Podcasts about Mount Zion

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 125:1-2)

Hebrews 12 opens with therefore because everything it asks rests on a finished cross, and the sin it warns against was never your bad habits — it is the pull to look back to the old system instead of resting in Christ. The race is not trying harder; it is fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, and refusing to turn your head around. You did not come to the mountain of fire and fence — you came to Mount Zion, to grace, to a kingdom that cannot be shaken, so come in and stay in.

Telling the Story: Part 1 Acts 7:1-16 by William Klock Last Sunday, in Acts 6, we saw Stephen confronted as he preached in the synagogue.  We don't know exactly what he was preaching, but from the accusations that were made against him, he was—of course—preaching that Jesus is the Messiah, but must also have been talking about the way in which Jesus and the Spirit fulfil God's promises to Israel, the law and the prophets, the torah and the temple.  We can surmise that, because what they accuse him of is saying blasphemous things against God in general and specifically against Moses.  They accuse him of saying that Jesus will destroy the temple and change the customs that Moses had handed down to them.  We can surmise this, too, because this is what we've been hearing Peter preach in the earlier parts of Acts.  Never in the early church do we see the apostles or anyone else just launching into a sermon about Jesus.  They always and consistently preach Jesus as part of the story of the God of Israel and his people.  That's important.  In fact, it's critical; it's essential.  Leave out the story that leads to Jesus and you just may lose Jesus himself.  That's what happened with Marcion of Sinope back in the Second Century.  His was one of the very first heresies the church had to confront.  He threw away the Old Testament.  He believed the God of the Old Testament was an evil, sadistic god and not the same God we see in the New.  So he just unhitched the Old Testament and left it behind.  And that heresy has been cropping up throughout church history in one form or another ever since.  A few years ago, ex-evangelical pastor, Andy Stanley, caused a big stir when he preached that the church has to unhitch itself from the Old Testament.  Even if we don't cut out the Old Testament from our Bibles, even if we cherish the Old Testament, if we lose the story it contains, we're going to get ourselves into trouble.  Men like Tertullian and Justin Martyr addressed Marcion and he was eventually excommunicated.  The church would always hold tenaciously to the Old Testament.  But it wasn't even a hundred and fifty year later that we started to undermine its story-telling.  As the church became increasingly dominated by gentiles, we started to read the Old Testament (and the New), not as the story of the God of Isreal and his people, but as a book of moral allegories and of types that pointed to Jesus.  We flattened it out and made it abstract.  We “spiritualised” it.  We knew the story of the God of Isreal and his people was there, but we denigrated it.  That was the simplest, the least important, the least “spiritual” way to read the Bible.  And by the grace of God we didn't lose the gospel, but gradually we started putting the em-PHA-sis in the wrong places. What we see in the Bible, in the Gospels, in the teaching of Jesus, and in the teaching of the apostles in their epistles, and in the examples we see through Acts, is that the good news about Jesus is deeply rooted in the Old Testament and in Israel's story.  You cannot separate the old and the new.  The story tells us the problem of human sin and rebellion and of the corruption of Gods' good creation.  The story shows us how God has stepped into the world to set it to rights.  The story shows—long before we ever get to Jesus—the goodness and faithfulness of God.  The story shows why the Israelites could and should trust the God who spoke through Moses and the Prophets—and eventually through Jesus and the apostles.  The story prepared them—and it prepares us—for Jesus, for his death and his resurrection and his ascension and his kingdom and it prepares us to know the Spirit and to be the temple, purified by the blood of Jesus and made a dwelling place for God, to be a the truly heaven-on-earth people God had promised to make Israel; to be the beginnings, the firstfruits of his new creation, his new age, his kingdom. That's what Stephen was getting at when he reminded his fellow Jews about the day when Jesus had said that he would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days.  It wasn't about the end of Moses or torah or temple; it was about fulfilling them.  They were signposts point into God's future—a future in which God would live with his people, not in a building, but actually in them, and a future in which the law would no longer be carved on stone tablets, but written on human hearts.  But they refused to hear.  They drummed up false witnesses and they dragged Stephen before the Sanhedrin, the governing body of the Jews.  Look at Acts 7.  [Page 1086 in the pew Bibles.]  Having been dragged before the Sanhedrin, “The high priest addressed Stephen.  ‘Are these things true?' he said.  ‘Brothers and fathers, hear me,' replied Stephen.  ‘The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he moved to live in Haran.'” Let me pause there.  Notice how Stephen is going all the way back to the beginning.  He speaks first of the God of glory, which might not seem very important to us, but it's noteworthy that “God of glory” is not a common way to speak of God in the Old Testament.  In fact, Psalm 29:3 is the only place this title is used.  On the one hand, I suspect Stephen uses it to make the point that he has no interest in denigrating or blaspheming the God of Irael.  Stephen is invested in proclaiming the glory of God, and that's exactly what he's about to do by reminding them of their own story—and, most importantly, how it ends with Jesus and the Spirit.  But Stephen is also invoking Psalm 29 as it ascribes glory to the God of creation, the God who is enthroned, sovereign over the seas and over the forests, sovereign over the nations, the God who blesses his people as they cry out in his temple, “Glory!”.  This is the God of creation.  And then to mention Abraham in the next breath is to set the opening scene.  God created the heavens and earth.  God created human beings to serve as his stewards and his priests in this creation.  And we rebelled.  We broke it.  We corrupted it.  We introduced darkness where there was supposed to be light.  We drove a great wedge between heaven and earth, between God and man as we claimed his creation for ourselves, to do with as we pleased, to try to rule it as if we are gods ourselves.  To write our own stories instead of living in the one he's given us. And it was into that darkness, into that void in which men and women had lost all knowledge of their creator and had turned to idols, God spoke.  And he called to Abraham.  That call was the beginning of a new story—a story to set creation and to set humanity to rights.  A story that would, one day, culminate in God returning to dwell with his people.  It's the story that everyone in Israel new, inside-out, backwards and forwards, top to bottom.  And yet something had gone wrong in the telling.  Because when God returned, Israel had rejected him.  Because when Stephen proclaimed Jesus and the Spirit, the people accused him of blasphemy. Because as faithful as they were to the story, they hadn't got it quite right.  Remember last week I talked about how you might take a trip to the other side of the country.  You drive your car to Nanaimo, then you leave it there and take a ferry to Horseshoe Bay, then you get off the ferry and take a bus downtown, and then you get off the bus to get on Skytrain to the airport, and then fly in airplane to your final destination.  That journey might break down at any number of points.  We might really, really like to drive our car and we can't bear to think of leaving it parked at the ferry terminal and taking a ferry instead.  And so we refuse to stop driving.  When our friend tells us you can't drive on water, we get angry.  We accuse him of being a car-hater.  We accuse him of saying that cars are bad and evil and no good.  And we wait for the ferry to leave and then we drive full-speed down the ramp and crash into the water and drown.  Not because cars are bad, but because cars were simply never designed to drive across water.  That's what's going on with Stephen's accusers.  Stephen never said that torah or temple were bad things.  They were good things.  They were wonderful, spectacular, glorious gifts of God's great grace.  They were signposts leading Israel to Jesus.  It's just that in this new age, God's given something even better.  There's a new law and a new temple.  Those things were the promise, but now the fulfilment of the promise is here.  But they don't want to hear that. But let's image you managed to transition from car to ferry to bus to Skytrain and you get to the airport, but instead of looking at the departures board to find your gate, you just walked down the concourse.  And you looked for the gate you liked best.  You stopped at one and you looked out the window and on the horizon, across the Strait, you could see Vancouver Island.  And it was comforting and you decided this was the right gate.  You could sit and wait for your plane to Montreal and never lose sight of the Island.  And you waited and waited, but no plane came.  And eventually you asked a gate agent, and she said, “Oh, you're at the wrong gate.  Your flight's leaving from such-and-such gate.”  But you didn't listen.  You liked this gate with the view of home.  And a while later they announced your flight—and the gate—but you ignored it.  Eventually you even heard them page you: “Passenger So-and-so, this is your last call for boarding at gate such-and-such.”  But you just sat there.  This gate was nice.  Everyone else was wrong.  Eventually the plane will come.  And that's what most of Isreal did.  The Messiah came to fulfil the law and the prophets, but people already had their ideas of who and what the Messiah was be and to do.  Because they'd got the story wrong.  Not all wrong.  They'd got to the airport after all, but wrong enough that they were convinced it was this gate, not that one. So Stephen's going to do what Jesus had done and what he'd heard Peter do.  He's going back to the very beginning of the story and he's going to tell it again.  He's going to tell it so they can understand that leaving the car and getting on the ferry doesn't mean you hate cars or think they're evil—and that the same goes for Moses and the Prophets and torah and temple.  And he's going to tell it so that when they do get to the airport, they be willing to trust the departure board and the gate agents and the pages about the right gate—so that they'll see how the story was, all along, leading them to Jesus.  The real key here is to pay attention to the bits of the story that Stephen—inspired by the Holy Spirit—decides to emphasise.  There are a thousand parts to this story, but—Stephen is saying—look at it this way and you can't help but recognise that in Jesus, the Messiah has come. So, again, picking up at verse 2: “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he moved to live in Haran.  ‘Leave your land and your family,' he said to him, ‘and go to the land which I will show you.'  So he left the land of the Chaldeans and went to live in Haran.  Then, from there, after his father's death, God moved him on to this land in which you now live.  God didn't give him an inheritance here, not even a place to stand up in.  Instead, he promised (when Abraham still had no child) that he would give it as a possession to his seed after him.  This is what God said to him: that his seed would be strangers in a foreign land, that they would serve there as slaves, and that they would be afflicted for four hundred years.  But God said that he would judge the nation that had enslaved them, and that they would then come out and worship him ‘on this mountain'.  And he gave them the covenant of circumcision.  So Abraham became the father of Isaac, and he circumcised him on the eighth day.  Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of the twelve patriarchs.” You can't understand Judaism or Christianity without understanding Abraham.  This is where the story of God's rescue begins.  With this call, God's plan to set the world to rights begins to unfold.  Israel wasn't just some random nation in history.  God's calling Abraham out of the darkness of ignorance and sin and idolatry is what sets the story on its trajectory to Jesus, it's what establishes that this is the story of how God will rescue human beings and fix his creation that we broke.  It's like Stephen is answering the charge of blasphemy by affirming that, no, he is actually affirming the story they knew; he's affirming God's call; he's affirming the special status of Israel.  Just because we also had to take a ferry, doesn't mean the car was a bad thing or that it didn't have a good and useful purpose. And Stephen makes a point of zeroing in on Genesis 15.  That's the part of Genesis where Abraham has been faithful to God and followed him to the holy land, and God responds by establishing his covenant with him.  We see this, too, over and over in the New Testament, especially with Paul in Galatians 3 and Romans 4.  This is a vitally important part of the story that leads us to Jesus.  And so Stephen stresses: God promised the land to Abraham's descendants.  The most Abraham would ever have it was a burial plot that he had purchase.  But after his descendants had been strangers in a foreign land for four hundred years—he's talking about Israel living as slaves in Egypt—he would judge that land and its people, and he would bring Abraham's children out of Egypt to worship him “on this mountain”.  Why was that important?  Because it shows how God works.  He makes promises and he keeps them, but he does so in his own good time.  If Abraham hadn't know better, he might have thought God had failed.  Moses might have said, “I don't think this is what was promised.”  But instead, Abraham trusted.  Instead, Moses believed and followed God as he did a new thing.  And I think that's why Stephen phrases this bit about “on this mountain”—that was originally God's promise to Moses that he would bring the Israelites back to the place where God had met him in the burning bush and they would worship there, but Stephen connects that with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  Already—long before Jesus—God was fulfilling his promises in ways that were unexpected.  Mount Sinai points to Mount Zion. For Jews in the First Century, the temple had become a symbol of the land of Israel and of God's promise to Abraham.  That's why they were so angry at Stephen when they thought he was blaspheming the temple and saying it was no good or that it would be destroyed.  You might as well say—in their thinking—that God was going to abandon his promise to Abraham.  So Stephen connects this all together.  He affirms the promise; he affirms the covenant; he affirms God's promise of the land; and most of all he affirms the temple.  Most importantly, what he's doing is affirming that God has called this people and given them a purpose.  Through them he's going to save the world.  They knew that, but they'd muddled the story just enough that they'd got the “how” part of it wrong. Stephen's on his way to Moses now.  We'll look at that part of what he says next week.  There's too much to his speech to cover it all in one sermon.  But on the way to Moses, Stephen pauses.  He needs to remind them of the part of the story about Joseph.  Look at verses 9-16: “Now the patriarchs became angry with Joseph, and were jealous of him.  They sold him into Egypt.  But God was with him, and rescued him from all his troubles an gave him grace and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, making him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.  But then there was a famine over the whole of Egypt and Canaan, which resulted in great hardship.  Our ancestors couldn't find food to eat.  Jacob, however, heard that there was grain in Egypt, and sent our ancestors there on an initial visit.  On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and revealed to Pharaoh what family he was from.  So Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his family, seventy-five people in all.  Jacob came to Egypt and he and our ancestors died there.  They were brought back to Shechem and buried in the tomb which Abraham had bought with silver, at a named price, from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.” Before Stephen gets to Moses, there's Joseph and Joseph's story. Abraham (and Moses as we'll see next week) point to Jesus through their calling and the promises God made to them.  Joseph points to Jesus another way and he's particularly relevant to the current situation.  Joseph was rejected by his brothers, but it was precisely in that rejection that God was work.  It was through his rejection and through Joseph's unjust suffering that God raised him to govern the whole land of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.  When famine came to Canaan and Egypt, it was Joseph whom his brothers came to for food—the man they'd been jealous of, the man they'd abused, the man they nearly murdered, the man they sold into slavery.  And yet, what happened when they came to Joseph.  Instead of being angry, instead of retaliating, instead of getting revenge, Joseph was gracious.  He wept for joy to see his brothers again and invited them to come and live with him in a land of plenty. I hope that sounds familiar.  I hope you can hear echoes of Jesus there. I can't help but think of the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son and the rejoicing that Jesus says happens in heaven when sinners repent.  I hope you can see in Joseph's story, particularly as Stephen tells it, how God was preparing his people for his son.  This is how God works: through humility, through rejection, through letting sin and evil and human rebellion do their worst, and then rising triumphant.  This is how God works, Stephen declares: He is loving and gracious and merciful toward those he has created.  One day, when he finally finishes the work of setting creation to rights, it'll mean wiping from its face all those who persist in their rebellion, who persist in sin and evil.  God does not rejoice in the destruction of those he loves.  And so he rejoices—just as Joseph did—to welcome the repentant, to welcome those who want to be part of God's new world, to welcome those who come to be washed clean in the blood of Jesus and to be filled with his Spirit, to become new creations themselves, to become part of his new temple.  Stephen's pointing back to Joseph to tell the Sanhedrin: There is grace, there is forgiveness for you too—even for those who cried out “Crucify him!” I suspect there were some men there in that meeting of the Sanhedrin that day who saw where Stephen was going with this.  Like I said, this is as far as we'll go with Chapter 7 today.  It's too much for one sermon.  But the real takeaway from these first sixteen verses is, I think, simply to understand what Stephen, inspired by the Spirit and steeped in the scriptures, is doing here.  This is—or it should be, because it sadly usually isn't—this is the great art of Christian apologetic and Christian preaching and the proclamation of the good news about Jesus.  It's to tell the story of God and his people, to have the wisdom to know which of the thousand and one details is relevant to the immediately situation or immediate audience, and then to tell that story as the story that leads to Jesus as its fulfilment and its climax on the one hand, but that also proclaims God's glory by showing his goodness and faithfulness in the story that brings us to Jesus.  Brothers and Sisters, the Old Testament is not just a collection of useful stories for teaching morals nor is it a collection of allegories that foreshadow Jesus.  It is, first and foremost, the story of how God has been at work to save us and to save his creation from sin and death.  And we need to learn it.  We need to learn it well.  So that we can tell the story in a way that doesn't leave us behind as the ferry sails away or that leads people stranded at the wrong gate at the airport.  We need to tell the story in way that honours the old covenant, torah and temple, but we also need to tell it in a way that reveals Jesus as the fulfilment of them, a story that faithfully follows the signposts as they lead us to Jesus and to the Spirit, to the cross and to the empty tomb, to the ascension and to the creation of this new temple, not made of stones, but made of people washed clean by Jesus and filled with God's own Spirit.  We need to learn to tell the story so it gives glory to God for his goodness and faithfulness, for his grace and mercy, not just when we get to the part about Jesus, but at every step of the way: from Abraham to Joseph to Moses to David to Jesus—and then to you and to me, and to those who are lost and whom God so longs to rejoice over. Let's pray: Father, in the Collect we acknowledged your goodness and your promises that exceed all we can desire.  Remind us always that we know your goodness, because we know your story.  Capture our hearts and minds, we pray, by the glory of that story, that we might immerse ourselves in it, that we might meditate on it, that we might in habit it, and that we might tell it over and over and over until the whole world knows your glory.  Through Jesus our Lord, through the one who embodies your glory in all its fullness, we pray.  Amen.

Every mountain in Scripture calls us to lift our eyes heavenward, to seek our God who meets His people in power, covenant, and grace. From Eden's garden heights to Sinai's thunder, from Zion's glory to Calvary's hill, the story of redemption ascends toward the heavenly Mount Zion, where God will dwell with His people forever.

ntroductionIf we're honest, the ascension is something that we might want God to rethink. In our human understanding, we would love to have a visible priest on earth. Imagine if Christ stayed on earth like the disciples wanted? Imagine if we could walk through a set of giant doors, stand before him, and hear him answer our requests face-to-face. We might even think that waiting a month for an appointment to gain an audience would totally be worth it. Our natural desire likes this because it feels more tangible. We like this because we think that having our priest in front of us is better than having our priest concealed by heaven's glory. But that instinct is exactly what the author of Hebrews is correcting. The early church, maybe Jerusalem, was asking the same question in a different form: how can this new covenant possibly be better than what we had in the past? We had visible priests, visible sacrifices, a temple where God's presence could be seen. It seemed superior in every way. Please remember that this is the 1st century, where Christians are asking about the tangible religion. Hebrews answers by pointing us to a priest who is with us. We have a priest who serves us in a way infinitely superior to anything the old order could offer. He serves in the true holy of holies and not a replica, prototype, or model. So, does this really make Christ's priesthood superior? He Is Our AdvocateChrist's entrance into heaven in Hebrews 9:24 is a one-time act, which distinguishes him from the old priesthood. This one-time event has everlasting results. The priests in the Old Testament died. They had to be replaced. They would need to sleep. They would need to eat. They would get fatigued. The most pious priest would still feel the effects of the common curse. Age would eventually hinder him from doing his task. Hebrews points out that our advocate has entered heaven. Christ never grows weary. Christ overcame death, meaning that sin's curse has no effect on his performance. He did not have to offer blood for himself. Christ enters heaven once and continues forever as our priest. He perfectly and continually pleads our case. He represents us before the Father. There will never be a scandal to discredit our advocate. He dwells in us by His Spirit, and we dwell in him. The priests of old were never so close, never so competent, and never so effective. Thus, Christ's advocacy is superior in every way. Our Flesh Is in HeavenHere, the catechism presses further into the consistency of Christ's two natures. Christ is the God-man. He has two natures joined together in one person. These natures are never mixed or separated, and each nature retains its own properties.This means that when Christ is seated in the glory of heaven, his glorified human body is truly there. His divine nature is also united to his human nature in the one person of Christ. These two natures are forever joined together without losing their distinct properties. According to his human nature, the glorified Christ is bodily present in heaven. According to his divine nature, he is not confined to one place but fills heaven and earth.This guarantees that we will dwell in glory as glorified human beings. Our flesh will be fit to enter into the Lord's glorious presence. What our fallen and sinful flesh is incapable of experiencing, Christ guarantees that we will have this full benefit. Christ never has to renew his work. There is no expiration. Christ's glorious seating in heaven guarantees that we will also dwell in heaven's full glory in the Lord's presence. This also means that, according to his divine nature, Christ is everywhere present with us, even while his human nature remains bodily in heaven. Christ is not merely praying for us from a distance; he is with us, in us, interceding in the very moments when we don't even know what to pray for ourselves. A human priest, however wise, could only guess or speculate about our need. Christ knows it fully and never stops praying it before the Father.Thus, Christ, being the God-Man, establishes a better priesthood in heaven. Our Orientation Is Heaven-BoundHebrews draws a sharp contrast between the earthly tabernacle, which is merely a copy of the heavenly glory, and the true sanctuary. The earthly tabernacle is “made with hands.” The true sanctuary in heaven is the reality that casts a shadow on the type. This is the place where Christ now serves. The old sacrifices had to be repeated endlessly, proof that they never fully accomplished what they pictured. They did serve a purpose to cleanse the earthly vessels for usage in heaven's glory. Christ's one-time sacrifice cleanses the heavenly reality itself, securing forever what the old system could only picture. Christ's sacrifice is not because heaven is imperfect, but because we are. We would defile the true sanctuary. However, now that Christ's blood has been shed, his once-for-all offering guarantees that we can draw near today. Christ's provision is permanent rather than temporary. Hebrews 11 goes on to communicate the sojourn of God's people, like in Hebrews 3 to 4. Hebrews 11 ends in chapter 12, where we assemble on Mount Zion. There is a great cloud of witnesses testifying to the successful mission of God's people. How did they find success? Only in the priestly work of Christ. If they found success under a promise, how much more now that the sacrifice has been completed? How much more than the word that is “spoken to us by his Son” (Heb 1:2). His speech is the action of God. Christ confirms the Old Testament provisional models and brings us to sojourn in light of the reality. He is our priest interceding on our behalf, so we pass through the wilderness time of testing to the arrival of heaven's full glory. What Israel recounted in Psalms 93-100, we possess in Christ. We like Israel long to recite Psalms, but not in the earthly Jerusalem. We long for the heavenly Jerusalem. Our priest is leading us there as the pioneer who has gone before us. Thus, our priest is bringing us to the full vision of peace. ConclusionSo, when we honestly consider that we think an ascended Christ is an inferior Christ, we really need to rethink our struggle. If we keep Christ on this earth, we will never arrive at glory. Our problem is that we think that because we did not visibly see Christ, he is absent. The honest truth is that Christ is everywhere. He knows what to pray on our behalf when we are too weak and broken to pray. His work is not set in a calendar and limited to one-hour slots. He is continually praying for you and for me. He never grows tired. He never grows weary. He can care for all his people as if he were leading only one person through the wilderness at a time. However, he does this for all his people. So, why would you want an earthly priest? Yes, it is true that walking by faith is difficult. The dust of the wilderness can get very dry. We might thirst for the living waters. However, we must always see that our Lord is near and dear to each and every one of us. We can call out to him in bouts of joy or bouts of sorrow. He is there listening to us. We wanted chaos in the fall, but he is bringing us order by overcoming Adam's failure. It was pictured in Israel. Christ moves us beyond the prototype to the reality. Let us seek to walk in him, believing that he has not forsaken us despite our forsaking him in the fall.

