Podcasts about Promised Land

The 42 Journeys of Life – Part 4: Middle AgeThe Quiet Question of Midlife: Is This All You Are Meant to Be?How do you reach the Promised Land?Each of us carries dreams, aspirations, goals, and a vision of the life we hope to build. We all seek success, fulfillment, happiness, and purpose. But what is the path that leads us there? Is there a map for navigating life's twists and turns?The Torah's answer is yes.Before the Jewish people entered the Promised Land, they traveled through the wilderness, passing through forty-two distinct journeys. These journeys were not merely historical events; they are the blueprint for every human life. Each of us must travel our own wilderness, facing challenges and setbacks, triumphs and breakthroughs, moments of uncertainty and moments of inspiration.In this fourth installment of our seven-part series, The 42 Journeys of Life, we arrive at the pivotal stage of Middle Age—the season when many begin to hear the quiet but persistent question:"Is this all I am meant to be?"Having traversed the first twenty journeys—the formative years of childhood, the excitement of growth, and the early challenges and struggles that shape our character—we now enter a new chapter. A chapter of reflection, reassessment, and deeper self-discovery.Every stage of life brings its own lessons and opportunities. The key is to recognize where you are on the journey, understand the unique challenges of that stage, and learn how to navigate them with wisdom and purpose.Join Rabbi Simon Jacobson as we explore the next phase of the wilderness journey and discover how every step, every challenge, and every transition is part of a greater path—leading us toward our own Promised Land: the fulfillment of our mission and the actualization of our deepest potential.

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

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We delve into one of the most significant speeches in history—Moses' final address to Israel in the book of Deuteronomy. Moses urges the Israelites to believe in Yahweh, follow the Law, and take the Promised Land. Additionally, we unpack Moses' prophecy about a future prophet like him, who will speak God's words and mediate between God and the people. This speech, remembered for over 3,000 years, not only recaps Israel's past but also looks forward to the coming of a prophet greater than Moses.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

Featuring: Judah Thomas, David LaManna, Lenny Salgado, Ben Cossette, Johnny V., Mike McHugh, and James GowellEdited by: Tim NicholsonIn this episode of Thriving in the Word, we continue The Hall of Faith series and arrive at one of the most beloved figures in all of Scripture: Joseph. But instead of focusing on the colorful coat, the dreams, the pit, the prison, or even the palace, Hebrews 11 points us to a much different moment. Joseph's place in the Hall of Faith comes down to a dying man's confidence that God's promises would outlive him.We walk through Genesis 37-50 and Hebrews 11:22, where Joseph, nearing death, instructed his family to carry his bones out of Egypt when God eventually brought Israel into the Promised Land. It's a strange detail to spotlight in a life filled with dramatic twists and miraculous turns, but that's exactly the point. Joseph's greatest act of faith wasn't his rise to power. It was his unwavering belief that God would do exactly what He said He would do, even if Joseph would never live to see it happen.The crew explores Joseph's transformation from a favored and arrogant young man into a humble leader shaped by betrayal, slavery, false accusations, imprisonment, and years of waiting. We discuss the jealousy of his brothers, the dreams that set everything in motion, and the incredible reality that God used every setback to prepare Joseph for a purpose far greater than he could have imagined.Along the way, we examine the parallels between Joseph and Jesus, the significance of Joseph's bones making the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, and what it means to trust God's plan when the road ahead doesn't make sense. Joseph's story reminds us that faith isn't just believing God for today. It's believing Him for a future you may never personally witness.That leads us into some honest questions: What promises of God are you trusting even when you can't see the outcome? Are you willing to let God shape your character through hardship? Can you still believe He's working when it feels like you've been forgotten in the pit or the prison? And if your story isn't finished yet, what might God be preparing you for right now?Topics include: Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11, Joseph, Genesis 37-50, Joseph and his brothers, Joseph's dreams, Joseph in Egypt, Potiphar's house, Joseph in prison, forgiveness in the Bible, faith in God's promises, Joseph's bones, Promised Land, Exodus connection, Joseph and Jesus parallels, God's providence, suffering and faith, endurance through trials, trusting God's timing, biblical leadership, redemption, reconciliation, God's plan in hardship, faith that lasts beyond your lifetime, Christian podcast, Bible teaching, Bible study, Hall of Faith series, Hebrews study, spiritual growth, walking with God, and Thriving in the Word.More Info: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.thrive.church⁠⁠⁠Give: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.thrive.church/give/⁠⁠⁠Need prayer? ⁠⁠⁠prayer@thrive.church⁠⁠⁠This is a presentation of Thrive.Church.© All Rights Reserved.

After Israel's rebellion with the golden calf, the question remains: Will God abandon His people?In Exodus 33, God offers Israel the Promised Land, victory, and blessing—but with one devastating difference: His presence will not go with them. Moses' response reveals one of the most important truths in all of Scripture:God Himself is the treasure.In this message we discover:• Why God's presence is better than God's gifts• What truly distinguishes the people of God• Why spiritual maturity produces a deeper hunger for God Himself• How the Holy Spirit fulfills God's desire to dwell among His people• Why the ultimate goal of following God is not merely blessing, but communion with God"The greatest gift God gives is not what comes from His hand—it is His presence."Follow: The Story of the Exodus XXIVExodus 33Mercy Hill Church#Exodus #Exodus33 #PresenceOfGod #Moses #HolySpirit #ChristianSermon #BibleTeaching #MercyHillChurch

If the Book of Kings (Sefer Melakhim) records the corporate fall of man (Israel) in the Promised Land, the Book of Chronicles (Divrei Hayamim) records the covenantal return of man upon a restored foundation. Covering much of the same historical ground, Chronicles is not a duplicate account but a theological re-presentation. Where Kings moves toward exile, Chronicles writes from the other side of it, asking not how the kingdom died, but how it can live again. The Temple and the Kings of Judah (2 Chronicles 1–36): Solomon builds the House, and the history of Judah unfolds as a single question: will the people seek the LORD at the place where He has set His Name? The northern kingdom largely recedes from view. The decisive moments are not military but liturgical: humility or pride, reform or neglect, seeking or forsaking. Here the logic is immediate and instructive: those who seek the LORD find Him; those who abandon Him fall. The Open Ending (c. 539 BCE): The book concludes, not with the destruction of Jerusalem, but with the decree of Cyrus: “Let him go up.” The final word is not exile, but invitation. The foundation remains. The way back is open. Authorship: Jewish tradition associates Chronicles with Ezra, and its language, priestly focus, and genealogical concerns place it firmly within the post-exilic scribal world reflected in Ezra and Nehemiah. Drawing on the same historical traditions as Kings, the Chronicler does not merely preserve the past; he reshapes it for a people who must now live again in light of it. Here, the author is no covenantal prosecutor. He is a theologian of return. His measure is not only whether Israel avoided the error of “YHWH-plus,” but whether they have learned, through judgment, to seek the LORD with a whole heart and to order their life around His presence. History here is not only the record of a fall, but the meaning of that fall, now known in the wisdom of the return.

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

We explore the final days of Moses as the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land. Despite his enduring physical strength, Moses faces the reality that he cannot cross the Jordan River due to his past disobedience. Joshua is appointed as his successor to lead the people into Canaan. We delve into the challenges Moses faces, including requests from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh to settle outside Canaan, and God's command to drive out the inhabitants of the land. Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

Got a question? Let us know!Host: HeatherGuests: Jamey and DougWEEKEND CHITCHATQuick catch-up:JuneteenthLDP Play DateHarbour FestFather's DayBaptism CelebrationsBIBLE READING CHALLENGEWhat stood out to you from this week's reading?Nehemiah, Esther & ActsSUNDAY DISHThis week we wrapped up Losing Myself with Moses' final view of the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 34. Jamey challenged us to stop winning at the wrong things and invest our lives in what lasts: people, a passion for Jesus, and a legacy that anchors souls long after we're gone.Q1: Lasting InfluenceWhat's a phrase, lesson, or habit someone taught you years ago that still shapes your life today?Q2: Winning at the Wrong ThingsJesus warns that it's possible to gain the world and lose your soul.When have you caught yourself keeping score by standards Jesus never asked you to measure?Follow-up: How do you distinguish between a good goal and an ultimate goal?Q3: Trusting God's TimelineMoses saw the promise fulfilled but didn't enter it himself.What does his story teach us about trusting God when His timing is slower than we'd prefer?Follow-up: How does that challenge our expectation for instant results?Q4: Legacy vs. InheritanceThe big idea was:"An inheritance fills their hands; a legacy anchors their soul."How does that change what we're trying to leave behind for others?Follow-up: Where do you feel the tension between providing and discipling?Q5: Living a LegacyWhether we realize it or not, someone is watching our lives.Who comes to mind when you think about the people God has placed in your wake?Follow-up: How can we become a church that intentionally leaves a legacy of faith?Q6: Passing It OnMoses invested in Joshua before his story ended.What's one practical way we can pass along faith, wisdom, or encouragement this week?Follow-up: Talk about some of the leaders who have grown up through Next Gen, LDP, and Believers over the years.JOIN US SUNDAY!Our students are at camp this week—be praying for them and their leaders!We'll be back Sunday at 9:00 & 10:45 AM as we kick off our summer series, Campfire Stories. Together we'll tackle honest questions about faith, life, and culture around the campfire.Don't forget: July 5th is our special Family Service at 10 AM (one service only).Invite someone, share the episode, and join us in person or on YouTube at 1 PM.Until then, don't forget—we're here for good.Go BE LOVE!Stay Connected Website: https://believerschurch.org/ Bible Reading Plan: https://believerschurch.org/bible-reading-plan/Believers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/believerschurch.va/ Believers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/believers_church/Subscribe to The Outlet: https://believerschurch.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=66f00f86238de86688d2480e6&id=729c3f381f

Getting "passed over" by the Lord is not a good thing, especially when we're talking God returning His people back to the Promised Land. Today we study Isaiah 48 and see how God warned His people about the coming judgment and confirmed His message through prophecy, but they still would not listen. Yet, He still has a plan for them that results in greater glory to Himself. Join us for another soul-nourishing study in the Book of Isaiah! DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS: 1.    The recipients of the message of Isaiah 48 shifts from prophetically addressing the exiles and returns to focus on the contemporaries of the prophet Isaiah. Thinking back to our previous studies in the book of Isaiah, what was the spiritual condition of Judah at this time? 2.    Read over verses 1 & 2 and look for the irony that they contain. Why does the Lord focus on the "name" and "origin" and "invocations" of these people? Although they did these things outwardly, was it sincere? How might a church today have the right name and doctrine but be insincere in its worship? Why is insincere worship of the Lord met with His disapproval? 3.    In verses 3 & 4, how did the people respond to the Lord's Word? Why do you think they had come to respond like this? 4.    According to verse 5, why was the Lord so clear in His prophecies? What was He trying to show the people? Were they likely to receive His message?  5.    In verses 6 to 11, why does the Lord act? What was He doing among the people? For what purpose?  6.    In verse 9, why does the Lord withhold His wrath? Does this surprise you?  7.    In verse 11, what does the Lord seek? Why is it best for Him to seek this? How should this be our life goal as well?  8.    Verses 12 & 13 present a high view of God. What do the people need to know about God? Why? Do you believe these truths about Him? If so, how have they changed how you view yourself and the purpose of your life?  9.    Verse 14 gives another prophecy regarding Babylon. What does the Lord say He will do? What was it, about Babylon, that would have made this promise difficult to believe?  10.    How is the Trinity evident in verse 16? What does this tell us about the united nature of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? How does this show their distinct personhood?  11.    In verse 22, what peace is Isaiah talking about here? Why is it withheld from the wicked?  12.    The podcast ended with several questions. Are you easy to teach? (Why or why not?) Do you embrace what your learning? When God is trying to teach you something, do you resist it? Or do you purse learning what He would have you do know?   Check out our Bible Study Guide on the Key Chapters of Genesis! Available on Amazon just in time for the Genesis relaunch in January! To see our dedicated podcast website with access to all our episodes and other resources, visit us at: www.keychapters.org. Find us on all major platforms, or use these direct links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6OqbnDRrfuyHRmkpUSyoHv Itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/366-key-chapters-in-the-bible/id1493571819 YouTube: Key Chapters of the Bible on YouTube. As always, we are grateful to be included in the "Top 100 Bible Podcasts to Follow" from Feedspot.com. Also for regularly being awarded "Podcast of the Day" from PlayerFM. Special thanks to Joseph McDade for providing our theme music.   

Speaker: Bill StaffieriReference: Numbers 20:1-13Visit our information hubSubscribe to the PodcastFollow us on InstagramVisit our website for info, events, giving, and moreBeachpoint Church - Developing into authentic followers of Jesus Christ who love God, one another, and our world.

If the Book of Kings (Sefer Melakhim) records the corporate fall of man (Israel) in the Promised Land, the Book of Chronicles (Divrei Hayamim) records the covenantal return of man upon a restored foundation. Covering much of the same historical ground, Chronicles is not a duplicate account but a theological re-presentation. Where Kings moves toward exile, Chronicles writes from the other side of it, asking not how the kingdom died, but how it can live again. The Temple and the Kings of Judah (2 Chronicles 1–36): Solomon builds the House, and the history of Judah unfolds as a single question: will the people seek the LORD at the place where He has set His Name? The northern kingdom largely recedes from view. The decisive moments are not military but liturgical: humility or pride, reform or neglect, seeking or forsaking. Here the logic is immediate and instructive: those who seek the LORD find Him; those who abandon Him fall. The Open Ending (c. 539 BCE): The book concludes, not with the destruction of Jerusalem, but with the decree of Cyrus: “Let him go up.” The final word is not exile, but invitation. The foundation remains. The way back is open. Authorship: Jewish tradition associates Chronicles with Ezra, and its language, priestly focus, and genealogical concerns place it firmly within the post-exilic scribal world reflected in Ezra and Nehemiah. Drawing on the same historical traditions as Kings, the Chronicler does not merely preserve the past; he reshapes it for a people who must now live again in light of it. Here, the author is no covenantal prosecutor. He is a theologian of return. His measure is not only whether Israel avoided the error of “YHWH-plus,” but whether they have learned, through judgment, to seek the LORD with a whole heart and to order their life around His presence. History here is not only the record of a fall, but the meaning of that fall, now known in the wisdom of the return.

What does it mean to devote your life to a goal you may never live to see fulfilled? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Michael Hattin explore Parshat Chukat and the mysterious episode of Moses striking the rock. Set against the backdrop of Miriam's death and the transition to a new generation, they examine why Moses and Aaron are denied entry into the Promised Land after decades of leadership. Through classical commentaries and close reading, the conversation reflects on leadership, accountability, and what it means to guide a people toward a future you may never see yourself.

PASTOR MARSHALL OCHS | JUNE 21, 2026In this message, Pastor Marshall teaches from Deuteronomy 4. Standing at the edge of the Promised Land, Moses tells a new generation two more stories, one a blessing and one a curse, and warns them not to forget. The pull toward idols, is real, but so is the mercy that says no one is ever too far gone. It all comes down to a single Hebrew word that shapes how God's people are meant to live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjxN2VF1Fr4 { “article”: “## When You’re Standing at the Edge of Your PromisennThere’s a moment every believer eventually faces — you’ve stepped out in faith, you’ve followed the call of God, and just when fulfillment seems within reach, everything starts pressing against you. The enemy shows up. Doubt creeps in. You begin to wonder if you heard God correctly in the first place.nnBishop Robert Daniels, speaking at Lineage Church on Father’s Day, delivered a timely word for anyone standing at that threshold: the edge between wilderness and inheritance. Drawing from Isaiah 59, Isaiah 60, and the Gospel of John, he unpacked what it truly means to possess what God has promised — and why the standard God raises against the enemy is more powerful than most believers realize.nn## The Wilderness Strikes Hardest Right Before BreakthroughnnOne of the most important observations Bishop Daniels shared was this: the enemy doesn’t attack randomly. He comes in specifically when you are about to enter into fulfillment.nn”God is a God that declares the end from the beginning,” he said, “but he doesn’t give you any indication about that middle part — that wilderness part, that part where you don’t know your own name sometimes.”nnThis is a pattern as old as Scripture itself. When the children of Israel stood at the border of the Promised Land, they weren’t defeated by the giants — they were defeated by their own perception. Numbers 13 records that the spies said, “We saw ourselves as grasshoppers in our own eyes.” The enemy’s most effective weapon isn’t brute force — it’s psychological warfare that causes you to disqualify yourself from what God has already declared belongs to you.nnWhen you say “I can’t possess this,” Bishop Daniels reminded the congregation, it is essentially the same as saying “God can’t.” That posture grieves the Spirit and cuts you off from the very power that was meant to carry you through.nn## Isaiah 59:19 — Understanding the StandardnnThe anchor scripture for this message comes from Isaiah 59:19:nn”So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.”nnMost believers are more familiar with what the enemy is doing than with what the Spirit of God is doing. We can easily list the attacks, the setbacks, the pressures. But Isaiah tells us something critical: when the flood comes, the Holy Spirit doesn’t stand idle. He raises a standard.nnBishop Daniels spent years studying this passage — consulting Hebrew concordances, examining alternate translations — and arrived at a profound revelation through prayer: the standard the Holy Spirit raises is Jesus Christ himself, lifted up in his crucifixion.nnThis connects directly to Jesus’ words in John 12:31-32: “Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” The cross is not just a historical event. It is the active, ongoing standard raised against every flood the enemy sends.nn## The Power You Don’t See Because You’re Focused on the EnemynnOne of the most convicting threads throughout this message is the challenge Bishop Daniels places before every believer: do you know what Jesus has done better than you know what the devil is doing?nnMany believers operate from a sin-consciousness rather than a righteousness-consciousness. They measure themselves by their failures or their successes and find their identity in what they do rather than in what Christ has accomplished. This is precisely why spiritual fathers matter — the bishop pointed out that fathers in the faith help circumcise that sin-consciousness from their spiritual children, freeing them to walk in the righteousness that comes not from performance, but from the finished work of Jesus.nn”It’s not what you do or what you’ve done, good or bad,” he declared. “It’s what Jesus did.”nnThis is the foundation of possessing your inheritance. You cannot step into what God has for you if your faith is anchored in your own track record. The moment your eyes shift from the standard — from the lifted-up Christ — to your own capabilities or failures, you begin to shrink back just like the ten spies who saw themselves as grasshoppers.nn## John 3:14 — The Pattern of the Serpent in the WildernessnnBishop Daniels brought in a powerful parallel from John 3:14, where Jesus himself draws a comparison: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”nnIn Numbers 21, the Israelites were being bitten by serpents because they had spoken against God and Moses during a difficult stretch of the journey — a detour that felt unnecessary to them. God’s instruction for healing was simple and strange: look at the bronze serpent Moses lifted up, and live. No striving. No earning. Just look.nnJesus says he is that standard lifted up. The healing, the freedom, the possession of inheritance — it all flows from looking to him. From believing what has already been accomplished.nnThis is not passive Christianity. It is the deepest kind of faith — the faith that says “it is finished” and acts accordingly, even when the circumstances look like a flood.nn## Entering Your Isaiah 60 MomentnnBishop Daniels spoke of a season he believes the church is entering — what he called an Isaiah 60 moment. Isaiah 60:1 commands, “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” It is a declaration that what belongs to you will come to you. Not because you are striving in need, but because God wants to move his people out of a needy, striving posture and into the fullness of what he has already deposited within them.nnThe Holy Spirit, dwelling inside every believer, reveals what the Father has hidden within you. But you will never access it if you are consumed with what the enemy is doing rather than what the Spirit is revealing.nn## What the Wilderness Is Teaching YounnBefore closing, Bishop Daniels offered a question every believer in a hard season should sit with: “What have you learned about the Father in this season?”nnWilderness seasons are not accidents. They are not signs that God has abandoned you or that you missed his voice. They are the very crucible in which faith becomes real — not just recited, but lived. “You won’t know what faith really is,” he said plainly, “until you come to the end of yourself.”nnGod brings his people to the end of themselves not to humiliate them, but to show them how strong they really are in him. The same God who called you out is the same God who will bring you in.nnIf you find yourself in a season of pressure, discouragement, or confusion today, Bishop Daniels’ word is a timely reminder: the standard has already been raised. The flood the enemy sent against your house does not have the final word. The Holy Spirit has lifted up Jesus — and that changes everything.nnLook up. Your inheritance is closer than you think.”, “keywords”: [“Spiritual Inheritance”, “Faith”, “Identity in Christ”, “Spiritual Warfare”, “The Cross”, “Isaiah 59”, “Breakthrough”, “Spiritual Fatherhood”], “meta_description”: “Discover how to possess your God-given inheritance by understanding the standard God raises against the enemy — the lifted-up Christ of Isaiah 59 and John 12.”, “slug”: “possessing-your-inheritance-through-the-standard”, “summary”: “Bishop Robert Daniels unpacks Isaiah 59:19 and the power of Christ as God’s standard raised against the enemy when you’re on the verge of your inheritance.” }

This week we move into the book of Numbers. The Israelites had been led to the edge of the Promised Land but they were hesitant to enter it. After the report of the spies the choose their fear over faith in the Lord. The result was a diversion back into the wilderness for the next 40 years. Failing to follow the Lord in faith has consequences.

