way to wash away the memes, the obscurations of the world around us that confuses us and causes us to forget. We’re born with a noble nature. We’re born as Second Order Powers, directly from the Fullness above, but we get lost in the confusion of this world that is created and run by the Demiurge. We forget our ethereal origins. We forget about the Father. We forget about the Aeons and the Fullness of God. The spirit that we’re born with becomes smothered, smothered by the worldly memes we cling to and that cling to us. The living water that comes into our new softened heart can only come when you relinquish the ego that is causing you to hold on tightly to those memes, all those false promises that the world gives. They will not save you. They will not make you happy. They might give you a momentary piece of pleasure when something arrives in the box from Amazon on the front porch, but as soon as you’ve used it, it’s just another thing. But the living water never dies. It’s living waters from the Father flowing all the way downstream through the Son, through the Fullnesses, and only through Christ inside of us can we be washed, baptized from within to loosen the hold. So, the lev chadásh, renew your psychic heart, captures the same teaching that the Tripartite Tractate teaches—that the psyche must be reoriented and made stable. The ruach chadashá, awakening within you the spirit that is from Above, is the same as activating the pneumatic seed, as we say in Gnosticism, not a moral reform. The lev basár, a living heart, soft, able to receive the light, receptive, this is the Tripartite Tractate’s softened, harmonized psyche, that can receive the pneumatic imprint of Christ. And the divine seed will rise within you and rule in peace is what the Tripartite Tractate says of the pneuma ruling through the psyche once integration occurs. So, this is the Gnostic paraphrase then of Ezekiel 36:26—28: I will renew your ego's psychic heart, and I will awaken within you the pneumatic spirit—the One Self that flows from above. I will remove the heart hardened by the archons and the never-ending war, and I will restore your Second Order heart, soft, receptive, and able to receive the light. Through this new heart and new spirit, the divine seed of the Christ within you will rise and rule in peace. That’s just another way we could say the phrase in Ezekiel, in a more Gnostic way. It’s a bath, loosens the hold, washes away those memes, those sins, as the church likes to call it. But it’s more than just your mistakes and your problems. It’s all the stuff that we have around us. That is the job of the Christ, to open our eyes to our original Second Order power, to live within us, to correct our mistakes, to correct our faulty algorithms, to protect us from this demiurgic immersion that we find ourselves in, in this material world. We Second Order Powers are the children of the Aeons of the Fullness, who are themselves the Totality of the Son. The Third Order Powers are the army of the Christ, who represents all of the Powers of the ethereal plane, individually and collectively working for our redemption. Step aside. Take your ego off the throne. Take the Demiurge off the throne, if you’ve enthroned it. Put down your idols. Push away your possessions, at least long enough to allow the Third Order Powers to come in. Ask the Christ to come in and wash you with the Holy Spirit. Invite the Holy Spirit, the army of the Third Order of Powers, into your organism, literally, and it will cleanse you. It will wash you. Walk in the Spirit of God. Let your eyes be opened to the truth. We’ll talk more about this again. Until then, God bless us all, and onward and upward. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Stripe Credit Card *Choose your item *Item A - $10.00Item B - $25.00Item C - $50.00Total$0.00Submit

Antioch shouldn't have happened. The unnamed disciples who travelled there after Stephen's death were scattered refugees, not apostles. Yet a church was planted and something amazing took root: a community so visibly different that the watching city came up with a new name for them: Christians. Antioch also becomes a model of sacrificial generosity, sending financial relief to Judean brothers and sisters they have never met. The group that began as a scattered community of refugees becomes a vibrant church. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make all Of life all about Jesus.

 I have been reading a book by Bill Elliot, who is a therapistBut it's not about psychology – it has the unlikely title, Falling Into the Face of God– it's an autobiography of sorts• Bill felt called by God's Spirit to go to the Judean desert• and , to spend forty days there like Jesus, only without fasting– on day 17, he was meditating on Jesus' temptation in the wilderness• then his thoughts went to Jesus and disciples in Philippi, and the moment when he called Peter “Satan”William J. Elliot, “Why did Jesus do that? Especially since Peter was just trying to be helpful? It was because Peter was opposing Jesus' deeper sense of destiny and Jesus' deeper sense of God's will. Satan comes from the Hebrew word for ‘opposer' or ‘adversary.' And that's the point: we each have friends, and even parts of ourselves, that are often opposed to our deeper truth and connection with God. Even though they are trying to be helpful, they are still adversaries. So how do we find the skill and the courage to rebuff those well-meaning adversaries—especially when they love us and have often loved us in the past.”

