Podcasts about persia

PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: Behnam Ben Taleblu reports on the dire state of Iran, where security forces target hospitals, forcing protesters to forego medical treatment. Beyond the brutal crackdown, political dissatisfaction is fueled by insane inflation rates, with foodstuff prices rising between 60 to 73 percent, driving sustained unrest.1900 PERSIA

In this episode of Hebrew Voices #239 - Persia, the Bible & Free Iran: Part 1, Nehemia is joined by Dr. Thamar Gindin - often called the “Israeli attaché to Free Iran” - to explore the profound intersection of ancient … Continue reading → The post Hebrew Voices #239 – Persia, the Bible & Free Iran: Part 1 appeared first on Nehemia's Wall.

Send us a textWe're excited to add to our podcast lineup and content by adding our weekly discussions with our Lead Pastor Mark Lashey!  Each week Pastor Mark takes time to go deeper and talk about the week's message!  If you have questions you'd like him to answer or hear more about please send those in by texting us at the link in the show notes!Zechariah 1:1-6 - Return to Me!Start a new year with a better story than resolutions. We're opening Zechariah and finding a God who remembers, a people who drift, and a hopeful call that cuts through excuses: return to Me, and I will return to you. From the ruins of exile to the slow creep of apathy, we trace how Judah started strong, stalled amid opposition and distraction, and heard a gracious summons back to the center. That ancient tension sounds modern—being in the right place on the outside while our hearts wander on the inside.We unpack the history that grounds the message: seventy years in Babylon, a miraculous return under Persia, and a community wrestling with poverty, fear, and fatigue. Then we bring it home. Repentance isn't just stopping bad behavior; it's moving toward Someone—running back to the Lord who remembers, blesses, and acts in His time. We talk about the sober law of sowing and reaping, how consequences ripen slowly, and why delayed fallout can fool us into complacency. And we name the lifelines God still gives: Scripture that warns and guides, the Holy Spirit who convicts and comforts, and a church family that practices loving accountability.Along the way, we keep the tone humble about spiritual language—when to say “God told me,” how to anchor counsel in the Bible, and why clarity comes from the text, not our hunches. If you've felt stuck between good intentions and old habits, this conversation offers clarity, conviction, and real hope. Draw near today, not tomorrow. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a fresh start, and leave a review to help more people find their way back to the God who never forgets His people.New episodes every Mondaywww.lifehousemot.cominfo@lifehousede.com Join us Sundays at 9 & 11 AM Intro music by Joey Blair

-Rob kicks off by rolling Iranian protest footage, declares “the people of Persia will be free,” and urges listeners to wake up every day ready to watch history happening at light speed. -On the Newsmax hotline, Thane Rosenbaum joins as legal analyst and law professor, comparing the weekend's strongman takedowns to Reagan at the Berlin Wall while blasting the media and academic left for hating America so much they'll even side with Maduro. -Rob dives into Somali-linked fraud in Minnesota, predicts Tim Walz, Keith Ellison, and Ilhan Omar are heading for indictments, jail, or deportation. Today's podcast is sponsored by : RELIEF FACTOR - You don't need to live with aches & pains! Reduce muscle & joint inflammation and live a pain-free life by visiting http://ReliefFactor.com now!  BEAM DREAM POWDER - Refreshing sleep now 40% off with promo code NEWSMAX at http://shopbeam.com/newsmax BIRCH GOLD - Protect and grow your retirement savings with gold. Text ROB to 98 98 98 for your FREE information kit! To call in and speak with Rob Carson live on the show, dial 1-800-922-6680 between the hours of 12 Noon and 3:00 pm Eastern Time Monday through Friday…E-mail Rob Carson at : RobCarsonShow@gmail.com Musical parodies provided by Jim Gossett (http://patreon.com/JimGossettComedy) Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at http://Newsmax.com/Listen Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at http://NewsmaxPlus.com Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : http://nws.mx/shop Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:  -Facebook: http://nws.mx/FB  -X/Twitter: http://nws.mx/twitter -Instagram: http://nws.mx/IG -YouTube: https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV -Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV -TRUTH Social: https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX -GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/newsmax -Threads: http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX  -Telegram: http://t.me/newsmax  -BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com -Parler: http://app.parler.com/newsmax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Read OnlineWhen Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2:1–3Why did God use a star to reveal the birth of the King of Kings to foreigners from the East? To Mary, Joseph, and even the shepherds, God sent an angel to announce the Good News. But to the Magi, He chose to use a medium they understood—a star.The Magi, originally a priestly caste from Persia, were skilled in astrology, astronomy, dream interpretation, and other forms of wisdom and divination. The three Magi mentioned in Matthew's Gospel were clearly experts in astrology, carefully studying the night sky. On the night of Christ's birth, they made an extraordinary discovery: a new star had appeared in the sky. They knew it was a sign of great significance. According to their beliefs, the appearance of a new star heralded the birth of a new king.This star was not just a celestial phenomenon; it symbolized the light of Christ breaking into the world, guiding all nations—Jew and Gentile alike—toward the Savior. Just as God drew humble Jewish shepherds to the newborn King, He also drew representatives of the Gentiles to adore Him, for Jesus came to save all of humanity.The divine initiative to include the Gentiles was not a new concept but a fulfillment of a promise made to Abraham: “All the families of the earth will find blessing in you” (Genesis 12:3). The prophets and Psalms echo this theme, emphasizing that all nations will come to the Lord (see Isaiah 2:2-4; Psalm 67). In Jesus' public ministry, we see His outreach to the Gentiles, a mission that continued in the early Church, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. At the time of Jesus' birth, however, the Jewish emphasis was primarily on being the chosen people. The story of the Epiphany reveals God's universal call to holiness from the very beginning of Jesus' life, establishing that His mission was for all people, not just for Israel.Because of this universal call to holiness, we who believe in Christ and live our Catholic faith must avoid becoming isolated or insular, creating a small, self-contained world. Instead, we are called to live our faith in a way that is welcoming to all and engaged with the broader world, reflecting the universal mission of the Church. Being Catholic is not merely a cultural heritage; it is the spiritual means of eternal salvation that everyone needs. The word “epiphany” means “manifestation,” and Christ must be made manifest to all, becoming the King of every soul.As we celebrate the Epiphany, be open to the ways God might want to use you to share the light of faith with those who are not yet faithful Catholics. We must be like the star of Bethlehem, drawing others to Christ in ways they can understand and accept. This is best accomplished when we place ourselves at God's service, ready to be used as instruments of His grace. God alone knows how to draw all people to Himself, and when we offer ourselves to His service, He will inspire us and use us to be that shining light, guiding others out of darkness and into His marvelous light. My Lord and Light of the World, You desire to shine brightly for all to see, so that all may be drawn to You, the one and only Savior of all. Please use me as You will, to be like that star over Bethlehem. Give me wisdom, love, and courage to shine brightly, radiating Your light for all to see. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Sailko, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

Prince of Persia the last crown, c'est beau, c'est bien, c'est dur et c'est bien fait. Hollow Knight c'est incroyable et envoutant !

by Elder Chris McCool, Pastor (preached on November 23, 2025) As we saw yesterday, when Nehemiah returned for a brief time to Persia, the people he was leading in Jerusalem began to slip back into compromising positions with the world. In fact, they began to let the world and worldly things creep into their worship...

