Podcasts about Shia Islam

Dive into one of the most mysterious and controversial concepts in Islamic theology: the Salawat. What does it truly mean when the Quran says that Allah and His angels “pray” upon the Prophet Muhammad? Is the common translation accurate, or is there a deeper hidden reality behind these words that has been overlooked for centuries? In this episode, we explore the spiritual meaning of the Salawat, the role of the Ahl al-Bayt, and ancient narrations connected to divine presence, recognition, and guidance. Through Quranic verses, narrations from the Imams, and powerful theological reflections, this discussion uncovers profound mysteries surrounding Wilaya, divine manifestation, Imam Ali, Imam al-Sadiq, and the hidden meanings within Islamic tradition. This episode is essential viewing for anyone interested in Islam, Shia Islam, Quranic interpretation, Islamic mysticism, esoteric knowledge, and the deeper realities behind faith and spiritual perception.

In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John and Elliot discuss the intricate and often nuanced overlaps between different religions and belief systems, comparing and contrasting internal divisions within Islamic tradition with those in Christian tradition. They explore the historical and theological distinctions between Sunni and Shia Islam, examining how each sect interprets concepts like leadership, succession, and divine authority. Their deep dive unpacks how these factions navigate their respective identities, the role of historical figures and political movements in shaping these differences, and the ongoing challenges of reconciling distinct interpretations within the broader Islamic community. Throughout the discussion, they also reflect on how historical, cultural, and geopolitical contexts have influenced these sectarian identities, highlighting how they both shape and are shaped by the shared quest for spiritual legitimacy.

Shia fundamentalism has come to define Iran's place in the Middle East and the world. And that wasn't an accident. How Iranian leaders use Shia Islam to exert their power. *** Thank you for listening. Help power On Point by making a donation here: wbur.org/giveonpoint

Today's HeadlinesLebanon's Christian organizations stand together as humanitarian crisis worsensEthiopian Church faces a rise in persecutionHope for addiction through God's renewal

Last Hope of a Dying Republic with Rev. William Cook – Tracing Muhammad's transition from religious leader to political and military authority in Medina, and explains the historic split between Sunni and Shia Islam. He outlines what he saw as a recurring historical pattern of expansion through stages of migration, consolidation, and conquest across multiple regions and eras...

Darrell Castle talks about war and the President’s statement that it is basically over and we won. Is that statement true and what are the most recent developments in Iran. Transcription / Notes THE WAR HAS BEEN WON Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 27th day of March in the year of our Lord 2026. I will be talking about war today and the President's statement that it is basically over and we won. Is that statement true and what are the most recent developments in Iran. What is war but the most horrific thing in which a country, a people, can engage. It is killing on an industrialized scale and from the carpet-bombing campaigns of WWll to the guided munitions of today it is about killing. It is the young men of a country being ordered by the old men of that country to kill the young men of another country but they kill everybody, men, women, little schoolgirls, everybody. Unless done for purely defensive purposes it is immoral and unconscionable. Was Iran an imminent threat to the U.S. No case for that has been made as far as I know. Joe Kent, Counterterrorism Director said there was no imminent threat and his boss, Tulsi Gabbard, refused to state under oath that she knew of such a threat. Well, last weekend the President said he had quite enough of the Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz and its impact of the world's economies, it's rapid increase in the price of fuel and the price of everything here in the U.S., and its downward effect on his poll numbers. He gave the Iranians 48 hours to open the Strait or he would destroy their power system by attacking power plants. Apparently, the new Supreme Leader of Iran was not amused nor was he in a mood to accept the threats. It appears to me that President Trump is desperate to end America's part of this war with some kind of deal, any kind of deal that would free up the flow of oil. The new leader, Mr. Khamenei, has suffered enough he most likely thought, so why should he voluntarily end the President's suffering. His father, his mother, his sister, his nephew and his brother-in-law were all killed by the U.S./Israeli military. His father was not only the Supreme Leader of Iran, but he was also the spiritual leader of his faith that being Shia Islam. So, let bygones be bygones the Americans said to him just move on there's nothing to see here so let's move on. He was not going to submit meekly to the threats and he said that if the U.S. attacks his energy, he would attack energy infrastructure all around the gulf. Once again the bible speaks to us and says, you reap what you sow. I am not sure right now who is in charge in Iran, of the speaking to diplomats or of the Iranian military because supposed leadership and armed forces leadership are often different. Americans play similar games because Trump is saying the war is over and we won and at the same time diplomats are begging to negotiate while the Israelis are still attacking. That, I suppose, is just psychological gamesmanship. Here's a quote from Iran's armed forces spokesman. “We are watching your cowardly officials and commanders, pilots and wicked soldiers. From now on, based on the information we have on you, the promenades, resorts and tourist and entertainment centers in the world will not be safe.” The U.S. warned Americans across the world to exercise increased caution. So, was this a threat to the start of another worldwide terrorism campaign against Americans amusing themselves. Well, perhaps because that's the sound of it to me. Did he mean only the resorts in the Middle East such as those in Dubai or did he mean worldwide such as those in the U.S. Time will tell I guess but it was an ominous threat. Americans residing in Iraq were warned to leave immediately as well. Then we heard that Mr. Trump had decided to postpone the attacks for five days while negotiations were ongoing. It gets really confusing at this point because we are told that chief negotiator, Steve Wittkoff and Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law, were at a point where a partial deal was in place pending further negotiating. The Iranians said that no deal was in place and further they would not speak to Wittkoff and Kushner anymore. If any further talking which had not occurred were to be done only J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio would be acceptable. I understand why they prefer Vance because for one thing he is Vice-President and for another he has been sidelined through all this and my guess is that he was opposed to the attacks in the first place. Trump has made many statements about offered solutions to the Strait including joint U.S. and Iranian control of it but recently he offered a 15-point peace plan to end the war. He once again said he would unleash hell if the plan was not accepted. The plan went something like this; without giving you all 15 points, the Strait would be opened immediately and remain open. Iran would reject nuclear weapons forever and cease enrichment of uranium. Iran would allow international inspections and abide by their decisions. Iran would restrict its missiles to the short-range defense only type and would immediately cease attacks around the region and would cease attacks through its various terrorist proxies. The U.S. would do its part by ceasing its bombing campaign and the U.S. would assist Iran with development of peaceful nuclear energy. Washington says it wants a framework agreement for a ceasefire until details can be negotiated over a period of a month. So, we are given some hope that the bloodshed might end soon, but as usual those hopes were dashed very quickly. Last Wednesday Iran completely rejected the 15-point plan and said it would not negotiate. Instead, it would run the Gulf shipping lanes along with its proxies in the area. Iran offered its own five-point plan in response most of which has zero chance of acceptance. They want the U.S. to fix or pay for the damage it caused in Iran. Iran continues attacks inside Israel and continues to attack Gulf States friendly to the U.S. Reportedly Bibi Netanyahu has urged Trump to not make a deal until all the Mullahs are gone from Iran. I have even seen a report that Mr. Bin Salman down in Saudi Arabia has joined Israel in that urging. Iran's response is one of anger from their armed forces while diplomats pretend to talk.  “Someone like us will not come to terms with someone like you” the IRGC spokesman says. Trump says we are in negotiations right now, but the Iranians, officially anyway, say no we are not so go figure. In the meantime, the U.S. is not acting as if this war is ending soon. The Saudi report also said that U.S. ground troops should be used to remove the Mullahs from power. Notice I said U.S. ground troops not Saudi ground troops. The U.S. has a Marine Expeditionary Unit on its way to the Gulf onboard an LPH. There is normally between 2500 and 5000 Marines in such a unit. This week about 3000 members of the 82nd airborne division have deployed to the Middle East. This historic division which jumped into occupied France prior to the D-Day landings in 1944 contains some of the best troops in the U.S. military. Trump says that he is confidant he is dealing with the right people. I know one thing he usually doesn't bluff so these Marines and airborne troops are rather ominous to me and it is starting to take on an Armageddon type of vibe. The importance of all this to the world's economies is enormous. Aside from the bloodshed and destruction the Gulf and its Strait connect the oil rich nations of the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world and about 30% of the world's oil passes through that Strait every day. For some nations, such as China, the percentage is higher. Many other nations are very concerned about how the closure of the Strait effects their economies. India said it plans to deploy five warships near the Gulf to protect its interests. England, France, and Germany have all sent warships to the region but the British Navy is apparently not what it used to be. I guess it has been allowed to deteriorate because to this point the UK could only muster one out of date destroyer to contribute. In fact, listen to a few words from a recent article in European Business Magazine. “For over 300 years, Lloyd's of London has underwritten maritime insurance for the tankers and cargo ships that carry the world's oil, gas, and goods. Its dominance over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint through which approximately 30% of the world's seaborne oil supply passes represented one of the most quietly powerful financial monopolies in history. Control the insurance, and you control who can sail. Control who can sail, and you control the flow of energy that powers the global economy.” That article is really telling us that the 300-year imperial world order has changed and that created a vacuum and as we know power abhors a vacuum. Into that vacuum stepped the U.S. Navy offering the protection that insurance underwrites. The British Crown's 300-year-old chokehold on global energy insurance has been severed by the U.S. when the UK got cold feet at the wrong moment. America now controls the physical protection of the most critical oil shipping lanes and the world knows it. The world order has indeed been changed on purpose or by accident it has changed. I wonder if the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, is embarrassed by this development. My guess is that he is but he seems to have no idea about what to do. He is in the middle of a terrible scandal involving close associates of the PM and the Epstein files. He has a lot of Muslim voters in his country now so he doesn't want to be seen as supporting Donald Trump and I suppose that contributed to the embarrassing decline of the British Navy which can't even protect its own base in Cyprus. In conclusion, world order has changed for certain. Is Trump that smart and just playing 3 or 4d chess while the world plays checkers. I don't know the answer to that but I know that American dead to this point numbers about 15. About 290 have been wounded and about 255 of those have returned to duty and 10 are in very serious condition. Can we trust the Iranians to keep a deal they agree to with the U.S. while Israel just sits fuming and waiting. Can we trust the Mullahs not to murder the tens of thousands of protesters they know about and who trusted the U.S. to remove their regime. No, is my answer to all of that. Finally, folks, did the U.S./Israeli war machine kill the new Supreme Leader's father, mother, sister, nephew and brother-in-law. My research indicates that the answer is yes and if so what does that say about the prospects of peace. Would you make peace if you were him or would you say no we will fight to the last drop of blood. Yes, me too. Does the last drop of revenge include atomic weapons in the hands of terrorists. I pray that it does not. At least that's the way I see it, Until next time folks, This is Darrell Castle, Thanks for listening.