What Worship Is Jonathan Parnell Download Psalm 100,Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!2 Serve the Lord with gladness!Come into his presence with singing!3 Know that the Lord, he is God!It is he who made us, and we are his;we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,and his courts with praise!Give thanks to him; bless his name!5 For the Lord is good;his steadfast love endures forever,and his faithfulness to all generations.Last Sunday, my family and I had the joy to worship with Kenny Ortiz and his family at Horizon City Church in Orlando. For those of you who don't know Kenny, he was a pastor here at Cities before we sent him out to Florida a few years ago to plant Horizon City. And it was so good to see him and spend a little time with him — and we had a funny moment together …Each of my kids had new backpacks they were toting around, and Kenny had the same kind — I think it's pronounced ‘Os-pree.' It's a backpack for hiking. Well, they have straps that buckle across the front, and my kids figured out right away that there's a whistle attached to the buckle. It's kind of discreet, but the kids figured it out, and so they, of course, were walking around blowing this whistle. Pastor Kenny sees this, realizes he has the same kind of backpack, with that same buckle, and that same whistle, and he says: “Hey, I never knew what that was!” And of course he starts blowing the whistle too. There was a lot of whistling going on! It was a funny moment!And Kenny made this a great moment. Because he thought it was incredible that he had this thing for so long, that was literally right under his nose, and he didn't know what it was. We've probably all been there before about something, but look, one thing I hope we never say that about is worship. This thing we do together on Sundays, and what we're called to do in all of life — we need to know what it is.Because being a worshiper is most fundamentally who we are as humans. Being a worshiper of Jesus is most fundamentally who we are as disciples of Jesus.Our worship of Jesus is the most important action we ever do as humans — so we should understand what we're doing when we worship.Psalm 100 helps us here.Today we're gonna look closely at Psalm 100, and I want to show you three truths about what worship is.The first is this:1. Worship is a declaration of our allegiance. We're gonna see this right away in verse 2, but before we get there, let me remind you about the context: Going back to Psalm 93, we're in a section of psalms all about the reign of the Lord, or the final coming of the Lord in judgment and salvation. And we established (back in Psalm 97) that what's in view here is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. These psalms are talking about the end of the world when Jesus returns in final judgment for his enemies and salvation for his people. And our response on that day as his people, as those saved by Jesus, will be worship — it'll be praise, thanksgiving, gladness, joy, singing — all the happy words we see in these psalms. That's what we're gonna do together with all of creation. Psalm 100 is right in line with this theme we've been seeing.In Psalm 100, the reader is commanded to worship God now with seven different imperatives. I'm gonna read all of them, starting in verse 1, but follow with me and see if you can spot them:Verse 1: Make a joyful noiseVerse 2: Serve the LordCome into his presence (v. 2b)Verse 3: Know that the Lord, he is God!Verse 4: Enter his gatesGive thanks to him (v. 4b)Bless his name (v. 4c)There's no doubt this whole psalm is about worship, but I want to call special attention to verse 2, that first line: “Serve the Lord with gladness!”What does that word “serve” mean?What Does It Mean to Serve?The word for “serve” is interesting because it can literally mean to work and serve as a servant, and it can mean to worship. And in a lot of cases, it has a double sense. To worship God is to serve God, to be submitted to him, to swear allegiance to him. That's what's intended most times when this word is used in the Old Testament. And it was Israel's biggest problem. Their problem was who they served. For example, in the Book of Deuteronomy, first, God is very clear. He says, Chapter 6, verse 13:“take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods …”Then he says, Chapter 8, verse 19:“And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.”11:16,“Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them…”So one thing we know for sure here is that worship must mean more than an experience a few times a month on Sundays. Instead, worship is about an all-of-life allegiance, and it is a choice. It's a choice between two options: You either serve other little-g gods (bad idea), or you serve Yahweh, the one true God. Those are your choices.Those are the choices that Joshua set before the people of Israel in the Book of Joshua, Chapter 24. This is an epic scene in the Old Testament. Joshua gathered all of Israel, and he addressed all the people. He reminded them of their history and all that God has done for them from the calling of Abraham to the rescue from Egypt to the possession of the Promised Land, and he said, to all the people: “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord …” (v. 14) He said:“choose this day whom you will serve … But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (v. 15)It was an amazing moment. Joshua is saying, Me and my house are devoted to the one true God! My allegiance is to him — it's to Yahweh alone. That's what it means to serve the Lord, and that's what Psalm 100, verse 2 is getting at. To worship God, to serve him, is to declare your allegiance to him. It is about loyalty to our true King!A Daily ChoiceAnd we basically have that choice every morning when we wake up … Imagine, when you wake up, that Joshua says to you, personally: Hey, choose this day whom you will serve. Who's it gonna be? …And don't rush the moment . …Of course we know the right answer, but really think about it: at the end of the day if you were to assess your time and your energy, and what you give your best attention to, and what motivates you, who are you serving? Is it comfort? Reputation? Success? Power? Money? Who's it gonna be? To whom is your highest allegiance?Look, when it comes to worship, the real contrast throughout the storyline of Scripture is not worship versus non-worship, but it's who you worship: either you will serve the Lord or you will serve something else.Church, serve the Lord.And that is one reason Sundays are the best day of the week. Worship is more than a Sunday experience, but man, Sundays are important. Because on Sunday, the first day of the week, is the day that launches us into the next six days. We come together to say to God, before one another, “As for me, I will serve the Lord.”And of course we serve him with gladness. Let's not act like it's a hard choice. The way of Jesus is the only way. He alone has the words of life! We are gladly all in with Jesus. Worship is a declaration of our allegiance.2. Worship is congruent to our existence. We see this in verse 3. This is actually the center of the psalm — the center of the seven imperatives. The psalmist says, verse 3: Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.This is very straightforward. Get this: we worship God because he made us.This logic is repeated in all the great Confessions. I love how the 1689 London Confession puts it. This is Chapter 2, paragraph 2. The Confession says: God is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands; to Him is due from angels and men, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience, as creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever He is further pleased to require of them.What it means to be a creature is that our Creator has the authority to require our worship. Because: God is God; we are not God; God made us.Resistance to CreaturelinessAnd look: the spirit of the age hates this fact. The mindset of the world, people of the world, hate the fact that they are made. They can't stand it. Because they worship the Self. We've talked about this recently: that in our sin, humans want to be their own gods. They want control over reality — even if it means murdering their pre-born children or mutilating their own bodies. They want to be gods to themselves. And the best explanation I've ever read of this is by the late theologian John Webster. He describes the essence of sin as the despising of our creatureliness. He writes:“To be a creature is to have one's being in relation to God, for ‘to be' is ‘to be in relation' to the creator, and only so to have life and to act. To be a sinner is to repudiate this relation, and so absolutely to imperil one's life by seeking to transcend creatureliness and become one's own origin and one's own end.” (Webster, Holiness, 84)The people of this world, dead in their sins, hate that they are creatures — and we know what this is like. It used to be all of us!In sin, you try to do everything you can to pretend you are not creature, you try so hard to be you're own god … but the problem is that there was a time when you did not exist. You did not exist, and then, when you did come into existence, you had nothing to do with it. That's what it means to be made.Have you ever thought about that?The Wonder of Being MadeI was thinking about this last week. We were having family dinner, and it was a beautiful moment together, it just hit me. I said: Y'all there was a time when none of us existed. …We had no existence at all. We were simply not. But then, we did exist. We do exist. We're here right now. Because we were made!And so what do we do as those who are made? We worship our Maker! It just make sense!The worship of God is congruent to the basic truth that he created us.And here are two very practical things we do with this — First is for parents, for moms and Dads (and since it's Father's Day, I mean this especially for Dads.) Here it is: 1) Teach your children that they are made. When Elizabeth was a toddler and just learning to talk, Melissa and I did a little catechism with her, and one of the first questions was, “Who made you?” Except we didn't ask that way. We would say it like this: “Elizabeth, who made you?” And she would say, “God!”And recently I asked all of my kids that question, and they all got the answer right. They all said God.And look, I know I'm not a perfect dad, and I'd never claim to be, but I feel pretty good about this one. Parents, we can all do it. Teach your children that God made them. And their eye color, and their hair color, and their skin color — it's all wonderful because God did it. And second, for all of us …2) Be amazed that God made you. It is so good to be made! It is so good that God is God; we are not; and God made us! And yes, we owe him everything — like the 1689 says, to Him is due whatsoever worship, service, or obedience he requires. But remember, the worship we owe him is not drudgery for us, but it's actually what satisfies the deepest longings of our soul. It's why we were made! It's why we exist!Psalm 100, verse 3: “It is God who made us and we are his!” Worship is congruent to our existence.3. Worship is grounded in the character of God. This is verse 5. And it's the verse that grounds everything said in verses 1–4. It's the ultimate reason why we … make a joyful noise, and serve the Lord, and come into his presence, and know that he is God, and enter his gates, and give him thanks, and bless his name.The reason we worship God is “for” — verse 5 — or because:the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.We worship God because he is worthy of worship, and his worthiness is evident in his character.That is what this verse is saying, and the grammatical construction makes that clear: Worship God because of his character — and in particular, because of his goodness.And we see this construction and this reason show up over and over again from Psalm 100 onward. Now we're gonna see this, but let me go ahead and tell you:Psalms 106 and 107 start the same way: “Oh give thanks to the Lord ... for he is good.”Psalm 117:3, “Extol him, all peoples ... for great is his steadfast love toward us.”Psalm 118:1, “Oh give thanks to the Lord ... for he is good.”Psalm 135:3 “Praise the Lord ... for the Lord is good.Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord ... for he is good.”And then in Psalm 136 the psalmist repeats 26 times that God's steadfast love endures forever.Church, look, the Lord is good; his steadfast love really does endure forever. That's why we worship him. It's because of who he is, and who he is is good.Even in the Valley?But you might say: “Pastor, it doesn't seem that way for me right now.”Maybe you're going through a season of suffering. Maybe you've been battling discouragement and disappointment, and you feel stuck. You're just in the pit and you don't know what to do. You certainly don't ‘feel' the goodness of God where you are, and yet you hear this call to worship God for his goodness — and we just need some help here. I want you to know that even in the valley — in your valley, in your pit — God is still good, and you can worship him. In fact, your praise from the pit has a unique glory and sweetness to it that honors God more, shames the devil, and baffles the world.And I was trying to think here of some historical examples — like who are the saints in church history who have modeled this for us? There are many.But then it occurred to me: God has given us examples within our own church. The Examples God Has Given UsI think about Jen Jacobs, who died in 2022 at 38 years old. She had been diagnosed with cancer and fought hard, and I remember being at her house one day with a small group of people surrounding her, trying to bring encouragement. And Jen couldn't even open her eyes, but she wanted to sing the song “Good, Good Father.” And we did: we all sat there and sang “You're a good good Father, that's who you are!”And then I think about Kayla Rigney, our dear sister who died two years ago at 35 years old. She also battled cancer, and used to help lead worship on Sunday mornings. And one Sunday, the last Sunday she ever sang up here, she stood right there, half her hair was gone, and she led us in singing:I love You, LordFor Your mercy never failed meAnd all my days, I've been held in Your handsFrom the moment that I wake upUntil I lay my headOh, I will sing of the goodness of GodChurch, do we realize the examples God has given us? … right under our nose.And then of course I think of our dear sister Jean Swenson, who for decades was bound to a wheelchair after being paralyzed from the neck down. Jean modeled for years that we don't measure the goodness of God by our circumstances, but that our circumstances must be interpreted through the goodness of God. We start there! We start with: God is good.And because God is good, he therefore must have good purposes in hard things. Jean was an example for us of what her friend, Joni Erickson Tada, has been saying for over fifty years: “God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves.”And that is his goodness. And church, we're gonna worship him because he's good. No matter where we are. And what God has done to prove his goodness is that he sent his only Son here. While we were sinners, when we deserved nothing but his wrath, God showed us his love in that Jesus died for us. Jesus took our sins upon himself. He suffered in our place. He defeated sin and death, and he has given us himself. We are united to him by faith. We are forgiven and free. Heaven is our home. Eternal joy is our future. Church, we can worship him now. And that's how we're gonna close. I get that there are some moments in life when we might say, about certain things, “Hey, I never knew what that was!” But Cities Church is not gonna say that about worship:Worship is a declaration of our allegiance.Worship is congruent to our existence.Worship is grounded in the character of God. And at this Table, this morning, we worship him. The TableEach week this Table directs our hearts to the cross of Christ where God's goodness displayed. If you're not a Christian, this is a moment for you to believe. Right now, wherever you are, turn from your sin and trust in Christ. Ask Jesus to save you, and he will save you. That is our story as Christians, and that is who this ritual meal is for. This is a soul-reviving cordial where we remember the goodness of God to us through the cross of Jesus Christ.Brothers and sisters, we who trust in Jesus, let us eat and drink together, and give him thanks.