Be Strong in the Lord Ephesians 6:10-24 by William Klock We've made it all the way to the end of St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians.  For just over five chapters, Paul's been explaining how the church is God's means of taking what Jesus has done in his death and resurrection and turning it into God's new creation.  He's shown us how, in Jesus and the Spirit, he's given us back the vocation that Adam rejected.  We've been restored to our position as stewards of God's presence and God's wisdom and God's glory for the sake of the world.  Even more than that, as Adam was placed in God's garden-temple, through the gift of God's indwelling Spirit, you and I—the church—have now become God's temple.  And as Jesus has been raised from death to go be the new Adam, so in him and in the power of the Spirit, you and I are now called to put off the old, corrupt, lie-based way of being human and to put on the new humanity exemplified by Jesus.  And if we will be faithful to be fruitful and to multiply—whether by having our own children and raising them in the wisdom of the Lord or through our proclamation and living out of the gospel that brings others to the Messiah—Brother and Sisters, the temple will grow and grow and grow, carrying God's presence to the ends of the earth, spreading his wisdom—the way of new creation and the way of truly being human—to the ends of the earth, until God's glory covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. And having established that this is what the church is and that this is what our mission is, he shifted in Chapters 3-5 to the how of living out this new creation, to the how of putting off the old and putting on the new.  Don't listen to the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil.  Speak the truth and live the truth of God's new creation.  Put aside anger and wrath, and start living out love and grace and patience and mercy with all humility—just like Jesus.  And don't believe the world's lies about sex and money and power.  Be holy as God is holy and trust in his goodness and faithfulness.  In other words, as I said last week, stop trying to write your own story.  You're bad at it.  We all are.  God did not design us with the capacity to write our stories for ourselves (or to be gods, as Genesis put it).  Instead, trust in the God who gave his own son as a sacrifice for our sins, to set us to rights at such a great cost, and live the story he has written for us.  And the world will take note.  Live God's story, and you will challenge the lies of the world.  Live the story in which Jesus is Lord, proclaim that story and seeing that glimpse of new creation, of redemption and renewal, of mercy and grace people around us will believe.  But, too, live the story in which Jesus is Lord and you will challenge the Caesars of this world.  Live the story in which God is good and faithful and generous, and you will challenge the greedy, grasping lies of the world.  And the world, the flesh, and the devil will push back.  Or as Paul puts in Chapter 6, the principalities and powers.  They've lost, but they don't want to admit it.  They don't like to be challenged.  And this is where Paul picks up in Ephesians 6:10 with his final bit of wisdom for the Ephesians and for us.  [This is page 1163 in the pew Bibles.] “What else is there to say?  Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.  Put on the whole armour of God, then you will be able to stand firm against the devil's schemes.  The warfare we're engaged in, you see, is not against flesh and blood. It's against principalities, against the powers that rule the world in this dark age, against the wicked spiritual elements in the heavenly places.” Brothers and Sisters, know who your enemy is.  When things, when people, when systems push back against the gospel.  When we try to bring new creation to the world, when we try to live out the new way of being human we have in Jesus and the Spirit, we will experience opposition.  And it's critical we stand firm and fight back  But Paul stresses here: Know your enemy.  Because fighting the wrong enemy isn't going to win us anything. Paul knew this well.  Consider that he'd been a Pharisee.  The Pharisees were the party that traced its roots back to the Maccabean revolt two hundred years earlier, when the Jews rose up and threw off their pagan Greek overlords.  Paul—like most of his fellow Jews—grew up knowing that the enemies of God's people were the pagans: the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greek, the Romans. In a couple of decades it would happen again in the Judean volt of a.d. 70 and then again in the bar Kochba revolt in a.d. 132.  Neither of those revolts ended well for the Jews. And when the Jews revolted, they went into battle with passages like Isaiah 11 in mind: The shoot from the stump of Jesse would come, full of wisdom and justice.  “He shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins” (Isaiah 11:4-5)  But they added their spin to the scriptures.  The community at Qumran—the people responsible for the Dead Sea Scrolls—the saw it this way: “With your sceptre may you lay waste the earth. With the breath of your lips may you kill the wicked…May justice be the belt of your loins, and loyalty the belt of your hips.  May he make your horns of iron and your hoofs of bronze.  May you gore like a bull…and may you trample the nations like mud…For God has raised you to a sceptre for the rulers before you…all nations shall serve you, and he will make you strong by his holy name, so that you will be like a lion.”[1] You can hear Isaiah in that, but then here the warrior girds himself up for battle, to trample the nations like mud.  He gores the nations like an ox and ravages them like a lion.  The picture begins with Isaiah, but it gets lost along the way.  In Isaiah 11 the Messiah's warfare ends not with a goring ox or a lion tearing flesh, but with the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the goat, the calf and the lion laying down together at peace and one like a little child leading them into a renewed creation where the lion eats straw like an ox. I fear we fall into the same trap.  Jesus said to his disciples: “Don't be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do. I will show you who to fear: fear the one who starts by killing and then has the right to throw people into Gehenna. Yes, let me tell you, that's the one to fear! (Luke 12:4-5) Brothers and Sisters, God had always urged his people to stand firm and to put up a fight, but our enemy, as Paul says here isn't flesh and blood.  It's not the people, however wicked they may be.  It's the lies the devil whispers—or sometimes shouts—into our world.  It's been that way from the beginning when Adam and Eve believed the first of his lies.  It's the lie that we can write our own stories better than God can.  It's the lie that security or power is to be found in money or in politics or in sex or in education or in all the other things to which we look that are not God—all the things that use and abuse and manipulate and exploit others for our benefit.  It's the lie that we can fight the gospel battle with bullets or with politics or with violence.  Paul's people talked about principalities and powers—sort of angelic beings whom God had created and appointed to oversee the nations, but who had fallen under the power of the devil's lies.  That's how they thought. I don't know if that's how it really is, but there are powers—political, economic, sexual, intellectual—that perpetuate the devil's lies and keep us in the dark, keep us stomping on each other, keep us at each other's throats, keep us seeing everyone else as the enemy so that we never stop to think that the real problem is the devil and his lies. So Paul reminds us.  The enemy is not flesh and blood.  Yes, other people enforce those systems.  Caesar believed the lie that he was the world's lord.  And his soldiers believed that lie too, when they arrested Christians and threw them to the lions.  But they were not the enemy; the lie was.  It still is.  They needed deliverance from it just like we do.  The enemy isn't Mark Carney or Donald Trump.  The enemy isn't greedy bankers or crooked businessmen or the people who run giant pornography websites.  It's not the abortionist or the therapist pushing gender ideology.  They're flesh and blood.  They bought the lie.  They need a gospel resuce just like we do.  And so Paul warns us, yes, there's a battle, put on the armour of God, and stand firm, but know your enemy.  Take your battle to the devil and the principalities and powers that perpetuate the lies.  Don't shoot their prisoners when what their prisoners need is to know the truth, the wisdom of God.  Brothers and Sisters, to fight them, to take the battle to flesh and blood, is just to fall prey to another lie of the real enemy.  Paul says that weird thing in verse 12, that these wicked spiritual elements are in the heavenly places, but I think his point there is that—as he said back in Chapter 2, we are seated in the heavenly places with the Messiah.  In his death and resurrection, Jesus won the decisive victory and now he's enlisted us, not to just sit in the church and be holy until he returns, but to be the new humanity who takes his new creation to the ends of the earth and, along the way, confronts the lies and the systems and powers that perpetuate them and declares that they have been defeated.  As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “he must go on reigning until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”  Brother and Sisters, the church is his means to bring that day.  (See, this has turned out to be an Ascension sermon after all!) So, Paul goes on in verse 13, “For this reason, you must take up God's complete armour.  Then, when wickedness grabs its moment, you'll be able to withstand, to do what needs to be done, and still be on your feet when it's over.  So stand firm!”  Now, what is the armour of God?  Notice the echoes of Isaiah 11 here.  “Put the belt of truth around your waist; put on justice as your breastplate; for shoes on your feet, ready for battle, take the good news of peace.  With it all, take the shield of faith; if you've got that you'll be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.” Notice that everything about this picture is defensive except the sword.  Again, the Messiah has already won the decisive victory.  He's won the ground.  Creation once again belongs to him.  Our job is to hold it against the enemy.  And, notice, as Paul has said before and as he says here in verse 10: We stand in God's power and might, not in our own.  We know what this power can do, because it's the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and now, as Paul has said over and over, we are “in the risen Messiah” and that makes us strong in the strength of his might.  There's an interesting parallel to this in Romans 4.  