The Four Kingdoms and the Root of the Churban We are currently in the Three Weeks, reflecting on the Churban Beit HaMikdash (the destruction of the Holy Temple). To truly understand our work during this period, we must ask: What was the root cause of the Churban ? How did it happen? Most of us are familiar with the Four Galiyot (Exiles): Bavel (Babylonia) Madai (Medes/Persians) Yavan (Greece) Edom (The current, final exile) The Imagery of the Non-Kosher Animals In Midrash Rabbah (Vayikra 13:5), the Sages explain that the four animals possessing only one kosher sign correspond directly to these four empires: The Camel (Gamal): Represents Bavel . It chews its cud (internal sign) but does not have split hooves. The Rabbit (Arnevet): Represents Yavan . It is called gera because it "drags" ( garar ) another kingdom after it. The Badger (Shafan): Represents Madai . It similarly drags another kingdom. The Pig (Chazir): Represents Edom . והוא גרה לא יגר – "But he does not chew his cud." (Leviticus 11:7) The pig only has the external sign (split hooves) but lacks the internal sign. It is called Chazir because in the end, it will return ( lehachzir ) the kingdom to its rightful place by bringing Mashiach, as it says: "And saviors shall ascend Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be Hashem's" (Ovadia 1:21). External vs. Internal Sins Why are the first three animals listed in one verse, while Edom is placed in a verse by itself? The Midrash explains: שקולה כנגד שלשתן — Edom weighs as much as the other three combined. This weight directly parallels the Three Cardinal Sins vs. the singular sin of the final exile: Empire Corresponding Cardinal Sin Historical Context / Manifestation Bavel Avodah Zarah (Idolatry) Bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar's statue. Yavan Giluy Arayot (Adultery/Immorality) The decree that a bride must first visit the Greek governor. Paras/Madai Shefichut Damim (Murder) Haman's decree lehashmid laharog (to destroy and kill). Edom Sinat Chinam (Baseless Hatred) Weighs against all three; characterizes our current exile. The Modern Geopolitical Parallel Historically and culturally, these traits persist: Bavel is rooted in the Middle East/Arab world, where the camel remains a cultural symbol. Edom is rooted in Western culture, heavily associated with the pig (e.g., dietary staples like bacon and ham). Interestingly, the pig represents the ultimate spiritual barrier in Eastern theology as well, where rumors even exist of military deterrents using pigskin. The Core Difference: The First Temple fell to the Babylonians (the camels), while the Second Temple fell to Rome/Western Culture (the pigs). The Verdict of the Gemara: Open vs. Hidden The Gemara ( Masechet Yoma ) records a profound insight from Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Elazar: The Early Generations (First Temple): Nitgala avonam, nitgala kitzam — Their sins were out in the open (idolatry, murder, immorality), so the end of their exile was openly revealed (70 years). The Later Generations (Second Temple): Lo nitgala avonam, lo nitgala kitzam — Their sins were hidden, so the end of their exile remains hidden. This is the distinction between Chitzoniyut (externals) and Pnimiyut (internals). A Medical Analogy: A person can have severe psoriasis. It looks terrible and is externally unappealing, but it isn't life-threatening. Another person can look perfectly healthy, doing push-ups and glowing on the outside, but suffers from a hidden, internal ailment that is fatal. The Vilna Gaon on the Power of Heart The Vilna Gaon (Gra) explains that the First Temple generation committed severe, open sins, תלו בטחונם בהשם — but they still relied on God. Their actions were terrible, but their hearts remained fundamentally connected through faith. They possessed Bitachon (trust in God). Conversely, the Second Temple generation looked structurally and behaviorally righteous on the outside—they learned Torah and performed deeds of kindness—but רחמנא ליבא בעי ( Hashem wants the heart ), and their hearts were corrupt. Bitachon: The Core of the Torah What do the kosher signs actually teach us? The Vilna Gaon notes: Chewing the Cud ( Ma'aleh Gera ): Represents Histapkut (contentment). It is the trait of being happy with what one has, constantly chewing and appreciating the same spark of life. Split Hooves: Represents a non-predatory nature. Kosher animals do not have claws to attack or tear others apart. Therefore, the ultimate sign of Kashrut is a sign of Emunah (faith). The Vilna Gaon writes in his commentary on Mishlei (22:19): עיקר נתינת התורה לישראל, כדי שישימו בטחונם בהשם "The primary reason the Torah was given to Israel was so that they would place their trust in Hashem." Bitachon is the Klal —the all-inclusive principle behind every single commandment. We eat kosher to remember God provides our food. We check for shatnez to remember God provides our clothing. The Ra'avad (quoted by Rav Yerucham Levovitz) notes that marital laws ( Taharat HaMishpacha ) remind a person that God granted them their spouse. The entire theme of the Torah is realizing that everything comes from God, and we must rely entirely on Him. The Ultimate Punchline Why was the Second Temple destroyed if the people were learning Torah and doing acts of kindness? It was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam (baseless hatred) and Mechoser Bitachon (a lack of trust in God). How are the two connected? כל השנאה והקנאה ממנו — All hatred and jealousy stem directly from a lack of Bitachon. If you truly realize that Hashem is in total control of the universe, and that no one can touch what is designated for you, you cannot harbor jealousy. If you lack Bitachon , you view others as obstacles to your success, which breeds hatred. The work of the Three Weeks is to shift from the external mask of righteousness to the internal reality of perfect trust in God, thereby curing the baseless hatred that keeps us in exile.

The pilgrims arrived a few weeks ago in Psalm 122: "Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem" (122:2). But having reached the desired destination, there is nonetheless anxiety about whether that blessed state might last: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: '...Peace be within your walls and security within your towers'" (122:6).This week we look at Psalm 125 which draws on a long tradition of confidence in Jerusalem's inviolability on Mount Zion: "Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, not shaken, settled forever" (125:1). But a similar concern to that of Psalm 122 is present here as well; the opening affirmation of trust is followed by a prayer that the Lord would, in fact, "do go to the good" (125:4) and not allow the "scepter of wickedness" to remain in that righteous place (125:3).Join us this Sunday as we explore some of the Bible's traditions about Zion, our longing for a place of lasting peace and our experience of the Lord's presence and protection in our less than perfect world. Ultimately, we look forward to a time when the "scepter of wickedness" will finally be removed from the place of God's dwelling with his people.- Series Description - On Sundays this summer, we'll explore the Psalms of Ascents (Psalms 120 - 134) together. This particular group of psalms is all about being on a journey with God-- being a pilgrim in pursuit of God's loving presence. The journey involves heartache, oppression, sadness, hope, joy, and rescue.

n/a

What makes a church truly Super Normal ? Pastor David Bendett describes an authentic, powerful church family where Jesus is Head, love is central, and believers stir one another to love and good works. Drawing from Hebrews 10 and 12, discover the call to gather faithfully, experience Mount Zion reality, and live as part of the general assembly of the firstborn — bringing holistic life, healing, and supernatural power to the world around us.

Welcome to Day 2892 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2892 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 138:1-8 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2892 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2892 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for Wisdom-Trek is: Praise in the Face of the Council – Uncompromising Worship Before the Gods In our previous stop along this ancient, winding trail, we sat in the mud and wept. We explored the devastating, emotionally raw territory of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Seven, where we found the broken exiles of Israel sitting beside the literal irrigation canals of Babylon. We witnessed them hanging their heavy, silent harps upon the branches of the poplar trees, absolutely refusing to perform the sacred, liturgical songs of Zion for the amusement of their cruel, mocking captors. We felt the intense, dark pressure of cosmic geography, realizing that they were trapped inside the very womb of the ancient serpent's rebellion—the territory of Babel—where the rebel spiritual principalities gloated over the apparent defeat of Yahweh's people. It was a season of deep, suffocating shadows, and raw, agonizing cries for ultimate courtroom justice. But today, my friends, as we step forward onto a brand-new path, the atmosphere completely transforms. We are stepping out of the Babylonian mud, and climbing onto a soaring, sunlit ridge of faith. We are beginning a collection of eight consecutive psalms explicitly attributed to King David, starting today with Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Eight, verses one through eight, in the New Living Translation. David provides the ultimate, defiant antidote to the silence of the exile. Instead of hanging his harp on a tree out of fear or sorrow, David grabs his instrument, stands tall in the celestial courtroom, and uses his music as an aggressive weapon of cosmic warfare. Let us step onto the trail, adjust our spiritual focus, and learn how to sing our songs of victory directly into the teeth of the enemy. The first segment is: Cosmic Defiance and the Architecture of Grace Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Eight: verses one, two, and three. I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods. I bow before your holy Temple as I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength. The psalm explodes into reality with a breathtaking, uncompromised pledge of personal devotion. “I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods.” To fully appreciate the radical, counter-cultural nature of this opening stanza, we must look at it through the profound lens of the Ancient Israelite divine council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. In our modern, Western world, we frequently skim past the word “gods,” assuming it refers to empty, psychological idols—like wealth or ego—or that it simply means imaginary figments of human superstition. But in the ancient Near Eastern context, the Hebrew word used here is elohim. David is not singing to thin air; he is standing in the middle of a heavily populated spiritual landscape. He is consciously addressing the lower, rebellious members of the heavenly host—the territorial, fallen principalities who held the disinherited nations under their dark, oppressive jurisdiction. Think about the sheer, holy audacity of King David! He doesn't wait until he is safely insulated inside a private prayer closet to express his gratitude. He walks directly into the cosmic courtroom, looks the rebel elohim straight in the eyes, and opens his mouth to boast in Yahweh. This is the ultimate act of spiritual polemics. By singing praises before the gods, David is declaring that the rival powers are completely illegitimate. He is mocking their false claims of sovereignty, and demonstrating that his allegiance belongs exclusively to the one true Most High God. His worship is a direct, mocking challenge to the principalities of darkness. He reinforces this allegiance in verse two, mapping out his physical and spiritual alignment: “I bow before your holy Temple as I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.” Even if David is physically distant from Jerusalem—perhaps running for his life in the wilderness, or fighting battles on foreign soil—he turns his body and bows toward the holy Temple. In cosmic geography, the Temple on Mount Zion was the unique, earthly footprint of Yahweh's heavenly throne room. It was the place where heaven and earth intersected. By bowing toward that specific center, David is rejecting the sacred high places of the pagan gods, and locking his spiritual compass onto the true capital of the universe. And why is he praising Him? For two specific attributes: Hesed and Emet—His unfailing love, and His unshakeable faithfulness. David notes that Yahweh's promises are backed by all the honor of His Name. In the ancient world, a king's reputation was bound to his word. If a king failed to keep a promise, his name became a laughingstock among the rival nations. But Yahweh's character is flawless. He has staked the entire weight of His eternal reputation on His covenant promises, ensuring that the dark powers cannot find a single legal loophole to defeat His redemptive plans. This cosmic security leads to the intimate, practical reality of verse three: “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.” The rebel gods were distant, capricious, and demanded frantic, exhaustive rituals before they would ever notice their followers. But Yahweh is immediately accessible. The moment the king calls out from the battlefield, the response from the heavenly throne room is instantaneous. The Creator doesn't necessarily remove the physical trouble immediately, but He floods the internal soul of His servant with a supernatural, muscular encouragement, giving him the precise strength required to stand firm against the onslaught. The second segment is: The Reclaiming of the Disinherited Kings Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Eight: verses four, five, and six. Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord, for all of them will hear your words. Yes, they will sing about the Lord's ways, for the glory of the Lord is very great. Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud. David transitions his song from his personal, defiant testimony, to a grand, prophetic vision of global transformation. “Every king in all the earth will thank you, Lord, for all of them will hear your words. Yes, they will sing about the Lord's ways, for the glory of the Lord is very great.” To understand the immense scale of this prophecy, we must recall the foundational tragedy of Deuteronomy, chapter thirty-two, verses eight and nine. At the Tower of Babel, because of humanity's persistent rebellion, Yahweh disinherited the nations of the earth. He gave them over to the rule of lesser spiritual beings, choosing the family of Abraham—Jacob—as His own personal, prized allotment. Ever since that moment, the kings of the earth had been operating under the corrupt, dark inspiration of their territorial, pagan deities. They built empires based on tyranny, slavery, and the worship of the rebel council. But David looks down the timeline of history, and he foresees a total, spectacular global reclamation. He declares that every king in all the earth will eventually turn, and thank Yahweh! Why? Because “all of them will hear your words.” The voice of the true Creator will penetrate the dark, spiritual borders of the disinherited nations. The Gospel of the Kingdom will shatter the monopoly of the false gods. The earthly rulers will abandon their localized, mute idols, and they will actually begin to sing about the ways of Yahweh, acknowledging that His glory is completely unmatched in any dimension of reality. This is the prophecy of the Great Commission, the final, beautiful restoration where the nations are bought back, and integrated into the true family of God. David then highlights the unique, stunning character of the true Sovereign in verse six, drawing a sharp contrast with the nature of the false gods: “Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.” In the ancient Near East,...

The Praise O'Clock Show (also known as The Praiseworld Podcast) is the breakfast show of Praiseworld Radio.Host: Goodness EzehQuote of The Day "You are not a mistake; you are wonderfully and fearfully made to fulfill His mandate." — Gbile Akanni

Welcome to Day 2890 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2890 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 137:1-9 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2890 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2890 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: Tears by the Rivers of Babylon – The Exile's Anthem of Defiant Remembrance In our previous episode on this grand, historical expedition, we stood on the absolute summit of Hebrew liturgy, exploring the magnificent, rhythmic crescendos of the Great Hallel, Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Six. Our voices joined the thunderous, ancient procession as we chanted the eternal, unyielding refrain: “His faithful love endures forever.” We celebrated the supreme Sovereign of the cosmic council, who skillfully forged the heavens, pinned down the chaotic primordial waters, and systematically slaughtered the giant rebel kings, Sihon and Og, to hand over the Promised Land as a permanent inheritance to His treasured people. We rested deeply in the comforting assurance that the God of heaven remembers us in our weakness, and fiercely pours out His fatherly compassion upon His servants. But today, my friends, as we step forward onto Day two thousand eight hundred ninety of our journey, we experience a sudden, violent, and deeply jarring shift in the landscape. We are entering into what is arguably the most heartbreaking, emotionally raw, and controversial poem in the entire Psalter: Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Seven, verses one through nine, in the New Living Translation. The triumphant, sunlit courts of Jerusalem have vanished. The glorious chords of the temple orchestra have fallen completely silent. Instead, we find ourselves sitting in the mud, weeping in the suffocating shadows of a hostile, foreign empire. The inheritance appears to be entirely lost, the holy city has been burned to ash, and the people of God are trapped inside the geographic epicenter of the cosmic rebellion. Let let us step onto this agonizing section of the trail, adjust our lenses to navigate the dark waters of sorrow, and listen to the defiant song of the exile. The first segment is: The Heavy Harps and the Cruel Taunts of Babel Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Seven: verses one, two, and three . Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of the poplar trees. For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors demanded a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!” The poem opens with an incredibly vivid, melancholic scene that captures the profound trauma of displacement. “Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of the poplar trees.” To fully comprehend the immense spiritual and psychological warfare embedded in these opening lines, we must view this geography through the profound lens of the Ancient Israelite divine council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. In the cosmic geography of the ancient world, Babylon was not just a powerful human political empire; it was the historical, and spiritual, womb of the cosmic rebellion. This was the territory of Babel, the exact site where humanity originally attempted to build an autonomous empire to make a name for themselves, resulting in Yahweh disinheriting the nations and placing them under the jurisdiction of lesser, rebel spiritual principalities—the fallen sons of God. To be violently dragged away from Judah, and forced to sit "beside the rivers of Babylon," meant that the Israelites were physically sitting within the occupied territory of hostile, rival elohim. The rivers of Babylon—the complex network of irrigation canals fed by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers—were symbols of the empire's economic might, and the apparent supremacy of their gods. The captives sat by these waters, completely crushed, and they wept. They were not just homesick; they were experiencing a profound theological crisis. Their temple was destroyed, the Ark of the Covenant was gone, and it appeared to the watching world that the rebel gods of Babylon had successfully triumphed over Yahweh. In their deep grief, they performed a symbolic act of architectural silence: they hung their beautiful, stringed harps upon the branches of the weeping poplar trees lining the canals. The music that had once filled the cosmic center of Mount Zion was intentionally shut down. The harps became dead weights, swaying in the foreign wind. The pain of this silence is violently exacerbated by the psychological cruelty of their captors in verse three: “For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors demanded a joyful hymn: ‘Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!'” This was not a polite request for cultural exchange or musical entertainment. This was an act of aggressive, mocking spiritual intimidation. The Babylonian soldiers, acting under the dark inspiration of their territorial deities, wanted to humiliate the broken exiles. They wanted the Israelites to perform their sacred, liturgical temple hymns—the grand songs of Zion that celebrated Yahweh's absolute supremacy over the nations—as a circus act for the amusement of the conquerors. It was a cruel taunt, designed to force the captives to admit defeat, to mock the apparent helplessness of their God, and to pressure them into assimilating into the pagan culture of the empire. The enemy wanted to weaponize their own sacred music against their souls. The second segment is: The Oath of the Unbending Tongue Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Seven: verses four, five, and six. But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land? If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp. May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don't make Jerusalem my greatest joy. The text responds to the cruel mockery of the captors with a fierce, defiant, and completely unyielding refusal. “But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?” To the ancient Israelite, singing the shir Yahweh—the song of the Lord—was an act of high, localized covenant sanctuary. The sacred songs were designed exclusively for the cosmic mountain, the holy space where the presence of the Creator uniquely dwelt. To perform these holy liturgies for the amusement of a pagan audience, within the defiled, demonically supervised territory of Babylon, would be an act of supreme spiritual treason. It would be an acknowledgment that Yahweh could be domesticated, transformed into a minor, defeated deity who exists merely to entertain the proxies of the rebel council. The exiles draw a hard, non-negotiable line in the mud. They choose silence over sacrilege. The psalmist then seals this refusal by swearing a terrifying, double-sided personal oath of absolute, multi-generational remembrance in verses five and six. “If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp. May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don't make Jerusalem my greatest joy.” The writer is a temple musician, an artist whose entire livelihood, status, and identity depend on his right hand's ability to skillfully pluck the strings of the harp, and his tongue's ability to articulate the beautiful melodies of the liturgy. He deliberately invokes a self-malediction, a curse upon his own biological tools of expression. He says, “If I ever allow the comfort, the wealth, and the seductive luxury of Babylon to make me complacent, if I ever forget the cosmic center of Mount Zion, if I ever assimilate into this pagan empire and lose my distinct identity, then let my right hand instantly wither, and lose its muscle memory! Let my tongue become paralyzed, permanently sticking to the roof of my mouth, so that I can never sing another note of any song for the rest of my life!” This is a magnificent display of spiritual resilience. The psalmist realizes that the ultimate danger of the exile is not physical death, but cultural and spiritual amnesia. Babylon wants the exiles to forget who they are, to forget the covenant, and to forget the cosmic blueprint of the Creator. By making Jerusalem his “greatest joy”—even while it sits in smoldering ruins—the exile is performing an act of fierce, defiant loyalty. He anchors his mind to the unshakeable reality of God's future restoration, refusing to let the temporary success of the rebel principalities redefine the true focus of his...

Welcome to Day 2888 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2888 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 136:17-26 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2888 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2888 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Cosmic Land Transfer – Inheritance, Remembrance, and the God of Heaven In our previous episode on this grand, historical expedition, we marched through the dramatic midsection of the Great Hallel: Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Six, verses ten through sixteen. We stood alongside the liberated community of Israel as they witnessed the devastating, courtroom judgment executed against the Egyptian pantheon. We watched the Divine Warrior split the primordial chaos waters of the Red Sea, carving a dry, safe highway right through the abyss, and effortlessly shaking off the arrogant, imperial army of Pharaoh like an annoying insect on His sleeve. We closed our trek by following our heavenly Shepherd into the terrifying, uncreated wilderness wasteland, discovering that His Hesed—His fierce, unyielding, and covenant-keeping faithful love—is uniquely durable enough to sustain us through our most parched, desperate chapters. Today, we have arrived at the magnificent, soaring crescendo of this ultimate liturgical masterpiece. We are completing our journey through Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Six, by exploring verses seventeen through twenty-six, in the New Living Translation. The antiphonal chant of the temple choir continues to ring out across the stone courts of Jerusalem, with the massive congregation roaring back the rhythmic drumbeat of faith after every single line. The historical narrative now shifts from the survival of the wilderness, to the violent, supernatural conquest of the Promised Land. The psalmist pulls back the cosmic curtain to show us that our ultimate inheritance was secured by a God who systematically dismantles giant rebel kings, remembers us in our deepest human weakness, and universally sustains every living thing from His heavenly throne room. Let us step onto the final ridge of this specific trail, adjust our cosmic lenses, and listen to the final chords of the Great Hallel. The first segment is: Dismantling the Giant Proxies of the Underworld Stronghold Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Six: verses seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, and twenty. Give thanks to him who struck down mighty kings. His faithful love endures forever. He slaughtered powerful kings. His faithful love endures forever. Sihon king of the Amorites. His faithful love endures forever. Og king of Bashan. His faithful love endures forever. The final historical movement of the psalm opens with a thunderous, dual celebration of military and cosmic triumph. “Give thanks to him who struck down mighty kings... He slaughtered powerful kings... Sihon king of the Amorites... Og king of Bashan.” To fully unlock the massive, explosive spiritual warfare embedded in these specific names, we must integrate the profound insights of the Ancient Israelite divine council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. To a modern reader, the mention of Sihon and Og can feel like a repetitive, boring footnote from an ancient Near Eastern border dispute. We might wonder why a psalm focused on the eternal love of God would spend so much time naming dead kings. But to the ancient Israelite pilgrim marching up Mount Zion, these names were filled with holy terror, and monumental cosmic victory. These were not ordinary human rulers; they were the terrifying, giant gatekeepers of the cosmic rebellion. We must look back to the foundational blueprint of cosmic geography recorded in Deuteronomy, chapter thirty-two. When the Most High disinherited the seventy nations at the Tower of Babel due to their rebellion, He placed them under the jurisdiction of lesser spiritual beings—the sons of God, the territorial elohim. These principalities subsequently mutinied, demanding worship for themselves, and establishing dark, spiritual strongholds across the earth. But the most concentrated, defiant center of this rebellion was located in the north, in the region of Bashan, at the foot of Mount Hermon—the exact geographic site where the rebel watchers originally descended to stage their coup against the Almighty. Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and Og, the king of Bashan, ruled over this demonic geography. According to the historical records of Moses, Og was a literal remnant of the giant Rephaim, possessing an iron bedstead that was over thirteen feet long! In the ancient mindset, the Rephaim were the physical, and spiritual, anomalies produced by the corruption of the Watchers—the Nephilim lineages designed by the rebel gods to contaminate humanity, and permanently block the chosen family of Yahweh from ever establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. Bashan was poetically recognized as the "place of the serpent," and the literal gate of the underworld. When the psalmist declares that Yahweh “struck down mighty kings” and “slaughtered powerful kings,” he is describing a spectacular, cosmic cleansing of the geography. The Divine Warrior marched directly into the teeth of the underworld stronghold, confronted the most monstrous, intimidating avatars of the rebel council, and completely obliterated them. He proved that giant physical stature, demonic lineages, and ancient spiritual fortresses are absolutely nothing but chaff before the wind when the High King of the cosmos extends His hand. And why did He slaughter these terrifying giants? The congregation roars the answer after every name: “His faithful love endures forever.” Love for the covenant family required the violent, total eradication of the supernatural forces that sought to destroy them. The second segment is: The Cosmic Land Transfer and the Realignment of Geography Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Six: verses twenty-one and twenty-two. He gave their land as an inheritance. His faithful love endures forever. A special possession to his servant Israel. His faithful love endures forever. Having executed the giant kings and cleared the spiritual contamination from the landscape, the True King performs a monumental, legal act of property reallocation. “He gave their land as an inheritance... a special possession to his servant Israel.” This section of the liturgy celebrates the glorious, geographic reversal of the Tower of Babel. The Hebrew word used for inheritance here is nachalah, which refers to a permanent, legally binding family allotment that can never be sold, or stolen. In the cosmic courtroom, the land of Bashan, and the territories of Canaan, had been illegally occupied by the rebel elohim and their corrupt proxies. They had turned the earth into a playground of idolatry, violence, and darkness, claiming that Yahweh had no authority within their boundaries. But Yahweh executed a magnificent, sovereign eviction notice. He took the very land that the giant kings had fortified, completely stripped the rebel gods of their titles, and transferred the property deeds over to His segullah—His private, prized, and treasured possession, the family of Israel. The text notes that He handed it over to His “servant Israel.” This language of servitude is beautiful; it implies that Israel does not own the land as an autonomous empire, but holds it as a sacred trust, acting as the loyal stewards of Yahweh's earthly estate. By turning the land of the giants into an inheritance for Israel, the Creator successfully reestablished a beachhead of Eden right in the middle of a disinherited world. Mount Zion became the centralized command center where heaven and earth intersected, a sacred space where the laws, the justice, and the true cosmic order of the Almighty could safely flourish. When the congregation chants, “His faithful love endures forever” after these verses, they are recognizing that their physical homes, their fields, and their security are the direct, tangible evidence of a love that can redefine the boundaries of the planet to protect the family of God. The third segment is: From Cosmic Warfare to Intimate Grace and Universal Provision Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Six: verses twenty-three, twenty-four, and twenty-five. He remembered us in our weakness. His faithful love endures forever. He saved us from our enemies. His faithful love endures forever....

