Podcasts about praetorian guards

Walking with the Saints l Feast of St. Sebastian, Patron Saint of Soldiers l January 20 Our saint for today is the patron saint of soldiers, athletes and those who desire to die a saintly death. He was Sebastian, a Christian youth from southern France, born about 256 A.D. He was reared as a Christian and was sent by his parents to study in Milan. When he came of age, he joined the Roman Army, and discovered how fiercely the Christians were being persecuted by the Emperors of the Roman Empire. He, therefore, decided to secretly help the persecuted Christians. As a soldier, he distinguished himself for his excellent service and was at once promoted to the rank of Praetorian Guards who were tasked to guard and protect the Emperor. While serving in this capacity, he tried to convert the pagans around him and helped the imprisoned Christians. Instead of beating them, he preached secretly to them about Jesus Christ. Once, two Christian brothers, who were deacons, were arrested and imprisoned for not offering sacrifices to the Emperor. Their parents came to convince them to give up Christianity but Sebastian stopped them from this foolish idea. He instructed them and they too, were converted to Christianity. Those who heard Sebastian's preaching, including the Prefect of Rome and his son, were also converted. Many people came to Sebastian in secret to hear him preach. But this activity led to the discovery that Sebastian was a Christian. The Emperor called for him, gave him a nice scolding, reproached him for being ungrateful to him, and since Sebastian could not follow his command to deny his faith, he ordered that Sebastian be tied and brought to the training field of the soldiers to be used as the target for shooting practice. Tied to a tree, Sebastian was punctured with many arrows and thinking that he was dead, he was thrown into the open field.  Fortunately, he was discovered by Irene, wife of Diocletian's servant, who was earlier martyred. Irene took care of him, and soon his wounds were healed and his health was restored. Sebastian went to Emperor Diocletian to surprise him that he was alive. He met him at the stairwell and reminded him about his sin in persecuting the Christians. The Emperor got frightened but gaining his composure, he told other guards to tie Sebastian, beat him with clubs until death and throw him into the sewers of Rome. The order was immediately executed and Sebastian's body was pierced with many arrows that he looked like an urchin, a sea creature with hard and long spines. His dead body was found by a certain Lucina, who gave it a proper burial at the entrance of the catacombs of Rome. Some 80 years later, his body was transferred to a basilica in Rome and his relics were claimed by many believers. St. Sebastian was proclaimed patron of soldiers. He is also patron of athletes due to the fact that his first punishment from the emperor was to make him a target for soldiers learning to shoot an arrow. It was like a game which amused the pagan soldiers. He is usually depicted tied to a tree and pierced by arrows. Because of his holy life, he is also invoked as protector against bubonic and other plagues. His feast day is January 20. Virtue: piety, humility, courage, fortitude, charity and patience Prayer: “St. Sebastian, you showed your great fortitude in witnessing to your Christian faith, pray for us that we may have the courage and joy to live as true Christians.”  

There is nothing lacking when it comes to God or what He can do for us. He gives more than enough, surpassing what we could ever imagine. When God acts, He does immeasurably more than we could ever think. Join Pastor Mark Williams for the next message in the series "Living Life to the Praise of His Glory" titled "Immeasurably More".   Show Notes The world has been changed by letters written from prison. From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letters From a Birmingham Jail to Nelson Mandela's letters from Robben Island Prison to family and government officials demanding an end to apartheid in South Africa; from Corey ten Boom's letters written from Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison written from Tegel Prison in North Berlin; from William Tyndale's letters while imprisoned in a castle near Brussels to Pilgrim's Progress written during John Bunyan's imprisonment in a Bedford jail in England –  God has used places of isolation, incarceration, and unjust captivity to speak fresh inspiration to weary and worn followers, and through them the gospel has been advanced, and the world has been changed.   While in custody under house arrest, chained 24 hours of every day to a rotation of Praetorian Guards under Nero's command, the Apostle Paul wrote letters, letters from a Roman jail.  One of those letters was addressed to Christians, “God's holy people,” living in Ephesus.       Focus: Ephesians 3:1-21     I.                    Unplanned Detours, Unexpected Crisis, and Unjust Captivity Can Lead to Places of Fresh Inspiration, Fervent Intercession, and Penetrating Proclamation (3:13).   A.    Paul's Aspiration Was to Take the Gospel to Spain. B.     Paul's Dislocation Was Occasioned by an Arrest in Jerusalem. C.     Paul's Incarceration in Rome Led to Intercession and Proclamation of the Gospel. II.                 God's Grace Is Unsearchable (3:7-8). A.  Grace is Unlimited, Unmerited, Undeserved Favor.   1.      The source of grace is God. 2.      The scope of grace is the world. 3.      The sufficiency of grace includes every human need.   B.  Grace Defined the Ministry Entrusted to Paul (3:7). C.  Grace Was the Mystery Revealed to Paul (3:6, 8-9). III.              God's Love Is Immeasurable (3:17-19). A.  The Broadness of His Love Encompasses All Humankind. B.  The Length of His Love Lasts for All Eternity. C.  The Height of His Love Reaches to Heaven. D.  The Depth of His Love Extends to the Lowest Depths of Depravity. IV.              God's Power Is Unlimited (3:20-21). A.  God Is Able. B.  God Is Able “To Do.” C.  God Is Able “To Do What We Ask.” D.  God Is Able “To Do More Than We Ask.” E.   God Is Able “To Do Immeasurably More Than All We Ask or Imagine.” F.   God's Ability “To Do for Us Is According to the Power at Work Within Us.”  

In Star Wars The Last Jedi, did you ever wonder why Snoke's Throne Room was completely Red? There's more to it than just being royally fashionable. The concept came from early first sketches of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Emperor Palpatine. The design was then taken and expanded upon to give us Snoke's room. ALSO - the room was Red to camouflage his Praetorian Guards against the RED wall, so that they may be better effective against assassins in front of their Supreme Leader. Kylo Ren and Rey's scene against the Praetorian Guards was fun to watch, althought I still feel like they could have done much more with it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kylo Ren's enhanced and new force powers revealed and explained in this episode regarding EA's new footage of Kylo. We can expect to see these powers in Star Wars The Last Jedi, most likely when Kylo Ren goes up against Snoke's Praetorian Guards in Snoke's throne room (speculation and rumours). Here we see Kylo Ren use Force Pull, Force Freeze, and Force Frenzy where he uses the power of the force and explodes in anger at the enemy, lunging out in spinning strikes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So this episode was my favourite so far of the whole season, which isn't saying a whole lot since this season has been pretty all over the place and lack lustre, but this one definintely was awesome. I loved seeing the commeradere of the mandalorians, despite their warring tribes they all came together. I believe the spies were of course Elia Kane, but also the armorer and the pirates. There's no way those pirates wouldn't be loyal to Gideon this whole time, roaming the surface and not discovered by Gideon or the Empire. I'm sure the Empire offered them food and help, and them being sick was perhaps a way for the Armorer to get out of there with them. I think Gideon has spies everywhere, and the biggest twist would be if the Armorer was one of his. I have a hard time believing she is, but the fact that we now see his horned helmet along with hers, it just makes me question things. The other possibility is that she is a Zabrak, and the horns are because she can't wear her helmet any other way. As they head towards the Forge, a massive dinosaur blows their ship up, this is NOT they Mythosaur. The Mythosaur is much bigger and more powerful. They escape to a cave and move further down, finally getting to the Forge. They hear jet packs and realize imperials are headed their way. They fly now! These imperials are fitted with white Beskar armour. Axe Woves gets out of there to call for reinforcements, escaping through a small hole in the roof. They all shoot at one another and the Mandos take them out, until they're foolishly lured into a trap. As they notice a massive army of imperial tie fighters and weaponry. They're ambushed and separated by a door that closes. Din fights off the stomtroopers in beskar, tied down, when Moff Gideon lands in his new suit. The next generation of dark trooper suit, this means, it's lightsaber resistant if it's a new phase from the previous dark troopers we saw in season 2's finale with Luke. as the phase 3 dark troopers were lightsaber resistant. Moff Gideon's helmet has horns, so does the armorer's. There are only one group of mandalorians who has horns on their helmets. Darth Maul's loyalists. I believe the armorer is working with Moff Gideon. I believe Moff Gideon is loyal to Darth Maul's leadership as ruler of Mandalore. Gideon talks about the cloners, the jedi, the mandalorians all having something special about them. He plans to aggregate the best of each, and bring order to the galaxy. I think Gideon was trying to create the perfect warrior. A cloned force sensitive wearing mandalorian armor. He sends Din to the debriefing room to be questioned and tortured. He turns to Bo Katan after hearing her voice and demands the dark saber. As she nods to Paz and they all blast the doors as Gideon opens them. Bo runs to the back and qui gon jinn style puts the dark saber through the blast door and cuts a hole for them to escape through. Paz is holding them off with his gattling mini gun blaster and closes the door on himself, telling Bo to go as he takes them all on like a boss. His blaster overheats and he man handles all of them. Until, 3 mandalorian styled praetorian guards appear to defeat him. They slash and stab him at the corners of his armour's weak openings, killing him. He goes out like a boss and I was upset to see him go as I liked his stoic powerful presence in the crew. His son will be very devastated to learn of his father's sacrifice. The praetorian guards have a different helmet than they do in the sequel trilogy, and we see that they have t visor, looking a lot like the shadow guards from legends and the force unleashed. These guys are incredibly powerful and could use the force. The Praetorian guards here look like some mandalorian variation and it makes me wonder if they're different from the sequel trilogy ones or not. Thrawn, praetorian guards, luke skywalker, darth maul loyalists could all be in the next episode and of course moff gideon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're baaack! Phillip and I have returned to deduce all of the Mandalorian we've missed. Join us as we talk everything from Praetorian Guards to raptor chicks as Mandalorian Foundlings! We'll be back often in the next few weeks to talk things such as The Bad Batch, Visions Season 2, and all the crazy upcoming Star Wars movie news! Until next time...Don't forget to leave us a review/Star Wars question to be answered on the show to aidencmpass@gmail.com or on Apple Podcasts! We love feedback!THIS IS THE WAY!