There Paul writes that Abraham was “strong in faith”, believing God's promise even though everything around him said not to trust this strange God.  He was strong because he trusted the God who had the power to accomplish what he had promised. Brothers and Sisters, we stand in that same faith, but unlike Abraham we have every reason to believe.  No one knew this God in Abraham's day.  You and I live with the witness of all the generations who have known and experienced this God ever since.  You and I live with the witness of the resurrection of Jesus, the greatest show of God's might in history and the event by which he has inaugurated his new creation.  If Abraham had reason to be strong in faith, we have reason to be even stronger.  So stand firm in the Messiah's battle and put on his armour to guard against the enemy who wants nothing more than to take back the ground he's lost to Jesus. As the Messiah puts on his armour for the battle in Isaiah, so should we.  It shouldn't be surprising that the first thing Paul says to put on is the truth.  All along he's been warning us not to believe the lies that have brought sin and death to the world.  All along he's warned us to be committed to the truth and not to be deceived by the lies around us.  In Isaiah 11:5 the Messiah puts on the belt of justice and faithfulness.  In the Greek “faithfulness” is translated as “truth”. The truth of God's creation and his new creation are the foundation of the gospel.  Isaiah saw the Messiah setting creation to rights, and to do that demands the truth to put an end to the lies.  The gospel proclaims Jesus' victory and the new creation that has come with him out of the tomb, the truth of the goodness of God's original creation and the truth of the goodness that he's now restoring it to.  Our calling now is to stand firm on that foundation and to wrap that truth around us like a belt.  The gospel is not about our feelings or our imaginations or what we think people will like or not like.  The gospel is about truth: God's good creation and Jesus' setting it to rights. But our main piece of defensive equipment is the breastplate—the breastplate of justice—or righteousness in some translations.  The Greek word means both.  Paul takes this image from Isaiah 59:17.  It's not just righteousness as we often think of it as moral goodness.  It's truly justice.  It's God's desire to see this broken world full of pain and tears truly set to rights.  In Isaiah 59 it's the divine warrior who goes out to bring God's justice to the world, but Paul understood that the divine warrior is Jesus the Messiah.  And he didn't go out to bash heads in order to bring justice.  He went in humility to the cross.  He gave his life to free us from sin and to wash away the stain of death, so that he could fill us with his Spirit and make us his temple.  And, in that, Paul's saying we're now called to follow in Jesus' steps to bring God's justice, his righteousness to the world as we live out Jesus' new—renewed—way of being human.  This is why Jesus talked in the Sermon on the Mount, about his people hungering and thirsting for justice.  It's our breastplate.  It's the thing staves off our own temptations to idolatry and greed that would otherwise cause us to bring more pain and tears into the world. And then the shoes of peace.  Another echo of Isaiah that Paul and the Jews knew so well: “How beautiful are the feet of the messenger who announces peace…who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”  Except whereas for people like the old Paul, this had become a hope of violent military victory over the pagans, in Jesus peace has come through his resurrection.  The enemy did his violent worst, and Jesus has trounced him with life.  And now he commissions us to be his ambassadors, running to the world to announce that in the risen Messiah, the king has returned to establish the peace that Israel had so long hoped for and the peace that even us gentiles hope for, knowing that the world is not as it should be.  Put on your gospel shoes! And then the shield of faith.  Paul seems to have come up with this all on his own.  He pictured flaming arrows that would set an ordinary shield on fire, but there were things you could do to prevent that—like stretching water-soaked leather over your shield.  Faith is like that, says Paul.  The Messiah's faith and then our faith that answers in return.  Faith will protect you from the enemy.  Don't let go of it. And then, back to Isaiah 59:17, the helmet of salvation—the helmet of “rescue”.  The divine warrior has won the battle and rescued the captives.  Brothers and Sisters, we've been rescued by Jesus, put that helmet on not only to stand your ground, but as with all these things, when we take up the Messiah's armour, we take up the Messiah's task.  He's rescued creation from the devil and now we're part of the battalion called to keep the devil from taking creation back.  That helmet of salvation reminds us—maybe that's why Paul puts it on our heads—that the Messianic mission is ultimately a rescue mission—to rescue creation and to rescue humanity from the enemies lies. And then there's the one defensive bit of God's armour: the sword of the Spirit, which Paul says is God's word.  The word is the gospel, the good news of Jesus, crucified and risen.  The word that fulfils Isaiah 11:4 where the Messiah smites the earth with the rod of his mouth and slays the wicked with the breath of his lips.  His breath.  In both Hebrew and Greek the word for breath is also the word for spirit.  Brothers and Sisters, Paul knew that when he proclaimed the gospel, God's Spirit went to work: confronting idolatry with the true and living God and sinners with a message of hope.  The battle isn't won with violence.  It's won with the good news of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  But Paul knew, too, that if we're going to stand firm in the Messiah, and if we're going to put on his armour, we'd better be praying, too.  He continues at verse 18: “Pray on every occasion in the Spirit, with every type of prayer and intercession.  You'll need to keep awake and alert for this, with all perseverance and intercession for all God's holy ones—and also for me.  Please pray that God will give me his words to speak when I open my mouth, so that I can make known, loud and clear, the mystery of the gospel.  That, after all, is why I'm a chained-up ambassador.  Pray that I may announce it boldly; that's what I'm duty-bound to do.” The military imagery is still here.  Like a sentry on guard: stay awake and alert.  Pray and persevere.  Don't give up.  The lies will swirl around you like a hurricane, but stand firmly in the truth of God's new creation and pray.  Connect with him in that mysterious and inexplicable gift he's given us to speak with and to be in communion with him.  It's one of the main reasons he's given us his own Spirit.  And here, I think Paul is again thinking of Isaiah 59 and the divine warrior, driven by the Spirit.  “As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my Spirit that is upon you and my words that I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth…from now on and forever” (Isaiah 59:21).  So pray.  Pray, pray, pray and pray that the Spirit will give you—will give us all—the boldness to speak God's word: his truth, his wisdom, his gospel into a world so desperately in need of them.  It doesn't matter if you're chained up for the gospel like Paul.  That's the gospel paradox.  God reveals his strength when we are at our weakest—just as he did at the cross. And then the last few verses of the letter.  Paul wraps things up saying, “It's important that you should know how things are with me, and what I'm up to; so our dear brother Tychicus will tell you about it.  He is a loyal servant in the Lord.  I've sent him to you with this in mind, so that you may know how things are with us, and so that he may encourage your hearts.  Peace be to the whole family, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus the Messiah.  Grace be with all who love our Lord, Messiah Jesus, with a love that never dies.” Tychicus is making the rounds to let them know what's up with Paul.  Again, Paul's said it several times: he's in prison.  We don't know what else beyond that Tychicus would have told them about Paul, but it's telling that whatever the news is, Paul expects them to be encouraged.  And it doesn't seem that it's news of a soon release.  I expect Paul would have mentioned something like that.  Instead, Paul seems to expect them to be encouraged by his chains.  Again, the opposition he's facing is a sign that the gospel and the Spirit are doing what they're supposed to do, that the gospel is marching on, that (so to speak) Aslan is on the move, and the principalities and powers feel threatened.  And that's good news.  So, knowing his brothers and sisters are standing firm and fighting the gospel fight, he wishes them peace and love with faith and grace—the heart of the gospel, the foundations on which God's new creation is being built. And then that last word.  I'll close with that.  To everyone who loves the Messiah: grace.  Grace with a love that never dies.  The Greek word literally means “immortality”.  Brothers and Sisters, this gracious love will never pass away.  When the battle is finally over, when we have fought the good fight, when we have stood firm and kept the faith, when the church has finally done what she was created to do and expanded God's temple until his presence, his wisdom, his glory have filled the whole earth and Jesus has made a final end of death itself, when we have done what our Lord has called us to do and find—maybe to our own surprise—that we're still standing on our own feet in those shoes of peace, when there are no more lies and Jesus is Lord, then our love for him—which may feel so imperfect and inadequate today—but our love for him that kept us strong through the storm and the battle, will turn out to have been only the beginning of the great gift of love that we will enjoy for ever in God's presence and in his creation set to rights, in that new heaven and earth in which there are no more pain or sorrows or tears or death, only grace and love. Paul began his letter by directing our gaze back before the foundation of the world and now he points forward to day when not only are all God's promises fulfilled, but when he himself sums up all things in heaven and earth himself, the fullness of all in all.  And here in the in-between, in the middle of the story we stand: rescued by love, given a new gospel life in love, equipped with God's word and God's Spirit in love, and filled with God's wisdom that, following Jesus, we will be the new humanity—the firstfruits of his new creation.  Not only for our sake, but for the sake of the whole word over which Jesus the Messiah is already ruling as Lord. Let's pray: O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen. [1] The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition, ed. F.G. Martinez and E.J.C Tigchelaar (Leiden: Brill, 1997), 109.