They Boldly Spoke the Word of God Acts 4 by William Klock Chapter and verse breaks in the Bible are not part of the original text.  Chapter breaks were added about eight hundred years ago and verses about five hundred.  There's an old biblical studies urban legend that Robert Estienne, the French printer who published one of the early New Testaments with verse division, marked them out while riding on horseback from Paris to Lyon, explaining the often frustrating way they cut through thoughts and sentences.  Chapter breaks can be just as annoying.  I say this because last week we left off our study of Acts at the end of Chapter 3, but the end of Chapter 3 isn't where this story ends.  You'll remember that this story about Peter and John and the lame man followed right on the heels of Pentecost.  Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray when they met a lame man begging at the temple gate.  “Silver and gold have I none,” said Peter, “but such as I have I give.  In the name of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk!”  And he lifted up the man the man began to jump up and down and to praise God.  And as everyone began to gather around, Peter began to preach.  He reminded them of their own story, of God's promises going all the way back to Abraham, and how all those promises were fulfilled and how the story was brought to its climax in the death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus. I won't repeat everything I said last Sunday, but needless to say—and even if you aren't familiar with the story—you probably knew that trouble was coming.  But that pesky chapter break.  It saved you from an hour-long sermon, but it also cut the story in half.  So we'll pick up after the break, with Chapter 4, now.  [It's page 1083 in the pew Bibles.] Luke continues: “As they were speaking to the people, along came the priests, the chief of the temple guard, and the Sadducees.  They were greatly annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming that the resurrection of the dead had begun to happen in Jesus.  They seized them and put them under guard until the next day, since it was already evening.  But a large number of the people who had heard the message believed it and the number of men grew to five thousand.” The idea of the resurrection of the dead was a big deal for the Jews and you'd think that announcing that it had somehow begun in Jesus would be good news.  And obviously it was for the thousands who believed.  Not so much for the Sadducees.  They were sad, you see, because they didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead.  Okay, not really.  Their name goes back to Zadok, the high priest in the days of David and Solomon.  That name, Zadok, is also related to the Hebrew word for righteousness.  So the Sadducees thought of themselves not only as the sons of Zadok, but also as the righteous ones.  And in the First Century, they controlled the priesthood.  They were aristocratic and they were in power and people like that don't usually like revolutionary ideas, and if there was there was a great revolutionary idea alive in Judah, it was the idea of the resurrection of the dead.  Resurrection means that things are broken and that God will, one day, come to set things to rights—and that implied that the Sadducees were part of the problem needing to be set right.  So they're upset at Peter's preaching.  The Pharisees didn't like this talk either.  As far as they—and everyone else who hoped for resurrection—were concerned, all God's people would be raised from the dead at the end of the age.  The idea that Jesus was raised all by himself was like heresy.  And, of course, if Jesus had been raised, it meant he was the Messiah and they refused to accept that idea.  So no matter how many eyewitnesses there were to the risen Jesus, it had never happened, so far as they were concerned. But back to the Sadducees.  They controlled the priesthood and the priests were the gatekeepers of Israel.  And this talk about Jesus as Messiah and his being resurrected, which means he'd initiated the age to come already, that was the sort of talk that might spark a revolution.  And, of course, a revolution was what was already happening as the gospel and the Spirit were beginning to do their work.  But just as they hadn't recognised it in Jesus, the leaders of Israel refuse to recognise it now and they have Peter and John locked up for the night.  Even still, Luke goes to the trouble to make the point that thousands believed anyway.  The gospel cannot and will not be stopped! Verse 5: “On the next day their rulers, the elders, and the scribes gathered in Jerusalem, along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family.  When they'd stood them in the midst, they asked, ‘How did you do this?  What power did you use?  What name did you invoke?'  Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit.  ‘Rulers of the people and elders,' he said, ‘if the question we're being asked today is about a good deed done for a sick man, and whose power it was that rescued him, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that this man stands before you fit and well because of the name of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.  He is the stone which you builders rejected, but which has become the head cornerstone.  Rescue won't come from anyone else.  There is no other name given under heaven and among men by which we must be rescued.'” Do you remember that scene in Luke 11 where Jesus is confronted after casting out a demon?  “You can only cast them out, because you're one of them,” they accused him.  The same thing is happening again.  I think Luke wants to highlight that what's happening here might be an “act” happening through the apostles, but it's still ultimately Jesus acting.  Or the Spirit, which amounts to the same thing.  Luke makes a point of saying that Peter was full of the Spirit when he answered the accusation.  So just like Jesus, when the council asks them in whose name they healed the lame man, not only is Peter bold to announce that it's Jesus of Nazareth, they boldly assert that he is the Messiah—the one they crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.  So Peter is reasserting everything: It's Jesus.  Yes the one they crucified.  And this isn't just about a lame man walking again, this is about the resurrection of the dead.  It's about the fact that Jesus is Lord and that the revolution has begun.  The age to come, new creation, the kingdom of God is here.  In fact, they quote Psalm 118 at the council to explain it all.  Psalm 118 is a psalm of the temple.  It's about people going up to the temple to celebrate God's new day to claim his rescue, his salvation.  It's a psalm about God's life-giving power and it's about God bringing his people through trouble and rescuing them from danger. It's a psalm about trusting in God's mercy and it's a psalm about God's victory over the powers of the world.  “It is better trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man…than to put confidence in princes,” says the Psalmist (vv. 8-9). So they're saying, “It's Jesus.  He really is the Messiah and he really has inaugurated God's new age.  But then it's like they're deliberately poking a stick in these folks' eye.  The Sadducees (and the Pharisees, too, and most people) were all about the temple.  It was the embodiment of Israel's hopes for God's rescue and for the fulfilment of his promises to one day come again to dwell with his people.  And so this whole episode started with a man who'd been sitting in the temple gate for years, hoping for a rescue, yet never healed, and now suddenly healed by Peter and John—in the power of Jesus.  So that's the first thing.  It says that God has, in fact, returned to dwell with is people, but instead of being in the holy of holies, he's indwelling the disciples of Jesus.  And then, in case they hadn't made the connection, Peter, inspired by the Spirit, quotes Psalm 118 at them.  Yes, the hope of God's return is happening—in Jesus.  Yes, God is now present in his temple—but that temple isn't made of stone, it's these Jesus people.  And yes, God has come to rescue us just as he promised, to set this broken world to rights, to wipe away the tears—through Jesus.  And at the same time, it would be hard for the council to miss the hint that the mortal princes, the people from whom God's people need to be rescued are not the pagan nations, but the Sadducees and elders and scribes who are rejecting Jesus.  (Yes, the pagan nations, too, but first, God's got to deal with the corrupt leaders of his own people.) It's the same thing Peter has been preaching, first on Pentecost, then to the crowd who gathered around the lame man when they saw him jumping up and down.  Every time, Peter grounds God's salvation in Jesus as the fulfilment of his promises and of Israel's story.  Every time, it's the announcement that Jesus is Lord; that he's come to rescue his people; and every time, it's a call to repentance and faith.  This sort of situational astuteness and gospel boldness is what it looks like to be full of God's Spirit.  And the council recognised this, even if they didn't want to admit what (or who) it was.  Verse 13: “When they saw how boldly Peter and John were speaking and realised that they were untrained, ordinary men, they were astonished and they recognised them as men who had been with Jesus.  And when they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.  They ordered them to be put out of the assembly while they conferred amongst themselves.  ‘What can we do to these men?' they said.  ‘This is a spectacular sign that has happened through them.  All Jerusalem knows it, and we can't deny it.  But we certainly don't want it to spread any further amongst the people.  So let's threaten them with awful consequences if they speak anymore in this name to anyone.'  So they called them in and gave them orders not to speak at all or to teach in the name of Jesus.” It's comical and I think that's what Luke intended.  It's like they've completely missed the significance of what Peter and John have seen.  They've seen Jesus risen from the grave.  They saw him ascend to his throne.  They heard everything he said.  They saw everything he did.  And now they're doing the same sorts of things themselves in his name.  They know, without a doubt, that in Jesus God has come, that Jesus is Lord, that the kingdom is now, and that the days of the principalities and powers, the old temple, and its priests are numbered.  Peter and John know which is the winning side…without a doubt.  Threatening them isn't going to change that. Brothers and Sisters, we really need to think on that.  Don't just read Acts and let it go in one ear and out the other.  Stick a finger in one ear if you have to, but let this sink in.  Because you and I have just as much reason to be as confident as Peter and John.  No, we aren't eyewitnesses to the resurrection or the ascension, but we have every reason to believe the accounts of them.  Someone a while ago asked me about difficulties with the creation accounts in Genesis and with the history of the Exodus.  There are difficulties in the Bible.  There are hard philosophical questions for which I haven't yet found the perfect answer.  But I do know that Jesus rose from the dead.  I've heard all the arguments against it.  And they don't hold up.  I don't want to get into those details here, because that's not what our text today is about.  My point is simply that we have every reason to believe that Jesus rose from the dead and just like St. Paul, confronted by that inescapable reality, we have to accept that Jesus is the Messiah and that the rest of it all is true—even we have to wait til the New Jerusalem to understand the ins and outs of exactly how some of it is true.  It's true.  As Matt reminded us last week: Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.  And not only do those three facts change everything, they ought to give us confidence and boldness to proclaim the good news that Jesus is Lord, that God has come to our rescue, and that his kingdom is now.  I'm not terribly concerned, for example, about Bill C-9.  But even if I were, I'm not going to let it stop me proclaiming the good news.  Because Jesus is King and in him the resurrection of the dead has begun.  And that truth ought to be as revolutionary for us as it was for Peter and John and the King and his Parliament and his Prime Minister ought to be just as afraid of this resurrection revolution as the Sadducees, the elders, and the scribes were. So Luke goes on in verse 19: “But Peter and John gave them this reply: ‘You judge,' they said, ‘whether it's right before God to listen to you rather than to God.  As far as we're concerned, we can't stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.'  Then they [the council] threatened them some more, and let them go.  They couldn't find any way to punish them because of the people, since everyone was glorifying God for what had happened.  After all, the man to whom the sign of healing had happened was over forty years old. Brothers and Sisters, don't stop talking about what you have seen and heard.  Peter and John were witnesses to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  You know what you're a witness to?  You're witness to the transforming power of those events.  Somehow most Christians seem totally unaware of this witness.  Maybe it's because we're so oblivious to our own history.  Maybe we need to read up on history so that we'll be aware of the power of the gospel.  The very thing that Peter and John looked forward to is now—at least partially—in our past.  Luke says there were five thousand believers in those days just after Pentecost.  Brothers and Sisters, today there are 2.6 billion.  They lived in a world in which no one outside Judaea had ever heard of Jesus.  We live in a world where Jesus is known the world over.  They lived in a little Jewish pocket surrounded by pagan nations so mired in moral filth it's hard for us to image the depth of depravity, because even as bad as might think the world is today, it has been so dramatically transformed by the gospel.  Our world, even the secular parts of it, value things like mercy and compassion, because of the transforming power of the gospel.  Brothers and Sisters, we live in a world that has been radically transformed by the power of the gospel.  If Peter and John had reason to be confident, you and I have even more. But notice, too, what they do when faced with opposition.  Verse 23: “When they had been released, they went back to their own people and told them everything that the chief priests and the elders had said.  When they heard it, they all together lifted up their voices to God.  ‘Sovereign Lord,' they said, ‘you made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them.  And you said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David, your servant, “Why did the nations fly into a rage, and why did the peoples think empty thoughts?  The kings of the earth arose and rulers gathered themselves together against the Lord and against his anointed Messiah.” It's true, Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the nations and the peoples of Israel, gathered themselves together in this very city against your holy servant Jesus, the one you anointed, to do whatever your hands and your plan had foreordained to take place.  So now, Lord, look on their threats and grant that we, your servants, may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, so that signs and wonders may come about through the name of your holy servant Jesus.'” It would do us well—and it would do the kingdom well—if we responded to opposition the way the disciples did.  We need to pray more and fret less.  There is a battle raging in the world.  Jesus has won the decisive victory, but that doesn't mean that the powers of this old age aren't trying to maintain their grip.  They're like the bad guys in the movies, hanging on to the edge of the cliff with their fingers—doomed, but unwilling to give up.  To pray is to stomp on their fingers and to send them falling.  Pray.  Pray the psalms.  Pray Psalm 2 the way they do here.  This was Israel's prayer, but Jesus and the events surrounding those first Christians reoriented it.  They cry out with the Psalmist: Why do the nations rage?  Why do the peoples think with empty thoughts? The kings of the earth have huddled together against the Lord.  Except this time Israel herself had become one of the nations, her priests huddled together with Pontius Pilate.  They'd crucified Jesus.  And yet the disciples, in their prayer, also acknowledge that God is sovereign.  Remember that for Jews to quote a line from a Psalm was to call to mind the whole thing.  And in Psalm 2, yes the nations raged and their kings gathered together against his anointed, but then—do you remember Psalm 2?—God laughs at them, because they're fools.  And God establishes his king on Mount Zion.  The once raging nations become his inheritance.  And Peter and John and the rest knew that in Jesus this psalm was being fulfilled.  The Psalm concludes addressing those kings, “Now therefore, O Kings, be wise” and just so the disciples pray, “Now therefore, Lord, look on their threats and grant that we, your servants, may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, so that signs and wonders may come about through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”  Brothers and Sisters, pray the Spirit-inspired scriptures back to God and things will happen.  Luke writes in verse 31: “When they had prayed the place where they were gathered was shaken.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they boldly spoke the word of God.” We should learn this prayer.  When the principalities and powers of the old age push back, pray this prayer.  When the local council or the legislature or Parliament or the King or the courts push back, pray this prayer.  When the gospel gets you in trouble with your family or at school or in your work, pray this prayer.  When you become discouraged, if you're struggling to keep the faith, if you're wrestling with sin, if you feel cornered by the world, the flesh, and the devil, pray this prayer.  Remember that you are a witness to the power of the gospel in the world.  And pray this prayer. And immediately Luke shows us the church—not just boldly proclaiming the good news—but also living it out as a community.  Luke shows us the church as the working model of God's new creation in the midst of the old.  Luke shows us the church being the new temple: the place of God's presence and the fulfilment of his promises of abundance and generosity.  Look at verses 32-37.  I was tempted to save these for next week as they lead us into Chapter 5.  I actually think they could warrant their own sermon.  But look at them now: “The company of those who believed had one heart and one soul.”  Remember Paul telling the Philippians to “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Messiah Jesus”?  Be of one Jesus-like mind.  That plays out in all sorts of ways and Luke shows us one here: “Nobody said that they owned their property; instead they had everything in common.  The apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power and great grace was upon all of them.  For there was no needy person among them, since any who possessed lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sale, and placed it at the feet of the apostles, who then gave to each according to their need.  Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, to whom the apostles gave the surname Barnabas, which means ‘son of encouragement', sold some land which belonged to him, brought the money, and laid it at the apostle's feet.” As I said a few weeks ago when we looked at Chapter 2, this doesn't mean they became a bunch of proto-Marxists.  Luke's point is that they became a family that live out the generosity and abundance of God's new creation.  We know from what we read later, that they had their own homes in which to meet.  And the focus of their charity was on the truly indigent, especially widows—on people notably with no family to take care of them.  And Paul will warn in his own letters that the able-bodied should get jobs instead of mooching off the community.  Again, the point here is that they very visible became the community in which torah itself was being fulfilled.  They've become the land of overflowing with milk and honey.  They've become the people who truly love their neighbours.  They've become the new temple in which God has returned to dwell with his people.  And they're doing and being this community right in Jerusalem: showing up the old Israel, exposing the priest and the council, showing that the old temple and its sacrifices are done.  God has fulfilled his promises and he's done so in Jesus and in the people who gathered around him in faith. And, Brothers and Sisters, we ought to be the same sort of new creation, heaven-on-earth community here.  As in Peter and John's day, the powers that be will tell us to go away and concentrate on heaven while they run the earth.  They'll warn us not to shove our religion down anyone's throat, while they, of course, will do their best to shove their materialism, their commercialism, their hedonism down our throats.  They'll get frustrated with us when we refuse to worship in their temples to money and power and sex and politics and war.  And when that happens, Brothers and Sisters, pray.  And remember that Jesus has died, Jesus has risen, and that Jesus will come again.  Be shaped by that story.  Be confident, knowing that God has and is and will fulfil his promises.  Be bold knowing that the gospel has power and that we live in a world transformed by that power, even if everyone ignores it or denies it.  Pray.  Remember.  Be bold.  And then remember that we are the family of the Messiah, marked out by his powerful name in our baptism and that in those baptismal waters, he's plunged us in to his Spirit.  He has made us new and we're not the family meant be and to bring and to live out his new creation, to live out heaven on earth in anticipation of the day when Jesus finally sets it all to rights.  We are the family that refuses to stop singing his praises and proclaiming his glory.  That's what we were created to do in the first place.  That's what Jesus has rescued us to do right now.  And it's what all creation will one day, by his grace, do again. Let's pray: O Lord, hear us in your mercy, we pray, and grant that we, to whom you have given the desire to pray, may be defended and comforted by your mighty aid, and strengthened in all dangers and adversities, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Welcome to Day 2885 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2885 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 136:1-9 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2885 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2885 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The Title for Today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Cosmic Anthem of Enduring Love In our previous episode on this grand, poetic landscape, we scaled the magnificent, soaring finale of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five, verses fifteen through twenty-one. We witnessed a devastating, razor-sharp polemical assault against the silent, breathless idols of the nations. We watched the psalmist ruthlessly strip away the mystical propaganda of the pagan cultures, exposing their silver and gold statues as completely mute, blind, and deaf. We confronted the terrifying law of spiritual assimilation—realizing that those who place their trust in hollow, manufactured systems will inevitably become just as hollow and spiritually dead as the idols they worship. We closed our trek by stepping into the vibrant, living courts of Jerusalem, joining the unified, roaring anthem of the true assembly, shouting Hallelujah to the living King who dynamically rules the cosmos from His embassy on Mount Zion. Today, we transition directly from that daytime temple victory into what is universally recognized as the absolute mountain peak of Hebrew liturgy. We are entering the opening movement of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Six, verses one through nine, in the New Living Translation. In the ancient Jewish tradition, this masterpiece is known as the “Great Hallel”—the supreme song of praise, traditionally sung during the Passover seder. This psalm takes the theological truths we uncovered in our last episode, and sets them to a beautiful, rhythmic, and antiphonal chant designed to reshape our entire understanding of reality. As we step onto this new trail, we will hear the thunderous voice of the congregation responding to every single line of divine truth with an unyielding, cosmic refrain. Let let us adjust our lenses, quiet our hearts, and join the grand procession. The first segment is: The Supreme Sovereign of the Celestial Council Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Six: verses one, two, and three. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords. His faithful love endures forever. The liturgy opens with a majestic, triadic call to worship that establishes the absolute, unrivaled supremacy of the Creator. We hear the temple leader shout the declaration, and the massive congregation roars back the eternal echo: “His faithful love endures forever.” To fully unlock the immense, explosive weight of these opening verses, we must view this language through the profound lens of the Ancient Israelite divine council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. In our modern, Western theological context, we often read terms like “God of gods,” or “Lord of lords,” as mere rhetorical hyperbole—poetic ways of saying God is the biggest and the best. But to the ancient Near Eastern mind, this was a highly technical, legal description of celestial hierarchy. The psalmist is explicitly naming the Elohei ha-elohim—the supreme, uncreated Sovereign who presides over the entire assembly of heavenly beings. We must recall the foundational cosmic geography of Deuteronomy, chapter thirty-two, verses eight and nine. When the Most High divided the nations at the Tower of Babel, He allocated the different people groups to the oversight of lesser spiritual beings—the sons of God, the territorial elohim. These spiritual principalities subsequently rebelled, becoming corrupt, demanding worship for themselves, and plunging the pagan world into darkness. They set up their own rival thrones, claiming absolute lordship over their respective empires. The psalmist stands in the temple courts and hurls a massive, polemical challenge into the unseen realm. By commanding the people to give thanks to the “God of gods,” and the “Lord of lords,” he is legally reasserting Yahweh's supreme authority over the entire cosmic rebellion. He is stating that the rebel principalities of Babylon, Egypt, and Rome are merely created entities, middle-management spirits who owe their very existence to the High King. They may claim to be gods, but Yahweh is the Sovereign over their council. Their authority is localized and temporary; His supremacy is absolute and universal. Notice the specific engine that powers this supreme governance. Why does the universe remain secure under the God of gods? Because “His faithful love endures forever.” The Hebrew word used here is our foundational, majestic anchor word: Hesed. It refers to a loyal, stubborn, covenant-keeping affection that refuses to let go. The psalmist is making a radical claim: the ultimate, structural fabric of the cosmos is not blind power, chaotic fate, or erratic anger—which is what the pagan nations believed about their capricious deities. The bedrock of the universe is the relentless, fiercely loyal Hesed of Yahweh. Every star hangs in space, and every legal decree of the divine council is issued through the filter of this enduring love. The second segment is: The Miraculous Architect of Cosmic Order Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Six: verses four, five, and six. Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who placed the earth on the water. His faithful love endures forever. The anthem transitions from the composition of the celestial council, to the initial acts of creation, demonstrating that Yahweh's Hesed is the driving force behind the physical architecture of our world. We are commanded to praise the One “who alone does mighty miracles.” The use of the word “alone” is another intentional, razor-sharp polemic against the rebel spirits. The pagan cultures credited their localized deities with all kinds of supernatural feats, believing that Baal brought the rain, or that Ra managed the sun. But the psalmist clears the stage, declaring that when it comes to true, cosmic, and foundational miracles, Yahweh operates completely without rivals. He needs no help from the divine assembly; His own voice is entirely sufficient to organize the void. He proves this by pointing to the skies: “Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully.” The Hebrew text implies that the heavens were designed with deep, mathematical wisdom and artistic precision. In the ancient biblical worldview, the creation of the heavens was an act of establishing boundaries, building a beautifully ordered home where life could safely flourish, completely insulated from primeval chaos. The psalmist then moves his focus down to the geography of our home in verse six: “Give thanks to him who placed the earth on the water.” To the ancient Near Eastern mind, this imagery was filled with intense, dramatic tension. They believed that the dry land was established, and anchored, directly over the dark, deep, and roaring waters of the primordial ocean—the realm of Yamm, which represented the terrifying forces of unmitigated chaos. Left to themselves, the wild waters would instantly rise up to swallow the land, flooding the world back into a formless void. But Yahweh executed a mighty miracle of stabilization. He flattened the earth, drove back the roaring tides, and placed the dry ground securely "on the water," pinning the chaotic deep beneath His feet. He built a structural breakwater for humanity. When the congregation chants, “His faithful love endures forever” after this verse, they are recognizing that the very ground they stand upon is a direct gift of divine mercy. The earth remains solid, and the chaos waters are kept at bay, simply because the loyal Hesed of the Creator actively maintains the boundaries of creation every single second. The third segment is: Overruling the Astral Principalities Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Six: verses seven, eight, and nine. Give thanks to him who made the heavenly lights— His faithful love endures forever. the sun to rule the day, His faithful love endures forever. and the moon and stars to...

