Podcasts about Mount Zion

How do you prepare your heart for worship? Start before you reach the church doors!Israelite pilgrims sang the Songs of Ascents, also called the Pilgrim Psalms, on the road to Jerusalem because it helped them leave daily stress behind and prepare their hearts for worship.In this episode of the Bible Book Club, we explore how preparation for worship is both physical (ascending) and spiritual (singing), and why the design of your church building might be part of the plan.In our Psalms 120-136 Bible study, we cover:[3:11] The Ancient Road-Trip Playlist: What it was like to travel for days with family and neighbors, singing your way up to the Temple.[5:39] Visual Metaphors: How church architecture that draws our eyes upward mirrors the ascent of ancient pilgrims to Mount Zion.[9:22] The Triad Pattern: Why the grouping of Psalms 120-134 into five triads echoes the story of the Exodus (trouble, protection, and safe arrival).[19:06] Solomon's Arrows: What Psalm 127 reveals about the value of children and why it matters today.[28:29] The Great Hallel: What the word hallel means and why "His love endures forever" repeats 26 times in Psalm 136 alone.Psalms Show NotesPsalms RoadmapPsalms Prayer ListPsalms Playlist - Listen on Apple MusicPsalms Playlist - Listen on SpotifyPhil Wickham - Psalm 8 (Hallé) [Official Music Video]ACTS Prayer GuideFeasts and FestivalsScene from The ChosenGroup Discussion Questions for Psalms 120-136[3:16] The Israelite pilgrims sang on their way up to Jerusalem. What can you do to prepare your heart for Sunday worship?[9:35] Each triad follows the same pattern: trouble, protection, and safe arrival. Can you spot a time in your life when you've seen this pattern play out?[19:29] In Psalm 127, Solomon points out the importance of future generations. How does this psalm challenge or affirm the way you think about the next generation?Contact Bible Book Club!Social: Instagram or FacebookWebsite: Bible Book ClubReview Us: Apple Podcast or SpotifyJoin the Fun: DONATE or Buy merchThis episode is part of our ongoing Bible Book Club series, starting with Genesis and journeying all the way through the Bible. Thanks for listening!

“And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that. Then in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”- ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭37‬:‭30‬-‭32‬ ‭ESV

In today's episode I will be praying over us, reading Psalm 125, and saying whatever the Holy Spirit prompts me to say after I read the scripture. This is day 125 of a series where I will be reading a Psalm everyday on here for 150 days. I challenge you to come to join me everyday as we use scripture to fight off the enemy and grow us in ways that we can't even imagine.   My First Christian Children's book, "You Are Loved" is now available for purchase on Amazon!! Thank you to everyone that has purchased, been praying, supporting, and sharing. All glory goes to God!! Here is the link to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZKSPJNB   Link to partner with me and give towards my future mission projects: https://pushpay.com/g/globalventurescatoosa?fnd=missionary&fndv=hide&ru=prod&sr=58535&ad=%7b+%22PledgeID%22%3a%22Y01TRFR1VlklMmJMYkY5NmRNJTJiU2dHU21oWVBXQjN2OXRVNkdsNWpjMUFzamRkRkNBUmN2Z2R0MjdmdTZ2eGduc1U%3d%22%7d&nt=Partner%3aMs+Lorena+Espy+   If you want to receive newsletters: submit your info here: www.postable.com/lorenaespy If you want to check out previous Bible studies, click here To Purchase my "Christ Transforms Me" Journal, click here   Email me: faithfuelsmyfire@gmail.com Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486483515603028/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmBsSKktGU_8WHVNIxhFuzg The Bible App that I use: http://bible.com/app Instagram: @_lorenacamille_ Never Forget to Choose Faith Over Fear, -Lorena Espy

REVELATION EP 13 THE 144000: We have been seeing Revelation 11–20 as progressively unfolding the final 3½ years, with different groups and events appearing as the conflict intensifies. The 144,000 have a very meaningful place in this intense buildup (camera angle 4 of the tribulation). This large mysterious group represents God's company of the first fruits of Israel's full salvation during the final crisis. They are not the whole of redeemed Israel, Firstfruits are always celebrated as a foretaste of future harvest. Revelation 14:1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.” The important point is that Revelation 14 presents the 144,000 as a distinct, identifiable group. They have already appeared in Revelation 7, where they are described as 144,000 sealed servants from the twelve tribes of Israel. They are a literal or representative group of Jewish believers who are preserved and commissioned by God for the Gospel during the Tribulation. Here is a table of columns and rows showing how these fit our Revelation timeline compared to other groups and their roles and events Group — Role in our framework The two witnesses — God's prophetic testimony in Jerusalem (Moses/Elijah) The Church / woman — Persecuted and protected by God Israel — Preserved through the final crisis Zechariah 13:8–9 (1/3) 144,000 — A specially sealed firstfruits company Antichrist's kingdom — Satan's final earthly system Three angels — God's final worldwide warning Harvest of earth — Separation and judgment Seven bowls — Final wrath of non-redemptive judgement – no repentance Babylon — Collapse of the world's corrupt system Christ — Returns in glory in Revelation 19 Zechariah 13:8–9 And it shall come to pass in all the land, Says the LORD, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people' And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God. Then comes Zech Ch 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, The same fiery trials of faith apply to all people, including Christians and Jews, as we saw in Revelation 12 about the Woman, the Church (Episode 11 and camera angle 2) where God said ‘do not measure those in the outer court/outer darkness' That links with our emphasis on Israel, the Church and the nations all moving toward God's ultimate redemptive purpose and the refining age to age fire of judgement. Why 144,000? The number is very highly structured: 12 × 12 × 1,000 = 144,000 Twelve is repeatedly associated with God's covenant people: • 12 tribes of Israel • 12 apostles • 12 foundations of New Jerusalem • 12 gates • 12,000 in each zone or group • 144 cubits Their relationship to the Church is important, as we can distinguish three overlapping communities in the final period: The Church – The Woman as the Church protected by God through the tribulation Israel - The covenant people who come under God's particular protection and ultimately experience restoration (Romans 11:25) – … ‘and all Israel shall be saved' … The 144,000 This is a specially sealed firstfruits company within Israel, commissioned for God's purposes during the final crisis. The Beast establishes his authority, and people receive the mark of the Beast, and the Beast's followers identify themselves with the Beast. But here the 144,000 have the Father's name on their foreheads. So Revelation gives us two competing identities: Kingdom of the Beast — Kingdom of the Lamb Beast — Lamb Mark of Beast forehead mind owned and occupied by Beast — Name of Father – mind and owned and occupied by God Babylon — Zion False worship — True worship Satanic authority — Divine authority Economic control — Spiritual allegiance Followers of Beast — Followers of Lamb That speaks into the final spiritual confrontation between the kingdom of the Antichrist and the kingdom of Christ. The 144,000 will be the Jewish partners to the two witnesses in Revelation 11, Moses and Elijah, who have a very specific prophetic ministry, while the 144,000 have a much broader representative role. Then we have three angels with a final worldwide proclamation, and together they form an extraordinary picture of God's testimony during the final 3½ year crisis. The 144,000 are an end-time Jewish firstfruits company, sealed by God and preserved during the final 3½ years. They represent a consecrated remnant of Israel who refuse the allegiance of the Beast and remain completely identified with the Lamb. Their appearance immediately after Revelation 13 provides the divine counterpoint to the Beast's kingdom: while the Beast marks his followers with his identity, God marks His people with His name. The 144,000 appear to be evangelists because we saw in Revelation 7:9 that immediately following their sealing there was a vision of: “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation. What is the meaning of ‘virgins'? The 144000 are an Israelite covenant remnant. whose defining characteristic is not merely that they have escaped Babylon, but that they belong exclusively to the Lamb. Level — Meaning — Biblical basis — Strength for your study 1. Literal — 144,000 are sexually celibate/unmarried males — Rev 14:4 calls them virgins; 1Corinthians 7, Matthew 19 — Possible, but difficult to establish as the only meaning 2. Spiritual — They are uncompromised in their allegiance to the Lamb — Revelation repeatedly uses sexual immorality/adultery as imagery for spiritual unfaithfulness — Very strong contextual connection 3. Holistic holiness — Their bodily sexuality and spiritual allegiance are both brought under the lordship of the Lamb — Rev 14:4–5; contrast with Babylon in Rev 17–18 — Probably the most fruitful formulation for your study We are not compelled to have to choose absolutely between literal sexual purity and symbolic spiritual purity. This can be understood as presenting the 144,000 as a people characterized by exclusive fidelity to the Lamb, expressed in the striking language of virginity. Revelation itself establishes the larger symbolic framework. Babylon is portrayed as a prostitute who commits sexual immorality with the kings of the earth, while the people of God are summoned not to participate in her sins.  Here's another table of rows and columns THE TWO WOMEN / TWO RELATIONSHIPS BABYLON — 144,000 Harlot — Virgins Sexual immorality — Purity Relationship with kings of earth — Relationship with the Lamb Drunk with her wine — Filled with the Spirit Compromise — Faithfulness Follow the Beast — Follow the Lamb Defilement — No defilement Name of Babylon — Father's name Deception — Truth Earthly luxury — Surrendered Firstfruits to God Spiritual prostitution — Covenant faithfulness Judgment — Redemption This follows the architecture of Revelation. Revelation 17–18 explicitly describes Babylon's relationship with the kings and nations in sexual language, while Revelation 14 describes the 144,000 in terms of virginity, following the Lamb as a celebrated offering of firstfruits to God.  Revelation 14 is presenting the 144,000 as the complete opposite to Babylon. Revelation describes a world in which sexual immorality has become intertwined with power, wealth, idolatry and Babylonian corruption. That is explicitly in the text. Revelation 17–18 connects Babylon's sexual immorality with kings, nations, merchants and luxurious wealth.  This intertwining of immorality with power, wealth, idolatry and Babylonian corruption can be seen in the exposure of the corruption of our current culture (large in scale) The 144,000 are identified as Israel, which is being encountered within the theological reality of the New Covenant inaugurated by Messiah. So they retain genuine Israelite identity, and they belong to the covenant reality established through Christ. Those propositions are not contradictory. Hebrews 8 is particularly important here because it contrasts the Old covenant with the superior New covenant through Christ and it quotes Jeremiah's promise: Jemiah 31:31 Hebrews 8:8 … Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. Hebrews 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete.” Consequently, the identification of the 144,000 with Israel does not require that they belong to the obsolete Mosaic covenant. The New Covenant itself was promised to Israel and Judah. Theologically, therefore, the 144,000 may be understood as an Israelite covenant remnant encountered within the reality of the New Covenant mediated by Jesus the Messiah. Their identity is Israelite; their covenant relationship is New Covenant; their allegiance is to the Lamb. The 144,000 are thus presented as a sealed people belonging to God, bearing His name, following the Lamb, refusing defilement and standing in contrast to Babylon's corrupting influence. So rather than viewing the 144,000 as an alternative to the Church, we see them as God's specific end-time allies arising from Israel alongside His wider people. And that shows us that Revelation isn't simply describing catastrophe—it is showing God as separating, sealing, preserving and gathering people to Himself while the counterfeit kingdom reaches its rebellious demise.