When Ayatollah Khamenei was assassinated early in the Iran conflict, and during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, it was celebrated by the Trump administration – who saw this as a large step towards regime change in Iran. Yet, for Khamenei's supporters, his death secured him a place amongst other celebrated Iranian martyrs. Shia Islam has a long tradition of martyrdom, something under-appreciated in the global West, and which goes some way to explaining why the current regime has survived in the face of external threats. Yet, as Dr Eric Lob explains, there is still nuance between the faith of the theocratic regime and those adherents of Shia Islam in the country who are less political.Eric Lob, associate professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University joins Damian Thompson to discuss.Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Ayatollah Khamenei was assassinated early in the Iran conflict, and during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, it was celebrated by the Trump administration – who saw this as a large step towards regime change in Iran. Yet, for Khamenei's supporters, his death secured him a place amongst other celebrated Iranian martyrs. Shia Islam has a long tradition of martyrdom, something under-appreciated in the global West, and which goes some way to explaining why the current regime has survived in the face of external threats. Yet, as Dr Eric Lob explains, there is still nuance between the faith of the theocratic regime and those adherents of Shia Islam in the country who are less political.Eric Lob, associate professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University joins Damian Thompson to discuss.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NEWS WEAKLY – The Story of KarbalaThis week, I step away from the headlines to tell one of the most powerful stories in the Muslim world: the Battle of Karbala. The death of Husain ibn Ali in 680 CE shaped the split between Sunni and Shia Islam and created a moral narrative about power, justice, and martyrdom that still echoes through modern politics, from Karachi to Tehran.It's a very different episode, but I feel like it's a central element missing from the analysis and understanding of Iran and the IRGC's self perception, global Shia empathy towards the Ayatollah, and how the Iranian government has become that which it purports to hate.Shenanigans and tomfoolery will be back next week. Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn the essential English news vocabulary you need to understand the latest headlines about Iran's new leader. This lesson is perfect for intermediate learners who want to improve their fluency and follow world news with confidence.

