Podcasts about Philistines

In this episode, we dive deep into the mysterious people known as the Philistines — one of Israel's greatest and most persistent rivals. Where did they come from? Were they truly the crude warriors we often imagine, or was there more to their story? We'll uncover their origins, their connection to the Sea Peoples, and how they built one of the most advanced and artistic cultures along the Mediterranean coast. From iron weapons to fortified cities, their influence reshaped the ancient world — and forever changed Israel's history.   If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and follow The History of the Bible on your favorite podcast platform. Your ratings and reviews help others discover the show and support the creation of future episodes. If you'd like to support The History of the Bible, visit our Patreon Page. Follow us on Facebook for updates, discussions, and behind-the-scenes content. Your feedback is valuable to us! Share your thoughts and insights via our feedback form. Let us know how our podcast has impacted you or someone you know by filling out our impact form. If you have concerns about any information presented, please inform us via our correction form. Highlights The Origin of the Philistines The Connection to the Sea Peoples Iron Weapons and the Fall of the Bronze Age The Five Cities of Philistia Art, Architecture, and Aegean Influence #Philistines #BibleHistory #AncientIsrael #OldTestament #BiblicalArchaeology #SeaPeoples #BiblePodcast #Archaeology #AncientWorld #Gath #Gaza #Ashdod #Ashkelon #Ekron #HebrewBible #HistoryOfTheBible #Canaan #BiblicalStudies #AncientNearEast #ArchaeologyPodcast   Episode's Sources https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Philistine https://armstronginstitute.org/30-uncovering-the-bibles-buried-civilizations-the-philistines https://biblehub.com/exodus/13-17.htm https://www.worldhistory.org/Sea_Peoples/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ancient-dna-sheds-new-light-biblical-philistines-180972561/ https://thewitness.org/who-were-the-philistines/ https://armstronginstitute.org/1015-israels-philistine-foes  

Why is the world obsessively fixated on a tiny nation in the Middle East, and what does it mean for Christian parents raising the next generation? In this riveting episode, Catherine asks one of the most urgent questions of our time: What is happening in Israel—and how does it connect to ancient prophecy and our daily parenting? To help answer, she welcomes acclaimed author, filmmaker, and Christian apologist Dinesh D'Souza, whose new documentary, The Dragon’s Prophecy, is based on Jonathan Cahn’s bestselling book and brings biblical prophecy and current events to vivid life. Dinesh D'Souza, whose career spans best-selling novels, blockbuster documentaries, and service in the Reagan White House, brings unparalleled insight to the intersection of faith, history, and politics. In this episode, he unpacks why Israel sits at the center of an ancient spiritual war, why Revelation 12 holds the key to understanding headlines today, and how the battle between good and evil is not just on distant soil—but in every soul. Key highlights include: The chilling reality of October 7, 2023, and never-before-seen footage that reveals the spiritual darkness behind terrorist acts. The core message of The Dragon’s Prophecy: Evil is real, embodied in the biblical “dragon”—and parents must recognize the spiritual war behind the chaos. How ancient battles between Israelites and Philistines eerily parallel today’s conflict, and why biblical prophecy continues to unfold before our eyes. The power of biblical archaeology in verifying the historical accuracy of Scripture—from Pontius Pilate’s existence to the discovery of King David’s palace—arming parents and skeptics alike with facts to defend their faith. Tough questions about modern Israel, replacement theology, and the promises God made to Abraham’s descendants, with thoughtful discussion on both biblical and political identity. Notable moment: “There is a world behind the world and...the events we see are incomplete if we don’t understand them as part of a cosmic struggle between good and evil.” –Dinesh D'Souza As Christian parents, we’re called not just to read the news, but to “discern the moment” (1 Chronicles 12:32)—guiding our children with faith, courage, and wisdom in a time of spiritual war. Don’t miss this eye-opening episode—and consider: How will you prepare your kids not just to survive, but to lead in the times to come? EPISODE LINKS: The Dragon’s Prophecy Film The Dinesh D’Souza Podcast Catherine’s Prodigal Bundle Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Sunday, November 2, 2025Judge #1: OthnielJudges 3:7-11 (NLT) The Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight. They forgot about the LORD their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. Then the LORD burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. And the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother, Kenaz. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel's judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the LORD gave Othniel victory over him. So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.LESSON: It's not enough to be gifted and obedient; we must depend on the Spirit's power in everything we do.Judge #2: EhudJudges 3:12-7 (NLT) Once again the Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight, and the LORD gave King Eglon of Moab control over Israel because of their evil. Eglon enlisted the Ammonites and Amalekites as allies, and then he went out and defeated Israel, taking possession of Jericho, the city of palms. And the Israelites served Eglon of Moab for eighteen years. But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD again raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed man of the tribe of Benjamin. The Israelites sent Ehud to deliver their tribute money to King Eglon of Moab. So Ehud made a double-edged dagger that was about a foot long, and he strapped it to his right thigh, keeping it hidden under his clothing. He brought the tribute money to Eglon, who was very fat.LESSON: Be fully available to God—even when you feel limited or less than capable.Judge #3: ShamgarJudges 3:31 (NLT) After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath rescued Israel. He once killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad.LESSON: Stand strong and give what you have, even if there are limited resources.NEXT STEPSDepend Daily - Begin each day this week with a simple prayer: “Holy Spirit, I depend on You today. Lead me, empower me, and help me not to rely on myself.”Be Available - Ask God to show you one area where you've been holding back because you felt inadequate and say yes to His leading.Use What You Have - Identify one resource, relationship, or skill you already have that could serve God or someone in need this week and act on it.

Part 3 of the series in 1 and 2 Chronicles. Genealogies of the remaining tribes of Israel, of Saul, and of returnees from exile. Also an account of the death of Saul and his sons in battle with the Philistines.

The post Displeasing The Philistines – 1 Samuel 29:6-7 – November 1, 2025 first appeared on Enduring Word.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 1st of November, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in 1 Samuel 17:45”Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.” What a powerful scripture! Then we go straight to 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” What an incredible scripture!Today, we are on our way to war. Yes, we are. We are going down to Cape Town, the southernmost city in our beloved country of South Africa. A most beautiful place, but there is a war going on in the Cape Flats as I speak to you. We are going to assist. We are going to support. We are going into the fight, and we are going to take satan's head off, just like David took the head of Goliath off, and we are not going with firearms. No, we are going with the word of God. Even as the young boy David said to the giant, ”You come against me with spears and swords. I come against you with the name of the Lord God of Israel.” It is going to be a most wonderful day of victory. I cannot wait. In fact, the victory is already there. We are just going to join up with God's men in the Athlone Stadium in the Cape Flats. Please, gentlemen, if you are not planning to come, come along, because you will see something you will never, ever forget as long as you live, and one day you will sit with your grandchild on your lap and that child will ask you, ”Were you there, grandad?” I hope you will be able to say, ”Yes indeed, I was there, the day that the Lord Jesus Christ came down in fire and authority and defeated the devil once and for all!”Please pray for us. God bless you and goodbye.