Audio reading: Deut 28:42-68, Isaiah 28:14-30:11, Galatians 3:23-4:31, Psalm 62:1-12, Prov 23:19-21 In this episode we read Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Galatians, Psalms, and Proverbs and focus on Galatians 3–4. The host warns against returning to legalism, urging listeners to embrace freedom in Christ rather than seeking favor through rituals, feast days, or law-keeping. Using the Hagar and Sarah analogy, the message contrasts standing at Mount Sinai under the Law with standing at Mount Zion under Jesus, calling believers to walk daily in faith and relationship with Christ. Connect With Us - Website: https://1yearAudioBiblePodcast.com   Spotify: Https://Open.Spotify.Com/Show/7zuyulxhnkthbgmnxu6q5t Apple Podcasts: Https://Podcasts.Apple.Com/Us/Podcast/1-Year-Audio-Bible-Podcast/Id1562405086 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@1YearAudioBiblePodcast PodBean: https://bridgeconnector.podbean.com/

One of the most tragic realities in modern Christianity is that many do not truly understand the Old Testament. Too often, it gets neglected and treated as an optional preamble to the New Testament. However, this collection of books, written over centuries and centuries, informed not only Jewish belief and practice but also pointed to the coming Messiah. These scriptures provided the foundation from which Jesus taught and the Apostles drew extensively. One of the core problems, I think, is that we fail to see the Old Testament narrative as our story. The people seem so distant and different from us, the circumstances almost alien, and the stories and characters confusing. We can, sadly, sometimes be a people with amnesia. An individual who can't access their memories changes; their personality and moods often aren't what they once were. Similarly, our biblical amnesia can mean that we start to change; our spiritual personality is off-center. Sandra Richter, an Old Testament scholar, puts it this way when addressing the consequences of us not understanding this part of Scripture. The first, and to me most heartbreaking, [problem] is that most Christians have not been taught that the Old Testament is their story. This has the consequence that, The Church does not know who she is, because she does not know who she was. I bring this up because this twelfth chapter of Hebrews contains some important, but often difficult, applications. If we dont understand where the author is coming from, we can misunderstand and misapply the principles this chapter gives us. So, I think it would be good to take stock of where weve come from. While we walk through Hebrews 12 together, please keep this in the back of your mind; you are in this story too. To make sure that we are grounded and ready for the applications this passage has in store for us, we need to do some review. Hebrews was originally written as a letter, potentially as a transcription of a sermon, to Jewish Christians in the middle of the 1st century. It was written primarily to show four things: Jesus is preeminent above all things Jesus is the fulfillment of Gods promises Jesus established a new and better covenant Offer a warning against falling away from Jesus Said a different way: Jesus is better than anything, because He is God Therefore, Jesus could fulfill all of Gods promises Therefore, Jesus satisfied the old covenant and made a better one Therefore, we should cling to Jesus because He is our only hope Remember how this letter opens. It starts by pointing to just how much better Jesus is. 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. (Heb 1:1-3a) Ultimately, Jesus is better than everything else because He is God. He radiates Gods glory and is the exact imprint of His nature. The universe was created through Him and is upheld by Him. The letter then goes on to unpack how Jesus is better than anything else the Hebrew people have encountered as the chosen people of God. Were going to fly through this, but please refer back to Shauns sermons if youd like to dive deeper into any of these. According to the text, Jesus is better than: The prophets (1:1-3) The angels (1:4-14; 2:5-9) Moses (3:1-6) The Land of Promise and Joshua (4:1-8) The Sabbath Rest (4:8-13) The Levitical Priesthood (4:14-5:6; 7) The Old Covenant (8:1-13) The Tabernacle and Temple (9:1-10) The Sacrificial System (9:11-10:18) Thats quite a list! And I want us to pause and recognize how revolutionary this was for the people of the time. This would be similar to somebody coming into our church and saying, Im better than Calvin or Luther. In fact, Im greater than Paul, John, Matthew, and the rest of the apostles. I am better than a church service. Even more, Im elevated above baptism and the Lord's Supper. I know Wyomingites can be a reserved bunch, but Im pretty sure there would be a riot. When Jesus stepped into history, was born of a virgin, died a criminals death, and then rose in grand victory, He defied all 1st-century Jewish expectations of the Messiah and, indeed, the entire notion of what it meant to be Gods people. But it goes even further! The author of Hebrews not only gives us this grand language about Jesus being really awesome (thats a technical theological word, by the way), but also explains how Jesus fulfills Gods promises made in prophecy. No other New Testament book has a higher density of Old Testament quotations than Hebrews. The author constantly points back to the prophets who promised a Messiah to save both Israel and the world. We see that Jesus would: Become incarnate as a human (2:5-8) Be a priest outside of the Levitical priesthood (5:6) Establish a new covenant (8:6-12) Do away with the sacrificial system (10:5-7) Die on a cross (12:2) These are just a few examples, but they get us to the heart of the matter. The author is trying to get his audience to see that Jesus is the one theyve been waiting for, the one of promise. He lived the perfect and sinless life that they could not, and yet died the death that they deserved. Put in more personal terms, Jesus lived the perfect and sinless life that I cannot, and yet He died the death that I deserve. This gave Him the ability to satisfy the Old Covenant on our behalf, pay our penalty, and then rise to new life, conquer death, and make a way for us to enter again into the presence of God. Hebrews tells us of this new covenant. 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. ... 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. 13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (8:6-7, 12-13) Brothers and sisters, there could be no better news than this. Because of Jesus, our sins are no longer remembered, and we receive Gods mercy. We no longer stand condemned by the Law, but have been restored to a relationship with the living God. Remember, this is the story of all Gods people. Try as we might to live up to the Law, we cannot. But Jesus did. And then He ushered in a new covenant. But we must be careful, however. The author also has warnings for us. You can hear this writer's pleading to his readers in the opening of the second chapter. 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Heb 2:1-4) Pay attention! the author is shouting. Dont drift away! Look at what happened in Israels past when they walked away from God and tried to forge their own path. Remember the golden calf. Remember the exile in Babylon. Jesus rose and spoke to us! Hear how many people testified about what they saw. Remember the miracles. We have a better covenant now! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Consider what happened to those who ignored the old covenant. What will happen to us now if we neglect the better covenant? We still hear the author's plea nearly 2,000 years later. Dont let go. Whatever you do, dont let go of Jesus. You can write this progression of thought as a formula. Remember it; I promise it will be important later on. Jesus is better

Today's chapter 19 of 2nd Kings brings Isaiah onto the scene.  King Hezekiah in his great distress at the conquests of the Assyrians and now their presence outside the walls of Jerusalem sends his secretary and senior priests to the prophet, with a message saying, “It may be that the LORD your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh,”  adding, “therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left” [v.4]Isaiah's response is very positive; “Say to your Master, ‘Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumour and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'” [v.6,7]  This happens, but as the Assyrians depart they say, “Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. ‘Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered?” [v.10,11]  History is full of human boasting like this, but “The word of the LORD” comes to Isaiah over this (v.21-28) that the LORD is “aware of their raging against me”[v.27] Within a generation or two the Assyrians fade into history and Nineveh is a heap of ruins to this day –  the Babylonians then become the main enemy, but in time Babylon too becomes a heap of ruins, as it is today.   Then Isaiah conveys a remarkable long term prophecy. “ … the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the LORD will do this.” [v.30,31]  We witness the resilience of the “surviving remnant” today.  We can read in Isaiah's book, the prophecy the LORD gives him, how “in that day the Lord will extent his hand a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people … and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” [11 v.11,12]   We are witnessing that event and are in awe of the climax when God “shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.” [v.4]   Soon, in Luke's gospel, we will come to Jesus' awesome words predicting this. How awesome the fate of the great Assyrian army, because they reviled God! (185,000 died – v.35) How awesome the fate awaiting at least some who do so today!  Let us do the opposite.  And what is the opposite?.