Join the crew as we discuss the FINALE episode of The Mandalorian season 3!We jump into this explosive finale by recapping all of the theories we had going into this episode, and how wrong we really ended up being. (WHO is the other spy then?!)After we accept our defeat, we dish out some issues and things in the episode that just didn't really work for us.After that, we finally get some Grogu purpose! We touch on what we thought about his giant leap(s) in development, and get into the seeming revival of Mandalore right before getting into the meat of this action-packed episode.Did the final boss fights involving Moff Gideon, Bo Katan, Grogu, Mando, and the Praetorian Guards work for us? And what about the fate of the Darksaber? We cover all of these thoughts, plus our final rating of the season and closing statements on how we feel about the current state of The Mandalorian.Enjoy!00:00 - Creed Franchise+Sports Movies Cold Open09:45 - Episode Summary11:55 - Episode 7 Theories Recap18:05 - Issues and Nitpicks27:58 - Grogu Development31:07 - Episode Discussion57:03 - Finale/Season Overall Thoughts1:02:12 - Ratings, Predictions, Closing ThoughtsFollow us on social media:Twitter/Instagram/TikTok: @whysosidiouspodYouTube: www.youtube.com/@whysosidiouspod?app=desktopEmail us questions/requests: whysosidious@yahoo.comSubscribe, Rate, and Review!!

It all comes down to this...in the depths of Mandalore...the finale of season 3. Mandos vs Elite Troopers, Din vs Gideon, Grogu vs Praetorian Guards, and Bo-Katan leading her forces to save them all! It's all out action, all out emotion, and all out intensity as so many stories come to a head. We get many answers to the mysteries that have lasted all season, and we can surely say, this is one of the best finales of all time. Send in your thoughts to the show! Send voicemail or email to: themandalorepodcast@gmail.com Tweet us @theMandaLorepod Join the Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheMandaLorePod  

Bo-Katan and her reconnaissance squad retreat from Moff Gideon's base. Upon returning to the Mandalorian flagship, Axe Woves sends the remaining Mandalorians to reinforce the planetary troops, while he defends the ship from Imperial TIE squadrons. With assistance from Grogu, Din Djarin escapes from captivity and seeks out Gideon. Djarin and Grogu discover cloning tanks filled with clones of Gideon, and Djarin destroys them. After a lengthy skirmish between the Mandalorians and the beskar-enhanced stormtroopers within the base, Bo-Katan, Djarin, and Grogu make a final stand against Gideon and his Praetorian Guards, in which the Darksaber is destroyed. Woves rams the Mandalorian capital ship into the Imperial base and Gideon is consumed by the resulting blast; Grogu protects Bo-Katan and Djarin from the blast with a force bubble. After the battle, the Mandalorians restart the Great Forge at the heart of Mandalore and Djarin formally adopts Grogu. Afterwards, Djarin takes up honest contract work with Carson Teva and moves into a cabin on the outskirts of Nevarro's capital, as previously offered to him by Greef Karga, while IG-11 is rebuilt by the Anzellan mechanics to serve as Nevarro's new marshal.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The return to Mandalore did not go so well for the Mandalorians but it went pretty well this week for fans when we saw this episode!! Dang that was a good one! Props to all those who saw it early at Celebration for keeping lips sealed on all those great reveals. Joining us this week is our good friends Dan, and Darian! Hosting this week is Josh and Blake. Join us diving into the aftershow for this latest Mandalorian episode and capping things off this week with the final results from the YouTini Book Madness back in March. A message for YOU! Thank you, to all our listeners tuning in each week and showing your support for the podcast by sharing the show, leaving stellar reviews on Apple Podcast, Spotify and other platforms. Hitting those 5 stars REALLY helps bring this podcast up in those search results so we thank you for rating well and sharing this podcast with your friends! We love talking Star Wars with friends and enjoy producing this show for our fellow star wars fans, it's a passion project never intended for monetization but we love seeing it succeed. Let us know what you'd like to hear on the podcast! --------- YouTube: @SWEscapePodcast Discord: https://discord.gg/KucPjer Insta & Twitter: @SWEscapePodcast Email: swescapepodcast@gmail.com Swell: @SWEscapePodcast

The Mandalorian season 3 is almost over and we're almost dead from the amount of insane STAR WARS we've been getting in the past week! This episode has it all - Mandos, a giant monster, Praetorian Guards, Gideon with a cape and jetpack, red force field walls, Hux's dad, serious talk and so much more. AND - who are "the spies"?! Listen as we gather the evidence and make some cases in court. So put the X in Hux, yell "THE MANDALORIAN" and listen today! SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE FOR ALL THE CELEBRATION LONDON SUPER LIVE FROM HOME MADNESS : www.youtube.com/@blastpointspodcast2160/featured JOIN THE BLAST POINTS ARMY and SUPPORT BLAST POINTS ON PATREON! LIGHT AND MAGIC COMMENTARIES! KENOBI COMMENTARIES! BOOK OF BOOK REVIEW EPISODES! MANDO SEASON 1 & 2 REVIEW EPISODES! BAD BATCH! CLONE WARS ! BLAST POINTS Q&A EPISODES! ! Theme Music downloadable tracks! Extra goodies! and so much MORE! www.patreon.com/blastpoints new Blast Points T-SHIRTS are now available! Represent your favorite podcast everywhere you go! Get the NEW BLUE LOGO shirts for 2022 and classics like the Ben Burtt and Indiana shirt while supplies last! Perfect for conventions, dates, formal events and more! Get them here: www.etsy.com/shop/Gibnerd?section_id=21195481 visit the Blast Points website for comics, recipes, search for back episodes and so much more! www.blastpointspodcast.com if you dug the show, please leave BLAST POINTS a review on iTunes, Spotify and share the show with friends! If you leave an iTunes review, we will read it on a future episode! honestly! talk to Blast Points on twitter at @blast_points leave feedback, comments or ideas for shows! "like" Blast Points on Facebook for news on upcoming shows and links to some of the stuff we talk about in the show!! Join the Blast Points Super Star Wars Chill Group here www.facebook.com/groups/BlastPointsGroup/ we are also on Instagram! Wow! www.instagram.com/blastpoints your hosts are Jason Gibner & Gabe Bott! contact BLAST POINTS at contact@blastpointspodcast.comsendus show ideas, feedback, voice messages or whatever! May the Force be with you, always!