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 21 Beyond Bed  Breakfast In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.   Defiance is not common because to rebel is to become friendless            "What is it with you and butt-sex? Not that I mind, but you seem obsessed with it," Tawny asked. "I don't care one way or another, actually. I'm in a Christian school so vaginal virginity is a normal expectation, so it is oral and anal sex for me," I explained. "With Paige, my desire is based on her blanket rejection of the idea before we'd had sex at all. If I let her hold herself back because of an irrational fear, I would be doing her a disservice. I owe it to every lover to give it my all." "I hate Christina," Tawny muttered. "Why?" I inquired as we walked down the street. "We agreed that if either one of us were to sleep with you, we would warn the other one first," she regaled me with this bit of unexpected news. "I suppose that I could complain about you ladies making deals concerning my time and body without consulting me, or maybe how, having told me this, I won't sleep with either one of you, or perhaps I'll simply announce how I'm going to another school in another state next semester but I'm done with the bluster and pissy-ness for a while," I sighed. "Instead, I'm going to exact a promise from you two," I stated. Tawny and I stopped walking and stared into each other's eyes. "The loser has to get the winner's name tattooed on their ass. That's my condition." "That's nuts," Tawny chuckled. "I'm not going to have another girl's name tattooed on my ass." "Then drop out of your little agreement if you think I'm not worth it or that you will lose," I suggested. Tawny didn't reply, instead walking down the street once more. "We could have sex right now if you want," I said once we were side-by-side again. "You would break your pledge for me?" Tawny asked. "If you want to see Christina's ass with your name tattooed on it," I answered. "She'd never forgive either of us," Tawny noted. "Absolutely. She'd get the tat but she'd be very disappointed in us both," I agreed. "Is this how you repay me for saving you inside the warehouse?" Tawny questioned. "I'm not treating you like a sorority president or a graduating senior; I'm treating you like a desirable woman, a potential lover, and someone forced to think on an entirely personal, selfish level for once," I said. "I respect you enough to give you a moral challenge." Tawny stopped and pulled out her phone and dialed up a number but hesitated before sending it. "Hello, Christina; Tawny here," she started. "I have Zane with me outside the party and am seriously thinking about requesting him to have sex with me." I missed what Christina said. "Yes, I made him aware of the bet and he agreed anyway, but added that you would tattoo my name on your ass if we did it tonight. Is that acceptable?" Again, I missed Christina's comment. "Oh, he is very aware that you would be disappointed in him, and he did a good job of leading me on but he has no intention of following through on his little dare; he loves you too much. I almost fell for his ruse but then he revealed how much he cared about me and I figured it out," Tawny grinned at me, leaving me embarrassed. Christina spoke again. "Yes, I guess that means I might get 'Christina' tattooed to my ass. It is worth it," Tawny related to Christina. "I knew you would want to hear about this, he's still pining away for you." Christina got off a statement and Tawny laughed. "We should get together for dinner sometime, Christina, just the two of us. Take care now." "She wants you to know they won the game 3-1," Tawny told me as she put away her phone. "I'm not sure I want to marry you," Tawny mused. "You are very complicated and you could be a bit more truthful in your dealings." "My Uncle Tim sort of beat that honesty out of me but I'll make an effort on your behalf," I allowed. "Zane, that woman on the motorcycle is looking at us intently. Do you know her?" Tawny cautioned me. It was Willa and I didn't expect to see her tonight. "Willa?" I called out to the biker chick. She responded by waving a thin plastic card in my direction. It looked a lot like my fake ID I'd requested as a joke. "Tawny, hang back," I said in a serious tone. "Hey, Zane, I was curious to see your car parked down the street," Willa said as she dismounted her ride. "I thought you might be going to the Fallout Shelter and I wanted to talk with you first." "I wasn't planning on it," I replied. "Willa, this is Tawny. She's a senior at UV. Tawny, this is Willa; she's a Warlord motorcycle club member and she helped save Rio Thursday night." "Have you come to regret that decision yet?" Tawny asked Willa. Willa was uncertain for a second, then she smiled. "Not yet, but I haven't see her again either," Willa answered. "Please remember that Zane loves her dearly," Tawny said. "He'd become really upset if she ended up hospitalized or worse." "I figured that out when he took on thirty Warlords in order to rescue her after she made a colossal screw up," Willa informed Tawny. She handed me the fake ID, which I examined. "Hey," I complained, "this says I'm Ruckus Tanner, a sixty-eight-year-old black man." "No, it does not," she squawked as she ripped the card back and examined it. Since the ID said I was G. Zane Braxton, had my picture, and told the world I was 21, Willa looked up and glared at me. "Not funny," she snapped. I imagine she'd leapt through a few hoops with the Feds to get me this thing this quickly. "That's Zane being an ass once more," Tawny mocked me. "He does that to diffuse uncomfortable situations he finds himself in. The thing is, what is he uncomfortable about? Hi, we haven't been formally introduced. I'm Tawny Flores, President of the UV Kappa Sigma sorority." "Hmm, what was sex with him like?" Willa asked. "We've never had sex, she's just a friend, nothing to discuss," I interrupted. "No, I have not had sex with Zane, but I have been in bed with him totally naked. It is kind of a delicious memory I use from time to time," Tawny moaned sensually. "The thing is, what is your favorite Zane memory, and why didn't he tell you who I was?" "Zane, do you have a favorite memory of me?" Willa questioned me. "Your heels digging into my ass as you wrapped your legs around me and the tips of our tongues touched," I declared instantly. Willa blinked, somewhat startled at my accurate recall. "Do you have one of me?" Tawny inquired as she came up and put a hand on my shoulder as she positioned herself to my right side and slightly back. "Yes. It involves something about getting over 'that heartache'," I responded. Tawny squeezed my shoulder with some empathy for the memory. Willa looked to us for the context. "Him, me and his girlfriend, his real girlfriend, on another sister's bed; we were clothed and he was completely naked and totally aroused," Tawny smiled happily with the memory. "Zane, why didn't you jump her bones?" Willa looked me over. "I knew I was outmatched after that first kiss," I embellished the truth. "To be fair to Zane, he didn't have any clothes to put on and we weren't the two girls he'd been having sex with," Tawny snickered. "His confidence may have been shaken." "I find that hard to believe," Willa joked. I huffed and started down the street once more. Willa and Tawny fell in behind me in hushed conversation that I did my best to ignore. I walked down one more block, then turned to the left and entered a more occupied area. I also noted the sign for the Fallout Shelter. The Fallout Shelter I looked over my shoulder and caught Willa studying me. "Willa, do you know this place?" I asked. I figured she was actually hanging around to see if I was going to meet with Belle tonight and I was giving her some choices to make. "It's a nice place," Willa shrugged. "More of a college crowd hangout, though." "Tawny?" I inquired. "I've been inside a few times but they are more of an alternative rock crowd. But since we are here, we might as well take a look," Tawny reasoned. I was sure Willa wasn't happy with that answer but she followed us in anyway. As per custom, I was carded at the door by this solid-looking blonde guy named Bill running off toward premature baldness who could have used a few less beers and a few more days at the gym. By the look of his knuckles and face, he was familiar with fighting if not avoiding blows. He gave my new ID a cursory glance, almost handed it back, then froze. His eyes went from bored to furious in a second. Willa pushed me forward into the club before Bill could react We had to immediately race down a set of stairs because the Fallout Shelter had cut out the first floor so that the main floor was the old basement. Around the place was a series of catwalks that let you traverse the place above the chaos. Once on the main floor we migrated toward the bar. A band with a lot of volume and some sort of political message rendered largely unintelligible by the lead singer/bassist slurring or screaming his words was in the midst of their set so we got there quickly. Belle finished serving up beers to two girls who had this wiccan/goth thing going on, including dreadlocks. Belle's eyes took in the three of us, then settled back on me with a wicked gleam. "So, how did you get past Bill, who's the serious bitch, and I'm afraid I have to card you," Belle grinned. I handed her my new card. She looked it over, her grin becoming a smile. "This is a good one," she nodded, and handed it back. "Bill recognized me but Willa shoved us past him before he could punch me," I informed Belle. "He'll be down here soon enough. Lee, the head bouncer, knows about his temper and won't let him come down for a few minutes. Let me get you some drinks. Grab a table and I'll be right over," Belle told us. A small group of UV kids broke away from a table. One guy got sick, his buddy took him toward the bathrooms, and the boy/girl couple took their absence as an excuse to slip off. We grabbed their seats and took in an awkward moment. It was broken by the arrival of Belle and some beers. She put one down in front of Tawny and then Belle, then put two down in front of me. As I was figuring that out, Belle straddled me and sat so we faced one another. She had a seductive twist to her lips, part impish, part desire. She leaned in and started kissing me deeply without preamble and pushing her hips into mine. I had dire duo distraction of Belle having shed her bra behind the bar and her being in a crop-top red Harley-Davidson t-shirt. Belle kept pushing into me so I rested my hands on her hips and tried to push her back gently. Belle was having none of that. My seat began tilting back and I opted for a more aggressive strategy. I let my hands migrate up her waist and around to her back until I hooked both her shoulders. This had the added benefit of pulling the front of the shirt tight against her breasts. "Does this happen to him much?" Willa asked Tawny. "You've obviously never seen the footage of my sorority tying him to a cross out in the woods," Tawny responded. "So, yes, this happens to him more than any person I've ever known." "Does it bother you that we are both here on a Saturday night watching him make out with somebody else?" Belle inquired next. "I don't know about you but Zane needs me," Tawny mused. "He has a severe lack of guy friends so some of us ladies have to step up and be his wingman, woman." "Do you think he has a problem with male-bonding?" Willa questioned. Had I not had a mouthful of Belle's tongue pinning my own tongue down, I would have told them I had plenty of guy friends in Thailand and in my old private school. As this was going on my chair kept edging farther and farther over until it started to topple. Belle lashed out with her feet, catching the bottom of the table with her heels while her body pressed down on me. I slid my hand down her back to her jeans. I tried to wiggle a hand inside but her jeans were far too tight, a fact she gloated over. "Sorry," Belle teased me, "but you're not getting in." Me, I've always loved a challenge. I moved my hands around, popped her top button, and unzipped her pants slowly. I imagine three of us were waiting for Belle to drop the hammer on me but she didn't. When she didn't I slipped my left hand inside the front of her panties and snaked my right around to her ass-cheek. Belle was still doing her level best to overwhelm my breath control and take away my last breath. She might have forced me to break contact first if she had been able to stifle her own moan as my hands stroked her pubic hair and cupped her ass. Even as we went back to the face-dancing, I noticed more than a few covetous gazes being shot our way. Belle really was some kind of college-boy tease. I could now push my hands closer together by reaching underneath her. I rubbed against her clit with my middle and ring fingers, doubling back for the sensation before dipping into her thick, creamy, and steaming-hot cunt. My right trekked down and stretched the sanctity of her anus. Belle bucked up against me several times in rapid succession. "Should we get some ice to throw on them?" Tawny muttered. "Maybe we should get them a private room." Willa countered. For a counterpoint to the shit my other two women were giving me, I wedged a third finger into her cunt and began stroking her sweet spot. "Oh, hell no," Belle gasped. She stopped kissing me and dove into my ear which she worried with savagely applied teeth. I growled through the pain and increased my rhythm and depth of my attentions. Her anus gave way and I was fucking her from both sides simultaneously, causing her gyrations to become much more intense and erratic. Belle let go of my ear and rested her chin on my shoulder in one last ditch effort to stave off her climax. I turned on the pressure and the dam broke. I lashed up with my feet to connect with the table to stop us from falling over as Belle's body thrashed against mine and she screamed into my shoulder, the biting down with the teeth I could have done without. I was relentless and merciless to Belle now. I pinched and twisted her clit hard between my thumb and forefinger; at the same time I slipped the first digit of a second finger into her rectum. Belle hiccupped, gave a jolt, and began screaming and thrashing again. At the same time she started sobbing between screams, muffled somewhat by her fist, which she was chewing on. With the second orgasm over, I relented and let her nestle against my chest, breathing heavily. "I so need to get laid," Willa muttered. "Amen to that. And to think he's next door to me every weekend with easy access to his second story window," Tawny agreed. I began righting Belle when she pressed her hands against me and sat up. "Keep your hands were they are," she murmured playfully. "Best damn orgasm I've had in years," she directed to our table companions, "and then he stacked another righteous one on top of that. I hate to say it but Tara (her twin sister, the Sheriff's Deputy) was right about this guy; I want one of my own." "Don't you already have a boyfriend?" I mentioned. "Bill. Eh, he's got the equipment but he's a quick shooter. If I'm lucky, I get thirty seconds (ouch!) and then its 'get me another beer' or he rolls over and goes to sleep," Belle enlightened us. "How is his foreplay?" Tawny inquired. "He laps like a dog," Belle shrugged, "and his fingers are strictly in and out like a piston. Who are you again?" She addressed Tawny. Tawny finished her little spiel right when a shadow fell upon my life. Bill had arrived. "What the fuck?" Bill growled as he took in me, Belle, and what I was doing to her, mainly pumping her fore and aft at a slow, gentle pace. "I'm going to pound you," he directed at me. "Oh, shut up, Bill," Belle sneered. "If I'm going to steal one of Tara's men, I'm going to make it the new one. Besides, he's done more for me in ten minutes than you've done for me all year, and since he's not trying to bore me to death with all that sports talk, I guess this is time to say we are done. Bye-bye." "You sow," Bill redirected his anger and balled up his fists. Of course, insulting a woman makes me do stupid things. I started to withdraw my hands and stand when Belle put a finger to my lips. "Hush now, Zane," she smiled. "I got this." She looked over her shoulder at Willa. "Is that fucking chivalry or what?" she laughed at my attempted action. Turning back to Bill, "If I have to dismount this man, I'm going to stomp your ass, and you know I can. You hit me once and I put you in the hospital, or do I need to remind you?" she said evenly. "I got you this fucking job. I got you the fucking place you live in, Bitch," Bill snarled. "You can keep the god-damn job and I'll be out by the end of the month," Belle shot back. Bill clenched and unclenched his fists tightly before turning and storming off. "Okay, what was that all about?" I wondered. "Meh, this shit was getting old," Belle told me. "I'll crash with Willa until I figure out what I want to do next." Willa's look was not one of ecstatic expectation, I was positive that none of this had been planned out before we walked through the door. "Belle, I hope I haven't sent you the wrong message," I started. "I am in school and it is a girl's school at that. I only stopped in to say hi." Belle returned to her rocking motion on my lap. "Don't sweat it, college-boy," Belle grinned, "Scratch that, girl's college-boy; I do what I want, go where I want, and take what I want. So, now that you've got me off, what can I do for you?" "You, me, and Tara in a three-way," was my gut response. Belle stopped moving and Willa looked grim. Tawny, like me, was ignorant of what I'd done wrong. "Why?" Belle asked, with an undercurrent of menace that I didn't miss. "You two are like a volcano and the sea, opposites that I bet are explosive and sizzling when you meet," I related. "We are twins, Zane," Belle informed me. "On the outside, maybe, but inside, sexually, you two are very different. You are not polar opposites but more like two separate paintings that use the same canvas and set of paints but go in totally different directions expressively," I explained. "So who's better, Tara or me?" was her next question. Tawny snorted. "Two totally different women. I mean, with you, I'd like to fuck you in the coat room of a black tie affair with High Society one thin wall away," I said. I could see from Belle's expression she wasn't getting what I was saying, implying that I'd hide her away, be my dirty little secret. "You in sheer black stockings and matching garter belt and half-bra, yummy." "Whoa, I have to admit that sounds lick-able," Willa noted. Belle was also reassessing my intentions and smiled. "With Tara, I'd like to break into a bed warehouse and test out a few of the mattresses about the place, illegal and exposed to the public view," I grinned. "I'd pay to see that," Belle chuckled. "You are a keeper, Zane." "You only say that because you want to stick it to your sister," I countered. "Yeah, when I came over here, that was the main reason, but now I'm angry that she found you first," Belle bitched. "She always had better luck with the boys than I did." "Bill was 'better'?" I wondered. "He was a big football jock in high school and he didn't cheat on her too much. You can guess that I dated some real losers, mostly college guys like you," Belle smirked. If you know of another college guy like Zane, spill," Tawny teased. "I want to get me one to call my very own." "Funny, funny, funny, ladies," I coughed. "Now if I don't get Belle off my lap I'm going to hammer her here in front of the general public. Since my goal this weekend is to avoid fighting, public displays of amusement, and intercourse in general, I'm taking a walk." "Hey," Belle wiggled in on my crotch, "I'm all partial to being fucked on the table and show all these cocksuckers what they've been missing. We might even get busted by my sister and spend the night in a cell together." "With Deacon all busted up let's not do the jail thing," Willa chimed in. "Let's not make it three run-ins with the law for his first 30 days at school," Tawny added. "Three, Zane, who else has corralled your ass since you've been with us?" Belle asked. "Officer Campbell got me when I was driving back to campus," I confessed, since I was suspicious that Christina had given Tawny some of the details of that night. "Yeah, we know her too," Willa said. "Rumor has it she can get a bit frisky." "Oh, come on, I was on a date," I evaded. "She had mercy on me and I left with a warning." "You fucked her," Belle leered after studying me for several seconds. "So, did she use cuffs?" "Front, back, top, and bottom, I left her a wreck on the back seat and she was finger-lickin' good," I unloaded. "She was fantastic. She gave my date and I all we could handle." "You got Heaven involved?" Tawny gasped. "Man, my life would be so much easier," I groaned, "if the people talking behind my back kept me in the loop. Yes, I got Heaven involved. It was a hell of a way to wrap up her first date night. By the way, this doesn't go beyond us; okay?" Belle looked at me intensely once more. "Are you going to lie to me?" she whispered as she placed her forehead against mine. "Yes, to protect you if I must," I replied beneath the thumping of the bass. "That's my choice to make, not yours, Zane," Belle breathed a sugary-sweet beer aroma. "Friends sacrifice a part of themselves for the ones they care about," I told her. "Why do you care?" she asked with more than the usual curiosity. "You are worth it," I answered. Again, there was another intense stare. "Are you doing this for my sister?" she continued her interrogation of me. "Nope," I kept it simple. Yet another attempt by Belle to read my soul followed. "Let's get you cleaned up," she grinned. I pulled my right hand out slow and wiped it on my jeans. I was bringing my left set of fingers to my mouth when she intercepted me by the wrist and led me up to her lips. She sucked the juices off two fingers and then fed me the other two to take care of. I zipped her up and fixed her button before she dismounted and took me by the hand to the men's room. Being occupied by men didn't dissuade Belle one bit. She leaned against the sink while I washed up without speaking. In fact, she remained silent until we stepped back into the narrow hallway that led back to the club floor or out back by a locked stairwell. Belle led me to the door and appeared to be thinking something over. "I heard a sick rumor that your lawyers caught my sister and her buddy when they ganged up on you. The rumor is, you covered for them," Belle glared. "Why would you do something so stupid for someone you didn't know?" "Do you know that I'm jealous of you?" I responded. "Happens all the time; I'm a free-spirit that makes my own way in the world," she smiled, but it was overshadowed by her bitterness. "No. You have a sister, you have family, someone you grew up with. I have my aunt who is from another world, essentially, and that's it," I related. "That may be why I never commit to any one person," I added. "Something in Rio reminds me of my Mom and Iona reminds me of someone I wish was family but isn't. I guess I keep looking until I find what I lost." "Gone is gone, Zane; there is no getting it back," Belle told me, but this time she was showing some real empathy. "Yeah," I joked, "and that is why you always drive the speed limit and park within the lines, because that is what everyone tells you to do." "Has anyone ever told you that you're insane?" Belle's teeth shone through with her smile. "Never, you would be the first," I lied, and by the gleam in my eyes she knew it. It was well past one when I finally had the gang rounded up and headed back out to our rides. It took all of twenty seconds for a buzz-happy Rio to realize that Willa and a now unemployed Belle tagged along. When she did, her look was one of ferocity. "Oh, hell no!" she snapped, and turned toward the two Warlord ladies. "I'm going to kick your ass." "Last time I saw you, Bitch, you were half way to the city's sewage system," Belle laughed back. "Want to go the rest of the way?" Rio surged against Mercy and Barbie Lynn's restraining hands while Willa pulled Belle back, and I ended up in the middle holding them both at bay. "Calm down Rio, it is cool now," I told my buddy. "Belle, this isn't what you think." Speaking of thinking; I had to think fast to figure a way to turn this situation around. I'd hoped that Rio would be so happy, she'd have let it lie for the night, silly me. "Rio, I'd like Belle to give us motorcycle lessons for the trip this summer, and to personally give you self-defense training," I spewed forth my hare-brained idea. "What the fuck?" questioned Belle. "Fuck that noise," Rio spat. "I don't need this dink to teach me how to fight." I wasn't sure what a 'dink' was but I doubt it had positive connotations. "Rio, you haven't picked a martial arts instructor yet and I think Belle's self-taught style would be somewhat attractive to you," I guessed. I had no clue as to Belle's fighting background. "I'd rather teach a goat how to use a unicycle than teach this moron how to ride a bike," Belle growled. "I'll pay you fifty dollars an hour per four students," I offered Belle. "She's a skank," Rio