Pastor Mike contrasts Mount Sinai and Mount Zion (Hebrews 12:14–24) to show how the law exposes sin and creates distance from God, while Jesus' sacrifice and the new covenant welcome sinners into God's presence. He urges believers to live as people of Zion by pursuing peace and holiness, uprooting bitterness, guarding their inheritance, and invites those who have not trusted Christ to receive forgiveness and come near. A Better Mountain Hebrews 12:14–24 The Big idea: In Christ, we stop living like fearful outsiders and start living as confident people who belong to God. Introduction: “We're on the wrong trail” Mount Sinai shows us the problem. (vs.18–21) God is holy, and sin is serious. Sinful people cannot casually walk into the presence of a holy God. Mount Sinai is not where Jesus leaves His people. Mount Zion announces the gift. (vs.22–23) Through Jesus, we have come near. We belong here! Jesus speaks the better word (v. 24) Abel's blood shed by Cain demanded justice and condemnation. Jesus' blood shed fulfills justice and brings forgiveness. Live like you belong at Zion (vs. 14–17) Pursue peace (v.14) Pursue holiness (v.14) Pull up bitterness roots early (v. 15) Guard your inheritance (vs. 16–17) Conclusion: Live on the better mountain. Action Steps: Ask yourself: Am I relating to God as if I'm still at Sinai—trying to earn, hide, or prove myself? What would it look like, right now, to live from Zion—to receive Jesus' ‘better word' of forgiveness and welcome? Write down one area of life where you've been living in fear or condemnation, and next to it write one truth from Hebrews 12:22–24. Pray a simple prayer: “Lord, I'm not at Sinai anymore. Through Jesus, I have come to Zion. I receive Your forgiveness and welcome today.” Find other Podcasts, Sermon Notes and the Bulletin here. https://www.mvcnaz.org/live Stay in touch with our Church Center App at https://www.mvcnaz.org/churchcenter Contact us through our CONNECT form at https://www.mvcnaz.org/connect   With Pastor Mike Curry.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Lamentations 1–2; Obadiah 1; Revelation 14 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 9th, and this is day 252 of our journey through the Scriptures. Today we enter into some difficult and powerful passages. In Lamentations 1 and 2, we sit alongside Jerusalem in her grief. The city that once overflowed with life now sits alone, mourning all that has been lost. These chapters don't rush us past sorrow. They give grief a voice. Obadiah turns our attention toward Edom and the consequences of pride, violence, and taking advantage of another's suffering. Then Revelation 14 pulls back the curtain and gives us another vision. The Lamb stands on Mount Zion. Babylon, the great symbol of human empire, violence, exploitation, and domination, is declared fallen. And suddenly lament gives way to hope. The kingdoms we build do not last forever. The systems of violence, domination, and death do not get the final word. God's kingdom is coming, and the Lamb is making all things new. So wherever you find yourself today, whether you are standing among the ruins of something you've lost or beginning to see signs of something new, there is hope. Babylon falls. The Lamb remains. And the kingdom of God is coming. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Out of the Ashes Babylon has fallen. And out of the ashes comes hope. Today's readings give us images of terrible loss. Jerusalem sits alone. The city that had once been filled with people is grieving. Her beauty is gone. Her people have been scattered. Lamentations doesn't try to clean this up. It lets people grieve. Sometimes that's what faith looks like. Sometimes faith isn't pretending everything is okay. Sometimes faith is sitting among the ruins and telling the truth about what has been lost. But then John gives us another picture. "Babylon is fallen." Babylon represents that old human way of organizing the world. Power. Domination. Violence. Exploitation. The endless attempt to secure ourselves at the expense of someone else. John says that world is passing away. And standing on Mount Zion is the Lamb. That's where our hope is. Our hope isn't that we can somehow repair Babylon well enough to make it last forever. Our hope is that God is making something new. A new city. A new creation. A world where God dwells with humanity and every tear is wiped away. Sometimes we look around at our lives, our families, our churches, or our world and see nothing but ruins. But ruins are not the end of the story. God brings resurrection out of death. God brings reconciliation out of alienation. God brings life out of places where we thought life could never grow again. So don't be afraid of the ashes. And don't let the ruins convince you that God has abandoned the world. Lift your eyes. The Lamb is standing. Babylon is falling. And the kingdom of God is coming. May we learn to live even now as citizens of that kingdom. May we become people of peace, forgiveness, mercy, generosity, and love. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

In this verse-by-verse Biblical exposition of Hebrews 12.18-29, we arrive at the theological climax of the Epistle to the Hebrews: the ultimate contrast between the Old and New Covenants—Mount Sinai and Mount Zion.Writing to first-century Messianic believers in Rome facing escalating persecution under Emperor Nero, the author addresses the temptation to retreat from Christ into the cultural safety of Judaism. Throughout the book of Hebrews, Christ has been revealed as superior to the prophets, angels, and Moses, serving as the mediator of a better covenant, a better sanctuary, and a better sacrifice.Here, that comparison reaches its dramatic culmination. The author contrasts the terrifying, unapproachable holiness of Mount Sinai—marked by blazing fire, gloom, trumpet blasts, and divine distance—with the joy and open access of Mount Zion: the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the sprinkled blood of Jesus that speaks a better word than that of Abel's.We are not called back to a system of shadows and trembling fear, but ushered into an unshakable kingdom of grace. In light of such great salvation, how shall we respond? Do not refuse Him who speaks; rather, offer acceptable worship with reverence, thanksgiving, and holy awe.TEACHING NOTES:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MvybaKCIlgDKo7HpGG1tTvQqDHB16nUuuL4KkTpWZKM/edit?usp=sharingABOUT IRON SHEEP MINISTRIESIron Sheep Ministries is dedicated to helping you dig deeper into God's Word. To learn more about our mission and what God has put on our hearts, visit our website: https://ironsheep.org. JOING THE EMAIL LISThttp://eepurl.com/g-2zADQUESTIONSHave questions about today's study? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at info@ironsheep.org. PARTNER WITH USIf this teaching blessed you, please consider partnering with us through prayer or financial support to help us continue sharing the Gospel.Give online: https://ironsheep.org/donateGive by mail: Iron Sheep Ministries, 4300 Route 50, Suite 105, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Psalm 48 1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised     in the city of our God! His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation,     is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north,     the city of the great King. 3 Within her citadels God     has made himself known as a fortress. 4 For behold, the kings assembled;     they came on together. 5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;     they were in panic; they took to flight. 6 Trembling took hold of them there,     anguish as of a woman in labor. 7 By the east wind you shattered     the ships of Tarshish. 8 As we have heard, so have we seen     in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God,     which God will establish forever. Selah 9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,     in the midst of your temple. 10 As your name, O God,     so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. 11     Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice     because of your judgments! 12 Walk about Zion, go around her,     number her towers, 13 consider well her ramparts,     go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation 14     that this is God, our God forever and ever.     He will guide us forever.

Experience Psalm 48 from the King James Version with calming ocean waves in this peaceful Psalms and Tides episode for worship, trust, reflection, rest, and sleep.Psalm 48 is a Psalm of praise, refuge, beauty, and confidence in the Lord. It begins with the declaration, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,” lifting our hearts toward the glory of God and the security found in His presence. The Psalm speaks of Mount Zion, the city of God, and the Lord who is known as a refuge among His people.In this episode of Psalms and Tides, the steady rhythm of the sea creates a peaceful space for Scripture, worship, reflection, and rest. As you listen, may Psalm 48 remind you of the lovingkindness of God, the beauty of His holiness, and the comfort of knowing that He is our God for ever and ever.Whether you are settling down for sleep, pausing for quiet devotion, or seeking peace in the faithful care of the Lord, may this gentle reading lead your heart into praise, trust, and quiet confidence.Psalm 48, King James Version.

Speaker: Matthew Fletcher, Senior Pastor Scripture: Psalm 122 Transformative Truth: It is a great privilege to praise God with his people. You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:22-24 Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One, and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won: O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we, like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with thee. Their Delight in Jerusalem Psalm 122:1-2 Their Description of Jerusalem Psalm 122:3-5 Jerusalem, built as a city should be, solidly united, where the tribes, the LORD's tribes, go up to give thanks to the name of the LORD. Psalm 122:3-4 Christian Standard Bible In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:21-22 NIV Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16 Their Dedication to Jerusalem Psalm 122:6-9 "How lovely is the sanctuary in the eyes of those who are truly sanctified!"

Join us each week at Gateway Church of Richmond, Sundays at 10:30am at 3361 State Road 227 North, Richmond, Indiana. Chris is the Senior Leaders of Gateway Church and lead translator of the Name Translation Bible (TNT). As the author of over fifteen books and degrees from Penn State University and Messiah Biblical Institute, Chris is passionate about equipping every believer to have a daily encounter with Jesus. Free resources available at www.igateway.org.