pWotD Episode 3226: Iran Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 410,897 views on Monday, 2 March 2026 our article of the day is Iran.Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. With a population of over 92 million, Iran ranks 17th globally in both geographic size and population and is the sixth-largest country in Asia. It is divided into five regions with 31 provinces. Tehran is the nation's capital, largest city, and financial center.Home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, most of Iran was first united as a nation by the Medes under Cyaxares in the 7th century BC and reached its territorial height in the 6th century BC, when Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire. Alexander the Great conquered the empire in the 4th century BC. An Iranian rebellion in the 3rd century BC established the Parthian Empire, which later liberated the country. In the 3rd century AD, the Parthians were succeeded by the Sasanian Empire, which oversaw a golden age in the history of Iranian civilization. During this period, ancient Iran saw some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanization, religion, and administration. Once a center for Zoroastrianism, Iran underwent Islamization following the 7th century AD Muslim conquest. Innovations in literature, philosophy, mathematics, medicine, astronomy and art were renewed during the Islamic Golden Age and Iranian Intermezzo, a period during which Iranian Muslim dynasties ended Arab rule and revived the Persian language. This era was followed by Seljuk and Khwarazmian rule, Mongol conquests and the Timurid Renaissance from the 11th to 14th centuries.In the 16th century, the native Safavid dynasty re-established a unified Iranian state with Twelver Shia Islam as the official religion, laying the framework for the modern state of Iran. During the Afsharid Empire in the 18th century, Iran was a leading world power, but it lost this status after the Qajars took power in the 1790s. The early 20th century saw the Persian Constitutional Revolution and the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty by Reza Shah, who ousted the last Qajar Shah in 1925. Following the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941, his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi rose to power. Attempts by Mohammad Mosaddegh to nationalize the oil industry led to the Anglo-American coup in 1953. The Iranian Revolution in 1979 overthrew the monarchy, and the Islamic Republic of Iran was established by Ruhollah Khomeini, the country's first supreme leader. In 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, sparking the eight-year-long Iran–Iraq War, which ended in a stalemate. Iran has since been involved in proxy wars with Israel and Saudi Arabia; in June 2025, Israeli strikes on Iran escalated tensions into the Twelve-Day War. Following the war and amid a growing economic crisis, potentially the largest protests since 1979 erupted in late December 2025. The United States and Israel launched a major attack on Iran with the stated goal of regime change in late February 2026.Iran's government is an Islamic theocracy governed by elected and unelected institutions, with ultimate authority vested in the supreme leader. While it holds elections, key offices, including the head of state and military, are not subject to public vote. The Iranian government is an authoritarian regime which has been widely criticized internationally due to its poor human rights record, including restrictions on freedom of assembly, expression, and the press, as well as its treatment of women, ethnic minorities, and political dissidents. International observers have raised concerns over the fairness of its electoral processes, especially the vetting of candidates by unelected bodies such as the Guardian Council. Iran maintains a centrally planned economy with significant state ownership in key sectors, though private enterprise exists alongside this. It is a middle power, due to its large reserves of fossil fuels (including the world's second largest natural gas supply and third largest proven oil reserves), its geopolitically significant location, and its role as the world's focal point of Shia Islam. Iran is a threshold state with one of the most scrutinized nuclear programs, which it claims is solely for civilian purposes; however, the IAEA, a United Nations (UN) agency tasked with monitoring the production of nuclear weapons, has on two occasions found Iran to be non-compliant with its safeguards obligations. It is a founding member of the UN and a member state of numerous international organisations. Iran has 29 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the 10th-highest in the world) and ranks 4th in intangible cultural heritage or human treasures.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 16:11 UTC on Thursday, 5 March 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Iran on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Danielle.

I think the biggest mistake made so far was the assassination of Ayatollah Khomenei --- who was a moderate, not a hardliner and held the role of Supreme Leader since 1989 – he was actually deeply loved despite other problems with Guardian Council Even one GOP senator ahs tried to walk back that the US didn't target him We don't know whether it was a US or Israel missile that killed Khomenei, his step son and step daughter and his young granddaughter I think the US and Israel lost this war after this assassination because they don't understand Shia Islam…

The world is not going to be the same after today. What we have just witnessed is not only the killing of a leader, president, or military leader, but the death of the highest religious leader of Shia Islam. What does this mean for the Church in Iran?

Today's HeadlinesGlobal Day of Action for Iran sees solidarity protests and Pahlavi's Munich speechA dispute over words points to the need for Christian diplomacy in LebanonWorldviews coincide: What happens when Lent and Ramadan overlap?

Joining Wayne Shepherd, Abdu Murray recounts his conversion from Shia Islam to Christianity and discusses his book, Fake ID, about AI and gender ideology.   (click for more...) Website:  https://embracethetruth.orgYouTube:  www.youtube.com/@AbduMurrayOfficialIn this First Person interview, Abdu Murray recounts his nine-year journey from devout Shiite Islam to Christian faith, describing how rigorous study, thoughtful dialogue with Christians, and a deep search for truth led him to conclude that Christianity uniquely answers both intellectual and existential questions, particularly through the self-sacrificial love of Christ demonstrated on the cross. He explains the personal cost of conversion, including challenges to identity and family relationships, while emphasizing the spiritual closeness to God that often comes through suffering. Murray also discusses his book Fake ID, arguing that the combined forces of “AI mania” and gender identity ideology are contributing to a cultural “reality collapse” by eroding objective truth and authentic human personhood. He contends that both trends push society toward seeing humans either as machines or self-created gods, ultimately denying God as Creator, and concludes that the only stable anchor for truth and identity is the Christian understanding of personhood grounded in the image of God as revealed in Scripture.                                      NEXT WEEK:  Michele AltmanSend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

Today's HeadlinesLebanon seeking stability as Hezbollah resists changeAs sanctions close in, a closer look at Iran's relationshipsNew opportunities come from gospel resources

Pastor Ken Ortize explores how today's peace efforts could fulfill prophecies written thousands of years ago in Ezekiel 38–39.In this episode, Ken traces the roots of the Arab–Israeli conflict, examines the divide between Sunni and Shia Islam, and reveals why nations like Iran and Turkey play a central role in end-times events.Listen as Ken connects biblical prophecy to current headlines — and reminds believers that no matter how chaotic the world becomes, God's plan is unfolding exactly as He promised.

Today's HeadlinesLebanon approves objectives to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the yearGlobal conflict deepens isolation for Deaf communitiesFrom West to the world, MAF supporting new generation of national missionaries

Send us a textEpisode 87 of 'The Open Forum' where Christians, Atheists are invited to join the discussion. Guests will be invited on a first come first serve basis. Please note we can only have a maximum of 10 panelists (including efdawah panelists) at any one time.Link to join the panel: TEARS OF GAZA Donation Link: https://givebrite.com/gazacrisis© 2025 EFDawah All Rights ReservedWebsite : https://efdawah.com/https://www.patreon.com/EFDawahhttps://gofund.me/7cb27d17https://www.paypal.me/EFDawahhttps://www.cashbackmycharity.co.uk/?...https://www.facebook.com/efdawah/Timestamps:00:00 - Intro01:05 - EF Dawah Panel join: Format of the Stream05:29 - Ramon (Ex-Shia) joins07:05 - Claim about Qur'an being the only miracle 09:08 - Evaluating Ramon's past & present beliefs12:09 - Origins of Shia Islam 13:30 - Foundations of the beliefs of Sunnis14:31 - Scrutinizing the beliefs of Ramon16:06 - Discussing the Criteria of Hadiths' Reliability20:35 - Issues with the Claims of Ramon23:24 - The Prophet's miracle of Divine Protection33:58 - The Miracle of the Prophet's Night Journey 35:09 - Qur'an & Hadith: Reliability & Transmission 40:58 - Examining Ramon's beliefs about the hadith 49:23 - Analysing the nature of Prophet's miracles 53:37 - Advice to Ramon about following the hadith 55:56 - Message to Ramon about hadiths' credibility1:01:42 - Sameer joins1:03:09 - Claims about the Authenticity of the Hadith1:04:02 - Sameer shares his background 1:05:42 - Wisdom of prohibition of alcohol in Islam1:06:38 - Scrutinizing the beliefs of Sameer1:08:57 - Argument of a hadith contradicting Qur'an1:10:38 - Debunking the Argument about the Hadith 1:12:18 - The Truth about Anti-Islam Arguments 1:14:31 - Message to Muslims: Dealing with Doubts Support the show