The shepherd imagery of Psalm 23 is well known and loved by many. What is not so well known is that this psalm is set in the barren Judean wilderness, not on the lush, green hills usually imagined. Yet God is able to provide abundantly despite scarcity and danger. And like this psalm, Isaiah 25 assures us that one day God will rescue and provide a feast for all peoples to celebrate His victory over this world's enemies.

A mountaintop. A siege. A mass death that became legend. But what if the story of Masada isn't what we think it is? In this episode, we go back 2,000 years to the final days of the Jewish revolt against Rome, where a group of rebels made a choice that would echo through history. Along the way, we unpack the factions, the violence, and the devastating collapse of Judean society, and we ask a simple but unsettling question: How much of this story is history, how much is myth, and what does it mean to us, today, as we think about the development of Israeli history? For more about Josephus, see this episode of Jewish History Nerds. To sponsor an episode or to be in touch, please email noam@unpacked.media. Check out this episode on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This podcast is brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand. ------------------- For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jewish History Nerds⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soulful Jewish Living⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stars of David with Elon Gold ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wondering Jews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

How many times have you heard that patrilineal Jews are not 'real Jews'? That their parentage is the 'wrong half'? Not only is it derogatory to erase half-Jews, but it goes against actual Judean history - the first 2,000+ years. It was wonderful being joined by Lynn Romano, a proud patrilineal Jew who experienced both acceptance from family members and cold distance/pushback from other Jews who do not understand a) actual science b) the difference between halacha and science and c) that until the 3rd century AD, to fall in line with Roman lineage laws, the only genes which mattered to be considered a Jew was the father's. Her daughter also experienced this ignorance after the Judean genocide, at a time when pushing aside half-Jews is nonsensical and a disgrace. There are even numerous references in the Torah that highlight the importance of men's genes passing down. In fact, even today, a Jew cannot claim membership to two very prominent Judean tribes if not having patrilineal genes tied to either group. History does not lie. We hope that conversations such as these will begin to turn the tide against discriminating against 'the wrong half' Jews, a term that completely erases Judean men, a form of misandry. www.tbtnisrael.com

A new study suggests that Iron Age Judean grandparents lived on the ground floor. Sure, it's not like they were going up and down the ladder to the roof. But did they get their own suites and hey hey stop that, that's a cooking pot!

It was an absolute honor to speak with Maria Friedman, the Executive Director of RICI (Rhode Island Coalition for Israel). Together, we explored our Zionism journeys, both being Russian Judeans and how that shaped our initial connection/disconnect to our actual identity. Despite obstacles, we both leaned in to Zionism, in different ways. Maria and the organization she leads, RICI, embodies what activism ought to be - meeting Jew-hatred straight on and countering effectively without a victimhood mentality. Judeans are not victims; an indigenous to Israel race which not only survived but thrived for the past 4,000+ years are not victims. Yes, atrocities were targeted towards Judeans, but that is not the entire history of the Judean people. If every Israel-related organization which claims it fights Jew-hatred copy and pasted RICI's actions, it would be a far better outcome for the Judean population in America. Join us as we delve deep into our conversation on Zionism, both from a macro and micro level. For more information about RICI: https://www.ricoalitionforisrael.org/

While excavating Tel Azekah in the Judean lowlands in 2012, archaeologists discovered the remains of over five dozen young children. This is the first time a mass burial of children was ever discovered from the Persian Period in the land of Israel. Research about the discovery was published in the Palestine Exploration Quarterly on March 27. On today's podcast, host Brent Nagtegaal analyzes the study and pushes back on some of the archaeologists' claims in light of the Bible and known Judahite burial practices. https://armstronginstitute.org/1454-bodies-of-dozens-of-infants-from-2500-years-ago-discovered-in-cistern-at-tel-azekah

John 13:38 Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times. Again, Jesus told what was going to happen before it happened so that Peter would ultimately come to believe in, trust in, rely upon, and follow Him unto death. Jesus responded to Peter's boast that he would lay down his life for Him. Indeed, Peter would have to die to his own self-appraised grandeur before he could follow Jesus anywhere. Upon the rooster's crow, Peter's pride in his own self-significance and importance would lie dead in the Judean dust. He would be perhaps the greatest alright—the greatest failure of the disciples. However, as we know. God used Peter's failure and subsequent restoration as testimony of His love and an incredible source of encouragement. Will we lay down our lives for Jesus' namesake? I hope so. Let's be on the alert for any lurking pride, self-significance, and self-importance that would hinder the flow of the love of Jesus Christ into the world we live in. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

In this introductory episode to our Isaiah series, we explore how Isaiah functions as a microcosm of the biblical story itself. The book of Isaiah has long been called a Bible within the Bible - and for good reason. With its 66 chapters mirroring the 66 books of Scripture and its structural division into 39 chapters followed by 27, echoing the Old and New Testaments, Isaiah offers a sweeping vision of judgment and hope, sin and restoration, exile and salvation. We begin in Isaiah 1:1, where the prophet situates his ministry across the reigns of multiple Judean kings, spanning roughly 30–40 years of political upheaval and spiritual decline. Isaiah does not arise from the margins. Unlike some prophets who emerge from rural obscurity, Isaiah appears to operate near the royal court and priestly establishment. He speaks from the center of power, likely with access to scribes and disciples who preserved and shaped his prophetic legacy.Thematically, like his contemporary prophet Micah, Isaiah confronts injustice, idolatry, and false security - warning of coming captivity while simultaneously unveiling breathtaking visions of future restoration and glorification.We explore Isaiah's distinctive conception of God - especially his repeated use of the titles “Lord of Hosts” and “Holy One of Israel.” These are not abstract theological labels. They directly address Judah's twin crises: military threat and moral corruption. The Lord of Hosts commands the armies of heaven; the Holy One of Israel confronts the defilement of His covenant people. The very nature of God becomes the answer to both their political anxiety and their spiritual disease.Yet Isaiah is not only a prophet of critique. He is a prophet of hope. His visions stretch beyond judgment to a coming Servant and King, a renewed Zion, and the inclusion of the nations.Finally, we conclude by exploring the meaning of Isaiah's name: “YHWH is Salvation.” The Hebrew concept of salvation (yeshua) carries the sense of being released from constriction, pressure, confinement - of being brought out into spaciousness and freedom, which is reflected in the name of Jesus - Yeshua. This episode sets the stage for a journey through one of the most theologically rich and powerful books in Scripture, one that prepares us to see Jesus more clearly and to understand the fullness of God's saving work in him more accurately.Welcome to Isaiah.Key Passages: Isaiah 1:1Matthew 1:20-21Explainer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Video⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.biblehub.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.blueletterbible.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave us a question or comment at our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website podcast page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Click here to WATCH LIVE STREAM Worship Service on our Youtube Channel. That You May Believe, Part 7 John 3:22-36 John 3:22-36 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison). 25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.” 31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.   John 3:22-24 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison). John 3:25-26 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John 3:27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. John 3:28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' John 3:29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. Colossians 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. John 3:32-34 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. Hebrews 1:1-2 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 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. John 3:35-36 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.   John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. The joy of seeing others following Jesus. 3 John 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Colossians 1:28-29 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. The joy of walking in humility. 1 Corinthians 4:7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?   Romans 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 1 Peter 4:10-11 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Matthew 11:11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. The joy of trusting in Jesus.   Colossians 1:18-20 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.   Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. 1 Peter 1:8-9 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Respond | Connect | Next Steps The post John: That You May Believe appeared first on Charleston Baptist Church.