So this episode was my favorite so far of the whole season, which isn't saying a whole lot since this season has been pretty all over the place and lacks luster, but this one definitely was awesome. I loved seeing the comradery of the Mandalorians, despite their warring tribes they all came together. I believe the spies were of course Elia Kane, but also the armorer and the pirates. Thank you for listening to today's podcast. I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you in the next one! May the force be with you, ALWAYS! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Elia Kane informs Moff Gideon of the Mandalorians' intent to retake their planet. Gideon relays this information to the Shadow Council, a group of Imperial remnant warlords. He requests reinforcements from them and questions Captain Pellaeon on the absence of Grand Admiral Thrawn, suggesting that the Council should choose a new leader. Reassembling on Nevarro, Bo-Katan unites the Mandalorian clans and prepares a recon party to explore the surface of Mandalore. Prior to leaving, Greef Karga presents Din Djarin with IG-12: a rebuilt version of IG-11, which is able to be controlled by Grogu. On Mandalore, the group meets up with another clan, who is loyal to Bo-Katan. Bo-Katan admits she surrendered to Gideon near the end of the Great Purge, hoping that the Empire would spare the Mandalorians. The party finds the Great Forge but is ambushed by Gideon's beskar-enhanced stormtroopers. Djarin is captured by Gideon, who reveals his intent to create a new army of Dark Troopers. He attempts to kill the remaining Mandalorians, but Bo-Katan uses the Darksaber to make an escape for the group, with Paz Vizsla staying behind to buy time. Vizsla fights off the stormtroopers but falls to Gideon's Praetorian Guards.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

THAT ENDING SCENE! The Mandalorian S3 Ep 7 “Chapter 23: The Spies” Reaction, Breakdown, Recap, Ending Explained & Spoiler Review where Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) returns, challenges Thrawn, Grogu (Baby Yoda) Gets The IG-11 (IG-12) Droid, Paz Visla Death Scene, Praetorian Guards, Bo-Katan & Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) lead the way to Mandalore, Cameos, Hux, The Shadow Council, The Armorer & so much more as we lead into the Ahsoka series, & the other announcements from Star Wars Celebration 2023. Can't wait for Episode 8 Finale - gotta avoid the plot leaks! - Get Yourself "The Last Daddy" T-Shirt Peeps! https://shopzeroedition.com/products/t-shirts-1 -Become A Super Sexy Reject For Full-Length T.V. & Movie Reactions! https://www.patreon.com/thereelrejects - Follow Michael Tessler On Social Media INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/mjtessler/?hl=en TWITTER: https://twitter.com/MJTessler - POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! #TheMandalorian #TheMandalorianSeason3 #StarWars #Disney #DisneyPlus #MoffGideon #giancarloesposito #starwarscelebration #StarWarsCelebration2023 #Ahsoka #AhsokaTano #DinDjarin #PedroPascal #BoKatan #clonewars #StarWarsRebels #DaveFiloni #EasterEggs #Episode7 #AhmedBest #MoffGideon #AhmedBest --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-reel-rejects/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ST. SEBASTIAN l PATRON OF ATHLETES Feast day : January 20 Our saint for today is the patron saint of soldiers, athletes and those who desire to die a saintly death. He was Sebastian, a Christian youth from southern France, born about 256 A.D. He was reared as a Christian and was sent by his parents to study in Milan. When he came of age, he joined the Roman Army, and discovered how fiercely the Christians were being persecuted by the Emperors of the Roman Empire. He, therefore, decided to secretly help the persecuted Christians. As a soldier, he distinguished himself for his excellent service and was at once promoted to the rank of Praetorian Guards who were tasked to guard and protect the Emperor. While serving in this capacity, he tried to convert the pagans around him and helped the imprisoned Christians. Instead of beating them, he preached secretly to them about Jesus Christ. Once, two Christian brothers, who were deacons, were arrested and imprisoned for not offering sacrifices to the Emperor. Their parents came to convince them to give up Christianity but Sebastian stopped them from this foolish idea. He instructed them and they too, were converted to Christianity. Those who heard Sebastian's preaching, including the Prefect of Rome and his son, were also converted. Many people came to Sebastian in secret to hear him preach. But this activity led to the discovery that Sebastian was a Christian. The Emperor called for him, gave him a nice scolding, reproached him for being ungrateful to him, and since Sebastian could not follow his command to deny his faith, he ordered that Sebastian be tied and brought to the training field of the soldiers to be used as the target for shooting practice. Tied to a tree, Sebastian was punctured with many arrows and thinking that he was dead, he was thrown into the open field. Fortunately, he was discovered by Irene, wife of Diocletian's servant, who was earlier martyred. Irene took care of him, and soon his wounds were healed and his health was restored. Sebastian went to Emperor Diocletian to surprise him that he was alive. He met him at the stairwell and reminded him about his sin in persecuting the Christians. The Emperor got frightened but gaining his composure, he told other guards to tie Sebastian, beat him with clubs until death and throw him into the sewers of Rome. The order was immediately executed and Sebastian's body was pierced with many arrows that he looked like an urchin, a sea creature with hard and long spines. His dead body was found by a certain Lucina, who gave it a proper burial at the entrance of the catacombs of Rome. Some 80 years later, his body was transferred to a basilica in Rome and his relics were claimed by many believers. St. Sebastian was proclaimed patron of soldiers. He is also patron of athletes due to the fact that his first punishment from the emperor was to make him a target for soldiers learning to shoot an arrow. It was like a game which amused the pagan soldiers. He is usually depicted tied to a tree and pierced by arrows. Because of his holy life, he is also invoked as protector against bubonic and other plagues. His feast day is January 20. “St. Sebastian, you showed your great fortitude in witnessing to your Christian faith, pray for us that we may have the courage and joy to live as true Christians.” Am I happy to be known as a good Catholic or am I ashamed to be seen going to church or doing my exercises of piety?

In Star Wars we see Stormtroopers easily die from one single blaster shot, or do they? We'll go into the origins of their armor, what it was made from, and how certain enemies caused them fatalities or mere injuries.  Palpatine has accomplished a lot...which we saw most of in Star Wars Revenge of the Sith...however there were some things he didn't care for...and that was the quality of his troops. He felt numbers were the most important thing...whereas the First Order is focusing mostly on how well they perform. This makes a much better fit when backing Kylo Ren vs Darth Vader in the Original Trilogy. I wonder how Snoke's Praetorian Guards will behave in Star Wars The Last Jedi...They're supposed to have a very action packed scene in the film to demonstrate their power...I'm pumped! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Praetorian Guards aren't messing around, and neither is John Williams! Joining me today is Kyle Katarn. Together, we attempt to break down the sensational combat scoring, sound design, and awkward aftermath in minutes 106-110 of The Last Jedi. Discussion topics/Highlights: The music feels suspended in air before the first lightsaber clash. John Williams's music is just as well choreographed as the fight. Rey's theme is stated in a steady, declarative rhythm. DJ's line "they blow you up today, you blow them up tomorrow" might be a Battlefront II reference (specifically an attack scenario from Starfighter Assault map called Unknown Regions). Proficiency of lightsaber fighting and how the Force is involved. Praetorian guards! Their weapons, levels of articulation in the armor, family relationships. John Williams's exciting combat scoring. Rather than an "aggressive dance," it sounds more disorienting, like a "horn section falling down the stairs." Comparisons to Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, etc. The sound of Kylo Ren's lightsaber when he impales a guard and the crackling is going through his body. Kyle Katarn's favorite lightsaber sound in the saga is Luke Skywalker's green lightsaber in Return of the Jedi (specifically the sharp, piercing snap-hiss of the ignition) Awkward aftermath and "the talk." The musical silence while Rey and Kylo are talking heightens the intimacy of the scene. Kylo Ren's insecure, vulnerable, desperate manipulation. Kylo's "hesitant," meandering theme. How the music underscores Kylo and Rey's discordant aims. They're a dyad moving in opposite directions. Determined, purposeful music when Holdo gears up to take action. Possible reasons why Rey calls Kylo "Ben" so consistently. Themes Referenced (in order of appearance, named according to Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Themes of Star Wars): Rey 1, Kylo Ren 2 (Hesitant), Desperation Where we are in the soundtrack: "A New Alliance" Links & References: Galactic Empire - "March of the Resistance" - https://youtu.be/IPaYPlcEiYg Galactic Empire - "The Asteroid Field" - https://youtu.be/XJha78EQGwc Star Wars Music Minute #2: Resistance Leitmotifs (TLJ Minutes 6-10) https://youtu.be/6oxbJ5MNsP4 Frank Lehman's Complete Catalogue of the Themes of Star Wars: https://franklehman.com/starwars/ Kyle Katarn: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ky1ekatarn YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb8X1bh7GNenZizQtypmUBw Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ky1eKatarn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ky1ekatarn/ Connect with Star Wars Music Minute: Watch us on YouTube: youtube.com/starwarsmusicminute Twitter: @StarWarsMusMin and @chrysanthetan Instagram: @starwarsmusicminute and @chrysanthetan Email podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com Submit anonymous questions/comments for the show with this quick form. Want more? Check out Chrysanthe's Patreon for weekly practice/composing/music analysis livestreams.