Syria is facing perhaps its gravest crisis since the fall of the Assad regime last December. It began with sectarian clashes between Druze and Bedouins in the southern province of Sweida. Hundreds of people are reported to have been killed since sectarian clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes erupted in the province on Sunday. The Druze religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs. In addition to Syria, there are sizeable communities of Druze in Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. Edward Stourton speaks to Dr Omar Imady, Senior Fellow, Centre for Syrian studies.Roman Catholic Cardinal Pizzaballa and the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem have been visiting the Christian communities in Gaza and delivering 500 tons of aid after the Church of the Holy Family was hit by an Israeli Strike. Two women aged 84 and 69 were killed along with the 60-year-old janitor of the church. Nine others were injured including the parish priest Fr Gabriel Romanelli. The office of the Israeli PM issued a statement saying it regrets that stray munition hit the church and that it is committed to protecting civilians and holy sites. Sunday hears from Anton Asfar of the Catholic relief agency Caritas - he's based in Bethlehem but works closely with the Holy Family parish as well as Cardinal Vincent Nichols.One hundred years ago, the trial of John T Scopes began, where a US high school teacher was charged by the state of Tennessee for teaching the theories of evolution. Nick Spencer, is senior fellow at the Christian think tank Theos. He joined the commemorative events, and, speaking from Dayton Tennessee, he told Edward Stourton why the trial attracted so much attention.Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Catherine Murray Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Studio Managers: Jack Morris & Olivia Miceli Editor: Tim Pemberton

pWotD Episode 2997: Druze Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 197,037 views on Wednesday, 16 July 2025 our article of the day is Druze.The Druze ( DROOZ; Arabic: دَرْزِيّ, darzī or دُرْزِيّ durzī, pl. دُرُوز, durūz), who call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (lit. 'the monotheists' or 'the unitarians'), are an Arab esoteric religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and syncretic religion whose main tenets assert the unity of God, reincarnation, and the eternity of the soul.Although the Druze faith developed from Isma'ilism, Druze do not identify as Muslims. They maintain Arabic language and culture as integral parts of their identity, with Arabic being their primary language. Most Druze religious practices are kept secret, and conversion to their religion is not permitted for outsiders. Interfaith marriages are rare and strongly discouraged. They differentiate between spiritual individuals, known as "uqqāl", who hold the faith's secrets, and secular ones, known as "juhhāl", who focus on worldly matters. Druze believe that, after completing the cycle of rebirth through successive reincarnations, the soul reunites with the Cosmic Mind (al-ʻaql al-kullī).The Epistles of Wisdom is the foundational and central text of the Druze faith. The Druze faith originated in Isma'ilism (a branch of Shia Islam), and has been influenced by a diverse range of traditions, including Christianity, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Pythagoreanism. This has led to the development of a distinct and secretive theology, characterized by an esoteric interpretation of scripture that emphasizes the importance of the mind and truthfulness. Druze beliefs include the concepts of theophany and reincarnation.The Druze hold Shuaib in high regard, believing him to be the same person as the biblical Jethro. They regard Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and the Isma'ili Imam Muhammad ibn Isma'il as prophets. Additionally, Druze tradition honors figures such as Salman the Persian, al-Khidr (whom they identify with Elijah, John the Baptist and Saint George), Job, Luke the Evangelist, and others as "mentors" and "prophets".The Druze faith is one of the major religious groups in the Levant, with between 800,000 and a million adherents. They are primarily located in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, with smaller communities in Jordan. They make up 5.5% of Lebanon's population, 3% of Syria's and 1.6% of Israel's. The oldest and most densely populated Druze communities exist in Mount Lebanon and in the south of Syria around Jabal al-Druze (literally the "Mountain of the Druze"). The Druze community played a critically important role in shaping the history of the Levant, where it continues to play a significant political role. As a religious minority, they have often faced persecution from various Muslim regimes, including contemporary Islamic extremism.Several theories about the origins of the Druze have been proposed, with the Arabian hypothesis being the most widely accepted among historians, intellectuals, and religious leaders within the Druze community. This hypothesis significantly influences the Druze's self-perception, cultural identity, and both oral and written traditions. It suggests that the Druze are descended from 12 Arab tribes that migrated to Syria before and during the early Islamic period. This perspective is accepted by the entire Druze communities in Syria and Lebanon, as well as by most Druze in Israel.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:47 UTC on Thursday, 17 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Druze on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Ruth.

Today's guest is Milica Javdan, a political scientist and activist in the Iranian opposition's women's movement. In this episode, Alon and Milica discuss what work the Iranian opposition is undertaking, both inside and outside Iran, the impact of Israeli and US attacks on Iran and how that impacts the relationship of the Iranian people with the regime, and the prospect of regime change in Iran. Full bio Milica Javdan is a political scientist focusing on political theory regarding Shia Islam's understanding of just governance. She has been active in the Iranian opposition's women's movement for over 22 years, and serves as the Chairwoman of the Norwegian Iranian Women's Network, Norway's branch of Women's Human Rights International Association (WHRIA), a global umbrella organization. In this capacity, she has participated in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva for more than 12 years, promoting the rights of women and ethnic and religious minorities in Iran. She frequently appears in Norwegian media and political podcasts as an analyst commenting on issues concerning human rights in Iran.

Renowned Israeli historian Benny Morris joins The Winston Marshall Show for a piercing and provocative conversation on the origins of the historic conflict between Israel and Iran — and why the West still doesn't understand it.Morris dismantles the popular narrative that Zionism was a colonial project, explaining how Jewish statehood was born out of historical necessity, persecution, and repeated rejection by Arab leaders. He charts the trajectory from 1948 to October 7th, tracing a consistent refusal to accept Israel's existence.They explore the role of religion in the conflict, the enduring power of jihadist ideology, and the failure of peace processes built on Western illusions.All this — Middle East myths, Hamas, U.S. naivety, and why history keeps repeating itself in the Holy Land…See the extended conversation here: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA:Substack: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/X: https://twitter.com/mrwinmarshallInsta: https://www.instagram.com/winstonmarshallLinktree: https://linktr.ee/winstonmarshall----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapters0:00 Introduction 2:05 Iranian Regime's Messianic Outlook and Historical Context 10:33 Islamic Conquests and Jewish Communities 15:59 Shia Islam and Relationship with Jews 20:05 Iranian Revolution and Relations with Israel 30:08 Development of Iranian Proxies 39:14 JCPOA Deal and Its Implications 50:57 Trump's Withdrawal from the JCPOA 55:26 Impact of the 2023 Conflict on Iranian Proxies 1:13:26 Future of Hamas and Palestinian Resistance 1:24:00 Netanyahu's Image and Israel's Conflict with Iran 1:26:33 The Hostage Situation and Hamas' Ideology 1:29:31 Hamas' Demands and Netanyahu's Response 1:30:56 Hezbollah's Weakened Position and Israeli Operations 1:33:30 Potential Outcomes of the War with Iran1:36:20 Regime Change and Future Relations with the Islamic World Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Franks speaks to a British-Syrian Alawite who came under attack, along with her family, during the sectarian violence on Syria's coast in March.The Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam and its followers make up around 10 per cent of Syria's population, which is majority Sunni.The recent violence came after fighters loyal to the country's overthrown former president, Bashar al-Assad, who is an Alawite himself, led deadly raids on the new government's security forces.Those attacks resurrected deep-seated anger over Assad's repressive dictatorship, with Alawite civilians seen by some as complicit in the crimes of his regime - and as part of the insurgency that followed his fall.The new Sunni Islamist-led government had called for support from various military units and militia groups to respond to the attacks on its security forces – which then escalated into a wave of sectarian anger aimed at Alawite civilians.Human rights groups estimate that around 900 civilians, mainly Alawites, were killed by pro-government forces across Syria's coastal region in early March.The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.Presenter: Tim Franks Producer: Ben Cooper Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