In this episode, we look back and pick our favorite classical and jazz recordings from 2025.   The Adult Music Podcast is featured in: Feedspot's 100 Best Jazz Podcasts   Episode 241 Deezer Playlist   Fair use disclaimer: Music sample clips are for commentary and educational purposes. We recommend that listeners listen to the complete recordings, all of which are available on streaming services in the links provided. We also suggest that if you enjoy the music, you consider purchasing the CDs or high-quality downloads to support the artists.   Russ' Classical Picks   Episode 204: “Anniversaries & Inner Journeys” 3/17/2025 “Hough: Piano Concerto, Sonatina & Partita” (Hyperion) Sir Stephen Hough, The Hallé, Sir Mark Elder https://open.spotify.com/album/6aj6j7obrqKiSJJF9GB51l https://music.apple.com/us/album/hough-piano-concerto-sonatina-partita/1790189101 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DSWK94H6   Episode 208: “Elegance & Fire” 4/14/2025 “Prokofiev & Shor” (Alpha) Behzod Abduraimov, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Vasily Petrenko https://open.spotify.com/album/6yTib2Mj4XZNvPoC7ILgqR https://music.apple.com/us/album/prokofiev-shor/1792782208 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DV5N35H1   Episode 210: “Fluted Grooves” 4/28/2025 “Daugherty: Blue Electra” (Naxos) Anne Akiko Meyers, Albany Symphony Orchestra / David Alan Miller https://open.spotify.com/album/7KeVVROhrOyr7hwyAMc2Od https://music.apple.com/us/album/michael-daugherty-blue-electra-last-dance-at-the-surf/1803167332 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DTKSWBX9   Episode 211: “Saxurated Sound” 5/5/2025 “Tales of the Jazz Age” (La Dolce Volta) Florian Noack https://open.spotify.com/album/1pgOmjL6jYB69GOA2aMNxP https://classical.music.apple.com/sg/album/1795617036 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DWNBXQ3M   “Ancient Modernity” (Delphian) Louise McMonagle https://open.spotify.com/album/4mYIWqAJAYTqU4ayjzJnsI https://music.apple.com/za/album/ancient-modernity/1799737575 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DZ31FWKW   Episode 213: “Sacred Trinity & Swingin' Trio” 5/18/2025 “Alexander Scriabin: Vers La Flamme” (BIS) Yevgeny Sudbin https://open.spotify.com/album/3wYDp7bi9o73xbr9ZzWLrk https://music.apple.com/us/album/scriabin-vers-la-flamme/1803174467 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0F1Z3KHWL   Episode 218: “A Quarter for Your Tones” 7/7/2025 “Persia & Baroque - Classical Persian Music and European Baroque” (Christophorus) Hamburger Ratsmusik / Simone Eckert, Ulrich Wedemeier, Anke Dennert, Neoclassical Ensemble of Tehran / Arash Mohafez https://open.spotify.com/album/5owCWVmzhFYnjbqZHg4lT0 https://music.apple.com/us/album/persia-baroque-classical-persian-music-and-european/1822952513 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0F8C7Z8D5   Episode 219: “Border Crossers” 7/14/2025 “Laurent Boutros: Apatride, An Armenian in Paris” (Da Vinci Classics) Antonino Ielo https://open.spotify.com/album/7hQ2upqq5JxHfbJ8yDlX5C https://music.apple.com/us/album/laurent-boutros-apatride-an-armenian-in-paris/1819815810 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FCP46QV9   Episode 229: “A Trumpet Junket” 9/29/2025 “Kevin Puts: Concerto for Orchestra, Silent Night Elegy & Virelai” (Delos) Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra / Stéphane Denève https://open.spotify.com/album/3s5T4R7QJKHjgfNHmVy6Vz https://music.apple.com/us/album/kevin-puts-concerto-for-orchestra-silent-night-elegy/1826975431 No Amazon Music   Episode 231: “Bourbon Based” 10/13/2025 “Robert Russell Bennett & Vernon Duke: Violin Concertos” (Chandos) Chloë Hanslip, Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Andrew Litton https://open.spotify.com/album/5SQS6UVFNNBMf7Itmo1JEG https://music.apple.com/us/album/bennett-duke-violin-works/1830974602 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FKQ8BJYV   Mike's Classical Picks   Episode 202: “The Spaces Between” 2/24/2025 “The Age of Extremes: W.F. Bach, G. Benda & C.P.E. Bach” (Arcana) Francesco Corti, Il Pomo d'Oro https://open.spotify.com/album/666rWzJgsF6pZo9KyAZ27A https://music.apple.com/gh/album/the-age-of-extremes-w-f-bach-g-benda-c-p-e-bach/1781631697 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DN6QFCXM   Episode 207: “Blues ‘n' Bones” 4/7/2025 “Dvořák & Price: Piano Quintets” (Hyperion) Takacs Quartet, Marc-Andre Hamelin https://open.spotify.com/album/1i8Dx19cZUT4y5TcD9bomJ https://music.apple.com/us/album/dvořák-price-piano-quintets/1791744025 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DTKP5X5F   Episode 209 “Women on the Open Road” 4/21/2025 “Vox Feminae” (Alpha) Les Kapsber'girls https://open.spotify.com/album/7CMohdNtQxiB83iEMqntc7 https://music.apple.com/us/album/vox-feminae/1793025660 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DV5PTBMJ   Episode 212: “From Bach to Boogaloo” 5/12/2025 “Concertos: Pécou, Lazkano, Nante” (Erato) Alexandre Tharaud https://open.spotify.com/album/6bI8HUotFbewV3WMYX0OV0 https://music.apple.com/us/album/pécou-lazkano-nante-piano-concertos/1806217843 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0F3FG9KJ7   Episode 213: “Sacred Trinity & Swingin' Trio” 5/18/2025 “Clérambault: Te Deum & Histoire de la Femme Adultère” (Château de Versailles Spectacles) Lisandro Abadie, Guy Cutting, Samuel Namotte, Gwendoline Blondeel A Nocte Temporis, Chœur de Chambre de Namur / Reinoud Van Mechelen https://open.spotify.com/album/3kITS98BQIa4cFBjT1NSnH https://music.apple.com/us/album/clérambault-te-deum-histoire-de-la-femme-adultère/1799108129 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DYNNF76N   Episode 215 “Doorway to the Horizon” 6/7/2025 “Ni Dufay, Ni Binchois - the Works of Johannes Pullois” (Passacaille) Sollazzo Ensemble https://open.spotify.com/album/4NMrnD08oj20PzLNDHM0rL https://music.apple.com/us/album/ni-dufay-ni-binchois-the-works-of-johannes-pullois/1807330875 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0F44CTHZL   Episode 224: “Moon Tunes” 8/18/2025 “Bach, Telemann & Albinoni: Concerti” (Alpha) Sophie Gent, Kathleen Kajioka, Ensemble Masques / Olivier Fortin https://open.spotify.com/album/4Z9606TIlzMs2YA6LXiZnP https://music.apple.com/us/album/j-s-bach-telemann-albinoni-concerti/1807001257 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0F8NM4DPF   Episode 227: “Melodic Reflections” 9/9/2025 “Libro primo” (ECM) Rolf Lislevand https://open.spotify.com/album/3XPfRhPmgp2sTj5rLPPH2I https://music.apple.com/us/album/libro-primo/1826581965 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FHJ5H7JV   Episode 229: 2A Trumpet Junket” 9/29/2025 “Martinů String Quartets 2-3-5-7” (Supraphon) Pavel Haas Quartet https://open.spotify.com/album/5LhBAJvYfW3akK0G35B8wh https://music.apple.com/us/album/martinů-string-quartets-nos-2-3-5-7/1832782214 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FM474BZ7   Episode 234 “Found Objects & Fresh Air” 11/10/2025 “Martinu Violin Concertos 1 & 2, Stravinsky Divertimento” (Supraphon) Josef Spacek, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra / Petr Popelka https://open.spotify.com/album/0SKhKsHvwcPZ4OYMtzGRuK https://music.apple.com/us/album/martinů-violin-concertos-1-2-stravinsky-divertimento/1846791139 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FTGJLNHZ   “Found Objects / Sound Objects” (Hyperion) Marc-André Hamelin https://open.spotify.com/album/2dGt6QoBUsh75ShmyWOERe https://music.apple.com/us/album/found-objects-sound-objects/1828259285 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FJHYS4SJ   Mike's Jazz Picks   Episode 205: “Fragmented Inspirations” 3/24/2025 “South” (Sunnyside) Randal Despommier https://open.spotify.com/album/1EcSKXQuNPs7UIzaTkLl0j https://music.apple.com/us/album/south/1797433088 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DTWJSFZJ   Episode 208: “Elegence and Fire” 4/14/2025 “Live at Snug Harbor” (Outside in Music) Leon Anderson https://open.spotify.com/album/34XmNuGwm09hMfwDqaiGyf https://music.apple.com/us/album/live-at-snug-harbor/1792288803 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DTWHYQSL   Episode 212: “From Bach to Boogaloo” 5/12/2025 “Steep Steps” (Hobby Horse Records) Carl Winther, Richard Andersson, Jeff “Tain” Watts https://open.spotify.com/album/6mSi775nA3yYvU9Njpd7LV https://music.apple.com/us/album/steep-steps/1796891336 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DXFZPK8X   Episode 218: “A Quarter for Your Tones” 7/7/2025 “Nico's Dream” (SteepleChase) Tony Miceli https://open.spotify.com/album/5wUvoUKyZ0mmP87LZT877P https://music.apple.com/us/album/nicos-dream/1828638176 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0F4DSQMVV   Episode 229: “A Trumpet Junket” 9/29/2025 “Oblivity” (Origin) Shawn Purcell https://open.spotify.com/album/4BdcYHpppD4zNskoxnuP2Z https://music.apple.com/us/album/oblivity/1831093754 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FL4V5HPB   Episode 230: “Concertos & Ciphers” 10/6/2025 “Cipher” (PHP Records) Charlie Porter https://open.spotify.com/album/2Nf8PpF9l3pDz6FLn4V18s https://music.apple.com/us/album/cipher/1807658361 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0F49QRDH5   Episode 233: “Origin-al Recipe” 11/3/2025 “New Outlook” (Origin) Affinity Trio, Eric Jacobson https://open.spotify.com/album/6lhUbkRZQbk93E8rqane5J https://music.apple.com/us/album/new-outlook/1841929457 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FSCP685Q   “In the Groove: Live at the Alluvion” (OA2) trumpet, 10/17/2025 Anthony Stanco https://open.spotify.com/album/1eTkEAn2waOoKYJTjGkRyi https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-the-groove-live-at-the-alluvion/1841931160 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FSCSVSY6   Episode 235: “Impressions & Connections” 11/17/2025 “Lasting Impression” (Savant/High Note) Brandon Sanders https://open.spotify.com/album/1avyPXf8rP4eqgbfGHnnQN https://music.apple.com/us/album/lasting-impression/1840695827 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FRNM61SQ   Episode 240: “Double Trouble” 12/22/2025 “It's On!” (Nervy Nigel Records) Nigel Price https://open.spotify.com/album/0y2Rph1r8YLaqktG90Xxeh https://music.apple.com/gb/album/its-on/1850003081 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FY3P1HB4   Honorable Mention   Episode 228: “Synergy, Vocals, and Vibes” 9/22/2025 “Synergy” (SteepleChase) Paul Bollenback, Boris Kozlov https://open.spotify.com/album/59j2rbwlkeEgvAwKTVZz9o https://music.apple.com/us/album/synergy/1843953911 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FL5GF4F1   Russ' Jazz Picks   Episode 198: “Serene Screen Time” 1/27/2025 “The Snake Charmer” (Origin) Brad Goode Polytonal Big Band https://open.spotify.com/album/3FGXtQeRDC6i5LQMDTnyDl https://music.apple.com/us/album/polytonal-big-band-the-snake-charmer/1781618413 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DNZ5HRRD   Episode 202: “The Spaces Between” 2/24/2025 “Table for Three” (SteepleChase) Alex Norris https://open.spotify.com/album/2l4TGcCJaluGa98MqC8Ht7 https://music.apple.com/us/album/table-for-three/1806266526 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DVBDCBXQ   Episode 206: “Timbre Tantrum” 3/31/2025 “LightSide” (A.MA Records) Matteo Pastorino https://open.spotify.com/album/4z1xt1yALoiVkVk4t5vgVi https://music.apple.com/us/album/lightside-feat-dario-deidda-armando-luongo-domenico-sanna/1798791324 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DYN9FLW8   Episode 214: “Building Characters & Light Bassoonery” 5/26/2025 “Building Characters” (Cellar Music) Charles Chen https://open.spotify.com/album/5u6CjR2OTU7MjQUU5OOJCZ https://music.apple.com/us/album/building-characters/1795037951 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0DWG54DLB   Episode 220: “Trans-phonic” 7/21/2025 “Transverse” (Calligram Records) Chad McCullough, Gordan Spasovski, Kiril Tufekčievski, Viktor Filipovski https://open.spotify.com/album/4GsqtJEMpqYfEDF14dxPzu https://music.apple.com/us/album/transverse/1819687910 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FCM5H3K5   Episode 222: “Mountain Viewfinder” 8/4/2025 “Viewfinder” (Attica Records) Hugh Pascall https://open.spotify.com/album/7IBrlJsdgj0sY579JDebqT https://music.apple.com/us/album/viewfinder/1825686850 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FH2XKXG5   Episode 224: “Moon Tunes” 8/18/2025 “Many Moons” (Third Coast Sound) Markus Rutz https://open.spotify.com/album/4MK0b4KgkFSclrpIqbrF3b https://music.apple.com/us/album/many-moons/1810126274 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0F61HBSNF   Episode 225: “Chromatic Dreams” 8/25/2025 “Still We Dream” (Posi-Tone) Josh Lawrence https://open.spotify.com/album/3Rybpa0B2Xs4hrB8JBG4yP https://music.apple.com/us/album/still-we-dream/1821713242 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FGZMSQDS   Episode 232: “A French Connection” 10/20/2025 “The Dark Forest” (Steeplechase) Chris Byars https://open.spotify.com/album/4kFItljxvnU4JdIln0Wdp4 https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-dark-forest/1844056557 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FSG9R8C1   Episode 234: “Found Objects & Fresh Air” 11/10/2025 “A Breath of Fresh Air” (Taylor Christian Records) Sean Mason https://open.spotify.com/album/6mS8l8ZNHCu2CWerK3iBt7 https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-breath-of-fresh-air/1836167990 https://music.amazon.com/albums/B0FP2V4FH2        

by Elder Chris McCool, Pastor (preached on November 23, 2025) As we get back to our exposition of the Book of Nehemiah, we are at a point where Nehemiah had returned to Persia for a short time. During his absence, the people of Jerusalem apparently lost their fervor of revival and began to slip back...