seethed. Belle, on the other hand, seemed to be coming around. "Fifty bucks-, per four people? What would I have to do?" Belle inquired. She was job hunting after all. "Teach them how to ride, for starters," Valarie came to my rescue, "plus basic maintenance, road lore, and stuff like that. You'd also have to teach Rio how to not get her ass kicked." "I keep telling you people, I don't need this bitch," Rio repeated. "Fine, Rio, but tell me, who is going to be your instructor?" I countered. "It can't be Mercy." "Want your knife back?" Belle grinned as she reached into her boot and pulled out the butterfly knife Val had given Rio on Thursday. "I don't know," Rio grumbled, "have you been using it as a sexual aid?" Belle snorted. "Fuck, with Zane around, who needs one?" Belle smiled wickedly. "Two orgasms in ten minutes at a table on the club floor and that was only with his tongue and fingers." "He'd have nailed her in the bathroom if it hadn't been for that whole 'no sex' thing," Tawny added. "I should have stuck with you, Zane," Paige tugged on my arm. "See where you ended up?" "Who is the ghost?" Belle asked snidely. "I'm Paige and Zane is with me this weekend," Paige challenged Belle, bad move. Sometimes reactions pull you one way and instincts send you in another. I went with instincts and let events play out. Belle scooped Paige up under each arm and hoisted her up. "You are what, 100 pounds? A whole weekend with him and he'd break you in two," Belle observed. "He needs a real woman, not a bit of fluff." It was time for me to become involved. I reached an arm around Paige's waist and took her weight onto me. Belle was kind enough to let go so I swung Paige up until I was carrying her in my arms. Paige switched her gaze between me and Belle twice, then latched onto me. "Okay, I win," Paige announced. "I'm the bit of fluff he comes to again and again, after all." "You are the freakiest group of people I've ever seen," Hank spoke up. "A sorority president and sisters" (Leigh and Jersey had joined us), "two Warlord bikers, Christian school girls, and a porn star, no offense, Zane." "Just another day ending in 'y'," Iona whispered. I caught that zing and snickered. "No offense taken, Hank," I joked back. "I'd rather have the memories and suffer through the condemnations of those who don't know me than miss out." "Dude, if you ever need a stand in," Finn added to the joy. He and Ginger had indeed hooked up again, so we were good on that front. Ginger did playfully thump him in the chest though. "Finn, you are already sleeping on the sofa tonight," Ginger teased. "Would you rather be out on the welcome mat?" "Thanks for letting us spend the night at your place," Barbie Lynn added to the play. "What?" Finn squawked. "Oh, come on, Babe." Ginger detached from Finn and wrapped an arm around Barbie Lynn's waist, who reciprocated the gesture. "Oh, come on, Babe," Ginger mimicked, "We want a little girl time, ya know, one on one." Barbie Lynn turned her head and exchanged a heated kiss with Ginger that decidedly aroused me. I hated to think what Finn was going through. "Dudes, I'm going down to the river," Finn groaned. "Wouldn't a cold shower be better and safer?" Leigh asked. "I'm not going to cool down; I'm going to drown my stupid ass for stepping out on Ginger at the start of the night," Finn sighed. "I deserve this." "That's what I wanted to hear," Ginger gloated. She gave another quick kiss to Barbie then glided back to Finn. "It's okay, Honey, I forgive you." "Thanks Babe," Finn kissed her once more. "You are still sleeping on the sofa when we get home," she announced triumphantly. The lesson here is, if you are ever given a choice between fighting a man or a woman; fight a man. Men beat you up, gloat, then walk away. Women hold grudges, forever. "Any advice for our lovelorn?" Willa asked. "Everything fades, be it fame, passion or possessions, it all goes to dust and is lost," I said. "That's rather depressing," Willa noted. "The exact opposite," I countered. "All you are and will ever be is defined by what you do in the next few seconds of life. That is when you can mark yourself as a hero or a villain." "I can buy that," Belle mused. "Live for the moment." I could tell Iona was more uncertain about my words so I expanded. "I am not saying don't plan for the future, but don't live so much for what might be that you ignore what is going on around you right now, because no moment matters less than any other," I added. "That's my boy: Renaissance warrior-poet with the libido of Ron Jeremy," Rio jibed. "I like it," Tawny spoke up. "What would it be like to spend the whole weekend, or a whole week, alone with Zane? I wouldn't be bored." "I wouldn't be able to walk," Barbie Lynn giggled. "I'd enjoy the education," Paige noted. "I'd enjoy the peace and quiet," Vivian joked. "Zane, you have a little bit of a fan club here," Belle smiled. "Totally unwarranted and undeserved," I sighed. We arrived at the water tower and we went our separate ways. I'm sure Paige and Iona wanted to talk to me but they both fell asleep within three minutes of getting in the car. I took them up individually to my room and tucked them in before letting a sleeping Jill know we'd made it back and assuring her that we'd make it to church in the morning. Service and Supper We weren't feeling terribly chipper when Iona, Paige and I crawled out of bed, but we were conscious, ambulatory, and capable of speech so we passed Aunt Jill's inspection before heading out to church. For Paige, it would be a new experience as she normally spent Sunday morning at FFU's Assembly hall. Fortunately, she would be exploring the experience with Iona. My class was amusing as always. Somehow, no one had missed the little revolution we'd staged at university and there was varying levels of confusion, disgust, and anger with what 'I'd' done. Yeah, it was my entire fault because I was in the middle of 'God Made Man First' country. Oddly enough, Chris Gilbert stuck it out with me, jumping in on my side when more than two guys ganged up on me verbally. The second time Chris parried Mr. Coleman's insinuations of my corruption away, the gang gave up and actually got down to the lesson for the week, the Book of Samuel; namely, King Saul versus the Philistines. The lesson was that God abandons sinners. I hung on to the point that even when he knew he was going to die, Saul led his army out to fight the invaders of his homeland. I doubted any of those guys would know what kind of courage it took to fight a lost cause if the time came. "Do you make a habit of running off cliffs and into walls," Chris joked with me, then "Whoops, sorry about that, your parents and all." "It was mountain climbing," I shrugged, "so don't worry about it. Have a good week?" "Oh, peachy; I burned down a state park and robbed the Louvre," Chris stated, deadpan. "Dude," I laughed, "if you are trying to compete with me let me just say 'you win' and end the contest right now. You can have it and the grief that goes with it." "Does that include the girls?" Chris chuckled. It was odd having a real conversation with a guy nearly my age who had a clue where I was coming from. My response was overwhelmed by the crush of young ladies around us. What followed was a chorus of 'hey, Zane', 'hey, guy', and Iona and Barbie Lynn adding a 'hi, Chris'. "Hi there, ladies," and "Hello Barbie Lynn and Iona," followed up Chris. By the way he was looking at Barbie Lynn, I could tell that his perception of her had changed. He wasn't leering but there was a certain sexual curiosity that was new to his gaze. Barbie Lynn caught Chris' look, smiled, but then cuddled up to me to make the situation clear enough. Chris chuckled and shook his head mirthfully. "So is McHunky (Chris) part of the group now?" Rio broke through the politeness. "Chris is not treating me like I'm Caine so I'd hope he'd say yes if you ask him nicely," I answered. "I would say 'yes,' with the understanding that I'm older than all of you and like to live a slightly more private, video-free, lifestyle," Chris informed us. "Chris," Rio inquired, "what is the maximum number of girls you would take to bed at one time, and how many would you feel comfortable dating?" I wanted to kill Rio once more, considering we were clearly being overheard as we moved down the hallway leading to the Tabernacle. "Hmm," Chris thought it over. "Four in one bed, but I'd only feel comfortable dating one woman at a time. I'm old-fashioned that way." "That's not a problem," Rio grinned, "old-fashioned we can cure." "How about we respect different people for their differences, ya nut-job," I cautioned Rio. Rio's retort was cut off by our entry into the main area of worship. Chris waved good-bye and angled toward the front and his family. With Barbie Lynn in the lead, the rest of us moved to the far side where the FFU crowd sat together. I couldn't find Jill in her regular spot but Iona pointed out she'd joined Mrs. Wellington, the Mayor, Lance, and Felicity on the second pew, a few steps up in the world. We'd settled in after the first hymn and Pastor Bill had started the morning greeting when the two main doors to the church slammed open and a black clad woman strode in, it was Belle. It was also clear that Belle had never been in here before, had no idea where I would be seated, and was overwhelmed by the sheer number of parishioners. I don't think she cared that most of them were staring at her. She had dressed up, right? She had on a black jacket, black t-shirt, black jeans and black boots. She'd taken off her black sunglasses. I stood up, put two fingers in my mouth the way Heaven had taught me (Orienteering class, honest) and whistled loudly as I waved her over. Belle's head snapped my way and over she came. By long-standing tradition, Iona sat on one side of me and Rio took the other. This time, Paige had supplanted Iona. Belle decided that insinuating herself between Paige and I would require a crowbar and some leverage so she sat down on Rio instead. Rio grumbled, squeezed out from under Belle, and sat in Mercy's lap. Bill, with a final glare my way, picked up the service as best he could and droned on. Rio leaned into Belle and licked her cheek as a means of retaliation. Belle didn't punch Rio, for which I was grateful. I made sure to put a little extra on the collection plate, for God's sake, not the church's, when the time came around. The sermon was on the Israelites and their forty years of wandering before coming to the Promised Land. I think there was some confusion between myself and most of the flock here on who was the one farthest from the expected destination. At the end of the service my plan went into motion, with multiple women having a role to play. Oddly, despite this being a criminal endeavor, Belle was the only one close to me not involved. It was good fortune that put her at my side because with so many of the church elders gawking/fearing/lusting after her, they completely missed the real mischief makers. "Good morning, Rochelle," I greeted the mayor's wife. She turned, smiled at me, then looked over at Belle. "This is Belle, " "Belle Kennan," Belle finished up for me. I hadn't known her last name. "I know you," Rochelle was clearly thinking hard. "Did you used to collect golf balls off the greens at the country club years ago? You had a sister. Your father was a groundskeeper." "That was a while ago," Belle allowed. "Dad fucked it up with his drinking, like he did everything else. My sister, Tara, is now a Sheriff's Deputy around here." "What do you do?" Rochelle made conversation. "I'm Zane's, chauffer," Belle answered with a twisted grin. "Actually, I'm giving him and some of his friends motorcycle lessons." "That sounds promising," Rochelle continued. "Belle, can I have a few moments of Zane's time?" Belle gave me a suspiciously sexy raised eyebrow then went looking for another one of my female set. "Zane, you were right about that matter we discussed. I still don't know what I want to do with the news. Maybe we can discuss it Wednesday night?" "Absolutely," I nodded. "By the way, there seems to be a growing suspicion that you are not a very moral person," Rochelle leaned in and whispered to me. "Apparently there is some evidence of you and some other girls, " "I've never denied it," I told her. "I also believe that no one seems to care that I've foresworn sex for the weekend. I know it is not much by most people's standards but at least I'm trying to see how the other half lives." "How is that working for you?" Rochelle grinned. "Abysmally; I've been tackled, jumped on, stacked up in a shower, grappled at a party, and got a lap dance in a club," I groaned. "You should stay home more often," Rochelle advised. "I received the tackle, jumping, and the stacking at home, Rochelle," I related. "Maybe I should hide out at your house." Rochelle stared at me and I wasn't sure what to make of that. "I will see you on Wednesday; take care now," I broke the silence between us. I turned and went over to the gulf of isolation that was Sahara Penny. "Hello, Mrs. Penny. You look incredibly inspirational this morning." "Hello, Zane," she smiled, her white teeth brightening up her Lebanese features. "I was thinking that I could do the whole dinner thing with you and William tomorrow night, if that is okay with you," I looked her over. "Well, you could hardly become more of a pariah," she mused. "I would be glad to cook you a meal." "Wolves may get hunted but sheep always get eaten," I replied. "Are you a wolf, Mr. Braxton?" she teased. "I have to be worthy of your company," I retorted, which she found amusing. "I'll see you," I tacked on before heading toward the main gathering. I patiently waited for the main group of men to recognize my presence but today they seemed less than willing to. I must have really been a bad boy. I did catch Rio handing off a phone to Iona who was quietly but quickly working away on it. I had to wonder how long it would take for Lance to realize Rio had swiped it from him. Hell, I promised Raven I'd get her those books from George Mason's library and I was going to return his phone to him soon enough. "Hey, my little Butt-Monkey," Belle taunted me loudly, "are you waiting on this bunch of old fuckers for something?" The conversation stopped and heads turned our way: yay me. "Mr. Braxton," Pastor Bill snapped in a clipped manner, "when you invite some, person to our church you should consult with me or one of the deacons to see if they are appropriate." He was pointedly ignoring Belle, which I found to be both rude and unwise as Belle was the most likely person he'd ever meet who would gladly take his underwear waistband and pull it over his head and laugh while she did it. "I wasn't actually wise enough to invite Ms. Kennan but I should have because I was under the impression this was a House of God. I'll make her tithe if that's what you are worried about," I informed them. "The appropriateness of you being in this church is also in question," Mayor Wellington brought up. "How's Phillip?" Belle spoke up with a wicked sneer toward the Mayor; Phillip was one of his sons. "We had a lot of fun in high school. He was good enough to bring me by your house but he never brought me to your church." "He would have never dated someone like you," the mayor glared at Belle. "Technically we weren't looking for a relationship," Belle grinned, "but does that big four-poster bed of yours still have that dainty white dust curtain with the roses on it?" "You are nothing more than a low-down dirty whore like your mother," Mr. Gibson, the county's largest furniture seller, snarled at Belle. I wasn't sure what her response was because Gibson staggered into Mr. Lieber when I drew my hand back for a slap; everyone got quiet. Yes, I had almost committed assault in front of thirty or so witnesses who hated my guts. Oh, and one of them was a judge. "Braxton!" Pastor William thundered. "Hold that thought, Bill," I pointed to the reverend before turning back to Gibson, "Sir, you insulted a lady in my presence, so you can apologize to her or step out with me to the parking lot where we can settle this like men, because I'm morally opposed to causing needless bloodshed in a house of worship." "That's it, Braxton, you, Pastor Bill growled. "Zane!" a different, feminine voice interrupted. "Apologize to Mr. Gibson at once." "I apologize, Mr. Gibson," I grudgingly stated. "I should have you arrested," Gibson grumbled. "And I'll make sure that your little outburst with, the woman threatened. "Belle Kennan," Belle studied the newcomer and the girls around her. "Ms. Kennan goes all over the internet and is flagged with every search engine with your name and the name of your store," Christina finished. "I'll sue," Gibson fought back. "And I'll win," Christina kept coming. "This is clearly a First Amendment issue, both speech and religion. Now are we going to play nice and respect our fellow Christians or are we going to collectively forget we are all adults?" "He is not going to get away with this threat of force," Pastor Bill persisted. "Pastor Penny, are we truly basing our actions and reaction on what an eighteen-year-old playboy does?" Christina pointed out. "Clearly, leadership is called for, and since you men are the patriarchs of the church, you should be leading Zane in the proper course of action." "Mr. Gibson," Chris joined in, "maybe Zane could clean up your parking lot one afternoon as penance." I had to be sure he was helping me out here. "Gurr, alright," Mr. Gibson admitted. "That would satisfy me." I caught sight of Aunt Jill looking my way. I half expected her to volunteer my acceptance but she waited patiently on me instead, not a good sign concerning her dependence on me. "If it is okay with Mr. Gibson, I'll come over when he gives me a call and my school schedule allows," I said. "I hope that settles that," Mr. Gilbert, Christopher's father, announced. "Was there a reason for Mr. Braxton waiting around us?" He was covering for his son, not me. "I was agreeing to Pastor William's invitation to eat dinner with him tomorrow," I said. "I will have to look at my schedule and get back to you," Pastor Bill replied in a snide tone. "No problem, Mrs. Penny and I'll hit Zeta's tomorrow and we can work out something for later," I smiled. I turned and left before he could finish sputtering because not only was Zeta's one of the finest eating establishments in town, I heard rumors it was also highly romantic. I took eight steps before I nearly doubled over in pain. Christina had kidney-punched me, and hard. I turned fast enough to see Belle and Christina facing off. "Do you want to explain that to me, Princess?" Belle inquired with a false grin. "I'm Christina Buchannan and I'm wondering what you are doing here burning through what little good will Zane has with this congregation," the woman I love sizzled. "Zane, should I give a crap?" Belle joked. She didn't need me to tell her what to think. "She's the woman I love more than life itself," I explained to Belle, who regarded me curiously. "I occasionally like him," Christina remarked, "when he's not making an ass of himself." "I couldn't let them insult Belle," I countered. "If she slapped the guy, you know they would have screwed her over." "I don't need you to pick my fights, Dumbass," Belle mocked me. "These people and their opinions don't bother me. Hell, Mom whored around a lot and for all I know, Old Man Gibson might even be my Daddy. Now," she looked at Heaven, "why are you eyeballing me?" "I'm Heaven and Zane's my boyfriend," Heaven declared. "Oh, God," chuckled Belle, "when Tawny said your life was beyond description, she wasn't kidding." "If we can all agree to get along I have one last thing I need to get done and then anyone who wants can make for Jill's," I stated. I leaned in and kissed Heaven on the ear. She finally broke her glare directed at Belle to look up at me so I kissed her on the lips. "Are we okay, Babe?" I asked Heaven. She looked at me but seemed terribly upset by something that I was unclear about. She nodded and I broke away. Iona slipped me the phone as I approached Felicity. I now got to see if what I'd done had screwed up my relationship with her. "Hey, Felicity, do you know whose phone this is?" I asked Lance Wellington's fianc . "That looks like Lance's," Felicity took the device and examined it. "It is," she confirmed. "Are you going to George Mason anytime this week?" I inquired. "I was going up Tuesday to visit Lance for some kind of fraternity affair," Felicity said. "When you are there could you pick up some books for me? I checked them out but I'd have to find a way to make the trip myself and with my school schedule, that would be tough," I explained. "Zane, how does someone from FFU get books from George Mason?" Felicity leaned in and whispered. "I'm not breaking the law but I am doing it in an underhanded manner," I whispered back. "Okay," she smiled warmly, if in a rather complacent manner. "Thanks," I told her, before parting ways and making for the door. A tide of women migrated with me outside. As we split up, I caught sight of Belle putting on her helmet and sitting on her hog. "Are you coming over for supper (the midday meal in the Southeastern US)?" "Does inviting the poor outcast chick to the house make you feel better about yourself?" Belle teased me. "Does everything have to be about you and your vendetta against the Established Order?" I shot back. "I bet the girls have a blast tying you down because you can be downright irritating," Belle rolled her eyes. "We've already gone down that road with me, the cross and the sorority in the woods, so stop gloating. Now, are you coming to supper willingly or are you going to have to beat me up when I try and make you?" "Fine," Belle raised up her hands, "when I looked up 'dumbass' and 'stupid' online, they both had your portrait under the 'images of' section. If I walk in the door, you will know I've accepted your offer. Now step back before I decide you are more annoying than cute." I stepped back, joined Paige and Iona at the car, and travelled my dumb ass back home. Barbie Lynn, Valarie, Rio, and Mercy had already joined Aunt Jill in her heroic culinary efforts based on the talents of the microwave and a warm skillet. The parade of food was setting around the table when I noticed Paige had gone missing. As I scanned about, I saw Belle walk into the dining room, I hadn't heard the doorbell ring or a knock at the door. "Have we locked away the good silver," Valarie joked when she realized Belle was here. Belle didn't look amused by Val's ribbing. "It's for Rio," Valarie snickered. "Hey," snorted Rio, "Belle, you are stepping on my Bad Girl image. I'll take Grand Theft Auto and vandalism and you get burglary and guns; deal?" "Zane, Jill was looking for some explanation from me so I decided to see how far her new tolerance could be stretched. "I wanted to show Belle one of the guest rooms," I stated carefully, but with authority. "She doesn't have a place to live and since we have the space, I figure she could hang out until she puts some money away for a new place. Plus you would have someone home when you got off of work and the house would be safer. Belle can take care of herself and you, if something goes wrong," I finished. "Zane, you make my life easier one more time, I swear that I'm going to use you to redefine road rash," Belle promised. This declaration didn't stop Belle from stepping up and taking a seat. "Jill, is that okay with you? " I addressed the female lead of the Braxton household. "If you think it will be good for the house and make things safer, I wholeheartedly support your decision," Jill agreed. That done, I called out for the invisible Paige. "Paige, I don't advise you to sneak up behind Belle," I warned her. "She might not be in an understanding mood." Paige did heed my advice and appeared by me instead of behind Belle. "Your intellect may be downgraded to 'sub-par' if you keep this course of action up," she cautioned me. "Do what you will," I quoted, "for I do what I must." "The blade itself incites to deeds of violence," Belle countered to Paige. "Are you really such a fucking putz that you think you can separate Zane's passions into the parts that you like from the parts that you don't? To me it seems you are wasting your parents' money by going to college yet staying dumb as dirt." "Belle, language at the dinner table," Aunt Jill scolded Belle. I wasn't sure how Belle would take that but something else was going on at the same time. Everyone was looking at Belle too, but for a reason that had nothing to do with calling Paige names. "What? I can't quote Homer?" Belle shrugged. "I've read Sun Tzu too. Oh, and sorry about slapping the little bitch, Aunt Jill. I hang out with men of questionable parentage." "I apologize, Belle," Iona spoke up. "I thought less of you because of the way you talk and dress. That was unfair to you and a disservice to myself and the way my parents raised me." The apologies echoed around the table; Paige's silence being noted. I gave her one quick look, then joined the rest of the gang doling out the food and settling in to the routine of eating and dinner conversation. Heart Song After we ate and cleaned up the table and the kitchen, Jill to