The Praise O'Clock Show (also known as The Praiseworld Podcast) is the breakfast show of Praiseworld Radio.Host: Goodness EzehQuote of The Day: “No one can have the peace of God until they are at peace with God.” — Jack Wellman

In Season 2's third episode, Nick and Dylan head into Revelation 13 and 14, where the mark of the beast gets all the attention, but right alongside it stands the Lamb on Mount Zion, marking his people with his name. They unpack what it means to carry the mark of the Lamb, and what that says about the kingdom God is building on earth.Subscribe to our monthly magazine: https://www.elishasriddle.com/subscribe Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/elishasriddle/

The Mark of the Lamb. In Season 2's third episode, Nick and Dylan head into Revelation 13 and 14, where the mark of the beast gets all the attention, but right alongside it stands the Lamb on Mount Zion, marking his people with his name. They unpack what it means to carry the mark of the Lamb, and what that says about the kingdom God is building on earth.The Elisha's Riddle Podcast is a prophetic conversation unraveling the Riddle of Christ in all things.Subscribe to our monthly magazine and join our online community: https://www.elishasriddle.com/subscribeWebsite: https://www.elishasriddle.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/elishasriddle/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nick.padovani.12/Nick: https://www.instagram.com/njpadovani/ Dylan: https://www.instagram.com/dylandemarsico/Eyes Open Press: https://www.eyesopenpress.com/about

Welcome to Day 2880 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2880 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 135:1-7 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2880 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day two thousand eight hundred eighty of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: Unmasking the Idols – Yahweh's Unrivaled Cosmic Supremacy In our previous stop along this grand, poetic landscape, we witnessed the beautiful, atmospheric conclusion to the Songs of Ascents. In Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Four, we stood under the starlit canopy of Jerusalem at midnight, watching the weary pilgrims prepare to descend the mountain. Before disappearing into the darkness, they exchanged a parting blessing with the temple guards and the Levites, who kept watch through the treacherous night. We learned that while the surrounding pagan world cowered in terror of the nocturnal shadows—fearing the chaotic whims of the rebel spiritual principalities—the guardians of Yahweh raised their hands in holiness, enforcing the spiritual borders of the Creator's earthly embassy. We left that trail with the comforting assurance that the Maker of heaven and earth issues an unshakeable benediction from Mount Zion, a blessing that follows us into every dark corner of our exile. Today, we transition into a grand, sweeping temple liturgy that takes the flickering spark of that midnight praise, and explodes it into a glorious, daytime anthem of cosmic victory. We are stepping onto a new trail, exploring the opening movement of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five, verses one through seven, in the New Living Translation. This psalm is historically categorized as a “Hallel”—a great song of praise—and it serves as a spectacular, polemical unmasking of the false gods of the nations. The psalmist pulls back the cosmic curtain, calling the assembly to praise the unrivaled, absolute sovereignty of Yahweh. Let us step onto the path, adjust our focus, and prepare to encounter the High King of the celestial council. The first segment is: The Call to the Courts of the Most High Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five: verses one through three. Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord, you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; celebrate his lovely name with music. The psalm opens with a thunderous, rhythmic command that shatters the morning silence of the temple courts. “Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord!” In the original Hebrew, this opening blast is Hallelujah—a direct, imperative shout commanding the entire assembly to boast in Yahweh. Notice the specific target of this adoration: “the name of the Lord.” In the ancient Near East, and throughout the biblical narrative, a deity's name was not just a convenient label or a linguistic tag. The name represented the very essence, the character, the reputation, and the active presence of the person. In the books of Moses, Yahweh explicitly stated that His "Name" would dwell in the sanctuary. Therefore, to praise the Name is to actively execute an assignment of cosmic allegiance. It is declaring that the reputation of the God of Jacob is superior to any other entity in existence. The psalmist specifically addresses the leaders of this worship in verse two: “Praise him, you who serve the Lord, you who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.” This bridges perfectly with our previous study of the final Song of Ascent. The watchmen who stood by night are now joined by the full daytime staff of priests, musicians, and gatekeepers, standing in the expansive, sunlit courts of the sanctuary. To "stand" in the ancient courtly language did not mean merely to be on one's feet; it was a technical term for serving as an official minister in a royal court. The priests were the human counterparts to the loyal, heavenly host. Just as the angels stand in the celestial throne room to execute the decrees of the King, the priests stand in the earthly copy of that throne room, maintaining the cosmic order through worship and sacrifice. The motivation for this unceasing service is detailed in verse three: “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; celebrate his lovely name with music.” The goodness of Yahweh is the absolute bedrock of biblical theology. The surrounding pagan nations lived in constant, paralyzing anxiety because their gods—the rebel elohim of the divine council—were fundamentally fickle, malicious, and self-serving. They had to be constantly appeased with blood, bribes, and frantic rituals just to keep them from throwing a cosmic temper tantrum. But the God of Israel is immutably, beautifully good. His Name is "lovely"—meaning sweet, pleasant, and deeply satisfying to the soul. The community is commanded to celebrate this goodness with music, using the rhythmic resonance of harps, lyres, and voices to align the atmosphere of the earth with the harmonious songs of the heavenly host. The second segment is: The Sovereign Allotment and the Treasured Heritage Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five: verse four. For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own special treasure. The psalmist shifts from the general goodness of God, to a specific, historical act of cosmic boundary-setting. “For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own special treasure.” To unlock the massive, explosive weight of this single verse, we must view it through the brilliant lens of the Ancient Israelite divine council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. We must look back to the foundational blueprint of cosmic geography recorded in Deuteronomy, chapter thirty-two, verses eight and nine. That text reveals that when the Most High divided the nations at the Tower of Babel, He scattered humanity into separate language groups, allocating them to the oversight of lesser spiritual beings—the sons of God. Those territorial elohim subsequently rebelled, choosing to demand worship for themselves, and plunging the pagan world into darkness. But the text explicitly states that Yahweh's personal portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance. By repeating this reality in Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five, the writer is launching a devastating polemical attack against the claims of the rebel nations. He is stating that Israel's existence is not a geopolitical accident. While the rest of the world was disinherited, and handed over to the dominion of corrupt, angelic governors, Yahweh reached down into history, called Abraham out of paganism, and birthed a unique nation “for himself.” He calls Israel His “own special treasure.” The Hebrew word used here is segullah, which refers to a monarch's private, personal wealth. In the ancient world, a king would collect taxes that went into the public treasury to run the empire; but he also possessed a private vault of priceless jewels, gold, and treasures that belonged uniquely to him. Israel is Yahweh's segullah. The Creator of the universe looks at this small, historically persecuted group of exiles, and He says, "You are My private jewels. You are the specific family through whom I am going to launch My rescue mission to reclaim the entire planet from the rebel gods." The third segment is: Stripping the Power of the Rebel Council Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five: verse five. I know the greatness of the Lord— that our Lord is greater than any other god. The corporate song suddenly shifts into a bold, personal testimony of cosmic discernment. “I know the greatness of the Lord—that our Lord is greater than any other god.” In our modern, Western theological framework, we often read a verse like this and assume the psalmist is talking about psychological idols—things like money, career, or self-esteem. Or, we assume he is stating that the pagan gods are completely non-existent figments of human imagination. But in the ancient Near Eastern context, the statement is far more radical, and far more dangerous. The psalmist is not an abstract monotheist in the modern sense; he is a fierce monolatrist. He fully recognizes that the "other gods"—the elohim of the nations—are real, active, and powerful supernatural entities operating in the unseen realm. They are the rebel principalities that inspire human empires to commit systemic injustice and violence. But the psalmist stands in the temple courts, looks out at the towering structures of the pagan world, and delivers a definitive...

Stasi invites Blaine Eldredge, our Director of Spiritual Formation at Wild at Heart, for a conversation about recapturing beauty—not the exhausting beauty our culture demands, but the deeply personal beauty that originates in the heart of God. Together they explore how Jesus reveals a beauty that is vulnerable, relational, and inviting; a beauty that isn't based on performance, but draws us into His love. Come and rediscover the beauty that moves our hearts toward Him. This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation.…..SHOW NOTES:…..VERSES: Genesis 2:18 (NIV) – The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”Exodus 33:11 (NIV) – The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.Deuteronomy 34:10 (NIV) – Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.Song of Songs 2:14 (NIV) – My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.Hebrews 12:18–24 (NIV) – You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them… But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem… to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) – And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.John 4:16–18 (NIV) – He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.”2 Kings 17:24–41 (NIV) – Clearly referenced in the discussion of the Samaritan people being brought from five nations associated with false gods and attempting to worship Yahweh alongside them.…..RESOURCESThe Green Ember by S.D. Smith  ⁠https://amzn.to/4dyvZCh⁠The Prophets by Abraham Joshua Heschel  ⁠https://amzn.to/4wUgygG⁠ The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel  ⁠https://amzn.to/4nEW8np⁠God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism by Abraham Joshua Heschel   ⁠https://amzn.to/49cEn99⁠Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle  ⁠https://amzn.to/495TaCE⁠Creation and Fall: A Theological Exposition of Genesis 1-3 by Dietrich Bonhoeffer ⁠https://amzn.to/4tPgr3h⁠Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration by Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)   ⁠https://amzn.to/3RvX3dV⁠The Glory of the Lord by Hans Urs von Balthasar  ⁠https://amzn.to/4wEjTA5⁠…..CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS00:00  The Beauty That Captures Our Hearts01:52  Jesus Pursuing the Hearts of Our Children06:11  Why Beauty Begins in God07:41  The Danger of “Instagram Face”11:12  How Empire Erases Personhood14:19  The False Beauty of Invulnerability17:19  Beauty, Limits, and Being Human19:42  Why the World Loves Artificial Beauty22:25  The Enemy's War Against True Beauty24:14  When Beauty Becomes Power26:14  The Beauty That Invites Relationship28:15  The Trinity and Relational Love30:23  God's Desire to See Our Faces33:09  Jesus' Beauty Is Deeply Personal34:45  Vulnerability at the Heart of Beauty36:11  Choosing Intimacy Over Universal Approval39:08  Why Every Woman Bears Beauty40:10  The Beauty of the Crucified Christ41:50  Jesus' Beauty Pursues Our Hearts42:58  The Samaritan Woman and Divine Love45:59  The Lordliness and Goodness of Jesus47:12  Becoming Like the One We Behold48:15  Closing Prayer…..Don't Miss Out on the Next Episode—Subscribe for FreeSubscribe using your favorite podcast app:YouTube – ⁠https://wahe.art/4h8DelL⁠Spotify Podcasts – ⁠https://wahe.art/496zdfn⁠Apple Podcasts – ⁠https://apple.co/42E0oZ1⁠ Amazon Music & Audible – ⁠https://amzn.to/3M9u6hJ⁠

Welcome to Day 2878 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2878 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 134:1-3 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2878 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2878 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – The Midnight Benediction of the Cosmic Mountain In our previous episode on this grand, generational expedition, we explored the fourteenth Song of Ascent, Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Three. We peered inside the seamless walls of Jerusalem to witness the radiant, supernatural atmosphere of the kingdom. We discovered that holy harmony among the family of God is an aggressive, defensive weapon that actively subverts the chaotic fragmentation of the Tower of Babel. We felt the fragrant, vertical cascade of Aaron's precious anointing oil, and we marveled at the cosmic inversion of the landscape, where the life-giving dew of Mount Hermon—the ancient, dark stronghold of the rebel gods—was hijacked, and redirected by Yahweh to refresh the holy mountain of Zion. We rested in the ultimate, sovereign decree of life everlasting. Today, my friends, we have reached the final step of this specific trail. We are standing at the absolute conclusion of the fifteen pilgrim psalms, exploring Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Four, verses one through three, in the New Living Translation. This final Song of Ascent is a short, dramatic, and intensely atmospheric liturgy. The great festival in Jerusalem has ended, the crowds are dispersing, and the pilgrims are preparing to descend the mountain under the cover of darkness, to return to their ordinary lives in a compromised world. But before they lose sight of the temple, they turn back one last time to exchange a beautiful, midnight blessing with the guardians of the sanctuary. Let us step onto the final ridge, look into the glowing courts of the Lord, and receive the parting benediction of the cosmos. The first segment is: The Midnight Vigil of the Royal Guardians Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Four: verses one and two. Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord. Lift your hands in holiness, and praise the Lord. The final psalm opens with a stirring, midnight call to worship, issued by the departing pilgrims to the staff of the temple. “Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord.” To fully appreciate the cinematic, mysterious beauty of this moment, we must paint the physical, and spiritual, picture. The annual feast is over. The campfires on the hillsides around Jerusalem are dying down, and the thousands of pilgrims are packing their bags to begin the long trek back to their distant homes. As they step out into the cold night air, leaving the safety of the inner courts, they look back at the dark, towering silhouette of the temple standing against the starlit sky. The city is quiet, but the temple is still alive with activity. They see the flickering orange glow of the altar fires, and they spot the shadows of the Levites and the priests moving through the corridors. The pilgrims shout out a final, parting charge to these nocturnal ministers: “Praise the Lord... you who serve at night.” In the ancient Hebrew framework, the night watch was a position of immense responsibility. While the rest of the nation slept, these specific servants were commanded to keep the sacred fires burning, to guard the thresholds, and to maintain a continuous, unceasing rhythm of prayer and vigilance within the courts of Yahweh. We must look at this nocturnal service through the profound lens of the Ancient Israelite divine council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. In the ancient Near Eastern mindset, the night was not just a time for rest; the night was the domain of chaos. The darkness was considered the primary operating hour for the rebel spiritual principalities—the fallen elohim who ruled over the disinherited nations. The pagan world lived in constant, paralyzing terror of the night, believing that evil spirits and demonic forces prowled the earth when the sun went down, seeking to undo the order of creation. But inside the house of the Lord, the darkness is completely neutralized. The temple watchmen are not cowering in fear; they are standing on duty as royal guardians of the cosmic gateway. The temple is the earthly embassy of the Supreme Commander of the heavenly armies. By keeping the lights burning and the praises rising through the midnight watches, these priests are actively enforcing the spiritual borders of God's domain. They are asserting Yahweh's absolute sovereignty over the night, demonstrating to the unseen, rebellious realm that the true King never slumbers, and His fortress is never undefended. The departing pilgrims instruct these guardians exactly how to execute their spiritual defense in verse two: “Lift your hands in holiness, and praise the Lord.” The lifting of the hands is the ancient, universal posture of complete surrender, intense appeal, and open-hearted adoration. The priests are told to lift their hands “in holiness”—or, as other translations render it, “toward the sanctuary.” They are aiming their worship directly at the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant rests beneath the wings of the cherubim. By raising their hands in the dark, the watchmen are acting as human lightning rods, drawing the supernatural sanctity and the protective power of the heavenly throne room straight down into the earthly realm, creating a continuous barrier of holy light that keeps the forces of chaos at bay. The second segment is: The Return Blessing from the Creator of the Cosmos Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Four: verse three. May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Zion. In the final sentence of the entire Songs of Ascents collection, the direction of the voice shifts. The temple watchmen, standing on the high, illuminated battlements of the sanctuary, hear the parting shout of the pilgrims. They look out into the darkness at the departing travelers, raise their own holy hands over the crowd, and speak a majestic, reciprocal blessing back down upon them: “May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.” This closing benediction is a masterpiece of covenant theology and cosmic polemics. Notice the specific, dual title given to Yahweh: “the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” In the Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two worldview, the surrounding pagan nations believed that the universe was carved up into separate, localized jurisdictions. The gods of Babylon claimed the rivers; the gods of Egypt claimed the Nile; and the gods of Philistia claimed the coastal plains. These rebel spirits asserted that their authority was absolute within their own geographic boundaries, and they demanded total compliance from any human who entered their territory. But the priests of Israel shatter that illusion with their final blessing. They remind the departing pilgrims that the God they serve is not a minor, regional spirit of the hills. He is not a localized deity trapped inside the stone walls of Jerusalem. He is the absolute, supreme Architect of the entire macrocosm. He spoke the heavens into existence, and He formed the earth from the void. Therefore, there is no place on the planet that is outside of His jurisdiction. When the pilgrims leave Jerusalem to return to their homes in the distant, compromised corners of the world, they are not leaving the territory of their God. They can walk confidently into any environment, knowing that every square inch of dirt they step upon belongs exclusively to the Maker of heaven and earth. And look at the launching pad of this blessing: “from Zion.” As we have learned on this fifteen-stop mountain climb, Mount Zion is the designated cosmic mountain, the official footprint of Yahweh's heavenly throne room in the human realm. The blessing that the priests pronounce is not a cheap, temporary wish for good luck. It is a massive, supernatural transmission of Shalom—complete, flourishing wholeness and divine favor—cascading down directly from the centralized command center of the universe. The pilgrims are told that this blessing from Zion will follow them down the mountain trail. It will go with them as they navigate the treacherous roads, as they return to their families, and as they face the daily, suffocating hostility of the pagan cultures. Zion's light will go with them into the darkness of their exile. The final step of the ascent is actually the beginning of the descent, where the travelers are sent back out into the world, transformed into living extensions of the cosmic mountain,...

CORRECTIONS:-ISAIAH 4:3,4-|-ST MATTHEW 22:11

Welcome to Day 2877 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2877 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 133:1-3 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2877 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2877 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The Title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – The Cosmic Dew of Holy Harmony In our previous episode on this grand, multi-generational expedition, we scaled the breathtaking, final heights of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two. We listened in hushed, reverent awe as the human voices of the pilgrims receded, and Yahweh Himself took the cosmic microphone to deliver His final, unyielding oracle. We witnessed the High King of heaven plant His royal flag upon Mount Zion, declaring it to be His permanent, centralized command center forever. We marveled at His glorious, sovereign promises to completely erase hunger by satisfying the poor with bread, to wrap his priests in the defensive armor of salvation, and to cause the royal power of David's ultimate Descendant to sprout like a living horn, radiating a blooming, immortal crown of victory that completely humiliates the rebel powers of darkness. Today, we step forward onto the fourteenth, and penultimate, ridge of this magnificent pilgrim trail. We are immersing our souls in the second-to-last Song of Ascent: Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Three, verses one through three, in the New Living Translation. This short, brilliant masterpiece, written by King David, contains only three brief verses. Yet, what it lacks in physical length, it more than makes up for in profound, world-altering spiritual depth. It provides the perfect, beautiful relational resolution to the epic structural themes we explored in the previous psalm. Once the Divine Warrior has completely secured His cosmic headquarters on the mountain, and once His righteous King is securely enthroned, we are finally permitted to look inside the fortress walls to witness the internal, radiant atmosphere of the kingdom. We are moving from the grand architecture of the throne room, directly into the intimate, fragrant, and refreshing fellowship of the family of God. Let us step onto this sacred section of the trail, and discover the true, supernatural anatomy of holy harmony. Segment one is: The Sacred Assembly and the Subversion of Babel Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Three: verse one. How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! The song opens with an ecstatic, heartfelt exclamation of delight: “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!” The Hebrew vocabulary used here is incredibly rich. The word for “wonderful” is tov, which means inherently good, functional, and in perfect alignment with the original design of creation. It is the exact same word the Creator used in the opening chapters of Genesis when He looked at His newly organized cosmos and declared it “good.” The word for “pleasant” is na'im, implying something that is deeply delightful, sweet, and aesthetically beautiful to experience. The psalmist is looking at a specific human reality, and recognizing it as a literal slice of heaven on earth. To fully comprehend the immense weight of this opening verse, we must view this gathering through the profound lens of the Ancient Israelite divine council worldview, as taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. We must remember that the natural state of the world outside of Zion was characterized by fierce fragmentation, hostility, and relentless warfare. In the Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two worldview, when humanity rebelled at the Tower of Babel, Yahweh disinherited the nations, scattering them across the face of the earth, and placing them under the jurisdiction of lesser spiritual beings—the sons of God. Those territorial elohim subsequently rebelled, corrupting their assignments, and driving their respective human empires to constantly fight, exploit, and destroy one another. Chaos, division, and tribal hatred were the native operating systems of the fallen world. But here, on the slopes of Mount Zion, a supernatural miracle is taking place. The scattered tribes of Israel—who often suffered from internal rivalries and external political stress—have left their separate territories behind. They have marched up the mountain pass, passed through the seamless gates of Jerusalem, and they are now sitting down together, side-by-side, as one unified family. The Hebrew phrase for “together in harmony” is gam yachad, which implies an absolute, indivisible unity of purpose, heart, and soul. This holy harmony is a direct, aggressive subversion of the dark principalities. Yahweh's heavenly council is defined by perfect, unified execution of the divine will, and humanity was originally created to serve as the earthly extension of that loyal celestial family. When the brothers live together in harmony on Zion, they are restoring the original blueprint of Eden. They are demonstrating to the watching, rebel spirits that the unifying love of the Creator is completely breaking the power of the Babel fragmentation. Holy harmony is not just a nice, sentimental feeling; it is a declaration of cosmic victory, showing that the true King has successfully gathered His scattered children into one unshakeable, loving household. Segment two is: The Fragrant Overflow of Vertical Sanctity Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Three: verse two. For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head, that ran down his beard and onto the collar of his robes. To describe the invisible, spiritual reality of this brotherly harmony, David deploys a highly specific, deeply sacred, and intensely sensory metaphor: “For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head, that ran down his beard and onto the collar of his robes.” To the modern, Western reader, the image of thick oil running down a man's face, soaking into his beard, and dripping onto his clothing might sound messy, or even unappealing. But to the ancient Near Eastern mind, this was a picture of ultimate luxury, supreme consecration, and overwhelming divine favor. The psalmist is referring explicitly to the shemen hatob—the unique, holy anointing oil described in Exodus chapter thirty. This was not ordinary cooking oil; it was a highly concentrated, priceless compound of pure olive oil infused with massive amounts of liquid myrrh, fragrant cinnamon, sweet cane, and cassia. It was strictly forbidden for common use. When this oil was poured out, its rich, majestic, and intoxicating fragrance would instantly fill the entire environment, completely overriding the smells of the physical world. Look at the specific directional movement of the oil in the text: it is poured over Aaron's head, it runs down his beard, and it flows directly onto the collar of his priestly robes. This represents a magnificent, vertical cascade of holiness. Aaron was the High Priest, the designated human mediator who was authorized to step into the Holy of Holies to stand before the Ark of the Covenant—the literal footstool of Yahweh's throne. When Aaron was anointed, the oil was poured out with radical, wasteful abundance. This vertical flow symbolizes the downpouring of heavenly sanctity from the King of the cosmos into the physical realm. The oil starts at the head—the seat of divine authority—and it completely saturates the mediator, flowing down until it covers the entire body of the priesthood, which represents the collective community of Israel. David is teaching us a profound theological truth: true, holy harmony is not something that human beings can manufacture from the bottom up through political treaties, or social engineering. Holy harmony is a supernatural gift that cascades from the top down. It originates from the throne room of the true Sovereign, flows through our ultimate Mediator, and completely saturates the body of the faithful. The rich, fragrant oil of unity marks the covenant family as a sacred, set-apart space, completely distinct from the profane, defiled territories of the rebel gods. When we walk in harmony, we are literally covered in the intoxicating fragrance of heaven's holiness. Segment three is: Subverting the Dark Mountain and the Ultimate Decree of Life Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Three: verse three. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting. The psalmist introduces a...