Who Can You Trust? Speaker: Michael Shockley, ReCreate Church Scripture: Daniel 7:13-14 Episode Summary In part 4 of our Christmas 2025 series, Pastor Michael presents a hilarious father-daughter skit about a rigged board game to illustrate how humans abuse power. Through Daniel's prophetic vision, we see that earthly empires are like beasts, but Jesus is different - He's the King who earned our trust by arriving in a stable and going to the Cross. The baby in the manger is the cosmic King whose empire will never end. Key Points - Daniel's vision shows four great empires (Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome) as beasts representing human power - "Son of Man" is Jesus' most used title for Himself - it shows His humanity, humility, and deity - Jesus didn't seize power like earthly rulers - He gave it up, proving He can be trusted with authority - The Ancient of Days (God the Father) presents the entire universe as a kingdom to Jesus - Every earthly empire eventually fails, but Jesus' kingdom is everlasting and will never be destroyed Main Takeaway Jesus is The King We Can Trust. In a world where authority figures abuse power and let us down, Jesus came in weakness to show He could be trusted with power. He didn't demand trust - He earned it by laying down His life while we were still a mess. Memorable Quotes - "Jesus is The King We Can Trust." - "Rome ruled by force; Jesus rules by faith. Rome demanded loyalty; Jesus proved Himself worthy of trust." - "The only Person Who can be trusted with ultimate authority is The One Who Is Willing to Sacrifice Himself for others." - "People always think the answer to our problems is a bigger, better beast. In truth, there is only One King we can fully trust. And His Name Is Jesus." - "Jesus did not come armed for battle. He came as a baby. He came in weakness to show He could be trusted with power." - "Jesus doesn't demand your trust. He earns it. He arrived in a stable, and went to the Cross. That's a King you can trust." Reflection Question If you've been burned by authority figures who let you down, are you ready to trust the One King who came in weakness to prove He could be trusted with power? Tune in to hear the entertaining "Reindeer Games" skit about a daughter who keeps changing the rules, and discover why comparing Jesus to becoming a mosquito helps us understand the Incarnation. Connect & Give Learn more about ReCreate Church at www.recreatechurch.org Give online easily and securely through Tithe.ly

A Sermon for the Feast of the Holy Innocents St. Matthew 2:13-18 by William Klock Have you read a great book and then gone to see the movie and the movie totally lost the plot?  Or maybe you got into a TV show, but then the longer the show ran, the more it seemed to lose the original plot?  We've been watching one show that started out spectacularly, but now I'm starting wish they'd just ended it after the first season, because lately it feels like the original plot has been hijacked by today's obligatory plot about sexuality. I found myself thinking how ironic it is that in a postmodern culture that claims to hate metanarratives and insists we all write our own stories, its stories all seem to go the same way. And in the midst of it all, as we all try to write our own stories while having our stories hijacked by the various commercial, political, and sexual plot-writers of our culture, often without our even realising it's happened, well, Christmas comes.  And if we'll listen, we just might hear, we must might realise that there's a greater story and a greater drama with a happier ending.  A story so wonderful, so masterfully written, that it shows up just what fools we've been to try to writer our own stories.  A story, too, that's full of grace.  A story in which God himself has come into the midst of our mangled plotlines to forgive our bad writing, to remind us how the story is supposed to go and what a truly good story looks like, even to welcome us back into his great drama of love and faithfulness and redemption and glory. Genesis reminds us how the story was supposed to go: human beings created by God, mortals made of the same stuff as the rest of creation, but animated and brought to life by the very breath of God.  And then we were placed in his temple.  In the spot where pagans would place their idols to represent the presence and rule of their gods, the living God placed us.  To represent his good and sovereign rule over creation, to act as his stewards, and to know the goodness and the life only found in his presence.  It was a story in which we knew all those things we've recalled when lighting the Advent candles—a story of perfect love, peace, joy, and hope.  And we were to be fruitful and to multiply so that we might ever expand the Lord's temple until it filled all of creation with his glory. And then we tried to hijack the temple for ourselves.  Instead of being the image of God, we tried to become gods ourselves.  And immediately we began to accuse each other.  We began to exploit and dominate each other.  Within a single generation, as Genesis tells it, we were murdering each other.  We were at each other's throats.  Everyone out for himself, no matter who he had to step on or exploit or enslave or kill. I talked last week about the darkness of the pagan world into which Jesus came.  A world of petty and fickle gods, constantly fighting amongst themselves.  Gods representing the idols of the human heart: power, sex, money, war…you name it.  If it can be used to exploit others, we made a god for it.  The world was dark.  But there was a light—or there was supposed to be.  Two millennia before, the living God had called Abraham out of the darkness of pagan Ur and set him up to be a light in the midst of the darkness.  A man who knew the light of the living God and became, himself a light to the nations.  At first just one man, but then a growing family, and eventually a whole nation—set apart by God and living around a temple in which that light was manifest as a visible and awe-inspiring cloud of glory.  But even Israel succumbed to the darkness.  The kings and people of Israel did what rebellious humanity had always done: they tried to write their own script.  And so Jesus came not only to the dark world of the pagans; he also came to the dark world of Israel. Our Gospel today is a stark reminder of just how off-script things had gone for God's own people.  It picks up immediately after the wise men had visited Jesus.  Remember that they had travelled to Jerusalem from somewhere in the east, probably Persia, following a star that somehow told them that a king had been born.  They went to the palace of Herod, who was the King of the Jews—at least in title.  And when they asked where they might find the new-born King of the Jews, of course, he had no idea what they were talking about.  These foreigners had to remind him of his own scriptures about the coming king, the one who would finally shepherd God's people aright, and how he would be born at Bethlehem. From Jerusalem, the wise men travelled to Bethlehem where they became the first of the gentiles to worship Jesus the Messiah. And you'll remember that an angel came to them and warned them to avoid Jerusalem on their way home.  But Herod didn't forget the prophecy or the wise men.  He bore the title “King of the Jews”, but he wasn't really Jewish.  He was the child of a forbidden marriage between a Jew and a gentile.  He was a puppet king set up by the Romans.  He tried to win the people over with grand building projects and public works.  The most important was a renovation of the temple.  But no one like him and no one really thought he was the legitimate king.  And so he was also paranoid.  He wasn't above murdering his own sons just to make sure he had no rivals. And so, St. Matthew tells us, “After the wise men had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,' he said, ‘and take the child and his mother and hurry too Egypt.  Stay there until I tell you.  Herod is going to hunt for the child, to kill him.'” Tom Wright tells a story that I expect must have happened when he was Bishop of Durham.  A prominent historian who was well-known for his scepticism about the Bible showed up at church one Christmas.  Wright was preaching.  And when the service was over, the historian approached him and said something to the effect of, “I've got it all figured out why people love Christmas so much.  It's about a baby and babies threaten no one, and so we all feel good, but in the end it's really all about nothing.”  And Wright goes on to say just how dumbfounded he was.  Had this man not heard the Christmas story?  Right here from the get-go, an evil king—a king who insisted on writing his own story—did everything he could to stop God's rewrite before it could even be started. Considering how impious Herod was, I suspect he didn't even really believe the prophecy about Bethlehem and a king.  He was just a paranoid despot who had it in his power to murder people frivolously, so…why not?  You know, just in case. “So,” Matthew goes on, “Joseph got up and took the child and his mother by night and went off to Egypt.  He stayed there until the death of Herod.  This happened to fulfil what the Lord said through the prophet [Hosea]: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.' And so Jesus escapes, but there's no good news here.  Herod just lashes out blindly.  He's powerful, he can, and he does.  And so Matthew tells us, “When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he flew into a great rage.  He dispatched men to kill all the boys of Bethlehem, and in all the surrounding districts, from two years old and under, according to the time the wise men had told him.  That was when the word that came through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘There was heard a voice in Rama, crying and loud lamentation.  Rachel is weeping for her children, and will not let anyone comfort her, because they are no more.'” Tell me again how this baby threatens no one.  The shadow of the cross hangs over Jesus' story before he can even walk or talk.  Because Herod couldn't stand the thought of not being the master of his own story.  And under threat, he did what he always did: he murdered.  How many?  Bethlehem was likely a town of about a thousand people in those days.  There were probably somewhere between a dozen and two dozen boys there two years old and younger.  And Herod didn't give it a thought to have them killed.  And apparently neither did his soldiers.  That, or they feared Herod more than they feared God. Again, Herod reminds us that it wasn't just a dark pagan world into which Jesus was born.  The same darkness hung over Israel.  Because Herod's problem is a universal one.  Ever since Adam and Eve, we've all been trying to write our own stories and to put ourselves in the place of God.  To define for ourselves who we are and what our purpose is.  To define for ourselves what is right and what is wrong.  And the end result of all of our self-serving stories is that we trample and abuse and exploit others to further our own ends.  None of us has the relatively unchecked power of an ancient near eastern despot like Herod and so we balk at his evil.  And yet here in Canada the official statics show that about 20% of pregnancies in any given year are ended by abortion.  And that number is low, because it under-reports at-home chemical abortions.  If we can get away with it, if we can dehumanise another person in our minds, and if that child threatens the story we're trying to write for ourselves, many, many, many of us will do precisely what Herod did and kill an innocent.  And many will and have done it repeatedly.  Abortion is an extreme example.  Maybe we'd never dream of going that far to guard the narrative we write for ourselves.  Maybe we'd never go that far in our attempt to play God.  But this rot, this rebellion that corrupts human relationships spreads its roots through our society in all sorts of ways.  Maybe it's the influence of the wicked principalities and powers that St. Paul writes about in Ephesians—trying to corrupt everything, even the good systems we try to put in place.  But the rot spread.  Recently I was listening to a friend tell me the havoc pornography has wreaked in her life.  We tend to think of pornography use as a personal sexual sin—and that's certainly part of it—but this conversation had me thinking that at the heart of pornography is a dehumanising exploitation of others.  It turns fellow human beings into objects to be used to fulfil our own ends, human beings turned into non-player characters in the sinful and self-gratifying stories we write for ourselves.  It's not just about sex or sexual immorality.  It's about the abuse and exploitation for our own ends of fellow human beings, created by God, meant to bear his image, fellow priests of his temple to whom we have an obligation of love and humility and grace and respect. And when you think about it in those terms, you start to see just how much our rebellion against God, just how much our desire to write our own stories and to be our own gods infects and corrupts our network of relationships.  Our marriages and our families break down because we choose to use our husbands or our wives or our children to fill roles in the stories we write for ourselves, instead of being the fellow players we're meant to be in God's great drama.  We do the same thing in business and with the people we employ—as if they exist to serve us, to meet our needs, to act their parts in our stories.  And then we get into economics and politics and without even realising it, we've let the powerful and the well-placed convince us to live out their stories—that we have to be this  and buy that in order to be fulfilled and happy.  That we have to support this and vote for that, that we have to hate this person over here and that person over there because they have the wrong values, support the wrong thing, or are playing parts in the wrong narrative.  And so we write those people into our stories as the bad guys or the guys to be exploited or the guys to be hated or the guys who aren't really human at all—they're garbage, trash, something sub-human.  And they do the same to us and it spiral and spirals and the pain and the sorrow and the hurt and tears just get worse and worse.  And we get caught up in all of this and forget that none of these stories, none of these narratives, none of these dramas matter one whit.  Brothers and Sisters, it's God's great drama that matters; it's God's drama that we need to remember and live. And God knows all this.  He knows how we've fallen.  He knows how we so want to write our stories for ourselves.  He knows—better than we do—the pain and the misery and the tears that we inflict on others and that they inflict on us.  And so he comes, as the baby, into the midst of the darkness and the tears and, again, before he can even walk or talk, he's a homeless refugee in a foreign land with a king looking to kill him. This was the thing no one expected of the Messiah.  They expected a great king, like David, but greater.  Born in a place.  Eventually riding in to Jerusalem in a chariot to bash Roman heads and to set the world to rights by putting Israel on the top of the heap.  They expect that because the people of Israel were still trying to write their own story for themselves.  But, instead, Jesus is born in humility to ordinary parents.  From his birth he knows the danger and the tears of being part of someone else's wicked story.  All things that Israel should have known.  This is what Matthew is getting at when he quotes Hoses saying, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”  That's who Israel was.  They were God's beloved son and they were the rescued-form-Egyptian-slavery people, born in sorrow and tears and pain, exploited and abused by a king who thought he was a god and who forced them to live his drama.  Jesus came the same way.  He knew the pain of sin.  He knew the pain of abuse.  He knew what it meant to be forced to live as someone else's non-player character. And in that echo of Israel's past and Israel's identity, there's hope.  Again, Matthew cites the prophets—this time Jeremiah—as he recounts the horrible murder of the holy innocents of Bethlehem.  Think again of Pharoah, threatened by the fruitfulness of the Israelites.  Pretty soon there would be more of them than there were Egyptians.  And so he ordered their baby boys to be drowned in the Nile.  Rachel wept for her children, as Jeremiah said.  But Moses, Israel's deliverer—Israel's first “messiah”, if you will—escaped in the Lord's providence, and rose up to challenge Pharoah and his gods and to lead the people out of their bondage in Egypt.  Just so, Matthew wants us to hear that story echoing in the story of Jesus.  Like Pharoah, Herod tried to write his own story, he tried to stamp out the Lord's deliverer, but the Lord is sovereign and somehow always manages to take our bad and pathetic rewrites and bring them into his own great drama to further his own ends and to reveal his glory to the world. He did this at the cross, Brothers and Sisters.  The people of Judaea, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the priest and Levites and scribes together with Pilate as the representative of Rome and the pagan nations, they tried to write their own story—a story in which Jesus was a pretend king and a blasphemer of the temple and the things of God, a story in which they were right and Jesus was wrong, a story in which they were justified in rejecting and mocking and crucifying the son of God as a false messiah.  And that Friday when Jesus gasped out, “It is finished” and his friends took him down from the cross and buried him in a tomb, the people of Judaea, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, Pilate and Rome all thought they had the happy ending they wanted.  They were the heroes of their own stories and Jesus was dead, but all the while God was using their rebellion and their grasping at godhood to his own ends.  They rebelled, but God in his sovereign grace, incorporated their stories into his own to serve his own ends.  A story in which evil and sin and death foolishly concentrated themselves all in one place, in which evil and sin and death did their worst—and failed—as three days later Jesus burst out of the tomb with the power of God's life and his new creation.  Burst from the tomb alive to sweep the whole of creation itself up into God's great drama of light and life. Brother and Sisters, that's grace.  If this were one of our stories, we'd fire the writers who made such a mess of it and consign them to oblivion, but God instead comes in love and grace to forgive and to set right.  He takes our horrible stories and, master storyteller that he is, he uses them for good and instead of consigning us to oblivion, he offers us our places back in the great divine drama we once rejected…if we will only trust that he is the way and the truth and the life, if we will give him our allegiance and pledge to live out his story instead of ours.  It should be such an easy choice when see the wake of destruction our stories have left in contrast to his great story of love and grace that leads to life and new creation and all the sad things we've written for ourselves somehow one day becoming all untrue. Brothers and Sisters, hear the Christmas story again this year.  Really and truly hear it so that it drowns out and overcomes all the other narratives and stories and dramas you've been hearing and living.  Let it be a reset.  Let this story of God, humbly incarnate who humbly dies for rebellious sinners, let this truth become the truth by which you measure everything.  Let the glorious light of resurrection and new creation and the presence of God be your hope and your only hope and be so overcome by it that you lose all desire to write your story for yourself, and choose to become a faithful player in Jesus' drama of love and peace, of joy and hope. Let's pray: Almighty God, whose loving purposes cannot be frustrated by the wickedness of men, so that even infants may glorify you by their deaths: strengthen us by your grace, that by the innocency of our lives and constancy of our faith even to death, we may glorify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Matthew 2:1–12 reminds us that truly wise people keep seeking Jesus until they find Him, even when the path is long, surprising, or humble. The Magi likely came from Persia, guided first by Scripture (Daniel, Numbers 24:17) and then by a God-given “star” that behaved more like the Old Testament pillar of fire—personal, precise, and faithful. Herod's fear contrasts with their worship; when they finally meet the Child—not in a palace but in a simple house—they fall down before Him and offer treasures that preach: gold for the King, frankincense for our Great High Priest, and myrrh for the Prophet who would suffer and save. God still leads seekers this way—through His Word, by His Spirit, to His Son—and obedience always ends in joy. - Ed Rea - Sunday, December 21, 2025