The October 7th attacks of Hamas on Israel were an unprecedented, surprise incursion by land, sea, and air that stunned the world and prompted Israel to declare war. The attacks, which included massacres in Israeli communities and a music festival, resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals and the capture of some 251 hostages. This deadly terrorist attack was years in the making, but the underlying conflict goes back much further. It starts with the 1948 formation of Israel and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the wars that began there, an event known to Palestinians as the Nakba (Arabic for "catastrophe"). But the roots of the conflict extend even further—to Ottoman-era conflict between Jewish and Arab residents, the Bar Kokhba revolts in the 2nd century AD, and battles between ancient Israel and its enemies, tracing back all the way to the Iron Age wars between Israelites and the Philistines. The October 7 attack is seen by some as an echo of the cyclical theme of persecution and existential threat against the Jewish people chronicled in the Old Testament, recalling narratives like the Exodus and attacks on ancient Israel. The modern conflict specifically originates in the same coastal region once controlled by the Philistines—an ancient people who lived on the southern coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until their demise in the 7th century BC. Furthermore, the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135 AD) was the third and final major Jewish-Roman war, resulting in a devastating defeat for the Jewish population of Judea and leading to the Roman renaming of the province to Syria Palaestina. Today’s guest is Dinesh D'Souza, the director and executive producer of The Dragon's Prophecy. His documentary utilizes archaeological discoveries, suggesting a historical parallel and continuation of conflict. This shows how current global instability and the conflict over Israel are part of a larger story concerning the destiny of nations. We also look at the intersection of religion, history, and current events to see how the last 3,000 years explain what’s happening today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23. Our text today is Judges 10:10-14. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, "We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals." And the Lord said to the people of Israel, "Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress." — Judges 10:10-14 Israel finally cried out to God after years of misery. But this time God pushed back. He basically said, "I've rescued you before, and you ran right back to idols. Why should this time be any different?" That's the moment when regret had to become repentance. It wasn't enough to admit failure. Israel had to do more than cry out—they had to truly turn from idols. This is the difference between worldly regret and godly repentance. Regret says, "I don't like the consequences." Repentance says, "I hate the reason that got me here — my disobedience." We've all been there. We regret getting caught in a lie—but do we hate lying? We regret the hangover—but do we hate drunkenness? We regret the fallout of anger—but do we hate the pride that sparked it? God isn't after our half-hearted apologies. He wants surrendered hearts. He'll even let us sit in our misery until we get serious enough to put away our idols. Maybe you are caught in the spin cycle right now—sin, sorrow, repeat. Maybe you've even prayed prayers that felt empty. The way out is always the same: not just regret, but repentance. Not just "sorry," but surrender. That means getting brutally honest with God—not just naming what you did, but admitting why you wanted it. Then, ask him to change your desires, to help you hate the sin itself, and to love him more. That's where real freedom begins. ASK THIS: Do I confuse regret with repentance in my life? What idols have I said "sorry" for but never actually removed? How might God be using misery to push me toward surrender? Am I willing to put away the counterfeit gods and trust Him fully? DO THIS: Don't just confess—clean house. Remove one "idol" today that competes with God's place in your heart. Then get honest with God about why you chased it, and ask Him to reshape your desires. PRAY THIS: Lord, I don't just want to regret my sin—I want to repent of it. Expose the motives behind it, and give me a heart that hates sin and loves You more. Amen. PLAY THIS: "We Repent."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23. Our text today is Judges 10:7-9. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed. — Judges 10:7-9 Here we are again. Israel fell into the same old pattern—idols first, slavery next. What started as excitement ended as eighteen years of oppression. The nations whose gods they worshiped became the nations that crushed them. That's the lie of sin. It always starts with a sparkle, a promise, a rush. It whispers, "This will make you happy. This will satisfy. This time it will be different." And for a quick second, it delivers. But the high never lasts. We've all felt it. The buzz of that secret indulgence. The ego boost of praise or success. The thrill of crossing a boundary we swore we wouldn't. But then? The high fades. Guilt. Emptiness. Shame. Regret. Consequences. What was supposed to relieve us now rules us. What promised life delivers death. Israel spent eighteen years crushed because they kept chasing the rush of idols. And we, too, end up enslaved—not to Ammonites, but to habits, addictions, bitterness, anxiety, or broken relationships. Sin always takes us farther than we wanted to go and costs us more than we ever planned to pay. Sin shines like treasure, but it's just counterfeit change. What our souls really crave isn't a cheap thrill—it's the fulfillment of God. His presence satisfies. His call gives purpose. His Spirit provides freedom. Every other "high" is just a cheap knockoff that leaves us emptier than before. Don't fall for it. ASK THIS: Where am I chasing a thrill I know won't satisfy? How has sin overpromised and underdelivered in my past? What "idol" is currently leaving me emptier instead of fuller? What step do I need to take today to run back to God instead of another counterfeit? DO THIS: Name one area where sin feels thrilling but is leaving you empty. Bring it before God in confession today, and tell one trusted friend to help keep you accountable. PRAY THIS: Lord, open my eyes to see through sin's empty promises. Protect me from chasing counterfeits, and teach me to find my deepest joy and freedom in You alone. Amen. PLAY THIS: "No Longer Slaves."