Spiritual Authority and Dominion (1) (audio) David Eells, 8/26/26 I want to remind you and encourage you about the difference between using carnal and spiritual dominion. The Bride is maturing and overcoming the flesh, and she's using her dominion over the spiritual host of wickedness and doing warfare against the DS satanists. The Lord says, If any man [is] for captivity, into captivity he goeth: If any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed … (Rev.13:10). Jesus exercised dominion in His kingdom; not the kind of dominion that some want and false religious leaders have, which glorifies man. Jesus rejected the offer by Satan to be a worldly king with carnal dominion. The Pharisees and Sadducees had a carnal dominion over the people of God. Jesus commanded the people not to do what they did but to obey them because they sat in the seat of Moses. They were given governmental authority much the same way they are today in the church. Jesus exercised dominion over the curse and over Satan's kingdom. He was destroying the works of Satan in the lives of His people. Jesus had spiritual authority, and the people followed Him willingly because they were drawn of the Father, not because they were under the condemnation of the Law. Spiritual authority was necessary to be spiritually and physically fed, healed, and delivered. The apostate religious leaders had no authority like that then, nor do they now. Even though the disciples did not resist their carnal authority, they did resist their attempt to exercise spiritual authority when it was important. They said, “We must obey God rather than men.” When Peter tried to enforce his carnal authority with the sword, Jesus said, … All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword (Mat.26:52). Then, to show that His spiritual authority can, when necessary, dominate the carnal realm, Jesus said, (Mat.26:53) Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? Anyone who has an angel, much less twelve legions, would not need a puny sword for defense. One angel killed 185,000 men to defend Zion. Jesus then makes the point that if He calls the angels to defend His flesh, how would it be crucified? (54) How then should the scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be? This is a good principle for us who also must be crucified. According to type, crucifixion does not necessitate the physical death of the body, but the old nature. (Rom.12:1) … Present your bodies a living sacrifice … The body is dead, meaning that it no longer has a will and rights of its own but is devoted to the service of God. In type, just as Jesus sacrificed His literal flesh, we sacrifice the flesh of the old man while we live. We are told that those who try to defend the body by physical force will be killed for their lack of faith. (Rev.13:10) If any man [is] for captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. It is also clear here that if a person needs captivity to fulfill in some way their own crucifixion, the sword will not save them. In fact, it will be judgment to them. (Joh.18:36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews …. Those who wrestle with flesh and blood in disobedience to the Word are not fighting for God's kingdom but the world and the flesh. They are attempting to exercise carnal dominion. Jesus exercised dominion to save God's creation. He did not exercise dominion over people who wanted to put to death His flesh. As He did a few times, we also have permission to flee, for it was not yet His time. That is a type for us. We must go through many things in order to put to death our flesh. That is what the world was created for: to bring us into sanctification through the death of the old man, the flesh. Even while the world around us is spiritually putting us on our cross by insults, injuries, persecutions, slander, etc., we have to cooperate with them by turning the other cheek. We have authority to save, heal, deliver, provide, and die to self. Exercising our dominion is God exercising His sovereignty through us. Jesus exercised dominion, but He personally resisted not the evil by turning the other cheek. While the world was crucifying Him, even before He came to the natural cross, His spiritual man was exercising dominion and delivering His people from the curse.  Sometimes we can get mixed up about when to exercise this dominion and when not. We do not have authority to save the old man. We do not want to keep our old life; we want our new life. Jesus said that unless we lose our life, we would not gain our life. So this authority to exercise dominion that God has given us is the same as Jesus had. This dominion is not to get rich in the world, but it is to have all we need to do God's Will. God gave me my last two houses and cars free, in order for me to do His Will. (Php.4:19) … My God shall supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Dominion is not to live after the lusts of the flesh, as they do in a false, worldly prosperity that encourages and empowers the flesh to live. (1Ti.6:8) But having food and covering we shall be therewith content. (9) But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. Here is a promise to those who are not content but love the things of the world. They will be overcome by lusts, and it will be as impossible for them to enter the Kingdom as it would be for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (Mat.19:24‑26).  Jesus exercised dominion over His flesh when He was going to the cross. He said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” He gave them authority to crucify His flesh. In the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus spoke to those who came to take Him, “they went backward, and fell to the ground,” showing that He could stop them if He wanted to save His life, or until it was time to go to the cross. He said in John 10:18, “No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself.” A couple of times, He passed through their midst, apparently translated, because it was not His time to die (Luk.4:30). He had been given authority to save God's people, who believed, and to destroy Satan's kingdom. Our flesh (the carnal man) is part of Satan's kingdom (Rom.8:7). The book of Esther is not only literally true but also a prophetic parable. Haman (the beast) had been given authority by the king (the Lord) to destroy the people of God, while Esther (the bride) had been given authority to save the people of God. The beast and the bride were given opposing authority at the same time by the same king. In type, the beast was given authority to crucify the old man, the carnal nature, and the bride was given authority to bring to life the spiritual man. The king's authority could not be annulled in anything, just as our Lord's authority. Ultimately, the house of the beast was given unto the bride to have authority over it (Est.8:1).  The time will come when God will no longer offer grace to the Gentiles but will return it to Israel. He will permit Christians, at that time, to exercise authority over the people who are trying to kill them. Fire from the Witnesses' mouths destroying their enemies, smiting the earth with every plague, and stopping the rain for 3 ½ years, are examples (Rev.11:5-6). From there to the end, authority will be manifested to destroy the beast's kingdom until this world becomes God's kingdom and He takes control (Rev.11:15). Personal control differs from control by proxy. God runs everything, but He must use vessels of dishonor now (Rom.9:21‑24). The time is coming when He will take control in and through His saints who believe. This dominion is ours as spiritual children of Jesus Christ, but we will grow into it by grace. Dominion starts here in the training grounds but continues for eternity. Here, the Lord teaches us how to be rulers under Him over His creation. (1Co.6:1) Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? (2) Or know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (3) Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? (4) If then ye have to judge things pertaining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are of no account in the church? (5) I say [this] to move you to shame …. If we have authority to judge fallen angels, how much more do we have authority to judge things in this life? Jesus taught His disciples to pray like this: “Thy kingdom come thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The Lord pointed out to me that this is a command that God is putting in our mouth. Some would object that this puts us in the place of commanding God. Look what God said in (Isa.45:11) Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me. In effect, what we command when led by the Spirit, He carries out. In Acts 3:6, Peter commands the lame beggar, “What I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” See, we represent Christ. Peter had authority to represent Jesus and to command the curse. When the lame man walked and bystanders were tempted to credit Peter, he said, “Why fasten ye your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk?” (Act.3:12) God's power fulfills what we command in obedience to Him. Our work here is to manifest God's kingdom here on the earth. At the last trump, it will be said in (Rev.11:15) … The kingdom of the world is become [the kingdom] of our Lord, and of his Christ …. Through whom did God bring this to pass? The Bible gives credit to the saints. (Dan.7:26) … The judgment shall be set, and they (the saints) shall take away his (the beast) dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end. (27) And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High …. The saints, by God's grace, shall exercise dominion to end the beast's dominion. God gave dominion unto Samson even in his ignorance. What was the secret of Samson's power? Judges tells us that the secret was his long hair, and as soon as he lost his long hair, he lost his power. Samson was not a big, muscle‑bound man. In Judges 16:17, he told Delilah, “If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” His enemies wanted to know the secret of his power. They were not asking, “How did you get such big muscles?” That did not occur to them. It is not because of our great ability, or power, or wisdom, or even sinlessness, but through what Jesus did at the cross that we have this authority to reign over sin and its curse. Samson reigned over the enemies of God's people. When Samson lost his submission to God, he lost his dominion. In 1 Corinthians 11:3‑16, the long hair was given unto the woman as a sign of submission to her husband. The Bride submits to the Lord, Who is our husband. The one who took the Nazarite vow, as Samson did, could not cut his hair as a sign of submission. The point is that this great dominion was given to Samson, and he lost it because he lost his hair, a sign of his submission to the Lord.  Nazarites were separated from the world by their submission unto the Lord, signified by their long hair. (Num.6:5) All the days of his vow of separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. This separation by submission is the meaning of holiness. How did Samson lose his holiness and power? (Jdg.16:19) And she (Delilah) made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. Samson went to sleep, spiritually meaning he no longer had his eyes open to the light of the truth. He submitted his head, or mind in the lap of the harlot Delilah and lost his hair (submission, separation, holiness) and consequently his power or dominion. The moral of that story is that we should not let the harlot have our mind, for then we will have no power of dominion. The religious systems of man, the harlot, have deprived God's people of their power because they are not submitted to the Word of God. (2Ti.3:5) Holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away. The “bride” in the Song of Solomon was a prophetic parable of the sojourning of the Bride today, who temporarily lost her submission. (Son.5:7) The watchmen (or ministers) that go about the city found me, They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls (denominations or sects) took away my mantle (Hebrew: “veil”) from me. The watchmen are identified by the Lord as shepherds (Hebrew: “pastors”) in Isaiah 56:10‑12. These pastors, in trying to keep the Bride within their sectarian walls, smote her and took away her veil, which is also a sign of submission to her husband, the Lord. (1Co.11:3) … The head of the woman is the man … (5) But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoreth her head … (10) for this cause ought the woman to have [a sign of] authority on her head … (13) Judge ye in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God unveiled? False shepherds have made the people of God submissive to religions rather than Christ as it was in Jesus' day.  In a true type to our day, the Bride in vain sought her beloved first in the broad ways of Babylonish religion. (Son.3:2) [I said], I will rise now, and go about the city (Babylon); In the streets and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. (She sought Him from the false shepherds whose loyalty was to themselves and their own kingdom.) (3) The watchmen that go about the city found me; [To whom I said], Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? (It was not until she was delivered from them that she found the one whom her soul sought.) (4) It was but a little that I passed from them, When I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, (In her excitement she wanted to share Him with those among whom she was first conceived and birthed.) Until I had brought him into my mother's house, And into the chamber of her that conceived me. The other daughters of that corporate mother did not share her excitement for her peculiar beloved. (5:9) What is thy beloved more than [another] beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than [another] beloved, That thou dost so adjure us? Because of her not being content with “another Jesus,” she was not defiled with the religions of these other daughters and was chosen by her Lord. (6:9) My dove, my undefiled, is [but] one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed …. She regained her dominion when she became undefiled with the women representing the false religious systems. Those who bear fruit will walk in the holiness of her steps, not being defiled with the seed (word) of men, for they are spiritual virgins. (Rev.14:4) These are they that were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These [are] they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, [to be] the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb. The sects of Christianity have become defiled with what Paul warned in 2 Corinthians 11:4, “Another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or [if] ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different Gospel, which ye did not accept.” (2Co.6:17) Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you. Only the Word is the truth that sets free. (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Jesus calls His sheep out of the fold of apostate religion to “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” (Joh.10:3) … He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This little flock that follows the Lord in rest is what the bride sought for. (Son.1:7) Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, Where thou feedest [thy flock], Where thou makest [it] to rest at noon: For why should I be as one that is veiled Beside the flocks of thy companions? The veil in this case represents the blindness and bondage of submission to religion. (2Co.3:15) But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. (16) But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (17) Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is liberty. (18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory …. As we can see, those who are unveiled of the legalism of religion see the Lord and come into His likeness. The beloved Lord's answer to “Where thou feedest [thy flock]?” was (Son.1:8) If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents. In Jesus' day, it was not possible to feed His Church, meaning “called-out ones,” in the apostate sects of Judaism, so He fed them “beside the shepherds' tents.” Likewise, because the Church has greatly apostatized in our day, Jesus is feeding the flock of freedom, rest, and truth, outside the shepherds' tents. This brought reproach to the bride and Jesus. (6) … My mother's sons were incensed against me …. Those who take up their cross to follow Jesus are commanded to accept this same reproach. (Heb.13:11) For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest [as an offering] for sin, are burned without the camp. (12) Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered without the gate. (13) Let us therefore go forth unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.  Moses, in a true type of Christ, led his people out of the camp of the rebellious apostates. (Exo.33:7) Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it, The tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one that sought the Lord went out unto the tent of meeting, which was without the camp. It is in these days that thundering judgments will put the fear of God in those in the camp to come out and meet with the “called‑out ones” on the true mountain of God's Kingdom. (Exo. 19:15) And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman (apostate sect). (16) And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning (the beginning of the third day millennium since the last Adam – where we are now [2 Pet.3:8]), that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. (17) And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. If you have discovered that you have been following man's religions and decide to repent, God will restore your dominion. While in bondage to the Philistines, Samson repented, and his hair began to grow. His dominion returned and he brought down their false temple upon their heads. (Jdg.16:30) And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life. Likewise, as we die to self, we increase in dominion over our enemies. Few who ever exercised dominion in the earth for God were manifestly perfect, including Samson. He refused the dominion of the Lord over himself, and he ultimately lost the dominion that he had over the earth. It is not necessary for God to take away the promises of dominion from the rebellious. Their own heart will not have the faith to partake of it. (1Jn.3:21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. If we do not serve God, our own heart will condemn us, and we will have no faith to exercise dominion. He is still not speaking of manifestly perfect people here, but He does expect us to be disciples, walking in the light that we have. In this way, we are perfect by faith until we manifest perfection. The baby Christian has little knowledge of good and evil, but he is innocent in God's eyes if he is doing what he knows to do. Baby Christians have dominion over sin and the curse, but not over God's people. I have shared this revelation before, but years ago, I had a dream instructing me about the way in which God promotes some to leadership positions over His people. I am making no claims for myself with this dream, merely pointing out principles. In this dream, there were two mountains. (The first mountain represents the kingdom of the world, Babylon, and the second mountain represents the Kingdom of God, Mount Zion.) I was driving a car down the first steep mountain. (This represents humbling ourselves to the Word [Isa.40:4], becoming as a child [Mat.18:4], and losing our carnal life in this world [Mat.16:25-26].) The road that descended this mountain had a trench going down the center of it to the bottom. My car had one set of tires on one side of the trench while the other set was on the other side. I could not turn right or left without falling into the trench and, of course, halting my progress. (Joshua received instructions similar to this for taking the Promised Land. (Jos.1:7) Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. Turning to the right or to the left symbolizes getting off the narrow road of Scripture. It will stop us from exercising authority to take our promised land, which symbolizes living on the promises.) At the bottom of this hill, I got out of the car. I sensed that I had many enemies. (The more we humble ourselves to God's Word, the more enemies we will have, both in the carnal church and the world, just as our Lord.) Then I found, hidden under a bush, some tools like hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches, which were drenched in oil. (The burning bush is where Moses received authority to deliver God's people from bondage. These tools all bind and loose, as does God's authority given to His disciples (Mat.18:18). The promises of the Word are the binding and loosing keys to the Kingdom of God that were given to disciples. The oil signifies the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, if we stay in the straight and narrow way, we will receive authority to bind and loose for God.) From there, I turned to the right (The sheep are set on the right [Mat.25:33].) and went up a steep mountain. (Going down the first mountain entitles us to go up the next. Being humbled in the estimation of the world makes us great in the estimation of the Kingdom. The last shall be first, and the least shall be greatest. (Isa.40:3) … Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord … (4) Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low …. The way of the Lord is that those who are humble in the world shall be promoted on God's mountain, but those who are exalted on the worldly mountain will have to come down.) (Jas.4:10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.) Reaching the top of the mountain, I went through the door of an immense palace. (Joh.10:2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (7) Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (Jesus is the only Shepherd of the sheep. He uses vessels that come to the sheep only through Him, the Door. This palace represents the New Jerusalem on Mount Zion, the city that rules over God's people.) Old Jerusalem ruled over God's physical letter people just as New Jerusalem rules over God's spiritual New Testament people. Paul declared that we have come to this spiritual city. He showed us that it is not a physical city that can be touched. (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto [a mount] that might be touched … (22) but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem … (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn …. (Jesus' called-out ones come to this mountain. Our journey is to come to this mountain, climb it, and enter the throne room through the Door.)  Then I saw Jesus, the Son of David, sitting on the throne of David. I walked over and sat down next to Him, and we talked. (The throne is the place of dominion that the bride has next to her King.) (Rev.3:21) He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. All who overcome the stubbornness of their evil heart, to abide in the Name of Jesus, will come to this throne. (Jer.3:17) At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations (of the mostly Gentile Church) shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. (All who overcome the first mountain of the world will live on the second mountain of the Kingdom of God. These act in “the name of the Lord” because they are seated in the throne of authority with Jesus.  This position has been given to all who are born again, but many have turned to the right or left and do not take their rightful position by abiding in Christ.) (Eph.2:5) Even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), (6) and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly [places], in Christ Jesus. As I talked with Jesus, I heard a noise behind me and turned to see some men trying to climb up into the throne room through a rear window. Jesus said, “Don't worry about them; they can't come in here.” (Obviously, the position of authority may be usurped in Babylon but not in Zion, God's mountain and kingdom.) (Joh.10:1) … He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Jesus, speaking of the apostate ministers of His day, said, “All that came before me are thieves and robbers” (Joh.10:8); and so it is today. Many have stolen the position of authority by not going down the road of humbling themselves to the Word and entering through the Door of Christ. They have robbed the sheep of gifted mentors. They have robbed the sheep of Christ, for ministers can only pass on what they are. Religion has historically made the same mistake. They mistake education in a sect of Christianity to be God's authority and commission. The disciples were perceived to be unlearned and ignorant by the religious leaders (Act. 4:13). However, the religious leaders knew that the disciples had been with Jesus by their gifts. Faith, fruit, maturity, submission to the Lord, and personal knowledge of the Lord and His ways must be passed on to the sheep. Ministers cannot pass on what they do not possess themselves. The daughter harlots (Rev.17:5) are still mass producing hirelings (Joh.10:12-13; Isa.56:9-12); but Jesus comes to lead His sheep out of the Babylonish sheepfolds of men (Joh.10:3-4) so that, unhindered by the traditions of men, they may run after Him. A man must be an elder in experience and maturity in the Word to be promoted as a bishop (overseer) over God's people (1Ti.3:1-7; Tit.1:5-9). A friend dreamed about Christians as babies with beards, showing they had been with the Lord for many years but were still immature. God's people have loved the world, so He has given them immature apostate leaders to tell them what they want to hear. (Isa.3:4) And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. (5) And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable. (Choose the man with the gift over the man with the title.) (2Ti.4:3) For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; (4) and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.