Who Does the Lord Know? (1) (audio) David Eells, 6/21/26 We received a question regarding Matthew 7:23 and how these people could say they know the Lord, and yet the Lord says, “I never knew you”. Also, Some people think that they are lost people, or that they were never really saved. And so I thought we could look at that today and identify who the Lord knows and those whom the Lord said He never knew. Let's look first in Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. The Bible talks about false prophets quite a bit in both the Old and New Testaments. Sometimes they don't appear to have been apostate, but in some cases, they definitely are. This is true in 2 Peter chapter 2; and the Christians he's talking about there. I believe the whole chapter really is about false prophets. 2Pe 2:15 forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing; Of course, the only one that can forsake the right way is somebody who's been there, and obviously, they are being an apostate or fallen away in this case. For instance in 2Pe 2:20-21 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. 21 For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. This and many other scriptures clearly refute the ”once saved always saved doctrine.  Another good example would be in Jude 11 Woe unto them! for they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah. 12 These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; This includes those who fell into the error of trying to be “a profit” instead of a prophet. But I just wanted to make that point, because some people say that all false prophets are lost people, and that's just not the case. Of course, a lot of times, when we talk about Christians, we really should identify Christians the way the Bible identifies Christians, and not the way the worldly church identifies them. The way the worldly church identifies Christians now is those who have been born in spirit. Their spirit has been born from God, and they have a new spirit. But it is more than that. that's not the way the scriptures identify as Christians. Scriptures identify Christians as those who walk and talk the way Christ walked and talked. Also, there's a big difference between somebody who's just been born in spirit and those who walk the way Christ walked, because you can have Christ's spirit and not live His life as Paul exhorted Christians in Rom 8:13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. That's an exhortation given to those who have the spirit of Christ because he went on to exhort that those who have the spirit of Christ should go on to receive the Spirit of God. Everyone who is born of God receives the Spirit of Christ and today, that's called a born-again Christian. As we read the text, we'll see that “Christian” is identified scripturally as something completely different. So keep that in mind that I'm talking about Christians in the way that the church uses the term, those who have been born in spirit. Back to Mat 7:16 By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; (Again, now he's not just identifying prophets. Now he's broadening the scope. And in the next few verses, he uses the word “every” several times. So he's broadening the scope to talk about everybody, not just false prophets.) 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Now, this same verse is used in Matthew 3:10, where John the Baptist is rebuking the Covenant people of God; those religious leaders who made their stand on believing that Abraham was their father. Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance: 9 and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees: every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  I want you to notice here that He's talking about the Covenant people, thinking that because they were children of Abraham, they were entitled to God's blessings. And John told them that that's not the truth. The truth is, only bringing forth fruits worthy of repentance brings you into God's blessings. I think this is a good exhortation for Christians today, because Christians think, “Well, I'm a Christian, God's my Father so I can just go and do what I want to do now.” But this is not so. It says every tree that doesn't bring forth good fruit among us is hewn down and cast into the fire.  The scripture also says in Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away:… Notice: Every branch in me… Now that can be no other than God's people, right? We're all responsible to bring forth fruit. The fruit is what identifies us as Christians, and the fruit here, as we see in the text, is the actions of your life. The fruit is love, the joy, the peace, the righteousness; all those things that Christ was and is. The actions of our life are the fruit of the inner life, that's what He's talking about; the fruit. Along the same line in several of Jesus's parables, He came looking for fruit on the fig tree. He wasn't looking for fruit on a tree that wasn't supposed to bring forth fruit. He was looking for fruit on a tree that was created to bring forth fruit. It is the fig tree that identifies God's people. Luk 13:6-9 And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none. 7 And he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground? 8 And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 and if it bear fruit thenceforth, well; but if not, thou shalt cut it down.  Notice: The Lord is the one who's going to cut it down. The Lord is long-suffering with us to bear fruit, but be that as it may, we've been given a certain amount of time to bear that fruit, and I think that's what He's talking about in Matthew 7, because as He goes on in Mat 7:20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Now he's identifying fruit as doing the will of the Father. The fruit of the Spirit is doing the will of the Father. He goes on to say, 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? Let me make a point here. Do you suppose that it's possible that an apostate Christian could prophesy? I mean, prophesy from the Lord? We have examples in the scriptures of false prophets who prophesied in the name of the Lord. A good example is in 1 Samuel 19. This is talking about Saul after he had fallen away from the Lord; in fact, he had been rejected by the Lord. It says 1Sa 19:23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? Now, some people say, well, because he stripped off all his clothes, that doesn't seem like a godly thing to do, but I think what the Holy Spirit was showing to people around him was that he was walking naked before the Lord. He wasn't dressed up with Christ. He didn't have on his wedding garment, so on and so forth. He had fallen away in his works, because remember when we studied the garment, it symbolized your works, right? In Revelation 19, the righteous acts of the saints were the garment that the bride is wearing.  Now, I want you to notice this too; this same man had a demon that was sent from God to him. 1Sa 18:10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as he did day by day. And Saul had his spear in his hand; 11 and Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 12 And Saul was afraid of David, because Jehovah was with him, and was departed from Saul. Now this is the same Saul whom the Lord had departed from, who later prophesied in the name of the Lord, because the Spirit came upon him. Here, he prophesied in verse 10 by an evil spirit. He had obviously become a false prophet. Was it always that way? No, it wasn't always that way. He was the anointed of the Lord. But yet he became a false prophet. He became what we would know today as an apostate Christian. He was rejected in 1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king. So he had been rejected by the Lord, received an evil spirit by which he prophesied, and later even prophesied in the name of the Lord when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Now, going back to what I consider to be probably apostate Christians in Mat 7: 22 …Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name,… And some people say, ‘Well, that wouldn't be possible if this person did not know the Lord at all to be able to prophesy by thy name.' And the point I want you to see here, too, is that it says by thy name and not in thy name; in the original, it says by thy name, meaning they could be prophesying true enough, but they weren't in the name. They weren't getting a reward because they weren't abiding in the name of the Lord. Another point, it says, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? Do you remember what Jesus said in Matthew 12, when they accused Him of casting out demons by the prince of demons, Beelzebub? Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. 25 And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 28 But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. You know, I think you'll find that Satan doesn't cast out Satan; that even the most apostate Christians, because of their Covenant relationship with the Lord, still have authority to do that and can do it. I've seen people that the Lord identified to me as false prophets and actually did prophesy wrongly, and I've seen them cast out demons too. They had the Covenant relationship because of the Jews. The seven sons of Sceva were Jews. You see, the Jews were casting out demons. This wasn't new to the Jews to cast out demons. They had been doing that. And because of Covenant relationship, the Jews got healing, and they got deliverance. Even today, people, because of Covenant relationship, before being completely rejected by God, they can still cast out demons.  I know of a false prophet in particular who has identified too many people who cast out demons; in fact, he cast them out with me. Let me say this: a person who is lost, who does not know the Lord, how do they cast out demons? Those who have no Covenant relationship with the Lord; how do they cast out demons? Their father manifestly is Beelzebub, so how do they cast out demons? Well, what happened to the seven sons of Sceva when they tried to use “by Jesus whom Paul preacheth” to cast out demons in Acts 19:13 and then got whipped? They did not know the one who was creating the New Covenant. I think the point is that you have to be in some kind of a Covenant relationship in order to be casting demons out, because Satan doesn't cast out Satan.  The One who lives in you now casts out demons. 1Jn 4:4 … greater is he that's in you than he that is in the world. Who's in the world? Satan. Does Satan cast out his own kingdom? Jesus said, No, he doesn't do that. Well, here's the point. Were they casting the demons out by the Spirit of God or were they casting them out by Satan? Jesus said they couldn't cast them out by Satan. The lost people's authority is Satan. The one that lives in them is Satan. The point I'm making about these people here, these false prophets, is that many of them are apostate Christians. Remember, an apostate is one who is falling away from the truth and the grace of God. And it's somebody who is obviously saying, Lord, Lord, (so they obviously believed in their heart that Jesus was their Lord) Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy and by thy name cast out demons and by thy name do many mighty works? Notice they were not “in” thy name but God permitted this “by” thy name as a witness of Jesus. Who is it today that we know that is doing this in the name of the Lord, if it's not somebody who is abiding in His name, which is far more powerful?  I was in a situation where a preacher and his girl friend were trying to cast many demons out of a man who chased them out of the building. Previously the demon possessed man chased  the preachers deacon through a plate glass door, shattering it, and sending him to the hospital. So, they sent for me and told me their story. They watched from the doorway as I approached this man who thought to do the same to me. By the grace of God he cowered and was delivered. Many today are in “by” mode, meaning they are using the name of the Lord and not doing it in the name. I agree that some people profess the Lord and don't know the Lord or haven't been sent by Him. And all false prophets are not apostate Christians or just lost deceivers. ; not all of them. And I'm convinced that there is some chicanery going on even in Christian circles. I don't know if any of you are familiar with it, but I've been among some of them where they see a demon behind every bush. They cast demons out daily from everybody's flesh. But a lot of that's not demons, it's just run away flesh.  Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Now here's the point: is there such a thing as a Christian who's been born in spirit that God spoke to and said, “I don't know you” or “I never knew you?” Yes, we have examples of that. But first, before we get away from this, I want to read on because He says, I never knew you depart from me you that work iniquity. What is it for the Lord to know you? I want to look at that and what that means. When he says depart from me ye that work iniquity verse 24 went right on Every one therefore; (Meaning: He's talking about the same thing as just before this verse.) Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. 26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: Notice, He didn't say whether you had the spirit of Christ or not; it all has to do with obedience. The difference between a foolish man and a wise man is strictly just one word; obedience. The born again spirit filled with the Holy Spirit gives us power to obey through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. Our text deals with the fruit, which has to do with whether you're obeying. So the main difference between the wise and the foolish is hearing the words and doing them. Notice that both men here in this text heard the words, but only one obeyed, and that was the wise man. 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof. And this is the test that follows. I want to make that point before we go on because I want to look at the foolish virgins briefly, because God spoke to them, and He says, I don't know you. Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Again, what's the difference between the wise and the foolish? It's just one thing, being a hearer and a doer by the anointing of God. 3 For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them: 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. We know that in Pro 20:27 The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, Searching all his innermost parts. The spirit of man is the lamp of the oil. And the oil being the life of God or the Holy Spirit is to be in that lamp. And there's a vessel that the wise virgins took with them that was also full of oil; that obviously the foolish did not bring. What do you think the vessel is that also has the oil? We've talked about the difference between the born again spirit and the born again soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions. This is the fruit of the Spirit being born in the soul.  The person who had just a born-again spirit, but brought forth no fruit in the soul through obedience will be rejected. They were not bearing the fruit of obedience so they could be born again in the soul. The vessel that they brought with their lamp is the vessel of their physical life because that's where you bear the fruit of the oil. That's where you bear the fruit of Christ to be seen by the world. Now, even the foolish virgins here had oil in their lamp or spirit. So you can't classify them as non-Christians? Or, what we've been calling Christians. You understand? Verse 5 Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. This was another question someone had a while back about a word, so I went and looked it up. It's the Greek word, kosmeo. Kosmeo is the word we get cosmetics from. And it simply means ‘to arrange or to adorn'. It's not implying that their lamps were out and they lit them, you understand? It's just talking about adorning or arranging their lamps. They chose to translate it trim in this text; I don't think that's a very good word to use. To trim is to bring the wick up so the light shines best. Continuing in Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. Notice that - the door was shut. That was ominous because that door being shut is mentioned in other places in the scripture, like in Luke 13:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour. He said, I know you not. Now these virgins did have oil in their lamps. So obviously what the Lord means by knowing you is more than just receiving a new spirit, a born-again spirit. There must be fruit born of that spirit life in order for the Lord to know you. And I want to look at that too. Before we go there, let's look at Luke too, because it has a very close parallel to this door being closed. Luk 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us; … (Obviously the same text there.) and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are; 26 then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets; 27 and he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. See, so many people are relying on their relationship with the Lord by what they know, by who they're connected with, by the fact that they're a Christian, that they've accepted Jesus as their Savior, but they're using none of the criteria of the scriptures. The only basis that God rebuked any of these people was for their disobedience. And we know that the only way we can obey is by having faith in the Lord and being filled with His Spirit. If we have faith, we'll obey. We'll overcome the sins that we struggle against because we fight the good fight of faith. It's not by works. I'm not trying to magnify our works; I'm trying to magnify the Lord's works through us. The criteria by which the Lord is going to judge any of us is going to be works. And he says to them, because of their evil works, not because they weren't Christians, because it's obvious to me from Matthew 25, and what we just read here, that He's talking to His children. But He says, I know not whence ye are… What causes the Lord to know us? First of all, many people are going to be found in this situation. In Matthew 25, there were 10 virgins. It was talking about the time of the coming of the Lord, how that five were ready, and five were not. That's only half of the people mentioned; half were not ready to meet the Lord, and half were. The very next parable is the parable of the talents, and again, there's no paragraph indentation, so He just goes on in Mat 25:14 For it is as when a man, going into another country, (In other words, he's telling you, watch, I'm going to show you the same thing in another way.) There were three groups at that time who had each been given talents. And one-third of them were rejected because they didn't bring forth the fruit that God put in, right? Doesn't the Bible say a third of the stars of heaven will be cast down to the earth? How come it was half of the virgins and yet a third of those with the talents? Because the virgins are those who are living on the earth when the Lord returns, and these men with the talents are standing before the judgment after death, after resurrection, you see? We're talking about those who are living at the time the Lord returns in order to be caught up to be with the Lord. What about the people who die? There are obviously three groups. A third of the stars of heaven were cast to the earth in the Book of Revelation. That's a third of the people. The scriptures say that Abraham's seed are as the stars; also, Jacob. The stars are likened to God's people. In Jacob's dream of the stars, they're the children of the bride chamber; it's in many, many places. There's the star glory in 1 Corinthians 15; the star glory is a person who's manifested star glory with the Lord. And some go on to moon glory and sun glory. But a third of the stars of heaven are being cast to the earth, and it goes on in Rev 6:13 and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind. That's not talking about angels, that's talking about God's people not coming to maturity. You see, this is what's happening to a third of the stars. And yet of the people who are alive and remain, half of those people do not enter to being with the Lord. During this end time many will fall in the great falling away. They were called, twice dead and plucked up by the roots. Do you suppose that if your lamp is going out, you would be called twice dead? I do and that's what he's talking about; there's a great falling away happening right there. I think during the tribulation period, probably a third of the Christians are going to take the mark and spiritually die, and out of the ones that are left, half of them are going to be rejected. This is what I feel from these two parables. In the parable of the sower in Mat 13, three out of four did not bear fruit and were rejected. But let's look now at the Lord and how He knows us. You know that the Lord foreknew a group of people in Rom 8:29 For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: Let's see who the Lord knew. Okay, it's really important that we know who He foreknew because He didn't foreknow every Christian. I can prove that to you Notice who he's talking about; who was foreknown. Now, that's not knowing what's going to happen before it happens. Foreknew is like Adam knew his wife. The word ‘know' implies an intimate relationship. Rom 8:29 For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: These people whom He foreknew here is not talking about He foreknew that they would overcome. He knew this person. He knew their nature before the world was created. Watch, it says, For whom He foreknew, He foreordained. (Everybody that He foreknew, He foreordained.) Notice to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Notice now, there's no way out of this verse. If you start in on one end of it, you've got to come out on the other end of it. The ones He foreknew, he foreordained, (He predestined) to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. So, everybody that God foreknew from the foundation of the world will be conformed to the image of His Son. That doesn't mean everyone that we call ‘Christians'. So, Jesus pointed out this group; He called them 30-60 and a 100-fold fruit. Fruit of what? The fruit of Christ. The 30-60 and a 100-fold are going to be conformed to the image of Christ. These are the ones He foreknew. What is it to know God? Did God know anybody who was not in Covenant relationship? No, He didn't. I'm going to make this point at the very beginning that God only knows one family in all the earth, and that family is born again spiritual Israel. Amo 3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities. Now keep that in your mind that the Lord has only known Israel from the foundation until now. Even though Israel was changed in the New Covenant, it's still Israel. He makes a point back in Rom 9:6 … For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: In other words, ‘real Israel' is going to be picked out of the midst of mans ‘Israel'. You understand? Because remember, For many are called, but few chosen. Mat 22:14 That word chosen is eklektos, or elected. And Paul exhorts us to give diligence to make our calling and election sure. (2Pe.1:10) This group of people in Romans 8 was called and elect because in verse 33, he said who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? … So, he's specifically talking about the elect, not just the called. Now, everybody who's the elect has to be called because the word call means invited. You remember when Jesus came to the Jews, they were invited, but they all weren't elect, and the reason was that they didn't accept Jesus. So it's only Israel that He knows and specifically only those who are of faith in the Promises.  Let's look at Rom 11:1 I say then, Did God cast off his people? God forbid. He cast off all but the elect who are born from above for they are His people. There were some Israelites that He didn't cast off because Paul said, For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. So God didn't cast off the chosen or elect Israelites. But there were other Israelites that He did. 2 God did not cast off his people which he foreknew. Notice that. Nobody that God foreknew did He cast off. You know why? Let's read on, and we'll see why. 2 God did not cast off his people which he foreknew. Or know ye not what the scripture saith of Elijah? how he pleadeth with God against Israel: 3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have left for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election (or chosen) of grace. Now the remnant is according to the election of grace. Notice that Israel did fall away, but not the elect, not the chosen, not the foreknown. Watch. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. In other words, by no more of your works, no more works of the law, are you going to be justified before God. 7 What then? That which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, … Notice, the elect or the chosen will obtain it. The foreknown will obtain it, and they will not be cast off. See, we're identifying something here. There were many people called out of Egypt who fell in the wilderness and did not make it to the Promised Land. The Bible says many are called, but few are chosen or ‘elect'. Who are the ones He foreknew? The many called or the few chosen? So, obviously, from this text you can see very clearly that the ones He foreknew were elect, meaning chosen, and they obtained it. Why did they obtain it? Let's see what it means to be known by God. Look at this verse very closely in Rom 11:19 Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 for if God spared not the natural branches (Israel), neither will he spare thee. 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. 23 And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.  The point I wanted to make is in verse 26 And so all Israel shall be saved. So what about all those who were cut off? They were Israel. They were called, but they were not elect. Remember what we saw back at the beginning of the chapter: those who were called and fell away in the wilderness. Those who rebelled against God, the ones whose hearts He hardened, He said, But the elect obtained it, and the rest were hardened. (Rom.11:7) Who is Israel? Who is the Israel that God foreknew? It's the elect. It is the foreknown. What about the rest of them? He didn't foreknow them. You know why? Because they didn't endure to the end in faith and obedience.  I want you to notice that everybody who was not foreknown and who was not written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of the world is going to be deceived and fall away. Everybody. We're talking about those called who fell in the wilderness. That's talking about the world, the flesh, everybody who is not foreknown is going to be deceived by the Beast.  Look at Rev 13:8 And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain. Notice, it's everyone who is not written or not foreknown. Many Christians are called, meaning invited, but will not come to prove to be the elect, or chosen. They won't obtain the promise because of unbelief and are broken off. You understand what I'm saying? Remember they do not obtain the promise because they do not endure in faith. You can't obtain the promise that way. Look at Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come. So everybody whose name was not written there is going to be deceived, but everybody whose name that is written there will see through it. They are the elect; they will obtain. They are the foreknown; they will obtain. They will be the ‘Paul out of Israel', who God chose to go on and to bear fruit.  Today, we see Israel as a type of Christianity. Out of that, there are some who are going to go on and be obedient. Because obedience proves your faith. If you have no obedience, if you do not obey, if you are not a doer of the word, you have no proof for your faith. The way God is going to prove that you walk by faith is by your works. Everyone who walks by faith will overcome. If we walk by faith, we will overcome the trials in this life; the sin, the works of the devil; we will win.  There's another point I want you to see. Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, in Ephesians, where it also says God chose us; that's the word eklektos in Him, before the foundation of the world. Now, if Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, when was He manifestly slain? Not until 2,000 years ago. Now, if our names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life before the foundation of the world, when are they manifestly written in the Lamb's Book of Life? They're manifestly written in the Lamb's Book of Life when you're born again. Therefore, you were foreknown just as Christ was foreknown. You see that? It is really important that you follow this now. It's manifest when you're born into the Kingdom. In God's plan and His foreknowledge. Just like Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, but He wasn't killed then. When God set His plan into manifestation, Jesus was sacrificed. But it might as well have been because God calls the things to be not as though they were.  So, when you were born from above you were written in the Book of Life. I'm not talking about in God's plan that He foreknew. I'm talking about when manifestly your name was written in. Because everyone who's born of God is written in His Book. But remember, the ones that He foreknew from the beginning were those who endured to the end and came into the manifestation of Jesus. Psa 87:4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon as among them that know me: Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia: This one was born there. 5 Yea, of Zion it shall be said, This one and that one was born in her; And the Most High himself will establish her. 6 Jehovah will count, when he writeth up the peoples, This one was born there. Selah. The point is, when you're born into the Kingdom, that's when God writes your name. He said, Rejoice not that you have power over the demons, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. (Luk 10:20) So here's the point. Everybody that's born, including all of those that came out of Egypt, were written in that book. But some were blotted out. Who was it that was blotted out, before the full manifestation of Jesus? Remember, we're talking about those whom He foreknew before the foundation of the world who came into the image of His Son. But according to Rev 3:5, He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life,…. So you've got many names written in manifestly, and those who don't overcome are blotted out. Before what? Before the full manifestation, the ones who were foreknown. So all the Jews who came out of Egypt were written at that time. Also, every Christian who receives a new born-again spirit from God is written at that time. But only the ones who endure to bear fruit were foreknown. Therefore, of those who fall in the wilderness, He says, I know you not. I never knew you. Why? He didn't foreknow them. What was the main difference between those two groups of people, the wise and the foolish? The main difference was that they both heard the word, but only the wise became a doer of the word. In both Matthew 7 and Matthew 25, the difference between the wise and the foolish is the same. And yet, clearly, even the foolish had oil in their lamps. But their oil was going out. See, there's a great falling away coming because of tribulation, because of trials and people are going to fall away. Look at Psa 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous. There will be those who will be written in Zion but the sinner in Zion will be destroyed out of it. Look in Isa 4:3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem; 4 when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of justice, and by the spirit of burning. God is doing a work of purging from the church those who are walking in wickedness, those who are guilty of blood, and walking in disobedience.  This scripture is very plain about being blotted out: Psa 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous. There's another one where Moses was interceding for the people in Exo 32:32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. 33 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. So those who are written among the living, those who have manifested fruit, those who came into the image of Christ through the Word. Those who are written at the end are going to be the ones that He foreknew. They're going to be the elect, the ones that He chose. He exhorts us in 2Pe 1:10 Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: Look at 2Ti 2:19 Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his: and, Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. See, the Lord knows them that are His and that's going to be the ones who depart from unrighteousness, so he's exhorting everybody that names the name of the Lord to depart from unrighteousness, to depart from iniquity. See, we're finding out who the Lord knows. Do you know who He knows? He knows Jesus. He knows the name, which is the nature and character of Jesus. Can you imagine God having relationship with us as Adam did with Eve? (That's what the word ‘know' means.) Imagine God having a relationship with somebody who is contrary to His nature? Do you understand that? God cannot know someone who is contrary to His nature and Word. 1 John 3:9 Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because his seed abideth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God".   Just like He commands us Christians not to choose an unbelieving mate, right? Why did He tell us not to choose an unbelieving mate? Because we're not to know anybody with a contrary nature. What fellowship has light with darkness? So God knows and sows the Word who is Jesus. To the extent Jesus is in you, that's to the extent God knows you.  Who did Jesus say the Father would love? Every Christian? No, He didn't. Joh 14:23…If a man love me he will keep my word: and my Father will love him and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. What is the proof that you love God? Jesus said several times that the proof that you love God is that you obey his commandments. This is the one He knows. 1Co 8:3 but if any man loveth God, the same is known by him. In other words, we are proving our love for God by walking in faith and obeying His commandments. The ones that God knows or foreknew are the ones that love Him. Why? Because they not only hear the Word, they do the Word. The ones that God knows will come to know Him because of the foreknowledge part, like I said. It's in the mind of God. It's calling those things that be not as though they were. God spoke, and ever since He spoke this plan, it's been coming into existence. Don't miss it!  It was Jesus Who was foreknown to die for the world, but He wasn't manifest until Calvary. And you, who were foreknown to be in God, in Christ, before the foundation of the world, weren't manifest until you were born. Of those who are born and walk by faith and overcome and endure to the end, Jesus said, they shall be saved. Those who endure through the wilderness and enter into the Promised Land; they are the types of the elect. The very thing that causes you to go on is faith and if you don't understand that, then you can't overcome it anyway. Ever since Exodus chapter 3 the Lord revealed Himself to Moses. But you know Moses didn't know the Lord? He confessed it in Exodus chapter 33. He did not know the Lord. We are coming to know the Lord. The Lord is the nature of Jesus Christ.  And the more we come to know that nature of the real Jesus, the more we're coming to know the Lord. The one the Father knows, or even foreknew, was Jesus, because He was of like nature. God can only know that which is of like nature. Jesus said in Joh 14:9 If you have seen me you have seen the Father. He doesn't know the worldly person. He doesn't know the wicked person. He knows the righteous man that's inside of those who love Him. Exo 33:12 And Moses said unto Jehovah, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, See, the Lord had told Moses, I know thee by name. You know what the word ‘name' means? It's the same in the Hebrew as it is in the Greek. It's nature, character, and authority. The Lord told him, I know thee by name, and thou hast found favor in my sight. 13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thy sight, show me now thy ways, that I may know thee. The Bible talks about the Jews, how they knew the doings of the Lord, but Moses knew the ways of the Lord. There's a difference in knowing His doing and knowing His ways. If you know His ways, you can walk with Him. If you only know His doings, sometimes you're just going from judgment to judgment. …that I may know thee, to the end that I may find favor in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.  And in verse 17 And Jehovah said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken; for thou hast found favor in my sight, and I know thee by name. 18 And he said, Show me, I pray thee, thy glory. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; Moses found out the name of the Lord in Exodus chapter 3. He told him the exact name. YHWH, I AM THAT I AM. So obviously, he's talking about a different name here. He's talking about the real name here.  Verse 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name (the Shem) of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live. Moses represented the Law; you couldn't come into the likeness of Christ through the Law. So he didn't get to see the face of the Lord, but we have a promise in 1 Corinthians 13. Moses didn't see His face; he spoke to Him face to face, but he didn't see His face. There's a difference. We can speak to the Lord face to face, but not see Him. Now there's a difference. He spoke to God face to face, but he didn't see His face. For man shall not see me and live. In other words, as man, you can't know Him. And as man, you are not known by Him. 1Co 15:50 Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. It is your spirit man that can know Him and be known by Him. The Holy Spirit helps our infirmity that we can know Him and see Him.  But He goes on to say, 21 and Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock: (The only place you can see God is standing upon the rock, right? That's Jesus, and you have to stand upon the Word of God.) 22 and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand until I have passed by: 23 and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back; but my face shall not be seen. Now, when He revealed the name of the Lord, the Lord said He was going to proclaim His name. It wasn't YHWH because He told him that 30 chapters before. Look at Exo 34:5 And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. 6 And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, (YHWH; it's YHWH, in the original, that's what He said.) a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth; 7 keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. This is His Nature, Character, and Authority, Which is the meaning of Name. Now, He just proclaimed the name of the Lord. But what Moses didn't know, and he asked God to show him, ‘Show me thy ways, so I'll know the one who's going with us.' See, this is knowing God. Knowing this person whose name represents the I AM, that's knowing God. The opposite is also true. God knows the same nature. He knows Jesus Christ. He knows Jesus in us. And it is Christ in us by Word and Spirit that is the hope of glory. Remember in Romans 8, the ones He foreknew, and you go all the way to the end of the verse that says, He also glorified. Everyone He foreknew, He glorified. Now in 1Co.13: 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known. So knowing fully is seeing God face to face. Moses said, ‘I don't know You; reveal Yourself to me.' Therefore, he could not see Him face to face. Coming to maturity, bearing fruit, or manifesting Christ's likeness is coming to know Him face to face. It is coming to know Him fully as I was fully known. Who is going to come to know Him fully? Only those who were fully known will come to know Him fully and will see Him face to face.  Moses himself said, ‘I don't know You yet.' By the Law, you can't know God face to face. That's why Moses didn't enter into the Promised Land as a type and a shadow because the Law could not make perfect. It's also why Moses couldn't see God's face; he could only see His shadow, His back parts. Did you see that? By the Law, all they could see was shadow, so God said I'll let you see My hinder parts but He wouldn't let you see His face because by the Law you can never come to know God. It's only by His grace that you can come to know God.  Now Moses was asking for this, ‘Let me know the One Who's going to go with us.' In the New Testament, our Moses is Jesus; He did know God face to face. And we're coming to know God face to face through His grace and through His sacrifice. But the ones that are going to fully know God are the ones that were fully known by God before the foundation of the world. All the rest of them are going to fall away, just like those people in the wilderness. They were written in, but blotted out before coming to the fullness of God, which was what? The Promised Land. Did you know that, as a child, we can speak to God face to face? And God can speak to us face to face as a child of God. And the reason we can speak to God as a child is because of our Covenant relationship. But coming to know the Lord is seeing Him face to face by faith. 2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. That's coming into His nature, coming into His life, coming to know Him. Moses knew the literal name, Y-H-W-H, but he didn't know the One that name just represented. Remember we build on the foundation and we need to able to stand upon the rock when the wind blows and the rain beats against that house. Look, what is the firm foundation of God that stands? It's the name of the Lord. And that everybody who names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness. We can't stand on that rock in our own strength. I know I've shared this vision that my wife had years ago, how that I was standing on this rock wearing what was like metal leg braces.  The ones who are foreknown are going to stand on that rock of the Word and this shows us it won't be by their own strength, but by the strength of the Lord. So that's why it's our faith that counts. If it were by our works, it would be our strength that would cause us to stand but it's not. We can praise God for this, because it's not by our works. It's by grace, and the only way to get grace is faith in the promises. I thank God that Jesus freely gave us this salvation that we're talking about. We can accept it by faith without trying to work it up in ourselves. Everybody seems to go through that stage of trying to earn their salvation and failing miserably because it's got to be freely given by grace. It's got to be the strength that God supplies, and God supplies that strength by simply believing the word of God, not walking by sight, but believing the word of God. We believe that Jesus took away our sins. Initially we can't see that, but as we believe that He did it will happen. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We proclaim and confess the word; that's standing upon the rock and that's the only place you can see the Lord. Right now, maybe we speak to Him more face-to-face than see Him face to face. But we're going to know fully, if we walk by faith, even as we were fully known. Can you imagine that? You're going to know God fully as you were fully known. That's a tremendous promise! I mean, we want to know God, and gradually, the more we stand upon the rock, the more we're going to see His face. It's progressive, it's not an instantaneous thing.  When Moses stood upon the rock and the Lord proclaimed the Name, He proclaimed the nature of God there. This is the way God is, and yet, we're only learning the nature of God a little by little, line upon line, here a little and there a little. We're learning His nature. A lot of people are building things upon the foundation of God that have got to be torn back down, like in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. People build on it, the wood, hay, and the stubble of their own works, own doctrines, and religious establishment. All those dead things have to be burned back down by tribulation, and then start over. We build upon the foundation, which is Christ. There's no other foundation that can be laid that will work. That's what Paul was saying. Some people are on the shifting sand, yet some who are really on the right foundation, but they're building wrong things on the right foundation, the right foundation being that Jesus took away our sins.  But again, you can make the same mistake the Pharisees made in making of no effect the Word of God by their traditions. This is what the worldly church is famous for. This is what the Jews were famous for and Jesus rebuked them several times for that. If you make of no effect the word of God by your traditions, you're not standing upon the rock, and you're not going to see His face.  We have to come to know this Lord. We have to humble ourselves to His word. People have ulterior motives for believing what they believe, which is religion's way; they have different reasons for believing what they believe and they don't like to be wrong. They want to be seen as right. They live purely for the glory of men. And so they never change their mind even when you can show them all the verses in the word. They're building other things on the foundation and those things are going to be torn down by tribulations that are coming. Hopefully, many people will repent and rebuild the right things on the right foundation and bear fruit. That's why tribulation is coming. It's coming to tear down, to shake, the things that can be shaken, shake them right down to the ground so that God can rebuild the truth. There's going to be a great outpouring of truth in the tribulation period for those who love the truth. But sadly, for those who will believe a lie, there's great deception coming. That deception is going to blot a lot of names out of the Book of Life so that those who are foreknown will be there alone. Those that are left in Zion will be holy, you understand, because the spirit of fire has cleansed it, so the way is to walk by faith, to stand upon the Word of God continuously, and not be swayed by the traditions of men, by Babylon's wood, hay and stubble. Babylon really has been around since, as people say, the Tower of Babel, but really the nature of Babylon has been around since the very beginning. Religion is supplanting God's way. The problem is, all we like sheep have gone astray, each one after his own way, and that's why we've got so many religions. But we've got God's standard to go by. God's way, and you really can't accept anything else. Religion's ideas, how to organize the church, and how to do the works of God. Religion's ideas are Babylon. God's people, historically, the Jews were taken captive by Babylon, and will later be delivered from the bondage of Babylon to build Zion, and that's really the Christian walk. Every Christian starts out taken captive to Babylon. That's the false ideas of ways God wants things done, false ideas of the nature of God, the name of God, and their false image of Jesus. Everyone needs to be delivered from all that. Their false teachings, church doctrines, traditions of men, etc., and go to Zion where the truth is. The Lord Jesus is our Zion; the true Word is our Zion. It's seeing God the way God wants to be seen; it's knowing God the way God wants to be known, and without knowing God the way God wants to be known, He doesn't know you. Do you know who God knows? It's the inner man, the seed of Christ that's on the inside of us. God knows Him.  And the point is, if we're not like those virgins taking the vessel of oil along with the lamp with the oil, then we're not bearing fruit in the area of the soul. Their lamps went out because they didn't carry the oil in the vessel. In these days, people don't think it's necessary to obey. But bearing fruit in the area of the soul comes from obedience. Peter said that, and it's something we need to see. 1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: 23 having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. In other words, we're still being born again; we're being born again in our soul. And our souls are being purified, and we're walking in holiness. Heb 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord: 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. 3 And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Mat 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. And Jesus said in Joh 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he that is from God, he hath seen the Father. Who is Christ in you. For a more complete teaching on those who are chosen and the elect, see our book Predestined Called and Elect on our Website.