On this episode, Dominic, Ben, and Chris discuss the latest news about The Book of Boba Fett, including comments from Temuera Morrison about flashbacks in the series.  They also talk about some reveals/teases from the episode guide for the Bad Batch episode "Battle Scars".  Then they talk about the leaked set pictures of cast members from Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Plus, Loki showrunner Michael Waldron talks about working with Kevin Feige on his Star Wars movie, slavery in the republic and the Jedi's role in the prequel era, and how do Praetorian Guards eat pancakes?  All this and much more!   Support The SWU on Patreon Buy an SWU T-shirt Website: www.starwarsunderworld.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/swunderworld Twitter: @TheSWU Subscribe and Review on iTunes Email: swunderworld@gmail.com Voicemail: 1-410-989-1138

On this episode, Dominic, Ben, and Chris discuss the latest news about The Book of Boba Fett, including comments from Temuera Morrison about flashbacks in the series. They also talk about some reveals/teases from the episode guide for the Bad Batch episode "Battle Scars". Then they talk about the leaked set pictures of cast members from Obi-Wan Kenobi. Plus, Loki showrunner Michael Waldron talks about working with Kevin Feige on his Star Wars movie, slavery in the republic and the Jedi's role in the prequel era, and how do Praetorian Guards eat pancakes? All this and much more!

Dear Manna Family, Carry On Smartly is a United States Naval term that means keep doing your job. Complete your current task. Almost like ‘get back to work.’ One of Israel’s greatest prophets Elijah had this experience. Israel had forsaken God and was worshiping the Phoenician false god, Baal. Elijah called all Israel to a great confrontation at Mount Carmel to demonstrate who was the true God. Yahweh, the God of Israel, sent fire from heaven that consumed Elijah’s offering and proved that He alone was God. You can read the entire story in I Kings chapter 18. Wicked queen Jezebel was furious and promised to execute Elijah. Elijah became terrified and went A.W.O.L.: Absent With Out Leave. He ran for his life and was so depressed that it took him 40 days to travel about 250 miles south to Mount Sinai, the mountain where God had given Israel the Ten Commandments. God met his discouraged prophet on the mountain and asked, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ In other words, “Elijah, I called you to be My representative in Israel. Why did you run away from your job?” Elijah said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life to take it away.” In other words, I’m the only one left in Israel that is loyal to You, and they are trying to kill Me, so I ran away. God replied, “Go back to work, and by the way, I’ve got three more jobs for you to do.” God said, “Carry on smartly, keep being My prophet. And, Elijah, be encouraged, you are not alone. There are more than 7,000 people in Israel who have remained faithful to Me.” This lesson is so timely for us today. Just because there is a corona virus pandemic doesn’t mean that God’s mission for us has changed. We are still to be “making disciples” and telling people about Jesus. Don’t let a virus distract you from your mission. When Paul was imprisoned in Rome and chained to Praetorian Guards, his mission didn’t change, his location changed and his audience changed. He was under house arrest and his prison guards were chained to him, so he had a captive audience for the gospel In Paul’s case, being a prisoner was not a detriment, it actually enhanced his ability to tell others the good news of Jesus. Just like Paul, our physical circumstances have changed dramatically as a result of this virus. We can’t gather face to face as a church family in a physical building. We are now connected electronically. This can actually enhance our ability to reach out to people who are feeling isolated by the virus. As a matter of fact, many people today are feeling like they are prisoners in their own homes. This is the time for us to ‘reach out and touch’ someone who needs encouragement and tell them that Jesus loves them. Let’s not forget what God has called us to do. So, “Carry on smartly!” Remember, God designed us to “do life together!” Brad

Special guest Rohit Raju superstar of Impact Wrestling stops by to join the fellas on this weeks episode. We talk all the news that’s come out this week and quickly Rohit fits right into the crew! Another chapter of The Star Wars Kama Sutra entices and Who’s More OVER pits the two most underused groups in the Disney trilogy as the Knights of Ren square off against the Praetorian Guards. On TaTOYoine Doc gives an ancient sith tip on how to save money on toys and review some vintage trilogy collection figures he got on the cheap from Target. See if you can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 Parsecs with the New Force Order. The VOC NATION RADIO NETWORK airs live and on-demand audio broadcasts 7 days / week via vocnation.com. VOC NATION features contributors such as Brady Hicks (Pro Wrestling Illustrated), "Voice of Choice" Bruce Wirt (WNJC Philadelphia), Stro Maestro, Ken Resnick, Wes Brisco, Shelly Martinez, and Kathie Fitz. The team includes some of the hottest wrestlers, analysts, and broadcasters, reaching beyond their extensive wrestling knowledge to discuss sports, lifestyle, politics, and more! Consistently ranking in the top 1% for downloads (Podomatic) and 5% for live streaming (Stitcher), VOC NATION has been streamed by nearly a million unique visitors! Discover the network that top-notch wrestling and entertainment stars such as Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, Trina Michaels, and Alan Thicke have loved from their first appearances ... and that US Olympic Gold Medalist - and WWE star - Kurt Angle called, "The best talk show that you can hear." It's all here ... on vocnation.com!

Brock & James talk the problem with Forbes, is Star Wars too mainstream? A Knights of Ren vs Praetorian Guards Vote of No Confidence and more!

Special guest Rohit Raju superstar of Impact Wrestling stops by to join the fellas on this weeks episode. We talk all the news that’s come out this week and quickly Rohit fits right into the crew! Another chapter of The Star Wars Kama Sutra entices and Who’s More OVER pits the two most underused groups in the Disney trilogy as the Knights of Ren square off against the Praetorian Guards. On TaTOYoine Doc gives an ancient sith tip on how to save money on toys and review some vintage trilogy collection figures he got on the cheap from Target. See if you can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 Parsecs with the New Force Order.  

This week, we're talking birthdays, Oscars, Alphabet Squadron, Celebration, jokes, tangents and more! Check out the post on our website for accompanying images and links: https://childrenoftheforce.com/2019/01/24/episode-120-its-not-true-any-of-it/  STAR WARSY STUFF [1:55]Missed connection: Pizza delivery guy. BB-8 button. Going to celebration?We also listen to a voicemail from the most elusive guest ever: Jen!  NEWS [9:15]We cover all of the tangentially related Oscar news, and Solo’s VFX nod. What’s going on with John Boyega’s hands? We discuss the upcoming Alphabet Squadron trilogy (and snicker yet again about that title) and the accompanying comic mini-series, Shadow Wing. And who could forget about the upcoming comic series about Dok-Ondar? We round out the news by talking about more Celebration guest announcements, including Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca!), Sam Witwer (Maul!), and more! CANON NEWS [31:50]Qui’ra was NOT involved with all of that tongue-removing business on Savareen! Whew!JOKE [35:00]How did Grand Moff Tarkin become fossilized?Q&A COUNCIL [38:00]If you could snap your fingers and make the Force be a real thing, would you?STUMP THE LUMP! [43:35]How many Praetorian Guards were there?OUTRO [45:30]Leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/ChildrenoftheForceTwitter: @forcechildrenFacebook: Children of the ForceEmail: forcechildren@gmail.comWebsite: www.childrenoftheforce.comThrow us some cash on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/childrenoftheforceThanks for listening, and may the Force be with you!

On this episode of The Resistance Broadcast we speculate on what role Lando should have and what role we each think he will have in Episode IX! Back again is our new popular segment "The Will of the Force", where we run down a bunch of possibilities and we each say whether we think they will or won't happen, like will the Knights of Ren appear in Episode IX and if so will they have larger roles than the Praetorian Guards did in The Last Jedi? Listen to our answers and let us know what you think! To close it all out we hear from you in #ResistanceTransmissions! Did your tweet make the show? Come find out. JOIN US!