3.8.2026 – Rev. Ben Roberts for Foundry UMC, Washington DC The author has wasted no time being extra scandalous here. It's not just that Jesus is meeting with the Samaritan woman but also that he's doing it at a well. Other biblical narratives of men meeting with women at the well usually ends with some sort of marriage; Isaac and Rebecca.  Jacob and Rachel.  Moses and Zipporah.  These are all encounters at wells. So the overtones for the original audience of this story hint at courtship.  If you've encountered this story before maybe you've heard it sad that this woman social standing should be questioned because of the marriage history that's presented. But Dr. Laura Holmes at Wesley Theological seminary invites us to remember that permission to divorce would have been handed down by male family member it would not have been possible for a poor woman. She couldn't have chosen to get divorced. So the multiple husbands noted in this story likely are “related to tragedies either death or being divorced or both.” So it would be inappropriate to make those sorts of conclusion about here moral or social standing. She also notes for us that we should pay attention to the way that the community responds to this woman's testimony, that many people receive it and believe because of her. If she were ostracized, it is unlikely they would have even listened to what she had to say.  This story also follows closely to that of Nicodemus' the story we heard last week. The contrast being that the Nicodemus story takes place in the middle of the night, but Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well in the middle of the day. Their stories present a series of opposites: “They embody gender, class and status, and ethnic and religious differences. The setup for each encounter also differs: Nicodemus initiates the conversation with Jesus, while Jesus initiates the conversation with the Samaritan woman, and the former is at night (3:2) while the latter is at noon (4:6).”  In both stories, Jesus's answers are interpreted literally causing confusion; when talking of being born again or drinking living water. As Pastor Ginger said last week, very unhelpful answers provided by Jesus. But we see different responses within the confusion. Nicodemus's story somewhat ends after a couple of follow-up questions; he the learned teacher doesn't continue the conversation. While the Samaritan woman asks for the living water and goes and tells others about what she has encountered. So we get some of the feeling that they learned teacher Nicodemus who is inside the community doesn't quite get it what this random Samaritan outsider woman stays engaged and curious.  After the woman asks for the living water, Jesus does something that reveals and points to himself as Messiah. He knows things that haven't be said yet. He tells her about her husbands and current situation, nothing she had shared with him. This, him knowing something that hasn't been reveled,  is enough to begin this revelation and journey for her.  Let's note they have this discussion on worship. Localities are brought up as she says “this mountain” and then says, “but you (y'all) say the place where people MUST worship is Jerusalem.”  We'll talk some more about this, but suffice it to say for the moment the Jewish tradition is telling them that worship must be in Jerusalem, while the Samaritan tradition says it should be on Mt. Gerizim (or this mountain).  She points to this dogmatic divide between their communities and Jesus' response is to say neither Jerusalem nor this mountain. A time is coming when true worship will be in spirit and in truth. Worship that is born not from obligation to ritual but love of heart and active in the world as Jesus was active (mercy, service, justice, compassion). She goes from there and tells others in her community and it's said that many listened to her, came to see Jesus for themselves, and also believed. The woman becomes one of our traditions' first theologians discussing proper worship, first preachers telling her community what Jesus had done, and is every bit a disciple/apostle as those other…guys. And that is lovely.  There are few major stories where the Samaritans were mentioned in the New Testament. We have this story of the Samaritan woman at the well. We have the story of a thankful Samaritan leper. And we have probably the best-known story of the Good Samaritan parable. In each of these cases a person who is Samaritan is held up as an example of someone who did the “right” thing where the more faithful person or the Jewish person in this story does the wrong thing or is just slower at…the thing. For example, in the Good Samaritan parable this is the Samaritan who stops to help the injured person after some priests and Levites had passed by on the other side. Or in the case of the leper the Samaritan is the one who gives thanks and tells the story where the other nine just leave. I'll note that in the other two cases a person is in some ways reduced to being an object lesson, that is they are just held up to teach us something about the ways we're supposed to act. There's not a bunch of character development. We don't learn about the actual people or their communities through these stories. They're just being used to show us something. By comparison, today's story is rather robust for the Samaritan character; despite not being given a name. Last fall (2025) as part of our foundations of sacred resistance series, we did a Bible study that included talking about the Good Samaritan. Someone brought up that it would be helpful for us to expand on who the Samaritans were. Usually we (and the Bible) just note there is animosity between the Jewish community and the Samaritan community. There was one Kingdom and a united monarchy until the time after King Solomon. So we have one Kingdom under David and then under his son Solomon, but after Solomon, the kingdoms and the tribes split. Ten tribes remain in the north, which becomes the Kingdom of Israel, and two remain in the South, which becomes the Kingdom of Judah. The reason for that split is often characterized as a continuation of tax policy and harsh leadership. This would have been around or between 975 and 930 BCE. Whatever the day-to-day on the ground specifics, we end up with two groups where there had previously been one. Differences begin to emerge for a variety of reasons. But we'll start with something that's common, and that is that both groups followed the Torah or the fist 5 books of what we would call the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament (Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy). For portions of this Northern Kingdom that eventually become the Samaritan community, the scriptures stop there without additions of prophetic texts, Psalms or others that Christian circles are familiar with from the Hebrew Bible or Old testament.  And within that holy text of those first five books, there are differences between the Torah used by the Samaritans and the Torah used by the Jews. There are 6,000 differences: half of which are grammatical or small changes for flow, and the other half are larger ones like entire conversations (missing/not included) between characters like Moses and Aaron with Pharaoh and a difference in the 10 commandments. Where we might be familiar with the 10th commandment being “thou shalt not covet,” the Samaritan version has the 10th commandment as an instruction to build and alter at Mount Gerizim (believed to be the place Abraham was going to sacrifice Isacc for this tradition rather than Mount Moriah/The Temple Mount in Jerusalem). So differing scriptures (yet the same), differing instructions, differing locations claiming to be central to the faith if not the center of the world. These realties come together over time. The distinct group of the Samaritans does not really emerge however until after the Assyrian conquest in 722 BCE.  The Assyrians come through and take over the Northern Kingdom (Israel). When the northern Kingdom fell some of the members of the 10 tribes are deported throughout Assyrian territory.  Some remained. But the Assyrians also send colonists and other deported people from other places into the region of the northern Kingdom. And the population that remained from the 10 tribes begins to intermix culturally, religiously, and socially.  Differences are magnified  because of the experience of the Southern Kingdom with the Babylonian exile. Where the Assyrian conquest of the Northern Kingdome sends the people away. The Babylonian conquest takes the people of the southern kingdom in to exile in Babylon (this where books of the prophets come from) but there's an end exile (where there wasn't for the northern kingdom) 200 years later, Persians allow the southern kingdom Judean's to return. This has a big impact on the development of Judaism. And upon their return, while it's said in the book of Ezra, the Samaritans were willing to welcome back these cousins and work with them to rebuild. Those returning did not want to mix because of the ways the Samaritans had mixed with other cultures over the centuries. At some point during the Assyrian conquest and the people being deported. Some lions showed up, killed some people, it was a big mess. It was a whole thing. The Assyrians said, you know, those people we sent into that land don't know how to worship the God of that land. So we need to send a priest back to teach them (2 Kings), because we can't have lions running around killing people. So our tradition, from the start says, those people who remain, those Samaritans who have been mixing, they don't know what they're doing when it comes to worship when it comes to being faithful. They're doing it wrong and need to be fixed. That becomes the one-sided story we inherit. This experience of exile, return and non-return becomes a big divergence for the two groups. The returning Judeans don't want to mix with those people who are doing it wrong. They reject the Samaritan's help. And as the returning Judeans begin to do things like rebuild Jerusalem and the temple after rejecting the Samaritans' help. The Samaritans in turn find ways to oppose its construction by lobbying the Persians.  Laws and prohibitions around mixing and inter-marrying are put in place. The marriage prohibitions persist to this day. Animosity and separation continue to grow over hundreds of years by the time the Jesus story begins. In 128 BCE the Hasmonean's (Judea/Southern Kingdom) destroyed the Samaritan Temple at Mt. Gerizim. Little more than a century later (6-9 AD) around the time of Jesus' birth, the Samaritans dump human bones throughout the temple in Jerusalem, rendering it unclean and unavailable for the Passover celebration. There is long-range tit for tat going on. And at roughly the same time as Jesus' life and ministry and the budding of the early Christian church, the Samaritans were essentially in collaboration with the occupying Romans; collecting taxes and helping keep order compared to the rebellious Jewish community. Samaritan community still exists. By all accounts there are 8-900 people left in the community. The population is mainly split between Tel-Aviv, Israel and Nablus near Mount Gerizim in Palestine/West Bank. There was a NYT article from 2021 called “The World's Last Samaritans – Straddling the Israeli-Palestinian Divide.” So with all of that, recent desecrations and destructions of temples, differing yet the same scripture, vastly differing experiences, prohibitions on marriages and sharing food, and hundreds of years of growing divide; Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman at a well. No shortage of old divides on display for us in the world right now. No shortage of one-sided stories about how awful the other side is, right now. No shortage of stories about how awful we are. No shortage of conflict and suffering because of it. I think I very much like the idea today of Jesus stepping into and interrupting old, entrenched conflict. I like the idea that people, like the woman, are still curious and willing not be held by old tropes and dogmas; social, political, or religious. I like Jesus stepping in and saying not your mountain or ours; it's not what matters and they're not worth staying divided over.  If we keep drinking from these old wells; of nationalism, Christian nationalism, Christian Zionism, racism. Drinking from wells of sexism misogyny, racism, or homophobia. Drinking from the wells of ethnic conflict the wells of polarization. Drinking from these old wells of division and violence will just keep us coming back to these old wells of division and violence. Four years from now, 100 years from now, 200, 700, 3000 years from now. Instead, we're invited to the living water that can satisfy and move us into relationship. And for those who would step into that relationship, having experienced the living water, within them a spring would form and other could experience it too. Through that expansion may  we (with God's help) somehow move closer to the days of Spirit and Truth; changed hearts and just action in the world.