Cutting Off Spoilers (1) (audio) David Eells – 10/29/25 Apostate Leaders Fleecing the Sheep B. A. - 04/01/2012 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was in some type of city. It was strange because there were no people on the sidewalks nor cars on the streets. There were these strange-looking brick buildings (buildings made by the flesh) everywhere I looked. (Sounds like the people of God slaving to make bricks for Pharaoh's buildings.) I decided to go inside one of these buildings. Once inside, I saw a familiar female TV preacher who was hosting an event. I recognized several other female preachers as well, and others whose faces I recognized but could not remember their names. (Father said, (1Ti.2:12) But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. Read Word, Women and Authority.) There were elaborate tables set up with all kinds of party foods, and everyone was playing games. (If you are not submitting to scripture, you are just playing Church.) Each time the hostess presented a new game, she was wearing a different outfit. (Like chameleons changing to blend in) I watched this for a while, then I decided to leave and go see what was going on inside one of the other buildings. Once back out on the street, I saw a long, rectangular, brick building, so I went inside to check it out. It was very dimly lit; I could barely see where I was going. The building was huge inside, and it appeared to be a kind of art gallery. There were statues on the floor and statues mounted on the walls. (worshipping those who have no life) Further on up ahead, I saw some people standing around a picture on the wall, so I went to see what they were looking at. As I got closer, I noticed all the people were dressed up like pilots and they were looking at and admiring a picture of various airplanes. Some were elaborate jets and some were small Cessna-type planes. I recognized some of these people to be leaders in the apostate church. (Big-time prosperity preachers can't fly with us common folks. They have to have at least one private jet. Poor Jesus, He walked or rode a donkey.) Further on up ahead, I saw another group of people standing around a picture on the wall. As I got closer to these people, they were all dressed up like gladiators, looking at a picture of a large coliseum (I believe this to be representative of megachurches) and bragging about their own personal coliseum. (The competitive spirit is always trying to best those who are also a part of the body to see who is the greatest, as Jesus rebuked the disciples for.) Then, all the way to the back of the art gallery, I saw several rows of people seated and listening to a man standing at a podium. Behind this man was a large mural of TV and radio stations (the apostate leaderships bragging rights. To them more people is success.). He was teaching these people how to successfully get more money from their viewers and God's people in general. (Using mass media to make mass money and live in luxury while not doing the works of the kingdom. Jesus said, (Mat.10:8) Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give.) As I stood there listening to this, I cried out to the Lord, “Do you see what they are doing? They are scheming and preparing a plan on how they are going to fleece your sheep during tough economic times!” Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Don't be concerned; their days are numbered”. Then I woke up. (Their greed, debt and sins against God's people will take them out.)   Rescuing the Sheep Lorrie Deeter - 07/22/2007 (David's notes in red) In a dream, a little cat with what appeared to be a cat mask on. (These leaders are self-willed and masking their true selves.) He was seated in a high-backed throne with a crown upon its head. He was seated up high, as on a platform above people. (Like most churches do.) He had a ruler in his hand and was pointing to different people, as if giving orders or instructions. From out of nowhere, a great big lion (Lion of Judah) appeared and leaped upon the throne of the little (rebellious) cat and placed it before him and then under his feet, as a footstool. (The ruler represents measurement. (Mat.7:1) Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. (3) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? (4) Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? (5) Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.) Next, sheep, cattle and goats, appeared before me, all sitting in rows in what appeared to be a building. Some fat, some skinny and some bloated. Some had blindfolds on, some wore earmuffs, and some had earplugs placed within their ears. Some appeared to be blind and others deaf. A man then appeared before them, dressed in a suit and tie. I could not see his face, but as the sheep would come forth, he would bend down and take from them what appeared to be money and lay hands upon them as he looked up. I then saw the face of a wolf turn into view. (Plundering the body) Then out of nowhere, the sheep were plucked out of his hand one by one, as the eagles swooped down and snatched them from him. (Eagles represent overcomers who spread truth to give wisdom, which sets free like this dream.) Then all the sheep disappeared! (As I went back to lie down, I thought of the cattle and goats... and then this was spoken: “The cattle are raised up for destruction. (Cows only eat grass, which Peter said represented flesh, and they only feed milk. They represent perpetually immature Christians.) The goats are those who pretend to be of the sheepfold. (They represent the rebellious who Jesus separated on the left. (Eze.34:10) Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.) Then this is what was spoken forth: “The fur shall drop and the masks shall be pulled away!” (The true sheep will see the false shepherds for what they are, wolves.)   Word Given: (Luk.6:46) And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? MY daughter, I have many woes and this, MY first of many woes, is to the shepherds and also to the leaders and to those who speak (falsely) in MY name, sayeth the Lord. Woe to those who have raised themselves up, led many, many of my people astray. (Self- or Babylon-ordained preachers, as in Jesus' day) These are they who have erred from MY TRUTH, MY WORD. I shall bring down the crown of their pride. I will bring down the haughty and those high-minded, who have not sought counsel from ME nor sought MY FACE, says the Lord, but of themselves and that of man. To those who have sought counsel from man shall I bring down, for they have not spoken the TRUTH of MY WORD. I, the Lord thy God am sending MY sons and daughters forth, and they shall surely take from the leaders and bring back which is ALL MINE and bring them forth unto ME, says the Lord. (I.e.,The “eagles swooped down and freed them”.) For these leaders are the ones who have deceived MY children and are deceived of themselves, continually deceiving My people, My chosen! These are they who have not walked in MY ways, for they did NOT bring to ME, MY sheep. For they have kept them for themselves and led them away from seeking MY FACE, MY WORD. For I shall surely bring the wicked down and tear down from them all their high places. You are MINE, says the Lord. For BEHOLD, I AM coming quickly and MY reward is with ME! (Eze.34:7) Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah: (8) As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, surely forasmuch as my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my sheep; (9) therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of Jehovah: (10) Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; and I will deliver my sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them. (11) For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. ... (16) I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. (Isa.28:3) The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim (who worshipped the golden calf), shall be trodden under feet: ... (9) Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. ... (17) Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. (Isa.29:10) For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. ... (15) Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? ... (18) And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. ... (30:1) Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:   Separating the Sheep in the Wilderness Donna Gipson (David's notes in red) God has put on my heart to share a vision He gave to me several years ago. I believe it was late 1994 or early 1995. I was a baby in the Lord, saved for less than a year, so I didn't think to write down exact dates or time. This was a type of trance vision that the Apostle Peter described. I was in a prayer meeting with several people praying near me. Separating of the Sheep As I sat and was praying with my eyes closed, a vision appeared like a big movie screen in my mind. I was totally unaware of everything else around me except for what was happening in this vision. I saw what appeared to me as a vast wilderness. The ground was hard and sandy, not a piece of vegetation in sight. There was a long line of sheep walking across this wilderness. As I watched, a lamb would break off from the line and go to the right. These lambs would line up in rows, one behind the other, like a military formation would. They were all lying down resting with their front legs folded underneath them. I noticed there were no big sheep but only small lambs in this resting group. As I again looked towards the line of sheep who had not stopped with the lambs, I felt in my spirit that these sheep were very fat and woolly and were trudging across the wilderness. I did not understand this vision right away. Over time, the Lord revealed to me several scriptures in Ezekiel 34. I'm sure He will continue to reveal more concerning this vision. God Bless. The Lord is indicating He will separate His lambs from the fleshly fat sheep in the wilderness and cause them to rest from their worldly laboring through faith in His Word. Lambs are those who have their youth renewed as the eagle and have become as a child, a kingdom requirement. (Eze.34:15) I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord Jehovah. (16) I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them in justice. (17) And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the he-goats. (18) Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have fed upon the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture? and to have drunk of the clear waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? (19) And as for my sheep, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. (Misplaced respect for leaders cause their disciples to fall into their sins.) (20) Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah unto them: Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep (full of flesh) and the lean sheep. (21) Because ye thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; (22) therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. (23) And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. (Jer.31:2) Thus saith Jehovah, The people that were left of the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. (Mat.25:32) and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; (33) and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.   God Will Cut Off the Playpen Crowd Laura Lehning - 03/03/2016 (David's notes in red) I had a short dream that I was in a convenience mart following a person to the checkout; we were leaving the store. The person was very somber and austere in his demeanor. As we left, at the end of the aisle, I was surprised to see an empty playpen set up on the floor. (David has said that religions are like playpens: meant to be outgrown and climbed out of.) Then the man reached down into the playpen, which I thought was empty, and he pulled out a pair of sharp scissors. He said to me, “Remember what you have seen”. I answered, “Yes, a playpen and scissors”. (The playpen represents apostate Christianity, and the scissors represent a future cutting off of those who are perpetual children there who bear no fruit of the true Word.) When I awoke, I wondered if the dream had something to do with the apostate churches being 'cut off'. I prayed for a Bible verse about this dream and my finger came down on the word “reproach” in (AMP)(Psa.4:2) O sons of men, how long will my honor and glory be [turned into] a reproach and a shame? How long will you [my enemies] love worthless (vain, futile) things and seek deception and lies? Selah. Those who do not climb out of the playpen will be cut off. The “cutting off” can represent physical death or spiritual death or both and by many methods: (Eze.14:21) For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon [apostate] Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!   Examples of the meaning of “cut off” (Exo.31:14) Ye shall keep the sabbath [meaning to cease from your own works] therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that profaneth it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. (15) Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day [We are now in the 7th thousand year day.] is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Jehovah; whosoever doeth any work on the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. (In New Testament terms, this could mean spiritual death.) (Lev.23:29) For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day; he shall be cut off from his people. (30) And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any manner of work in that same day, that soul will I destroy from among his people. (Jdg.21:6) And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. (They were killed for justifying evil.) Those who don't leave their fleshly life behind will be cut off: (Gen.17:14) And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin [meaning ceasing to sow flesh], that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. Those who feed on the religions and their lies will be cut off. (Exo.12:15) Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day [the end of the tribulation 7 day/years], that soul shall be cut off from Israel. ... (19) Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a sojourner, or one that is born in the land. (Rom.11:22) Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. All but the true remnant who follow God will be cut off. (Zec.13:8) And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith Jehovah, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. (14:2) For I will gather all nations against [apostate] Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. The apostate Eli ministry will be cut off: (1Sa.2:27) And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh's house? (28) and did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up unto mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? (29) Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? (30) Therefore Jehovah, the God of Israel, saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now Jehovah saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. (31) Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. (32) And thou shalt behold the affliction of my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. (33) And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. (34) And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. (35) And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever… Samuel The Saul ministry was cut off too: (1Sa.31:9) And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto the house of their idols, and to the people. Like him, all of David Man-child's apostate enemies will be cut off: (2Sa.22:41) Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, That I might cut off them that hate me. The Lord cut off those who factioned Israel away from the house of David: (1Ki.14:10) therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every man-child, him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away dung, till it be all gone. (14) Moreover Jehovah will raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now. All Ahab leaders and those who follow in their steps will be cut off. (2Ki.9:8) For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel. The Beast cut off apostates from Israel: (2Ki.10:32) In those days Jehovah began to cut off from Israel: and Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel; Many so-called people of God will be cut off from the Kingdom. (Psa.34:16) The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. (Psa.37:22) For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the land; And they that are cursed of him shall be cut off. (Psa.94:23) And he hath brought upon them their own iniquity, And will cut them off in their own wickedness; Jehovah our God will cut them off. (Pro.2:22) But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it. (Isa.9:14) Therefore Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm-branch and rush, in one day. (Isa.29:20) For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scoffer ceaseth, and all they that watch for iniquity [to judge others] are cut off; (Jer.44:8) in that ye provoke me unto anger with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye are gone to sojourn; that ye may be cut off, and that ye may be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? (Jer.50:16) Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land. (Jer.51:6) Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and save every man his life; be not cut off in her iniquity: for it is the time of Jehovah's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense. Idolaters among God's people who love the world, religion and apostate leaders more than following the Word of the Lord will be cut off. (Eze.14:6) Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. (7) For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separateth himself from me, and taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I Jehovah will answer him by myself: (8) and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. God will cut off the Edomites, Esau's seed, who are types of the factious who hate and persecute their brothers. (Eze.35:7) Thus will I make mount Seir [their factious leadership- Eve saw them all die at one time] an astonishment and a desolation; and I will cut off from it him that passeth through and him that returneth. (Oba.9) And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one may be cut off from the mount of Esau by slaughter. (10) For the violence done to thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. Because factious Esau cut off his brother Israel, he was cut off: (11) In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that strangers carried away his substance, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them. (12) But look not thou on the day of thy brother in the day of his disaster, and rejoice not over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither speak proudly in the day of distress. (13) Enter not into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, look not thou on their affliction in the day of their calamity, neither lay ye hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. (14) And stand thou not in the crossway, to cut off those of his that escape; and deliver not up those of his that remain in the day of distress. The two spirits fighting against the righteous the most are Faction and Jezebel, whom God hates. These always go after the true leadership, all the way through the Bible. They will be cut off. (Rev.2:20) But I have this against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. (21) And I gave her time that she should repent; and she willeth not to repent of her fornication. (22) Behold, I cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of her works. (23) And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works. A factious person is always immature because this spirit causes them to ignore the Word without conscience, and so they are to be cut off from the body. (Tit.3:10) A factious man (is one who blasphemes, rails against, or slanders others to make disciples) after a first and second admonition refuse; (11) knowing that such a one is perverted, and sinneth, being self-condemned. The nature of factious people: (Jas.3:14) But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. ... (16) For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion [Babylon] and every vile deed. These people are commonly unforgiving, judgmental, fornicators, liars, slanderers, thieves, etc. It says, “every vile deed”. Any fellowship with people like this is disobedience and will bring their spirits and sins or leaven into your life. (1Co.15:33) Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals. (1Co.5:6) Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (7) Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ: (8) wherefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (9) I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company with fornicators; (10) not at all meaning with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous and extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world: (11) but as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat. (12) For what have I to do with judging them that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within? (13) But them that are without God judgeth. Put away the wicked man from among yourselves. So that you are not infected with their spirits. Those who do not partake of unleavened bread do not have a Passover of the destroyer. Leaven comes from people who pass on lies to separate you from others, as in faction or denominationalism. At the Passover, God's people were warned: (Exo.12:15) Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. (19) Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a sojourner, or one that is born in the land. (Rom.16:17) Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling, contrary to the doctrine which ye learned: and turn away from them. (18) For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, but their own belly (pride, lust, selfish ambition, usurping authority); and by their smooth and fair speech they beguile the hearts of the innocent. (19) For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I rejoice therefore over you: but I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple unto that which is evil. All factious spirits cause their victims to disobey. (Mat.18:15) And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. (16) But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. (17) And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican. All factious spirits disobey (1Ti.5:19) Against an elder receive not an accusation, except at the mouth of two or three witnesses. These people always go after righteous elders because their demons lust after a position of authority. They cause all others to sin and receive their spirits by accusing elders without two witnesses, and the people sin because they do not demand another witness of sin, not just anything. (Mat.6:14) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Notice the sins of one who does not forgive are not under the blood; they are not forgiven and their sins are not forgotten without repentance. (Mic.7:19) He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. (Heb.10:17) And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. This is for those who are in covenant with God through repentance and faith but God remembers the sins of those who walk in willful disobedience to the Word until they are punished and repent. (Eze.3:20) Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thy hand. You are warned. (Eze.21:24) Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand. (Heb.10:26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. Notice that when God judges someone, it is because He does not forget their sin, because they are not under the sacrificial blood. Because factious people do not forgive, their wives, husbands and children who associate with them are taken into bondage. (1Co.15:33) Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals. Jesus pointed out that the wife and children of a man in unforgiveness are also sold into bondage: (Mat.18:23) Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, who would make a reckoning with his servants. (24) And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, that owed him ten thousand talents. (25) But forasmuch as he had not wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The Lord points out that those who, for selfish purposes, wanted Daniel's position, they, their wives, and children were thrown to the lions. (Dan.6:24) And the king commanded, and they brought those men that had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces, before they came to the bottom of the den.

2 Chronicles 28 tells of Ahaz' evil reign. That wicked king sacrifices his firstborn son to Molech and disfigures his younger son, Hezekiah, by passing him through the fire. Pekah, the son of Remaliah, kills 120,000 men of Judah and takes 200,000 captives to Samaria. The prophet Oded remonstrates with Israel and demands that the captives be fed, clothed, placed on asses and sent home to Jerusalem. The account is the basis of the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 9. Because of the idolatry of Ahaz, the Philistines ransack Judah. Ahaz pays tribute to the Syrian king. That wicked king of Judah copies the Syrian altar in Damascus and worships the Syrian gods. Altars are made in every corner of Jerusalem. When Ahaz dies his son Hezekiah comes to the throne. Ahaz is not buried among the kings of Judah The events of Daniel 8 occur in the third year of Belshazzar. Daniel sees two beasts battling for ascendancy - the Persian Ram and the Grecian He goat. The Golden Fleece of the ram is legendary in Persian folklore. The goat is Alexander, who was known to the Greeks as 'the goat'. Philip of Macedon had united the Greek tribes. Alexander seeking revenge for the Persian ravages of two centuries earlier and urged on by his tutor (Aristotle) defeats a massive Persian army of over two million men at the Battle of Granicus in BC334. With the Persians in retreat, he smashes a similar sized army at the Battle of Isus. Verses 13-14 prophesy of a period of 2,300 day/years until the liberation of Jerusalem during the six-day war of June 1967. From verses 15-27 we have the vision interpreted and Persia and Greece as the named antagonists. Curiously we are told that this little-horn power would stand against, and be destroyed by, Messiah. We noted from the beasts of chapter 7 that elements of the third beast were incorporated into the Roman beast. Rome's first territory in the goat territory was the bequest in the will of Atallus of the territory of Pergamon, which becomes known as 'the little horn of the goat'. Alexander dies heirless and his Empire is divided among his four generals. Since the "king of fierce countenance" is to be destroyed by Messiah. Aspects of the second half of this chapter seem to indicate that this prophecy relates to events which we are witnessing and which will find their fulfilment in the near future. Surely we are witnessing the unfolding of these events in these last days with the rise of a "king of fierce countenance" in the north. Acts 8 records that Saul accented to Stephen's stoning and sets out on a course of destruction like an enraged bull. The objects of his persecution are the faithful believers in Christ. However, the greater the persecution, the faster the gospel spreads. Philip preaches Christ in Samaria and his testimony is supported by miracles. The city of Samaria had been bewitched by Simon the Sorcerer. However, Simon recognises the difference between his tricks and the powerful workings of the Holy Spirit. The record tells us that baptism only took place for believing adult subjects. Verse 12 provides us with a definition of the gospel - "the things concerning the kingdom of God and the things concerning the name of Jesus Christ". Although Philip could perform miracles he could not bestow the gifts - that only occurred through the laying on of the Apostles' hands. Simon seeks to buy the gifts from Peter and John and is grievously condemned for attempting this. Philip is next told to join the chariot of an Ethiopian eunuch of great authority under Candace their Queen. This eunuch was a proselyte and was reading Isaiah 53. The eunuch tells Philip that he fails to understand what the prophet spoke of. Philip commences with that chapter and explains Christ to the eunuch. No doubt Philip's preaching included the blessings from God on the eunuchs who choose the ways of God (Isaiah 56). Philip and the eunuch come to sufficient water for immersion. Philip explains to the eunuch that providing he has a wholehearted belief in Christ he may be baptised. Note how the record says that they both went down into the water and came up out of it together. The eunuch continues on his way rejoicing; but Philip is immediately snatched away to Azotus some 40 kilometres distant - the Lord having further work for Philip to do there. Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow 

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Check out our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video in what we call Project23. Our text today is Judges 10:6. The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. — Judges 10:6 For forty-five years under two Judges, Tola and Jair, Israel lived in peace. No drama. Just stability and faithfulness. But then came the slow creep of boredom. Instead of treasuring this quiet time, they ran after the thrills of idols—seven different gods from seven different nations. A sudden departure from God. It was certainly a restless search for "something more." More passion, more excitement, more control. But as we have learned repeatedly in Judges, empty idols never deliver. They always take more than they give. But we aren't that much different. When life feels stable, our hearts get restless. We scroll for the next dopamine hit, chase the next upgrade, crave the next thrill. Faithfulness begins to feel boring. And so, like Israel, we start reaching for idols—money, comfort, pleasure, approval, or success—hoping they'll spark what feels missing. But once we taste, the thrill fades fast. The upgrade is quickly outdated. The pleasure leaves us emptier than before. It's like running on a treadmill; we burn lots of energy but go nowhere. The problem isn't adventure or seeking adventure. The problem is where we seek it. The best adventure isn't found in chasing the next high—it's found in pursuing the living God. Running after God is the ultimate adventure. Following his call is the ultimate thrill. So don't pursue fake thrills, quick fixes, and short-lived highs. Trade in the hit for the Most High God. ASK THIS: Where do I chase quick thrills instead of God's steady presence? What's the "idol" I turn to when life feels boring? How has thrill-seeking left me emptier instead of fuller? What would it look like to see following God as the ultimate adventure? DO THIS: Today, replace one "dopamine scroll" (phone, purchase, escape) with a moment of pursuit—pray, read Scripture, or worship. Trade the hit for the real adventure. PRAY THIS: Lord, forgive me for chasing thrills apart from You. Teach me to see You as the true adventure of my life, the only pursuit that satisfies. Amen. PLAY THIS: "My King Forever."