Why didn't Moses get to the Promised Land? Come Bible Study WITH ME through Numbers 20 and ask all the questions!

For generations, Utah has been known as a place of faith, pioneers, and the search for a promised land. But beneath that history lies something far stranger.In this episode, I explore the eerie connection between early Mormon beliefs, frontier supernatural traditions, and some of Utah's most persistent ghost stories. From the Purple Lady of Salt Lake City to the haunted halls of the Great Saltair, these chilling accounts reveal a state where many believe the veil between the living and the dead has always been unusually thin.Are Utah's ghosts simply legends, or are they echoes of a spiritual worldview that never went away?You can find Edwin social media as @edwincovHave an idea you want to send? Send me an email or DM! hello@horrorstory.comYou can get these ad-free through ScaryPlus.com free for 14 days, then 4.99 per month. Cancel anytime.Get in touch on HorrorStory.com

“The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the LORD, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 6:10–12 NLT) One of the costs of following Christ is the realization that adversity isn’t something to be dreaded and avoided; it’s something to be embraced because it serves a vital purpose. In his book, The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” We talk about the problem of pain, but let’s talk about the problem of prosperity. Prosperity brings responsibility because we are not owners; we are stewards. Everything God gives to us is a gift, and we will be held responsible for what we do with the resources that are at our disposal. Therefore, we want to make sure that we remain dependent on God. When life gets hard and adversity hits, we pray—and so we should. But sometimes when life is going reasonably well, we sort of forget about prayer. In Acts 12, we read that when James was beheaded, and Peter was put in prison, the church prayed—and they prayed with desperation because they knew that if God didn’t come through, there was no other hope. The psalmist wrote, “I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word” (Psalm 119:67 NLT). God gave this warning to Israel before they entered the Promised Land and began enjoying all its blessings: “The LORD your God will soon bring you into the land he swore to give you when he made a vow to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land with large, prosperous cities that you did not build. The houses will be richly stocked with goods you did not produce. You will draw water from cisterns you did not dig, and you will eat from vineyards and olive trees you did not plant. When you have eaten your fill in this land, be careful not to forget the LORD, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 6:10–12 NLT). Adversity levels us and keeps us humble, while prosperity tends to make us proud and self-sufficient. We don’t think we need God when we’re in good health or have a wallet full of credit cards or a lot of money in the bank. But when the economy goes south, or the doctor has bad news, we turn to God because we are reminded of what really matters. That’s the role of adversity in our lives. Reflection question: What is the best way to respond to adversity in your life? Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available. — The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If the Book of Kings (Sefer Melakhim) records the corporate fall of man (Israel) in the Promised Land, the Book of Chronicles (Divrei Hayamim) records the covenantal return of man upon a restored foundation. Covering much of the same historical ground, Chronicles is not a duplicate account but a theological re-presentation. Where Kings moves toward exile, Chronicles writes from the other side of it, asking not how the kingdom died, but how it can live again. The Temple and the Kings of Judah (2 Chronicles 1–36): Solomon builds the House, and the history of Judah unfolds as a single question: will the people seek the LORD at the place where He has set His Name? The northern kingdom largely recedes from view. The decisive moments are not military but liturgical: humility or pride, reform or neglect, seeking or forsaking. Here the logic is immediate and instructive: those who seek the LORD find Him; those who abandon Him fall. The Open Ending (c. 539 BCE): The book concludes, not with the destruction of Jerusalem, but with the decree of Cyrus: “Let him go up.” The final word is not exile, but invitation. The foundation remains. The way back is open. Authorship: Jewish tradition associates Chronicles with Ezra, and its language, priestly focus, and genealogical concerns place it firmly within the post-exilic scribal world reflected in Ezra and Nehemiah. Drawing on the same historical traditions as Kings, the Chronicler does not merely preserve the past; he reshapes it for a people who must now live again in light of it. Here, the author is no covenantal prosecutor. He is a theologian of return. His measure is not only whether Israel avoided the error of “YHWH-plus,” but whether they have learned, through judgment, to seek the LORD with a whole heart and to order their life around His presence. History here is not only the record of a fall, but the meaning of that fall, now known in the wisdom of the return.

Speaker: Bill StaffieriReference: Numbers 13Visit our information hubSubscribe to the PodcastFollow us on InstagramVisit our website for info, events, giving, and moreBeachpoint Church - Developing into authentic followers of Jesus Christ who love God, one another, and our world.

If the Book of Kings (Sefer Melakhim) records the corporate fall of man (Israel) in the Promised Land, the Book of Chronicles (Divrei Hayamim) records the covenantal return of man upon a restored foundation. Covering much of the same historical ground, Chronicles is not a duplicate account but a theological re-presentation. Where Kings moves toward exile, Chronicles writes from the other side of it, asking not how the kingdom died, but how it can live again. The Temple and the Kings of Judah (2 Chronicles 1–36): Solomon builds the House, and the history of Judah unfolds as a single question: will the people seek the LORD at the place where He has set His Name? The northern kingdom largely recedes from view. The decisive moments are not military but liturgical: humility or pride, reform or neglect, seeking or forsaking. Here the logic is immediate and instructive: those who seek the LORD find Him; those who abandon Him fall. The Open Ending (c. 539 BCE): The book concludes, not with the destruction of Jerusalem, but with the decree of Cyrus: “Let him go up.” The final word is not exile, but invitation. The foundation remains. The way back is open. Authorship: Jewish tradition associates Chronicles with Ezra, and its language, priestly focus, and genealogical concerns place it firmly within the post-exilic scribal world reflected in Ezra and Nehemiah. Drawing on the same historical traditions as Kings, the Chronicler does not merely preserve the past; he reshapes it for a people who must now live again in light of it. Here, the author is no covenantal prosecutor. He is a theologian of return. His measure is not only whether Israel avoided the error of “YHWH-plus,” but whether they have learned, through judgment, to seek the LORD with a whole heart and to order their life around His presence. History here is not only the record of a fall, but the meaning of that fall, now known in the wisdom of the return.

If the Book of Kings (Sefer Melakhim) records the corporate fall of man (Israel) in the Promised Land, the Book of Chronicles (Divrei Hayamim) records the covenantal return of man upon a restored foundation. Covering much of the same historical ground, Chronicles is not a duplicate account but a theological re-presentation. Where Kings moves toward exile, Chronicles writes from the other side of it, asking not how the kingdom died, but how it can live again. The Temple and the Kings of Judah (2 Chronicles 1–36): Solomon builds the House, and the history of Judah unfolds as a single question: will the people seek the LORD at the place where He has set His Name? The northern kingdom largely recedes from view. The decisive moments are not military but liturgical: humility or pride, reform or neglect, seeking or forsaking. Here the logic is immediate and instructive: those who seek the LORD find Him; those who abandon Him fall. The Open Ending (c. 539 BCE): The book concludes, not with the destruction of Jerusalem, but with the decree of Cyrus: “Let him go up.” The final word is not exile, but invitation. The foundation remains. The way back is open. Authorship: Jewish tradition associates Chronicles with Ezra, and its language, priestly focus, and genealogical concerns place it firmly within the post-exilic scribal world reflected in Ezra and Nehemiah. Drawing on the same historical traditions as Kings, the Chronicler does not merely preserve the past; he reshapes it for a people who must now live again in light of it. Here, the author is no covenantal prosecutor. He is a theologian of return. His measure is not only whether Israel avoided the error of “YHWH-plus,” but whether they have learned, through judgment, to seek the LORD with a whole heart and to order their life around His presence. History here is not only the record of a fall, but the meaning of that fall, now known in the wisdom of the return.