Attacking the largest empire the world had ever seen is a huge endeavor at any age, but try doing it at 21. Alexander, fusing the qualities of a Napoleon with a gladiator, aims for immortality. The Persians are just in his way.

What can you do when everything you've worked so hard to rebuild starts to crumble? In this final episode of Nehemiah, we step into the unforgettable parade of praise around Jerusalem's newly dedicated wall, where two massive choirs circle the city in worship. Then we witness the cycle of hope and failure repeat.After 12 years of faithful work—walls rebuilt, worship restored, covenant renewed—Nehemiah returns to Persia. In his absence, Jerusalem falls apart. The temple is defiled by Tobiah the Ammonite, the Levites have abandoned their posts, the Sabbath is desecrated, and forbidden marriages threaten the community's faith. This story and the cycle of repeated hope then failure points forward to the only One who can break this cycle: Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant.Themes of this podcast:Guard what God has entrusted to you by paying attention to subtle compromises that can quietly erode your faith, relationships, or habits.Rebuild rhythms of worship and rest when life feels crowded, distracted, or spiritually thin.Choose faithfulness even when others do not, trusting that your obedience is seen, remembered, and honored by God.We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info! Contact Bible Book ClubDONATE Buy merch Like, comment, or message us through Bible Book Club's InstagramLike or comment on Susan's Facebook or InstagramLeave us an Apple reviewContact us through our website formThanks for listening and happy podcasting!

The temple is finished. The wall is finished. The people have rededicated themselves to the Lord's house, and on today's episode, the remnant of Israel rejoices. With the work completed, Nehemiah returns to Persia to serve under King Artaxerxes as he had before, just as he had promised. All is right with the world, and God's people serve Him faithfully from then on, right? Wrong! In fact, not long after Nehemiah leaves, the work of the temple is all but abandoned and Eliashib, who is in charge of the temple storehouses, clears out a room for Tobiah the Ammonite official, who happens to be a relative. Nehemiah returns once more to set things straight.Nehemiah 11 - 1:01 . Nehemiah 12 - 6:25 . Nehemiah 13 - 14:09 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

THE ORIGINS OF THE KINGSMAN!! The King's Man Full Movie Reaction Watch Along:   / thereelrejects   Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/REJECTS #rulapod Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) Reaction:    • KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2015) IS FRI...   Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) Reaction:    • KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (2017) IS TOTA...   Gift Someone (Or Yourself) A Stranger Things RR Tee! https://shorturl.at/hekk2 With rumors circling around both The King's Man: The Traitor King & Kingsman: The Blue Blood, Tara Erickson (The Rage Pod) & Andrew Gordon (Cinepals) RETURN to complete their Kingsman Marathon (for now..) w/ their The King's Man Reaction, Recap, Commentary, Analysis & Spoiler Review! Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: The Secret Service, X-Men: First Class) rewinds the clock to the origins of the secret spy organization. Set during the chaos of World War I, the film explores how global conflict, shadowy conspiracies, and larger-than-life villains gave birth to the Kingsman legacy. The story centers on Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List, The Grand Budapest Hotel) as Orlando, Duke of Oxford, a pacifist aristocrat drawn into a worldwide plot manipulating nations into war. Alongside him is Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Blood Diamond) as the fiercely loyal Shola, and Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace, Prince of Persia) as Polly, whose intelligence and resolve prove just as vital as brute force. The next generation steps forward through Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness, Beach Rats) as Conrad Oxford, whose journey from idealism to brutal reality forms the emotional backbone of the film. Follow Andrew Gordon on Socials:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MovieSource Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/agor711/?hl=en Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Agor711 Follow Tara Erickson: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TaraErickson Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/taraerickson/ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/thetaraerickson Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE ORIGINS OF THE KINGSMAN!! The King's Man Full Movie Reaction Watch Along: ⁠  / thereelrejects  ⁠ Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at ⁠https://www.rula.com/REJECTS⁠ ⁠#rulapod⁠ Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) Reaction: ⁠   • KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2015) IS FRI...  ⁠ Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) Reaction: ⁠   • KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (2017) IS TOTA...  ⁠ Gift Someone (Or Yourself) A Stranger Things RR Tee! ⁠https://shorturl.at/hekk2⁠ With rumors circling around both The King's Man: The Traitor King & Kingsman: The Blue Blood, Tara Erickson (The Rage Pod) & Andrew Gordon (Cinepals) RETURN to complete their Kingsman Marathon (for now..) w/ their The King's Man Reaction, Recap, Commentary, Analysis & Spoiler Review! Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman: The Secret Service, X-Men: First Class) rewinds the clock to the origins of the secret spy organization. Set during the chaos of World War I, the film explores how global conflict, shadowy conspiracies, and larger-than-life villains gave birth to the Kingsman legacy. The story centers on Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List, The Grand Budapest Hotel) as Orlando, Duke of Oxford, a pacifist aristocrat drawn into a worldwide plot manipulating nations into war. Alongside him is Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Blood Diamond) as the fiercely loyal Shola, and Gemma Arterton (Quantum of Solace, Prince of Persia) as Polly, whose intelligence and resolve prove just as vital as brute force. The next generation steps forward through Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness, Beach Rats) as Conrad Oxford, whose journey from idealism to brutal reality forms the emotional backbone of the film. Follow Andrew Gordon on Socials:  YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MovieSource⁠ Instagram:⁠ ⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agor711/?hl=en⁠ Twitter:  ⁠https://twitter.com/Agor711⁠ Follow Tara Erickson: Youtube:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@TaraErickson⁠ Instagram: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/taraerickson/⁠ Twitter: ⁠ https://twitter.com/thetaraerickson⁠ Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠ Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! ⁠https://www.rejectnationshop.com/⁠ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/⁠  Tik-Tok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en⁠ Twitter: ⁠https://x.com/reelrejects⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/⁠ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...⁠ POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit⁠ https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo⁠ and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en⁠ Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.⁠ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO:⁠ https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects⁠ Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  ⁠https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/⁠ INSTAGRAM: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/⁠ TWITTER:  ⁠https://twitter.com/thereelrejects⁠ Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/⁠ TWITTER:  ⁠https://twitter.com/thegregalba⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friday Bible Study (12/12/25) // Ezra 4 (ESV) // Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding 4 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.The Letter to King Artaxerxes7 In the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam and Mithredath and Tabeel and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.[a] 8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River. 11 (This is a copy of the letter that they sent.) “To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now 12 be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the foundations. 13 Now be it known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. 14 Now because we eat the salt of the palace[b] and it is not fitting for us to witness the king's dishonor, therefore we send and inform the king, 15 in order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste. 16 We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”Website: https://mbchicago.org FOLLOW US Facebook:   / mbc.chicago   Instagram:   / mbc.chicago   TikTok:   / mbc.chicago   Podcasts: Listen on Apple, Spotify & others TO SUPPORT US Zelle to: info@mbchicago.org Website: https://mbchicago.org/give Venmo: https://venmo.com/mbchurch DAF Donations: https://every.org/mbc.chicago PayPal: https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_but... #Ezra #DanielBatarseh #BibleStudy #mbchicago #mbcchicago #Bible #versebyverse #church #chicago #livechurch #churchlive #chicagochurch #chicagochurches #sermon #bibleexplained #bibleproject #bibleverse #bookbybook #oldtestament #explained

Nehemiah gets permission from the King of Persia to go back to Jerusalem. The troubles he encounters there do not dissuade him from building Jerusalem's wall. Nehemiah 1:8 -4:14