No matter how many times the Philistines were defeated, they continued to war against Israel. Things haven't changed in three thousand years. Be with us tonight as we continue our study in II Samuel

The story of Samson killing a thousand Philistines with a donkey's jawbone reveals a profound truth we often overlook: even in our greatest moments of strength, we remain utterly dependent on God. This passage from Judges 15 presents us with a powerful paradox. Here stands Samson, a man of legendary strength who has just accomplished the impossible, yet moments later he cries out in desperation for water. The irony is striking—he survived battle against a thousand armed men, only to face death by thirst. This teaches us that no matter how capable we feel, no matter what victories we've achieved or resources we've accumulated, we cannot sustain ourselves apart from God's provision. In our modern world filled with technology, information at our fingertips, and unprecedented access to resources, we face the same temptation Samson did: to trust in our own strength rather than God's. We're challenged to recognize that every breath we take, every ability we possess, every blessing we enjoy comes directly from the hand of God. The most dangerous seasons aren't always the valleys of struggle—sometimes it's the mountaintops of success where we're most vulnerable to forgetting our complete dependence on the Lord. When God split open the rock to provide water for Samson, He was demonstrating that He alone is the source of life and strength, reminding us to return continually to Him.

My dear brothers and sisters, in this chapter our Lord shows us that He is the One who rescues us when we have become hopelessly entangled with the world through faithless compromise like David was.

In 2 Chronicles 21 Jehoram succeeds his father Jehoshaphat and rules for 8 inglorious and evil years. Judah's king commences his reign by killing all his brothers. It was said of this king of Judah that he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel - this is because his wife was Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Edom revolts and sets up their own ruler. A letter comes from the prophet Elijah and strongly rebukes Jehoram and prophesies of the disease which would kill Jehoram - a disgusting sort of dysentery that causes his bowels to fall out after two years of suffering. During this time the Philistines and Arabians invade Judah and ransack the king's house. In 2 Chronicles 22 we read that the people of Judah make Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, king at the age of 22. Ahaziah is evil like his great grandfather Omri and was no doubt controlled and directed by his mother, Athaliah. King Joram, of Israel, makes war with the Syrians and is seriously wounded. Ahaziah goes to visit his uncle in Jezreel; where he is met and slain by Jehu; whom God had appointed to destroy all of Ahab's offspring. Ahaziah is buried out of respect for Jehoshaphat. Athaliah now takes control of the throne of Judah. Athaliah likewise destroys all the seed Royal in Judah with the exception of Joash, who was hidden in the temple for six years by his faithful aunt Jehoshabeath and her husband the high priest, Jehoiadah. Daniel 3 speaks of Nebuchadnezzar's defiance of the vision presented to him. On the plain of Dura, just outside Babylon, the Chaldean king sets up an image made entirely of gold. The height of this image is about 35 metres and its breadth 3.5 metres - these dimensions suggest it was probably placed on a plinth. All the dignitaries from every province which king Nebuchadnezzar ruled were assembled and commanded to bow down and worship when the orchestra plays. The penalty for disobeying would be to be cast into a fiery furnace. Daniel's 3 friends disobey the king. These three friends were not prepared to submit to the command of a mere mortal man when there was a greater principle at stake - "we ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts 5 verse29). These faithful servants of Yahweh are given a second opportunity to comply. They politely refuse and are cast into the furnace, which was so hot that it kills the officers who cast them into the furnace. The three faithful men walk around in the furnace. The king sees withthem a fourth individual - the angel of God. When they emerge from the furnace they were not even singed, nor could the smell of fire be detected. Nebuchadnezzar is astounded and commands that all of his realm the worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - read aloud verses 28-30 Pause and Ponder. (Daniel must not have been present in Babylon at this time). Acts is Luke's second account - compare Luke 1 verses 1-4 with Acts 1 verses 1-3. Luke 24 closes with Jesus' ascension compare that to account the Acts 1 account which commences with the same event. Luke's first record closes with Jesus praying as he is taken to heaven as does Acts 1. For 40 days Jesus spoke with his disciples of the kingdom of God on earth, as the reconstituted kingdom of Israel. The only question the Apostles had was "Is the time for the kingdom now?" The time, as verse 7 indicates, is known only by Jesus' Father. By AD 96 when the book of Revelation is written Jesus then knew this time. But based on Jesus' commission for them to preach to the entire world it would obviously be some time distant. And following the words of the angels in recorded in verses 9-11 that kingdom would not come until our Lord's return to earth. From verses 12 to 26 a replacement is appointed for Judas, whose behaviour was the subject of prophecy - Psalm 109:8 (in fact it is instructive to read the entire Psalm as it will provide us with an insight as to what motivated Judas). That successor is named as Matthias.

In 2 Chronicles 21 Jehoram succeeds his father Jehoshaphat and rules for 8 inglorious and evil years. Judah's king commences his reign by killing all his brothers. It was said of this king of Judah that he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel - this is because his wife was Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Edom revolts and sets up their own ruler. A letter comes from the prophet Elijah and strongly rebukes Jehoram and prophesies of the disease which would kill Jehoram - a disgusting sort of dysentery that causes his bowels to fall out after two years of suffering. During this time the Philistines and Arabians invade Judah and ransack the king's house. In 2 Chronicles 22 we read that the people of Judah make Ahaziah, the youngest son of Jehoram, king at the age of 22. Ahaziah is evil like his great grandfather Omri and was no doubt controlled and directed by his mother, Athaliah. King Joram, of Israel, makes war with the Syrians and is seriously wounded. Ahaziah goes to visit his uncle in Jezreel; where he is met and slain by Jehu; whom God had appointed to destroy all of Ahab's offspring. Ahaziah is buried out of respect for Jehoshaphat. Athaliah now takes control of the throne of Judah. Athaliah likewise destroys all the seed Royal in Judah with the exception of Joash, who was hidden in the temple for six years by his faithful aunt Jehoshabeath and her husband the high priest, Jehoiadah. Daniel 3 speaks of Nebuchadnezzar's defiance of the vision presented to him. On the plain of Dura, just outside Babylon, the Chaldean king sets up an image made entirely of gold. The height of this image is about 35 metres and its breadth 3.5 metres - these dimensions suggest it was probably placed on a plinth. All the dignitaries from every province which king Nebuchadnezzar ruled were assembled and commanded to bow down and worship when the orchestra plays. The penalty for disobeying would be to be cast into a fiery furnace. Daniel's 3 friends disobey the king. These three friends were not prepared to submit to the command of a mere mortal man when there was a greater principle at stake - "we ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts 5 verse29). These faithful servants of Yahweh are given a second opportunity to comply. They politely refuse and are cast into the furnace, which was so hot that it kills the officers who cast them into the furnace. The three faithful men walk around in the furnace. The king sees with them a fourth individual - the angel of God. When they emerge from the furnace they were not even singed, nor could the smell of fire be detected. Nebuchadnezzar is astounded and commands that all of his realm the worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - read aloud verses 28-30 Pause and Ponder. (Daniel must not have been present in Babylon at this time). Acts is Luke's second account - compare Luke 1 verses 1-4 with Acts 1 verses 1-3. Luke 24 closes with Jesus' ascension compare that to account the Acts 1 account which commences with the same event. Luke's first record closes with Jesus praying as he is taken to heaven as does Acts 1. For 40 days Jesus spoke with his disciples of the kingdom of God on earth, as the reconstituted kingdom of Israel. The only question the Apostles had was "Is the time for the kingdom now?" The time, as verse 7 indicates, is known only by Jesus' Father. By AD 96 when the book of Revelation is written Jesus then knew this time. But based on Jesus' commission for them to preach to the entire world it would obviously be some time distant. And following the words of the angels in recorded in verses 9-11 that kingdom would not come until our Lord's return to earth. From verses 12 to 26 a replacement is appointed for Judas, whose behaviour was the subject of prophecy - Psalm 109:8 (in fact it is instructive to read the entire Psalm as it will provide us with an insight as to what motivated Judas). That successor is named as Matthias. Thanks for joining us - we pray you found these comments helpful in your appreciation of God's words, join again tomorrow 

Samson gets a bad wrap from many pastors and commentators. He is often credited with breaking his Nazarite vows. He is portrayed as a drunkard with no care for the uncleanness of corpses. The only part of the vow that Samson is said to have obeyed was the bit about cutting his hair, that is until his hair was cut. But when we read the story of Samson and pay attention, we will discover that Samson is never once recorded as having a drink or eating a grape. And the concern about corpses of often misunderstood and misapplied. Samson does have a weakness, but it is not wine. It is a much more fundamental weakness that causes him to make the terrible decisions that he makes. His weakness is women. And not just any women. Philistine women.

A — About: This passage reveals God's coming judgment against the Philistines for their rebellion and hostility toward His people. Despite their strength, they could not escape the Lord's appointed justice. B — Best Verse: "The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza." — Jeremiah 47:1 (NKJV) C — Call to Action: We are called not to rebel against God, but to trust in His justice and grace through Jesus Christ, who bore the punishment we deserved.

What about the Philistines?

BABYLONIANS, ASSYRIANS, EGYPTIANS, PHILISTINES 

Yitskhaq's Conflict With Abimelech 15 Now all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.” 17 And Isaac departed from there and…

Send us a textThe first portrayal of the Philistines can be seen in the reliefs of the Medinet Habu monument. It shows their warriors, but also their women and children on ox-carts. They came to conquer, but also to live. They fought and contributed culturally, bringing their influences from the Aegean. But were they just a bunch of foreign invaders, or were they migrants integrating into the local culture? Support the show

In I Samuel Chapter 4, the leaders of Israel suffered a crushing defeat and wrongly assumed that bringing the Ark of the Covenant into battle would guarantee victory. Instead of seeking God's guidance or repenting, they treated the Ark as a magical object rather than a symbol of God's presence. Their misplaced faith led to disaster—the Philistines defeated them and captured the Ark, the sacred vessel that represented God's covenant and presence with Israel. In Chapters 5–6, the Philistines placed the captured Ark in the temple of their god Dagon, only to witness Dagon fall before it and be destroyed. God's power brought plagues upon the Philistines until they returned the Ark to Israel with guilt offerings, acknowledging His supremacy. Yet, even some of the Israelites were punished when they failed to show proper reverence, reminding us all that God's holiness must never be treated casually or superstitiously. This story reveals powerful truths: God alone is supreme over all idols, His power is independent of human strength, and His holiness demands respect. He exposes false worship and shows that His purpose is always to make Himself known among all nations. Today, believers are called to examine their own “idols”—anything they trust more than God—and remember that His presence now dwells within them through the Holy Spirit, not in objects or rituals, but in hearts fully devoted to Him.

In 2 Samuel chapter 8, the Bible records a season of great military success for King David and the strengthening of his kingdom. After consolidating his rule over all Israel, David goes to war against surrounding nations and secures victory after victory, fulfilling God's promise to give him rest from his enemies. Summary David defeats the Philistines, Moabites, Zobah, Arameans (Syrians), Edomites, and others, expanding Israel's borders and establishing dominance from the Euphrates River to the border of Egypt. He takes valuable spoils of war—gold, silver, and bronze—and dedicates them to the Lord. The chapter emphasizes that “the Lord gave David victory wherever he went” (2 Samuel 8:6, 14). This phrase underlines that David's triumphs were not just military achievements but divine favor and fulfillment of God's covenant promises. David sets up garrisons in conquered territories to maintain peace and order, establishing political stability. He also appoints a structured leadership over Israel — including Joab as commander of the army, Jehoshaphat as recorder, Zadok and Ahimelech as priests, Seraiah as secretary, and Benaiah over the Kerethites and Pelethites (David's royal guard). Themes and Lessons •Divine Favor: David's success was due to God's presence, not merely human strategy. •Faithfulness: David honored God by dedicating the plunder to Him. •Order and Leadership: A strong kingdom requires godly structure and trusted officials. •Fulfillment of Promise: God's word to Abraham and to David about establishing Israel's dominion was being realized. Hashtags: #2Samuel8 #David #Victory #BibleStudy #FaithfulGod #DivineFavor #SendMeRadio #BibleTeaching #GodsPromisesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sendme-radio--732966/support.“Thank you for listening to SendMe Radio — where we share the Gospel, inspire faith, and keep you connected with powerful stories and updates from around the world. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe so you never miss a message.And remember — you can listen to SendMe Radio streaming 24/7 at www.sendmeradio.net or simply say: ‘Hey Alexa, play SendMe Radio.'

Egypt's Retreat and the Emergence of New Kingdoms in the Early Iron Age AUTHOR NAME: Eric Cline BOOK TITLE: 1177 BC, the year civilization collapsed; After 1177 BC, The Survival of Civilizations Following the collapse, Egypt, despite surviving, merely coped and retreated from the international stage, entering the chaotic Third Intermediate Period. The resulting power vacuum allowed the emergence of smaller kingdoms like Israel, Judah, and Moab. Archaeology uses Old Testament texts as guideposts for the First Millennium BC. The Philistines are identified as the Sea Peoples group called the Peleset, evidenced by DNA extracted from Ashkelon burials.

“God's Promise & Protection”Exodus 23:20-3320 “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.22 “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.23 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. 25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31 And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”CONNECT WITH USIf you have any questions or would like to get to know us further, head over to https://www.triumphlbc.org/connect and fill out our online connection card.ABOUT TRIUMPHTriumph wants to see the life and message of Jesus transform your heart, home, and city. To learn more visit https://www.triumphlbc.org/

Ordinary Tool, Extraordinary God October 12, 2025 AM Elwyn Johnston Judges 3:31 Verse of the Week: “Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's.” 2 Chron. 20:15 1. You are God's answer to your world. “After Ehud came Shamgar the son of Anath” Judges 3:31 2. What you have can make a difference “Shamgar killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad.” Judges 3:31 “You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.” Matthew 25:21 “God has given each of you a gift….Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10 3. Don't allow the circumstances to stop you “Shamgar killed 600 Philistines” Judges 3:31 “When the priests who were carrying the ark came to the edge of the Jordan River and set foot in the water, the water stopped flowing from upstream.” Joshua 3:15 & 16 “we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel...and he said…Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's.” 2 Chronicles 20:14 & 15