You can find out more about James Rayment here:WEBSITEYOUTUBECultish is a 100% crowdfunded ministry. Partner with us & be part of the mission to mission to change lives.Please consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel: CultishTV.com

WHERE DO DEMONS come from? The Book of 1 Enoch answers that question. This week, we discuss Enoch's mission to deliver God's reply to the petition of the rebel Watchers for mercy—not just for them, but for their monstrous offspring, the gigantic Nephilim. In short, God's reply was “no”—the Watchers would not be allowed back into heaven because they'd given up their divine natures and defiled themselves by acting like humans. That's not an insult, it's simply that the Watchers were created for the unseen realm while we are created for the natural world. That's why Jude describes these Watchers as having left their proper domain. Then God decreed the punishment of the giants:  And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men and from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; they shall be evil spirits on earth, and evil spirits shall they be called. (1 Enoch 15:8–10, R.H. Charles translation)Interestingly, this was the understanding of the pagan Greeks. We discuss Hesiod's description of the origin of daimones, from which we get the word “demon,” and the link between Greek demigods like Herakles and the Rephaim of the Canaanites, which were the spirits of the Nephilim.Question of the week: Have you seen the videos of the guy claiming to be the Mahdi and the true successor to Peter—the legitimate pope? (Yes. He's leading a small cult, an offshoot of the Twelver sect of Shia Islam.) Sharon's niece, Sarah Sachleben, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! Derek's new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! If you are looking for a text of the Book of 1 Enoch to follow our monthly study, you can try these sources: Parallel translations by R. H. Charles (1917) and Richard Laurence (1821) Modern English translation by George W. E. Nickelsburg and James VanderKam (link to book at Amazon)Book of 1 Enoch - Standard English Version by Dr. Jay Winter (link opens free PDF)Book of 1 Enoch - R. H. Charles translation (link opens free PDF) The SkyWatchTV store has a special offer on Dr. Michael Heiser's two-volume set A Companion to the Book of Enoch. Get both books, the R. H. Charles translation of 1 Enoch, and a DVD interview with Mike and Steven Bancarz for a donation of $35 plus shipping and handling. Link: https://bit.ly/heiser-enoch Follow us! • X: @gilberthouse_tv | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert• Telegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunker• YouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelation• Facebook.com/GilbertHouseFellowship JOIN US AND SPECIAL GUEST CARL TEICHRIB IN ISRAEL! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025 with an optional three-day extension to Jordan. For more information and to reserve your place, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech! The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/. Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site! Gilbert House T-shirts and mugs! New to our store is a line of GHTV and Redwing Saga merch! Check it out at GilbertHouse.org/store! Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store. Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the right-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org.

WHERE DO DEMONS come from? The Book of 1 Enoch answers that question. This week, we discuss Enoch's mission to deliver God's reply to the petition of the rebel Watchers for mercy—not just for them, but for their monstrous offspring, the gigantic Nephilim. In short, God's reply was “no”—the Watchers would not be allowed back into heaven because they'd given up their divine natures and defiled themselves by acting like humans. That's not an insult, it's simply that the Watchers were created for the unseen realm while we are created for the natural world. That's why Jude describes these Watchers as having left their proper domain. Then God decreed the punishment of the giants:  And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men and from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; they shall be evil spirits on earth, and evil spirits shall they be called. (1 Enoch 15:8–10, R.H. Charles translation) Interestingly, this was the understanding of the pagan Greeks. We discuss Hesiod's description of the origin of daimones, from which we get the word “demon,” and the link between Greek demigods like Herakles and the Rephaim of the Canaanites, which were the spirits of the Nephilim. Question of the week: Have you seen the videos of the guy claiming to be the Mahdi and the true successor to Peter—the legitimate pope? (Yes. He's leading a small cult, an offshoot of the Twelver sect of Shia Islam.)

Just hours after the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, we take a step back to examine the enduring role of religion in shaping global politics. As crises multiply and chaos spreads, a growing number of people, especially young adults, are turning back to faith. But what does this resurgence mean for international relations?We explore how religious structures—from the hierarchy of the Catholic Church to the decentralised force of Evangelicals—shape policy differently. We dive into the influence of Orthodox Christianity in Russia, Sunni and Shia Islam in the Middle East, and the unique roles played by Confucianism in China and even Buddhism on the global stage.From legitimising war and empire to underpinning human rights discourse, religion has always had a seat at the table of power. The question is—how will that seat be used now?This podcast is published with the help of RAIA NOW gUG but is an individual project between the Director of RAIA Dario Hasenstab and Balder Hageraats. If you would like to get in touch with us, write us an email at thewesternbubble@gmail.com.

As Syria emerges from decades of dictatorship, people in the Assad family's ancestral home of Latakia province are both overjoyed and anxious. Assad and his family are Alawite, an offshoot of Shia Islam, and the people of his former region fear the new Sunni-controlled government will target them. Leila Molana-Allen reports from Assad's hometown, a crumbling vestige of the regime. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