1. Tim taught about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, explaining how radical his intentional choices to both be in Samaria, and to ask for water from the Samaritan woman were in his time. Tim said, “If Jesus is going to travel through Samaria, it's for theological and relational reason - not logistical ones.” What social divides and imaginary partitions exist in your social circles or environments that might serve as modern parallels to the taboos that divided the 1st century Judean & Samaritan children of Judaism? Spend some time thoughtfully considering and discussing the nuances of possible parallels. What's aligns? What's different? How do those things impact your experience of the divides you identified? Having identified & explored possible modern analogs to the enmity and division between the Jews & Samaritans of Jesus' time, consider now what possible analogs exist to the idea of Jesus' journey into Samaria, his exchange with the woman, and the days he ended up staying there with the Samaritan people. What might possible equivalents be in your own social spheres and world? What might it be like to cross into one of those areas or take some of those taboo steps? How do you feel about the idea? Where and why do you feel resistance? Where are there places of openness to the idea? 2. Tim talked about some possible symbolic interpretations of the fact that the woman leaves her water jar at the well while she goes to tell the townspeople about Jesus and her encounter with him. One interpretation centered on the idea of the woman leaving behind the social structures and strictures that had abandoned her to a life that required her to make off-hour, solo trips to the well. Another interpretation centered around water and her thirst for love, community, belonging, safety, and so much more. “Her inner thirst for the good life,” Tim said. When you think of this scene as the woman, who has been outcast, leaving any number of symbolic things behind, what resonates most? Are there ways in which you feel or have felt at times that connecting with and receiving from Jesus enable you to leave behind some of your own burden? In those moments are you ever, like the woman, then impelled to share about the living water and how it's changing you? 3. Tim's also spent some time addressing an inevitable question: why isn't God doing something about all the mess and chaos and injustice of the world? The answer John presents in this story, Tim said, is that he has done something. And that something was, in short, Jesus. How do you respond to the idea that when we might sometimes her the sentiment that, “God has a plan,” the truth as presented in this story, might be “we are the plan,” or even, “you are the plan?” What feelings and thoughts surface for you? Explore the idea, and spend a little time discussing its practical application and the reality of it in our world today. Tim said early in his sermon that this answer might be both comforting and unsettling. How is it for you?

1. Tim taught about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, explaining how radical his intentional choices to both be in Samaria, and to ask for water from the Samaritan woman were in his time. Tim said, “If Jesus is going to travel through Samaria, it's for theological and relational reason - not logistical ones.”What social divides and imaginary partitions exist in your social circles or environments that might serve as modern parallels to the taboos that divided the 1st century Judean & Samaritan children of Judaism? Spend some time thoughtfully considering and discussing the nuances of possible parallels. What's aligns? What's different? How do those things impact your experience of the divides you identified? Having identified & explored possible modern analogs to the enmity and division between the Jews & Samaritans of Jesus' time, consider now what possible analogs exist to the idea of Jesus' journey into Samaria, his exchange with the woman, and the days he ended up staying there with the Samaritan people. What might possible equivalents be in your own social spheres and world? What might it be like to cross into one of those areas or take some of those taboo steps? How do you feel about the idea? Where and why do you feel resistance? Where are there places of openness to the idea?2. Tim talked about some possible symbolic interpretations of the fact that the woman leaves her water jar at the well while she goes to tell the townspeople about Jesus and her encounter with him. One interpretation centered on the idea of the woman leaving behind the social structures and strictures that had abandoned her to a life that required her to make off-hour, solo trips to the well. Another interpretation centered around water and her thirst for love, community, belonging, safety, and so much more. “Her inner thirst for the good life,” Tim said. When you think of this scene as the woman, who has been outcast, leaving any number of symbolic things behind, what resonates most? Are there ways in which you feel or have felt at times that connecting with and receiving from Jesus enable you to leave behind some of your own burden? In those moments are you ever, like the woman, then impelled to share about the living water and how it's changing you?3. Tim's also spent some time addressing an inevitable question: why isn't God doing something about all the mess and chaos and injustice of the world? The answer John presents in this story, Tim said, is that he has done something. And that something was, in short, Jesus. How do you respond to the idea that when we might sometimes her the sentiment that, “God has a plan,” the truth as presented in this story, might be “we are the plan,” or even, “you are the plan?” What feelings and thoughts surface for you? Explore the idea, and spend a little time discussing its practical application and the reality of it in our world today. Tim said early in his sermon that this answer might be both comforting and unsettling. How is it for you?