On this episode, Dominic, Ben, and Chris discuss the latest TV spots and stills for Solo: A Star Wars Story, analyzing what they may hint at about Han and Chewie relationship, Qi'Ra's past and present, and the fact that Dryden Vos is standing next to a suit of Mandalorian armor.  They also continue the discussion about The Last Jedi, covering several topics in a rapid fire style including Porgs, BB-8, Han's legacy, and the Praetorian Guards.  This leads to a massive debate over the Broom Boy scene, what's left to be told in Episode IX, and how the Sequel Trilogy compares to previous Star Wars trilogies.  All this and much more! Website:  www.starwarsunderworld.com Support The SWU on Patreon Buy an SWU T-shirt Facebook: www.facebook.com/swunderworld Twitter: @TheSWU Subscribe and Review on iTunes Email: swunderworld@gmail.com Voicemail: 1-410-989-1138 Listen live Thursdays at 9pm EST on Channel 1138

We're back! This week, we listen to a couple more voicemails, talk The Last Jedi, Han Solo, expectations and more! As always, check out our website for our show guide, which includes images and video, at: https://childrenoftheforce.com/2018/01/09/episode-93-the-first-reydi/We start the episode by talking with our new Jar Jar alarm clock. VOICEMAILS [3:35]Michal sent us a great voicemail where she tells us how to say “May the Force be with you,” in Hebrew! Thanks Michal! Kat sent us her thoughts on The Last Jedi, which causes us to have all sorts of conversations about the theme of failure, pacing, humor… and even to come up with a theory about the death of Force-ghost Anakin in Episode IX.STAR WARSY STUFF [29:15]We saw The Last Jedi for a third time over the break. The kids had a Star Wars-filled New Years Eve party. I read The Legends of Luke Skywalker and The Last Jedi Visual Dictionary. I loved one, and didn’t really like the other one. Is there an Obi-Wan movie in the works? NEWS [43:55]John Williams is writing Han Solo’s theme for Solo. The Last Jedi is the highest domestic grossing film of 2017. RON HOWARD SHARES STUFF ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM [50:50]A race car and acid wash jeans? CANON NEWS [52:40]What’s the deal with Snoke’s ring? And who are the four sages of Dwartii?JOKE [59:35]Are you ready for an awful knock-knock joke about Naboo?STUMP THE LUMP! [1:00:15]How many Praetorian Guards were there in The Last Jedi?OUTRO [1:01:35]Thanks for listening! Send us a voicemail or email us at forcechildren@gmail.com if you want to take part in the discussion or just give us some feedback. Thanks!

Force ghosts to fathiers.  Porgs to Praetorian Guards.  The dust is settling on the epic and divisive eighth episode that… The post EPISODE004: Star Wars – The Last Jedi (Part 1) appeared first on The Mandalorian Unofficial Podcast.

It's that time of year...grab your box of Canto Bites to snack on and head to the theater! Michael's under the weather, but that's not stopping us from getting out an episode. In no particular order:- Cats that look like Wilford Brimley- Chickens as pets- How saving a wild rabbit could work- What's fun to chase in the app- App woes- Rian Johnson said to be heading up a new trilogy- How do the Praetorian Guards see out of their masks?- What if anything you put in your will had to be carried out?- Sweet potato tots- Who talked Lucas into selling LucasFilm for just $4 billion?See you at the movies!

This week, Amanda steps in for Brian as we talk about more the Star Wars Praetorian Guards, movie sequels, and books that we like. (Note: there was an issue that occured during recording which left the mics silent. There’s a little extra silence in some locations, but hopefully it’s not that bad. Though the episode […]

This time we go through to bevy of books that were announced at San Diego Comic Con 2017 and what parts of the canon are going to be filled in. We go over what books we're most looking forward to and why we think they'll be good additions to the new canon. We also cover some of the latest leaks and information about The Last Jedi regarding a new resistance vehicle and the First Order's Praetorian Guards.

Join the Hokeymen as they try and figure out Rey's lightsaber situation, discuss the very cool looking Praetorian Guards, and look forward to all of the Star Wars Land information that will be coming from Disney's D23 Expo in July.