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 3 Handmaiden Traditions In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             Pain is either not knowing what it is or forgetting what it was       "Okay," I choked. "I only wanted one of you bitches up here tonight so Heaven can stay but the rest of you have to go." No one responded instantly. "You don't tell me what to do, freshman," Heaven said as she smacked me across my thigh. "Christina, let's get out of here; I feel like getting something to eat, something else that is," she told the Queen. In the time it took Heaven to gather her clothes and get dressed, the group was gone, and I was left wondering what the hell I'd stepped into. I figured one guy and nine hundred girls, and I'd be living the dream. Only an idiot would have assumed there would be no existing power structure, competing sexual desires, or people less than happy with my cleverness. Suddenly, having to survive three more days to the weekend seemed too much to ask. Fighting for the Weekend. I was slumped down on the floor against the wall when an expensive pair of shoes came at me. Since my stomach and left side were well acquainted with pain already I chose to block with both arms which hurt a little bit less. This unnamed assailant pivoted back for another kick when Heaven grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed his head into a picture above my head. He dropped like the sack of shit that I'm sure he was. I was struggling up when Cappadocia grabbed my wrist and helped me stand. Three more guys stood between us and the bathroom door, outside of which a battle of the sexes was starting to be waged; FFU vs. AKA fraternity. You may be wondering how I ended up here; I sure am. (I promise this will all make sense eventually) Starting in the Past The light tapping on my door broke my oral attention on Barbie Lynn's right nipple. I kept frigging her with two fingers in her cunt while I caught a quick look at the time. It was twelve-ten in the morning. Who the hell? "I need to check this out," I warned Barbie. "What?" she wondered. "What's going on?" "There is someone at the door and I think I know who it is. I'll be right back," I explained. Barbie looked apprehensive for obvious reasons. I grabbed a robe and headed down to the door as there was a second rap at the door. I swung the door open and there stood Rio. "Hey, Bitch, are you going to make me wait out here or what?" she teased me. I stood aside and followed her back to my bedroom. Barbie had disappeared under the quilt and covers but I was careful to not sit on her when I flopped onto the bed. "What can I do for you?" I inquired of Rio. "Keep it holstered, Cowboy," Rio laughed. "Save that python for your playmate Barbie. Do remind her that if she rides you too rough, she can break it off." "I'll have you know she's the most gentle and sensitive woman I've ever known," I countered with a grin of my own. "Really?" she asked speculatively. "Really," I affirmed. "In that case, maybe you can give her to me for an evening. I'd like to play with her; you know, a little light bondage, spanking, and a dildo, vibrator or three," she asked suggestively. "Is that all?" I asked. "Of course, I'd put those succulent lips to good use and I bet her tongue is to die for. I'd also love to chew on those massive titties, bite her and mark her as my own," Rio added. "If she moans like enough of a slut, I'll even eat her out too." "If it somehow comes up in casual conversation I'll let her know," I promised, while at the same time I resolved to actually have a decent hiding place when I fixed things up. "Don't do that," Rio insisted. "I'd rather kidnap her, blindfolded, so that I can take her to a bar and hand her around like a party favor." "That's kind of cold," I cautioned her. "What about her virginity?" "There are all kinds of chastity belts I can fit her with that leave her mouth and ass free," Rio regaled me. I really had no idea but I didn't doubt it existed. "Isn't that a bit harsh? What has Barbie Lynn ever done to you?" I was curious to know. "Barbie Lynn, she is a girl in need of a good, hard fucking, regularly and repeatedly" She grinned like she was a female Loki, Goddess of Mischief. "If you think so, I guess I could tie her up and leave her for you, bound and gagged in the trunk of my car. I'm sure when you get to the bar you'll find some big strong men to take her out for you," I outlined the plan. Rio desperately fought down her giggles. "Well, that's given me some pleasant images to get to bed with," Rio came over and kissed me on the cheek. "Give me that sleeping bag and I'll catch some Zees." "Sure, no problem. You know how I snore so if you hear any noise coming from my bed, just ignore it," I winked. "Okay. As long as nothing touches the floor, I'll be fine," she assured me. "What happens if something touches the floor?" I had to ask. It was getting downright hilarious. "I scream like a banshee. I was molested by a Chihuahua when I was young and I've never gotten over it," Rio snickered. "I will keep all my bits up on the bed, then. Now, get squared away so we can get some sleep," I grinned. Rio laid out my sleeping bag below the footboard and climbed inside. "Good night, Zane," Rio yawned as I cut off the light. "Good night, Rio," I replied. "Good night, Barbie Lynn," Rio giggled. There was a long pause as a naked Barbie tensed up, then wiggled up from beneath the bed coverings. She looked at me curiously then crawled down on all fours to the foot of the bed. I was momentarily paralyzed by the look of Barbie's entire rearview cast in the pale moonlight. "How did you know I was here?" Barbie Lynn questioned Rio. "Unless Zane started sleeping with fifty pounds of extra bedding, there was someone under the covers with him; then it was a matter of figuring out who was the sexiest upperclassman who would take the risk," Rio explained. "So this whole talk about kidnapping me and taking me to a bar was meant to scare me?" Barbie accused Rio, who snickered yet again. "Tell me, Barbie, did that get you hot or what? Be honest now," Rio challenged her. Barbie Lynn flushed furiously and looked over her shoulder at me, trying to gauge her words to my reaction. I moved up behind her, kissing from the small of her back then forward while my hand rubbed along her ass and flanks. She kept her eyes on me until my hand cupped her sex, at which point her eyes shut and her breathing increased. "Oh, Barbie Lynn sighed as she let her legs part and her cunt went from damp to dripping. "If Zane was with me, I'd feel safe," Barbie stammered nervously. "He'd not let anything bad happen to me, but I'd like to, just a little." I'd never tied a girl up before now, I'd never really wanted to, but taking in all of Barbie right at the moment, I made a note of consorting with my sorority friends about what to use when the opportunity presented itself. Two fingers in, two fingers out, two fingers in, two fingers out, one finger in her cunt and one in her ass. Barbie shuddered deliciously. "You two fuck your brains out," grumbled Rio. "I'll lie here and try to get some sleep." "Good, good, good luck with that," panted Barbie Lynn, "I'm a real screamer," and she really was. "I swear, if one more girl had climbed into that shower with you, I was going to tape on a stun gun in the on setting and toss it in," Rio joked. "A, you don't have a stun gun, and B, the floor was so wet you would have stunned yourself too," I pointed out. "Threaten me not with logic, dumbass," Rio chuckled. "Fine. Not that I mind your company but, don't you have to get dressed?" I groaned. "Do you think anyone would notice if I went to class naked today?" Rio wondered. "Notice, yes; make you the target of a direct-to-video lesbian gangbang porn flick, yes too," I taunted her. "Damn it, Zane," Rio squawked, "you've tapped into my secret fantasy!" "Save it for your creative writing assignment in English class," I nudged her. "Now seriously, I need to get dressed and so do you." Rio's exaggerated frown only made me chuckle harder but I did manage to shush her out. I sang my way to breakfast, literally. The latest demand of my Handmaiden's Duty was a rendition of 'Call Me Maybe' which garnered us quite an audience if not accolades for my proficiency. Rio tried to record me on her phone but an observant junior picked Rio for a piggy back ride. Iona hovered closely to Barbie Lynn again, which kept her safe. Christina snatched us on the way to Assembly. One look told me things had gone horribly wrong but I didn't know why. She picked me and when I protested (a junior named Sybil had pre-ordered my services) Heaven grabbed Iona as a clear threat to me. Chastity hijacked Rio before she could throw her food tray on Christina's head but I admired my buddy's fanaticism and loyalty. "I'm with Sybil," I tried to explain, but that girl did a quick disappearing act. "Okay, then, what do you want me to do?" "We seem to have this little disagreement about you thinking you can dictate my behavior," she smiled sweetly, "so I'm going to be monopolizing your time for the rest of the semester." Iona groaned and I was afraid Rio would do something stupid. "Zane, I want you to carry my books to my next class," which didn't sound too bad but, "on your knees," she gloated, "but I'll, " "You conceited bitch!" snapped Rio. "Stop it!" I growled back to Rio angrily enough to stop her. "This is what they want." "Hmm, Christina contemplated, "I was going to allow you to crawl on the grass but now I think you will do it on the walkway." Crawling all that way on bricks would be painful to say the least. "Now I think we'll have Rio do it," she continued. I waved Rio to silence. "As I remember you have this noble streak so I'm going to give you the option of you traveling on the bricks or letting Rio do it." It was some horrible sick joke and I knew the results before I spoke. "I'll do it," I answered, but again, I knew it was useless. "Agreed," Christina handed me her book bag while Heaven did the same to Rio, "Rio can take the walkway and I'll let you take the grass." She waited for my response. "What; no repose? No protests? No rants?" she questioned. "That's not where my mind is at, Christina. You just keep digging a deeper hole. I'll bury you in it; how you crawl back out is your business," I shrugged. "I understand, Zane. Faith, give your books to Iona. She can share the walkway with Rio," Christina ordered. Again I had to stop Rio from erupting; there was nothing I could do. We were boned in this bizarre institution's humiliating ritual. "Zane will take the walkway on his knees, Rio can do the same on the grass, and Iona can carry the rest of our books," Chastity announced out of the blue. "Chastity?" Christina questioned her rebellious minion. "They get the point," Chastity suggested. "I'm with Chastity," Hope declared. "I'll explain when we get outside," Chastity all but begged. I had to scratch megalomania off my list of possible character flaws of Christina; she motioned our little troupe to proceed and made no protests when we freshmen took up our duties. Rio and I had to cover two hundred feet on our knees; I flashed Rio a vicious, confident grin. She grinned back and mouthed 'Fuck all the bitches,' which made me chuckle. "What is so funny?" growled Heaven. "Your skirt is caught in your underwear so every time you step left your skirt rides up," I lied convincingly. Heaven reached around and tried to straighten out the nonexistent problem. "Heaven, he's playing you," Hope intervened. Heaven's eyes rained fiery death down on me. "Who is digging themselves a deeper hole now?" Christina taunted me. "I accept that Heaven is going to get her due and I'm fine with that. Of course, when I finally bring you to your knees, I know that look on your face is going to be priceless," I glared back. "You are also not going to see Barbie Lynn outside of official business," Christina informed me. "I'll give your suggestion all the merit it deserves," I smiled. "That is not a suggestion, and if you do see her again, she will be expelled and a letter of explanation will be sent to her parents and fianc ," Christina said intently. That brought me up short. "I'm not going to mention you, Zane. She'll go down but you will remain scot free." "Why are you doing this to him?" Iona murmured. "He needs to learn his lesson," Faith whispered to her. "Oh," the normally timid freshman responded, "is that what this is? He is so going to own all of you if this is the best you've got." Hope burst out in laughter at the mouse's challenge. The ordeal was over for the period but resumed when class let out again. Iona's schedule was in shambles because Christina had let word get out that Rio and I were out of bounds for anyone else in the school. By the time I went to Archery, my slacks were torn and my knees were bleeding. Chastity did what she could do as my Team Captain but then I was back on my knees heading to Karate. In an abstract way my teammates in Karate knew what was happening to me but when they saw that I could barely move without wincing in pain, they became conflicted. Coach Dana was nice enough to offer to take me to the Chancellor so I could quit and end my suffering. I opted for letting my teammates in the second squad beat me up instead. The only hard part about my dinner plans was the reality that I was the only boy on campus. No one would confuse me with any other student so sneaking off to my dorm was impossible. The answer to my dilemma should have been obvious to Christina, glaring obvious. As it was, I had to get Christina's reaction secondhand as Rio, Iona, and I were cruising into town in my car with civilian clothes helpfully provided by my secret ally. Rio groaned sarcastically when we arrived at our destination where Iona clapped her hands in glee. My argument was that everyone liked ice cream and, while Rio declared the whole endeavor to be juvenile, that didn't stop her from ordering three scopes with whipped cream and sprinkles. I was paying for our outing when three girls walked in. "Zane?" the third girl asked. I took her in only long enough to know she looked better in a swim suit. "Hey, Leigh," I grinned. "You look even better with clothes on." Leigh gave a hearty laugh while her companions tried to make sense of the situation. "The Zane?" the lead woman inquired. I looked at her quizzically. "Zane, our next door neighbor?" How had I suddenly become famous enough to earn a 'The' in front of my name? "Sure, that's me. I've been at school but that's my house," I responded. "This is Tawny Flores, our chapter President, and my sister Ricky Frasier," Leigh said. "Rio Talon, my ex-roommate, and Iona Becket, my cohort in crime," I offered. "Sorority chicks? Seriously, Zane, you need to start raising the bar on the quality of women you hang out with," joked Rio. That went over like a lead balloon. "Your girlfriend is a bit jealous," Leigh broke the silence. "I'm not his girlfriend," Rio grinned viciously. "I prefer boys who've reached puberty." "Tawny, Ricky, and Leigh, I apologize for Rio. We've had some issues with upperclassmen all day long and it has left some of us crankier than others," I said. "Things can be rough for freshmen; we understand," Tawny allowed as she eyed me speculatively. "How about I buy you all some cones?" I offered in return. "We are not here for ice cream, or ice cream in cones," Leigh explained. "We have a party Saturday night, our first of the semester, and we need to place an order for a few gallons." "Cool. I hope you ladies have a blast," I nodded as I moved to join Rio and Iona, letting the sorority girls move to the counter and make their order. They eventually did get some cones and came our way. "Horny sluts at seven o'clock," whispered Rio as they approached me from the rear. "Zane," Tawny smiled down at me, "are you rushing a fraternity?" Rio snorted in derision. "Zane couldn't rush a fraternity," Rio explained. "It would tragically cut down on his time with all his girlfriends." The three older women gazed at me, looking for the punch line. "Here you go," Iona stated, holding up her phone to Tawny. "This is Barbie Lynn, Christina, Chastity, Brandi, Hope, Cappadocia, Opal, she continued to go down the list of women in my life as well as displaying their pictures. The ladies went from skeptical to confused to impressed. "You are sleeping with all these girls, in your first three days of school?" Leigh wondered. "No," Rio pre-empted, "he hasn't actually had sex with all of them. That's silly. The magic thing is how often he gets them to orgasm. What's your record, Zane?" "It is not a contest," I protested. "Oh, come on," Tawny urged me playfully. "Ugh, fine. Seven, but she's really sensitive and responsive, we mesh well," I answered. I'm not sure how many of them got past me saying the number '7'. "Are you going to be home this weekend?" Leigh inquired suddenly. "Planning on it," I replied. "Well, why don't you come by Saturday night, then," Tawny suggested, "unless you are afraid of a little competition." Seeing my uncertainty, she added, "We are having our brother fraternity Alpha Kappa Alpha over for the party. The guy/girl ratio should be two-to-one so I can't promise you any time." "Oh," I shrugged. "Do you want me to bring a friend or two?" "Sure," Tawny grinned, "but make sure to keep an eye on them. The boys of AKA are pretty aggressive." "I'll make sure to only bring the grown-ups," I laughed. We were all still chuckling when we broke up for the evening. I Love Pushing Boulders Uphill "Did you sleep well?" Christina greeted me. Since I'd been Barbie-free last night I had to frown. "Thanks for asking," I shrugged. "I slept like a baby. Honestly, I'd expected a little more creativity from you, not this simplistic jack-booted thuggery. Please try to keep my interest today if you can." "Ah, the smell of burning bitch-flesh," Rio giggled, unleashing her sadomasochistic impulses. Christina didn't rise to the bait. "Let's get some breakfast, on your knees you two," she commanded. Clearly their plan for us involved attrition. During breakfast the idea was to keep us apart, but they apparently forgot we'd all graduated kindergarten. We wandered around like loss little lambs and came to our collision from different angles. My only real worry was that Iona would chicken out since she had always been the good girl. She even sold the slip and spill well. This time Hope was the recipient of our hate and she looked quite fetching covered in grits, eggs, melons, and bacon. The miraculous thing was that the kitchen let us reload. Chastity almost dodged the bullet but we nailed her pretty good as well. As we headed out for our first class, Rio and I on our knees, she turned to me grinning like a maniac. "I am so looking forward to lunch," she told me. "Really? So am I. I'm going to get the soup," I chuckled. "Oh, soup. I like soup. I may get two bowls," Rio exulted. There wasn't time to warn Rio, I had to act, so I threw myself on Rio and took Heaven's kick to the ribs myself. "Heaven!" Christina shouted, but it was too late. I hurt like hell but I was damned if I was going to show it. Rio looked up at me and rapidly put together what had happened. Before she could explode I prodded her. "I hope the croutons in the salad are extra hard," I wheezed. "Zane," Rio whispered, worried about my well-being. "Give them nothing," I winked. "We know what low-life pieces of shit they are now. Give them nothing." Rio nodded and got back on her knees. "Zane, I'm sorry," Christina said softly. I looked up her and projected my most indifferent expression. "Can we get this over with? You bore me," I sneered at Christina. She snorted and shook her head. "Take my books to class, Zane," she commanded, and I headed off. They took Rio and Iona off in another direction. I was bleeding by the time I kneeled my way to lunch. Sadly, Team Christina was vigilant so we had to settle for a few bites sitting up against a wall before a Dorm Mother directed us to separate seats. We buried her in soup and crotons for her efforts, then apologized profusely. Doctor Burns chastised and lectured us about good Christian virtues. The senile old bastard almost let us go back for seconds but a different Dorm Mother pointed out the danger just in time. The craziest thing was that they let me go to Marksmanship because it wasn't like I wanted to climb up on the water tower and take pot shots with a high powered rifle at anyone; right? "Let me bandage your knees," Hope asked me. I looked to the rest of the class who couldn't bring themselves to meet my gaze, then laughed. "What is wrong with my knees?" I questioned. She pointed out the holes in my pants and the blood still oozing out of my torn flesh. "Really. I hadn't noticed," I winced as I moved to get my gear. "You could get infected," Hope insisted. "At what point do you think I lost faith in your capacity for compassion, Hope?" I sighed. "Let's get to work. Inside this class, you are the instructor; outside of this class, you sicken me." I actually did pretty well working wind drift and range-finding during the class and Hope gave me a mild compliment on my growing proficiency. I listened but said nothing. When the rest of the group dispersed, Hope held me back. Heaven was waiting to make me crawl to her class. "That was uncalled for," Hope insisted. "We are only doing what we have to do." "The failure of your courage is only eclipsed by your lack of principles, Hope," I verbally slapped her which only made her angrier. "Maybe you can put some weights in my back pack to make yourself feel better, or would you rather sow the sidewalk with salt?" If Hope was expecting me to back down, she was sorely disappointed. "So, are you going to get revenge on me too?" she mocked me. I looked mildly amused and insulted. "Hope, you aren't worth my vengeance. You don't matter to me. You are a tool, an obstacle, and nothing more and I have things that actually matter and I need to concentrate on so if you would please get out of my way, I believe Heaven wants to show me what an inhuman beast she can be." "You have to pay for that," Heaven growled at me as I struggled along on all fours to Orienteering. "Remember this moment, Heaven, because when I break Christina, she is going to be crying out your name and you aren't going to be able to do anything to help her, and after all she's done for you," I taunted her. That earned me two sharp kicks to the ribs to add to the one I'd already had. I picked myself up and continued on our way. Orienteering was brutal and I suffered a good deal of humiliation at Heaven's hands. I quietly took it. As if that wasn't enough, Heaven walked me to my study period and Faith took me to the Dining Hall. Rio looked pretty brutal and Iona had been crying but at least they'd been bandaged up. Ms. Goodswell came up to me in the dinner line. "You need to have someone look at those wounds. You could also use a fresh pair of pants." "There is nothing wrong with my knees," I said in a bland monotone. "You are bleeding into your socks, Zane," she informed me. I looked down and nodded. "Yes, that seems to be the case. Can I get my dinner now?" I inquired calmly. "No, Zane. Go to the Infirmary and get that taken care of," Ms. Goodswell insisted. "I invoke my right to refuse medical treatment due to religious convictions," I grinned. "Zane, you could develop permanent damage," Virginia warned me. "No. You hypocrites can cripple me if you like but you aren't pinning this on me. I don't recall wanting to walk anywhere on my knees. I'm not going to quit though; if you want to get rid of me, you will have to become more inventive than this," I told her. When she didn't reply I went back to my place in line. Christina tagged me heading toward the dorm. Chastity had Rio and Faith had Iona. "What do you think we'll have for breakfast?" Rio joked. "Keep quiet," Christina cautioned us. "I'm hoping for corned beef hash covered in ketchup," I responded. "I told you to be quiet," Christina ordered. "Which one of us are you talking to?" Rio teased. "I want milk and cereal," Iona suggested. "Quiet," Faith told Iona with a hand on her shoulder. They decided that we should be getting back to our rooms to study but the elevator wouldn't be necessary; we could take the stairs, on our knees. I wasn't sure Iona could make it; she was the shortest and weakest of us. But it turned out I needn't have bothered. We opened the door to the stairwell and there stood Barbie Lynn. "I've got it from here," she told Christina and company cheerfully. The idea that Barbie Lynn was here to save me was kind of funny. "That is not how it works," Christina informed her. "No, Christina, read the Handbook. My dorm, my rules, and my rules say that if you don't belong in my dorm, you can leave, now," Barbie Lynn countered with determination. "Don't do this, Barbie Lynn; they will expel you. You are hardly bulletproof," Christina warned Barbie. "At what point did we cease being the Israelites and become the Philistines?" Barbie answered. "If you do this I'll have to report you," Christina explained. "In thirty minutes you won't be Dorm Mother. Think about your future." "I am," Barbie Lynn stated. "Do I really want or deserve a future if I do nothing now? I don't think so." There was a pause, then, "Get out." Christina's gang turned and left, Chastity last of all. "Barbie Lynn, have his legs taken care of before his pride cuts him in half," she said meaningfully. Barbie nodded, then Chastity ran to catch up with the others. "Let's get you to your rooms before they come back," Barbie Lynn urged us. "Can we take the elevator? I'm not sure I can take all these stairs," I groaned. "Baby," snorted Rio, but I noted she was the first one to hobble for the elevator. Iona drew close to me, looking for some small comfort. "What are we going to do?" she whispered to me. "Rio and I are going to tough it out; we don't have any real options. You are going to be sick tomorrow and go to the Infirmary. After that, they should leave you alone as long as you avoid us," I told her. "No," Iona responded. "I can't leave the two of you alone here." "Get over yourself," mocked Rio. "You are slowing us down. Zane and I are hardcore bad-asses and you're nothing but a dweeb." That was Rio's way of saying 'I like you.' Iona began sobbing. "I'll take care of her as long as I can," Barbie Lynn frowned as she wrapped an arm around Iona. "Thanks for everything, Barbie Lynn. Sorry for dragging you down in all of this," I told my blonde dynamite. "Ha," she laughed. "I've had more fun, felt better, in the past four days than I've felt in the past three years here." "Man, that is so pathetic," choked Rio. "If my life was so damn boring, I'd have become a shit-faced drunk by now." I think that was Rio saying 'thank you' but I wasn't sure. We made our way to our rooms and wisely settled in for the night. Around eight-thirty Barbie came to my room and escorted me to the bathroom for my own 'safety'. "Thank you. What are you going to tell your family and fianc ?" I asked. Barbie Lynn shrugged. "Can I move in with your Aunt if things don't work out?" she countered. "Sure. Do you think it will come to that?" I answered. "Well, I'm definitely not marrying Jerome, that's for sure," she grinned. "He's about as interesting as a box of rocks and he's got a tiny cock ta' boot. Lord above, all he wants to do is work in his Daddy's bank and play golf while I stay home and make babies." "Umm, Barbie Lynn, I don't see us getting married so if I, I stammered. "Lord Jesus," Barbie laughed, "if I married you I'd have to convert to Islam because I'd need at least three other wives to keep up with you. You are fun, Zane, and you've never lied to me about anything." "Barbie Lynn, I've lied to you," I admitted shyly. "What about?" she questioned. "You know those tiny little grunting noises you make between orgasms?" Barbie Lynn blushed but nodded. "Well, I don't like them; I love them. In fact, last time I rushed you through one orgasm just so I could listen to those sounds." "You are a bad man," Barbie laughed musically. "I don't believe you." "Oh, so I'm going to have to prove myself, am I?" I gasped in mock protest. "I'm counting on it," she smiled seductively back at me. "When this nuttiness is over, I'll do that," I grinned. Barbie Lynn looked suddenly sad. "Is this going to end, in a good way?" she sighed. "Five-thirty tomorrow I'm in my car and driving out of here for the weekend. I'd like you to be with me," I told her. "I can't be gone all weekend long, Zane. I'm Dorm Mother," she explained. "How about Saturday night? I've made some plans," I hinted. "Hmm, okay, but how are you going to stop them from catching you if you come back? Escaping tomorrow is going to be tough enough," she pointed out. "I'll think of something," I sighed. What that was; I had no idea. When I got to the top of the stairs after my bathroom break I noticed Chastity and Hope waiting for me. I could have said 'what do you want?' but I decided on a softer approach. "What can I do for you, the two ladies most likely to kill at a distance, this fine evening?" "We came by to see if you, Iona, and Rio were doing okay," Chastity related to me. "How's Iona? I imagine Rio was less than cooperative," I responded. "Rio told us if we came in by the door we were leaving by the window," Hope informed me. "Iona is doing okay physically but she's beaten up on the inside." "She says you threw her out of your little club," Chastity went fishing for confirmation. "Yes, she's out. I no longer give a crap what happens to her," I lied. Hope and Chastity snorted in disbelief. "She didn't tell you, did she?" Chastity questioned me. Since the answer was 'no' I kept silent. "The Chancellor instructed her to abandon you and Rio and to help the rest of us get you two expelled," Hope informed me. All I could think of was, poor Iona, stuck in that spot. "She responded with a tale of one of the early martyrs," Chastity picked up the story. "All the martyr had to do to save her life from the lions is renounce Christ and kiss the hem of Caesar's robe. The young girl responded, 'I would rather spend my last hour in the dust with the Christians, ' ', than live ten thousand more days as a Roman,' I completed the story. Sure, the story came from a hundred years after the real Caesar was dead, but who really cared? "I don't think that went over well." "I imagine a less than sterling letter was fired off to her parents," Hope suggested. "Fine," I muttered after a moment. "What?" Chastity inquired. "Chastity and Hope, I apologize for what I said earlier. I was pissed and I lashed out when you were stuck in the same fucked up situation I'm in," I admitted. "Apology accepted," Chastity grinned. "Don't make a habit of pissing me off, Zane," Hope cautioned me, "and the next one of you to come at me with a food tray gets it in the teeth." "Why did you pick Hope and me?" Chastity asked about the food trays we'd dumped on them. "I'm not saying we plotted anything but if we did, we would have created a random list for each meal. We get target one, then go to target two, and so on," I answered. "If it was randomized it would be harder for you guys to figure out who was next." "Do you have any other retaliatory actions planned out?" Hope inquired. "What do you think?" I smirked. "How did you plan all this out?" Hope persisted. "Since you are still dedicated to having us expelled, I don't feel it is prudent to tell you," I replied. I was hardly going to admit Iona set it all up, including that little trick of blanking out our call logs. "Fine. Let's get out of here, Chastity," Hope sighed. "I'll be with you in a minute," Chastity told Hope. When Hope was halfway down the stairs, Chastity turned to me with a sly grin. "How did you know I'd help you?" she whispered. "For that matter, how did you slip me the note and the key?" "I promise I'll tell you one day, Chastity," I replied. I could hardly tell her that Ms. Goodswell had slipped my message and her key into Chastity's pack. That Chastity would actually gather up the clothes that Rio, Iona, and I needed was the greater risk. She'd done it and we'd made our Wednesday night getaway for ice cream. I still wasn't sure why Virginia had known Chastity would do it but figuring it all out would be fun. It wasn't as good as sex but, well; it wasn't as good as sex. The Object is not to Die "Let me wash you," Opal requested of me as I entered the bathroom the next morning. Warning her that I was poison was pointless. I looked, smelled, and sounded like trouble. I imagine if I asked her, she'd tell me I tasted like trouble too, but I didn't want to tempt fate. "I can keep your bandages dry," she promised. Mentally, I cracked when she finished rinsing my hair. "Why are you doing this?" I had to know. "Zane, you are the only non-related male I'm going to be in contact with for the next two years. If I let you go, I'm going to lapse into homosexuality," she explained. I couldn't resist. "Does that mean you would be opposed to a three-way?" I grinned. "I don't know," she mused, "who do you have in mind?" "Brandi; she is cute and receptive," I suggested. "Good choice," Opal beamed, "she's scrumptious. Do you think she's game? Don't bother, I'll snare her in; you make sure you show up, okay?" Up until this point in time I'd been fooling around but I had the distinct impression that Opal wasn't. "Let me guess; you are on the Soccer team," I chuckled. "Striker," Opal responded. "I should have known; you have that killer instinct," I sighed knowingly. "I know what I want and I go for it," she smiled as she closed with me and stroked my member. It was to our immense mutual disappointment that we simply didn't have the time to take it any further. I could appreciate Barbie Lynn throwing herself under the proverbial bus for us but I really wish she didn't look so sexy doing it. She stood with Rio, Iona, and me as we walked out of the dorm toward Christina and company. Rio and I exchanged conspiratorial glances with Iona. "I'm hoping for oatmeal," Rio quipped. "I'm betting on pancakes and syrup," I replied. "Oh, hot syrup," mused Iona. "I like syrup. It turns pancakes into fly paper." We walked up to our tormentors and held out our arms for their book bags, which they dutifully handed over. As we got ready to assume our kneeling position, Christina cleared her throat. "What are you doing?" Christina commented dryly. Seeing our confusion, she sniffed derisively, then added, "I haven't got all day." With that, she turned and walked off at a good clip we had to jog to keep up with. We hobbled into the Dining Hall without a word being said but when we got into the food line, Rio broke the spell. "Does this mean we don't dump food on them?" she whispered. "They've tossed us an olive branch so we shouldn't shower them with defoliant just yet," I suggested. "We need to know what they are up to," Iona added. That was the thing none of us had an answer to so we were served and went searching for someplace to sit. Cappadocia, Captain Willie, and another Karate teammate named Evangeline caught sight of us and chose that moment to rise and take their trays away, leaving us three adjacent seats. We leapt on them in an instant since another part of the Enemy's plan was to keep us isolated from one another. "I hate to rain on our parade but Queen Christina at six o'clock," Rio muttered. "Phone," Christina demanded of Iona. "We are in the Dining Hall," Rio spat, "you can't demand shit from us." "Watch your language, felon," Christina responded drolly. "It is Friday, Christina, in case you forgot. Your time is running out," I warned Christina that her time to make an apology to Rio was coming to an end. She looked haughtily down her nose at me. "Here you go," Iona said meekly. She had a point; even if we won here, Christina would jump us the moment we left the sanctuary of the Dining Hall. Christina took the phone and typed a message in, then sent it before returning it to Iona. Without explanation the Queen strutted away. "What was that about?" Rio muttered to Iona who was checking her text log. "She put Zane back on the market," Iona whispered in disbelief. "What the fuck!" Rio squeaked, trying to keep her shock from echoing across the hall. I looked around and saw phones ringing and the ripple of the word spreading out as girls looked my way. "What do we do, Zane?" Iona asked. I had to think that over and a grin slowly creased my face. "Give me ten names: Juniors and seniors only," I smiled. That would be part of my party list. "How is that going to help us get those bitches?" Rio asked. "Rio, living well is the best revenge, and I finally figured out how we are going to live well," I explained. My two companions didn't get it yet but Iona was busy getting my names. "What do I do with the list?" Iona asked. "Ask them to my party," I winked and the lights came on. "Sweet!" gloated Rio, "but how are we going to get away with it? The Chancellor is going to be watching us like a hawk." "Do you trust me?" I asked Rio and Iona. Iona nodded but Rio looked incredulous. "Why in the hell should I trust you, Jungle Boy?" Rio taunted me. "Because the other option has you crying tears of loneliness into your pillow tomorrow night, Arizona," I teased right back. Rio was from Arizona in the same way I was from the jungles of Thailand. Breakfast was drawing to a close so I had to make my move. When Christina and crew put their trays up I followed them quickly outside. "Glutton for punishment?" Hope questioned as I finished my approach. "I need a moment alone with Christina," I responded. Heaven snarled at me; very becoming. "So, I no longer bore you?" Christina threw my earlier words back in my face. "I need a favor and it will help me with your demise," I grinned because I knew I had her; the girl couldn't stand not knowing what I was up to, or so I prayed. Christina shrugged her indifference but motioned for me to follow her off to the side, away from the others. "So, after I've already done you two favors today, what else do you want of me?" she asked. I had to admit that she was no longer making me crawl on my knees and she'd freed me up for gentler hands, but I had my needs. "I want you to go to an off-campus party with me tomorrow night," I beamed hopefully. Christina studied me, clearly looking for my deceptive angle, but when none became evident, a smile slowly forced its way across her lips. "Okay, Zane, I give up. What is the catch?" Christina chuckled. "There is a Sorority party at my neighbor's house. They are inviting a fraternity over and I imagine a few people will crash. I've been invited and I was thinking we could bring around twenty of our girls for a fun night out," I explained. "Zane, we are a Christian Girls school; we don't do the whole partying, drinking, and spending time with strange boys thing," she lectured me. "You'll have fun," I promised her. "An hour ago you hated me," she pointed out. "How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?" "Sure, I hated you an hour ago, but that was then and I'm not going to waste my time fighting past battles. Besides, you did the right thing, though you took your time doing it," I answered. "Also, who in the Administration would I work for? I certainly wouldn't go outside the school." "Yet you are still going after me about Rio," Christina said. "That has to do with how you treat people, not what you did in the past," I corrected her. "If I leave it alone you will continue to treat people that don't conform to your world view like dirt." "You aren't going to win, Zane, but I tell you what; drop this silly vendetta and I'll consider going to that party," she offered. "Oh, I'll keep my vendetta and see you at the party anyway," I laughed which made Christina cross. "What makes you think that?" she replied through narrowed eyes. "You are fearless, hungry for knowledge, and you never pass up a challenge where there is even a remote chance of success. You won't go for me; you will go because this is something you can do and do well, and you can't pass up an opportunity to shine," I pointed out. "So you are attempting to flatter me with a fictitious character assessment," she chided in return. Busted! "You are not calling me a liar," I countered. We locked gazes for a few seconds. "I wish you were older," she commented. "Younger means I have more stamina," I offered. "Older means more experience, more to offer, and greater competition," she volleyed. "Younger means you can teach them more, less baggage, and a stronger desire to catch their quarry," I grinned. "Is that what I am to you; quarry?" Christina questioned me. "No. You are the girl I'm going to marry," I stated matter of factly before turning and running for Assembly. As it was, we were on the verge of being late, though Rio and Iona saved me a seat. Rio tried to get me to tell her what happened but I warned her to silence with the fey light in my gaze. When we got out a senior named Janice snatched me up. Her trick was dueling Bible verses. Sometimes I don't get chicks at all but I guess she thought she was doing my soul some good. The crew was waiting at my car when I was preparing to make my exit from campus. Christina was sitting on the hood of my car when I showed up. She pushed up and met me a few steps forward. "We've discussed it and we'll go," she told me, "but don't think this means even remotely that I'll ever marry you." By the looks on their faces this was the first her girl posse had heard about my intentions. "Oh, you will marry me," I said, feeling terribly self-assured. "I won't settle for anyone less and neither will you." Christina smirked but there was this light in her eyes. Chastity laughed while Faith and Hope looked stunned. Heaven looked pole-axed. I got in my car and rolled out for the short drive home. It was Friday night and I still had a lot to do before Saturday's party. To say that the situation with Aunt Jill at home was awkward would have been an understatement. Last Monday before I met with the Chancellor, Jill got a call from the university telling her that she'd sent a boy to a girl's school. I imagine it was some consolation that she hadn't bragged to our church about where I was going to school yet. "So, umm, Jill began as we sat down to eat dinner, "your Spiritual Advisor tells me you are making great strides in your Christian education. She also says you are well-received by your fellow students and that they don't hold your, condition against you." "Actually, several girls have shown great concern over my well-being," I expressed. "A few have told me they want to stop by the house tomorrow night and make sure I'm okay," I added. I could see Jill balk. "By that, I mean that twenty of them want to come over." The sheer number first worried, then impressed her. Surely she must be thinking that I'd be safe with so many women around. "That's good news, Zane. I was worried that you would be a slave to your baser nature but I see Jesus Christ has provided you with a new direction," Jill smiled lovingly. I decided not to tell her that the tools Christ had chosen were young ladies like Barbie Lynn, Rio, Iona, Chastity, and Opal, and I definitely knew better than to tell her about the party we would all be going to. "Speaking of new directions, I notice you are still wearing the clothes the young ladies next door picked out for you," I re-directed the conversation. Jill looked down at her plate for a minute. "I bought some of my old styles Monday but when I wore them Tuesday, a co-worker asked me if there had been a death in the family. What a horrid thing to say," she groaned. "Have you garnered any male attention?" I inquired, deeply curious. "Nothing you need worry about," Jill turned away, "I have one man in my life and you're more than enough for me to handle." "Jill, if you like I could come home one or two days a week for dinner; campus is so close," I offered, "and I'm sure my Dorm Mother won't mind." Jill looked up and studied me. "That would be nice, Zane. I know we didn't get off to a good start here but I'm willing to work at it if you are," she stated. "Kathryn has offered to come out here for a few weeks once harvest is done," Jill continued. I didn't know Kathryn, Jill's older sister, except for the few pictures I'd seen. I knew she'd been the first woman Uncle Tim was interested in but she ended up marrying a church elder thirty years her senior. She was like Jill, except thirty-seven years of age and a bit thicker. She worked on the family farm in Oregon doing, well, farmer shit. Jill said we could expect her the first week in November so we had better get the guest bedrooms ready for the visit. We caught a movie on TV, drank some wine, and talked about campus, classes and such. Jill had gone to an open university were Christian students were penalized for their beliefs (so she felt) and was fascinated with the idea of a place where Christian women alone sat in judgment of other Christian women. I pledged then and there to never put Rio and Jill alone in the same room together because I'd surely end up an orphan. In the morning, Jill and I picked up the place (Jill was a haphazard housekeeper), did some laundry, and went grocery shopping. In the checkout line I said something inane and Jill gave me an exaggerated giggle that I was becoming all too familiar with. It was the one a woman gives to a man when they think the man wants to be found amusing. It is kind of endearing when it comes from a teenage girl but a bit creepy when it comes from your female guardian. Jill really needed a man in her life but I was at a loss as to how to make it happen. Unfortunately, I had things to do after we ate lunch, namely going back to school to pick up Rio and Iona for a shopping trip. Rio had been stripped of all her 'party-wear' when her parents shipped her here and Iona never had anything like it at all. "Barbie Lynn wanted to see you in your room," Rio grumbled when Iona and I showed up in her abode. I had no idea what that was about so I left Iona in Rio's room and headed to the Solarium on my own. When I got to the top of the stairs Barbie's gaze met mine from my bed where she was sitting. She glanced past me to see if I brought company. "Are we alone?" she purred. I nodded in agreement, at which point Barbie Lynn sat up on the bed on her knees facing away from me. Slowly, looking over her shoulder, she hiked up her skirt until her bare-naked bum was revealed to me. "I've missed you," she moaned, then she began rubbing her right ass cheek and added, "We've both missed you." I stalked toward her, barely able to restrain the desire to pounce on her proffered posterior. Barbie grinned lustfully, went down to her hands and, as I was taking my pants and underwear off, she collapsed further onto her elbows, pushing her ass out even more. I started to caress her thighs, flank, and back, planting kisses along the way, when I noticed her ass crack and anus was slick with lubricant. "No foreplay; just fuck me," Barbie Lynn demanded with a voice heavy with need. I aimed my cock to her anus and slowly pushed in. Barbie gave a sharp intake of breath as her resistance was overcome, followed by this deep, animalistic vocalization of pleasure. Her breathing came in sharper and sharper gasps as I pushed steadily in until I was totally encased by her flesh. I put my weight on her back, reaching around and fondling her breasts through her shirt, no bra which, with Barbie's cleavage, was erotic and impractical yet wonderful to the touch. Our bodies synchronized into some really violent, ravenous sex when Barbie looked over her shoulder at me. "So, you are going to marry Christina?" she panted. I couldn't read her emotional state. "Yes, in about three or four years," I answered. "What about me, about us?" she whimpered as her passion began slipping her control. "You are a great friend, Barbie Lynn, but I don't love you. Is this going to be a problem?" I breathed heavily. "No," she rasped with a smile on her lips and eyes shut, "I wouldn't give up our time together for anything. Okay, it hurts a little, knowing I'm going to lose you one day." "We'll never lose what we have right now," I grunted as Barbie began to tremble against me. Her anal muscles began to squeeze and contort around me. Eyes squinted, she gave me a wicked little smile and I rewarded her with a sharp slap to the ass. Barbie hopped up but her fists kept clenching my sheets. "Oh, Zane," she gasped. I spanked her two more times hard and Barbie Lynn cried out, "Lord Jesus!" she called out in her own inimical way as the first major tremor grabbed her body. I hammered away for three more strokes when her heat and passion overcame me and I erupted into her ass. Barbie pushed up and back against me for over a minute before we finally collapsed on the bed, panting and sweating profusely. We lay there, young and vital, soaking up each other's warmth until Barbie Lynn wiggled her ass against me and sighed contentedly. "You're still hard," she murmured. "Whose fault is that, you vixen?" I teased her between deep breaths. "Don't you need to go shopping?" she titillated back. "Do I look like I want to go shopping?" I responded with both words and a jab with my cock. "Damn, oh damn," she moaned, as she stroked my cock with anal contractions. "Okay, one more time, then you have to go," she whimpered lustfully. "Two fucking hours!" Rio spat. "Jesus Christ, man, can she still walk?" Okay, so we did it more than one more time, I must confess, but I wasn't telling Rio that. "She was asleep when I left her," I stated, "but I think she's ambulatory." Iona blushed which reminded me that I still owed her a full-body hot oil massage. "Were you ever not the Hammer of God?" Rio questioned me about my sexual prowess. "Well," I chuckled, "my first sexual encounter, from stripping off our clothes to my shot, was less than a minute. I got one stroke in, pulled out too far, and ejaculated