As Syria emerges from decades of dictatorship, people in the Assad family's ancestral home of Latakia province are both overjoyed and anxious. Assad and his family are Alawite, an offshoot of Shia Islam, and the people of his former region fear the new Sunni-controlled government will target them. Leila Molana-Allen reports from Assad's hometown, a crumbling vestige of the regime. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Join America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio co-hosts Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy with Yaakov Katz, bestselling author of “Shadow Strike – Inside Israel's Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power”, “Weapon Wizards – How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower” and “Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War.” Shadow Strike was recently adapted into a docudrama by Reshet Media and his books have been published in a number of languages including English, Hebrew, Czech, Polish, Japanese and Mandarin. Yaakov's forthcoming books – tentatively titled “Precision Strike” and "While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East" are scheduled for publication by St. Martin's Press in 2025. Yaakov Katz is the senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, as well as columnist and former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. Key topics on America's Roundtable with Yaakov Katz: — Update on the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and its potential fallout - impacting Israel, the region and the United States. — Yaakov Katz's op-ed via Newsweek: "Israel Can Save the World From a Nuclear Iran. It Must Strike Now." (https://www.newsweek.com/israel-can-save-world-nuclear-iran-it-must-strike-now-opinion-1999951) — How will the incoming Trump administration's policies impact the Middle East and US-Israel relations. — The future of the Abraham Accords. Will Saudi Arabia take the historic step and officially recognize the Jewish state of Israel? — ICC's arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, its assault on Israel and the US, and how it adversely affects the West's rule of law nations. Yaakov served for close to a decade as the Jerusalem Report's military reporter and defense analyst and was a lecturer at Harvard University where he taught an advanced course in journalism. He also served as Israel correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly. Prior to taking up the role of editor-in-chief, Yaakov served for two years as a senior policy adviser to Naftali Bennett during his tenure as Israel's Minister of Economy and Minister of Diaspora Affairs. In 2013, Yaakov was one of 12 international fellows to spend a year at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. americasrt.com (https://americasrt.com/) https://ileaderssummit.org/ | https://jerusalemleaderssummit.com/ America's Roundtable on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/americas-roundtable/id1518878472 X: @yaakovkatz @ileaderssummit @NatashaSrdoc @JoelAnandUSA @supertalk America's Roundtable is co-hosted by Natasha Srdoc and Joel Anand Samy, co-founders of International Leaders Summit and the Jerusalem Leaders Summit. America's Roundtable (https://americasrt.com/) radio program - a strategic initiative of International Leaders Summit, focuses on America's economy, healthcare reform, rule of law, security and trade, and its strategic partnership with rule of law nations around the world. The radio program features high-ranking US administration officials, cabinet members, members of Congress, state government officials, distinguished diplomats, business and media leaders and influential thinkers from around the world. Tune into America's Roundtable Radio program from Washington, DC via live streaming on Saturday mornings via 65 radio stations at 7:30 A.M. (ET) on Lanser Broadcasting Corporation covering the Michigan and the Midwest market, and at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk Mississippi — SuperTalk.FM reaching listeners in every county within the State of Mississippi, and neighboring states in the South including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. Listen to America's Roundtable on digital platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Google and other key online platforms. Listen live, Saturdays at 7:30 A.M. (CT) on SuperTalk | https://www.supertalk.fm

In this episode of The Spiritual Rabbit Hole, Nicole, Glenda and Kristin explore the world of Islam, from its meaning—"submission to the will of God"—to its foundational beliefs. We'll cover the Five Pillars, which shape Muslim life, and trace the history of Islam, from the Prophet Muhammad's revelations to the faith's rapid spread across regions. You'll also learn about the differences between Sunni and Shia Islam, the mystical practices of Sufism, and Islam's cultural impact during its Golden Age. Finally, we touch on spiritual experiences, like Prophet Muhammad's revelations and Prophet Joseph's gift for dream interpretation. To learn more about Nicole, Kristin, and Glenda and their spiritual community, visit the Soul on a Voyage website, ⁠soulonavoyage.com⁠. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Nicole Glosser, you may do so through her website, ⁠nicoleglosser.com⁠. To find out more about the services Kristin Daniels has to offer, visit her website ⁠balancewithKristin.com⁠. If you want to work with Glenda, email her at ⁠gsintuitivecalling@gmail.com⁠.

We review the absurdity of viewing ethics and truth as depending on person, group or culture, like it would for one's taste in ice cream or music.In Messiah: 2030 ­ an astounding, bold and very biblically focused little book ­ Clive Douglas Campbell makes the case that biblical and historical chronology, as well as the figurative meanings of biblical texts, indicate the year but not the day and hour of the coming of the Messiah, God¹s King Who is coming to reign. In addition to a strong case being made for a seven-millennia plan and time line of God, Campbell puts forward some astounding new thoughts:Between probably 4 1/2 billion B.C. and 3966 B.C., the earth was further from the sun. The creation "week," which began in 3970 B.C., was seven years long. The moon is a figure for the Holy Spirit in the fourth "day" of the creation "week." The garden of Eden was at the site of Jerusalem. God likely tilted the earth's axis at the Fall. The World Trade Center Towers are in the Bible. The fifth Arab-Israeli war will be over in 2003. Animal sacrifices at a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem will begin about 2020. At the Rapture, in 2023, the Lord will return with Moses and Elijah,both who have immortal bodies, to receive "the dead in Christ" and those "who are alive and remain," respectively. The Antichrist will come out of the ten-nation C.I.S.Druze (/ˈdruːz/ DROOZ;[19] Arabic: دَرْزِيّ, darzī or دُرْزِيّ durzī, pl. دُرُوز, durūz), who call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (lit. 'the monotheists' or 'the unitarians'),[20]are an Arab and Arabic-speaking esotericethnoreligious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion whose main tenets assert the unity of God, reincarnation, and the eternity of the soul.Most Druze religious practices are kept secret. The Druze do not permit outsiders to convert to their religion. Marriage outside the Druze faith is rare and strongly discouraged. The Druze maintain Arabic language and culture as integral parts of their identity, and Arabic is their primary language.The Epistles of Wisdom is the foundational and central text of the Druze faith. The Druze faith originated in Isma'ilism (a branch of Shia Islam),and was influenced by Christianity, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Zoroastrianism, Gandharan Buddhism, Manichaeism,Pythagoreanism, and other philosophies and beliefs, creating a distinct and secretive theology based on an esoteric interpretation of scripture, which emphasizes the role of the mind and truthfulness. Druze believe in theophany and reincarnation.