Caroline brings to life the forty days and forty nights Jesus spent fasting and praying in the Judean desert. Told with rich, vivid detail, the story follows Jesus from his arrival in the wilderness through the angels' visit, the sweating of blood, and Satan's repeated attempts to tempt him — each time disguised and each […] L'articolo Bible Storytime With Caroline – Jesus and Satan: The Temptation in the Desert proviene da Radio Maria.

Jesus faced temptation in the Judean wilderness for 40 days, and we enter another Lenten season to honor and learn from Jesus, seeking to grow closer to God and be changed on the road to Easter...Live streams are available each Sunday at 11:00 am on our website, app, and Vimeo at: ⁠https://vimeo.com/chippewaumc⁠⁠ChippewaUMC.org⁠

Preacher: Kathy Maskell Mark 1:1-7 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way" — 3 "a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" 4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: "After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  Mark 1:16-20 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. 

Reader: Danita O'Loughlin Preacher: Tibor Tumbas Tibor is preaching from Psalm 63. David is hiding from King Saul in the Judean wilderness as Saul tries to hunt David down. The environemnt where David is hidng is in the middle of a desert yet David is okay. He knows he can rely upon God. Tibor challenges us to rely upon God like David - to trust God with everything we have. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make allbecau of life all about Jesus.

As Paul's group says farewell to the Ephesians, a Judean prophet predicts that Paul will be taken into custody if he goes to Jerusalem, but Paul is still determined to go. Though he and other fellow believers try to show the Jews that Paul is not a blasphemer, it seems to be of little use. A riot ensues and Paul is attacked. The local officials step in to help, finding out later that Paul is a Roman citizen. When Paul is taken into custody by the state, a mob forms and secretly plots to kill him. The plot is discovered in a way that the mob couldn't have predicted, revealing that God is rescuing Paul from death and preserving him for further ministry and teaching.Acts 21 – 1:12 . Acts 22 – 8:40 . Acts 23 – 14:10 . Acts 24 – 20:53 . Proverbs 14 – 25:34 . :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

In this episode with Rabbi Yaakov Beasly, we explore the fascinating text of this week's Haftorah describing the unusual childhood of the Judean king Yoash and his attempt to physically restore the Temple. The conversation highlights the tragedy of disillusionment with spiritual leadership and reminds us how challenging it is to change intergenerational patterns. This week's episode is dedicated in memory of Vera Perlman and Leeba bat Yitzchak Meyer. This year the Matan Podcast is exploring the weekly Haftorah.

2026-01-18 Prepared In The Wildernessby Pastor Chris Berg Scripture: Mark 1:2-132 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:“I will send my messenger ahead of you,    who will prepare your way”—3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord,    make straight paths for him.'”4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.Mandeville Bible Church   "Where God's Word is Our Foundation"https://www.mandevillebiblechurch.org/Come and see that God's Word is alive and at work right here in Mandeville.. and throughout the world!All are welcome. 217 Carroll Street, Mandeville, LA 70448Office Phone: (985) 626-3114Sunday Service: 9:30AMAdult Sunday School: 10:45-11:30AMNursery and Children's church available.

Send us a textWhat if the years you call silence are actually preparation? We walk through Luke 1 and watch God break four centuries of quiet with the birth of John the Baptist, beginning in a temple where a faithful priest meets a fearsome promise. Zechariah and Elizabeth are introduced not as failures but as righteous people who carry an old ache. In the holy place, Gabriel announces a son who will arrive filled with the Spirit, turning hearts and making ready a people for the Lord. The moment reframes delay and disappointment, showing that God remembers both public petitions and private cries.Zechariah's hesitation costs him his voice, yet the loss becomes a sign that shapes his soul. At John's birth, a countercultural naming—His name is John—signals obedience over custom and control. When Zechariah speaks again, his first words are blessing, not bitterness. His Benedictus stitches the story together: promises to David and Abraham, the hope of redemption, and the image of a sunrise breaking over those who sit in darkness. John's role is clear and humble—prepare the way, preach repentance, point beyond himself. He is not the light; he bears witness to it, inviting us to live with the same clarity and decrease so that Christ increases.Along the way we explore the priestly context, why the incense offering mattered, and how Luke's careful details anchor faith in real history. We connect Isaiah and Malachi to a Judean nursery, trace the arc from doubt to doxology, and reflect on wilderness as God's training ground. If you've ever wondered whether God sees, whether he keeps covenant, or whether your long-prayed prayers still echo in heaven, this conversation offers steady hope and practical courage to keep trusting.Subscribe for more weekly studies through Luke, share this episode with someone waiting on God's timing, and leave a review to help others find the show.New episodes every Mondaywww.lifehousemot.cominfo@lifehousede.com Join us Sundays at 9 & 11 AM Intro music by Joey Blair

On Epiphany, churches often focus on mysterious and joyful arrival of the magi, a jovial tale about three royal kings bringing the baby Jesus finely-wrapped birthday gifts. But the reality is that Herod looms large; his actions twist this tale into a tragedy. In fear, Herod chooses coercion and control. Still, the magi persist and persevere, giving honor to a Judean king with insistent hope that his anointing could lead to the restoration of their own Persian customs and culture within the ever-expanding Roman empire. We can't ignore that the Herods of the world still loom large. The slaughter of the Holy Innocents is a painful story that mirrors devastating modern-day events and realities. And yet, this is the work of insisting on hope. We will share holy communion, as love leads us forward. www.TheLoftLA.org

PREVIEW:  This audio excerpt features an interview with Professor Barry Strauss regarding his book, which chronicles the Jewish rebellion against Roman authority during the first century. The discussion focuses on the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, led by Titus, the son of Emperor Vespasian. Although the Jewish resistance considered their capital an impregnable fortress due to its geographic defenses and abundant resources, the city remained vulnerable along its northern wall. Internal leadership struggles and incomplete fortifications ultimately hampered the rebels' ability to withstand the Roman military onslaught. This historical account highlights the intense defiance of the Judean people as they faced a concentrated effort by the Roman Empire to suppress their revolt. MORE LATER.