Welcome to Day 2875 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2875 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 132:13-18 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2875 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2875 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Blooming Horn of Zion's King In our previous episode on this grand pilgrimage, we marched alongside the ancient Israelite community in the second movement of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses six through twelve. We witnessed the historical, corporate joy of locating the long-lost Ark of the Covenant, which had been neglected in the wooded, overgrown fields of the countryside. We joined the grand procession as the Ark was carried up the slopes of Mount Zion, and we heard the priests raise that dramatic, ancient battle cry: "Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place!" We explored the cosmic weight of the Ark as the physical footstool of Yahweh's heavenly throne, and we stood in awe as the Creator responded to David's restless devotion by swearing an unbreakable, unconditional oath to establish the Davidic dynasty forever. Today, we have reached the magnificent, soaring finale of this epic psalm. We are completing our exploration of the longest Song of Ascent by diving deep into Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses thirteen through eighteen, in the New Living Translation. The human voices of the pilgrims, and the earthly liturgy of the procession, now recede into a quiet, reverent silence. The stage is completely cleared, and we hear the direct, first-person decrees of Yahweh Himself. The Sovereign Commander of the heavenly armies takes the microphone to deliver His final, unyielding oracle regarding the destiny of His holy city, His anointed king, and the entire cosmos. Let us step onto the final ridge of this specific trail, open our ears, and listen to the voice of the Almighty. The first segment is: The Cosmic Headquarters and the Eternal Rest Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses thirteen and fourteen. For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem; he has desired it for his home. “This is my resting place forever,” he said. “I will live here, for this is the home I desired.” The climax of the psalm opens with a foundational declaration of divine selection: "For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem; he has desired it for his home." To fully appreciate the absolute explosion of theological and cosmic weight embedded in these words, we must view this geography through the lens of the Ancient Israelite divine council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. We must recall the grand narrative of Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two, verses eight and nine, which reveals that when the Most High divided the nations at the Tower of Babel, He allocated the different people groups to the oversight of lesser spiritual beings—the sons of God. Those territorial elohim subsequently rebelled, corrupting their assignments, and demanding worship for themselves, plunging the pagan world into spiritual darkness. But Yahweh claimed one specific people, and one specific piece of geography, as His own personal, prized allotment. That prized allotment is Zion. By declaring that He has "chosen Jerusalem," Yahweh is executing a monumental act of cosmic boundary-setting. He is looking at the entire planet—which has been carved up by rebel spiritual forces—and He is planting His royal flag on this specific, modest hill. The surrounding pagan cultures believed their gods ruled from massive, physically imposing mountains, like Mount Zaphon or the towering heights of Mount Hermon. But Yahweh bypasses the arrogant, towering peaks of the rebels, and He chooses Jerusalem. He "desired it for his home." He then seals this choice with an absolute, eternal decree in verse fourteen: "‘This is my resting place forever,' he said. ‘I will live here, for this is the home I desired.'" The phrase "resting place"—or menuchah in the Hebrew—carries a deep, ancient Near Eastern royal meaning. A king's resting place was not where he went to take a nap; it was his palace. It was the centralized command center from which he issued decrees, administered justice, and ruled his empire after completely defeating his enemies. When Yahweh says Zion is His resting place "forever," He is announcing that Jerusalem is the permanent, unchangeable headquarters of the cosmos. He is completely evicting the claims of the rebel principalities. He says, "I will live here." The High King of heaven has moved His primary residence down into the human realm, establishing His divine council administration right in the midst of His people, and creating an unshakeable fortress of truth that can never be overthrown by the powers of chaos. The second segment is! The Overflowing Feast and the Garments of Victory Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses fifteen and sixteen. I will bless this city and make it prosperous; I will satisfy its poor with food. I will clothe its priests with salvation; its loyal servants will sing for joy. Because the ultimate Source of life and cosmic order has taken His seat on the mountain, the blessings of His presence immediately begin to cascade down, radically transforming the socioeconomic and spiritual reality of the city. Yahweh promises, "I will bless this city and make it prosperous; I will satisfy its poor with food." The rebel spiritual forces and their arrogant, earthly proxies governed the pagan empires through exploitation, greed, and systemic cruelty. In Babylon, Egypt, and Canaan, the wealthy elite built their palaces by grinding the faces of the poor into the dirt, while their corrupt gods demanded heavy sacrifices from the starving masses. But the government of Yahweh operates on an economy of absolute Shalom—complete, flourishing wholeness and restorative justice. When the King of Zion prospers His city, the blessing is not hoarded by a select few at the top. It ripples all the way down to the margins of society. He promises to "satisfy its poor with food." In the ancient world, satisfying the poor with bread was the ultimate sign of a righteous, legitimate monarch. Yahweh's presence ensures that hunger is eradicated, oppression is broken, and the vulnerable are fiercely protected. The cosmic center becomes a place of abundant, overflowing life for everyone who dwells within its gates. The divine blessing then moves from the physical needs of the community, to their spiritual armor in verse sixteen: "I will clothe its priests with salvation; its loyal servants will sing for joy." We must look back to verse nine of this same psalm to see the beautiful, reciprocal nature of this verse. In the previous processional prayer, the pilgrims petitioned God, saying, "May your priests be clothed in godliness and righteousness." Now, Yahweh answers that prayer, but He expands the vocabulary. He doesn't just promise to clothe them in righteousness; He says, "I will clothe its priests with salvation." The Hebrew word for salvation here is yesha, implying deliverance, victory, and safety. The priests, who serve as the crucial human mediators between the heavenly council and the earthly congregation, are completely wrapped in the defensive armor of the Divine Warrior. They become walking advertisements of God's saving power. And because the leadership is securely wrapped in victory, the effect on the congregation is instantaneous: "its loyal servants will sing for joy." The hasidim—the covenant-keeping exiles—break out into uninhibited, ecstatic shouting. Their worship becomes an auditory shield, completely drowning out the deceptive lies and the mocking laughter of the surrounding culture. The third segment is: The Sprouting Horn and the Resplendent Crown Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses seventeen and eighteen. Here I will increase the power of David; I will prepare a lamp for my anointed one. I will clothe his enemies with shame, but he will be a resplendent king.” The psalm reaches its grand, prophetic finale by focusing entirely on the destiny of the Davidic monarch, the human vice-regent of God's earthly kingdom. Yahweh decrees, "Here I will increase the power of David; I will prepare a lamp for my anointed one." The phrase "increase the power of David" uses an incredibly vivid, old-world idiom. The literal Hebrew text says, "There I will cause a horn to sprout for David." In ancient Near Eastern iconography, the horn of a wild ox represented raw, undefeated military strength,...

Welcome to Day 2873 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2873 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 132:6-12 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2873 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2873 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – The Enthronement of the Ark on the Holy Mountain In our previous episode on this grand expedition, we stepped onto the thirteenth ridge of our fifteen-part pilgrim journey through the Songs of Ascents. We explored the opening section of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses one through five. We witnessed the unyielding, sleepless passion of King David. Even though he had a quiet, weaned soul within himself, he refused to enjoy the private luxury of his cedar palace while the Ark of the Covenant remained neglected in a temporary tent. We examined his solemn vow to the Mighty One of Jacob, a vow of deliberate restlessness, where he refused to sleep until he found a permanent, sacred space—a cosmic embassy—where the True King of heaven and earth could establish His earthly footstool. Today, we take our next historic step forward, continuing directly from that narrative. We are entering into the second movement of this grand, processional anthem, exploring Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses six through twelve, in the New Living Translation. The psalmist shifts our focus from David's private, intense vow, to the corporate, joyful experience of the entire nation as they actually locate, recover, and march with the symbol of God's presence up the mountain. Let us step onto the rugged trail, join the ancient procession, and watch the Divine Warrior ascend His throne. The first segment is:The Discovery and the Procession to the Footstool Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses six and seven. We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah; then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar. Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord; let us worship at the footstool of his throne. The narrative transitions from David's intense, singular obsession, to the collective voice of the Israelite community, singing together on the road to Jerusalem. “We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah; then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar.” To fully appreciate the deep, emotional relief embedded in these two names—Ephrathah and Jaar—we must recall the tragic, historical backstory. Decades earlier, during the chaotic days of Eli the priest, the Israelites had foolishly treated the Ark of the Covenant like a magical good-luck charm, dragging it onto the battlefield against the Philistines. The rebel spiritual forces operating behind the Philistine armies achieved a temporary, mocking victory; the Ark was captured, and the glory of God seemed to depart from Israel. Even after the Philistines returned the Ark due to divine plagues, it sat neglected, stashed away in the obscure, overgrown, and wooded fields of Kiriath-jearim—which the psalmist poetically calls the “distant countryside of Jaar.” It was hidden in the brush, largely forgotten by the general public, while the nation drifted spiritually. But David mobilized the nation. The pilgrims recount the great rally: “Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord; let us worship at the footstool of his throne.” We must view this through the profound lens of the Ancient Israelite Divine Council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. In the ancient Near East, a supreme monarch sat on a high, elevated throne, and his feet rested upon a beautifully crafted footstool. The footstool was the critical point of contact where the heavenly, royal realm physically touched the lower, earthly domain. In cosmic geography, the Ark of the Covenant, positioned inside the Holy of Holies beneath the outstretched wings of the golden cherubim, was recognized as the literal footstool of Yahweh's heavenly throne room. When the pilgrims say, “let us worship at the footstool of his throne,” they are not merely engaging in formal temple rituals. They are entering the earthly embassy of the Supreme Commander of the cosmos. They are stepping into the direct presence of the High King, joining the heavenly assembly of loyal angels, and declaring that Yahweh's authority completely eclipses the claims of the rebel spiritual principalities who rule over the surrounding, disinherited nations. The second segment is: The Divine Warrior Takes His Seat Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses eight through ten. Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power. May your priests be clothed in godliness; may your loyal servants sing for joy. For the sake of your servant David, do not reject the king you have anointed. The procession reaches its absolute climax as the Ark is physically carried up the slopes of Mount Zion. The king and the priests raise a dramatic, liturgical shout to the heavens: “Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power.” This phrase, “Arise, O Lord,” is a direct, intentional echo of the ancient wilderness battle cry recorded in Numbers, chapter ten. Whenever the Ark of the Covenant set out from the camp to lead the tribes through the desert, Moses would stand and shout, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered!” It was the invocation of Yahweh Sabaoth—the Lord of Hosts, the Commander of the heavenly armies. But notice the fascinating, beautiful shift in Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two. The Divine Warrior is no longer marching out to do battle in the wilderness; He is marching in to take His seat. He is entering His “resting place.” In the Deuteronomy Thirty-Two framework, the rebel gods claimed ownership over the nations, but Yahweh has chosen Zion as His permanent, centralized cosmic mountain. By placing the Ark—the symbol of His power—on Mount Zion, Yahweh is establishing an unshakeable, eternal fortress. The warfare is completed; the King is officially taking His seat on the throne. This supreme, cosmic installation requires an entirely transformed community to serve the King. Verse nine petitions: “May your priests be clothed in godliness; may your loyal servants sing for joy.” The priests, who act as the human mediators between the heavenly council and the earthly congregation, must not wear the corrupt, manipulative garments of the pagan fertility cults. They must be literally wrapped, clothed, and saturated in tsedeq—true, uncompromised godliness and righteousness. When the leadership is holy, the entire community flourishes. The "loyal servants"—the hasidim, the covenant-keeping exiles—break out into uninhibited, roaring songs of joy. Their worship becomes a defensive shield, keeping the chaos of the world outside the walls of the sanctuary. The processional prayer concludes with a crucial plea for the continuation of the dynasty: “For the sake of your servant David, do not reject the king you have anointed.” The human king, the Mashiach, the anointed one, serves a vital function in the Divine Council worldview. He is designated as Yahweh's earthly vice-regent. He is the human representative who executes the justice, and the cosmic order of the High King, within the physical realm. The pilgrims pray that God will look at the faithful, historical sacrifices of David, and refuse to reject the current, fragile human king who sits on David's throne. They need the line of the vice-regent to remain unbroken, so that the connection to the cosmic mountain remains secure. The third segment is: The Reciprocal Oath of Eternity Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses eleven and twelve. The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: “I will place one of your descendants on your throne. If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant and the laws that I teach them, then your royal line will continue forever and ever.” In the final section of today's trail, the direction of the song flips completely. The pilgrims have finished speaking to God, and now, Yahweh speaks back to the pilgrims. He responds to David's historic, restless vow with a massive, unyielding oath of His own. “The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: ‘I will place one of your descendants on your throne.'” This is the beautiful, reciprocal irony of the Davidic covenant. In the first five verses of this psalm, David...

Today's and tomorrow's chapters in Isaiah (24 & 25) contain a powerful message about the climax of human history, yet they are not very often quoted.   Chapter 24 ends with “for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and Jerusalem and his glory will be before his elders.”  The next chapter begins with the reaction of the righteous, “O LORD, you are my God, I will exalt your name for you have done wonderful things …”  Humanly fortified cities have become ruins, never to be rebuilt (v.2) and the “cities of ruthless nations will fear you.” [v.3]  God has “been a stronghold to the poor … to the needy in his distress” [v.4]Then a glorious scene opens up, “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food … he will swallow up death forever and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces … Behold this is our God, we have waited for him … “ [v.6,8,9].    But go back, we jumped over nearly all of Ch. 24 – it speaks of what is to happen before this time of wonder and joy on the earth.  It is an extremely frightening picture!  Is it about to happen?  The chapter started, “Behold the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate …”The next verse indicates that all the buyers, sellers, lenders, borrowers, creditors and debtors will suffer.  Verse 3 says, “The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word”.  Then we read “the earth lies defiled under its inhabitants” [v.5], “its inhabitants suffer for their guilt” [v.6] and then follows details of the ways in which they will suffer.Reading further – “The earth is utterly broken … is violently shaken … its transgression lies heavily upon it and it falls and will not rise again” [v.19,20].  This is symbolic language of the heavens and the earth (rulers and people) that now exist being destroyed.  But later in Isaiah we will come across a wonderful vision, for God says, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold I create Jerusalem to be a joy  … my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” [Ch.65 v.17,18,22]  Will you behold these things?

(5) James Tabor describes Mount Zion in Jerusalem as the world headquarters of the early movement. Archaeological evidence suggests the "Upper Room" sits atop a first-century foundation of a house-synagogue. In this space, Maryserved as a matriarch and hostess, greeting early pilgrims and figures like the Apostle Paul. This segment portrays a vibrant Jerusalem-based community where the "genius" of the early church thrived. Tabor envisions the household dynamics on Mount Zion, where Mary remained a central figure of authority, hospitality, and memory following the death of her son.1787 Death of Socraates

(6) James Tabor examines how, during the Jewish Revolt (66–70 CE), the movement fled Jerusalem for a "hideout" in Pella, Jordan. However, Mary disappears from the historical record before this event, likely dying on Mount Zion in the 50s or 60s. Tabor notes her absence in Paul's letters and the later chapters of Acts, despite her earlier presence at Pentecost. He discusses the tradition of the Dormition, suggesting she remained in Jerusalem until her death. This disappearance marks a transition where the historical Mary was gradually "written out" of the emerging Christiannarrative.1842 Masada

Welcome to Day 2872 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2872 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 132:1-5 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2872 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2872 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – Securing the Cosmic Footstool Today, we are lacing up our boots, and setting our feet firmly onto the thirteenth step of our fifteen-part pilgrimage, through the beautiful, ancient collection known as the Songs of Ascents. We are entering into a magnificent, epic narrative found in Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses one through five, in the New Living Translation. In our previous episode, we rested on a quiet, sunlit ridge of this alphabetical mountain range, exploring the beautiful, intimate sanctuary of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-One. In that short, brilliant song, King David modeled the rare, supernatural art of a quiet, weaned soul. We witnessed him completely abdicate cosmic hubris, choosing to step out of the frantic, status-driven games of the surrounding pagan empires. We saw him rest peacefully upon the lap of Yahweh; content, quiet, and still, like a fully satisfied child content simply to be in its mother's loving presence. But today, as we transition into Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, we encounter a stunning, brilliant paradox in the life of King David. While he possessed a deeply quiet, fully content internal soul, his external life was driven by a fierce, restless, and completely unyielding passion for the glory of God. He was a man who absolutely refused to settle for comfortable, private spirituality, while the presence of the Creator remained neglected. This psalm takes us deep into the history of the kingdom, reminding the traveling pilgrims exactly why they are marching up this hill toward Jerusalem in the first place. It pulls back the cosmic curtain, exposing the intense spiritual warfare, and the grueling, historical sacrifices, required to secure the Holy City as the definitive center of the universe. Let us step onto the rugged trail, look back at the origins of our sanctuary, and explore the terms of David's historic vow. Let us listen closely to the opening lines of this powerful anthem. Lord, remember David and all that he suffered. He made a solemn promise to the Lord. He vowed to the Mighty One of Israel, The song begins with a direct, legally framed petition to the heavenly throne room: “Lord, remember David and all that he suffered.” Other translations render this as “all his afflictions,” or “all his humility.” This is a corporate plea from the community, reminding Yahweh of the heavy price David paid to establish the worship of God on earth. To fully understand the nature of David's suffering, we must look past our modern, shallow political histories, and look through the brilliant lens of the Ancient Israelite Divine Council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. In the Deuteronomy Thirty-Two worldview, when the Most High divided the nations at the Tower of Babel, He scattered humanity into seventy separate nations, placing them under the jurisdiction of lesser, rebel spiritual principalities—the fallen sons of God. But Yahweh set apart Israel as His own personal, treasured allotment. Because Israel was the direct beachhead of the true Kingdom of God on earth, the rebel gods held a deeply rooted, cosmic grudge against David. The surrounding pagan tribes—like the Jebusites who originally controlled the fortress of Jerusalem—were the earthly proxies of these dark, spiritual entities. When David fought to capture the stronghold of Zion, he wasn't just engaged in a secular military campaign; he was actively marching into the teeth of territorial, demonic principalities. He was violently reclaiming a physical piece of earth from cosmic rebels to establish a sanctuary where the True King could rule. His suffering included years of running from assassins, fighting brutal wars, and enduring the intense pressure of spiritual warfare, driven by a singular, burning vision. The text explains the exact engine that drove David through this multi-year gauntlet of affliction: “He made a solemn promise to the Lord. He vowed to the Mighty One of Israel,”. In the Hebrew text, this title for God is exceptionally powerful—Abir Ya'aqob, meaning the “Mighty One of Jacob.” This ancient, patriarchal title is full of heavy cosmic significance. By invoking the Mighty One of Israel, the psalmist makes an aggressive, polemical statement against the surrounding nations. While pagan cultures bragged about the raw power of their gods—like Baal or Chemosh—David directs his oath exclusively to the supreme, unrivaled Warrior of Jacob. He enters into a binding covenant with the only spiritual Being who possesses the ultimate authority to completely dispossess the rebel principalities and claim the earth for Himself. Let us now listen to the dramatic, radical terms of David's vow, as recorded in verses three through five. “I will not go home; I will not let myself rest. I will not let my eyes sleep nor close my eyelids in slumber, until I find a place to build a house for the Lord, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.” The words of David's vow ring out with an absolute, shocking lack of moderation. He declares, “I will not go home; I will not let myself rest. I will not let my eyes sleep nor close my eyelids in slumber,”. This is the language of holy, hyper-focused obsession. David had built himself a magnificent, luxurious palace made of expensive cedar wood. He had achieved political security, defeated his immediate military rivals, and secured an earthly throne. By all human standards, it was time for him to sit back, relax, and enjoy the sweet fruit of his labor. The world told him he had earned the right to sleep soundly in his comfortable bed. But David looked across his kingdom, and his heart was deeply grieved. While he slept in a palace of cedar, the Ark of the Covenant—the literal footstool of Yahweh's heavenly throne, the mobile cosmic mountain where the presence of the True King uniquely manifested on earth—was hidden away, neglected in a simple tent in the distant countryside. He refused to tolerate a reality where his own private comfort was superior to the public honor of his God. He viewed his luxurious palace not as a place of rest, but as a place of distraction, until a permanent, secure beachhead could be established for the Lord. He placed an intense, physical embargo upon his own body, denying himself the basic human comforts of home, rest, and sleep until his mission was accomplished. This is the absolute opposite of spiritual lethargy. The rebel spiritual forces want nothing more than for the leaders of God's people to become comfortable and complacent. If the enemy can lure the warrior into a deep, lazy sleep of private luxury, the territory remains un-reclaimed. But David weaponized his own insomnia. He chose restlessness, deliberately keeping his eyelids open, forcing his body to stay in a state of high-alert, active combat until a space could be secured for the presence of the Most High. Look at the ultimate goal of this sleepless pursuit in verse five: “until I find a place to build a house for the Lord, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.” The Hebrew word for “place” here is maqom, which carries a deep, sacred meaning. It doesn't just mean any random piece of real estate. In ancient Near Eastern literature, a maqom was a holy site, a specific, divinely appointed intersection where heaven and earth met. David was looking for the precise geographic spot where Yahweh desired to plant His feet, establishing a permanent, unshakeable embassy for the Divine Council right in the middle of human history. He calls it “a house for the Lord, a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.” This house was not meant to trap the infinite, omnipresent Creator within stone walls. Rather, the sanctuary was designed to be a visible, physical monument of divine ownership over the earth. It was a proclamation to the seventy disinherited nations, and to the corrupt, territorial elohim ruling over them, that Yahweh had definitively returned to reclaim His property. Jerusalem, specifically Mount Zion, would serve as the centralized headquarters of cosmic order, truth, and restorative justice. David was willing to bleed, sweat, and completely sacrifice his own rest, simply to lay the first stones of that eternal, global empire. As we look at this text from the high vantage point of our Wisdom Trek today, we must integrate the profound lessons of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-One and Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two. In the previous psalm, we learned to cultivate a weaned, quiet soul—completely free from the anxious striving of our own egos. But today, we learn that a quiet soul should never lead to a passive life. True biblical humility does not make a person indifferent to the spiritual condition of their culture. In fact,