Tell the Coming GenerationA Maskil[a] of Asaph.78 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;    incline your ears to the words of my mouth!2 I will open my mouth in a parable;    I will utter dark sayings from of old,3 things that we have heard and known,    that our fathers have told us.4 We will not hide them from their children,    but tell to the coming generationthe glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,    and the wonders that he has done.5 He established a testimony in Jacob    and appointed a law in Israel,which he commanded our fathers    to teach to their children,6 that the next generation might know them,    the children yet unborn,and arise and tell them to their children,7     so that they should set their hope in Godand not forget the works of God,    but keep his commandments;8 and that they should not be like their fathers,    a stubborn and rebellious generation,a generation whose heart was not steadfast,    whose spirit was not faithful to God.9 The Ephraimites, armed with[b] the bow,    turned back on the day of battle.10 They did not keep God's covenant,    but refused to walk according to his law.11 They forgot his works    and the wonders that he had shown them.12 In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders    in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it,    and made the waters stand like a heap.14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud,    and all the night with a fiery light.15 He split rocks in the wilderness    and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.16 He made streams come out of the rock    and caused waters to flow down like rivers.17 Yet they sinned still more against him,    rebelling against the Most High in the desert.18 They tested God in their heart    by demanding the food they craved.19 They spoke against God, saying,    “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?20 He struck the rock so that water gushed out    and streams overflowed.Can he also give bread    or provide meat for his people?”21 Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;    a fire was kindled against Jacob;    his anger rose against Israel,22 because they did not believe in God    and did not trust his saving power.23 Yet he commanded the skies above    and opened the doors of heaven,24 and he rained down on them manna to eat    and gave them the grain of heaven.25 Man ate of the bread of the angels;    he sent them food in abundance.26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,    and by his power he led out the south wind;27 he rained meat on them like dust,    winged birds like the sand of the seas;28 he let them fall in the midst of their camp,    all around their dwellings.29 And they ate and were well filled,    for he gave them what they craved.30 But before they had satisfied their craving,    while the food was still in their mouths,31 the anger of God rose against them,    and he killed the strongest of them    and laid low the young men of Israel.32 In spite of all this, they still sinned;    despite his wonders, they did not believe.33 So he made their days vanish like[c] a breath,[d]    and their years in terror.34 When he killed them, they sought him;    they repented and sought God earnestly.35 They remembered that God was their rock,    the Most High God their redeemer.36 But they flattered him with their mouths;    they lied to him with their tongues.37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him;    they were not faithful to his covenant.38 Yet he, being compassionate,    atoned for their iniquity    and did not destroy them;he restrained his anger often    and did not stir up all his wrath.39 He remembered that they were but flesh,    a wind that passes and comes not again.40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness    and grieved him in the desert!41 They tested God again and again    and provoked the Holy One of Israel.42 They did not remember his power[e]    or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,43 when he performed his signs in Egypt    and his marvels in the fields of Zoan.44 He turned their rivers to blood,    so that they could not drink of their streams.45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them,    and frogs, which destroyed them.46 He gave their crops to the destroying locust    and the fruit of their labor to the locust.47 He destroyed their vines with hail    and their sycamores with frost.48 He gave over their cattle to the hail    and their flocks to thunderbolts.49 He let loose on them his burning anger,    wrath, indignation, and distress,    a company of destroying angels.50 He made a path for his anger;    he did not spare them from death,    but gave their lives over to the plague.51 He struck down every firstborn in Egypt,    the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.52 Then he led out his people like sheep    and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid,    but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.54 And he brought them to his holy land,    to the mountain which his right hand had won.55 He drove out nations before them;    he apportioned them for a possession    and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.56 Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God    and did not keep his testimonies,57 but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;    they twisted like a deceitful bow.58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places;    they moved him to jealousy with their idols.59 When God heard, he was full of wrath,    and he utterly rejected Israel.60 He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh,    the tent where he dwelt among mankind,61 and delivered his power to captivity,    his glory to the hand of the foe.62 He gave his people over to the sword    and vented his wrath on his heritage.63 Fire devoured their young men,    and their young women had no marriage song.64 Their priests fell by the sword,    and their widows made no lamentation.65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,    like a strong man shouting because of wine.66 And he put his adversaries to rout;    he put them to everlasting shame.67 He rejected the tent of Joseph;    he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,    Mount Zion, which he loves.69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,    like the earth, which he has founded forever.70 He chose David his servant    and took him from the sheepfolds;71 from following the nursing ewes he brought him    to shepherd Jacob his people,    Israel his inheritance.72 With upright heart he shepherded them    and guided them with his skillful hand.+++For more information about this group, please visit their website at reformationboise.com. Every weekday at 3:30 am and 7:30 am you can listen to The Gospel for Life on KSPD 94.5 FM and 790 AM Boise's Solid Talk in the Treasure Valley,  Idaho, USA.If you have a question, comment, or even a topic suggestion for the Pastors, you can email them.  If you enjoy The Gospel for Life, please give us a rating and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. That helps us a lot!Phone: (208) 991-3526E-mail: thegospelforlifeidaho@gmail.comPodcast website:  https://www.790kspd.com/gospel-for-life/to donate on line https://www.reformationboise.com/donate

In this episode of The Leader's Notebook, I conclude the You've Got Mail series by returning to the Book of Revelation and asking what its message means for believers living in the world today. Revelation is not merely a sequence of end-times events to be organized into a timeline. It is a letter to the Church—a sweeping, symbolic vision that pulls back the curtain and reveals Jesus Christ as Lord over history, eternity, and every power that rises against Him. We will explore the seals, trumpets, visions, beasts, and judgments of Revelation without losing sight of its central message: above every tyrant, conflict, and spirit of Antichrist stands the Lamb upon Mount Zion. Jesus is both the sacrificed Lamb and the conquering Lion, and all the redeemed stand with Him in victory. Revelation reminds us that the forces of darkness are real, but they are temporary. Christ will overcome them all. The final message of Revelation is not fear, speculation, or confusion—it is grace. No matter what suffering, uncertainty, persecution, or hardship we face, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ remains with His people. We have received the message: Jesus is Lord, His victory is certain, and His grace will sustain us to the very end. - Dr. Mark Rutland Chapters (00:00:03) - The Leaders Notebook(00:00:26) - Mark Rutland Announces Travis Rutland's New Podcast(00:01:58) - Epistles: You've Got Got Mail(00:03:20) - Revelation 5, Personal Prayer(00:05:15) - Read the Book of Revelation(00:13:08) - John the Revelation: Symbols and the Words(00:18:18) - Book of Revelation(00:24:55) - Book of Revelation(00:32:00) - Mark of the Beast(00:35:46) - How the Book of Revelation Ends(00:40:24) - Leader's Notebook