How did wine transform biblical meals into symbols of the covenant in the ancient world? Why did overflowing vineyards and giant clusters of grapes become such powerful symbols of the Promised Land? Why did religious leaders label Jesus a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of sinners? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Professor Mark Scarlata, author of Wine, Soil, and Salvation in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.   Highlights What makes the Bible's first meal with bread and wine so significant? Why does the "cup of salvation" become one of the Bible's most enduring images? How did wine become the ultimate symbol of communion in the Christian faith? Why did the spies return from the Promised Land carrying an enormous cluster of grapes? Why do biblical visions of salvation so often involve overflowing wine and lavish feasts? Why was abundant wine associated with the coming of the Messiah? What was Jesus communicating by turning water into wine at Cana? How did the prophets transform the "cup of salvation" into a symbol of judgment? Does Proverbs contain what may be the world's first hangover story? Why was Jesus accused of being a drunkard and a friend of sinners? What does Jesus really mean by new wine and old wineskins? What does the terrifying winepress imagery in Revelation actually symbolize? If Mark could share a bottle of wine with anyone in history, why would he choose Moses? What can wine teach us about humanity, community, and our connection to the world around us?   About Mark Scarlata Mark Scarlata is Senior Lecturer in Old Testament at St. Mellitus College, London. He is also the Vicar-Chaplain at St. Edward, King and Martyr, Cambridge, and the Director of the St. Edward's Institute for Christian Thought. He has spoken on wine and faith internationally and continues to write on the subject.         To learn more, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/394.

"You didn't just sign up for a ticket to heaven. If someone told you that, I deeply apologize. That's not it."In the conclusion of this powerful message, Danny Batarseh challenges our modern perception of what it means to follow Jesus. Why are so many Christians experiencing pure exhaustion, fatigue, and burnout? Because trying to live the Christian life without truly seeing God rightly is a recipe for bitterness. Danny unpacks the literal translation of Romans 12:1, showing why laying down your life as a living sacrifice isn't just "spiritual worship"—it is the only *rational* response to what God has done for us. Using the striking historical reality that only TWO people (Joshua and Caleb) from an entire enslaved generation actually survived the wilderness to enter the Promised Land, this sermon is an urgent wake-up call to examine what is influencing your mind, your calendar, and your defaults. If you're ready to stop coasting, leave the old ways of self-worship behind, and take hold of true freedom, dive into this message with Daniel Batarseh.

It's Tuesday, June 16th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson and Timothy Reed Two pastors killed in Manipur State, India Two pastors -- Pastor Kenpibou and the Rev. Manu Thiumai -- and at least two others were found dead in India's Manipur State last week, reports The Christian Post. The victims of ethnic and religious violence were found with their hands tied and their bodies mutilated in this northeastern state.  The Economic Times quotes a Manipur home minister who described the killings as “a heinous crime against humanity.”  74% of Israelis support sexual perversion today The Jerusalem Post reports that more than 100,000 persons participated in this year's so-called “gay pride” parade in Tel Aviv, Israel. A new study conducted by the Israel Institute for Gender and LGBT Studies found that 74% of Israel supports “full and legally enforced equal rights for the LGBT community.”  That's up from 61% just three years ago. Additionally, 89% of secular Israelis support equal rights for homosexuals and transgenders compared to 75% of traditional Israelis, 53% of religious Israelis, and 25% of ultra-Orthodox Israelis. Judges 3:12 says, “Once again, Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” Brazil's attendance at sexually perverted “pride” event cut by 50% In related news, one of the world's largest sexual perverted so-called “pride” events has been held in São Paulo, Brazil. However, a university drone count found that the peak attendance fell off from 73,600 in 2024, to 36,800 in 2026. Organizers say the total attendees topped one million, but that's down from three to five million in recent years. Isaiah 2:10-11 promises this: “Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.” Trump scored elusive peace deal with Iran The United States and Iran have reached a deal aimed at ending the war that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the American naval blockade, reports NBC News. A signing ceremony is set for Friday in Switzerland. Global markets soared after the tentative deal was announced, while oil prices fell more than $4 a barrel on the news that shipping may soon be restored through the key trade route, according to Just The News. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” However, the memorandum of understanding leaves some key issues unresolved, setting up potential future tensions. The deal gives the two sides 60 days to resolve what to do about Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium and its nuclear program. Supreme Court sides with pro-abortion public school This just in.  The U.S. Supreme Court came down on the side of the pro-abortion lobby, to disallow a pro-life club from posting signs in a public school which would have denounced the abortion giant Planned Parenthood. Only Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented. Justice Alito pointed out that the “Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment constrains censorship.” Many U.S. Christian denominations have lost members American denominations have lost church attendance since 2007. Pew Research breaks it down by denomination. Only the Reformed Churches and non-denominational groups have recovered or gained members since 2007. By percentage,  Holiness churches have lost the most members, followed by Methodists, Adventists, Restorationists, and Baptists. In raw numbers, Baptists have lost 11 million members, Methodists have lost seven million members, Lutherans have lost four million members, and Holiness groups have lost 1.6 million members since 2007. Meanwhile, the non-denominational churches gained 10.5 million members, and reformed churches gained about 150,000 over this 14-year period. Overall, the decline of faith in America has leveled off since 2019, largely due to an increased interest in church attendance on the part of Gen Z men between the ages of 14 and 29. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was not reauthorized On June 11th, Congress did not reauthorize  the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. The vote was 198-218. FISA 702 has been used to spy on American citizens, and it actively circumvents the Fourth Amendment which prohibits the government from spying on Americans without a warrant. Almost all Democrats voted against reauthorization of FISA 702, but it took 19 Republicans to officially defeat the spying measure. Establishment Republicans signaled their disappointment that the measure was defeated, but Republican Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee explained, “The Fourth Amendment is there for a reason.” Trump saved 146,000 migrant children trafficked under Biden The Trump administration has rescued 146,000 migrant children who were trafficked into the country during the Biden administration. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin explained the situation and the conditions under President Biden. Listen. MULLIN: “We're going to right the wrongs that the Biden administration turned a blind eye to. It's because of President Trump's leadership. It's horrific what's happening right in our own country because of four years of a blind eye that allowed unvetted sponsors to come pick up 450,000 kids on our borders, knowing their reports. While the Biden administration was in office, their own reports reporting that over a third of the females, regardless of age, were sexually assaulted before they made it to the border.” Cleveland Clinic to invest $2 million to help de-transitioners In another domestic victory, the Trump administration reached a massive deal with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation which agreed to stop transitioning minors. The clinic also agreed to commit $2 million to help de-transitioners, following in the footsteps of Texas Children's Hospital, which set up a $10 million fund for that purpose.  Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward stated, “The Department of Justice is steadfastly committed to protecting America's children. Just as the resolution with Texas Children's, today's resolution with Cleveland Clinic furthers that commitment and puts these providers on notice that this Department will vigorously enforce federal law where children are put at risk.” In Mark 9:42, Jesus said, “But whoever causes one of these little ones, who believe in Me, to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.” Artificial Intelligence can now clone your voice in a scam Please be aware!  Artificial Intelligence can now clone your voice with only three seconds of audio taken off of your voicemail greeting.  Artificial Intelligence scams increased twelve-fold in 2025.  Recent surveys have found one in four adults have encountered an Artificial Intelligence voice scam.  New York Knicks are world champions after a 53-year drought And finally, on June 13th, the New York Knicks became basketball world champions once again. ANNOUNCER: “It's over.  Knick fans: This is not a dream. Your long, long wait has ended. Go ahead and cry. After 53 years, the Knicks are finally NBA champions once again.” During Game 5 of the NBA Finals in the Alamo City, the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 94-90, capping off a stunning playoff run.  Knicks star Jalen Brunson scored 45 points in the victory, which earned him the nomination of Finals Most Valuable Player. But even more special for Jalen was the fact that his Dad, Rick Brunson, was his coach.  Amazingly, Rick, himself a former NBA player, made the finals for the New York Knicks back in 1999, also playing against the San Antonio Spurs in that series.  Rick and Jalen continue to maintain a close relationship, which Jalen elaborated on in a Good Morning America interview on ABC. BRUNSON: “Our relationship is unique. People may think just because he pushes me a certain way that we don't say things to each other, but I wouldn't trade anything for the world. We have the best relationship, even when it looks like we're fighting. That's just a coach and player trying to get over, to get to the Promised Land.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Tuesday, June 16th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

If the Book of Kings (Sefer Melakhim) records the corporate fall of man (Israel) in the Promised Land, the Book of Chronicles (Divrei Hayamim) records the covenantal return of man upon a restored foundation. Covering much of the same historical ground, Chronicles is not a duplicate account but a theological re-presentation. Where Kings moves toward exile, Chronicles writes from the other side of it, asking not how the kingdom died, but how it can live again. The Temple and the Kings of Judah (2 Chronicles 1–36): Solomon builds the House, and the history of Judah unfolds as a single question: will the people seek the LORD at the place where He has set His Name? The northern kingdom largely recedes from view. The decisive moments are not military but liturgical: humility or pride, reform or neglect, seeking or forsaking. Here the logic is immediate and instructive: those who seek the LORD find Him; those who abandon Him fall. The Open Ending (c. 539 BCE): The book concludes, not with the destruction of Jerusalem, but with the decree of Cyrus: “Let him go up.” The final word is not exile, but invitation. The foundation remains. The way back is open. Authorship: Jewish tradition associates Chronicles with Ezra, and its language, priestly focus, and genealogical concerns place it firmly within the post-exilic scribal world reflected in Ezra and Nehemiah. Drawing on the same historical traditions as Kings, the Chronicler does not merely preserve the past; he reshapes it for a people who must now live again in light of it. Here, the author is no covenantal prosecutor. He is a theologian of return. His measure is not only whether Israel avoided the error of “YHWH-plus,” but whether they have learned, through judgment, to seek the LORD with a whole heart and to order their life around His presence. History here is not only the record of a fall, but the meaning of that fall, now known in the wisdom of the return.

Detailed Sermon Summary “Standing Where God Made a Way” Pastor Bryan Hudson, D.Min. Part 5 of the “Rooted & Grounded”  Watch the 14 minute video: "The Road to Juneteenth" Pastor Bryan Hudson's sermon, “Standing Where God Made a Way,” connects the biblical account of Israel crossing the Jordan River in Joshua 4 with the historical meaning of Juneteenth. The central message is that believers, families, communities, and nations must remember the places where God brought deliverance, because remembrance preserves gratitude, identity, wisdom, and responsibility. The sermon begins by framing Juneteenth as more than a national holiday. It is presented as a memorial of deliverance and a reminder that God makes a way where there is no way. Dr. Hudson connects Juneteenth to the broader biblical theme of God delivering people from bondage, especially Israel's deliverance from Egypt and later their crossing into the Promised Land. He also references his video, “The Road to Juneteenth,” which traces the journey from emancipation declared to freedom enforced. Joshua 4: Remembering the Crossing The primary Scripture is Joshua 4:1–11, where God commands Joshua to have twelve men, one from each tribe of Israel, take twelve stones from the Jordan River after the people crossed on dry ground. These stones were to be set up as a memorial so that future generations would ask, “What do these stones mean?” The answer would preserve the story of how God cut off the waters of the Jordan and brought His people through. Dr. Hudson explains that this crossing parallels the Red Sea crossing under Moses forty years earlier. In both cases, God removed a barrier that His people could not remove on their own. The Jordan River was not always deep, but it did flood seasonally. God stopped the waters so Israel could cross, then instructed them to take stones from the riverbed—stones that were normally hidden—and make them visible as a testimony. A key insight is that the stones were not objects of worship. They were reminders of the God who acted. The stones pointed beyond themselves to God's power, faithfulness, and deliverance. Juneteenth as a Stone of Remembrance Dr. Hudson then connects Joshua's stones to Juneteenth. Just as Israel needed memorial stones to remember deliverance, African Americans and the nation need Juneteenth as a memorial of freedom delayed, freedom enforced, and freedom remembered. He explains that the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1862 and took effect on January 1, 1863, but freedom was not fully enforced in Texas until June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston and announced General Order No. 3. This shows one of the sermon's major historical lessons: freedom declared is not always freedom practiced. Justice often requires enforcement. Juneteenth, therefore, is not merely a celebration. It is a memorial, an educational moment, and a call to remember both God's deliverance and the human struggle required for justice. Theological Foundation: Human Dignity and the Image of God A major theological point in the sermon is that all people are made in the image and likeness of God. Because of this, no person or group has the right to dominate, dehumanize, enslave, or exploit another. Dr. Hudson emphasizes the importance of saying “enslaved people” rather than simply “slaves.” To call someone a slave can make bondage sound like their identity. But their true identity is that they were human beings made in God's image who were enslaved by others. This point becomes the moral foundation for the sermon's critique of slavery, racism, domination, and exploitation. Slavery was especially evil because it involved humans made in God's image enslaving other humans made in God's image. A Sober View of American History The sermon also calls for honesty about American history. Dr. Hudson says Juneteenth should never have been necessary. If the nation had truly lived up to biblical principles from the beginning, enslaving Africans would never have been tolerated. He notes that the founders debated slavery and compromised in order to form the nation. Some opposed slavery, while others wanted to preserve it because of the economic benefits of free labor. That compromise, he explains, carried a terrible cost and eventually helped lead to the Civil War. Dr. Hudson does not reject love for the nation, but he urges listeners to avoid “rosy narratives” that ignore the blood, suffering, and injustice woven into the nation's history. The proper response is gratitude mixed with sobriety, remembrance, and responsibility. God Still Makes a Way The sermon repeatedly returns to the message that there are always barriers to cross. God parted the Red Sea under Moses. God stopped the Jordan River under Joshua. God made a way for enslaved people through emancipation and enforcement. And God still makes a way for His people today. Dr. Hudson says that today's breakthroughs may not always look as dramatic as the Red Sea or Jordan crossings, but the principle remains the same: when God brings people through obstacles, they should remember, testify, and move forward in faith. Memorials Are Educational Another key theme is that memorials are meant to teach. In Joshua 4, the stones were designed to provoke questions from children. When the children asked what the stones meant, the older generation was responsible to explain God's deliverance. Dr. Hudson applies this to holidays such as Juneteenth, Thanksgiving, Easter, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and others. These are not merely days off or occasions for celebration. They are opportunities to educate, remember sacrifice, and pass meaning to the next generation. He warns that routines, celebrations, and comfort can obscure legacy. People can enjoy the benefits of history without remembering the sacrifice that made those benefits possible. Therefore, remembrance must be intentional. Standing Where God Made a Way The title phrase, “Standing Where God Made a Way,” captures the sermon's central conviction. Dr. Hudson teaches that many of us are living in places of blessing that exist because God worked through previous generations. We are standing on ground made possible by God's intervention, people's prayers, sacrifices, faith, courage, and perseverance. This applies personally, spiritually, historically, and nationally. We stand where parents, grandparents, ancestors, saints, activists, soldiers, and faithful servants endured hardship so future generations could live differently. Twelve Contemporary Stones of Remembrance Near the end, Dr. Hudson gives twelve “stones” that people and families can set up as memorials today. These are practices and places that help preserve memory, identity, and gratitude: Education — learning the truth and teaching it to others. Vicarious living — learning through the lives and experiences of others rather than repeating their mistakes. Identification — seeing oneself connected to faithful and courageous people from the past. Honoring — highly valuing parents, elders, ancestors, and those who made sacrifices. Testimony — telling what God has done personally and collectively. Studying history — learning the real story, not only simplified or sanitized versions. Serving others — turning remembrance into action. Shared experience — building memories and meaning together as families and communities. Museums — places such as Freetown Village that preserve and teach history. Family gatherings — moments that connect generations. Anniversaries — recurring opportunities to remember God's faithfulness. Juneteenth — a national and spiritual stone of remembrance that points to deliverance, justice, and responsibility. These “stones” help people stay rooted. They prevent forgetfulness. They help connect the present generation to legacy and history. Final Exhortation The sermon closes with a call to preserve memories that are worth preserving. Dr. Hudson urges listeners to be intentional with their children, grandchildren, families, and communities. If people do not connect present blessings with past deliverance, they may lose their way in the future. The final prayer thanks God for His goodness, for ancestors and heroes known and unknown, and for the fact that we are standing where God made a way. The prayer also asks God to help His people remember, honor, educate, and never take His blessings—or the people He used—for granted. Core Message The sermon's core message is: God makes a way through impossible barriers, and His people must remember where He brought them from. Memorials—whether stones, holidays, testimonies, museums, family stories, or historical observances like Juneteenth—help us honor God, educate future generations, and move forward without forgetting the sacrifices that made our present blessings possible.

In week 10 of the series, Your Move, we recap the past 9 weeks as we prepare to pause and spent time reflecting on the Seven Deadly Sins—attitudes and behaviours that have the potential to derail us from crossing over into the Promised Land, places of spiritual significance that God is leading us toward.Support the show

Anchor Passage: (Numbers 13-14)When God's people reach the Promised Land, scouts survey the land and return in a panic, doubting that God can defeat the enemies they see. Yet two of the scouts have a different attitude, believing in God's power and promise. Join us as we discover how to rest in God's strength and look to Him with awe!

Pastor Marshall Ochs | June 14, 2026In this message, Pastor Marshall teaches from Deuteronomy 2 and 3. These chapters contrast two generations of Israel: one marked by fear and unbelief that wandered and died in the wilderness, and another marked by faith and obedience that trusted God, conquered kings and giants, and inherited the Promised Land. Moses reminds the new generation that God rules over all nations, keeps His promises, and goes before His people, calling them to learn from the failures of the past and walk faithfully in the present. Even Moses could only lead them so far, pointing forward to the greater truth that inheritance ultimately comes through God's salvation, not through the Law alone.

Moses was the father of two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, and he also served as a father figure to the entire Hebrew people as they escaped from slavery in Egypt.He loved his people and helped discipline and provide for them on their 40-year journey to the Promised Land. Imagine leading a frustrated, tired, hungry group of travelers through the desert — without air conditioning or handheld electronics — for four decades!So many aspects of Moses' life story seem larger-than-life, and he was indeed a hero of his time — but he was also merely a man. Moses' perseverance in the face of incredible challenges over the course of his life shows today's fathers that overwhelming tasks can be achieved when we stay close to God.Exodus 16:11–12 says, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.'”The Israelites were afraid they would starve in the barren desert after fleeing Egypt, and complained to Moses that it would have been better if they had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt, where they had enough to eat, than to wander the desert without provisions. Imagine how frustrated Moses must have been! The Lord had miraculously saved the Israelites from slavery, and now they worried God wouldn't provide what they needed to survive.Through God's faithful guidance, Moses was able to shepherd the Israelites through 40 years of wilderness living. They quarreled with Moses. They accused him of leading them to disaster and ruin. They complained frequently — even after they had seen God's promises fulfilled. Yet still, Moses carried on. He brought every concern to the Lord, and with God's blessing and guidance, he was able to keep going.Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”Moses teaches fathers that with God, all things are possible.God answers prayer, and desires intimate fellowship with every believer.No one can follow God's laws perfectly. We all need a Savior.Let's pray.Heavenly Father, sometimes parenting is exhausting! Thank you for the blessing of children, and we ask you to bless dads with patience to spare and to make your presence known to tired dads in the trenches who need your wisdom, and your grace. In Jesus' name, amen.Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.