The Tribulation: Hell on Earth   Our springboard text is Revelation 6:16-17: “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”   These words, ripped from the throats of kings and great men, rich men and chief captains, mighty men and every bondman and every free man, echo across the shattered landscape of a world in collapse.    As the sixth seal bursts open, the sky rolls up like a scroll, mountains and islands are moved out of their places, and the sun turns black as sackcloth while the moon becomes as blood.  Men do not cry out for mercy; they scream for the rocks to crush them rather than face the wrath of the Lamb. This is the Tribulation—the seven-year period of divine judgment poured out upon a Christ-rejecting world. It is hell on earth, the time of Jacob's trouble, the great tribulation spoken of by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:21 as unparalleled in human history.    The book of Revelation, the unveiling of Jesus Christ, lays it bare in vivid, terrifying detail. We will walk through it in the exact prophetic timeline John received, seal by seal, trumpet by trumpet, bowl by bowl, pausing at the parenthetical texts the Holy Spirit inserts to show us the behind-the-scenes reality of salvation and conflict amid the judgments. After the messages to the seven churches in Revelation 1–3, John is caught up through an open door in heaven in chapter 4.        There he sees the throne of God, the four living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy,” and the twenty-four elders casting their crowns. In chapter 5 the Lamb as it had been slain takes the seven-sealed scroll from the right hand of Him who sits on the throne. Heaven explodes in worship: “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” Then, in chapter 6, the Lamb begins to break the seals, and hell on earth is unleashed in perfect, ordered fury. The first seal: Revelation 6:1-2. “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”  A counterfeit Christ rides forth—the Antichrist—deceiving the nations with a false peace. No arrows yet, only a bow; he conquers through diplomacy and lies before the sword is unsheathed. The world cheers a man of peace who is in reality the man of sin. The second seal: Revelation 6:3-4. “And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.”    Global war erupts. The red horse rider turns the planet into a slaughterhouse. Brother against brother, nation against nation—blood flows in rivers as the false peace shatters. The third seal: Revelation 6:5-6. “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”  Famine stalks the earth. A day's wages buys only a quart of wheat or three quarts of barley—bare survival. The rich may still afford luxuries, but the masses starve while inflation and scarcity crush the poor. The fourth seal: Revelation 6:7-8. “And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”  One-quarter of the world's population—billions—die in a single stroke from war, famine, plague, and wild beasts turned savage. Death rides with hell at his heels, reaping a harvest so vast the imagination recoils. The fifth seal: Revelation 6:9-11. “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”      The martyrs cry from beneath the altar, their blood crying out for vengeance. More will join them—tribulation saints slaughtered for refusing the beast. Then comes the sixth seal, and the parenthetical pause is not yet. The cosmic cataclysm of Revelation 6:12-17: earthquake so violent every mountain and island moves, sun black, moon blood-red, stars falling like untimely figs, sky rolling up like a scroll. Men of every class hide in caves and beg the rocks to fall on them—“from the wrath of the Lamb.” This is only the beginning.   Now the first major parenthetical text breaks the chronological flow in Revelation 7. While the judgments continue on earth, heaven reveals two groups preserved and saved amid the horror.    First, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists: Revelation 7:4-8. “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”      Twelve thousand from each tribe—Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin—sealed on their foreheads with the seal of the living God.    These are not the church; they are literal Jews, protected supernaturally so they cannot be harmed by the coming trumpet and bowl judgments. They become the greatest missionary force in history, preaching the everlasting gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people while the world burns.   Because of their fearless proclamation—and the ministry of the two witnesses yet to come—an innumerable multitude is saved. Revelation 7:9-17: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands… These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”      Millions upon millions—Gentiles from every corner of the globe—turn to Christ during this hellish time. They endure hunger, thirst, scorching heat, and persecution, yet they stand before the throne, palms waving, singing of salvation. The 144,000 Jewish evangelists and the two witnesses are the instruments God uses to reap this vast harvest even as wrath falls. The seventh seal brings silence in heaven for half an hour—Revelation 8:1—then the seven trumpets. The first four are ecological and cosmic disasters affecting one-third of the earth. First trumpet: Revelation 8:7. “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.” Burning hail and blood rain down; one-third of the planet's vegetation is incinerated.   Second trumpet: Revelation 8:8-9. A burning mountain—perhaps a meteor or volcano—plunges into the sea. One-third of the sea turns to blood, one-third of sea creatures die, one-third of ships are destroyed. Oceans become graveyards. Third trumpet: Revelation 8:10-11. A star named Wormwood falls on one-third of the rivers and springs. Waters turn bitter; “many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”   Fourth trumpet: Revelation 8:12. One-third of the sun, moon, and stars are struck. The day and night lose one-third of their light. Darkness deepens over the planet.   Then an angel flies through heaven crying, “Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!” The three woes are announced.   The fifth trumpet—first woe—Revelation 9:1-12. A star falls, given the key to the bottomless pit. Smoke darkens the sun and air. Locusts pour out—demonic hordes with the power of scorpions. They do not touch grass or trees or those sealed by God, but only the unsealed men. “And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”    Picture it: locusts shaped like battle horses, crowned like gold, faces of men, hair of women, teeth of lions, iron breastplates, wings roaring like chariots, tails with scorpion stings. For five long months men are stung again and again. The agony is unbearable—burning, electric torment that drives them mad. They claw at their flesh, beg for death, but death refuses to come. This is hell on earth, demonic torture let loose by divine permission. Their king is Abaddon—Apollyon—the destroyer. The sixth trumpet—second woe—Revelation 9:13-21. Four angels bound at the Euphrates are loosed for a precise hour, day, month, and year. An army of two hundred million horsemen is released. “And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed…” Fire, smoke, brimstone, and serpent-like tails with heads that wound. One-third of surviving mankind is slaughtered.  Yet the rest “repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood… Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” Even after billions dead, hearts remain stone.   Now the second major parenthetical section: Revelation 10 and 11.  A mighty angel with a rainbow crown and feet like pillars of fire stands on sea and land, holding a little open book. John eats it—sweet as honey in the mouth, bitter in the belly.    He is told he must prophesy again. Then the temple is measured; the outer court is given to the Gentiles for forty-two months. And the two witnesses appear: Revelation 11:3-12. “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies.”      They shut heaven so no rain falls, turn waters to blood, and smite the earth with plagues as often as they will. For 1,260 days they torment the beast's kingdom. Then the beast from the bottomless pit kills them. Their bodies lie in the street of the great city for three and a half days while the world rejoices and sends gifts. But suddenly breath enters them; they stand on their feet. A voice from heaven calls, “Come up hither,” and they ascend in a cloud while their enemies watch. A great earthquake follows, killing seven thousand. The two witnesses—likely Enoch and Elijah or Moses and Elijah—preach, perform miracles, and add to the harvest of souls alongside the 144,000.   The seventh trumpet sounds: Revelation 11:15. “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” Heaven rejoices, but the third woe is still to come in full force.   Revelation 12–14 forms the third great parenthetical block, filling in the cosmic and earthly drama. A woman clothed with the sun gives birth to a man child who is caught up to God's throne.    The red dragon—Satan—is cast out of heaven with his angels. “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”    He persecutes the woman (Israel) who flees to the wilderness for 1,260 days. Then the beast rises from the sea—Revelation 13—the Antichrist, empowered by the dragon, with a healed deadly wound that causes the world to worship him. He blasphemes God for forty-two months and makes war on the saints.    The second beast—the false prophet—rises from the earth, performs miracles, makes fire come down from heaven, and forces the world to worship the image of the beast. He causes all to receive a mark in the right hand or forehead—the mark of the beast, 666—without which no one can buy or sell. Those who refuse it are beheaded.   Yet amid this, the 144,000 stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion in Revelation 14:1-5, singing a new song no one else can learn—virgins, firstfruits, without guile.    Three angels fly through heaven: one preaches the everlasting gospel, another announces Babylon's fall, the third warns with the most terrifying words in Scripture: “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark… The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever.”    Then the harvest of the earth—both the reaping of the saved and the grapes of wrath trodden outside the city until blood flows to the horse bridles for two hundred miles. Finally the seven bowls—the last plagues, in which the wrath of God is filled up—Revelation 15–16. These are poured out rapidly, one after another, more intense than anything before. First bowl: Revelation 16:2. Noisome and grievous sores break out on everyone who has the mark of the beast and worships his image.    Open, festering ulcers cover their bodies; they cannot sit, cannot lie down, cannot escape the burning pain.   Second bowl: Revelation 16:3. The sea becomes as the blood of a dead man; every living soul in the sea dies. The oceans are one vast, stinking cemetery of rotting flesh.   Third bowl: Revelation 16:4-7. Rivers and fountains turn to blood. The angel of the waters declares it just: “For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.” Fourth bowl: Revelation 16:8-9. The sun is given power to scorch men with fire. Men are burned with fierce heat. Instead of repenting, they blaspheme the name of God “and they repented not to give him glory.”   Fifth bowl: Revelation 16:10-11. The seat of the beast is plunged into darkness. Men gnaw their tongues for pain from the sores and the darkness, yet “they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”     Sixth bowl: Revelation 16:12-16. The great river Euphrates is dried up, preparing the way for the kings of the east. Unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouths of the dragon, beast, and false prophet—demonic miracle-workers gathering the armies of the world to Armageddon for the battle of the great day of God Almighty.   Seventh bowl: Revelation 16:17-21. “It is done.” Voices, thunders, lightnings, the greatest earthquake in history. Every island flees, mountains disappear. The great city is divided into three parts; the cities of the nations fall.    Babylon is remembered before God to receive the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And “there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent”—one hundred pounds of ice falling from the sky. Men blaspheme God because the plague of the hail is exceeding great.   Revelation 17–18 details the fall of Babylon the great—the religious and commercial system that intoxicated the nations with her fornication and persecuted the saints.      She is made desolate, naked, eaten, and burned with fire by the ten kings who once supported her. The merchants of the earth weep over her in one hour her riches are destroyed.   All of this is the Tribulation—hell on earth. One-quarter of mankind dead at the fourth seal, another third at the sixth trumpet, billions more from famine, plague, hail, scorching, demonic torment, and war.        Yet through it all, the 144,000 sealed Jewish evangelists and the two witnesses proclaim the gospel, and a great multitude no man can number is saved out of the great tribulation, washing their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. Most harden their hearts, refusing to repent even as they gnaw their tongues and scream under the hailstones. The wrath of the Lamb is poured out without mixture—pure, undiluted, terrifying justice.   The Tribulation ends with the return of the King in Revelation 19. Heaven opens; the white horse rider—Faithful and True—comes with the armies of heaven to tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. The beast and false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire. Satan is bound. The thousand-year reign begins. But the question remains from our springboard text: “Who shall be able to stand?” Only those whose robes are washed in the blood of the Lamb. The Tribulation is coming. It is the time of God's wrath poured out on a world that has rejected His Son.    Yet even in the darkest hour, grace abounds for those who will call upon the name of the Lord. The 144,000 will preach, the two witnesses will testify, and multitudes will be saved. But for those who take the mark and worship the beast, there is only fire and brimstone forever.   This is the Tribulation. This is hell on earth. May we heed the warning and be found among those who stand before the throne, palms in hand, singing the song of Moses and the Lamb.

In this sermon from Revelation 14:1–5, we explore what it means for the church to hold the “high ground of heaven” with the Lamb atop Mount Zion. Against the backdrop of the dragon and his beasts in Revelation 12–13, this message unpacks how followers of Jesus live victoriously in a very real spiritual war.Key themes and scriptures:The Lamb on Mount Zion: Revelation 14:1; Psalm 2; Isaiah 2:1–4; Micah 4:1–3Jesus as the slain yet standing Lamb: Revelation 5:5–6, 9–10; John 1:29The 144,000 as the whole people of God: Revelation 7:1–9; Galatians 3:28–29; Ephesians 2:11–22Marks of allegiance: Revelation 13:16–17; 14:1; Ezekiel 9:4; Deuteronomy 6:4–9Spiritual warfare and standing firm: Ephesians 6:10–18; 2 Corinthians 10:3–5; 1 Peter 5:8–10Worship as warfare: Revelation 14:2–3; 5:9–14; Acts 16:25–34; Psalm 22:3; Psalm 149:5–9Singing a “new song” of victory: Psalm 96:1–3; Psalm 98:1–3; Revelation 14:3; Romans 8:28–39Discipleship: following the Lamb wherever He goes: Revelation 14:4; Luke 9:23–24; John 10:27; John 12:24–26Holiness and purity in a compromised world: Revelation 14:4–5; 1 Peter 1:14–16; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8; 1 Corinthians 6:18–20Firstfruits and costly allegiance: Revelation 14:4; James 1:18; Romans 12:1–2; Malachi 3:10Truth over deception: Revelation 12:9–11; 14:5; John 8:31–32; John 14:6This message calls believers to:Lift their eyes from the chaos of the beast (Revelation 13) to the Lamb on the mountain (Revelation 14:1).Wage war through loud, confident worship (Revelation 14:2–3; Hebrews 10:24–25).Embrace discipleship, holiness, and uncompromised truth as visible allegiance to Jesus (Revelation 14:4–5; Titus 2:11–14).If you've felt pressure to compromise, blend in, or live in the “murky middle” between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world, this message invites you to ascend the mountain, plant your flag with the Lamb, and live as a worshiping disciple who holds the true high ground in Christ.

On Thursday's Mark Levin Show, the Iranian regime has no intention of honoring any deal. They view negotiations merely as opportunities to delay while pursuing their goal of conquering and converting others through violence, as they believe Allah commands. The regime exists not to govern but to expand its influence worldwide. Also, Mount Zion—the literal 4,000-year-old birthplace of Judaism in what critics call Israel's disputed or occupied territory—predates Islam, Christianity, and any notion of Palestinians. Jew-haters and Israel-haters use “Zionist” as a supposed distinction from “Jew,” yet there would be no Jews without Mount Zion. Under President Polk, when Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, and California were added 180 years ago despite Mexico's claims; no one today debates those states as “occupied territory,” nor questions that Americans live on land taken from Indian tribes 140 years ago. Yet Israel must endlessly defend its far older homeland against the same logic. Later, the birthright citizenship Supreme Court decision will demand courage to rule correctly - failure to do so would inflict severe, lasting damage on the nation. Some weaker Republican justices may uphold the status quo to avoid intense personal backlash from the left while the left operates a well-organized, networked, and well-funded militia that confronts ICE and local police across the country. Finally, with the election on Tuesday Rep Chip Roy calls in to update his run for Texas Attorney General. Roy also talks about the effort to Islamify Texas. Islam is primarily a political ideology masquerading behind the First Amendment to wage jihad against the West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Day 2867 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2867 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 129:1-8 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2867 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2867 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for Today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – The Scars of Survival and the Broken Cords In our previous episode on this grand journey, we rested in the warm, beautiful, and deeply comforting sanctuary of the family hearth. We explored Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Eight, which painted a magnificent picture of domestic Shalom. We saw the profound blessing of a life that fears the Lord, where our daily labor is protected, our marriages flourish like fruitful grapevines, and our children grow like vigorous young olive trees around our tables. We celebrated the multi-generational peace that cascades directly down from the cosmic summit of Mount Zion, anchoring our families to the eternal timeline of God's grace. But as any seasoned traveler knows, the pilgrim trail does not stay in the safety of the cozy home forever. The road of faith is a rugged mountain pass, and it frequently cuts through dangerous, hostile territory. Today, we are stepping onto the next section of the trail, exploring the tenth song in this ancient collection: Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Nine, verses one through eight, in the New Living Translation. The psalmist abruptly shifts our focus away from the peaceful agricultural blessing of a fruitful home, and forces us to confront a shocking, highly painful agricultural metaphor. We are moving from the shade of the olive tree, directly onto the blood-soaked soil of a battlefield, learning what it means to carry the deep scars of survival, while trusting in the ultimate justice of the King. Let us step onto the path, and listen to the resilient song of the survivor. The first segment is: The History of Pain and the Plowman's Furrows Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Nine: verses one through three. From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me— let all Israel repeat this. From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never defeated me. My back is covered with furrows, as if a plowman had plowed long trenches. The song opens with a raw, collective cry that echoes down through the centuries. The psalmist demands that the entire gathered community join in a corporate chant of survival: "From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me—let all Israel repeat this." When the psalm speaks of "earliest youth," it is not referring to the childhood of an individual writer; it is describing the corporate infancy of the nation of Israel. The historical memory of this people is deeply saturated with trauma. From the moment they were born as a distinct community, down in the brick-making tyranny of Egypt, they were hunted. They were oppressed by the Amalekites in the wilderness, harassed by the Philistines during the era of the Judges, assaulted by the superpower of Assyria, and ultimately, violently dragged away into the crushing captivity of Babylon. Suffering is woven directly into the fabric of Israel's historical identity. To truly understand why this tiny nation has faced such a relentless, systemic, and multi-generational hatred, we must look through the lens of cosmic geography, and the Divine Council worldview, as taught by Dr. Michael S. Heiser. In the Deuteronomy Thirty-Two worldview, when the Most High divided the nations at the Tower of Babel, He allocated them to the oversight of lesser spiritual beings—the sons of God. These territorial elohim subsequently rebelled, becoming corrupt, and demanding worship for themselves. But Yahweh set apart Jacob—the people of Israel—as His own personal, treasured allotment. Israel was designed to be the beachhead of the true Kingdom of God on earth, the line through which the Messiah would eventually come to reclaim the entire planet. Therefore, the rebel spiritual principalities have a deeply rooted, cosmic grudge against Israel. The surrounding pagan nations are their earthly proxies, moving under their dark inspiration, constantly attempting to crush, assimilate, or entirely erase the people of Yahweh from the face of the earth. The persecution is not a series of random political misunderstandings; it is a calculated, supernatural conspiracy to thwart the redemptive plan of the Creator. The sheer brutality of this cosmic assault is revealed in the shocking, graphic metaphor of verse three: "My back is covered with furrows, as if a plowman had plowed long trenches." Imagine the horrifying visual. The back of the nation is treated like an open, empty field. The enemies of God do not just strike them; they drive a heavy, iron-tipped agricultural plow right across their flesh. The lash of the oppressor cuts deep, tearing open long, bloody trenches of pain, leaving permanent, raised scars of trauma across generations. It speaks of systemic, agonizing abuse. Yet, even with their backs plowed open, verse two contains a stunning, defiant pivot that shatters the power of the enemy: "...but they have never defeated me." The scars are real, the pain is undeniable, and the trenches are deep—but the survival is absolute. The rebel gods bared their fangs, and deployed their massive empires, but they could not finish the job. The covenant community still stands, stubbornly breathing, and singing on the trail to Jerusalem. The second segment is: The Righteous Deliverer and the Severed Harness Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Nine: verse four. But the Lord is good; he has cut the cords that bound me to the wicked. After staring directly into the graphic trauma of the plowman's trenches, the psalmist introduces the ultimate reason for Israel's miraculous survival. "But the Lord is good; he has cut the cords that bound me to the wicked." Other translations render the opening phrase as, "The Lord is righteous." This is a crucial theological distinction in the cosmic courtroom. Yahweh is not an indifferent spectator, watching the abuse from a safe distance. He is the perfectly just, Sovereign Commander. He looks down at the field of pain, sees the wicked driving their heavy plow across the backs of His people, and He decides that the legal boundaries of the covenant have been violated. To understand the imagery of cutting the cords, we must examine ancient agricultural technology. An ox was attached to the heavy wooden or iron plow by a complex system of thick leather cords, ropes, and harnesses. If those cords remained intact, the plowman could keep driving the beast forward, forcing the plowshare deeper into the dirt, tearing up the field indefinitely. The wicked, and the dark spiritual principalities behind them, intended to keep plowing Israel's back forever. They wanted permanent, eternal enslavement. But the Righteous Judge steps directly onto the field. With one swift, authoritative, and supernatural stroke, He slices the leather harnesses in half. He cuts the cords! The connection between the driving beast and the weapon of oppression is instantly severed. The plow stops dead in its tracks. The mechanism of slavery is completely shattered. This is a magnificent declaration of cosmic liberation. When God cuts the cords, the human oppressors lose their leverage, and the rebel spiritual forces lose their grip. Think about the Exodus from Egypt—God cut the cords of Pharaoh's chariots. Think about the return from Babylon—He snapped the iron chains of the empire. The survivor does not escape through their own cleverness, or their own military might; they walk free simply because the razor-sharp justice of Yahweh sliced through the ropes that bound them to the darkness. The third segment is: The Helpless Doom of the Haters of Zion Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Nine: verses five through eight. May all who hate Jerusalem be turned back in shameful defeat. May they be as helpless as grass growing on a roof, withering before it can grow. It can't be harvested by the reaper or bound into sheaves by the harvester. May those who pass by refuse to say to them, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.” Having celebrated the broken cords of the past, the psalmist turns his attention to the final destiny of those who continue to oppose the kingdom of light. He issues a prophetic, imprecatory prayer: "May all who hate...

(Part 3 of 3) In this episode, Jeff Shepherd unpacks Ezekiel's remarkable vision of a mountain-temple and positions it as the true divine blueprint that contrasts sharply with ancient human-made ascents like ziggurats and pyramids. Drawing from Ezekiel 40–48 and related passages (Exodus 25; Revelation 21–22), Jeff walks listeners through the temple's precise measurements, ascending design, and the heavenly measuring rod that marks it as God's authoritative pattern. He connects the stepped altar and tiered courts to ancient artificial mountains, explaining how Ezekiel's temple functions as a restored Mount Zion where God's glory returns through the east gate to dwell among His people. Key topics include temple architecture and symbolism, the continuity from Moses' mountain-sent tabernacle pattern to Ezekiel's mountain-temple and onward to John's New Jerusalem, and the theological contrast between God's ordained ascent by obedience and humanity's rebellious attempts to ascend by pride. Jeff emphasizes the temple's role as both an earthly preview and a prophetic bridge to the New Jerusalem—where the whole city ultimately becomes the temple in Revelation. Listeners will hear reflections on how ancient monuments echo the human longing for the sacred, why those counterfeits fall short, and how Ezekiel's vision points directly to Christ as the true temple and Mount Zion. The episode closes with an invitation to read Ezekiel 40–48, reflect on the End Times vision in light of this true mountain blueprint, and engage in community—liking, subscribing, and discussing the series' implications for understanding ancient structures and biblical prophecy. Want to Understand and Explain Everything Biblically? Click Here: Decoding the Power of Three: Understand and Explain Everything or go to www.rightonu.com and click learn more. Use coupon code MAY50 for $50. value savings until May 31st.. Thank you for Listening to Right on Radio. Prayerfully consider supporting Right on Radio. Click Here for all links, Right on Community ROC, Podcast web links, Freebies, Products (healing mushrooms, EMP Protection) Social media, courses and more...https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Live Right in the Real World! We talk God and Politics, Faith Based Broadcast News, views, Opinions and Attitudes We are Your News Now. Keep the Faith

In this episode, Jennifer Barrett explores how the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on Mount Zion reveal God's unfolding plan of redemption and the biblical foundation for Spirit-filled apostolic worship.

A beloved small-town doctor is found dead—and secrets unravel fast. Mount Zion author Chris Cooper debuts a new murder mystery.

Welcome to Day 2862 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2862 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 126:1-6 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2862 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2862 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – The Dream of Restoration and the Harvest of Joy In our previous episode on this grand expedition, we stood in the protective shadow of the cosmic center. We explored Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Five, where we learned a profound, stabilizing truth. We discovered that those who place their absolute trust in Yahweh take on the permanent, immovable qualities of Mount Zion itself. We marveled at the spiritual geography of the holy city, realizing that, just as the physical mountains surround Jerusalem, the Creator intimately and fiercely surrounds His people. We rested in the prophetic guarantee that the oppressive scepter of the wicked—the ruling power of the dark, rebellious principalities—has a strict expiration date. We anchored our souls in the unshakeable peace of God's protective perimeter. Today, we continue our upward climb on the ancient pilgrim trail, stepping into the seventh song of this magnificent collection. We are exploring Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Six, verses one through six, in the New Living Translation. As the weary travelers ascend the mountain pass, they raise their voices to sing a song of stunning contrasts. It is a song that looks backward with unbelievable, intoxicating joy, while simultaneously looking forward through the blurry lens of tears and sorrow. It is the ultimate anthem of the exile, beautifully capturing the tension of living in a world that has been saved, yet still waits for its final redemption. Let us step onto the trail, and listen to the song of the harvest. The first segment is: The Unbelievable Reality of the Cosmic Rescue Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Six: verses one through three. When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy! The stanza opens with a glorious, overwhelming memory of divine intervention. "When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!" To fully comprehend the sheer euphoria of this opening verse, we must remember the devastating reality of the Babylonian exile. The nation of Israel had been conquered, their holy city burned to ash, and the people violently dragged away into a foreign, pagan empire. In the context of the Divine Council worldview, this was not just a political defeat; it appeared to be a massive, cosmic victory for the kingdom of darkness. The rebel gods of Babylon seemed to have triumphed over the Creator. For seventy long, agonizing years, the Israelites wept by the rivers of Babylon, convinced that they would die in the suffocating grip of their captors. But then, the Sovereign of the universe moved His hand. He orchestrated the rise and fall of entire empires, moving the heart of the Persian king to release the captives. Yahweh reached into the dark, hostile territory of the disinherited nations, and He physically pulled His people out. The deliverance was so sudden, so massive, and so humanly impossible, that the returning exiles could hardly process reality. "It was like a dream!" Have you ever woken up from a nightmare, and felt that crushing wave of relief when you realized you were safe in your own bed? That is the exact emotion the psalmist is trying to capture. The rescue was so magnificent, it bypassed their logical comprehension. This supernatural deliverance produced an involuntary, physical reaction. "We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy." The heavy, suffocating silence of their captivity was shattered by the ringing, defiant sound of holy laughter. Their joy was a weapon, actively testifying to the faithfulness of their King. And the surrounding pagan world was forced to watch. "And the other nations said, ‘What amazing things the Lord has done for them.'" This is a staggering moment of cosmic vindication. The surrounding nations, who were governed by the rebel, lesser elohim, had to publicly confess the supreme, unrivaled power of Yahweh. The dark, spiritual principalities were humiliated on the global stage. The pagan cultures looked at the joyful, returning exiles, and they had to admit that the God of Israel had orchestrated a masterclass of redemption. The rescue was so undeniable, that even the enemies of the cosmic order had to acknowledge the majesty of the Creator. The pilgrims echo this confession, turning it into a roaring anthem: "Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!" They look backward at the great salvation of their past, and they allow that memory to fuel their present journey. The second segment is: The Desperate Plea for the Desert Streams Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Six: verse four. Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. Suddenly, the tone of the psalm shifts dramatically. The intoxicating laughter of the past fades, and the stark, difficult reality of the present moment sets in. The psalmist cries out, "Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert." Why this sudden plea for restoration, if they had already been rescued from exile? Because the ancient believers understood the tension of the "already, but not yet." Yes, Yahweh had miraculously brought them back to the physical city of Jerusalem. The great, initial rescue had occurred. But the world was still broken. The land was still devastated, the enemies were still lurking outside the walls, and the exhausting, grueling work of rebuilding their civilization lay before them. They had been delivered from the nightmare, but they woke up to a harsh, demanding reality. They needed a second wave of divine grace. Therefore, they pray for a restoration that is "as streams renew the desert." Other translations use the term, "like the watercourses in the Negev." The Negev is the arid, unforgiving, southern desert region of Israel. Most of the year, its riverbeds, or wadis, are completely dry, baked hard by the relentless sun. The landscape looks entirely dead, incapable of sustaining life. But when the seasonal rains finally fall in the distant mountains, something miraculous happens. Without any warning, a sudden, violent flash flood comes roaring down the dry riverbeds. The rushing waters carve through the parched earth, instantly bringing explosive, vibrant life to the desert. Dormant seeds sprout, and the barren wasteland is transformed into a blooming oasis overnight. This is exactly what the psalmist is asking God to do in the spiritual realm. He is saying, "Lord, our current circumstances feel like a dry, scorched desert. Our souls are parched. The work of rebuilding is draining our strength. We need You to send a sudden, overwhelming flash flood of Your Holy Spirit. We need the rushing waters of Your grace to carve through our spiritual drought, and bring vibrant, unexpected life back to our community." He is asking the Creator to intervene with the same undeniable power He used to bring them out of Babylon. The third segment is: The Grueling Warfare of the Sower Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Six: verses five and six. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest. To illustrate the agonizing process of waiting for that restoration, the psalmist turns to the powerful, ancient metaphor of agriculture. "Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy." To a modern reader who buys their food at a grocery store, planting a garden is often a relaxing, pleasant hobby. But in the ancient Near East, planting was an act of desperate survival, fraught with terror and physical pain. We must view this through the lens of the curse in Genesis Chapter Three. The ground had been cursed, heavily contested by the forces of chaos. The earth yielded thorns, thistles, and hard, unforgiving rock. Imagine a poor, ancient farmer. The winter has been long, and his family's food supply is almost entirely gone. He holds a small, precious sack of grain in his hands. He could feed that grain to his starving children today, and satisfy their...