Hebrews 12 As His Redeemed We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses “Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us,” Hebrews 12:1a NASB We have a race to run “let's rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let's run with endurance the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1b NASB We have a perfect Champion “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:2-3 NKJV, NASB We have a loving Father “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are punished by Him; For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He punishes every son whom He accepts.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” Hebrews 12:4-13 NASB We have a holy calling “Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that there be no sexually immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words, which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not cope with the command, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” And so terrible was the “sight, that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” Hebrews 12:14-24 NASB We have an unshakable Kingdom “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let's show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”

Revelation 14:1-5 Geoff Brown August 23, 2026

Today's reading includes pronouncements against the nations of Cush (which we now call Ethiopia) and Egypt. The Cushites will be judged by the Lord and left for dead, but after this judgment they will bring tribute to the Lord of Armies at Mount Zion. Egypt will be judged by God through a civil war, and neither idols, nor spiritists, nor wise men will save them from the Lord's hand. One day in the future, however, some Egyptians would worship the God of Israel, a dramatic turn of events given that Egypt had always been superior in military might with deep cultural ties to it's own gods. Pronouncements on other cities and nations follow, including Babylon, Dumah, Arabia, Jerusalem (called the Valley of Vision, here) and Shebna. Isaiah 18 - 1:03 .  Isaiah 19 - 2:53 .  Isaiah 20 - 7:50 .  Isaiah 21 - 10:03 .  Isaiah 22 - 13:17 .  Psalm 139 - 18:18 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Lamentations 51 Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us;     look, and see our disgrace!2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,     our homes to foreigners.3 We have become orphans, fatherless;     our mothers are like widows.4 We must pay for the water we drink;     the wood we get must be bought.5 Our pursuers are at our necks;     we are weary; we are given no rest.6 We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria,     to get bread enough.7 Our fathers sinned, and are no more;     and we bear their iniquities.8 Slaves rule over us;     there is none to deliver us from their hand.9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives,     because of the sword in the wilderness.10 Our skin is hot as an oven     with the burning heat of famine.11 Women are raped in Zion,     young women in the towns of Judah.12 Princes are hung up by their hands;     no respect is shown to the elders.13 Young men are compelled to grind at the mill,     and boys stagger under loads of wood.14 The old men have left the city gate,     the young men their music.15 The joy of our hearts has ceased;     our dancing has been turned to mourning.16 The crown has fallen from our head;     woe to us, for we have sinned!17 For this our heart has become sick,     for these things our eyes have grown dim,18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate;     jackals prowl over it.19 But you, O Lord, reign forever;     your throne endures to all generations.20 Why do you forget us forever,     why do you forsake us for so many days?21 Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored!     Renew our days as of old—22 unless you have utterly rejected us,     and you remain exceedingly angry with us.Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you had nothing left to say — just a raw, wordless cry instead of a "proper" prayer or thought-out response? What did that feel like?The sermon points out that in Lamentations 5, the writer prays "remember" to God — not because God is forgetful, but as a way of asking God to act on what he's already promised. How does God's track record of faithfulness help you face your suffering and difficulties?The sermon describes belonging to God's people as having "no gatekeeping" — you don't need to be successful, educated, from a good family, or a good person to be included. Do you find that idea appealing, hard to believe, or maybe even suspicious? What makes an offer like that easy or hard to trust?The sermon claims Jesus fully identified with human suffering — not staying distant from pain, sickness, or grief, but entering into it. Does that affect how you think about him? Does it draw you to him or repel you? Does it seem believable, appealing, hard to accept — or something else?The sermon says true peace isn't the absence of suffering or having it all figured out, but confidence that suffering doesn't get the final word because of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Where in your life right now could you use that kind of peace — not answers, but confidence that the story isn't over?

Obadiah addresses Edom, the nation descended from Esau. When Babylon sacked Jerusalem, Edom stood at the crossroads and watched his brother burn, then gloated, looted, and cut down the refugees who ran. Safe on the high rock, Edom asked, "Who will bring me down to the ground?" God, through the prophet Obadiah, answers him. The answer widens past Edom to every nation and ends on Mount Zion, where the kingdom belongs to the LORD.  The Rev. Dr. Richard Davenport, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Smith, AR, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study the prophet Obadiah.   To learn more about Our Redeemer in Fort Smith, visit OurRedeemerFortSmith.360unite.com. Edom stands at the crossroads and watches his brother Judah dragged off in chains, and Obadiah announces that the day of the LORD is coming for the bystander, too. Joel sees a locust swarm strip a nation bare in a single season, calls the people to rend their hearts and not their garments, and promises a Spirit poured out on all flesh. Nahum returns to Nineveh a century after Jonah's revival, and this time the superpower does not repent. Zephaniah spends two chapters on the day of wrath and then ends with the Lord singing over the people He has rescued. This series on Thy Strong Word works through these selected books of the so-called "minor" prophets verse by verse, showing how the Lord judges the nations while also keeping his promises to gather His people home.  Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

In this powerful message, Apostle John Tetsola explores the biblical process between receiving a promise from God and actually experiencing its fulfillment. Using Joshua 21, Joshua 23, Luke 1, and Obadiah 1:17, Apostle Tetsola reminds us that God is faithful to fulfill what He has promised, but there is a process we must walk through. He unpacks the significance of Mount Zion and the progression described in Obadiah: dependence upon God, deliverance, holiness, and ultimately possessing what God has promised.