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-a443d9b06c7f20b971d6f355b070045a{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-a443d9b06c7f20b971d6f355b070045a .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-a443d9b06c7f20b971d6f355b070045a .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 02 – December 17Daniel 11:2-20 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – December 17 Daniel 11:2-20 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-1217db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Daniel 11 The Messenger Reveals Future Battles [1] Xerxes of Persia [2] 2 Now I will tell you the truth: Look, three more kings will arise for Persia. Then the fourth one will gain great riches, more than anyone else. As he becomes strong through his riches, he will stir everyone up against the kingdom of Greece. Alexander the Great [3] 3 A warrior king will arise. He will rule a great dominion and will do as he pleases. 4 But as he rises, his kingdom will be broken and be divided to the four winds of heaven, but it will not be passed on to his descendants. It will not be ruled with the same ruling power with which he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and given to others besides these. The Ptolemies Versus the Seleucids [4] 5 The King of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become stronger than he and rule a dominion greater than his. [5] 6 After some years, they will make an alliance. The daughter of the King of the South will come to the King of the North and make a fair agreement. However, she will not keep the strength of her arm, and he and his arm [6] will not endure. She will be given up—she and those who brought her, the one who fathered her, [7] and the one who strengthened her during these times. [8] 7 But one who is a branch from her root will arise in his place. [9] He will come against the army and come into the fortress of the King of the North. He will make war with them and win. 8 He will also take their gods captive to Egypt with their cast images and with their valuable silver and gold vessels. For some years he will leave the King of the North alone. 9 But the King of the North will come into the kingdom of the King of the South. Then he will return to his own land. 10 His sons [10] will stir themselves up and will gather a huge force of many armies, which will keep coming like an overflowing flood. They will stir themselves up again as far as his fortress. [11] 11 The King of the South will be enraged. He will go out and fight with the King of the North. The King of the North will raise up a great army, but the army will be handed over to the King of the South. 12 When the King of the North's army is swept away, and the King of the South becomes arrogant, though he will cause tens of thousands to fall, he will not win. [12] Antiochus the Great 13 The King of the North will again raise an army, which will be greater than the first army, and after some years he will keep coming with a great army and many supplies. 14 In those times, many will rise up against the King of the South. Violent men from your own people will lift themselves up in fulfillment of this vision, but they will fail. 15 The King of the North will come and build siege works and capture a fortified city. The forces of the south will not stand, not even its best troops, because they will have no strength to stand. 16 The one who comes against him [13] will do as he pleases, and no one will stand in his way. He will stand in the beautiful land, [14] and it will be completely in his power. 17 He will be determined to come with the power of his entire kingdom and to bring a treaty with him, which he will enforce. He will give his daughter to the King of the South in marriage in order to destroy the southern kingdom. But his plan will not succeed or turn out to his advantage. 18 He will focus his attack on the coastlands and capture many. However, a commander will put an end to his insolence. Moreover, he will make him pay for his insolence. 19 Then the King of the North will turn his face toward the fortresses of his land. He will stumble and fall and not be found. [15] 20 Then one will arise in his place who will send an oppressive tax collector for the glory of his kingdom. However, in a few days he will be broken, but not in anger or battle. Footnotes Daniel 11:2 This prophecy, which continues into chapter 12, extends from Daniel's time till the end of the world. Understanding this chapter requires considerable knowledge of history, so the EHV includes more footnotes here than it usually does. For more information, consult commentaries and study Bibles. Daniel 11:2 Esther's husband Xerxes led a huge expedition against Greece that ended in failure in 480 bc. Daniel 11:3 Alexander of Macedon very quickly built up a great empire that stretched from Greece to India, about 330 years before Christ. Daniel 11:5 This is both one of the most amazing prophecies and one of the most difficult. Daniel, who lived in the 6th century bc, foretells in great detail events that happen from about 330 bc to 150 bc. The Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria were two of the dynasties that succeeded Alexander. The Jews got caught in the middle of the conflict between them, and this led to a great persecution of the Jews. Consult commentaries and study Bibles for more details on this very complicated history. Daniel 11:5 The King of the South is Ptolemy of Egypt and his successors. The King of the North is Seleucus, a subordinate of Ptolemy who gained power in Syria, and his successors. Daniel 11:6 Variant seed, that is, descendant. The words for arm and seed look very much alike in Hebrew. Daniel 11:6 Variant her child Daniel 11:6 The kings are Ptolemy II and Antiochus II. The daughter of Ptolemy is Bernice, who was married to Antiochus. Antiochus eventually divorced Bernice and remarried his former wife Laodice, who then poisoned Antiochus, killed Bernice, and installed her own son as Seleucus II. Daniel 11:7 Bernice's brother, Ptolemy III, warred against Seleucus II. Daniel 11:10 The sons of Seleucus II were Seleucus III and Antiochus III the Great. They fought against the Ptolemies. Daniel 11:10 The line of thought in this verse is difficult to follow. Daniel 11:12 This King of the South is Ptolemy IV. Daniel 11:16 That is, the King of the North, who comes against the King of the South Daniel 11:16 That is, Israel Daniel 11:19 Antiochus the Great had success against both Egypt and Greece, but his plans were frustrated by the intervention of the Romans. It was at this time that Israel, which was between Syria and Egypt, got caught up in the conflict. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

As mentioned previously, Nehemiah is a continuation of the Ezra, recorded the history of Israel and their return from exile. Nehemiah, an exile who lived in Persia's capital and served King Artaxerxes as his royal cupbearer, hears news that Jerusalem has been laid waste. The wall surrounding the city had been greatly compromised and the gates that would have maintained a secure entrance had been burned down. In great dismay, Nehemiah asks the king if he can return to help restore the city. With the king's approval and with papers in hand, Nehemiah goes back to Jerusalem, but the local governors are not happy that he has come. Nehemiah surveys the damage under cover of night, then urges Israel to join him in the work of rebuilding the wall and gates.Nehemiah 1 - 1:02 . Nehemiah 2 - 3:44 . Nehemiah 3 - 9:24 . Nehemiah 4 - 15:42 .  :::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

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-9b5d74eadae2e0e3802e02ecebe45151{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-9b5d74eadae2e0e3802e02ecebe45151 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-9b5d74eadae2e0e3802e02ecebe45151 .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 02 – December 16Daniel 10:1 – 11:1 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – December 16 Daniel 10:1 – 11:1 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-1216db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Daniel's Vision of a Messenger Daniel 10 1 In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, [1] a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar. Now the message was true. It was about a great war. He understood the message, and understanding came to him through the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three whole weeks. 3 I ate no expensive food, and no meat or wine entered my mouth. I did not anoint myself at all until the completion of three whole weeks. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I was beside the Great River, that is, the Tigris. 5 I looked up, and there, right in front of me, I saw a man dressed in linen. Around his waist he was wearing a belt made from gold of Uphaz. 6 His body was like topaz, and his face looked like lightning. His eyes were like burning torches, and his arms and feet were like polished bronze. The sound of his words was like the sound of an army. 7 Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see the vision, but they were overwhelmed by fear and trembling, so they ran away to hide. 8 I was left alone, and I saw this great vision. No strength was left in me. My appearance changed for the worse. I became very pale, [2] and I had no strength. 9 I heard the sound of his words, but as I heard the sound of his words, I was in a deep sleep, facedown, with my face to the ground. 10 Then a hand touched me and pulled me up, trembling, to my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “Daniel, you are a highly valued man. Understand the words that I am speaking to you. Stand up where you are, because now I have been sent to you.” When he spoke this word to me, I stood up, shaking. 12 He said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, because from the first day that you began to commit your heart to gaining understanding and to humbling yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 However, an officer of the kingdom of Persia was standing against me for twenty-one days. Yet Michael, one of the chief officers, came to help me, for I had been left there against the kings of Persia. 14 I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days, because the vision concerns days still to come.” 15 As he spoke these words to me, I pressed my face to the ground and was silent. 16 Then someone whose form was like a son of man was touching my lips. So I opened my mouth and spoke and said to the one standing in front of me, “My lord, pain has come upon me in the vision, and I have no strength left in me. 17 How can this servant of my lord speak with my lord? And I, from now on—no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.” 18 The one whose appearance was like a man touched me again and strengthened me. 19 He said to me, “Do not be afraid, you highly valued man. Peace to you. Be strong! Be strong!” As he spoke with me I was strengthened, and I said, “Keep speaking, my lord, because you strengthen me.” 20 He said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight against the official of Persia. But after I leave that battle, the prince of Greece will come. 21 Nevertheless, I will tell you what is inscribed in the Book of Truth. No one is supporting me against these enemies except Michael, your prince. 11 1 In the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to strengthen and protect him.” [3] Footnotes Daniel 10:1 About 536 bc Daniel 10:8 Literally my splendor was changed upon me to destruction Daniel 11:1 A debated issue is whether the last angel is Christ. This angel both helps Michael, the archangel, and is helped by Michael. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

The young leaders of Thebes retook their city from Sparta, but aimed for more. Nearby Athens had recovered much of the strength that enabled them to rule a Mediterranean empire.  It is at this stage where our 3 powerful city states all aim for supremacy at the same time. Power seeks power, and advantageous alliances were to be forged with kingdoms to the north and east. But the rulers of those kingdoms had plans of their own. We'll see a new generation of heroes emerge whose deeds live on 2400 years later. They had to contend with the likes of Agesilaus and Artaxerxes, the kings of Sparta and Persia who, like Walder Frey, stubbornly refused to die.HoW Audience Survey - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/howsurvey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bonus Eps & More -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ patreon.com/historyofwesteros⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shirts & Stickers -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠historyofwesteros.threadless.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.historyofwesteros.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Intro/Maps - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠klaradox.de⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook Group -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ bit.ly/howfb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ bit.ly/howdiscord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nina - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠goodqueenaly.tumblr.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

When was Christ born? I held a livestream to tackle some of the most enduring mysteries surrounding the Christmas story, diving deep into scholarly debates concerning the timing of Christ's birth, the nature of the Star of Bethlehem, and the identity and traditions surrounding the Wise Men. The discussion also included a giveaway of a free copy of Sand Tanner’s book, Lighthouse, authored by Ronald Huggins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d0hOvJoXQc Don't miss our other conversations about Christmas: https://gospeltangents.com/lds_theology/christmas/ Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved The Great Dating Debate: When Was Christ Born? The discussion began by addressing the fact that the calendar we use today, created by the 6th-century monk Dionysius Exiguus. He mistakenly placed Christ's birth several years too late. There is no Year Zero. Modern scholars generally agree that Herod the Great died in 4 BC, a crucial historical marker, meaning Jesus could not have been born as late as 1 BC because Herod would have been dead for three or four years by then. Dr. Jeffrey Chadwick proposes that December of 5 BC is the correct birth month. However, Dr. Thomas Wayment argues that biblical writers like Matthew and Luke were composing gospels, not history, and were unconcerned with precise details, suggesting that historical data only allows us to know the date within a year or two, and certainly not within a specific month. Adding to the complexity is the mention of a census in Luke 2, which is historically problematic, as the census conducted by Quirinius (Cyrenius) is typically placed around 6 AD, about 10 years after Herod's death, creating a significant timeline contradiction. Explaining the Star of Bethlehem The question of what caused the Star of Bethlehem led to an examination of several astronomical and scientific theories, particularly in the context of both the Bible (Matthew 2) and the Book of Mormon (3rd Nephi 1). Information comes from several sources, including the 2004 documentary called Mystery of the Three Kings by Questar Entertainment. Planetary Alignment: Astronomer Michael Molnar proposed that the star was actually an occultation where the moon passed in front of Jupiter, a theory based on Babylon’s astrological beliefs concerning the birth dates of divine kings. Solar Eclipse: Another possibility, suggested by Jerry Grover, is a solar eclipse which occurred in 6 BC, a date near the proposed birth time. In Mesopotamia, eclipses were frequently associated with the rising of a new king or the death of an old king, which would explain why Herod was troubled. The eclipse was rare, rising in Mesoamerica and setting as a partial eclipse in Persia, where the Wise Men were thought to originate. Coronal Mass Ejection (CME): Grover also offered the idea of a CME (a massive ejection of plasma from the sun hitting Earth’s magnetosphere). This event could cause the northern lights (auroras) to become supercharged and move far south, appearing as “weird domes and other shapes in Mesoamerica”. This theory is particularly interesting because it could scientifically explain the Book of Mormon account that the night became “as light as day all night long” in the American Hemisphere, while the phenomenon might not have been noticed in the Middle East. Furthermore, the sign may have been accompanied by a crackling or hissing sound, as ions drop and release their charge in the atmosphere. Supernovas and comets are generally dismissed as options because they are either too short-lived or were historically seen as signs of impending doom. The Wise Men: Identity, Gifts, and Legacy The Wise Men (Magi or Magoi) were likely astrologers, healers, and dream readers from the east, specifically the Parthian/Persian Empire (modern Iran/Iraq area.) Their arrival in Jerusalem would have been concerning to Herod, especially since they were Persians entering Roman-controlled territory. The word Magoi is the same word used for magician or sorcerer. They may have been followers of the Zoroastrian religion, which is monotheistic and shares beliefs with Judaism, such as a belief in resurrection and a coming savior. Zoroastrian astronomers may have recognized the confluence of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC as a sign of a new king in Israel. The three traditional gifts carried profound meaning: Gold represented kingship. Frankincense represented divinity or God. Myrrh was extremely valuable (worth seven times the weight of gold) and represented healing; its use in embalming also served as a foreshadowing of Jesus's eventual death. The Magi are celebrated in many traditions, particularly in Spanish-speaking countries, where January 6th is known as Three Kings Day24,25. On this day, which occurs 12 days after Christmas, presents are exchanged, left by the Three Kings rather than Santa Claus. Legends regarding the Magi’s relics and tombs are found across the globe, including claims in Sava, Iran (recorded by Marco Polo); Axum, Ethiopia; Milan, Italy, and the most famous location in the West, the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. Don't miss our other conversations about Christmas: https://gospeltangents.com/lds_theology/christmas/ Copyright © 2025 Gospel Tangents All Rights Reserved