Welcome to Day 2860 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2860 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 125:1-5 – Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2860 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2860 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The Title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – Surrounded by the Unshakeable Mountain In our previous episode on this grand expedition, we looked back with a shuddering sense of gratitude. In Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Four, we confronted a terrifying, hypothetical question: what would have happened if the Maker of heaven and earth had not been on our side? We realized that without the intervention of Yahweh, the raging, chaotic waters of the rebel gods would have swallowed us alive. We celebrated the glorious truth that the Divine Warrior stepped in, snapped the fowler's snare in half, and set our souls free to fly. We anchored our survival entirely to the Name of the Lord. Today, we continue our upward climb on the ancient pilgrim trail. The traveler has survived the wilderness, and is now gazing at the magnificent, geographical reality of the Holy City. We are exploring the sixth song in this collection, which is Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Five, verses one through five, in the New Living Translation. The psalmist shifts our focus from the fleeting, fragile nature of our earthly struggles, to the massive, permanent, and unshakeable geology of God's cosmic headquarters. Let us step onto the trail, look at the mountains, and discover what it means to be eternally secure. The first segment is: The Cosmic Center and the Immovable Saint Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Five: verse one. Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion; they will not be defeated but will endure forever. The stanza opens with a profound, stabilizing comparison. The psalmist declares, "Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion." To fully appreciate the immense weight of this statement, we must understand the concept of cosmic geography in the Ancient Israelite worldview. In the ancient Near East, mountains were not just piles of rock and dirt; they were the meeting places of the divine. The pagan nations surrounding Israel believed that their gods ruled from towering, majestic peaks, like Mount Hermon or Mount Zaphon. The rebel spiritual principalities, the fallen members of the Divine Council, demanded worship on these high places. In stark contrast, Mount Zion, the hill upon which Jerusalem was built, is not a particularly tall or physically intimidating mountain. Compared to the snow-capped peaks of the north, Zion is relatively modest. Yet, Yahweh chose this specific, unremarkable hill to be the cosmic center of the universe. It is the earthly footprint of His heavenly throne room. Because the Most High God dwells there, Mount Zion cannot be moved. It is immune to the chaotic storms of the rebel gods. It stands firm, defying the spiritual gravity of a fallen world. The psalmist makes a breathtaking theological leap. He states that the human being who places their absolute, unyielding trust in Yahweh, actually takes on the geological characteristics of Mount Zion itself. When you anchor your soul to the Creator, you become immovable. You become a living, breathing extension of the cosmic mountain. He promises that those who trust "will not be defeated but will endure forever." In a world where human empires rise and fall in the blink of an eye, and where our personal circumstances constantly fluctuate, this is an anchor for the soul. The forces of darkness may swirl around you, and the culture may attempt to push you off balance, but if your trust is in the King, you are eternally secured to the bedrock of reality. The second segment is: The Divine Perimeter Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Five: verse two. Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever. As the pilgrim approaches Jerusalem, he observes the physical topography of the region. "Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people." Jerusalem is uniquely situated. It sits on a hill, but it is enveloped by a ring of slightly higher mountains, such as the Mount of Olives to the east. In ancient warfare, this natural terrain provided an incredible, strategic advantage. The surrounding mountains acted as a massive, geological shield, breaking the force of incoming winds, and forcing approaching armies to navigate treacherous, uphill bottlenecks before they could ever reach the city walls. The psalmist takes this physical reality, and transforms it into a stunning picture of spiritual protection. He is saying, "Look at the hills wrapping their arms around this city. That is exactly what Yahweh is doing for you." We are not left exposed on an open, spiritual plain. The Lord Himself forms a thick, impenetrable perimeter defense around the covenant community. When the chaotic, rebel forces of the unseen realm attempt to launch an attack against your soul, they cannot simply walk up to your front door. They must first go through the Sovereign Commander of the universe. He encompasses His people. He is the vanguard, the rearguard, and the towering, protective wall on every side. And notice the duration of this protection: "both now and forever." This is not a temporary, seasonal security contract. The mountains do not get tired, and they do not clock out at the end of a shift. In the same way, the protective, surrounding presence of Yahweh is a permanent, eternal reality, spanning across the ages, long after the current, earthly conflicts have faded into dust. The third segment is: The Expiration Date of Evil Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Five: verse three. The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong. Suddenly, the psalmist addresses a deep, painful tension that exists within the hearts of the pilgrims. He says, "The wicked will not rule the land of the godly." Other translations render this phrase, "For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the land allotted to the righteous." This language is deeply rooted in the Divine Council theology of Deuteronomy Chapter Thirty-Two. The world is currently contested territory. The rebel gods, and the wicked, human rulers who act as their avatars, hold scepters of power over the disinherited nations. They constantly try to extend their dark, chaotic jurisdiction into the land allotted to Yahweh's people. When the pilgrim looks around the world, it often seems like the wicked are winning. Corrupt politicians prosper, deceitful systems thrive, and the righteous are marginalized. But the psalmist steps in with a divine, prophetic guarantee. He declares that the scepter of the wicked has a strict, non-negotiable expiration date. Yahweh will not permit the forces of chaos to establish permanent, uncontested rule over His inheritance. The occupation is temporary. Why does God place this limit on the power of evil? The psalmist gives us a profound, psychological reason: "for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong." Literally, the Hebrew text suggests that if the oppression lasts too long, the righteous might reach out their hands to iniquity. The Creator intimately understands the fragility of the human frame. He knows that we are made of dust. If we are subjected to the crushing, unrelenting pressure of injustice, generation after generation, without any hope of relief, even the most faithful, devoted believer might eventually snap. The temptation to assimilate, to adopt the corrupt practices of the pagan culture just to survive, would simply become too great. Therefore, out of His fierce, Fatherly compassion, Yahweh intervenes. He breaks the scepter of the wicked, and limits the duration of the trial, ensuring that the burden never outweighs the grace He provides to endure it. He protects His people from the breaking point. The fourth segment is: The Fork in the Road and the Final Blessing Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Five: verses four and five. O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with you. But banish those who turn to crooked ways, O Lord. Take them away with those who do evil. May Israel have peace! In the final verses of the song, the psalmist offers a powerful, dual-sided prayer, clearly marking the division between the two paths of humanity. First, he...

(Part 2 of 2) In this episode host Jeff Shepherd walks listeners through Revelation 21 and argues that the New Jerusalem is not a floating cube but the true Mount Zion — a descending, mountain-shaped city where God's throne sits at the summit. He contrasts humanity's ancient attempts to climb to the divine (pyramids, ziggurats, Babel) with God's reversal: the city comes down from heaven and is given to us, fulfilling the longing those counterfeits expressed. Topics covered include the imagery and measurements of Revelation 21 (the 12,000 stadia, equal length, width, and height), Old Testament foreshadows (the tabernacle's mountain pattern in Exodus, Psalms' and Isaiah's portrayal of Zion, Daniel's stone that becomes a mountain), and New Testament interpretation (Hebrews 8 and 12). Jeff emphasizes theological points: the city-as-temple ("no temple in it" because the Lord and the Lamb are the temple), the completion of redemptive history, and the gospel's reversal of the prideful ascent — God builds and descends, we receive. Key passages and images discussed: Revelation 21–22, Exodus 25:40, Psalm 48, Isaiah 2, Micah 4, Daniel 2, Hebrews 8 and 12. The episode highlights how the tabernacle, temples, and even ancient pyramids functioned as shadows pointing to the heavenly mountain-city, and how Christ's work removes the veil and makes the mountain our dwelling by faith and ultimately in consummation. Takeaways: the New Jerusalem reframes how we read both ancient architecture and biblical temple imagery; the true mountain is gift not achievement; the Christian hope is participation in a descending, perfected kingdom. Jeff closes with pastoral exhortation to love God, neighbor, and community, and invites listeners to read Revelation 21 for themselves and reflect on how this mountain-shaped vision changes their faith. Want to Understand and Explain Everything Biblically? Click Here: Decoding the Power of Three: Understand and Explain Everything or go to www.rightonu.com and click learn more. Use coupon code MAY50 for $50. value savings until May 31st.. Thank you for Listening to Right on Radio. Prayerfully consider supporting Right on Radio. Click Here for all links, Right on Community ROC, Podcast web links, Freebies, Products (healing mushrooms, EMP Protection) Social media, courses and more...https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Live Right in the Real World! We talk God and Politics, Faith Based Broadcast News, views, Opinions and Attitudes We are Your News Now. Keep the Faith

Thereis nothing more important than practicing the presence of the Lord and desiringto be in His presence on the holy hill. That is Mount Zion. That is where thetemple was. That is where God made known the glory of His presence among Hispeople. You dwelt in His presence there. Today, we can dwell in His presenceevery day. Asa matter of fact, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So what does“the fear of the Lord mean? It means being continuously aware of and consciousof the presence of the Lord in your life—24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Youknow He is there. As Brother Lawrence put it, you “practice His presence.” Thatis what David is asking here. Now,who can do that? Who has the right, the privilege, and the experience ofdwelling in the presence of the Lord? David begins to answer the question inverse 2: “He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks thetruth in his heart.” Three things are mentioned right off the bat. First, “walkinguprightly”. Second, “working righteousness”, and “speaking thetruth in his heart”.  Lookat what he says: “He who walks uprightly.” This speaks of integrity. Itmeans a life that is sincere, genuine, and consistent—not perfect, but real. Theword “walk” reminds us that this is a daily lifestyle. Remember, God toldAbraham in Genesis 17:1: “Walk before Me blamelessly.” That is walkinguprightly. That is walking in the right direction following Jesus every day! Youfind this same truth mentioned in Psalm 23:3 “He leads me in paths ofrighteousness for His name's sake.” Righteousness is doing that which isright. So first, we walk with the Lord uprightly. We are cleansed of our sin.We are enjoying fellowship with Him. We are listening to His voice, payingattention to His Holy Spirit, and walking in obedience by faith. We areenjoying a life of experiencing God. We walk uprightly, and it shows forth tothe world around us. That is so important. Thenwe “work righteousness”. Now this is interesting. Righteousness is doingwhat is right. I will never forget, as a young Christian, hearing someone say: “Doright. Do right. Do right. If the stars fall from heaven, do right.” People havecome to me asking for counseling or advice on how to handle a certain situation,and my answer—because of how I have been influenced—is simply this: “Be aChristian. Be a Christian.” “Just do right!” Thatmeans you do right according to God's Word. It means you follow Jesus. You dowhat Jesus would do in that situation, my friend. The only way you can do thatis by first walking uprightly. You walk in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Remember,our righteousness is as filthy rags. What we do on our own, without the HolySpirit helping us, guiding us, and directing us, “is as filthy rags”. Itmight impress people and make us feel good, but it actually stinks in the sightof God (Isaiah 64:6). Butmy friend, when we follow Jesus, when we are in love with Jesus, when we areenjoying His presence, when we have the fear of the Lord, and when we arewalking in a path that brings glory to His name, people can see the differencein our lives. That is a powerful thing. So our walk matches our profession whenwe walk uprightly. James 1:22 says: “But be doers of the word, and nothearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Abeliever who enjoys close fellowship with God seeks to obey the Lord. Oh, myfriend, that is not sinless perfection, but it is a heart that desiresholiness. May God help us to have that kind of heart. Let us continue over thenext few days looking at Psalm 15. I hope you will take time to memorize it tooand hide it in your heart, that you might not sin against the Lord.Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Mount Zion – the People of God

“Around A Table”Psalm 1331 How good and pleasant it is    when God's people live together in unity!2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,    running down on the beard,running down on Aaron's beard,    down on the collar of his robe.3 It is as if the dew of Hermon    were falling on Mount Zion.For there the Lord bestows his blessing,    even life forevermore.CONNECT WITH USIf you have any questions or would like to get to know us further, head over to https://www.triumphlbc.org/connect and fill out our online connection card.ABOUT TRIUMPHTriumph wants to see the life and message of Jesus transform your heart, home, and city. To learn more visit https://www.triumphlbc.org/

This episode is inspired by https://open.substack.com/pub/deadhidden/p/the-pyramids-were-not-tombs-they Host Jeff Shepherd walks listeners through a provocative Dead Hidden Substack piece that flips the conventional conversation about the pyramids: they weren't primarily tombs or alien runways but ‘counterfeit mountains' — human attempts to copy a remembered heavenly original. The episode contrasts archaeological facts (the Great Pyramid's astounding precision, empty king's chamber, and star shafts) with a theological reading that locates the pattern in Scripture. The show explores how a single sacred shape — mounds, ziggurats, pyramids, and stepped platforms across Egypt, Mesopotamia, Mesoamerica, Sudan, Cambodia, and China — suggests a shared memory or obsession: man building artificial mountains to reach heaven. Shepard traces this idea through Genesis (Eden, the Flood, the Sons of God), Babel's tower, and the famous Mesopotamian ziggurat motif, arguing these are rebellious architectural responses to a heavenly pattern. Central to the episode is the contrast between two answers to humanity's longing for heaven: Babel's ascent (build higher) versus God's provision (tabernacle and sacrificial access). Shepard points to Exodus 25's command to make the tabernacle “after the pattern” and to Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28's descriptions of a pre-fall heavenly mountain — Mount Zion — that Lucifer once knew. The episode culminates with New Testament significance: Christ's descent, the torn temple veil at the crucifixion, and the claim that access to God comes by blood, not by climbing stone. Listeners can expect close readings of biblical texts (Genesis 3, 6, 11; Exodus 25; Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28; Matthew 27), historical observations about ancient monuments, and a theological argument that archaeology measures technique while Scripture explains motive. The episode features commentary on the Dead Hidden article and Jeff Shepard's reflections rather than an outside guest interview. Key takeaways: the pyramids as symbolic, rebellious imitations of a heavenly mountain; the Bible as a map to understand ancient motivations; the shift from human ascent to divine descent in Christ; and an invitation to rethink how we ask questions about ancient monuments. The host closes by inviting listener feedback and encouraging readers to follow the Dead Hidden piece for the full argument. Want to Understand and Explain Everything Biblically? Click Here: Decoding the Power of Three: Understand and Explain Everything or go to www.rightonu.com and click learn more. Use coupon code MAY50 for $50. value savings until May 31st.. Thank you for Listening to Right on Radio. Prayerfully consider supporting Right on Radio. Click Here for all links, Right on Community ROC, Podcast web links, Freebies, Products (healing mushrooms, EMP Protection) Social media, courses and more...https://linktr.ee/RightonRadio Live Right in the Real World! We talk God and Politics, Faith Based Broadcast News, views, Opinions and Attitudes We are Your News Now. Keep the Faith