The Power Above Every Evil Throne “The last of the horsemen disappeared into the smoke and the thudding of their hooves receded into the grey distance. The smoke hung on the land. It drifted across the setting sun, which lay like an open wound across the western sky. In the ringing silence that followed the battle, very, very few, pitifully few cries could be heard from the bloody, mangled wreckage on the fields. Ghostlike figures, stunned with horror, emerged from the woods, stumbled and then ran forward crying – women searching for their husbands, their brothers, their fathers, first among the dying and then amongst the dead. The flickering light by which they searched was that of their burning village, which had that afternoon officially become part of the Mongol Empire. The Mongols. From out of the wastes of Central Asia they had swept, a savage force for which the world was utterly unprepared. They swept like a wildly wielded scythe, hacking, slashing, obliterating all that lay in their path, and calling it conquest. And throughout the lands that feared them now or would come to fear them, no name inspired more terror than that of their leader, Genghis Khan.” That’s how one writer described the aftermath of an attack by Genghis Khan and his dreaded Mongol horsemen. There’s never been a leader like Genghis Khan since that time, but many arrogant, murderous tyrants have ridden with bloody hooves across the pages of history. As a matter of fact, that really is history, the rise and fall of the world, one empire after another, of bloody, arrogant tyrants who are not satisfied with where they started but have to have more. This is the spirit of Babylon the Great that we began studying last week in Isaiah 13. It’s mentioned right to the end of history in Revelations 17 and 18. Babylon the Great is finally thrown down by the second coming of Christ. The spirit of conquering kings whose lust for blood and power, money and pleasure spurred them to plunder and pillage little villages like the one described here. But it’s a spirit driven by a deep and more wicked power than any of us can imagine. A malevolent force, the power of Satan himself, which drives them on, attacks the people of God, and seeks to oppose the kingdom of God. Last week, we spoke of the fall of Babylon, that great city, that great empire, which crushed the world and ruined the Promised Land. This week, as we come to Isaiah 14, we’re speaking more specifically of Babylon not just generally, but of the king of Babylon. This chapter speaks specifically of the fall of the tyrant king of Babylon. And while it may refer initially to a specific man in history, I believe it refers to all tyrants in history, all of them. Some theologians think it may speak of nothing more than a single king, perhaps Nebuchadnezzar himself. Others think it doesn’t refer to a human king at all but actually refers to Satan. They point to the soaring language of Isaiah 14. For example, verse 12 says, “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!” The King James version gives us “Lucifer, Lucifer.” Many ancient scholars believed that these verses spoke of the fall of Satan before time began. For myself, I think it speaks of both of these things. I think it speaks at the human level of human tyrants, of kings whose ambition soared above their present circumstances to the point where they actually wanted to be worshipped like gods. Their ambition drove them on, like Genghis Khan and others, to trample defenseless people. But I think it also speaks of the power behind the throne, of Satan as well. And that partnership with Satan, his demonic influence over kings, will continue to the end of time, right through to the time of the antichrist when Christ comes and destroys them both by the splendor of His coming and the establishment of His kingdom forever. That’s what I think is the story of Isaiah 14. So for two weeks, we are going to look at this section of scripture. This week we’re going to focus on the human side. We’re going to talk about the human kings of Babylon, what they have done, and what God promises for them. Next week, we’re going to focus more specifically on Satan, his fall, his ambition, what motivates him, and to the final union between Satan and the antichrist. We’re going to look at the power of every evil throne. The tyrant king of Babylon, we’re going to look behind it. The power behind every evil throne is Satan. But the real story of this chapter is the power above every evil throne and that is God Himself. To God we look, to the sovereign King of the Universe. We can look the tyrant king in the face and be unafraid. We can testify to him of the saving love of Jesus Christ even though he kills us as he killed perhaps our brothers and sisters before us. We can be unafraid of his power because we know there’s a king who holds him in the palm of His hand. God’s Purpose: the Eternal Joy of His Chosen People Despite Israel’s Sin, Chosen Still Now, right at the beginning of Isaiah 14, we see God’s eternal purpose, which is the eternal joy, comfort and security of His chosen people. That’s what God is doing through all of this. Despite Israel’s sin, Israel is chosen still. It says in Romans 11:29, “God’s gift and his call are irrevocable.” Soon after Isaiah’s time, Israel would be sold to Gentile powers. During Isaiah’s time, the Northern Kingdom was sold to the Assyrians. Approximately one hundred and fifty years later, the Southern Kingdom of Judah was sold to the Babylonians. But Isaiah promises here that God will again have compassion on His people and He will choose them again. Look at verse 1, “Once again, he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land.” I believe more than mere restoration is promised here. When the Jews came back to the Promised Land, 42,000 of them, under Cyrus the Great of Persia, they were still under Gentile domination. They had to ask permission for everything. Ezra and Nehemiah had to stand in front of a Gentile king and ask permission. So it has continued throughout the centuries. Jesus calls this the Times of the Gentiles, when Gentile power and influence rules, at least in part, over the Promised Land. But here Isaiah is promising a complete reversal, in which the chosen people will dwell in a position of authority over their former captors. Look at verse 2, “The house of Israel will possess the nations as menservants and maidservants in the Lord’s land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors.” This, I believe, does not receive its ultimate fulfillment until the end of time, when the righteous will rule over the judgment of the wicked. Aliens Joining Israel As the Apostle Paul says, “Do you not know that the saints who will judge angels will also judge the world?” (1 Col 6) In the millennial kingdom and even more in the internal state, this concept will have its fulfillment. Verse 1, “Once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land.” God promised to Abraham a land. He made him a promise. It says in Hebrews 11 that Abraham died without receiving the promise. God doesn’t break promises. However, the land they are going to get will be eternal. It will be the new heaven and the new earth, and they will inherit the earth as Jesus promised. That’s the future, ultimately, of all this. And it says that aliens are going to join Israel. Again, in verse 1, “Aliens will join them and unite with the house of Jacob.” That’s even better for us because we are Gentiles. We’re not biologically descended from Abraham. We are not children of Abraham. But this is in direct fulfillment of the promise that God made to Abraham when he was called out of Ur of the Chaldeans. Back in Genesis 12:2-3, it says, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” So we, Gentiles, have hope in being included in the promises that God makes to the Jews. This is repeatedly predicted in Isaiah. The fact is that representatives from the nations are actually going to be joining together with the Jews under the covenant promises, worshipping the one true God. I believe this is ultimately fulfilled in the spread of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The apostle Paul says, in Romans 11, that we, like wild olive shoots, have been cut out of an olive tree that’s wild by nature and been grafted into a cultivated olive tree. We look to Abraham, our father in faith now, and we draw nourishing sap from that root system of the patriarchs, the Jews. God’s Purpose: Bringing Joy to His People in Every Land So God’s ultimate purpose, then, is to bring Jew and Gentile together under the head of Jesus Christ, blessed forever and joyful forever. We will be free forever from concern about the arrogant tyrant who would strike us down and make us miserable. Look at the joy, look at the peace, look at the relief that just flows through this passage. It’s really quite striking, isn’t it? Look at verse 3, “On the day the Lord gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage.” And in verse 7, “All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing.” Celebration! God throws down the king of Babylon so that He can bring joy and relief and security to His chosen people all over the world. The “King of Babylon” Thrown Down A Taunt Song Over the Fallen Tyrant We come to this taunt song. That’s what it’s called. It’s a taunt song where the oppressed people are free forever from the tyrant, and they break forth in singing. They just celebrate. They can’t hold back. When I was growing up, every year we watched the movie “The Wizard of Oz.” Do you remember that movie? Remember when Dorothy’s house falls on the Wicked Witch of the East? The Munchkins come out and discover that she’s dead. Do you remember what they do? They start singing, “Ding dong the witch is dead!” I can hardly even mention that here from the pulpit, but it just seems so perfect. That’s exactly what happens. The oppressor is dead and they’re chanting and singing. They’re celebrating, all the little Munchkins. I thought, “Do I really want images of Munchkins dancing in your minds?” But there it is. They’re celebrating. They’re happy that the tyrant is gone, until of course, the Wicked Witch of the West shows up. Meet the new tyrant, same as the old tyrant. So it has been and so it will be until the antichrist is thrown down by the second coming of Christ. We can look forward to that. There are pockets of relief. There are pockets of celebration that happen. But it’s not until Babylon the Great itself is thrown down, and the final king of Babylon is thrown down, and the wicked malevolent force, Satan, is thrown into the lake of fire, that we will at last celebrate like this. It’s coming friends, and oh, what a shout of joy there will be! What singing we will do when we realize that the one who oppressed us, who tempted us, who attacked us every step of the way, who sought to pull us from Christ at every moment, is gone forever and we’ll never have to deal with him again! Oh, how sweet will that song be! So it’s a time of celebration. It’s a song. Verse 4 says, “You will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon.” Let’s talk about this idea of the King of Babylon. I don’t believe any one specific human king is intended here. Some people think it’s referring to Nebuchadnezzar. I have to tell you, honestly, I hope that Nebuchadnezzar is a brother in Christ. I hope that we will have fellowship together in heaven. I have better hopes than this for Nebuchadnezzar. Let me tell you, I have my predispositions and I’m rooting against this being Nebuchadnezzar. I think God converted him. I really do. If you look at verse 5, I think there’s an indication right in the text that we’re not speaking of any one single ruler, because it speaks of the scepter, the rod of the wicked. Verse 5 says, “The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers.” Do you see the plural there? It’s not just one ruler He has in mind. It’s whoever takes up the fallen scepter and then runs with it for a while. One tyrant after another, it’s not just one. So I don’t think it’s Nebuchadnezzar, okay? Are you satisfied? If you think it’s