SALIERI: 6 Variaciones sobre “Mio caro adone” de La fiera di Venezia KV 180 (9.19). D. Barenboim (p.). La fiera di Venezia (selec. Acto III) (18.22). F. Lombardi (sop.), K. Adam (ten.), D. Idrisova (sop.), F. Zanasi (baj.), G. Caoduro (bar.), N. Rubis (sop.), Coro y Orq. L’Arte del Mondo. Dir.: W. Ehrhardt. Palmira, Regina di Persia (selec.) (Obertura) (3.11). Orq. Sinfonia de Praga. Dir.: C. Benda. Acto 3, Escena 3 Recitativo y aria de Palmira “Voi lusingate invano… misera abbandonata” (2.56). Acto 1, Escena 6 Recitativo y aria de Palmira “Lungi da me sen vada… contro unàlma sventurata” (4.03). C. Bartoli (sop.), A. Perugi (fortep.), Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment. Dir.: A. Fischer.Escuchar audio

What if the birth of Jesus wasn't just a miraculous moment—but the culmination of centuries of divine orchestration? In this powerful Christmas message, we trace the extraordinary journey God set in motion long before Joseph and Mary ever traveled to Bethlehem, revealing how prophecy, politics, and the very stars aligned to bring the Messiah into the world. Discover the fascinating connection between Daniel's role as chief of the Magi in ancient Persia and the wise men who followed the Star of Bethlehem to find the newborn King. Learn how Balaam's prophecy about a star rising from Jacob, spoken over a thousand years earlier, pointed directly to Jesus' birth. We'll explore why King Herod and all of Jerusalem were deeply disturbed when the Magi arrived—and it wasn't just about a baby. This message unpacks the prophetic timeline from Micah's prophecy about Bethlehem, through Jacob's blessing over Judah, to the Roman census that moved Joseph and Mary exactly where they needed to be. You'll see how God used empires, rivalries, and even a government tax registration to fulfill His perfect plan. The birth of Jesus was no accident—it was the most carefully orchestrated event in human history. Whether you're seeking a deeper understanding of the Christmas story or wondering how God might be setting up circumstances in your own life, this message will encourage your faith and reveal the incredible sovereignty of God across time. He declares the end from the beginning—and He's not done working in your story yet either!

Não é amigo oculto, é o troca-troca de 2025 do Jogabilidade! Sushi encara o clássico simulador espacial Frontier: Elite 2, André se perde nas profundezas do pesadelo indie de Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken, Rafa faz parkour no deserto em Prince of Persia (2008) e Tengu volta para a escola com Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Aproveite o TECH DAY da INSIDER, dia 15/12 Linha Tech com peças a partir de R$99 00:02:50: Escolha dos jogos 00:02:52: Sushi pro André 00:08:43: Rafa pro Tengu 00:13:15: André pro Sushi 00:36:15: Rafa sobre Prince of Persia (2008) 01:21:39: Sushi sobre Frontier: Elite II 02:34:07: Tengu sobre Fire Emblem: Three Houses 03:22:35: André sobre Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken Contribua | Twitter | YouTube | Twitch | Contato

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-79a032160a79d5f82efc29dacd9a774d{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-79a032160a79d5f82efc29dacd9a774d .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-79a032160a79d5f82efc29dacd9a774d .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 02 – December 13Daniel 8 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – December 13 Daniel 8 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/02-1213db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat 1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, [1] a vision appeared to me—I, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me previously. 2 I saw the vision, and as I watched, I was in the citadel [2] of Susa, which is in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up and right there in front of me I saw a ram standing beside the canal. He had two horns. The two horns were large. One, however, was larger than the other, but the larger one had grown up later. 4 I saw the ram pushing toward the west, north, and south, and no beast was able to stand in his way. Nothing could rescue anyone from his power. So he did as he pleased and made himself great. 5 As I was thinking about this, I saw a male goat coming from the west, moving across the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came up to the ram with the two horns that I saw standing beside the canal, and he ran at him with fierce anger. 7 I saw him coming up to the ram, and he was enraged against him. He struck the ram and broke his two horns. The ram had no power to stand up against him, so the goat threw the ram to the ground and trampled him. There was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 The male goat made himself very great. But as he became strong, his large horn was broken, and four conspicuous horns grew up in its place toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Then from one of these horns a single horn came up. It began small, but it became very large toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. 10 It exalted itself against the army of heaven. It made some of that army and some of the stars fall to earth, and it trampled them. 11 It exalted itself against the Prince of the Army. It deprived him of the continual sacrifice, and the place of his sanctuary was thrown down. 12 The army and the continual sacrifice will be handed over to the horn during the rebellion, and it will throw truth to the ground. It will succeed in doing this. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one speaking, “How long is the vision about the continual sacrifice and the rebellion that causes desolation going to last—this handing over of both the Holy Place and the army to be trampled?” 14 He said to him, “Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings, and then the Holy Place will be consecrated.” Gabriel Explains the Vision of the Ram and the Goat 15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to understand it. Then suddenly there was someone standing in front of me who had the appearance of a man. 16 I heard a human voice coming from between the banks of the Ulai. It called out and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came beside the spot where I stood, and when he came, I was terrified and fell facedown. He said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision concerns the time of the end.” 18 When he had spoken with me, I fell into a deep sleep, facedown on the ground. He touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Listen, I am about to make known to you what will happen during the last part of the furious anger, because this concerns the appointed time of the end. 20 “The ram that you saw had two horns, the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The male goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. [3] 22 He is the one who was broken, and four others arose in his place. Four kingdoms will arise from his nation, but not with the same power he had. 23 “In the latter part of their kingdom, when the rebels have reached their full measure, a merciless king who understands intrigue will arise. [4] 24 His power will be very great, but not from his own power. He will destroy wonderful things, and he will succeed in doing this. He will destroy mighty men [5] and the people of the saints. 25 Through his cunning, he will deceive in order to succeed by his power and will also exalt himself in his heart. He will destroy many who are at ease, [6] and he will rise up against the Prince of Princes. However, he will be broken, but not by human power. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that was spoken is true. But you—seal the vision, because it concerns a time many days in the future.” 27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up and carried out the king's business. I was stunned by the vision, but I did not understand it. Footnotes Daniel 8:1 About 551 bc, after Daniel had been in exile more than 50 years Daniel 8:2 The term citadel or fortress-city identifies a city as one of the capital cities of the Persian Empire. Persia and Elam are located in present-day Iran. Daniel 8:21 Alexander the Great of Macedon, around 330 bc Daniel 8:23 This section predicts the persecution of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes in about 168 bc. See chapter 11. Daniel 8:24 Or many people Daniel 8:25 Or unsuspecting #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

Josiah. His sons. The fall of Judah at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Cyrus of Persia orders the return of the Jews to Jerusalem to build the House of God! Zerubbabel leads the first wave of returnees and the Temple construction is started.

Haman, the royal official who hates Mordecai for being disrespectful and insubordinate, has tricked King Ahaseurus into giving him even more power and authority. With the king's signet ring in hand, he devised a scheme to wipe out the Jewish people, whom he hates because of his hatred for Mordecai. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall,” and that proverb will be on full display here in today's episode as we observe the life, and death, of Haman. As Esther approaches the king, we'll see God's orchestration of divine justice even in Persia, while Esther and her people are blessed by a holy and sovereign God who provides for those who fear Him.Esther 5 - 1:05 . Esther 6 - 4:30 . Esther 7 - 8:35 . Esther 8 - 12:03 . Proverbs 30:18-33 – 16:34 . :::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

Picking up where we left off, in part 2 of my conversation with Leo from Classical Numismatics, we go deeper—tracing the earliest coins across Rome, Persia, and beyond. If you think everyone used silver, think again. From punch-marked coins in India to Roman bronze lumps, the diversity of 500 BC money tells a wild story of innovation and imitation.Please rate us (highly) on Apple Podcasts and SpotifyLeo's Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@ClassicalNumismaticsGreat Playlists - I recommend starting with ANCIENT GREEK COINShttps://www.youtube.com/@ClassicalNumismatics/playlistshttps://www.kinzercoins.com/HELP SUPPORT OUR SHOW!https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistoryIf you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistory or https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistoryTo easily share this episode with friends and family use this link https://pod.fo/e/35a649This is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.Contact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The account of Esther, the Jewish orphan who becomes the queen of Persia, is neither a Cinderella story, nor a how-to guide for righteousness. It does, however, give us a picture of the God who graciously uses broken people to achieve His glorious ends and fulfill His covenant promises. The names that the two Jewish characters operate under, Esther and Mordecai, are not Israelite names, but are instead names that give honor to Persian gods. The book reflects how they operate under this saturation of Persian culture by mentioning the Persian king 190 times while God is never explicitly mentioned. On today's episode we meet Esther, Mordecai, King Ahaseurus, and the self-righteous enemy of God's people: Haman.Esther 1 - 1:02 . Esther 2 - 5:51 . Esther 3 - 11:50 . Esther 4 - 15:42 .  :::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

As we witness our society's descent into further ungodliness in normal living, we may find ourselves pulled toward the darkness as well. As much as we want to live godly lives, the sin nature resident in us is allured by the things of the world around us. As Pastor Ricky will be sharing, the Jews in Persia may have had the same difficulty. At such times, it's all but impossible to give in and go along with everyone else. We'll find out how Hadassah, also known as Esther, deals with this circumstance.

The book of Daniel in a single episode. Bodie and Joey unpack the essential details of Daniel, where it falls on the storyline, the structure of the book, major themes and ideas, what Daniel teaches us about God, what it offers our Christian lives, and a couple of our favorite details to equip and inspire you to read, study, and understand this prophet of Judah who God used to interpret dreams and visions in Babylon while living as a true example of courage conviction under pressure.