Honoring Leadership Authority (2) (audio) David Eells, 5/6/26 Precious Father, we thank You so much for opening our understanding so that we can cooperate with You in these days to come. Lord, put a sense of Your sovereignty in us that we might know that You are in control of all these things, and that history repeats because there's only One mind in control, and that is Yours, and that we can put our trust totally in You. You are teaching us not to lean upon the arm of the flesh, or the strength of man, but to lean on You in faith, to trust in You as our Savior in all things. And we thank You, Father. Lord, this teaching of honoring leadership authority certainly puts us in a position of weakness, where we need to trust in You to be our defender. And we thank You, Lord, that You are omnipotent, You are all-powerful to take care of Your people, to defend them, and provide for them. And we thank You, Lord. We can trust You. We thank You, Lord. Hallelujah! Amen.  In thinking on Revelation 13, how in verse 7 that the beast is making war on the saints, He commands the saints that if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. The Lord has put us in a position of weakness. Here, the beast is making a physical war on the saints, but they can't do any physical warfare. They need to fight using the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and trust God as Savior.  And it wasn't any different with Jesus. He said to Peter and the disciples, Mat.26:52 Then saith Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. In the next verse, He said He could call down twelve legions of angels, if he really wanted to fight. He trusted Himself to God as Savior. We just looked at quite a few promises to the people who will not go out and fight with the beast. And on the other hand, God made quite a few very ominous threats to those who do. There's a revelation in Ezekiel 17, which I'll just touch on. Here's a parable that the Lord gave to me through the word of knowledge, which helped me to understand what was being said. Israel in this story was between two great eagles. One of them was Babylon, and the other was Egypt. Except that the Father pointed out to me that these two eagles represented the same country. And that Egypt here represents a bondage that God's people were to forsake. He forbade them from ever going back to Egypt. And what He meant was Egypt represented the old man in their baptism in the Red Sea. The old man died, and He never wanted them to go back to being in bondage to the old man, or to trust in the strength of Egypt, as He said in Isaiah 30. So you can understand that the beast kingdom, the Great Eagle that was ruling over the nations, at that time was literally Babylon. It was the head of the nations, just like America is today, as the Great Eagle. The Lord showed me in Ezekiel 17 that a civil war would come in which the Great Eagle would be pitted against the Great Eagle. And that's the story here in Ezekiel 17, and many people have never actually seen that, but once it's pointed out to you, it's very clear. Babylon was bringing God's people under dominion. It was taking authority over them, taking their freedom from them. They had their own country, they were free, but now they were coming under the dominion of Babylon. Much like Christianity has been in freedom. But increasingly, we see that it has come under the dominion of the beast, and many laws are taking away Christian freedoms. And that's the parable here. So when He speaks about making a covenant with Israel, He's talking about the end time covenant. Ezekiel represented the Man-child of Revelation 12. Ezekiel was caught up to the throne of God. He saw God. He was ordained of the Lord there, and he received an anointing there in Ezekiel 2, verse 1. When this happened, he immediately began to be called the Son of Man, like Jesus, Who was also the Man-child. Throughout the whole Book of Ezekiel, he's called the Son of Man. The ministry of the Man-child is going to be opposed by the apostate church. The Jews wanted Jesus to fight with Rome, but He would have nothing of it. His battle was always with the Pharisees and the Sadducees. He didn't want any battle with Rome whatsoever. Rome had been given authority over Israel because Israel was rebellious, and Jesus wasn't going to go against His Father. It's the same situation with Ezekiel. He was trying to tell them not to fight with the king of Babylon. Like Jesus and Jeremiah, his battle was with the apostate leadership of God's people.    Let's start in Eze.17:11 Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, (he's warning the people) saying, 12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon. (Well, this literally was Jehoiachin, who was the king when Babylon came, and took him, took the princes, and thousands of God's people away to Babylon. But then he did something else.) 13 And he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land;  So here's the word ‘covenant', and the Lord showed me in previous revelations that this person was Zedekiah. His administration was the one that the king of Babylon set up. He took of the seed royal, and he made him a ruler over Israel, and He made a covenant with him. Now, I believe that this first part of Jeconiah and that whole leadership being taken into bondage has already happened. I believe where we're headed now is the covenant, and the covenant was made with the Zedekiah administration.  A bondage of the world beast of seven heads and ten horns is coming. I'm going to share a portion of what this ‘taking into bondage' represents, which will be a time in our day. The name of the article is Baiting the False Prophet. Ecc.3:15 That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away. Our modern-day revival of the Roman Empire, the U.S. over the Alliance of Nations, is doing exactly what Constantine did to unite the earth. Those false prophets sat at Constantine's table, and a modern-day false prophet leadership will sit over the Alliance of Nations. A modern equivalent or type has happened. The Reverend Sun Myung Moon, was the leader of the Unification Church. And he claimed that Christ failed in His mission, that he himself was the new Messiah who had come to finish the job and to unite the world through uniting religious forces. Almost all of the well-known evangelical Christian leaders and their organizations were beholden to this man. It was not by accident, it's was by design. He took his work very seriously. As a billionaire, he targeted these influential leaders with the hook and bait of bailouts and grants and political power and prestige, and so on. I couldn't believe how these men showered admiration for this lost man. He brought them what they lusted for while unifying them through his related organizations: the Council of National Policy, the Coalition for Religious Freedom, the Council of 56 of the Religious Roundtable, and others. It is here that he associates them with the leadership of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Council of Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, Freemasonry, all closely tied to the Bilderbergers. Do you think this couldn't happen again on a larger scale?This shadow government was joining the leaders of apostate religions together as a false prophet of unity to the masses of Christians who don't know that they, as a harlot, were being sold into bondage to the beast. History repeats as the apostate leaders were set at Constantine's Round Table to build an end-time Catholic or Universal Church. In like manner, Babylon took the leadership of God's people captive and made a covenant with them. I give these verses Eze.17:12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon. (and that was Jehoiachin or Jeconiah; His name has been used in those two different ways. That's just a different version of the same name.) But then, in verse 13, where we just read, he raised up one of the royal lineages and made a covenant with him. Before I read that, I want to read this. An assortment of other ecumenical movements has worked on the whole religious world to bring this unity to pass. In other words, we see in the United States that this has been an effort for many years but not only that, it's happened around the world. The United Religions Initiative was putting together a UN of all religions worldwide called United Religions in their hope of bringing peace And Dominion. Like Constantine formed to make peace between the religions to bring peace to the world. George Bush, along with influential people like billionaire George Soros, the Dalai Lama, and Reverend Moon, threw their weight behind the UR. And all of this was in preparation for a US/UN/UR type Roman Empire. So they are lusting for a one-world religion, and they are capturing, through devious means, these people who have found themselves in trouble, money-wise. As we have seen “the things that have been shall be.  Reverend Moon, who's actually acting for this shadow religious beast government, under the tutelage of the CIA got the leaders out of trouble. So that makes them beholden unto him. All of these historic examples and more have come as a type for the future. Thank God their efforts failed for the time was not yet. This second part is yet to come, and that is verse 13 And he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him (that was Zedekiah); he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land. And so, when I reached this point, the Lord asked me a question when I got to verse 13, and He said, “In how many verses is the word covenant mentioned?” So I started in verse 13, and as I read, I counted and discovered that it was seven verses. And He pointed out to me that that represented the seven years of the covenant. The word covenant is used in seven verses here. And then He asked me, “How many verses until the covenant is broken?” And I counted, and it was about three and a half, in the middle of the sixteenth verse, where he says, Covenant he brake. And then He asked me, “How many times ‘covenant' is spoken in those seven verses?” And it was spoken six times, the number six is the number of the beast and the number of the covenant. Well, I think it's pretty neat. Reading on, He speaks about the covenant, and also about this puppet of the seed royal that the king of Babylon made the covenant with, that he's the one who broke the covenant and rebelled to fight against the great eagle king of Babylon. And not only that, he went to the great eagle of Egypt to seek help, strength, horses, and so on, to fight with the king of Babylon. Well, that was a very bad thing to do, because Babylon was already conquering Egypt at the time. So there really wasn't going to be any help from Egypt. They put themselves in a very bad position, because now the king of Babylon was making war upon them. And he tells them that they won't escape. You can read it for yourself when you get time.  But he also said in Eze.17:19 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head. The Lord is saying that these people who fought against the king of Babylon were breaking His covenant. Now, He wasn't talking about the beast covenant being His covenant. He's talking about this being His covenant, the Word of God, and His commands. They had been commanded to submit to the king of Babylon (for chastening) and not to fight with him, and they broke their covenant with God.  And he went on to say that these people who fight against the king of Babylon are just like those who will fight against America, in verse 20 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. 21 And all his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it. Meaning that those who fight against Babylon, this is the promise that God makes to them. This is a type and a shadow. “That which hath been is that which shall be” … (Ecc.1:9) This is a type and a shadow for our day and the seven-year covenant and what's about to happen when God's people rise up to fight, trusting in the arm of the flesh, because of the mark of the beast. Many other “Christians” will just take the mark to hold on to their standard of living. As we saw, submit does not mean to take the mark. This will cause a civil war in the midst of the Great Eagle kingdom and the Christians will lose as our text proves. The mark is to separate the wheat from the tares for the end approaches. Those without faith in God will take the mark. But a new leadership is being raised up to give last minute understanding to many rebels. 22 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it upon a high and lofty mountain: That's talking about the Man-child ministry; it was Jesus in His day, and then Jesus in the Man-child ministry in our day as history repeats on a larger scale. The mountain is spiritual Mount Zion. Rev 14:1  And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand (man-child), having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads. (the mark of God)… 4  These are they that were not defiled with women (False sects of Christianity.); for they are virgins (Having not received the seed or word of man). These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, to be the first fruits unto God and unto the Lamb.  So, going back to this Jehoiachin administration and the administration that was taken out of that, the Zedekiah administration, and we go to 2 Kings chapter 24, we can see the whole story. And it shows there are two different people: those who rebel and those who don't. He makes promises to those who don't, and He makes judgments upon those who rebel. This is a type and a shadow for our day and what's about to happen. 2Ki.24:10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And verse 14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. (This was in the time of Jehoiakim, when they were taken captive, and when Babylon invaded.) 15 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon; and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the chief men of the land, carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths a thousand, all of them strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. 17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's father's brother, king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah. (which means, ‘Yah is might'. This guy felt like he needed to exercise his might against the king of Babylon. They were the people of God, and they thought they didn't deserve this. But Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the writer of Kings here believed that they did deserve what was happening because it was because of their rebellion. This caused God to deliver them over to the king of Babylon. They felt like they should fight to deliver themselves. In other words, to trust in the arm of the flesh, to go back down to the eagle of Egypt, and let the old man rule.) 18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem… And verse 20 For through the anger of Jehovah did it come to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. So this is the same place we were in Ezekiel when the covenant was made. He made a covenant with Zedekiah and the people of Israel. They broke it, and rebelled, and they fought. And Jeconiah or Jehoiachin (the same king), and his followers were taken into bondage.  And I want to tell you that the leadership of Christianity will repeat history. They will be taken into bondage except for the righteous. And we're coming to the time of this covenant and this civil war that's about to happen during the time of the Great Eagles. And Zedekiah here represents that apostate ministry. It was said of both Jehoiachin and Zedekiah that they did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. These were evil kings who rebelled against the Lord. And it's the same today. The leadership of God's people is evil as it was in Jesus' time. They have departed from the word of the Lord and done their own thing. And 2Ki.25:2 So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. In their rebellion, God did not defend them, He wasn't preserving them, or feeding them, and He wasn't taking care of them because they had rebelled. He had given them the order to submit, which they hadn't done.  And it reminded me of the apostates who had rebelled against him in Isa.65:12 I will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but ye did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not. (Listen to this now.) 13 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be put to shame; 14 behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for vexation of spirit. See, this is the exact same thing he says about those who rebel against the king of Babylon and those who don't. He threatens those who rebel with starvation, hunger, and so on. And they eventually flee their land into the nations, and they don't escape even then. This war is going to be totally lost by those who call themselves Christians who stand up to fight will lose this war badly. They're going to be scattered among the nations. And verse 4 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden (now the Chaldeans were against the city round about); (the Babylonians, the Great Eagle.) and the king went by the way of the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. 7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon. Now, the ultimate end of this situation was that these people were the harlot. I'm sure they considered themselves the people of God, but you remember in Revelation 17, at the end of the tribulation, the beast burned the harlot with fire. And it is the same thing here. 8 Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem. (apostate Jerusalem) 9 And he burnt the house of Jehovah, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, burnt he with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. We see the same story in Jeremiah 24. First, a couple of verses in chapter 23, he said, Jer.23:39 … and I will cast you off, and the city that I gave unto you and to your fathers, away from my presence: Now, why is it in some of the beast attack types, like Assyria, do the people of God escape? Let me read this to you: 2Ch.32:22 Thus Jehovah saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. 23 And many brought gifts unto Jehovah to Jerusalem, and precious things to Hezekiah king of Judah; so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from thenceforth. Now, there's the seven-headed beast. Well, Assyria was one of the heads, and Babylon was one of the heads. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, and revived Rome. It's a seven-headed beast. So all of those kingdoms were types and shadows of this end time corporate beast. So how come we see that the time of the Assyrian beast, Jerusalem, and their king were righteous, and they're the only ones that are preserved. Whereas in the time of the Babylonian beast Jerusalem and their king were taken captive? Because we're talking about two different leaderships. God is saying that the backslidden leadership of apostate Jerusalem is going into judgment. And everybody who follows them will follow them into judgment. At the same time, there is a good leadership over the people of God. There is a real Jerusalem, which is the heavenly Jerusalem. So, these people are going to be defended by God; the others are not. That's the difference. There's one unregenerate Jerusalem, as the leadership of God's people, and there's a regenerate. Each one of those beast empires has a type and a shadow for the end time that fits into it. So in Jeremiah chapter 23, He says he's going to cast those apostates off, out of His presence. And Jeremiah, here, represents the Man-child ministry; he's speaking against the rebels, like Ezekiel was doing. What was Jesus doing? Speaking against the rebels like Barabas. Resist not him that is evil, love your enemy, do good to those who despitefully use you, etc. Now, Jer.24:1 Jehovah showed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of Jehovah, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. 2 One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first-ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. 3 Then said Jehovah unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 4 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 5 Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good. The whole government of America is going to take more authority over Christianity in general. Have you seen that the Christians have lost their rights in the UK while the invaders have rights while Starmer kisses Muslim leaders? The rights that Christians have had to speak to other people, and to raise their children the way they want, and on and on. The rapists are set free. Some are going to fight and try to take the country back but prayer, faith, and spiritual warfare, is the method. Some are not going to fight. But He said that this bondage is coming for good to the good figs, but not so for the bad figs.  He said in verse, 6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: (He's talking about New Jerusalem Paul said we were to come to. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed apostate Jerusalem? So what land and what city were they coming back to? The New Jerusalem and the new land.) … I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. 7 And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.  Now these are the people who do not rebel against the king of Babylon. And then He starts to speak about Zedekiah and the people who do rebel. 8 And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad, surely thus saith Jehovah, So will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: (who trust in Egypt for strength). 9 I will even give them up to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil; (That's a terrible threat! I think a large portion of Christianity in America will rise up and fight. The more liberal, the more authority used over them, and when their rights have been taken away, the more the corrupt UN demands its rights, the more treaties are made that give the UN authority in the United States. Very leftist treaties  are just waiting for more liberal leadership to come in and loose them or agree with them. But God says that these people who rebel are going to be tossed to and fro among the kingdoms of the earth for evil. They're going to be scattered all over the world, and they're not going to be free there  …to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them. 10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers. And why? Because they are rebelling against the word of the Lord. God says, ‘Go to your cross,' and they say, ‘I'm not going.' Jesus went to His cross. The Lord is not necessarily demanding a physical death for His people in this cross. But the ones who rebel will definitely find a physical death. That's what He's saying here. They will repent or be destroyed from the face of the Earth. And the next chapter is all about Babylon conquering the nations of the Middle East. The first one is Israel, which represents the church spiritually. Jeremiah the prophet was the one speaking this judgment upon not only the church but the rest of the world. He was the one speaking this judgment and releasing it through the words that he spoke in verse 2 and all of it was because he said, from verses 4 - 6, that they had not hearkened unto the Lord; they were paying no attention whatsoever to what God said in His word. That's why He said this was coming. Listen, there's a judgment coming very fast upon the people of God. The whole world is going to turn, and the head of the United States, too, is going to turn against Christianity for the sake of peace. You're going to see  judgment upon what we loosely call Christianity.  Now go to Jer.27:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim (some of your Bibles say Zedekiah there; it's supposed to be Zedekiah, not Jehoiakim, because he'd already spoken about Jehoiakim back in verse 26. Now he was coming down to Zedekiah. My Bible says properly, Zedekiah. The Amplified version used Zedekiah here instead of Jehoiakim, because Jehoiakim doesn't fit here at all; somebody made a mistake here.) Jer.27:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, 2 Thus saith Jehovah to me: Make thee bonds and bars, and put them upon thy neck; 3 and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the children of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers that come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; 4 and give them a charge unto their masters, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say unto your masters: 5 I have made the earth, the men and the beasts that are upon the face of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it unto whom it seemeth right unto me. (We know through reading scriptures that God has given the Earth over into the hand of beast kingdoms that persecuted God's people unto repentance. In every case, they had been rebellious, they had ignored His word, it was not important to them to obey, and so He had given them over into the hand of these beast kingdoms, and now it was Nebuchadnezzar's turn.) 6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon (The Great Eagle in Ezekiel 17. In this case, Jeremiah is the one speaking the word against the people of God, as Jesus did and Ezekiel did, and Jeremiah here represents the Man-child. He preached against the rebels, the bad figs.), my servant (That doesn't mean he was a Christian. But he was serving God in the creation of His people. And since they were rebelling, He was going to bring them a necessary chastening.); and the beasts of the field also have I given him to serve him. The beasts of the field or the beasts of the world. The field is the world, and the beasts here represent the other kingdoms of the world. Babylon was the head of the nations. It was the head of the U.N. in its day. That's exactly like America is today. Jer.27:7 And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the time of his own land come: and then many nations and great kings shall make him their bondman. 8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith Jehovah, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. He's talking here about the bad figs, because that's the exact same wording he used about the bad figs, who were the people who rebelled against the king of Babylon. See, when God sends you a chastening, you don't want to rebel against Him. You want to humbly submit to your cross. And that's what's going on here; these people were rebels, and self-willed and wanted it their way. They had taken control over the kingdom of God, and God was sending a chastening, and He said, ‘Submit.' 9 But as for you, hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:(Let me tell you something, we've been hearing from them for some time, that the church is not going under the authority of the beast. “We're out of here. We're flying away.” But that's not going to happen. This is exactly what they were prophesying then.) And even after it happened that the beast, at the end of chapter 28, it says, Jer.28:11 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith Jehovah: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon within two full years from off the neck of all the nations. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. (So he said, “Okay, okay, so we did come under the bondage of the kingdom, but we're out of here in two years.” And Jeremiah says, “No, you're not. You're going to be here 70 years. You're not going to be out of here until the Lord visits you.”) For instance, in Jer.29:8 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you; neither hearken ye to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith Jehovah. 10 For thus saith Jehovah, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, (That's the coming of the Lord. Babylon, in the Book of Revelation, was seven years after this happened. God said He was going to shorten the time. And this is how he shortened it. Seventy years was the type, and it was shortened to seven.) …After seventy (seven) years are accomplished for Babylon, (In other words, your bondage in Babylon, after seven years.) I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. Notice, he only said that about the good figs, who were going to return to that place. We just read that. The rebels were not returning. Now, there will be people who are going to rebel, and they're going to repent, and switch sides because they will gain understanding and submit to God. God's going to be with them; He will be their Savior. He's going to forgive them. But there are going to be people who will not repent, and they're going to be what the Bible calls, “the bad figs, very bad they can't be eaten.” He said in Jer.27:10 for they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. 11 But the nation that shall bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, that nation will I let remain in their own land, saith Jehovah; and they shall till it, and dwell therein. 12 And I spake to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as Jehovah hath spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 And hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, (We're going to hear a rash of this stuff, how this is not going to continue, that it's all going to be turned around. We've already heard these false prosperity prophets speaking lies about the things that are coming. All the peace and the prosperity and the blessings. I believe the blessings will be gone after NESARA provides to get the Gospel out. And yet, these are the same people who will rebel.) saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon; for they prophesy a lie unto you. 15 For I have not sent them, saith Jehovah, but they prophesy falsely in my name; that I may drive you out, and that ye may perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you. Those who rebel are going to receive this judgment. But God said that He was going to bless and preserve, and He was going to give a heart to the people who did not rebel to know Him - the good figs. He called Hezekiah, his leadership, and Zedekiah's people the bad figs. They were going to be swept from nation to nation under the judgment of God until they perished from off the face of the earth. When God's people get stubborn and rebellious against His Word, He raises up a beast to chasten them, to bring them to humility, to turn them back to the Lord, and when He's through doing His sanctifying work on them, then He turns on that beast and destroys it. God separates the harlot from the true church through persecution. When He's through doing that, then He destroys the harlot by the beast. They think, “We're God's people. God's on our side. We'll fly away.” Well, no, He wasn't, because they were rebelling. How many apostate religious people do you know who sincerely believe that they're the people of God, but ignore the Word of God to trust a preacher who doesn't agree with the full Gospel? You can share the Word of God with them, and they will still ignore it, because they're self-willed. God knows what He's doing. If He tells us to submit, and to turn the other cheek, to love your enemy, to do good to them that spitefully use you, then we have to obey Him. That's what our cross is all about. Some people are not willing to give up their carnal life to gain their Godly life, which Jesus commanded us.

Exploring the Connection Between Matthew 18, the Book of Job, and Isaiah 18 For Bible in Ten – By DH – 18th April 2026 Welcome back to Bible in Ten. Today we completed Matthew 18.   And this leads us naturally to Book 18 of the Old Testament: Job.   And as an added supporting witness, we can also look to Isaiah 18.   In the previous companion study, Matthew 17 was connected to Esther. That gave us a picture of the kingdom approaching.  The Lord was present in Esther, though hidden. Israel was preserved. And the law, pictured through Haman, was shown to be the enemy, while the saving authority belonged to the Christ-picture in Mordecai. Now in Matthew 18, the scene seems to move forward.The kingdom is not only being anticipated.  It is now being morally explained. The question is no longer simply,  “How does the kingdom come into view?” The question now is, “What kind of spirit belongs in that kingdom?” “What kind of teaching belongs in it?” “How are the weak to be treated?” And what happens when men speak wrongly about God? That is where Job becomes such a powerful companion to Matthew 18.  And Isaiah 18 helps as well, because it gives the sense of the Lord watching from above, pruning before harvest, and then receiving an offering in Zion. So together, Matthew 18, Job, and Isaiah 18 form a very striking set. 1) Greatness in the kingdom begins with humility Matthew 18 opens with the disciples asking, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus answers by calling a little child. And He says that unless they turn and become as little children, they will not even enter the kingdom. Then He says that the one who humbles himself as this little child is the greatest. So the chapter begins with a complete overturning of human ideas of greatness. Greatness is not rank.  It is not force. It is not self-assurance. It is not religious confidence. Greatness is humility. And that is exactly why Job is such a fitting companion book. Because Eliphaz comes in the opposite spirit. He sounds wise. He sounds settled. He sounds experienced. He sounds spiritual. But he is not humble. He speaks as though he understands God's ways. He speaks as though he can explain suffering. He speaks as though he can interpret Job's condition with confidence.  And yet at the end of the book, God says that Eliphaz and his friends have not spoken rightly concerning Him. So right away, Job helps expose something Matthew 18 warns us about. A man can sound authoritative, and still be wrong about God. 2) The little ones matter to God Jesus then warns against despising one of the little ones (a picture of the believer who inherits the kingdom).   The preciousness of new life is discernable when Job in his despair calls against the night when his life was conceived and thus declared in Heaven.    And that is exactly where Eliphaz becomes so important in this picture.  Job is afflicted. He is broken.He is grieving. He is confused. He is suffering deeply. He is the very kind of man who should be handled with care.  But Eliphaz does not treat him that way. He does not protect the suffering brother. He does not gently restore him. He does not wait on the Lord. Instead, he imposes a theory onto him. He assumes Job must be guilty. He assumes suffering must prove wickedness. He assumes that if Job is crushed, then Job must deserve it. That is not shepherding. That is not humility. That is not kingdom thinking. That is bad teaching. And this is why Eliphaz can be seen as a picture of a wolf in shepherd's clothing. He does not look dangerous at first. He looks sober. He looks religious. He looks thoughtful. But he is speaking wrongly about God. And he is using those wrong ideas against a wounded man. 3) Causing stumbling through false teaching In Matthew 18 Jesus speaks about causing one of the little ones to stumble.  And Job shows how this can happen. It is not only open evil that harms people. Religious error harms people too. Eliphaz presents a God who is reduced to a hard system of immediate retribution. In that system: if you suffer, you must have done evil. If you prosper, you must be upright. If you are crushed, you must deserve it. That sounds tidy. It sounds moral. It sounds explainable. But it is false.  And because it is false, it is dangerous. It can crush the weak. It can burden the suffering. It can push people toward despair instead of trust. That makes Eliphaz a very powerful picture of bad teaching. And just as was described in CG profound summary in the previous episode, this also helps picture the kind of spirit that reimposes bondage upon men. Eliphaz may not be a Judaizer in the historical sense, (the Law of Moses had not been given at the time of Job and it does not apply now either),  but he certainly shares the same kind of principle. He burdens instead of freeing. He accuses instead of restoring. He puts man under a crushing religious reading, instead of bringing him into rest. That is always the spirit of false religion. 4) The shepherd seeks the lost sheep Matthew 18 then gives the parable of the one lost sheep. The shepherd goes after the wandering one. The Father does not will that one of these little ones should perish. This is one of the tenderest parts of the chapter.  And again, Job helps by contrast.  Because Job's friends do not act like shepherds seeking a lost sheep.  They do not pursue restoration. They do not move toward healing.  They move toward explanation. Toward accusation. Toward pressure. Toward conclusion. Perhaps they care more about defending their system than about helping the man. The true shepherd seeks the sheep. 5) Brotherly restoration versus religious prosecution Later in Matthew 18, Jesus gives instruction for how to deal with a brother who sins. The aim is restoration. “If he hears you, you have gained your brother.” That is kingdom conduct.  Careful, measured. patient and restorative. But Eliphaz does not move in that spirit. He does not proceed carefully. He does not begin with gentleness but with assumption.  Then he piles interpretation upon suffering.  Then he pushes Job under accusation. So Job gives us a picture of what happens when men try to lead others without truly knowing God.  It is religious prosecution instead of brotherly restoration. 6) The unforgiving servant and the spirit of bondage Matthew 18 closes with the parable of the unforgiving servant.  On the surface, the lesson is mercy. But as we saw, there is also something deeper in the background:  the danger of bringing men back under debt, burden, and bondage. And that is another place where Eliphaz fits the picture. Eliphaz reads Job through a moral ledger. A debt system. A burden system. A retribution system. He has no room for a righteous sufferer who must simply trust God. He has no room for grace. He has no room for divine purpose beyond punishment. So he becomes a useful picture of the same religious spirit that burdens men with wrong ideas about God. That spirit is always near wherever grace is obscured. 7) Isaiah 18 — pruning before blessing Now let us bring in Isaiah 18.    That chapter has a remarkable flow. The Lord is watching.  The nations are in view. Then before the harvest, there is pruning. Sprigs are cut off. Branches are taken away. And only after that does the chapter move toward an offering being brought to the Lord at Mount Zion. That fits Matthew 18 very well.  Because Matthew 18 is also a pruning chapter. If the hand offends, cut it off.  If the foot offends, cut it off.  If the eye offends, pluck it out. The point is not mutilation.  The point is moral seriousness.  What causes stumbling must go. What destroys must be removed. What corrupts kingdom life cannot be allowed to remain. And Job fits this same pattern too. The speeches of the friends are exposed. Human wisdom is cut down. Proud religious certainty is pruned away.  Job himself is humbled before God. Then, after all of that, restoration comes. So Isaiah 18 gives the prophetic shape.  Matthew 18 gives the kingdom teaching. And Job gives the lived moral drama.  All three reveal more of the rich tapestry of Scripture. 8) From Esther to Job — a beautiful sequence If you recall, we described how Matthew 17 with Esther gave a picture of kingdom approach. The King was present, though hidden. Israel was preserved. The death-word of law was overcome by the saving authority of the Christ-picture. Now Matthew 18 with Job seems to move into kingdom instruction. The kingdom is not only coming.  Its moral atmosphere is being revealed.The lowly are honored. The little ones are protected. False shepherds are exposed.  Pride is cut down. Bad teaching is rebuked. And forgiveness from the heart becomes necessary. And in that sense, Job becomes a beautiful kingdom book because it shows the wisdom of God overruling the wisdom of men. 9) The end of Job and the heart of Matthew 18 Finally, one of the strongest connections comes at the end of Job. God rebukes Eliphaz and the others.  But Job must pray for them.  That is a wonderful ending.  The righteous sufferer is vindicated.  But he is not vindicated merely to stand above them.  He becomes the intercessor for those who wronged him. And that is profoundly in the spirit of Matthew 18.  Forgiveness is not merely a legal thought.  It is from the heart. So Job ends not only with exposure of false teaching, but with mercy flowing through the one who suffered.  That is kingdom grace. Life Application We can consider how Matthew 18, Job, and Isaiah 18 work together very beautifully.   Matthew 18 gives the moral order of the kingdom: humility, care for the little ones, restoration, mercy, and forgiveness. Job shows how false religion harms people, especially through Eliphaz, who pictures bad teaching, false shepherding, and the dangerous confidence of men who speak wrongly about God. Isaiah 18 adds the prophetic shape: the Lord watches, pruning comes before blessing, and the end is Zion. So as Matthew 17 with Esther pictured the kingdom beginning to come into view, so then Matthew 18 with Job pictures the kingdom's moral instruction under the reign and direct fellowship with Christ revealing the majesty of the Lord.  False religion is exposed. And grace triumphs in the end.   This provides a strong evidence as God being the author of all Scripture.   Let us be careful in our reading an appreciation of Scripture. Praise the Lord. Lord help us to grasp the power and beauty of your Word and share the beauty of the Gospel and the beauty of your Word while we have this opportunity to do so.  For your glory!  Amen

Scripture: Obadiah 19-21Title: Thy Kingdom ComeSHOW NOTES: For encouragement on your spiritual journey, we invite you to visit our ministry website, Discover God's Truth, where you can access additional resources to enrich your Walk with God. NEW! Watch us ONLINE! Click here!The short book of Obadiah addresses the pride and sin of the Edomites. Yet in the prophet's vision, God extends His hope and promise to those who follow Him. Israel will ultimately defeat Edom, and the Lord will restore the Promised Land. The day is coming when every knee will bow. Those who have been rescued will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem to rule over the mountains of Edom.And the Lord Himself will be king! Obadiah 1:21 Head to HeartFriends, we must remember that even in the bleakest times, God is at work, preparing His people for the greatest victory. Trust Him. All honor and praise to His Holy Name—King of kings! For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.Psalm 47:2Song: Holy is Your Name - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJtCgkx9SFI&list=RDJJtCgkx9SFI&index=1

A mother. A bathtub. A death ruled suspicious.In 2012, Lisa Cutler was found drowned in her Mount Zion, Illinois home while her children slept upstairs.At first, it looked like an accident.But more than 20 bruises… a failing marriage… and over a million dollars in life insurance told a different story.Was it a tragic fall— or something far more deliberate?Check out our new American Hauntings Podcast Network for even more spooky shows.Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytaylorodditiesCheck out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.comWant an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon pageOur Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com* Check out Shopify: https://shopify.com/hauntings* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code HAUNTINGS for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Guest: Patrick K. O'Donnell. Confederate General Jubal Early threatens Washington, D.C., where Lincoln witnesses the battle at Fort Stevens. Meanwhile, partisan leader John Mosby operates independently, capturing Union forces at Mount Zion Church. O'Donnell notes that better coordination between Early and Mosby could have endangered the capital.1908 GAR TOLEDO OHIO