2 Samuel 1: 1-27After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3 David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5 Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.' 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?' I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.' 9 And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.' 10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13 And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord's anointed.'”17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.21 “You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings!For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.22 “From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided;they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.25 “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.27 “How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”

1 Samuel 24: 1-22When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks. 3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 5 And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.8 Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. 9 And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm'? 10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.' 11 See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it. 12 May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.' But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! 15 May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”16 As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. 18 And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. 19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20 And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 21 Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house.” 22 And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

“David did not let a man or woman live to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Or they will inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.' ” This was David's custom during the whole time he stayed in the Philistine territory.”1 Samuel 27:11 CSB

Ishbosheth murdered. David now can be king over all Israel, a position he will hold for 33 more years. The Philistines attack the new king and are defeated.

During a stand off with the Philistines, Israel's army is put to shame by a warrior named Goliath. While King Saul and the rest of Israel's army cower in fear, a young shepherd boy hears Goliath's challenge and decides to step up. David's brothers and King Saul himself tell him why he can't fight Goliath, David knows who his God is, and who he is.

Send us a textIn this episode, Pastor Dom takes a deep dive into the account of David and King Saul 1 Samuel 8:4-54 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”1 Samuel 8:77 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.1 Samuel 18:5-85 So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. 6 Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. 7 So the women sang as they danced, and said:“Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.”8 Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”1 Samuel 27:11 And David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.”1 Samuel 28:128 Now it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. 1 Samuel 28:33 Now Samuel had died,…  And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.1 Samuel 28:5-75 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him,… 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” and his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.”Leviticus 19:3131 ‘Give no regard (consideration) to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.Exodus 22:1818 “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.Leviticus 20:2727 ‘A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits (who consult the spirits of the dead), shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones.1 Thessalonians 5:2222 Abstain from every form of evil.Proverbs 4:1414 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.3 John 1111 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good….1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,…John 10:1010 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.Ephesians 4:2727 nor give place (opportunity) to the devil.

1 Chronicles 20 continues the story with the capture of Rabbah, the Ammonite capital, in the following spring. The crown of the Ammonite king, weighing about 35 kilograms was taken to David and placed on his head. David put the Ammonites to hard work to pay tribute to Israel. The chapter concludes with the destruction of four of the Philistine giants, all of whom are related to Goliath and all are slain by David's warriors. Chapter 21 of 1 Chronicles finds David and all Israel in an exalted state of pride. David orders a census of the strength of the army. Joab pleaded with him not to do this; since victory was through Yahweh's saving arm and was independent of the size of the army. The king's word prevails and the census is taken but excludes Benjamin and Levi - as Joab had sway there. The record indicates that on this occasion Joab was correct and David was wrong. The prophet Gad was sent to David to tell him to choose between 3 punishments. David leaves the choice to God and for three days plague ravages the land. Eventually the plague is stayed at Jerusalem when David purchases the future site of the temple and offers sacrifices to the LORD. David, who had been Israel's shepherd, intercedes on behalf of his suffering sheep. What a lesson for all! Ezekiel chapter 31 contains many similarities to chapter 28. Just as the prince of Tyre had been a cedar in the garden of Eden, so too is Pharaoh of Egypt described in the same terms. He would be judged and brought low by Judah's Sovereign God. Pharaoh, Egypt, the Nile river and the crocodile - also known as the dragon- would be humbled by the Lord GOD Almighty. Nebuchadnezzar would be God's instrument in the overthrowing of the wicked kingdom of Judah. The Apostle Paul eventually came to Ephesus on his third missionary journey, after more than one unsuccessful attempts to visit Asian cities on the second journey. Western Turkey was in those days known as "Asia". The LORD was waiting for the best time for the preaching of the gospel. Acts 19 records the events at Ephesus. The Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed in that city and it became Paul's base of operations throughout the then known region of Asia. Chapter 1 contains greetings and the faithful in Ephesus being described as having, in status, been elevated to heavenly places in Christ Jesus. From verses 15-22 the Apostle offers prayer and thanksgiving on the believers' behalf. Paul outlines in verses 19-22 the great place Christ occupies to all believers. The Apostle tells the Ephesians that in the Lord Jesus Christ the Almighty's power was seen in producing a righteous man who could then be raised from the dead. As an aside which may be of some interest for those studying this chapter: all four Greek words for 'power' are used in those verses. Chapter 2 deals with the enlightenment of believers and their salvation by grace - on the basis of their faith. Believers salvation has nothing to do with their merits. However, a life of gratitude is necessitated from believers. In verses 11-18 Paul outlines the faithful's changed status from hopeless nobodies to sanctified believers in Christ Jesus. The chapter concludes with the growth of the body of believers into a holy temple. A dwelling place for the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. Slowly read aloud verses 17-22 and consider the foundation God has given us and that each of us determine to be a part of the LORD's holy edifice.

Yes!  You are in!  Do you have a reputation that you want to change?  Not happy with past mistakes.  Welcome to the Club and here is a case study on how to move forward.  Here you go...Yes, thank you, once again, Dr. Lorrits.  You can hear more of him at the Bryan Lorrits podcast.  Simply click on the link in this episode's description...https://www.youtube.com/live/qjpCWov6c0Y?si=2ggetogt4YF-59gzThe Bible as what I like to call the Owner's Manual for Life is full of jaded, flawed characters being redeemed.  Chosen.  As stated, if you think you are the least likely and especially if those around you think you are the least likely to do something amazing for/with the Lord, you are prospect A1.  Woman at the Well...check John 4.  Checkered past.  Looked down so much by her community that nobody would affiliate with her.  She had to go to the well in the heat of the day to avoid bullying and judging and cruelty. And Jesus Christ chooses her.  She wasn't even Jewish like the other disciples.  She was a Samaritan.  In other words, think of who is your enemy...that person.  David, side note, very interesting series on Prime if you have it.  Extra side note, interesting to see MGM inspired by Angel Studios to go for that series.  David was seen as a loser to his family and brothers.  Dad didn't even round him up when Samuel asked to see all his sons.  A literal sheep shepherd is chosen to take down the mightiest warrior the Philistines had.  He rises to power.  He screws up in a massive way.  And rallies himself again.  As for your life, anything is possible with God.  Matt 19:26Some of you may be thinking, aren't you beating this drum too much?  No.  I think we keep going until everyone has Hope and living their best life that honors/loves God and our neighbors.  In other words, we are not done until Jesus Christ comes back or until we die.  BTW, for returning listeners.  How much has happened to fade you from Hope of the last message.  I bet a lot.  That is what the enemy does.  Want to confuse you, make you busy and make yourself think you are a loser and to stay down.  As for this podcast, we are in the Hope and encouragement business.  1 Thes 5:11.  Thank you for sharing when worthy.  As for your loved ones, they may seem good.  I bet they are not.  Ask how are you really doing?  Ending on a prayer note...Lord, who does this listener reach out to?  Will you put specific names on their hearts?  As for their life, what have you chosen them to do shines your light and Love Matt 5:16?

Presented by Julie Busteed What happens when you are not patient and run ahead of God and take things into your own hands? That's exactly what happened to King Saul. You can read the entire account in I Samuel 13:1-15 but let me summarize. Saul is the newly appointed first King over Israel. They've had some success at defeating their enemies. I guess King Saul is feeling pretty good about this. Then the Philistines—the enemy—assemble to fight and they have many chariots and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. When the Israelites see this, they are quaking with fear. Saul waits seven days for Samuel (the prophet and priest) to arrive to offer the burnt offering. He was following Samuel's instructions (1 Samuel 10:8). But something happens—we're not told what—but Samuel doesn't show up in seven days. He's late. And Saul seeing that his soldiers are frightened, seeing the strength and number of his enemies, takes things into his own hands and he offers the sacrifice to God (which by the way was against the law—only priests were to do this). And then guess who shows up at this exact moment—Samuel! And he asks Saul what's going on, and Saul explains: “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:11-12). Oh wow. Did you hear that? Saul's saying things weren't going as he thought they should. He was looking at his circumstances around him and becoming fearful and not looking at God. And so, he took things into his own hands—he felt “compelled” to ask for the Lord's help in this way. And Samuel then tells him that he's done a foolish thing. That he's not kept the command that the Lord God gave him and as a result the Kingdom of Israel will be taken away from him, it will not endure. I do feel for Saul sometimes. It sounds like he convinced himself he was doing the right thing in rushing ahead of God and offering these sacrifices and seeking the Lord's favor instead of waiting for Samuel. But it was not the right thing. How many times have you been anxious, got tired of waiting for God and took things into your own hands which then resulted in more trouble? Maybe you are so desperate to get out of a job or a project that you'll do anything. I know. It's hard to wait. But it can be even more dangerous to not wait. To make poor decisions and suffer those consequences. You might not have your kingdom taken away from you like Saul, but it could still end in difficulty. As the Psalmist says, wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:14 ESV)!

In this episode, Dinesh reveals the mystery surrounding the Dragon in his new film “The Dragon’s Prophecy,” and then Jonathan Cahn, author of the book of that title, joins Dinesh to discuss the close parallels between Israel’s battles today against the radical Muslims and the battles of the ancient Israelites against their persistent enemy the Philistines.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lessons From The Life of David | Week 4 |  Ken Miller--In this lesson, we will pick up the story of David's second attempt to seek refuge among the Philistines. This is one of many occasions when David tried to come up with his own plan for solving the problem of Saul.--Notes

1 Chronicles chapter 14 deals, firstly, with David's wives and sons; and then with two miraculous victories over the Philistines as they sought to destroy David before he had opportunity to organise his kingdom. Verses 8-12 tell of the LORD's instructions to David and His aiding of the king when the Philistines launched an attack on an unprepared Israel. These verses reveal David's thanks for Yahweh's aiding Israel and giving them the victory. Verses 13-16 says that the Philistines tried another attack shortly after the first failure. Once again the Almighty went before His people who heard the movements of the angelic hosts in the tops of the balsam trees. As a result of these two mighty victories the surrounding nations were in awe of Israel and their God. The comments lack commentary for 1 Chronicles 15. These will be added in the next few days. The 27th chapter of Ezekiel contains a lament over how great Tyre had been brought low. The Tyrians had enlisted the best of all nations into their military machine. Tyre had become wealthy through her commercial enterprises. Any nation that had assisted Tyre also prospered from their association with Tyre. Indeed, the humanly unexpected demise of Tyre illustrates Daniel's declaration: "The Most High rules in the Kingdom of men" Daniel 4:17. But none of those nations cared that Yahweh had brought Tyre low. Their only concern was that no longer would the wealth that the Phoenicians had thought to be theirs belong to them. Verses 1-12 of Luke 24 describe events associated with the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The time of his raising would have been 6pm Saturday evening, which by Jewish way of reckoning time began the first day of the week. The women, of whom there may have been around six in number, find the stone which had been sealing the tomb, rolled back. Two men, who stood by (undoubtedly angels), tell them not to seek the living Lord among the dead. But, that Jesus' disciples are to meet him in Galilee as he had told them before his death. Several of the women ran to tell the news to the Apostles, who found the women's report incredulous. Peter together with John (see John chapter 20) come and verify the women's message. That same day two of our Lord's disciples are journeying to Emmaus and are joined by Jesus. The record tells us that their capacity to recognise the Lord was restrained. The two express their great disappointment in the events that had taken place recently. Jesus takes the initiative and explains from Moses, the Psalms and the prophets the entire picture of Messiah, who had to suffer before being glorified. As the group of three approach a village Jesus indicates that he wishes to travel further, but the other two constrain him to stay with them. Jesus reveals himself to them in the breaking of the bread. The two disciples hastily return to Jerusalem with great excitement. On finding the Apostles assembled together those two hear of Jesus' appearance to Simon Peter and add their own witnessing. The Lord appears to the group assembled and shows them the wounds in his hands and side - some translations say "back". Further Jesus eats some food to show that he was not an apparition. Then the chapter says the Lord gives his Apostles the great commission to take the Gospel into all the world. Luke's final account is that Christ is praying he ascends from the Mount of Olives into heaven (compare Acts 1verses 6-11).

Send us a textIn this episode, Pastor Dom teaches us what it really means to trust in God. Psalm 27:44 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life,…Matthew 6:31-3331 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles (a non-believer) seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.1 Samuel 17:3737 Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”James 2:2020 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead (useless)?Proverbs 3:5-65 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.Matthew 12:3434 …For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.Psalm 27:1      The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?James 3:4-54 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.Psalm 27:1      1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?Proverbs 23:77 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.Romans 12:22 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.Romans 8:3131 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Exodus 13:17–18a When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.HUMBLE - Posture of Preparation Luke 16:10a – Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. TEST - Potential for Promotion James 1:2–3  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseveranceOBEDIENCE - Proves our Priorities John 14:15  “If you love me, keep (obey) my commands.”

By Stephen Bouchette - Ancient armies have utilized champion warfare, where the best of their warriors would fight the best warrior of their enemy. The future Israelite king, David, versus the Philistine's champion, Goliath, is a famous example. We, modern Christians, have our own champion: Jesus Christ. We reflect on His

Judah's insensitivity to sin continues, as does God's call for them to repent. Learn how the prophesies against the Philistines, Moab, and Ammon have been fulfilled and how that judgment will also extend to Ethiopia, Assyria, and nations of today.

Why did the Assyrians spare Philistine port cities like Gaza when they conquered The Levant? How did the Persians overthrow the Babylonians in the region? What did Alexander The Great send back to his tutor after he sieged Gaza City?  William and Anita are joined once again by Josephine Quinn, Professor of Ancient History at the University of Cambridge and author of How The World Made The West, to discuss the five ancient empires that conquered Gaza. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com  For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Gaza is one of the oldest urban centres on Earth, and in this series we are exploring its long history. It was first referred to by Pharaoh Thutmose III in the 15th century BC when it was known as Ghazzati. In this episode we ask: Who were the Philistines? Why did Egyptian pharaohs put monopolies on Gazan sweet wine? And what was 'The Bronze Age Collapse'? William and Anita are joined by Josephine Quinn, Professor of Ancient History at the University of Cambridge and author of How The World Made The West, to discuss the ancient history of Gaza. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com  For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dinesh and Debbie discuss Charlie Kirk’s legacy, how the savagery of Hamas today resembles the savagery of the Philistines, why blue cities seem to like high crime rates, how test scores in America are dropping rapidly, and how Islamic radicals organize the takeover of suburban towns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.