We're quickly approaching Game of the Year time so make sure to fill out our annual TDP Community GotY survey! Paul is playing Horses and Marvel Cosmic Invasion. Sean's back to talk Sektori, Banishers, and Pipstrello and the Cursed Yoyo. During news we chat about a possible new Dead Rising game, Far Cry is getting a TV series, and the Prince of Persia remake gets mentioned. TDP is listener funded. Like what you hear? Want to support the show and get ad-free episodes? Head over to https://www.patreon.com/topdownperspective

Victory didn't end the story; it changed the rules. After Mycale and Plataea, the Persian threat receded, the Aegean opened, and a vacuum pulled Athens, Sparta, and Persia into a new contest—one fought with fleets, diplomacy, and competing visions of security. We walk through the decade that followed 479 BC to show how shattered empires, cautious land powers, and ambitious sea powers redrew the map of Greek politics.We unpack Persia's strategic shift from invasion to consolidation: naval losses that invited Ionian revolts, satraps scrambling to stabilize Lydia and the Hellespont, and a measured pivot to subsidies and envoys that exploited Greek divisions. On the mainland, we contrast Sparta's deliberate restraint—defending the Peloponnese, avoiding distant obligations, and prioritizing social stability—with Athens' awakening to maritime destiny. The Athenian fleet becomes more than defense; it becomes identity, food security, and leverage, soon anchored by the Piraeus and the Long Walls.At the heart of the story sits the Ionian question: who protects the liberated cities when Persian garrisons fall away? Athens answers with ships and treaties that coalesce into the Delian League—a standing alliance promising collective security while granting Athens command of contributions and strategy. We explore how the League funds naval expansion, extends operations to Cyprus and the Hellespont, and slowly turns cooperation into hegemony. Along the way, we track the emerging fault line with Sparta, as allied poleis navigate between land hegemony and sea hegemony, and Persia watches for fractures to widen.By the end, freedom has returned to the Aegean, but unity has not. That paradox—liberation without consensus—sets the foundations for the classical Greek order, Athenian naval supremacy, and the rivalries that will define the fifth century. If power abhors a vacuum, this decade shows who rushed in, why they moved, and how their choices reshaped the world. Subscribe, share, and tell us: which decision mattered most—the Spartan retreat, the Athenian fleet, or Persia's long game?Support the show

Pastor Rich Jones and Dr. Matthew Dodd were invited by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Friends of Zion Ministry to travel to Israel for the Ambassador Summit 2025 – 1,000 Pastors United. In this episode of the Blessors of Israel Podcast, Dr. Dodd shares his initial reflections from the Nova Festival site, where Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on October 7, 2023, resulting in the tragic deaths of 400 individuals and the hostage-taking of over 40 others.Visit the Blessors of Israel Website: https://www.blessors.org/ Thank you for supporting Blessors of Israel. Donate Online: https://blessors.org/donate/Please Subscribe and Like our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUfbl_rf8O_uwKrfzCh04jgSubscribe to our ⁠Spotify Channel⁠: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blessorsofisrael Subscribe to our Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blessors-of-israedl/id1699662615Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlessorsofIsrael/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlessorsIGettr: https://gettr.com/i/blessorsofisrael Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-1670015Thank you for watching. Please like and share this video.We would love to hear your comments.Those who bless Israel will be blessed (Genesis 12:3).Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones Blessors of IsraelMatthew Dodd Blessors of IsraelBlessors of IsraelBlessers of IsraelTags:Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddRich JonesDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones, Blessors of Israel, Rich Jones, Blessers of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessors of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessers of Israel, Blessers of Israel, Blessors of Israel, Two-State Solution, Palestine, Modern Palestinian Problem, Israel, Jesus Christ, Anti-Semitism, Prophecy Update, End Times Prophecy, Latter Days, Bible Prophecy, The Great Tribulation, Hamas, Gaza Strip, Terrorism, Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, Persia, Gog and Magog, BRICS, China, CCP, Persia, Iran, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, Yahya Sinwar, Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, Deif, United Nations, Terrorism, Antisemitism, Syria, Bashar al Assad, HTS, Damascus, Mount Hermon, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Trump, Putin, Ceasefire, Hostages, al Jolani, al Sharaa, Holocaust Day of Remembrance, China, Egypt, Iran Nuclear Deal, Trump, War, WWIII, Hamas, Anti-Semitism, October 7, 2023, Trump's 20-Point Peace Plan, Qatar, Egypt, Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Hostages, Nova Festival Site

On the first day of the Ambassador Summit 2025, Pastor Rich Jones met with Dr. Matthew Dodd at the Nova Festival Site, the tragic location where Hamas terrorists took the lives of 400 young men and women and held over 40 others hostage. In this poignant podcast, Pastor Rich and Dr. Dodd share their reflections on the heinous crimes against humanity that unfolded at Nova on October 7, 2023.Visit the Blessors of Israel Website: https://www.blessors.org/ Thank you for supporting Blessors of Israel. Donate Online: https://blessors.org/donate/Please Subscribe and Like our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUfbl_rf8O_uwKrfzCh04jgSubscribe to our ⁠Spotify Channel⁠: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blessorsofisrael Subscribe to our Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blessors-of-israedl/id1699662615Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlessorsofIsrael/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlessorsIGettr: https://gettr.com/i/blessorsofisrael Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-1670015Thank you for watching. Please like and share this video.We would love to hear your comments.Those who bless Israel will be blessed (Genesis 12:3).Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones Blessors of IsraelMatthew Dodd Blessors of IsraelBlessors of IsraelBlessers of IsraelTags:Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddRich JonesDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones, Blessors of Israel, Rich Jones, Blessers of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessors of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessers of Israel, Blessers of Israel, Blessors of Israel, Two-State Solution, Palestine, Modern Palestinian Problem, Israel, Jesus Christ, Anti-Semitism, Prophecy Update, End Times Prophecy, Latter Days, Bible Prophecy, The Great Tribulation, Hamas, Gaza Strip, Terrorism, Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, Persia, Gog and Magog, BRICS, China, CCP, Persia, Iran, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, Yahya Sinwar, Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, Deif, United Nations, Terrorism, Antisemitism, Syria, Bashar al Assad, HTS, Damascus, Mount Hermon, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Trump, Putin, Ceasefire, Hostages, al Jolani, al Sharaa, Holocaust Day of Remembrance, China, Egypt, Iran Nuclear Deal, Trump, War, WWIII, Hamas, Anti-Semitism, October 7, 2023, Trump's 20-Point Peace Plan, Qatar, Egypt, Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Hostages, Nova Festival Site, Friends of Zion

Israel's war against Hamas has left wives without their husband, children without their parents, and parents without their children. On December 4, 2025, Ambassador Summit 2025 hosted a special memorial service at Mt. Herzl to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives to protect Israel from an existential threat, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and the Houthis. In this episode of the Blessors of Israel Podcast, Dr. Matthew Dodd shares his thoughts regarding the memorial service along with insights about the importance of standing with Israel at this critical hour.Visit the Blessors of Israel Website: https://www.blessors.org/ Thank you for supporting Blessors of Israel. Donate Online: https://blessors.org/donate/Please Subscribe and Like our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUfbl_rf8O_uwKrfzCh04jgSubscribe to our ⁠Spotify Channel⁠: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blessorsofisrael Subscribe to our Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blessors-of-israedl/id1699662615Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlessorsofIsrael/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlessorsIGettr: https://gettr.com/i/blessorsofisrael Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-1670015Thank you for watching. Please like and share this video.We would love to hear your comments.Those who bless Israel will be blessed (Genesis 12:3).Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones Blessors of IsraelMatthew Dodd Blessors of IsraelBlessors of IsraelBlessers of IsraelTags:Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddRich JonesDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones, Blessors of Israel, Rich Jones, Blessers of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessors of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessers of Israel, Blessers of Israel, Blessors of Israel, Two-State Solution, Palestine, Modern Palestinian Problem, Israel, Jesus Christ, Anti-Semitism, Prophecy Update, End Times Prophecy, Latter Days, Bible Prophecy, The Great Tribulation, Hamas, Gaza Strip, Terrorism, Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, Persia, Gog and Magog, BRICS, China, CCP, Persia, Iran, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, Yahya Sinwar, Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, Deif, United Nations, Terrorism, Antisemitism, Syria, Bashar al Assad, HTS, Damascus, Mount Hermon, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Trump, Putin, Ceasefire, Hostages, al Jolani, al Sharaa, Holocaust Day of Remembrance, China, Egypt, Iran Nuclear Deal, Trump, War, WWIII, Hamas, Anti-Semitism, October 7, 2023, Trump's 20-Point Peace Plan, Qatar, Egypt, Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Hostages, Nova Festival Site, Friends of Zion, Mt. Herzl

Unearth the Biblical destiny of Iran on this complete, chronological timeline about the truth about Persia written in the Bible. Off the Kirb Ministries explores Iran's Bible prophecy using archaeology, historical maps, and stunning 4K Ultra HD visuals. Whilst introducing an unheard of Bible prophecy about Iran that no one is mentioning.This full Bible documentary-style journey explores the real-life Bible lore behind Iran's ancient empires: from Cyrus the Great and the Cyrus Cylinder, to Daniel, Darius, Nehemiah, and Esther and leading to God's future plan for Iran as prophesied in the book of Revelation.