This teaching series is based on the tradition of “Shabbat Shuva,” or the “Shabbat of Return,” which falls between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (the Day of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement). The text for this tradition is Hoshea (Hosea) chapter 14, which begins, “O Yisra'el, return to Yahweh your Elohim…” After having gone through the Spring Feasts – Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Shavuot, which are types and shadows of the Hebrews' exodus from Egypt and journey to Mt. Sinai, have you maintained a faithful, straight walk in Torah? Or have you gotten “off the path” a little or a lot? Do you sense a call to return to the path, to Yahweh? • What is meant by “crookedness”? What does crookedness cause you to do? • Regarding the call to return – return to what? From there, Rabbi Berkson takes us into Leviticus 26 to examine the reasons for returning to the Covenant. In Leviticus chapter 26, the blessings and curses associated with Yahweh's Covenant with His people are listed. • How will you be able to walk in Covenant with the Creator? From Leviticus, we go to Deuteronomy 4:25, where we see that Yahweh has an issue with His people and their idol worship. How can we relate to them today regarding ‘idol worship'? Rabbi Berkson then takes us to Deuteronomy chapter 30 to show us one of Moses' final exhortations to the people as they are about to cross over into the Promised Land. Interestingly, Yahweh, through Moses, told the people that in their future they would stray from the path they were supposed to walk and be taken from the Land by their enemies, but as they were living in a foreign land, their hearts would turn back to Yahweh, and they would return once again to possess and live in their Promised Land. • In this chapter, we see the phrase, “circumcise your heart” – what does that mean? Isn’t that just a “New Testament” concept? What is it doing left of Matthew? And then we are taken to Romans chapter 10, where Rabbi Berkson points out that the apostle Paul is clearly writing about Torah observance and, indeed, substitutes the word ‘Messiah' for the word ‘Torah' as he quotes Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 30. • What does Romans 10:4 really mean? • What is “the righteousness of belief”? • What is “the good news of the good”? • Was there “Good News” before the New Testament? Verse-by-verse and step-by-step, Rabbi Steve Berkson takes us on a journey of discovery and learning how to covenant with our Creator and Father, which, from time to time, requires us to turn around and return to His Word so that we can have a sure entrance into His Kingdom. Learn more about MTOI: https://mtoi.org | The MTOI App https://mtoi.org/download-the-mtoi-app Follow MTOI: https://www.facebook.com/mtoiworldwide https://www.instagram.com/mtoi_worldwide Contact MTOI: admin@mtoi.org (423) 250-3020 Join us LIVE (all times Eastern): • Torah Study, Fridays 7:30 pm • Shabbat Service, Saturdays 1:15 pm Streaming available on YouTube, Rumble, MTOI App, and mtoi.org

As we read in Numbers 20, God punishes Moses for the sin he committed by stating that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. Why was God so harsh with Moses? Hadn't Moses done many things that pleased the Lord? Surely God could pardon this one sin. So why didn't He? As Michael answers this question, we discover it doesn't just lie in Moses' disobedience, but in a prophecy relating to the coming Messiah. This prophecy is profound as it not only foretells of the death of Christ, but also His character and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DONATE: https://evidence4faith.org/give/WEBSITE: https://evidence4faith.org/NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/hpazV5BOOKINGS: https://evidence4faith.org/bookings/CONTACT: Evidence 4 Faith, 349 Knights Ave Kewaskum WI 53040 , info@evidence4faith.orgMy goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. - Colossians 2:2-3CREDITS: Developed & Hosted by Michael Lane. Produced & Edited by Michaela Vorwerk. Graphics & Publication by Michaela Vorwerk. Additional Art, Film, & Photography Credits: Stock media “Memories” provided by mv_production / Pond5 | Logo Stinger: Unsplash.com: Leinstravelier, Logan Moreno Gutierrez, Meggyn Pomerieau, Jaredd Craig, NASA, NOASS, USGS, Sam Carter, Junior REIS, Luka Vovk, Calvin Craig, Mario La Pergola, Timothy Eberly, Priscilla Du Preez, Ismael Paramo, Tingey Injury Law Firm, Dan Cristian Pădureț, Jakob Owens | Wikimedia: Darmouth University Public Domain, Kelvinsong CC0 | Stock media “A stately Story (Stiner02)” provided by lynnepublishing / Pond5

We're in a season of transition at River City Church, and honestly, it can feel a little unsettling. We know where we've been, we know where God is leading us, but the in-between? That's where faith gets real.Just like the Israelites standing at the Jordan River, staring at the Promised Land, we're learning that God is more concerned with our obedience than our understanding. He doesn't always show us the whole staircase—just the next step. And that's okay, because He's right there in the middle of it all with us.Here's what we need: preparation, courage, vision, and movement. We need to remember His faithfulness in our past so we can trust Him with our future. Our failures don't cancel out His promises. Where is God asking you to dip your feet in the water today? What step of faith is He calling you to take, even when you can't see the whole path?The word is near you—it's in your heart. You don't have to have it all figured out. You just have to follow Him.

If the Book of Kings (Sefer Melakhim) records the corporate fall of man (Israel) in the Promised Land, the Book of Chronicles (Divrei Hayamim) records the covenantal return of man upon a restored foundation. Covering much of the same historical ground, Chronicles is not a duplicate account but a theological re-presentation. Where Kings moves toward exile, Chronicles writes from the other side of it, asking not how the kingdom died, but how it can live again. The Temple and the Kings of Judah (2 Chronicles 1–36): Solomon builds the House, and the history of Judah unfolds as a single question: will the people seek the LORD at the place where He has set His Name? The northern kingdom largely recedes from view. The decisive moments are not military but liturgical: humility or pride, reform or neglect, seeking or forsaking. Here the logic is immediate and instructive: those who seek the LORD find Him; those who abandon Him fall. The Open Ending (c. 539 BCE): The book concludes, not with the destruction of Jerusalem, but with the decree of Cyrus: “Let him go up.” The final word is not exile, but invitation. The foundation remains. The way back is open. Authorship: Jewish tradition associates Chronicles with Ezra, and its language, priestly focus, and genealogical concerns place it firmly within the post-exilic scribal world reflected in Ezra and Nehemiah. Drawing on the same historical traditions as Kings, the Chronicler does not merely preserve the past; he reshapes it for a people who must now live again in light of it. Here, the author is no covenantal prosecutor. He is a theologian of return. His measure is not only whether Israel avoided the error of “YHWH-plus,” but whether they have learned, through judgment, to seek the LORD with a whole heart and to order their life around His presence. History here is not only the record of a fall, but the meaning of that fall, now known in the wisdom of the return.

Standing at the edge of the Promised Land, Moses delivers one final series of messages to God's people. In this sermon from Deuteronomy 4 and 5, we'll discover why perseverance still matters, how our words shape the lives of others, and what it means to live a life of imperfect but faithful obedience to God. Don't quit in the wilderness...stay the course.

In this message from June 14th, 2026, Robby Gallaty looks at why Moses was prevented from entering the Promised Land. Speaker: Robby Gallaty

What can we learn from how God's people react to the challenges they see in the Promised Land? Why is it important for us to understand God's heartbreak at seeing His people's doubt? Join Eric and Mariners Anaheim Lead Pastor Munyoki Mulwa as they talk about Numbers 13 & 14 and how to fight fear with trust in God!

We have reached the end of our Exodus series! Chapter 40 concludes with the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle, marking the completion of the structure, but not the end of the journey. The Israelites are not yet in the Promised Land. So why is this 40-chapter story so central to the biblical narrative? Because Exodus is not just background history—it is a legally binding testimony that points directly to the coming of a greater Messiah.Key Points1. A Testimony to the FutureHebrews 3:5 states that Moses was faithful as a servant, bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. The Greek word used here for servant (therapon) implies an intimate, trusted servant whose testimony carries legal weight. Moses is a credible witness establishing the criteria for the Messiah. Anyone claiming to be the Messiah must be greater than Moses.2. Jesus is the Greater IntercessorMoses: Interceded for the Israelites on a hill to win a physical battle against the Amalekites. His hands were held up by his friends (Exodus 17).Jesus: Interceded on the hill of Calvary to win the eternal war against sin and death. His hands were held up by nails—and by the joy set before Him.3. Jesus is the Greater Deliverer & SacrificeMoses: Delivered the Israelites physically from Egypt, but he could not lead them all the way into the Promised Land. The Old Covenant required sacrifices to be made over and over again, like weed killer that only offers temporary relief.Jesus: Shared in our humanity to break the power of death and deliver us spiritually (Hebrews 2:14). As our High Priest, He offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, and then He sat down—because the work was finished (Hebrews 10:11-12). Note: Joshua (Yeshua), whose name points to Jesus, was the one who ultimately led the people into the Promised Land.4. Jesus is the Greater TabernacleMoses: Built the physical tabernacle where God's presence dwelled, but the people were kept out by a thick curtain and the barrier of sin.Jesus: The Word became flesh and "tabernacled" among us (John 1:14). When Jesus died on the cross, the physical curtain in the temple was torn in two. Now, through the blood of Jesus, we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place. Better yet, through the Holy Spirit, believers have become living tabernacles.5. The Warning: Guard Against a Hard HeartThe Israelites saw the Red Sea part and manna fall from the sky, yet their hearts grew hard and they built a golden calf. Signs and wonders cannot replace an intimate relationship with God. Hebrews warns us not to harden our hearts as they did, but to encourage one another daily. We guard against a hard heart through personal devotion and active participation in a faith community.ConclusionWhen Moses asked God, "Show me your glory," God tucked him in a rock and only allowed him to see His back. Moses did not get exactly what he asked for in that moment, nor did he get to enter the Promised Land in his lifetime. However, God does not forget our prayers. Centuries later, on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17), Moses finally stands in the Promised Land, face-to-face with Jesus, whose face shone like the sun. Moses finally saw the full glory of God. God is worth the wait.Calls to ActionExamine Your Heart: Are there areas where your heart has grown hard or calloused toward God?Speak it Out: If you are struggling with unbelief or a hard heart, confess it to someone in your faith community this week to break its power.Trust the Delay: If you have been waiting a long time for a prayer to be answered, look to Moses. Trust that God's timing is perfect and His glory is worth the wait. Support the show*Summaries and transcripts are generated using AI. Please notify us if you find any errors.

The Lord gives His people warnings to keep us from compromise.