Prepare for Tribulation Harvest (2) (audio) David Eells - 8/5/26 Raging Battle in the Second Heaven Shelly Lynch - 04/20/2013 (David's notes in red) This was given to me in answer to Paul's prayer that we would be given night visions: I woke up at 5:00 AM and prayed for the brethren and much in the Spirit. Then I was caught up in the Spirit to the second heaven. I saw and heard a 'man' to the left, whom I knew was Satan, as he railed and reviled and verbally slandered continuously. I did not listen to the words, but I knew they were vile and every form of violent anger, hatred, and slanderous accusations. As I was caught up to the second heaven, there was a strong flash of lightning and the ground shook violently, and the heavens thundered, and I could hear hail falling and pounding the ground violently. I thought it was an earthquake happening. I felt fear and dark oppression so much that it was almost suffocating. I tried to speak, but I could not. I thought the words, 'the blood of Jesus', but I could not speak them. Finally, I sobbed out the words, “the blood of Jesus!” and I was back in my bed in my room, where it was calm and still. (Claiming the deliverance of the sacrifice of Jesus is power to save.) I was shocked. I looked at the clock, and it was 6:00 AM. I was surprised there wasn't an earthquake, as it seemed so real. I prayed, asking the Lord about this because I had asked the Father for a strong anointing of the latter rain to fall on the Man-child and then to the Bride. I was not prepared for what happened. He said, “I wanted you to have a glimpse of the battle raging in the heavenly realms”. I am surprised it is a battle of words, and I realize even more how powerful the blood of Jesus is and the Word of God is to save us! I also realize how important it is that we intercede more in prayer, as our words are powerful against the battle that is raging in the heavenly realms. I know that we have an enemy who is intent on our destruction and rails against us continuously! Yet, “greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world”. I was kept safe in my Savior's arms! Praise the Lord! (Rev.12:7) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [going forth] to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; (8) And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. (9) And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. (10) And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. (11) And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. (12) Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time. (13) And when the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man [child]. (14) And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Notice the dragon could not make war on the Man-child but turned on the woman or little ones just before she was saved from the serpent in the wilderness tribulation.) After the house-cleansing from the apostates, we will begin to see the fruit of revival. We will be prepared as a Bride joined to her Man-child. The flow of the Spirit will come. We will be safe to begin to receive the little ones.   You Can Witness: Jesus Lives in You G.W.- 12/06/2008 (David's notes in red) Does the flesh attack your mind when you try to witness to others? I had a dream where I realized that I was right in the middle of a war with people being held captive at gunpoint all over the place. I could only focus on one guy who looked like an African soldier from the Congo. (This is your flesh, the old, sinful man of darkness.) I began to try to speak to help the people and persuade the soldier, but he would get angry and would shoot me in the face with his gun. (This attack against your face is to deface you to yourself. This is what the flesh does when you want to witness to someone.) I could even sense the bullets hitting my flesh, and I wondered why it didn't hurt or even kill me. In my mind, however, I began to think that it was about to do enough damage to kill me. (Don't listen to the old man, and the Lord will give you strength and wisdom.) After about two or three times of this, I found myself with the captives. (The demons want you captive to himself.) It was like we were in a Bible study, and I could tell that they wanted to hear some teaching of the Bible. Before I started talking, the thought came: “I need to have grace but need to season it with salt” (Col.4:6) Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one). I then thought and reasoned, “These people had been through too much; they needed only grace.” I began to preach to the people (2Co.9:8) And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work, but it wouldn't flow out. (This is probably because of the attacks of demons through the flesh [bullets]). These verses and advice are first of all meant for you and only then for others.) I felt like people were trying to talk about their doctrines, which I knew were wrong and the Bible study began to be disruptive. (I work in a halfway house with recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, etc.) (Yes, these people need grace to overcome bondage, not arguing over doctrines, which is a trick of the devil sometimes to destroy the word they need.) As I kept teaching, the people began to fall asleep. I then tried to pick up the huge mess they had made to gain favor with the people who had held them captive. (Pleasing the flesh makes a mess of our lives.) I then looked in a mirror and all I could see were all these bullet holes where the African man had shot me. (Looking at the damage the old man has done to the image of how we perceive ourselves is hindering many people's ministry. Look away from past failures and accept your perfection in Christ. (Php.3:13) Brethren, I could not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing [I do], forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, (14) I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (15) Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you. (2Cor.5:17) Wherefore if any man is in Christ, [he is] a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new. See Jesus in you, and all that implies, and the grace and power will come from Him. (2 Cor.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. (Php.4:13) I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.)   Tribulation Surprise Mark Fritts - 11/28/2005 (David's notes in red) I had a dream last night, which I thought may be showing me the surprise of the tribulation appearing suddenly to unaware Christians. I was on a small boat on a river, being shown the sights along the river by a tour guide, I believe. (Representing other Christians and me, casually just enjoying life.) Suddenly, I noticed that the back of the boat where I sat began to fill up with water. In a matter of seconds, the boat had sunk, and we were all swimming for shore (it was like  sudden tribulation). I found myself living in an unfamiliar place and felt like I was being watched by others for being a believer in Christ. The next thing I saw was that I was in jail and had a device put around my neck like a collar, and also something was put into my ears, like headphones, but I could not take any of it off. (Christians in bondage to the enemy by influencing their hearing. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.”) Next, I found myself in a room in a government building with others. We were being shown new surveillance equipment that they were going to put on us if we said we were Christians. (Increasingly, our electronics pick up keywords to spy on us.) I told them that I was a believer in Christ. The next thing I can remember is that the government or those in charge said that they were taking us Christians (the ones wearing surveillance equipment) on a cruise. Many of us were excited, but I knew we were going on a death cruise. A few miles out, I noticed we were being carried on a troop mover boat like the ones that drop soldiers off on a beach. I also noticed that our driver was using surveillance equipment. I believed he was working for the government and was evil. We suddenly came up to this island, which had huge cargo containers containing many bags full of something. One of the bags opened up, and the contents fell out. What fell out scared many, including me, even though I knew what was in them. The bags that fell into the water had heads inside. (Many will be beheaded for the testimony they have in Christ.) (A painless way to enter fully into the Kingdom, which was not accomplished before this time.) (In light of the fact that our government is taking its prisoners offshore in order to torture confessions out of them, this is a very real possibility.)   Last Outpouring & Gathering Amos Scaggs - 02/01/2011 (David's notes in red) I kept sensing, 'Don't go to sleep; something great is about to happen'. Then this: In a dream, I was working for a very wealthy individual (God) who owned a place on top of a mountain (the mountain of God). We were building platforms over corrals, from which you could see forever, stocking up on a large quantity of medical supplies (for unbelievers), and rounding up cattle in the surrounding fields and hills. (Cattle could represent the beastly Christians who have partaken of grass or fleshly teachings. Peter said, “All flesh is as grass.”) (Mal.4:2) But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Representing bringing in the harvest or revival and treating the spiritually sick. Bringing them into the presence of God on spiritual Mount Zion.) There were two moderate rain showers during the roundup, but the latter rain turned out to be such an outpouring that we had to run for shelter. The three of us seemed to be on horseback (resting on the subdued flesh) when the rain turned into a downpour. However, when we ran up the mountain for shelter, we were on foot. The mountain was extremely steep and difficult to climb; the strongest one ran straight up the steep part, but the other two circled around a slower, easier elevation and all met at the top. (We need to visit the Lord for strength and guidance.) (The mountain of the Kingdom of God will be easily taken by those filled with the latter rain. On top of the mountain is His temple and presence.) As the day cleared, we were talking to the owner, who instructed us to go again to gather in the roundup. We were working on a very small marble table with a small hole that you couldn't see, but you knew it was there. We said, “You fix the hole in it, and we will go”, and he said, “I will take care of that”. (God will fix the hole in the table of your heart so the Word will never leak out again. Man can preach the Gospel, but God can cure.) So our guide and the two of us went to round up the cattle of the largest roundup ever with a renewed strength. (God's provision is being stolen by the curse and the devourer, which is normal to most, but by the grace of God through the latter rain, we will see things last, and the blessing will not be wasted. The largest ingathering harvest of the saints by far is coming.) I saw the globe of Earth sectioned off in four pieces, like cutting a pie --north to south and west to east. (After the last great roundup will come the greatest division of the earth and the greatest wars that have ever been, at the time of “the great and terrible Day of the Lord”. This is when God judges the Beast and Harlot for their treatment of the saints.)   A Great and Fast-Growing Harvest M.L. - 03/03/2013 (David's notes in red) This is a dream where I am planting seeds in a flat and dry area. I wore a long, light-colored dress and a head covering of the same material. The sleeves were long but rolled up, so even though the day was quite warm, I was comfortable. I had a sling-type pouch that was put on over the head, resting on the shoulder, across the front. It very much reminded me of the front sling that some women use for their newborn. The pouch was full of seed as I began the planting. (Full of the Word of God.) Now the soil was sandy and different from what I would normally think it would be for planting. I saw the soil blow in the wind in the distance but gently, not like a sandstorm but peaceful. There were acres of flat land to be planted. (The land represents the dry hearts of the people of this world. The much land to be planted speaks of the beginning of the planting season or tribulation to come.) I bent over at the waist, and my bare feet were on each side of a long row that had already been prepared for the seed I was planting. Then I would gently cover the seed with the tips of my fingers. I didn't need to water, as it was somehow watered after I had covered it. (The seed of the Word is also the washing of the water of the Word.) There was a knowing that I should not look back, but just keep focused on the row. (Sow your seed and walk by faith and not sight.) Then there was a side view of the row where I could see a progression of growth from the one I had just planted, which was about to break through the sand, and the first one I planted, which was about five feet tall. (There will be much fruit and many will grow very fast by grace.) As I looked at this view, a sense of accomplishment and joy came over me. (1Co.3:6) I planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. (7) So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. (8) Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. In this dream, there were no other trees, except those that were in the distance, far from me. Also, I was alone. I saw no other person, yet I knew that I was never really alone. Somehow, my seed never ran out, and the seeds were then watered as they needed to be. And I don't remember ever being thirsty; I was also being watered. (These seeds are sown in the hearts of men, like the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.)   Eat with the Mature and Bear Fruit K.H. - 05/17/2007 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was visiting my grandparents one afternoon because they were going to take me to dinner. Before I got to their house, I started feeling a little strange but just brushed it off. When I got to their house, I began to notice that I felt like I was pregnant. There was absolutely no way for me to be pregnant, and this reality perplexed my conscious thoughts as this dream progressed. I decided to go to dinner even though I was still feeling a little off. All throughout dinner and during the ride back to their house, I kept thinking, How can they not see that I'm pregnant? The night went on, and I kept feeling more and more pregnant. Although I kept feeling more and more pregnant, one could not physically see that I was pregnant, so I believe it was spiritual. (pregnant with the seeed of Jesus, the Word) My mom came to pick me up shortly after my grandparents, and I got back to their house. When she looked at me, I could discern that somehow, she knew that I was pregnant. As we left my grandparents' house, my dream ended. The grandparents represent God and the more mature church of many years past. They were taking K.H. to feed on their food/Word that truly brings forth Christ. From them, she brought that fruit to her mother, who represents the church of today, which needs to see the manifestation of the fruit of Christ in her. It is a virgin birth, having nothing to do with man. In this way, the grandparents are the parents of her parent, too. Her grandfather, God, is the Father of her spiritual Father, Jesus, Who sowed the seed of the Word in her heart. Her grandmother is the mother of her more immature modern-day mother. By studying the pure Word, you can eat with your grandparents. The food they serve is much more mature for growing up.   Breakfast with the Lord  Shelly Lynch - 04/30/2013 (David's notes in red) I went back to bed to rest this morning, as I had awakened earlier at 5:00 AM with the first dream given to me. As soon as I lay down and prayed, I was caught up in the Spirit to have breakfast with Jesus. (We can always feed at the Lord's table -- breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks in between.) I saw Him in the kitchen, preparing scrambled eggs and bacon. I could smell the aroma of good food, and it made me hungry! I sat down at the table and we had a conversation. I asked Him to make my love for Him as strong and as passionate as His love for me. He agreed that this is the way we shall be one in the Spirit. I could hear Jesus sharing about how people keep coming to Him, wanting to follow Him. He barely spoke a word, and they came and followed Him. He was so happy to see them come! I didn't want to forget the lessons He was teaching me, but He reminded me that the Holy Spirit will bring them to my remembrance. It was glorious to eat breakfast with the Lord. He fed me with His Words. I was satisfied and felt so loved in His presence. I asked Him if we could have breakfast every morning and He replied, “Dinner too? What about lunch?” I said, “Yes, Lord!” He laughed and said, “Absolutely!” Then He added, “You can come and have a snack, too!” I laughed and felt so blessed by His Words. When I woke up, I felt pregnant and told the Lord, “I feel very pregnant”. He replied, “You are. For my seed has been sown in you!” I am waiting on the Lord to bring it to birth in me, making me into the image of my Lord. (Joh.21:12) Jesus saith unto them, Come and break your fast. And none of the disciples durst inquire of him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. … (19) Now this he spake, signifying by what manner of death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Later in the day, as I was working in the garden, mulching strawberry plants with rabbit fertilizer and straw, I meditated on the breakfast conversation. I thought about how the woman is given two wings of the great eagle to go into the wilderness. I thought about how eaglets ride on the backs of the eagle that carries them while they are resting. I thought that was how it was this morning to have breakfast with Jesus. I rested while He cooked breakfast and fed me His Words. I thought about how the multitudes are drawn to Him and follow Him because they are hungry for His Words. He only, has the Words of Life that feed our hungry souls! He reminded me that is how it will be for those He gives unto me to feed them the Word, that they will be drawn by the Father to come because they see Jesus living in me! Hallelujah! Later, as I finished in the garden, He asked, “Are you ready to set the table?” I said, “Yes, Lord. How many places shall I set?” He said, “Many. For multitudes are coming!” Hallelujah! (A revival of the pure Word is coming.) I believe it is almost time for the Marriage Feast to begin!   Harvest of Baby Christians G.M. - 8/18/19 (David's notes in red) As I was in the garden gathering produce this evening, the Lord reminded me of a dream I had this morning about a baby boy. (Gathering produce from God's garden is what this parable of the baby boy fruit is about. (Son.6:2) My beloved is gone down to his garden, To the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. … (11) I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, And the pomegranates were in flower.) I was in a home; I don't know whose home it was, or if it was even my own. (It is the Bride's Spiritual Home to raise up children. As a type of today's corporate Man-child, Jesus, the Man-child, raised up the Bride to take care of His garden. John the Baptist, seeing the first disciples of Jesus, the Man-child, with Him said, “He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom.”) I was walking rather quickly through the living room. As I was about to walk past a recliner, I saw a small baby boy, 2-3 months old. (The spiritual age of an incoming harvest of God's garden who have the maturity of the Baby Jesus, not the mature Jesus. We all have a measure of Jesus living in our lives. The outer man is the spiritual mother of the Baby Jesus within. (Mat.12:50) For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Col.1:27) to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: When this baby Jesus is born, it begins to be manifested to the world outside. Mary, as a type of us bearing the fruit of Jesus, the Word, was told (Luk.1:45) And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. What was spoken to Mary and us? That we would bear the fruit of Jesus.) I saw the Baby nearly fall off the footrest of the recliner. (Representing the fruit of the Man-child Jesus in a new harvest of immature Christians coming to the “living room” of the Bride to be raised up. The immature are in danger of falling from the rest in the troubles to come now so we must care for them. The D.S. is invading with an army of antichrist people to persecute the Church and especially the apostate leadership, their houses, and houses of worship. The Lord showed us that this is to prepare the Church to come out of Babylonish religion and follow the Man-child reformers into the wilderness tribulation, as in Rev.12.) I caught the baby before he hit the floor. (Our prayers and teachings of the Word will uphold them.) This little baby had the prettiest blue eyes. (This speaks of the Heavenly discernment of Christ growing in them). He had a bright smile as I cuddled him. (This speaks of their great joy to be finally getting their eyes opened to the truth.) My thought was to find a diaper for him as he was totally naked. (Needing the Word to be dressed up with the works of Jesus.) I just had the thought about finding a diaper, and he peed on me. I decided he was just excited and happy for me to cuddle him. No problem. (They will need love and nurturing from the Bride, led by the Man-child. Without this, many will fall away.) That was all that I saw in the dream. The baby and I were the only ones in the dream. There was no one in the recliner, so I don't know how the baby got on the footrest of the chair. (It's a foot - rest. They are learning to rest by faith from their old walk.)  I asked for a verse for this dream by faith at random. (This text speaks of the people of God coming out of Babylonian religious and beast captivity because their Babylonish land had been destroyed and Cyrus had freed them to go to Zion, the Bride. There they are, the blocks of the building of the restored Kingdom of God.) I was given Isaiah 43:7; my finger was on the word, formed. Since this sentence begins in V-5 I am giving it in context 5-7. (Isa 43:5) Fear not; for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; (6) I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth; (7) every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made. (This is speaking of Israel, a type of the Church, coming out of Conquered Babylon to go to their Man-child/Bride reformer leadership in Zion. (Isa 49:12-26) Lo, these shall come from far; and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. (13) Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for Jehovah hath comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted (in Babylon). (14) But Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me. (15) Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, these may forget, yet will not I forget thee. (16) Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (17) Thy (Zion's) children make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste (Babylon's factions) shall go forth from thee. (18) Lift up thine eyes (Zion, the Bride) round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith Jehovah, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an ornament, and gird thyself with them, like a bride. (19) For, as for thy waste and thy desolate places, and thy land (Babylon) that hath been destroyed, surely now shalt thou be too strait for the inhabitants, and they (Babylon factions of state and Church) that swallowed thee up shall be far away. (20) The children of thy (Zion's) bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too strait for me (i.e. we gotta spiritually get out of Babylon); give place to me (In the Promised Land) that I may dwell. (21) Then shalt thou (Zion) say in thy heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have been bereaved of my children, (Notice the children who come from Babylonish captivity will be different in nature from those who departed from the Bride to go there.) and am solitary, an exile, and wandering to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where were they? (In Babylon's training to show them what apostasy is.) (22) Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and set up my ensign to the peoples; and they shall bring thy (Zion's) sons in their bosom, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. (23) And kings (Like Cyrus / Trump and those like him) shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their faces to the earth, and lick the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah; and they that wait for me shall not be put to shame. (24) Shall the prey (The Church) be taken from the mighty (Babylon), or the lawful captives (They were in bondage for sin) be delivered? (Delivered from Babylonish leadership) (25) But thus saith Jehovah, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee (Father will bring judgment against Babylon, but then He will bring them to their Red Sea.), and I will save thy children. (26) And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, (The factious Edomites in Church and State will be devastated) as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Back to the text in Isaiah 43, we find out what happens to those factious Edomites in Church and State who persecuted and killed Father's people. (Isa 43:14-21) Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: For your sake I have sent to Babylon, (As a chastening for sins so they may repent) and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing. (15) I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. (16) Thus saith Jehovah, who maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; (The Church is coming out of Babylon, like Israel came out of Babylon and Egypt.  There is still a Red Sea for the captors.) (17) who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched as a wick): (18) Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. (Forget the persecution complex, for the Blessing now comes) (19) Behold, I will do a new thing; now shall it spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. (This is Father's provision out of heaven in the wilderness Tribulation) (20) The beasts of the field shall honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen, (21) the people which I formed for myself, that they might set forth my praise. After receiving this dream, I felt it concerned household salvation for my family and the families of others. (Many of these and others will be coming out from under Babylonish Christianity and into the true Bible Kingdom because of our prayers of faith for them.) This is an awesome chapter of deliverance and redemption. He alone is our Savior, Who has already met all our needs. PTL for His faithfulness! I asked for a verse concerning the recliner and the footrest. I was given Romans 8:28; with my finger on “all things work together for good”; (in context 26-30) (Rom 8:26) And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: (It is the Spirit of God speaking through us that brings us into the rest from our own works. (Isa.28:11) Nay, but by men of strange lips and with another tongue will he speak to this people; (12) to whom he said, This is the rest, give ye rest to him that is weary; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.) So, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how we should pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered; (At the beginning of the wilderness tribulation, the Spirit will be poured out like it was for Israel in the cloud.) (The Baby is in the Spirit of the Lord's hands. We must rest in Him and His ability to change hearts.) Back to (Rom 8:27) and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (28) And we know to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose. (29) (a reference to the Baby?) For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son (The Baby), that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: (30) and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. It is faith in the promises that keeps us in the rest because, as we see in our texts, Father has prophetically already delivered us and provided for us, so why worry? REST in faith. Redemption from the curse on Father's people for their sin is truly finished! In fact, God's “works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb.4:3) when He spoke the plan into existence. The only thing left is for the true sons of God to enter into those works by faith, believing they have received. Since the works are finished, we should believe and rest from our own works to save, heal, and deliver ourselves. (3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest. Notice it is not the one who ceases on Saturday or Sunday but the one who believes who enters the New Covenant Sabbath rest. (9) There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest (Greek: sabbatismos, meaning “keeping of rest”) for the people of God. This constant “keeping of rest” every day, not one day a week, through the past tense promises is our spiritual Sabbath. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. This rest is to believe these past tense promises and rest from our own works to save ourselves. Our faith in each of these promises brings us into more of the rest. We should be diligent not to leave out even one of these promises for our own good. (Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. (2) For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. This is true faith and always brings the answer. Through believing the promises, we enter into rest from our own works. For a child of God to say that they believe they have received and yet continue seeking to receive, usually through worldly methods, is to be double-minded. (Jas.1:6) But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; (8) a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. Those who continue to work for what God has freely given believe in salvation by works. (Heb.4:10) For he that is entered into his rest, hath himself also rested from his works. (Heb.3:19) And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief. Since the promises of deliverance from the curse are past tense, when we believe them, we must stop working. It is an evil heart of unbelief to not rest. God was angry with Israel because they would not believe His Word in their trial in the wilderness (Heb.3:8-10). (Heb.3:11) As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. (12) Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God. ... (14) We are become partakers of Christ (His health, holiness, and blessing) if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end. When we “believe we have received,” as Jesus commanded, we are put in a position of weakness because we cannot do anything to bring the desired result to pass. This weakness is rest in our wilderness experiences because there is no help from Egypt or the world. Only God's power saves in the wilderness. God says, “My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor.12:9). If we refuse to be weak, God refuses to be strong in our behalf. Our weapon against our enemies who try to talk us out of our covenant rights is the two-edged sword of these past tense promises (Heb.4:11,12).