Nebuchadnezzar, come and talk, and we’ll find out. But I think you should be hoping, like I am, that he actually was converted. There’s also no indication that any of this stuff ever happened to Nebuchadnezzar. It seems like he died relatively peacefully and passed his kingdom on to his son, Amul-Marduk. His son passed it on to his son, Belshazzar. We know Belshazzar from Daniel chapter 5. He was there at the fall of Babylon, and he seems like a weak, soft partier to me. He liked the soft life, the comfortable life, the luxurious life. He liked to eat and drink and be merry. There’s no record of him doing any of the kind of crushing oppression that’s spoken of here, though he does die a painful death under the judgment of God. Yet I don’t think this is referring to him. Therefore, I think it’s best to see the human side of this prophecy as referring to the king of Babylon, a representative of the spirit of Babylon, who takes up that tyrannical rod and carries it for a while and smashes the earth with it until his time comes. The people are breaking out in a taunt song against the fallen tyrant. They’re celebrating the end of his tyranny. They’re celebrating his judgment under the wrath of God. They’re celebrating the freedom that the whole world experiences now that he’s dead. That’s what is going on here. Victims of overpowering tyrants are noteworthy. There’s the sense of powerlessness and helplessness that they face. They can do one of two things. If you’re living Germany in 1939 or 1941, and you don’t like what Hitler is doing to the Jews, you have two choices. You can speak up, defy Hitler, and die. It’s suicide and you know it. Or you can quietly, almost in a cowardly sort of way, say nothing. You can pray, hide, hunker down, and wait. Those are your choices. I don’t know if there are any other choices when that kind of tyranny and that kind of power is opposing you. When the victims are alone, they cry out to God for deliverance. Psalm 94:2 says, “Rise up, O judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.” Let vengeance come. They’re crying aloud for vengeance. It happens even after their deaths in Revelations 6:10, “[The martyrs] cried out in a loud voice, ‘How long, sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’“ They are told to wait a little while longer, until the full number of the martyrs comes in. They’re crying out for God to be their deliverer because there’s nothing else they can do. They’re powerless to stop the tyrant. The Vicious Oppression is Over In the flow of history, death or conquest by another nation is what ends tyranny. It’s not the weak and oppressed that rise up. The ruler dies or some other worse tyrant comes along and topples him from power. That’s how it goes. But there will come a time when tyranny itself will die. The spirit of Babylon will be gone forever and oh, how we long for that day! The vicious oppression will be over. Look at verses 4 through 6, “How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued the nations with relentless aggression.” We see the viciousness of the reign of tyranny described here. The rage of the tyrant has finally come to an end. These self-worshipping tyrants are noteworthy for their rage and their anger. They generally fly into a rage when anyone won’t bow down to them and worship them in some way, or when anyone brings them some bad news that they don’t want to hear. We have Nebuchadnezzar himself, before God dealt with him in chapter 4 of Daniel. In chapter 3, he sets up a statue, 90 feet high and 9 feet wide, made out of gold from top to bottom. I’ve wondered before if he made it out of gold because he didn’t like the statue in chapter 2, which was only a head of gold. He’s like, “Alright, why don’t we have the whole statue out of gold? Maybe I can continue forever.” But he can’t. He’s going to make Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and the whole nation bow down to him and his power. Well, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego won’t do it. They bring these three young Jewish men in, and Nebuchadnezzar deals with them very directly. He commands them to bow down or he’s going to throw them into the fiery furnace. They refuse to do it. Very courageously, they refuse. When they make their answer, Nebuchadnezzar flies into a rage. He just goes insane. Angry with them, he orders the furnace heated to seven times hotter than usual. It’s the wrong thing to do! If you really want to make them suffer, you need to cool it off so that it takes hours and hours for them to die. But he’s just not thinking clearly. He is so enraged that anyone would oppose him. That’s the spirt of tyranny. It’s not just him. Hitler was known for his rage, his temper tantrums. Even the highest officials in his regime were afraid to come and bring him bad news. Hermann Goring, who was a vicious man, used to tremble before coming and bringing bad news to Hitler. He said that Hitler had a purple vein that came across his nose and up to his forehead and it would pulsate, almost like it was fit to burst. And he needed medications after these spells of rage would come over him. Then there was Joseph Stalin, who was making plans in 1953 to exterminate the Jews, much as Hitler had. When the plans started to run afoul, as they tend to do when it comes to the Jews (because God sovereignly ordains that they will not be exterminated), Stalin flies into a rage. In March of 1953, he goes into an apoplectic rage. His rage reaches a crescendo. He drops to the floor and he’s dead the next day. His own rage killed him! But in Isaiah 14, it says that, “The rage of the tyrant has finally come to an end.” We don’t need to face it any more. It’s gone forever because God’s not impressed. He’s not intimidated and He will deal with it in His own time. The tyrant uses his overwhelming power to crush all opposition. Military power, I mean. Isaiah 14 says again in verses 5 and 6, “The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.” It’s what they do. It’s the tramp of the Roman legions, for centuries, through the towns and villages of Europe and Palestine. It’s the sound of Atilla the Hun’s thundering cavalry coming across and bringing waste and destruction, even to the growing church in western Europe. It’s the terrifying sound of Viking longboats coming through the morning mist, landing on the pebbled shores of Lindisfarne and other monastic islands. The Vikings come with bloodthirsty rage. They won’t spare anyone. Not defenseless monks, not women, not children. They’re going to plunder. They’re going to rape. They’re going to pillage. It’s what they do. Of course, it’s the rhythmic, hob-nailed boot march of the Nazis, goose-stepping through the time of their ascendancy, 1939, 40,41, when it seemed they could never lose a battle and no one could ever oppose them. It’s the sound of the Gestapo coming up the stairs in the middle of the night and banging on the door, taking away defenseless people: Jews, Christians, and anyone that opposed them, hauling them off. They are never seen again. They die, gassed in concentration camps. It’s the mindless savagery of the Soviet Union’s anti-Christian crusade. Twenty million Christians were put in gulags and systematically tortured and executed under Stalin. It’s the sound of an enraged mob in China, during the Cultural Revolution, screaming insults at the house-church pastors as they’re marched down the streets with their crime written on placards around their necks. If anyone won’t join in and chant at them, they’re noted by the secret police and they’re arrested as well. It’s tyranny. It’s the rod of tyranny, smashing people with relentless blows. At the end of time, it’s going to reach a crescendo under the blood-thirsty reign of the antichrist, as he dominates the entire world and executes anyone who will not receive the mark of the beast and worship him as God. Peace Results All Over the Earth The terror of the powerful tyrant will be broken. When Christ comes again, He will put an end to tyranny forever and He will reign as a glorious king. At that time, peace will reign all over the earth. Look at verse 7, “All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing.” This peace brings indescribable joy. I believe that the joy of that peace is directly proportioned to the power of the tyrant and to his viciousness. The more powerful and vicious the tyrant, the greater the joy when he’s thrown off. You have, on the cover of your bulletin, a picture of VE Day. I think those are British people gathering together in Trafalgar Square on March 8, 1945. They’ve heard that Hitler is dead. He put a bullet through his brain in a Berlin bunker before the Russians could get him. They are celebrating. It’s a wild celebration. From what I heard, it was incredible. I wasn’t there, too young for that, but I heard it was just amazing. Total strangers were dancing, hugging, and kissing each other. They never see each other again. There is just amazing joy and celebration because the tyranny has finally come to an end. I think in our lifetime, perhaps we saw it with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1987. That November, finally East and West Berlin came together as one city, and communism was exposed as the economic and social fraud that it is. Finally, it came to an end there. What joy there was and what celebration! Everybody wanted to get a hammer and go bang on that wall a little bit and pull it down. Destruction of the Earth Has Ended The destruction of the earth will end. Look at verse 8, “Even the pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon exult over you and say, ‘Now that you have been laid low, no woodsman comes to cut us down.’” One of the things about tyrants is that they think the earth is theirs to plunder. They can do anything they want with the natural resources of the earth. Gold, silver, oil, iron, and anything coming out of the earth, they strip mine. They do whatever it takes to fuel the engines of industry, to keep it going. It says in Deuteronomy 20:19, speaking to the Jews, “When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them?” It’s an interesting passage, Deuteronomy 20:19. Don’t do it. Don’t tear down all the trees. The earth was given to us as a stewardship. We are to care for it. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God put Adam in the Garden to serve it and protect it.” That’s my translation of those two Hebrew words. I think it’s a fair one. To serve the Garden and enable it to be everything it could be, to come to full fruition and protect it from harm. Not to pillage it and rape it and plunder it. It says in Revelation 11:18, “The time has come… for destroying those who destroy the earth.” These tyrants, they do it better than anyone. No Tyrant Stronger Than Death Powerful Tyrant Weak in the Face of Death We’ve seen the wickedness of the tyrants. We’ve seen their great power. But one thing we’ve noted throughout history: there is no tyrant stronger than death. There is no tyrant stronger than death. Look at verses 9 through 11. We see here the powerful tyrant, weak at last in the face of death. Verses 9 through 11 say, “The grave below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you – all those who are leader in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones – all those who were kings over the nations. They will all respond, they will say to you, ‘You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.’ All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.” This is a remarkable passage of prophecy here. Here the dead kings, as if in some nether region, notice that this powerful tyrant king has come down and they’re almost acting surprised. But there’s a bit of mockery here. They are saying, “Oh look, I guess you weren’t any stronger than we were. Here we are dead and here you are dead.” Now this is just poetical. I don’t think we should take a theology of the afterlife from this passage, any more than we should imagine that trees will be able to speak from verse 8. Rather, this is poetical language saying that even the most powerful tyrant can’t stand firm in the face of death. It is God’s judgment on the human race. There’s nothing they can do to stop it. The grave is personified here and the mighty potentate has his power stripped forever. Death has stripped him of it. The Final Fate of the King of Babylon… Moldering, Dead in the Street (vs 18-21) Picture, then, a Babylonian king, drunk, lying in his bed. The Medes are running through the palace looking for him. They find him and they kill him that very night, Daniel chapter 5. Or picture a Roman Caesar coming out after a good time in the Coliseum, surrounded by his usually faithful Praetorian Guards. But there’s a plot afoot. He doesn’t know it. One of them plunges a dagger between his ribs and he dies. His cousin becomes the new Emperor of Rome. Or picture a Russian Tsar wheezing and gasping as he chokes out his last few breaths and dies of consumption. Or a Chinese communist dictator, whose legacy is still with us, lying helpless in his bed, stricken with a heart attack. He rises up a little, tries to speak, and can’t do it. He gurgles something and slumps back down on the bead. Then he’s dead. Where’s your power now? Where has it all gone to? They are the very picture of weakness now. That’s what’s going on here in Isaiah 14. His pompous luxury is stripped as well. Not that you’d want to, but go look at him in two or three weeks. There will be maggots and worms, just like everybody. You can’t take it with you. You can’t take the noise of the harps. You can’t take the luxurious, purple silk robes. It’s all gone. It’s all going down into the grave. So the final fall of the king of Babylon is that he will molder, dead in the streets. Look at verses 18 through 21, “All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb. But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will not join them in burial, for you have destroyed your land and killed your people. The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again. Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the sins of their forefathers; they are not to rise to inherit the land and cover the earth with their cities.” Ordinarily, kings are honored in death. Presidents lie in state in the rotunda. People pass by. It’s a solemn time, a time of reverence and honor. Ordinarily, that’s what happens. But this king doesn’t get that. He doesn’t get a state burial. He’s thrown out like refuse in the streets. Like a branch stripped from the tree and lying on the ground, his body is trampled underfoot. I get the picture of Ahas, whose blood was licked up by dogs. And of course, Jezebel, you couldn’t even find a piece left of her. Something like that. Or like Hitler’s body, which I think was doused with gasoline and then burned, lest the Russians should desecrate it. But even worse than what happens to this king’s body, this king would have no legacy. His offspring, it says, would be cut off entirely. All memory of his name effaced forever. His kingdom is over. It’s ended forever. He’s got no legacy. He’s done. He’s thrown out. And why? Verse 20 says, “For you have destroyed your land and killed your people.” It’s interesting, that’s what he does to his own people. You have to wonder what the Germans thought of Hitler in June of 1945, when the whole country was a pile of rubble from one side to the other. Did they love him then? Did they honor him then? He was the one who did that to their country, ultimately, because of his policies and his leadership. Some have said, I think somewhat wisely, that people get the leadership they deserve. That’s meant negatively. It’s not like a good people get a good king, something like that. But, if a nation will tolerate a leader, then that could be the outcome. Here, it is turned around because of what he did to his people, because the people were destroyed, the people he should have protected and cared for and served, like any good leader. Because of that, he’s judged. The Final Fall of Babylon (vs 22-23) And so we also have the final fall of Babylon in verses 22-23. Here again, as we saw in chapter 13, God is doing all of this. None of this is an accident. It’s not just happened. This is something God has done to judge this man. “’I will rise up against them,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘I will cut off from Babylon her name and survivors, her offspring and descendants,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” We’ve already seen in Isaiah 13 that Babylon will never be inhabited again. The Reason for Judgment: Pride What is God’s motivation in all of this? What’s the reason for the judgment? Well, it comes down to one word, pride. God hates human pride. He hates it with a passion. God opposes the proud. This is a chapter of God opposing the proud. This is how much He hates pride. The pride is right there in these famous verses right in the middle, verses 12-15. “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly; on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.” It’s all about ambition. It’s about soaring ambition. The king of Babylon looks at himself and sees more there than he realized, up to this point. He’s got potential. God has put him in a bounded place. There are boundaries around him like there are around all of us. God sets those boundary lines up. David says, in Psalm 16:6, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” God sets those boundaries up. But this tyrant, he’s not satisfied with it, just like Satan wasn’t satisfied with his boundaries. So he starts to move out, to expand his boundaries, to jump across borders and boundaries, and to make an empire for himself. Ultimately, it’s going to include, in his own heart, raising his throne above the stars of God and sitting enthroned on the mount of the assembly where God sits. Yes, he’s going to want to be worshipped. How many human kings has this been true of? In the book of Acts, King Herod stands before the people with shining, radiant robes, and he gives a little speech. The people say, “This is the voice of a god and not of a man.” And he actually likes it. He’s like, “Well, finally, you see it!” The voice of a god and not of a man. Immediately, he was stuck down by worms, just like here in Isaiah 14, and died. The Roman Caesars also saw themselves as deities. The root of it all is Satan’s soaring ambition, which we’ll see next week. It’s really Satan that’s feeding this pride, putting logs on the fire. He’s feeding it until both are destroyed together forever. Because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Application Understand the Future Fate of All Godless Dictators Next week, we’re going to talk more about Satan’s activities, Satan’s ambitions. As we come to the end of the human section in understanding this, what application can we take? Well, first, understand the future fate of all tyrants. Isaiah 14 stands over all tyrants, and we have some today. There actually is a website, parade.com, which lists the top 15 tyrants on earth today. It’s really amazing to read thumbnail sketches of each of these folks. For example, Omar al-Bashir, of the Sudan. He’s the worst dictator on earth, so this website says, because of his ongoing deadly human rights abuses in the Darfur region of the Sudan. Over the last four years, at least 200,000 people have been killed by his forces nationwide. 5.3 million have been driven from their homes, and more than 700,000 have fled from the country. There’s Kim Jong-il of North Korea, who has isolated his nation from the rest of the nations on earth. His record of human rights abuses is every bit as bad. Recently, we have been following Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, an unbelievable tyrant. He’s not as powerful as some of the others, but he has ruined his country. The inflation rate there was 1,281% last month. 1,281% inflation rate. In 2002, he permitted an election. But in the middle of the election, the guy who was running against him was arrested for treason. So when there was an election earlier this year, the guy who was running against him decided to drop out of the race. You may think that’s probably a wise decision. That’s Robert Mugabe. He’s a tyrant. It goes on and on. It’s not just those three. There are many, many others. All of these dictators will suffer the same fate. They will all be judged, as in Isaiah 14, unless they repent and come to faith in Christ. And let me speak about that for just a moment. Pray for Rulers to be Saved Should we pray for a tyrant to be saved? Is it possible that the grace of God can reach into the megalomania of a tyrant like this and actually save him? That’s why I mentioned Nebuchadnezzar. I think He can. I think that Nebuchadnezzar and Saul of Tarsus stand as trophies of God’s grace, of what God can do to anyone, anytime, if He moves out with His grace. The Apostle Paul puts it very, very plainly in 1 Timothy 1:15-16. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was show mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” You may have come in here today thinking you’re the worst of sinners. That’s what Saul of Tarsus thought about himself. “I’m the worst. Nobody could ever forgive me for what I’ve done to the Christians. God couldn’t forgive me.” But God did forgive him! Such is the grace of God. Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. There is no human tyrant whose sin is so great that the grace of Christ cannot cover it. Paul goes on in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 to advise us to pray for rulers and leaders. This is what he says, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests for prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God, our savior.” The first reason is so that the people of God can have peace and security in their lifetimes and do the work of the Kingdom. But there’s a second reason. “This is good and pleases God, our savior, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.” Can God save an Osama Bin Laden? Can He save an 82-year-old Robert Mugabe at the end of his life? Can He do that? We’re commanded to pray for it. I think there’s not going to be many of them saved. But that there’s one at all shows that they can be. We’re commanded here to pray. Come to Christ For you individually, as you’ve come here today, perhaps you feel guilty. Perhaps you feel alienated from God. You don’t know what you can do about your guilt. The cross of Jesus Christ is an ocean of grace. It can cleanse any stain. Come to Christ. Trust in Him, look to Him who shed His blood for you. His grace is the story of history, not these tyrants, bloodshed and tyranny. It’s Christ’s grace. Hate Pride and Humble Yourself Finally, for myself, I think it’s safest to see similarities between myself and the tyrant here. Now, I’m not this kind of man, but I have pride like this. My pride is the worst enemy of my soul. It makes me think I don’t need to listen to a sermon like this. It makes me think I don’t need to be rebuked or convicted about this or that and beyond that. It makes me think I don’t need Jesus as much as I really do. My pride makes me angry towards people that I love, that are close to me, or towards total strangers who cross me and take something I wanted. My pride is my worst enemy. To see it described here, whether it’s Satan or the king of Babylon, I feel a similar elevation in my heart, saying, “Do you know who I am?” All of us have that. It’s part of the human race, part of our sin condition. Flee from it. Ask God to humble you. Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand. In due time, He will lift you up. Join with me in prayer.

Throughout history, there have been dozens of unique warriors that have each contributed something new to military history. This episode of Military History Podcast concisely profiles 11 of these unique warriors and explains what made them superior. Samurai, Ninjas, Peltasts, Hoplites, Praetorian Guards, War Elephants, Mongol Mangudai, Chariots, Cataphracts, Berserkers, and Amazons are all featured in this episode. If you can think of any unique warriors that you would like to know more about, email me at geo47@graffiti.net military history military history