Death, Resurrection Power and Revival (1) (audio) David Eells, 6/14/26 Coming Baptism of Death Unto Life Pearl Harbor James Kehrli (David's notes in red) In December of 1984, about a week after I purchased an old 1940 Cadillac sedan, I was driving around thinking about times gone by, particularly the time before and during World War II. Suddenly I heard the Lord say to me, very softly, “It's 1940 and Pearl Harbor is coming up for the Church”. I thought about betrayal, warfare, death and awakening! I prayed to the Lord about it and He began to reveal to me more about Pearl Harbor. He reminded me of a scene from the film Tora Tora Tora in which one of the Japanese military leaders remarked, after their attack on Pearl Harbor, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve”. I thought about the Church finally waking up to her true condition. I thought about the terrible price our country paid in the 1940's to wake up to the realities of the world political situation. The price was human life, suffering, and destruction. But we did wake up. I thought about December 8, 1941, when we declared war against the Axis powers. Before that time, we were sending arms, supplies and money to our allies, but we were not sending men to help fight. We watched China, the Pacific Islands, France and much of Europe fall to Germany, Italy, and Japan, but we were not personally affected so we did not enter the warfare. It took a catastrophic event to wake us up. (His reference to waking up a sleeping giant reminds me of Tommy Hicks' End Time Vision and it becomes millions of people all over the world.) I prayed about and meditated on what I had heard until May of 1985, when I again heard from God during a baptismal service in our Church. The person to be baptized was an older lady who was quite concerned, even a little frightened, about being fully immersed. But she, after fifty years of disobedience and rebellion against God, desired to be baptized for the first time. Right before I was going to enter the water with her, a message in tongues came forth from my wife. The Lord gave me the interpretation by means of the following vision. This vision describes a future time of great hardship and great blessing for the Body of Christ. He showed me a deep harbor with blue-green water that was clear and calm. There was a Person in the water. This Person was not swimming or standing, but just floating in an upright position. He was motionless, like a sailing ship listing in a windless sea. Many Japanese Zero aircraft came in from the east and proceeded to dive-bomb and strafe the body in the water and the body began to slowly sink. Eventually, the body was entirely under the water. As he went down, I could see that there were many little people on this Body. As this Body sank deeper into the water, many of these small people jumped off just before they were about to enter the water. There were thousands of people jumping off and swimming away from this slow but steadily sinking Body. Some of these people jumped onto beds, which the Lord made clear to me were beds of adultery, and floated away, off to the left. Others jumped onto whiskey bottles and paddled away; still others jumped on books, while others swam off on their own strength. All of the people were floating, swimming or paddling in the same direction. I looked over in that direction, which was to my left, and I saw an extremely beautiful, gigantic woman, with skin and clothing of a deep reddish purple hue, standing solidly on the harbor floor. She stretched out her arms toward the sinking Body and got the attention of many as she very sweetly, seductively, and sincerely called out, “Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you WHAT YOU WANT!” (As we know, God separates His people, and the tares and goats go to the left, as in this vision. This is the Great Harlot of Rev 17:1-5 And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls, and spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters; 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and they that dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her fornication. 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, 5 and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.) The people who were jumping off were in a panic, like rats leaving a sinking ship. Some scurried to higher ground on the Body, going from the shoulders to the ears and finally jumping off the top of the head right before it went under. It was clear that THEY DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE THIS BODY, but it was equally clear that they were not going down under the water with it either. The Body was now completely under the water, sinking steadily toward the bottom. Some of the little people hung on as it sank, but after a few seconds of holding their breath, they gave up, swam for the top, gulped a mouthful of air, and swam off toward the woman. The apparently lifeless Body sank deeper and deeper into the clear blue-green water. As it sank, I could see at the bottom of the harbor a beautiful, large, perfect Pearl - obviously of great value. It was supernaturally large and beautiful, lustrous, pure and round. As I watched, I could see the Body change shape from that of a single being, with little people desperately hanging on it, to many little individual people swimming deep enough to get to this beautiful Pearl. As they went deeper, many chose to quit and swim to the surface for air and life and then go over to the beautiful woman. All who quit diving eventually swam over to the beautiful woman. (The water puts to death the old man. They don't want to give up their fleshy life and die to self and follow Jesus.) Finally, I saw a number of these small people swim to the Pearl and touch it, and embrace it. But to do this, everyone who dove down reached a point when they realized that their own natural ability to hold their breath and dive deeper would not be enough. Those who dove down and touched this Pearl all came to understand that they would have to expend all of their natural strength before they touched and embraced the Pearl of Great Price. This did not keep them from diving down though, because the closer they got to the Pearl, the more of His beauty they saw. I saw many touch and embrace the Pearl and then immediately shoot straight up. As each of these little people shot up from the floor of the Harbor, each had the Pearl. As this group of individuals rose higher and higher, they all became one Body again. By the time these Pearl-laden people reached the surface they burst forth from the waters as one Body, the Body of Christ. These people were manifestly His own possession and they, in turn possessed the Pearl of Great Price, Jesus Christ Himself. (Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: …) As the Lord was showing me this beautiful picture, He spoke to me and said, “Even as Jesus came out of the waters of baptism, so My Body will come out of Pearl Harbor with a new and powerful anointing of My Holy Spirit, and a new and deadly power to fight the enemy”. He said that there indeed would come upon the Church of Jesus Christ a Pearl Harbor experience like the United States experienced on December 7, 1941. He said that when the Body of Christ begins to sink under the water, because of a soon-coming, devastating attack of the enemy, MANY will choose to desert our Lord Jesus Christ because they do not esteem the Pearl of Great Price (Jesus Himself) worth the price - death to their own selfish desires. They will not make the selfless effort of love to dive deeply enough to embrace Him because they do not love Him more than their own lives. Many will choose not to identify with what they assume is a defeated individual or group. They look upon themselves as winners and will not identify with a Jesus Who is apparently being defeated. They will choose to identify with the beautiful woman of the harbor who gives them what they want. As the vision revealed, many who leapt off the sinking Body because the woman of the harbor promised them success. Because of this, they went to her. Many others did not feel that it was necessary to pay such a high price to apprehend Jesus, and they felt that the beautiful woman would give them Jesus on their own terms. (This is the great falling away and like the parable of the seed and the sower; only one of the four held fast to the Word and bore fruit, 30-60 and 100-fold.) As the Body of Christ came out of the waters of death, the Lord said that His Body was now fully alive and would now fight the enemy with purpose and real anointing. (the coming Latter Rain anointing. Hos 6:3  And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.) Also, His Body would now use only supernatural weaponry. He spoke so clearly to me about the weapons. He said, “Even as the United States entered the Second World War using conventional weapons to fight the enemy, and ended the war with the atomic bomb, a weapon beyond their comprehension; so My people will begin this spiritual war with conventional weapons in the Spirit, but by the end of this war to end all wars, they will be using atomic bombs of the Spirit”. The Lord made it clear that we will come out of the water equipped with God-given anointing to REALLY heal the sick, work miracles, and deliver those in demonic bondage. He also made it clear that before the warfare ends, we will be moving in a dimension of spiritual warfare that is unimaginable to us now. We will do greater works than Jesus did and we will see the demon hordes routed like never before. After this message in tongues and interpretation was given, my attention turned back to the woman who was to be baptized. Then the Lord said that the Pearl Harbor experience for His Church would be similar to this woman's baptism. I closely watched this baptism to see what the Lord meant. The woman was very nervous and quite afraid of going under the water. I assured her that she would be all right. After several moments of prayer and a short teaching on what baptism represented, she was plunged underneath the water. She came out of the water with her hands lifted up, praising God. I had not told anyone what the Lord told me about this woman's baptism, because I did not know exactly what was going to happen. When she recovered her composure, she began to testify about what had just happened to her. She said that she was extremely fearful at first, but that when she got under the water, a Beautiful Peace swept through her, and all her fear was gone. This beautiful peace became joy as she came out of the water, and she praised God for His great comfort, love and mercy. I believe that God was showing us that we need not fear what He will put us through. His purpose is to bring us peace, joy, cleansing and power. He was also showing us that His Church will go through a baptism. It is a baptism of the Body of Christ. It is a death and a resurrection. We must trust Him to bring us out of this watery tomb of death and into the glorious resurrection power of His Son. We must understand that a harbor is a place of SAFETY and REFUGE. (As we have been shown. Those who reject death to self will not find this place.) God's people who are involved in these events will need to be safe and protected. The Harbor of the Pearl of Great Price is the only harbor that will provide refuge and safety, and ALL who believe will be more than willing to pay the price of dying to their own desires. Pearl Harbor is the death and resurrection of the Body of Christ, being prepared to do His work in His way, with His heart. It is the final separation of David from Saul - the David Church being purified and separated from the Saul Church. It is the final AWAKENING blast of the trumpet of God to rouse His people for battle. It is the judgment that begins with the house of the Lord. It is the refining fire that separates the gold from the dross. It will be preceded by the Lord dealing with His true people to both survive and desire this final preparation for battle. It is the promise of unmatched power and purity: power over sin, power over the enemy, power to live a much more virtuous life, and power to glorify our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Even now, God is dealing with those in the David Church, even as God dealt with David. Whenever David would start to fall asleep to God's purity and purpose, the Lord would abruptly DEAL with David to AWAKEN him. God did not waste this kind of effort on Saul because Saul CHOSE to be asleep to God and His desires. Pearl Harbor is a warning of betrayal and disaster. The Church in the past has gone through many Pearl Harbors of betrayal and disaster. Jesus was betrayed, killed, and rose again. English Puritans experienced Pearl Harbor in the early 17th century and survived because they could not obey the law that the Church of England tried to force them to obey. They fled England and eventually sailed to the New World, where they laid the spiritual foundation for what eventually became one of the greatest revivals in the history of the world. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress at the bottom of the harbor as he was betrayed by his own country and thrown in jail for not attending the services of the Church of England and for preaching in a way that did not conform to this church's liturgy. Had he given in and done that which they asked, he could have been a free man. But for conscience sake he chose not to do so. Because of this uncompromising obedience to the Scriptures and to God Himself, he was able to rise to the highest place in the history of Christian literature. Today, he still blesses us with the fruit of that resurrection power. To those who are not awake and prepared, Pearl Harbor will come suddenly and tragically, as a thief in the night, and they will be swept away to Great Deception. (As we are seeing.) To those who are more open to the will of God than they are to pleasing religious men, it will be an expected ordeal, a call to arms, and a prelude to great victory. The initial stages will be the harbinger of the greatest move of God in history: the Greatest Revival and the greatest manifestation of Christian Unity that the world has ever known.   The Pearls of Great Price Marie Kelton - 1/6/23 (David's notes in red) In this dream, I was in Chicago, and I was walking away from my old house on the sidewalk. (Leaving the house of our mother Church is a sign of growing in spiritual maturity.) I met Thaddeus (God's gift) and Greg (watchful or vigilant), two people I went to school with. (God gives us helpers along the way, like the fruits of the Spirit and wisdom; we must listen to them.) Thaddeus was to my left and Greg was to my right. As we were walking, I asked Thaddeus what had happened to him because I saw that he had a cut on his finger. Thaddeus said that he had a paper cut. I said to him, “Those are the worst.” (Our gifts can suffer when we go contrary to the Word which is written on paper and is a sharp two-edged sword.) We were going across the street and there was a tan van waiting for us to cross so that it could turn right. A red truck was behind the van, waiting also. As we were crossing, I felt an evil spirit grab the back of my shirt to keep me from continuing to cross the street. Thaddeus and Greg continued walking across the street. (We shouldn't get separated from our spiritual gifts by any demon or fleshly influence.) The person in the tan van was getting impatient and turned and hit me with their car. (The demons will try to hold us back so that we fall under judgment.) In the dream I told the Judge (representing the Father) about the car that hit me. The license plate on the front of the van had 333 in it. (Jer.33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and will show thee great things, and difficult, which thou knowest not.) (This is on the front or before the van hits, so to stop this, we must seek the Lord for His direction and wisdom!) The scene changed and I was in a car. I don't know if I was driving or not. I realized I was wearing an old necklace, and I heard a voice say, “Pearls.” (If our treasures have become tarnished from age or the curse we must sanctify them with repentance and faith and drawing near to Jesus.) In the dream I thought of the parable of the pearl of great price. While in the car, the Lord was supernaturally changing the radio stations to speak to me through the songs. Every time He would change the song, one of the old pearls from the necklace I wore would burst and break and a new pearl would be in its place. (As we seek His face and ask for wisdom, He will give us new born again beauty and values.) I was so excited and asked the Lord to keep speaking to me through songs on the radio. (The Lord's Words are melodious, pleasing Words to our spirit man.)  Mat.13:45-46, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a merchant seeking goodly pearls: and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. An Experience of Power G. W. - 10/17/22 (David's notes in red) I was going through a time of what seemed like reflection. I kind of felt like my life had no purpose, kind of meaningless. I've been waiting so many years, and it seems like nothing is happening. I didn't feel sad or condemned by it, but rather just wondering what God's mind was on everything. (The Word had the answers but he couldn't stay under it for long and would seek a simple message that did not demand death to self.) So, I was just questioning what God's purposes were for me in my life and if I was missing something. I was really earnestly seeking God and wondering what am I doing? Is there something I'm supposed to be doing that I'm missing? I don't want to waste any talents even though I don't see myself as having any great talents or anything, but I know the Lord has given us all some. I want to be able to use them. Before I went to bed, my wife and I prayed to the Lord about these questions. I woke up in the middle of the night and went to lie down on the couch. As I was lying down on the couch, I don't know if I fell asleep or if I was awake, to be honest. I'm assuming I fell asleep for just a few minutes. It seemed like a dream but I could feel everything happening in my body like it was real. I could hear myself say to myself, “You are such a loser” (I felt like it meant that I was not good for anything, meaningless life, etc.). (“We can do nothing without Him” but “We can do all things through Him”. His power is made perfect through our weakness. This revelation comes before the experience below.) Immediately, after that was said, this incredible Force picked up my entire body. Not even the strongest human on Earth would be able to resist this Force. My body was powerless, as I had no control over my motor functions. However, my consciousness was still there, and I was completely aware of everything that was going on from an observing point of view. This Force was moving me across the ground, as if I were a floating object. I then noticed something that the Force was moving towards. As I got closer, I knew that it was a shadow in the shape of a man. As the Force brought me directly over the shadow, I shot up in the air like a rocket! The Force moved me with such extreme velocity and an incredible amount of G-Force. It felt like my body was shaking like an earthquake (The Lord was showing him that He comes in those who will, through death to self, give themselves over to His Word and power.), as I was going straight up into the air. It seemed like the shadowy figure was what made the Force shoot me directly up in the air. I was shaking so excessively that it seemed to be contorting my face, as if soaring up through the air. I then seemed to come either out of the dream or into an earthly reality. I started to think normally, and I thought, is something wrong with me? What is happening to me? The Force started to wind my body down, and it began to become less intense. It shook me so hard that I could still feel it in my physical body, as I either woke up or came into complete consciousness. I started meditating on what had just happened. I thought about the shadowy figure. The only thing that kept coming to me was Trump. I have no idea why I felt this way. It might have looked like him, I'm not for sure. I don't think about Trump a lot, so it was very unusual for me to think that. (He is typed by Cyrus, who conquers DS Babylon, just when the Man-child is anointed over the Kingdom by the King. Cyrus is a shadow of Trump. Cyrus makes it possible for the Latter Rain Man-child to come and release the captives, as in Isaiah 61. So the shadow person could represent both of these entities ruling under God as the verse he received. The refuge here will be formed and our new provisions to reach the world will come.) I have a Bible App that I check every morning and it sends me a verse of the day. I opened the App and looked at the verse, it said “whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the almighty”. I was amazed that it had the word “shadow” in the random daily verse!   Resurrected Back to Life D. L. - 05/24/2016 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I was observing a group of about 12 people standing somewhat together. All of them had grey hair that was tending more toward the white. (This could be the 12 Man-children from UBM we have had many dreams about and who have been spiritually resurrected.) Then in walked a tall man who walked directly to the group and to a woman in the middle, whom I understood to be his wife. But he had died some time ago and had been buried at that time. (This is a repeat of history called the “out resurrection” by Paul in Phl.3:11 If somehow I may attain unto the out-resurrection from the dead. This is in the most accurate Numeric English New Testament. Here it is in history. Mat.27:50 And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent; 52 and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised (Many of these were just dust by the time of this out-resurrection. All of these have a purpose in God's work); 53 and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many. 54 Now the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. What a witness of the resurrection to these people! This partial resurrection will be worldwide. As a witness G.C. was resurrected after being dead and buried for 8 ½ months. He came walking into his kitchen to greet his wife. Six people were resurrected that day in a moment.) D.L.- Now, she was no longer a widow, but no one showed any emotion. (These men would have also been resurrected, so it's no surprise to them.) He just walked over to where she was and started talking to her. In the next scene, they were in a room off to my right, standing there talking. Then I woke up and it was almost 4:30 am. As I was waking up, I was still in the dream state and heard a knock at the back door, which is near the bedroom, and I opened the door. It was light outside and there stood my brother Darl, who had been dead since October of 2009 and was cremated. (Cremation is the fast oxidation of the body. The normal rotting of the body is slow oxidation. Both are just dust but God can bring them back.) He had brown hair but the last time I saw him it was white. He said he was on his way to Charlotte, NC to see his daughter and just stopped by to let me know he was around. He said he had a car and plenty of money to do what he had to do. Then he walked away and when he got about 20 feet away, I asked him if he was going to see our five children. And he said yes and that it was in his schedule. End of dream. (They have a God-given schedule for the revival. Could this be a secondary meaning to Paul's words? Php.3:10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; 11 if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead [Numeric pattern is in “the out -resurrection from the dead”]. 12 Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. Paul and others of his caliber will be among them.)   What's the Motivation of Your Heart? Sandy Shaw - April 2016 (David's notes in red) In this dream, the first thing I see is a white brick fence. People are walking on the fence. Some jump on the left side, and then they jump back on the fence. Some jump on the right side, and then they go back to the fence. And this is going on continually with people walking the fence. Then I realized the left side is the way of the world and the right side is the way of the Lord. When I realized that, I heard, “I will spew you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). (Which God spoke to the lukewarm.) Then I noticed a man was standing next to me. I didn't know who he was until he spoke and He asked, “How does this edify Me?” I immediately felt conviction and asked the Lord for forgiveness for having my own agenda. Then I saw a little girl in a house. (A little girl represents immaturity.) She was looking out the window as she saw her friends outside. She was sooo anxious to go with them. She ran to a closed door in the house and knocked on it. And on the other side of the door was her mom. She said, “Honey, I'll be out in a minute”. At this point, the little girl turned and looks out the window and turned around and knocked on the door again. And her mom said, “Wait for me. I'll be out in a minute”. The little girl ran to the big window and saw that her friends are in the next yard. She ran to the table and saw paper and a pencil. She wrote, “I'll be back in a little while. I'm going to play with my friends”. So Mom comes out and called for the little girl and saw that she is not there but she saw the note. Time has passed, and the little girl comes back and she says, “Hi, Mom!” And Mom says, “Honey, come and sit down”. The little girl says, “Mom, did I do something wrong? I left a note; didn't you see it?” “Yes, I did. But I asked you to wait.” “But my friends had gone to the next yard”. Mom said, “Now I know I need to give you punishment. First, because you didn't wait and your plans are not my plans for today. Therefore, you did not listen”. Next, I saw a big tree. I was sitting under it with the same man next to me. He said, “Examine the motives of your heart. Are your desires My desires? Are your desires lined up with My Word? Examine the desires of your heart. Is the agenda of your heart yours or Mine? Your motives, your heart, your agenda -- are they lined up with the Word? Am I your All-in-All?” Pro.16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But the LORD weigheth the spirits. 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life. Mar.12:30 and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. Psa.27:14 Wait for the LORD: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; yea, wait thou for the lord. Isa.55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith The LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.   Surrendering Brings Swift Victory T.F. - 1/14/23 (David's notes in red) Suddenly, I felt the Lord's presence so strong in the spiritual realm. I then saw at that very moment, that in an instant, God could remove all the filth in my flesh and soul 100%, quicker than I could think, and He could manifest His presence 100% in my body and soul. I saw that it had already been done, and the manifestation could be done instantaneously. (The manifestation is progressive but it can be finished quickly. Php.1:6 being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. Psa.81:13 Oh that my people would hearken unto me, That Israel would walk in my ways! 14 I would soon subdue their enemies, And turn my hand against their adversaries. 15 The haters of Jehovah should submit themselves unto him: But their time should endure for ever.) I know many other brethren pray for God to manifest Himself in us fully (Eph.3:19 to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.) We all want to be 100% dead to self, and my soul desires it so much for all of us. We know that, by faith, it has already happened and we will see it manifest in the physical realm. But, in that moment, when I saw He could do it all right then, my flesh got so terrified because it couldn't handle the presence of God that strong and that intensity so quickly. I desire it, and I know it will happen. But there is so much that I still have to let go of that isn't Christ, that God hasn't even revealed to me yet; so many hidden things. But God will reveal those things in His perfect timing, and I desire to let go of EVERYTHING that isn't Holy. I have thought that the complete removal of self in an instance would hurt because it is all I have ever known and His holiness replacing it would hurt if it happened without me being fully prepared. I felt that it had to be a gradual thing. I must let go of things bit by bit, and then the Lord can come and fill those spots, until there is nothing left but Jesus. I must keep letting go of my own carnal thinking, reasoning, and understanding and filling it with the Word and His Holy Spirit. (This is why God told the Israelites that every place that they set their foot in the Promised Land, He would give them. Because if He had wiped out their enemies all at once the land would have been overrun with wild beasts. So, He ordained that they conquer it a little at a time. Exo.23:28 And I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. 29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee. 30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.) I have felt and experienced what I would describe as my flesh surrendering bit by bit to the Spirit and the Word, but some parts still haven't surrendered completely and if it happened instantaneously, possibly my mind and body couldn't handle it. God's timing is perfect and we need to be prepared every day for an increase of Him in each of us in our soul and physical body. When we surrender to His Spirit willingly and surrender our whole heart to Him, it is so much easier for our body to submit. (1Co.9:27 but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.) Yes, I want the complete manifestation and deliverance from all evil in my soul and body, but I realized that it is a progressive thing, so that my physical body can handle it. God doesn't give us more than we can handle. God wants His Son to completely manifest in each of us. I can see Jesus growing and increasing in the brethren more and more, and it is so beautiful to witness. After experiencing this, I have felt so much closer to God and that every day we are getting closer and closer to Him manifesting in us fully. Every day, whether we see it or not, we are dying to self in some areas and He is coming into us more and more than the previous day. (Joh.3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.) Everything is His grace and can only be done by His grace. It is all because of Jesus. ALL Glory and praise to Our Father and Lord Jesus forever and ever! Lord, let us all willingly surrender to Your Spirit in all areas of our existence. Allow us to love You more and to rest in You, accepting Your grace and allowing You to flow through us. Thank You Lord, that Your grace is beyond anything we can comprehend. Thank You that we can do nothing without You, but we can do everything through You. Thank You that it's not us living, but Christ living in us. Thank You that we are dead to self and alive unto You, God in Christ Jesus. Thank You that Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death! Thank You, God that it is all You for all eternity! (My husband prayed and saw a young fruit tree - ambitious to bear hundreds of fruits, but not yet mature to do so. As the branches grew, buds formed all over and flowered. In time the tree was able to bear the amount it could handle.) Empty Me, (for Jesus) Debbie Fensky – 10/24/19 On Wednesday morning, October 23, I was awakened at 4:13 a.m. by a loud voice. I had fallen asleep on our sofa, and Denny was in the bedroom. My first thought was that he was yelling to me to get up. But when I looked at the clock, I saw it was too early to get up to get ready for the morning meeting. My mind cleared enough to realize that it was not Denny's voice. It was the voice of God or the voice of an angel of the Lord. And what He spoke was not in words I recognized. And it was really loud! It sounded to me like two words were spoken. I asked Father to let me know what He was saying through these words. I immediately heard, “Empty,” and He continued speaking. “This is the word for you, My people. Empty! The time is now to be empty! I am still uncovering hearts. Will you spend time with Me? For your hearts, your very life, is the temple in which I dwell. Do you know that you represent My authority? Do you truly know? Know this, that I know your name, for you hold My Name. I am going to bring back much truth to remembrance and reveal spiritual to spiritual. (The disciples related that this happened after Jesus died and was resurrected.) You are My spiritual people, and I want to continue working a spiritual work and a deep work in you and among you. And My authority will be upon you as you allow the spiritual light and truth to pour forth into your heart, and your mouth will speak deep things of My Spirit; things I have taught you. And people will know these things are true. But, My people, there is still some emptying out that needs to take place. For yea, I am cleaning you up. I am making you clean. Only be empty. Empty your hearts and yourselves of all your belongings, longings, and your trifles. Yes, even your own nothingness. What you think of yourself is not important. Glory only in that you are in Me, and that I am everything in you. I have a job to do through you. I have chosen you to be My humble, My emptied out, and cleaned up vessels. But I am letting you know the time is short. And I still need room for total residence.” I was moved by what Father said. And I was intrigued and wanted to know how “empty” was pronounced in the Hebrew. And I wondered if it was two words. So I tried something - I looked things up, asking God to lead me. In Hebrew, “empty” is “tohu bohu.” That was about the length of the words that I heard spoken to me so loudly. Some “empty” definitions: decant, lay bare, empty, raze, spill Strongs Hebrew 7386 adj; rake, empty, vain. Much that we give ourselves to is nothing; only vain. Strongs Hebrew 8414; formless, confusion, unreality, emptiness, desolation, empty space It said, properly spelled, it is, “tohuw bohuw.” And somewhere in all of this belongs, “tohu wa-bohu.” And this meaning (Heb), wasteness, that which is laid waste, desert, emptiness, vanity. But, “tohu bohu” is parallel to Isaiah 34:11, confusion, emptiness. Speaking about God's wrath against the nations, which we want to have no part of. So God is still telling us to get things of Egypt out of us. Isa.34:11 “But pelican and hedgehog will possess it, and owl and raven will dwell in it; and He will stretch over it the line of desolation and the plumbline of emptiness.” Father, may we desire to become completely empty of ourselves and our personal correctness, all that is vain, so that Your plumb line finds us measuring up to the fullness of Your likeness in us, so that we do not fall behind and even become as one of the nations. God, we need You to help us give it all up. Thank You for Your grace to do what You are being so long suffering in telling us to do. We do want You fully and totally residing in us. Lord, in Jesus name, help us to keep the end in view! Amen. Eph.4:12-13 “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” 1Th.5:6 “so then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” Get Ready for God's Great Reset! The One Word Order - Kolyah - September 14, 2021 Rhema Word … 9.13.21 … entrusted to Kolyah … released just prior to Yom Kippur “Little ones, are you ready for My hard reset of your world? It is best that you prepare now, for in an instant, of My choosing, the brakes on this runaway world will suddenly be applied down to the floor … to the foundations; bringing this global wickedness to an abrupt halt. When that happens, there will be a hard tossing about, with slamming, banging, and pain for those who are not braced, awake, and aware. (This reminds me of Eve's Dream of the US/China Train coming to a sudden halt.) Do you remember the report of the loud shrieks of horror and mourning that arose in Egypt's night, at the death of their firstborn? Truly, I say to you, it shall happen again on a worldwide scale, as I bring forth the disclosure of the truth that will shatter hearts, minds, idols, and strongholds by the power of truth that will not be held back, modified, or contained behind closed doors. The cries of anguish and despair will finally bring the level of breaking necessary for the people to realize how wickedly they have been deceived, and how eagerly they have ingested the poisons promoted by the deceivers. (On both sides. This could be the EBS that Trump and the Alliance have been planning, revealing the DS satanic crimes and the false Christian leadership.) They will think that ALL IS LOST, as they see the price that they have paid for their blindness, stubbornness, pride, and fear. As no household was untouched by the grief arising throughout Egypt at the time of the first Passover, so shall it soon be in your day. Only the households that heeded my warning and those, who obeyed My voice, will be spared the depths of the pain. The righteous will mourn and grieve for those around them. They will weep for those across the world, who will be writhing in unspeakable agony of soul in the realization of the pit into which they have fallen. I will allow the righteous to feel the pain of seeing the losses among those whom they love, but I will not allow them to go into the deepest depths of soul pain; only into the depths of intercession that will lessen the pain in others. My compassion will undertake. Have I not said that those who did not LOVE the truth would fall into deception? Too few believed My word regarding that matter. As I am the first Truth, whom they are to love, those who have had a shallow, fickle affection for Me will find out the grave consequences of being casual about truth and without true love … and the results of accepting, as fact, only those things that fit into their own grid … into their prideful grid of comfort and human knowledge. They will feel horrifically betrayed, and well they should. Their own souls have betrayed them, because their love of My truth, and of My reality was only partial. In the pain of their consequences, they will have the opportunity to exchange an appreciation of truth for a committed LOVE of the truth. Not only am I Truth and Love, but I am also Justice and Commitment. Human justice and convenient human commitment will be humiliated through what is to be revealed soon. The deep falsehoods in the human premises will be shattered as My truth comes down like a hammer. Truth will not come down as a soft rain, for rain requires years to erode rock and to move mountains from their place. There is no time for that now. A rock smasher and a mountain crusher are needed to awaken the sleepers and to expose the truth before all is lost. The Enemy has been working his plans with wicked brilliance. I have allowed it to unfold in order to entrap him, and all those who are in league with him. The lies, which have provided the glue to secure their wicked plans and mandates of unholy power, are about to be changed into a slime. That slime will be powerless to hold their deceptions together. The road, which has been cemented into place through their deceit, will begin to sink and separate. Where then, will they walk in their prideful power? Who will join them on that slimy road, once the truth is exposed? All this will come … but first the howls and the tears must come to soften the hardened hearts, and to bring them to the melting point in the laser light of hot Truth. My way is righteous and wise. You must trust Me. The fear of Me has been replaced with the fear of man. The awe of Me has been replaced with the awe of inventions and technology. The awareness of human vulnerability has been replaced with an awe of intellectual prowess and confidence. All of these strongholds of wicked false worship, and of arrogant disregard of Me … all the strategies designed to supplant and to replace Me … will be brought down into dust. (What? No Med-beds? The use of AI, CGI, and high-tech devices.) It is good to be down on your knees in this hour, as the final round of increased shaking takes place. On your knees, you will be properly positioned before Me. Those on their knees will not be knocked down as the world rocks. Their personal kingdoms will not fall down upon their heads. The posture of submitted humility will be the place of safety for those who seek Me, and who abide in Me. But be advised: what is about to take place will greatly disquiet your souls. Do not allow the pain you see manifesting in the multitudes, nor the shrieks of those you love, cause you to mistrust or to despise Me. Trust Me that the process I bring forth will set My Great Harvest into place. Go to your knees soon, and remain in a spiritual posture of humility before Me as these days unfold. The Enemy of your souls will put up an even greater fight to retain power, and to seize even more. I have already declared the boundary set against this advance and have put that boundary into place. It will not be moved by him, nor by any of his associates. It will stand firm, for I have decreed it. (The boundary is the Bride. As in my vision of 2007, the boundaries of the catastrophes were the refuge.) Get out of the way of what I am about to allow and do. Move into a place of safety as I direct you. Do not fear and do not depend upon your own survival strategies. Simply abide in Me and be well. I will not allow more than you can handle. Have I not entrusted the words of truth in Psalm 91 to be a holocaust blanket, and a sure safety to surround you? Declare those words and find safety in the shelter of those promises. Know that the wailing of the masses will seek to disquiet you; to take you into fear and doubt. Don't go there, but rather profess your faith and stay in the Spirit at all times. Lock down in Me and hold. Gather in those who are standing, but who are weakening. Be a support of faith for each other. Share the treasure and the provision which I have given to you for this hour. What I provide will be more than enough. Entrust your troubled heart to Me. I will hold it securely and will fill it with all the love and hope you will need. Know this: I am fully in control. There is NOTHING out of My hand, plan, or notice. There will be many who have been on the fringes of faith, who will declare that My way is NOT GOOD. They will feel the horror of the unveiling, and then cry out that I am cruel for allowing such things. I AM MORE compassionate and patient … more loving and kinder than any of you can fathom. My path is a hard one, because the rebellion is very deep and widespread, consuming a great portion of humankind. (Stripes that wound cleanse away evil.) Unless there is a clearly visual manifestation, revealing where the influences of rebellion and deceit have taken your world, the changes in hearts will be only temporary and shallow. There are lessons to be learned. There are people to be reborn. There are powers of great evil embedded into every facet of human life that must be disclosed and stripped. As a result, these painful measures are necessary. I will allow only the smallest level of suffering required to bring the vital changes. The length and depth of human suffering will be determined by the speed at which the hearts and minds submit to the purpose of the shakings. See to it that you lovingly, clearly, tell the ignorant and the arrogant the truth about what is happening, and about what will yet happen. If you do not speak the truth to them, the hollow spaces formed within their human souls because of the shaking will be quickly filled with more lies, bringing more rebellion and more defiance against me. Cooperate with My plan to bring a Great Awakening, and see the Glory come to your world as a result. Hold on tightly to Me. The most violent shaking is about to come. (Spiritual and physical! In the warfare that is coming, there will be violent earthquakes which they are very capable of making; to say nothing of the nukes going off.)HOLD! Rest in Me, and do not withhold the truth from the terrified and perishing. The deceptions that have held them are about to crack. The trauma and terror of it will bring forth good fruit as we work together. All will be well. Trust, stand, obey, and believe. I am with you, and I am in charge. In the final analysis, you will bless Me for what I am about to allow, as well as that which I am about to bring forth from My own hand. Hold, and thank Me in advance for the glory which is soon to come to your world to change everything.” At the time we received this last revelation in 2021, a year after COVID-19 and the DS death jab. We prayed for people who took the shots and saw healings. We prayed for those who were infected by those who got the jab and saw healings. We know worse plagues than the DS's vax are coming. We have prayed for lost friends and seen healings. Some people who got the shots got placebos and showed no infection. Some only got the first shot and show less trouble. Cry out for mercy and God answers. The revival of the Man-child ministries will heal many when they believe. Mark 11:24 is still true. Mar.11:24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Like Esther, intercede for your family and the people of God that they repent and accept God's word and turn this thing around for them. Many times God changes a decree when touched by faith. Pray for your loved ones and cover them. All things are possible to him that believeth. Like the woman who, in rebellion, finally decided to get baptized, and shared her experience of the extreme fear she felt before she was submerged in the water, which was replaced by a beautiful peace and joy. That's what's coming for those who obey and surrender to the Word of God. The power of the Holy Spirit will fill those who repent and obey.   Prepare, I Come Quickly Eve Brast – 8/20/18  Yesterday, as I was working, around 11 am, the Lord spoke to me very clearly, “I come quickly... Go, My daughter, and write the things I speak and warn My people.” So I grabbed my notebook, and He said, “In a very little while you shall see Me. I come quickly. Tell My people to enter into the secret places of their hearts and cry unto Me for purity and holiness; to press into the voice of My Holy Spirit. Listen to My voice in the quiet place. Soften your hearts to My corrections. Cleanse yourselves of all defilement of flesh and spirit. If your hearts are pure and willing, I will fill you with My power to overcome. Separate yourselves from distractions and the useless things of this world and this life. There is so little time left. So little time!! Seek Me with all your mind, will, and strength and I will be found of you. Don't faint in the day of adversity! Many judgments and terrible things are coming. Do not get weary of seeking Me daily. Do not grow weary of sanctification. Be diligent to be found in Me. When I return and judgments fall, will you be found in Me? Your adversary is increasing his activities, especially against My holy ones, seeking to deceive and destroy as many as will listen to his lies. All idolaters will fall. Wherever idols are found, the enemy will gain access to your souls. The idol of self is the biggest deception. You sit on the throne of your own hearts and are deceived by your own mind, will, and emotions!! Put on My whole armor and fight! Do not let down your guard even for a minute. Understand your enemy's tactics! He will use your friends, even your brethren, your family members, and your phones and electronic devices to keep you from obeying this word I speak to you. Resist the distractions and the cunning deceptions and lies. Do not listen to lies! Cast down every vain thing, every vain thought, or these will take root in your heart and mind and exalt themselves above Me and My Word. Then shall the scales cover your eyes and your ears will be stopped, and the deceptions will overtake you! You will not even recognize it. Go forth in intercession, void of distractions. Don't be slothful! Pray without ceasing and I will lead you to victory. You will be found in Me and the devil will have nothing in you. In this way you will live in the light of My truth. I will lead you forth in victory, conquering all your enemies. I have provided everything you need, but you must use it!” I asked Father for a text for this word by faith at random and my finger was on the phrase, “there is no respect of persons” in Colossians 3:25 (in context 1-25) Col.3:1 If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. 3 For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. 5 Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; 6 for which things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience: 7 wherein ye also once walked, when ye lived in these things; 8 but now do ye also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth: 9 lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings, 10 and have put on the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; 13 forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: 14 and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. 17 And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 18 Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. 20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord. 21 Fathers, provoke not your children, that they be not discouraged. 22 Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord: 23 whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; 24 knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ. 25 For he that doeth wrong shall receive again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. Deborah Fensky - 8/29/18 God started speaking this to me last week in a couple of the morning meetings and last Friday night's meeting. Since last Friday, after I was done receiving this word, several things were shared here and there that matched up with or seemed to me to confirm things in this word. I had been questioning God about Him being bitter. But then He reminded me that He hates, and how in so many places in the word, God expressed what and who His soul hates. He let me know that He can be bitter too. Then on the last conference call Michael asked everyone, “Can God hate?” Along with other things this week that have been said, I felt God was confirming this word to me. But I did ask Him today to confirm with 2 heads if I should share this now, or wait. I know other words have been spoken that we need to remember. Yet, today I tossed and immediately got 2 heads. “I am bitter toward My people. I am bitter with anger. Listen, My holy ones. Have I not said that I come quickly? I come quickly, with a strong vengeance. For My people disregard Me. They disregard My ways. They refuse to seek Me out, but stubbornly adhere to their own likes and desires. Yet, though I am bitter with anger towards My people, My mercy will cause Me to hear their cries of repentance. Hear My cry, My holy people. I need you. I need you to pray and fight for My lost and stubborn children. And I need you in this day to continually draw close to Me. Live in love and faith, and in the wisdom of My Word and by My Spirit. For though living in an evil day already, as I have warned, dark evil is soon to descend upon all the earth; a darkness so gross that the light of My Glory to shine forth, penetrating that darkness, drawing My lost people out of the world to the light. I am the Light. My holy ones, you are the Light. You in Me and I in you. The dark and evil day is upon you. Thrust all your faith in Me and Me alone. There can nothing be of yourself. Yes, the day you are about to enter is a day of deep darkness, but a day of My power. It is the day My Glory will be fully revealed in My holy ones. Have I not said, I come quickly? I need you to trust Me. I need you to make yourself ready. Make yourself ready!”