Episode Title: Be Anxious for Nothing: Cultivating Trust in a Worried World Join hosts Sheldon N. Volk (Shelley) and June (Juni) for the conclusion of this week's series on anxiety. In a world full of turbulence and reasons to worry, For Zion's Sake dives deep into the ultimate scriptural antidote to panic: unconditional trust and cultivated faithfulness in God. From the prison cells of Philippi to the timeless wisdom of missionary Hudson Taylor, this episode provides a vital roadmap for shifting your focus away from shifting circumstances and anchoring your mind securely in the perfect peace of the Lord. Key Takeaways: The Weight of Worry: Recognizing that the biblical definition of anxiety is a literal "weighing down" of the heart, which frequently opens the door to depression among believers. Cultivating Faithfulness: A look at faith as a fruit of the Spirit that must be nourished and tested to grow. Just as Abraham trusted God without hesitation through his greatest trials, our faith is actively cultivated during difficult seasons. The Power of Praise in the Midnight Hour: Reflecting on Paul and Silas, who chose prayer and worship over panic while chained in a prison cell, resulting in a supernatural breakthrough and salvation for those around them. The Hudson Taylor Principle: Embracing the freedom that comes when we hand over our work, plans, families, and lives entirely to God—leaving nothing left to worry or fret about. Perfect Peace (Shalom Shalom): A breakdown of the Hebrew repetition of peace in Isaiah, proving that double-measure peace is guaranteed exclusively to those who keep their minds firmly established on Him. Featured Bible Passages: Philippians 4:6-7 – "Be anxious for nothing..." and the peace that guards your heart. Proverbs 12:25 – How anxiety weighs down the heart of man. Psalm 55:22 – Casting your burdens on the Lord to be sustained. 1 Peter 5:7 – Casting all your care upon Him because He cares for you. Psalm 37:3 – Trusting in the Lord, doing good, and cultivating faithfulness. Acts 16 – Paul and Silas praising God at midnight in prison. Isaiah 26:3-4 – Keeping the firmly established mind in perfect peace (Shalom, Shalom). Psalm 32:10 – Mercy surrounding those who trust in the Lord. Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trusting the Lord with all your heart and leaning not on your own understanding. Psalm 125:1 – Becoming unmoved like Mount Zion. Psalm 31:1-5 – Committing your spirit into the hands of the Lord, our rock and fortress. Jeremiah 17:7-8 – The man who trusts in the Lord being like a tree planted by the waters that does not fear drought. Nahum 1:7 – The Lord as a stronghold who knows those who trust in Him. Connect & Support: Mailing Address: For Zion's Sake, P.O. Box 244, Kannapolis, NC 28082 Website: shellyandjunevolk.com This broadcast is proudly sponsored by the Psalm 127 Fund.Support the show: https://shellyandjunevolk.com/product/partner-with-us-psalm-127-fund/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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 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.

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,...

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....

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...

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,...

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...

(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,

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...