I Corinthians 4:9-16 St. John 1:35-51 In this homily for the Feast of St. Andrew, Fr. Anthony contrasts the world's definition of success with the apostolic witness of sacrifice, humility, and courageous love. Drawing on St. Paul's admonition to the Corinthians, he calls Christians to recover the reverence due to bishops and spiritual fathers, to reject the corrosive logic of social media, and to return to the ascetical path that forms us for theosis. St. Andrew and St. Paul's lives reveals that true honor is found not in comfort or acclaim but in following Christ wherever He leads — even into suffering and martyrdom.  Enjoy the show! ---- St. Andrew Day, 2025 The Orthodox Church takes apostolic succession very seriously; the preservation of "the faith passed on to the apostles" is maintained by the physicality of the ordination of bishops by bishops, all of who can trace the history of the ordination of the bishops who ordained them back to one or more of the apostles themselves.  You probably already new that.  But there is another part of that respect for the apostles that you may not know of: the ranking of autocephalist (i.e. independent) national Churches.  The Canons (especially those of the Council of Trullo) give prominence to the five ancient patriarchates of Rome (Sts. Peter and Paul), Constantinople (St. Andrew), Alexandria (St. Mark), Antioch (St. Paul), and Jerusalem (St. James).   St. Andrew travelled into dangerous barbarian lands to spread the Gospel, to include the Middle East, and, most notably, then North to the lands around the Black Sea; Ankara and Edessa to the south of the Black Sea in what is now Turkey, to the East of the Black Sea into the Caucuses, and up to the North of the Black Sea to the Scythian lands into what is now Ukraine.  That was his first journey.  After this, he returned to Jerusalem and then went on his second journey to Antioch, back up into the Caucasus, out to the land of the dog-headed people in Central Asia, down through what is now Afghanistan to the Arabian Sea, and then back up through Persia and finally into Greece, where he was martyred. He sacrificed so much for the Gospel and brought so many souls to salvation through the Christ he himself knew, both before and after His glorious Resurrection.  His virtue and sacrificial service allow God's grace to flow into the world and he serves as the patron of several countries, cities, and all Christians who bear variations of His name such as Andrew, Andrei, and Andrea. As Orthodox Christians, we should know his story, ask for his intercession, and imitate his witness.  And everyone, whether Christian or not, should respect his virtue.  But does it?  Does it even respect virtue?  Do we? As Saint Paul points out in today's Epistle, many of us do not.  And don't think the problem was just in Corinth; St. John Chrysostom's homilies on this epistle show that the people there were at least as guilty.  And that was in the center of Eastern Orthodoxy, during the time of alleged symphonia between the Church and State.  Should there be any doubt that we, too, allow the world to define the sorts of worldly things we should prioritize? After all … What is it that the world respects in a man?  What is it that the world respects in a woman?  Think for a second what it is that impresses you the most about the people you admire – perhaps even makes you jealous, wishing that you had managed to obtain the same things. I cannot read your minds, but if you are like most Americans, the list would certainly include: A long, healthy life, without chronic pain or major physical injury A life free of indictment, arrest, or imprisonment The respect, admiration, and popularity of their peers Money, a big house, a vacation house, and the ability to retire comfortably (and early) These are some of the things that many of you are either pleased to enjoy, regret not having obtained, or, if you are young, are currently striving for. The Apostles Andrew and Paul, gave up the possibility for all these things to follow Christ.  Not because they wanted to; not because God made them; they gave up the life of worldly comfort and respect because – in a culture and time as messed up as theirs was – this is the only Way to live a life of grace and to grow in love and perfection. A long, healthy life, without chronic pain or major physical injury? Nope – gave it up. A life free of indictment, arrest, or imprisonment? Nope – gave it up. The respect, admiration, and popularity of their peers? No again. Money, a big house, a vacation house, and the ability to retire comfortably (and early) I don't think so (unless a prison in Rome and martyrdom count!). Because St. Paul is writing as an Apostle, instructing a parish that he was called to lead, it is tempting to put his sacrifices into the category of "things that clergy do".  And clergy certainly should follow their example.  While my example is not so bright, you may know that I gave up a life of wealth, admiration, and the possibility of a comfortable retirement so that I could serve as a priest.  God has blessed that and protected me from harm, but the opportunity costs are real, nonetheless.   And while I am a pale shadow of him (and he of Christ), I, like the Apostle Paul, did these things not because I wanted to (I liked my life then!) and not because God made me, but because in a culture and time as messed up as ours is, such a life of simplicity and complete service to others is the only Way I can live a life of grace and to grow in love and towards perfection in Christ. I have made some sacrifices, but I know other clergymen who – in our time – have given up more.  Their entire lives given over to sacrificial servce to Christ.  Who have become experts in both academic theology and the real theology of constant prayer.  Who have and continue to lead their dioceses and Churches through such difficult times.  And yet, who, like St. Paul, are not only reviled by the world, but even by Orthodox Christians.  Yes, to paraphrase St. Paul, we are so smart and educated that we can criticize and heap piles of coal on their heads because we know so much more than they do – because they, like St. Paul, are fools.  We can trash-talk them on social media and applaud others who lead the charge against them because they are so weak and we are so strong. How long does it take for a Patriarch's priestly ministry to make him respectable in our sight?  For us to respect him, or at least to forebear him? It must be more than 55 years, based on the things I have heard and read us saying about Patriarch Kyrril who has been leading his Church and people through an incredibly difficult time, as he believes the West works to undermine his people's faith and traditional Christianity everywhere. It must also be more than 55 years, based on the things I have heard and read us saying about Patriarch Bartholomew, as he works amidst the persecution of the government in the place he lives to bring Christians and Christians who have long been divided into and towards the unity for which we pray daily and which our God desires us to work towards. It must be more than 42 years, based on the things I have heard and read us saying about our own Patriach John, who has seen his people and Church crucified and persecuted and who seeks to encourage the local authorities to protect the weak and the Church and people he serves (while leading the people he serves in the West to avoid the excesses of liberty).   I hope you feel the shame, if not your own personal shame for having participated in slandering and judging our bishops and patriarchs, then feel shame for seeing the world and those Orthodox Christians who are living by its rules attacking them and questioning their virtue. This is the same shame that St. Paul was trying to elicit in Corinth.  Do you feel the shame?  If not, then the world, probably through social media, has deadened your noetic senses.  It is time for repentance.   And like St. Paul, I have to tell you that – while few of you may be called to priestly or monastic service – all of us are called to reject those things that the world has led us to value, because all of these things are like barrier between us and the eternal joy and perfection we were called to enjoy. Listen to me, my brothers and sisters, as I repeat the words of St. Paul we so desperately need to hear:   "For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.  Therefore I urge you, imitate me."   We do not have St. Paul as our father, but we have one of his successors, Patriarch John, and those whom he has assigned to us, such as Metropolitan Saba, Bishop John, and even this, your unworthy servant.  Let's stop giving attention to those who attack Orthodox clerics and thereby sow division within the Church and undermine its witness to others. Let's give up our attachment to this world and its ways.  Let's give up everything worldly we love, follow Christ, and gain the things that are really worth our love, admiration, and sacrifice.

Thursday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time - Thanksgiving Day in the United States Saint of the Day St. James Interecisus; in the Fifth Century, he was a favorite of King Yezdigerd I of Persia, and James was a Christian; but James renounced his faith when the king began a persecution of Christians; when Yezdigerd died, James repented and once again professed Chrstianity; when he refused to apostasize, he was executed by having his body cut apart in pieces--thus, his name, "Intercisus"--cut in pieces--and he was beheaded. Office of Readings and Morning Prayer for 11/27/25 Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

Friday Bible Study (11/7/25) // Ezra 3:1-7- (ESV) //Rebuilding the Altar1 When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, 5 and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. 7 So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.Website: https://mbchicago.org FOLLOW US Facebook:   / mbc.chicago   Instagram:   / mbc.chicago   TikTok:   / mbc.chicago   Podcasts: Listen on Apple, Spotify & others TO SUPPORT US Zelle to: info@mbchicago.org Website: https://mbchicago.org/give Venmo: https://venmo.com/mbchurch DAF Donations: https://every.org/mbc.chicago PayPal: https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_but... #Ezra #DanielBatarseh #BibleStudy #mbchicago #mbcchicago #Bible #versebyverse #church #chicago #livechurch #churchlive #chicagochurch #chicagochurches #sermon #bibleexplained #bibleproject #bibleverse #bookbybook #oldtestament #explained

Philemon IntroductionThanks to everyone who supports TMBH at patreon.com/thetmbhpodcastYou're the reason we can all do this together!Discuss the episode hereMusic by Jeff Foote

Some years ago, we took a delegation of teenagers to a youth conference at the Jersey Shore, and one of our volunteers was one of the counselors. One evening she left the meeting early to check on one of the kids from our group. She started walking down the Boardwalk. Suddenly she hears this cry for help from the water down below. She realized that a girl was out there in that dark ocean about to drown. So she yelled for others to come, she pulled off her shoes and she jumped into the water. She knew this was a life-or-death situation, and she said, "I just had to do something." Pretty soon a couple of men jumped in to help her and together they were able to rescue that young woman. And you know what? Our friend realized the real reason she had been out on the Boardwalk that night. Much to her surprise, she had literally been placed there to save a life! I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Surprising Reason You Are Where You Are." Now our word for today from the Word of God comes from the amazing story of Esther, which is told in the book in the Bible that carries her name. Esther was a young Jewish woman who was in Persia as part of the Jews who had been brought there when the Persians conquered her people. But through an amazing series of events, she becomes the Queen of Persia, the wife of the most powerful man in the world, but no one knew she was a Jew. When a power-mad member of the king's court engineered this royal decree to have the Jews annihilated, the man who raised Esther sent her a message, challenging her to use her access to the king to save her people. To do so, she would literally have to risk her life because the law required that anyone who came to the king uninvited - even the queen - would be put to death unless the king extended his golden scepter to spare them, and Esther had not been summoned by the king for a month. The challenge Esther receives is in our word for today from the Word of God, Esther 4:14, and it may very well be the challenge that our Savior has for you at this point in your life. Here it is. "Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" In other words, God has placed you where you are, not just to enjoy the benefits of your position, but to save lives! Have you considered that maybe that's the same reason you've been positioned where you are? You work where you work, you live where you live, you go to school where you go to school, you do what you do because God has assigned you there to be those people's link to Jesus! Some years ago, my friend Gary was talking with a woman whose dad teaches at one of America's military academies. This woman was really spiritually burdened for her dad. Gary knows a lot of influential people and he offered to call the then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to invite her dad to an upcoming adult outreach. Or, he said, "I'll even call a Christian cabinet member I know in this administration." But to my friend's surprise, this woman said, "No, that won't work." Gary asked her what would work - who could get through to her father. Her answer? "Another professor. Someone like him." That's probably how the people around you are going to be reached for Christ - through someone who does what they do, lives where they live, faces what they face. And for the people around you, that would be you. I don't know what you think of when I say the word "evangelist" - probably someone preaching on a crusade platform - but I hope you'll start to think of the man or woman in the mirror. Because all that is, is someone who carries the Good News of Jesus to people who need Him. Of all of the millions of God's children, you're the one He has positioned to rescue the people around you. And where you are is your stretch of the beach and you're His designated lifeguard. Like a young woman near the ocean that night, like that Jewish girl placed in a strategic spot, you've been placed where you are to save someone who is dying - eternally if they die without Christ. You're not there just to enjoy your spot. You are there to save lives!

The tale of three city states continues as Sparta maintains their seizure of Thebes while Athens looks to reclaim their maritime dominance. Persia has war on many fronts and ever-worsening palace intrigue, making their interference or lack thereof uncertain. While the old kings Agesilaus and Artaxerxes live on, a new generation of leaders, warriors, orators and innovators are emerging throughout Greece. The continuing stories of Chabrias, Parysatis, Iphicrates and Tirabazus - featuring their best ASOIAF counterparts - plus new characters added to the mix.HoW Audience Survey - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/howsurvey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bonus Eps & More -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ patreon.com/historyofwesteros⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shirts & Stickers -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠historyofwesteros.threadless.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.historyofwesteros.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Intro/Maps - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠klaradox.de⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook Group -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ bit.ly/howfb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ bit.ly/howdiscord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nina - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠goodqueenaly.tumblr.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

“Every empire eventually turns inward—what’s built on pride always devours itself.” In Daniel 11, prophecy and history collide as Nicole Unice walks listeners through one of the most complex and detailed chapters in Scripture—a 400-year panorama of rising and falling empires from Persia to Greece to the early Seleucid rulers. This chapter exposes the fragile nature of human power and contrasts it with the unshakable Kingdom of God. Through vivid examples—from Alexander the Great to the tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes—Nicole shows how earthly empires mirror the human heart’s struggle for control, pride, and self-preservation. Yet amid corruption and chaos, God’s faithful people stand firm, reminding us that love, not violence or fear, is the true form of resistance in God’s Kingdom. Main Takeaways / Learning Points: History affirms prophecy: Daniel 11 accurately foreshadows 400 years of history between Persia and Greece, confirming that God’s Word aligns with historical reality. Empires mirror the human heart: Pride, control, greed, and fear—the same forces that shape nations—also war within individuals. Power corrupts when centered on self: The rise of rulers like Antiochus Epiphanes reminds us that when people worship power, they inevitably destroy what they seek to control. God preserves a faithful remnant: Even in the darkest eras, those “who know their God will stand firm and take action” (Daniel 11:32). Resistance in God’s Kingdom looks different: True strength shows up in humility, faithfulness, and love—not domination. Bible Verse References (linked) Daniel 11:2–4 — Prophecy of Persia and Greece. Daniel 11:21–23 — A contemptible ruler seizes power. Daniel 11:32–35 — The faithful resist corruption. 1 Chronicles 16:9 — God’s eyes search the earth to strengthen His people. Matthew 5:44 — Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Calls to Action (CTAs) Subscribe to How to Study the Bible with Nicole Unice for weekly studies. Download the free Daniel Study Guide: nicoleunice.com/daniel Watch the bonus “Digging Deeper” video on YouTube: What does it mean to resist empire through love? Share this episode with a small group or study partner walking through Daniel. Relevant Links / Resources Free Study Guide: nicoleunice.com/daniel YouTube Channel: How to Study the Bible with Nicole Unice LifeAudio Network: lifeaudio.com Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.