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  The club made some moves this week but none were bigger than the promotion of Blaze Jordan at the expense of Nolan Gorman.  Daniel (@C70) and David (@iPopEditor) talk about the move and discuss the long-term ramifications.  Can Gorman ever make it back?  What's his future like?  The guys also get into the tough loss in Minnesota on Friday night, trying to make sense of a lot of different aspects.  What's the future of this Kyle Leahy experience?  Why did Ryne Stanek melt down?  All that and more on this early episode!

Welcome to Day 2882 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2882 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 135:8-14 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2882 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2882 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The Title for Today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Sovereign of History – Dismantling the Rebel Giant Kings In our previous stop along this grand, poetic landscape, we explored the opening movement of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five, where we witnessed a magnificent temple liturgy that unmasked the false gods of the nations. We watched as Yahweh effortlessly demonstrated His total, seamless mastery over nature—commanding the clouds, directing the lightning, and releasing the wind from His royal celestial storehouses. We saw how the psalmist executed a brilliant, razor-sharp polemical attack against Baal, stripping the Canaanite storm god of his fraudulent resume. We discovered the comforting truth that Israel is Yahweh's segullah—His private, prized, and treasured possession, chosen out of the chaotic landscape of a disinherited world. Today, the temple liturgy takes a powerful, dramatic turn. The psalmist shifts his focus away from Yahweh's absolute sovereignty over nature, and directs our eyes to His absolute, undeniable sovereignty over human history and spiritual geography. He takes the traveling assembly on a historical tour, demonstrating that the True King doesn't just manage the weather; He systematically dismantles the greatest earthly emp'res, and violently crushes the giant rebel kings who attempt to block the expansion of His kingdom. We are exploring Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five, verses eight through fourteen, in the New Living Translation. Let us step onto the trail, adjust our cosmic lenses, and watch the Righteous Judge execute justice against the principalities of darkness. The First Segment is: The Judgment of Egypt's Incarnate Gods Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five: verses eight and nine. He destroyed the firstborn in each Egyptian home, both people and animals. He performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his people. The historical narrative begins in the dark, oppressive brick-kilns of Egypt, tracing the opening lines of Israel's great cosmic liberation. “He destroyed the firstborn in each Egyptian home, both people and animals. He performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his people.” To fully comprehend the sheer scale of the spiritual warfare embedded in these familiar words, we must look past our modern, secular history books, and view the Exodus through the profound lens of the Ancient Israelite divine council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. In the book of Exodus, chapter twelve, verse twelve, Yahweh explicitly declares the ultimate, underlying purpose of the plagues. He states, “Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment; I am Yahweh.” The Exodus was not merely a political dispute over human labor; it was an open, aggressive courtroom trial, and a declaration of war against the corrupt, territorial elohim of the Nile. Egypt was the premier superpower of the ancient world, operating under the direct spiritual inspiration of powerful, rebellious members of the heavenly host. Pharaoh himself was not viewed merely as a human politician; he was worshiped as an incarnate god—the living proxy, and the supreme avatar, of the rebel spiritual principalities. When Pharaoh oppressed the chosen family of God, he was acting as the mouthpiece for the cosmic rebellion. Therefore, when Yahweh unleashed His miraculous signs and wonders, He was systematically target-shooting the Egyptian pantheon. He turned the Nile into blood to humiliate the river gods; He blocked out the sun to blind the sun god, Ra; and He paralyzed the land with darkness. The terrifying, ultimate climax of this cosmic execution occurred when the Lord destroyed the firstborn of both people and animals. In the ancient Near East, the firstborn son represented the strength, the legal inheritance, and the future legacy of the household. By striking down the firstborn—including the firstborn son of Pharaoh himself—Yahweh permanently broke the spiritual back of the empire. He demonstrated that the gods of Egypt were utterly helpless, completely unable to protect their own biological and spiritual lineages from the superior authority of the Creator. The proud, arrogant principalities of the Nile were weighed in the celestial balances, found wanting, and publicly stripped of their power. The Second Segment is: Dismantling the Gatekeepers of the Underworld Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five: verses ten through twelve. He struck down great nations and slaughtered mighty kings— Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the rulers of Canaan. He gave their land as an inheritance, a special possession to his people Israel. The historical tour moves from the waters of the Red Sea, to the rugged, bloody battlefields on the eastern side of the Jordan River. “He struck down great nations and slaughtered mighty kings—Sihon king of the Amorites, Og king of Bashan, and all the rulers of Canaan. He gave their land as an inheritance, a special possession to his people Israel.” To the casual reader, the names Sihon and Og might seem like obscure, boring footnotes from ancient military history. But to the ancient Israelite pilgrim singing this song, these two names triggered a profound sense of awe, and holy terror. These were not ordinary human kings; they were the terrifying, giant gatekeepers of the cosmic rebellion. Let us unpack the spiritual geography of these territories through Doctor Heiser's research. In the book of Deuteronomy, we discover that Og, the king of Bashan, was a literal remnant of the giant Rephaim. His massive iron bedstead was over thirteen feet long! In the ancient Near Eastern mindset, the Rephaim were not just tall people; their lineage was directly connected to the Nephilim—the hybrid offspring resulting from the spiritual corruption of the Watchers recorded in Genesis chapter six. They were the physical, and spiritual, anomalies produced by the rebel gods to contaminate the human race, and block the redemptive plans of Yahweh. Furthermore, the region of Bashan was universally recognized as the geographic and spiritual epicenter of darkness. Located at the foot of Mount Hermon—the exact site where the rebel angels originally staged their mutiny—Bashan was poetically referred to as the "place of the serpent," and the literal "gate of the underworld." Sihon and Og ruled over this demonic stronghold, acting as a massive, supernatural wall designed to intimidate Israel, and prevent them from ever entering the Promised Land. When Yahweh struck down great nations, and slaughtered these mighty giant kings, He was not just clearing a physical highway for Israel. He was executing a spectacular, cosmic cleansing of the geography. The Divine Warrior marched into the very territory of the dead, confronted the most terrifying, monstrous proxies of the rebel council, and completely obliterated them from the face of the earth. He proved that giant stature, demonic lineages, and ancient spiritual fortresses are absolutely nothing but dust in the presence of the Almighty. And look at the ultimate, glorious result of this victory in verse twelve: “He gave their land as an inheritance, a special possession to his people Israel.” This is the beautiful, geographic reversal of the Tower of Babel. At Babel, humanity was disinherited, and handed over to the rule of the lesser elohim. But here, Yahweh violently reclaims the land from the rebels, completely evicts the demonic tenants, and hands the territory over to His segullah—His special possession. The Promised Land becomes a restored beachhead of Eden, a sacred space where the cosmic order, truth, and righteousness of the true King can finally flourish. The Third Segment is: The Eternal Courtroom Verdict Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Five: verses thirteen and fourteen. Your name, O Lord, endures forever; your fame, O Lord, is known to every generation. For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. Having demonstrated Yahweh's absolute mastery over history, the psalmist transitions into a magnificent, courtroom declaration of praise, drawing a sharp contrast between the mortality

The people face a familiar problem, one their fathers grappled with a generation ago. We see them grumbling and quarreling instead of relying on God, echoing the faithlessness of their predecessors. Even Moses and Aaron falter in their faith, leading to a divine judgment that they, too, will not enter the Promised Land. Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @realbiblebriefX: @biblebriefFacebook: @realbiblebriefEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.orgWant to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out our partner Biblingo (and use our link/code for a discount!): https://biblin...

Today, we deliver a prophetic message likening our advance to D-Day and outlining clear steps to reclaim territories the enemy has occupied and to walk into God's promised victory. This will take obedience, courage, finding strength in the Lord, guarding against pride and greed, and pressing for full restoration as you move forward in your calling.