Subscribe now to ditch the ads. Chag Sameach! Danny and Derek are joined by independent scholar Joseph Scales to talk about the history of Hanukkah. They discuss the rivalry between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires that preceded the conflict; the Maccabean/Hasmonean revolt and the family's ascension to power within Judea; the Judean expansion; and much more. Originally published November 27, 2021

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-23697b8e4cbc85460e1d3cb18bbb295f{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-23697b8e4cbc85460e1d3cb18bbb295f .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-23697b8e4cbc85460e1d3cb18bbb295f .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 02 – December 10Daniel 5 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – December 10 Daniel 5 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-1210db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible The Handwriting on the Wall at Belshazzar's Banquet 1 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and in front of the thousand he drank wine. 2 When he had tasted the wine, Belshazzar said to bring the gold and silver vessels that his father [1] Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines could drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that they had taken from the temple, that is, the House of God in Jerusalem. So the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand, and the king saw the back of the hand that was writing. 6 Then the king's cheerful appearance changed, his face grew pale, [2] and his thoughts troubled him. His legs went limp, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king called out loudly to bring the spell casters, the astrologers, and the diviners. The king said to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever is able to read this writing and explain its meaning will be clothed in purple, with a gold chain around his neck, and he will rule as third highest in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king's wise men came in, but they were not able to read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 Then King Belshazzar was really terrified. He grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed. 10 The queen [3] came to the drinking party [4] because of the words of the king and his nobles. The queen said, “Your Majesty, may you live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, and do not look so frightened. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, enlightenment, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. So King Nebuchadnezzar your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, spell casters, astrologers, and diviners, 12 because an outstanding spirit and knowledge and insight in interpreting dreams and explaining riddles and solving knotty problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be summoned, and he will explain the meaning of the writing.” Daniel Interprets the Writing 13 Then Daniel was brought before the king. The king said to Daniel, “Are you Daniel, one of the Judean exiles whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and enlightenment and insight and outstanding wisdom are found in you. 15 Now, those wise men who are the spell casters were brought before me to read this writing and to make its meaning known to me, but they were not able to explain the meaning of the message. 16 Yet I have heard about you that you are able to explain meanings clearly and to solve knotty problems. Therefore, if you are able to read the writing and make its meaning known to me, you will be clothed in purple, with a gold chain around your neck, and you will rule as the third in the kingdom.” 17 Then Daniel answered the king: Keep your gifts for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else! Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king, and I will make its meaning known to him. 18 As for you, Your Majesty—the Most High God gave the kingdom, greatness, splendor, and glory to Nebuchadnezzar, your father. 19 So because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and were afraid in his presence. He killed whomever he wanted, and he let live whomever he wanted. Also, he promoted anyone he wanted, and he demoted anyone he wanted. 20 But when he thought too much of himself, and his spirit became hardened in pride so that he acted arrogantly, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom, and his splendor was taken away from him. 21 He was driven away from humans, and his mind was changed to that of an animal. So his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass as bulls are fed, and his body was wet with dew from the sky, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdoms of men, and he raises up over them anyone he desires. 22 But you, his son, Belshazzar, did not humble your heart although you knew all this. 23 Instead, you lifted yourself against the Lord of Heaven. The vessels from his house were brought before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. Then you praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, who do not see and do not hear and do not know. But you did not honor the God who holds your breath in his hand and who controls all your ways. 24 So the back of the hand was sent by him, and this writing was inscribed. 25 Now this is the writing that was inscribed: mene mene tekel and parsin 26 This is the meaning of the message: Mene [5] means that God has counted up your kingdom and paid it out or spent it. 27 Tekel [6] means that you have been weighed in the scales, and you are too light. 28 Parsin [7] means that your kingdom has been broken in two and given to the Medes and the Persians. 29 Then Belshazzar spoke, and they dressed Daniel in purple, with a gold chain around his neck, and they made him the third highest ruler in the kingdom. Darius Receives the Kingdom 30 That very night, King Belshazzar the Chaldean was killed. 31 Then Darius the Mede received the kingdom, when he was about sixty-two years old. [8] Footnotes Daniel 5:2 That is, his royal predecessor, not his physical father Daniel 5:6 Literally his brightness changed Daniel 5:10 Perhaps the king's mother or grandmother, a daughter or granddaughter of Nebuchadnezzar Daniel 5:10 Literally house of drinking Daniel 5:26 Mene means “measured” or “counted” and suggests mina, a unit for weighing money. Daniel 5:27 Tekel means “weighed” and suggests shekel, a unit for weighing money. Daniel 5:28 Parsin means “divided” and suggests half shekel. It also sounds like the word “Persians.” Daniel 5:31 English verse 5:31 is 6:1 in Hebrew. Throughout the rest of chapter 6, the English verse numbers are one number lower than the Hebrew numbers. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

God is ___________________ long before you see Him ___________________.[Isaiah 40:3-5 NIV] A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. [4] Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. [5] And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."[Matthew 3:1-2] In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, [2] "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."God uses the ______________________ to prepare you.[Luke 3:15] Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah.Repentance is turning away from _________________ and towards what God is ___________________ to do.[John 1:5-7, 9] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. [6] God sent a man, John the Baptist, [7] to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. [9] The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.Preparation is living with ___________________ even before you see it.The preparation always comes before the ______________.[Hebrews 11:8] It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.The Lord never asked for a ___________________ heart, He asked for a ___________________ one.[Psalm 130:5 NIV] I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.

We are in the process of exploring the context of the birth narrative of Jesus, and we have arrived at the time of the rise of Octavian. He will lead the Roman Republic into its Empire stage. But how does he do that and how does this change the Judean context of Bethlehem where Jesus is born? Explore more about all the projects Dr. Smith is involved in:Great Commission Bible InstituteChristian Travel Study ProgramsOutreach Ministry: www.globalvisionoutreach.orgThrough the Bible: 1hour1book.comContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!

God's people are now in exile in the land of Babylon, which brings us to the book of Daniel, an extraordinary account of a young Judean exile who receives interpretation and prophecy from the Lord while serving foreign kings. Of particular significance in today's passage is the statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream. The statue's head of gold represented Babylon; its silver chest and arms: the Medo-Persian empire; the bronze stomach and thighs: the Greek empire; the legs of iron: the kingdom of Rome; and the mixed clay and iron feet: a continuation of Rome in later times. Finally, the rock represents the kingdom of God in Christ, as it easily destroys the manmade statue, enduring forever and spreading throughout the earth.Daniel 1 - 1:05 . 1:11Daniel 2 - 4:30 . 4:36Proverbs 26:13-28 - 16:05 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

The book of Daniel is an extraordinary account of a young Judean exile who receives interpretation and prophecy from the Lord while serving foreign kings. Of particular significance in today's passage is the statue that Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream. The statue's head of gold represented Babylon; its silver chest and arms: the Medo-Persian empire; the bronze stomach and thighs: the Greek empire; the legs of iron: the kingdom of Rome; and the mixed clay and iron feet: a continuation of Rome in later times. Finally, the rock represents the kingdom of God in Christ, as it easily destroys the manmade statue, enduring forever and spreading throughout the earth.Daniel 1 - 1:11 . Daniel 2 - 4:43 . Daniel 3 - 16:19 . Isaiah 43:1-13 - 23:30 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Today's Scripture passages are Jeremiah 42 - 44 | Acts 17:1-15.Read by Christina Edmondson.Get in The Word with Truth's Table is a production of InterVarsity Press. For 75 years, IVP has published and created thoughtful Christian books for the university, church, and the world. Our Bible reading plan is adapted from Bible Study Together, and the Bible version is the New English Translation, used by permission.SPECIAL OFFER | As a listener of this podcast, use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode at ivpress.com.Additional Credits:Song production: Seaux ChillSong lyrics written by: Seaux Chill, Ekemini Uwan, and Christina EdmondsonPodcast art: Kate LillardPhotography: Shelly EveBible consultant: JM SmithSound engineering: Podastery StudiosCreative producers: Ekemini Uwan and Christina EdmondsonAssistant producer: Christine Pelliccio MeloExecutive producer: Helen LeeDisclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.