The Outer Realm Radio welcomes Leo Lyon Zagami. Hosts: Michelle Desrochers, Amelia Pisano Date: May 29th, 2024 Episode: 444 Discussion: Leo will be talking about his latest book " CONFESSIONS OF AN ILLUMINATI -VOLUME 10 -Islamic Freemasonry and the Secret Societies Behind the Eternal Conflict in the Middle East" Please Support us: Like, Subscribe, Share, Comment About Our Guest: Leo Lyon Zagami has written over a dozen books, including the best seller Pope Francis: The Last Pope? released in the U.S. by CCC Publishing. In 2019, Leo moved to Palm Springs, California with his wife, Christy, who runs Cursum Perficio publishing house to avoid political and religious persecution in Europe. This book, like Volume 4, Volume 5, Volume 6.66,Volume 7, and Volume 9 was written in the English language, and not translated from Italian like previous books. Volume 10 is the result of almost three decades of research, personal experience, and studies conducted by the author in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and Turkey. This is his first book published as a recently naturalized American citizen. About The Book: The Rosicrucian manifestos, Freemasons, and the Illuminati have all been profoundly influenced by Islam and by Arabic, Persian, and Turkish culture. For example, Aleister Crowley,with is new pseudo religion, Thelema, and even Adolph Hitler,who embraced the secret practices of Turkish Sufi Freemasons.As the crisis in the Middle East intensifies, you will read about the dangerous secrets that connect the Western Illuminati and their Middle Eastern counterparts. Earlier on, the Knights Templar worshipped a mysterious figure called Baphomet, who was inspired by a secret alliance with the Order of Assassins, a sect within the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam which laid the foundations of modern Jihadism. Jihadists are the nail in the coffin that the Illuminati are employing to destroy Western Civilization and manifest the Apocalypse, but nobody has ever explained how they reached this crucial role thanks to Freemasonry and Sufism. For the first time, Leo Zagami, who was once involved with Islam on behalf of the Illuminati as Khaled Saifullah Khan,helps us understand the involvement of the many different sects and denominations of this religion, and the discovery of the mysterious Cairo Lodge, whose knowledge predates the rise of Islam, in the eternal conflict in the Middle East. The author also includes personal shocking revelations about his only son now in the hands of the main Islamic representative of the World Economic Forum. Find The Book:Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4TJY5PH?ref=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_S5TPN48RWMA353DC1QCP&ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_S5TPN48RWMA353DC1QCP&social_share=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_S5TPN48RWMA353DC1QCP&language=en_US Links: X https://x.com/OrdoUniversalis Rumble https://rumble.com/user/LeoZagami YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@theleozagamishow-lesule/videos If you enjoy the content on the channel, please support us by “Liking, Subscribing, Sharing and Commenting: Thank you All A formal disclaimer: The opinions and information presented or expressed by guests on The Outer Realm Radio are not necessarily those of the TOR Hosts, Sponsors, or the United Public Radio Network and its producers. We will however always be respectful and courteous to all involved. Thank you, we appreciate you all!

The Outer Realm Radio welcomes Leo Lyon Zagami. Hosts: Michelle Desrochers, Amelia Pisano Date: May 29th, 2024 Episode: 444 Discussion: Leo will be talking about his latest book " CONFESSIONS OF AN ILLUMINATI -VOLUME 10 -Islamic Freemasonry and the Secret Societies Behind the Eternal Conflict in the Middle East" Please Support us: Like, Subscribe, Share, Comment About Our Guest: Leo Lyon Zagami has written over a dozen books, including the best seller Pope Francis: The Last Pope? released in the U.S. by CCC Publishing. In 2019, Leo moved to Palm Springs, California with his wife, Christy, who runs Cursum Perficio publishing house to avoid political and religious persecution in Europe. This book, like Volume 4, Volume 5, Volume 6.66,Volume 7, and Volume 9 was written in the English language, and not translated from Italian like previous books. Volume 10 is the result of almost three decades of research, personal experience, and studies conducted by the author in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and Turkey. This is his first book published as a recently naturalized American citizen. About The Book: The Rosicrucian manifestos, Freemasons, and the Illuminati have all been profoundly influenced by Islam and by Arabic, Persian, and Turkish culture. For example, Aleister Crowley,with is new pseudo religion, Thelema, and even Adolph Hitler,who embraced the secret practices of Turkish Sufi Freemasons.As the crisis in the Middle East intensifies, you will read about the dangerous secrets that connect the Western Illuminati and their Middle Eastern counterparts. Earlier on, the Knights Templar worshipped a mysterious figure called Baphomet, who was inspired by a secret alliance with the Order of Assassins, a sect within the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam which laid the foundations of modern Jihadism. Jihadists are the nail in the coffin that the Illuminati are employing to destroy Western Civilization and manifest the Apocalypse, but nobody has ever explained how they reached this crucial role thanks to Freemasonry and Sufism. For the first time, Leo Zagami, who was once involved with Islam on behalf of the Illuminati as Khaled Saifullah Khan,helps us understand the involvement of the many different sects and denominations of this religion, and the discovery of the mysterious Cairo Lodge, whose knowledge predates the rise of Islam, in the eternal conflict in the Middle East. The author also includes personal shocking revelations about his only son now in the hands of the main Islamic representative of the World Economic Forum. Find The Book:Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4TJY5PH?ref=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_S5TPN48RWMA353DC1QCP&ref_=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_S5TPN48RWMA353DC1QCP&social_share=cm_sw_r_mwn_dp_S5TPN48RWMA353DC1QCP&language=en_US Links: X https://x.com/OrdoUniversalis Rumble https://rumble.com/user/LeoZagami YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@theleozagamishow-lesule/videos If you enjoy the content on the channel, please support us by “Liking, Subscribing, Sharing and Commenting: Thank you All A formal disclaimer: The opinions and information presented or expressed by guests on The Outer Realm Radio are not necessarily those of the TOR Hosts, Sponsors, or the United Public Radio Network and its producers. We will however always be respectful and courteous to all involved. Thank you, we appreciate you all!

Send us a Text Message.SUBSCRIBE TO GET ACCESS & RECEIVE THE EXCLUSIVE FULL LENGTH AUDIO INTERVIEWS!https://www.buzzsprout.com/2308373/subscribeBECOME A MEMBER ON PATREON TO RECEIVE THE FULL LENGTH VIDEO INTERVIEWS.https://www.patreon.com/beyondtheforbiddenThe Rosicrucian manifestos, Freemasons, and the Illuminati have all been profoundly influenced by Islam and by Arabic, Persian, and Turkish culture. For example, Aleister Crowley, with his new pseudo religion, Thelema, and even Adolph Hitler, who embraced the secret practices of Turkish Sufi Freemasons. As the crisis in the Middle East intensifies, you will read about the dangerous secrets that connect the Western Illuminati and their Middle Eastern counterparts.Earlier on, the Knights Templar worshipped a mysterious figure called Baphomet, who was inspired by a secret alliance with the Order of Assassins, a sect within the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam which laid the foundations of modern Jihadism.Jihadists are the nail in the coffin that the Illuminati are employing to destroy Western Civilization and manifest the Apocalypse, but nobody has ever explained how they reached this crucial role thanks to Freemasonry and Sufism.For the first time, Leo Zagami, who was once involved with Islam on behalf of the Illuminati as Khaled Saifullah Khan, helps us understand the involvement of the many different sects and denominations of this religion, and the discovery of the mysterious Cairo Lodge, whose knowledge predates the rise of Islam, in the eternal conflict in the Middle East. The author also includes personal shocking revelations about his only son now in the hands of the main Islamic representative of the World Economic Forum.BUY LEO'S BOOK HERE:https://a.co/d/5S4eihGSupport the Show.

Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Text Message.The Rosicrucian manifestos, Freemasons, and the Illuminati have all been profoundly influenced by Islam and by Arabic, Persian, and Turkish culture. For example, Aleister Crowley, with his new pseudo religion, Thelema, and even Adolph Hitler, who embraced the secret practices of Turkish Sufi Freemasons. As the crisis in the Middle East intensifies, you will read about the dangerous secrets that connect the Western Illuminati and their Middle Eastern counterparts.Earlier on, the Knights Templar worshipped a mysterious figure called Baphomet, who was inspired by a secret alliance with the Order of Assassins, a sect within the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam which laid the foundations of modern Jihadism.Jihadists are the nail in the coffin that the Illuminati are employing to destroy Western Civilization and manifest the Apocalypse, but nobody has ever explained how they reached this crucial role thanks to Freemasonry and Sufism.For the first time, Leo Zagami, who was once involved with Islam on behalf of the Illuminati as Khaled Saifullah Khan, helps us understand the involvement of the many different sects and denominations of this religion, and the discovery of the mysterious Cairo Lodge, whose knowledge predates the rise of Islam, in the eternal conflict in the Middle East. The author also includes personal shocking revelations about his only son now in the hands of the main Islamic representative of the World Economic Forum.BUY LEO'S BOOK HERE:https://a.co/d/5S4eihG

Dive into the labyrinthine world of secret societies and ancient mysteries with Leo Zagami in his electrifying podcast, where he unveils his latest book, "Confessions of Illuminati, Volume 10." Journey with Zagami as he pulls back the veil on Islamic Freemasonry and the tumultuous Middle East conflict, offering an unflinching look at truths that many prefer to ignore. This is not a dialogue for the faint-hearted but a clarion call for honesty, challenging censorship, and embracing uncomfortable truths. In this groundbreaking episode, Zagami emphasizes the necessity of open dialogue to dismantle confusion and brainwashing, particularly within academic circles. His book, resonating in Islamic academic rankings without backlash, highlights a global hunger for understanding and truth. Through an exploration of the Muslim Brotherhood's impact, Egypt's political landscape under Mubarak, Obama's Middle East policy, and the fragmented nature of Islam, Zagami provides a nuanced view that avoids taking sides or offending any group. Zagami shares his personal experiences within the Islamic world, recounting his involvement with the Gulen Movement and the aftermath of the 2016 Turkish coup attempt. He dissects the intricate interplay of politics and religion in Islam, touching on the early fragmentation post-Prophet Muhammad, the emergence of Shia Islam, and the influence of the Fatimid dynasty. From the origins of the Illuminati and Freemasons to the controversial depiction of Baphomet, no stone is left unturned. The conversation delves into historical alliances, such as those between the Knights Templars and Assassins, and their enduring influence on events like 9/11. Zagami illuminates the evolution of holy war concepts in Christianity through Islamic encounters and traces the rise and fall of knightly orders, showcasing their contributions and ethical quandaries. Zagami highlights the flourishing of Islamic culture during its Golden Age, the vital role of knowledge centers in Cairo and Baghdad, and their impact on the European Renaissance. He examines the historical forces, including the Ottoman and British Empires, that have shaped today's Middle Eastern crises. From the British support of Wahhabism to the enduring wisdom of ancient secret societies, Zagami paints a vivid picture of historical continuity and upheaval. Listeners will be captivated by discussions of the Order of Assassins, the tactics of historical warfare, and figures like Jamaleddin Al-Afghani, who shaped modern Islamic thought and movements. The origins of the Muslim Brotherhood, its Masonic connections, and the discovery of Egypt's first Masonic sword are meticulously explored, shedding light on the deep historical roots of Freemasonry in Egypt. Zagami navigates the complex legacy of figures like Aleister Crowley, whose ties to Islamic societies and mystical brotherhoods reveal a fascinating interplay of espionage, secret rituals, and cultural fusion. From MI5 and MI6 to the Tabula Rasa Lodge, Zagami's revelations about Crowley's ambitions and connections are both intriguing and chilling. As the conversation unfolds, the intricate web of historical events, conspiracy theories, and cultural interconnections becomes apparent. Zagami urges listeners to confront their own cultural histories critically, moving beyond blame to understand the multifaceted influences that shape our world. Through examining alliances, political manipulations, and historical research, Zagami calls for a deeper, more accurate engagement with the past to foster understanding and prevent future conflicts. Join Leo Zagami in this epic podcast adventure, where history, mysticism, and geopolitics intertwine in a narrative that challenges, enlightens, and compels. It's a journey into the heart of darkness and light, revealing the truths that lie hidden within the annals of time. Join host Michael Jaco, Ex-Navy Seal, who teaches you how to tap into your Intuition and Unleash the Power within, so you can become the Master of your Reality. Connect with Michael Jaco at his website - michaelkjaco.com Leo Zagami - leozagami.com Amazon: Confessions Of Illuminati 10 Leo's Books: https://cccpublishing.com

Episode 510: The Origins Of Secret Societies The Rosicrucian manifestos, Freemasons, and the Illuminati have all been profoundly influenced by Islam and by Arabic, Persian, and Turkish culture. For example, Aleister Crowley, with his new pseudo religion, Thelema, and even Adolph Hitler, who embraced the secret practices of Turkish Sufi Freemasons. As the crisis in the Middle East intensifies, you will read about the dangerous secrets that connect the Western Illuminati and their Middle Eastern counterparts.Earlier on, the Knights Templar worshipped a mysterious figure called Baphomet, who was inspired by a secret alliance with the Order of Assassins, a sect within the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam which laid the foundations of modern Jihadism.Jihadists are the nail in the coffin that the Illuminati are employing to destroy Western Civilization and manifest the Apocalypse, but nobody has ever explained how they reached this crucial role thanks to Freemasonry and Sufism.For the first time, Leo Zagami, who was once involved with Islam on behalf of the Illuminati as Khaled Saifullah Khan, helps us understand the involvement of the many different sects and denominations of this religion, and the discovery of the mysterious Cairo Lodge, whose knowledge predates the rise of Islam, in the eternal conflict in the Middle East. The author also includes personal shocking revelations about his only son now in the hands of the main Islamic representative of the World Economic Forum. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/michaeldecon/support

Today we will be covering a few topics: 1) Current Events 2) Off Grid Communications (Project Disconnect) 3) Iran / Hezbollah and what Shia Islam teaches 4) Understanding the threat and getting the solutions 5) God will prevail 6) Take dominion over your communications ANSWER I have for you Email me @ kingdombiz@protonmail.com Get on my email list @ https://kingdombusinesslifestyle.com Get my book on audio at https://bornagainaskings.com Or order on Amazon "Born Again As Kings" by Cory Gray Share this episode with your family. Ask them what their plan is if communications go out. It wiould be wise to have a solution in place to be able to reach family, and know what is going on in the country. Hit me up after listening to this and hear my solutin for you at my email. 

Millions of Muslims are accessing toxic content online, sometimes stumbling upon discussions about women and masculinity. The Red Pill vs woke liberal movement is gaining massive traction, attracting streamers and influencers who convert to Islam and are indoctrinated to believe that Shia Muslims are kuffar. Joining us is Brother Hassan Al-Qadri, who offers insights from an Islamic standpoint. This conversation is essential, covering topics from understanding feminism and masculinity in the eyes of Allah (swt) to reinforcing our Shia Muslim beliefs. Tune in for laughter, invaluable advice, and profound discussions.

FREE BOOK: Courtesy of IVP Academic, we are giving away two brand-new copies of the third edition of Win Corduan's landmark book, Neighboring Faiths - A Christian Introduction to World Religions. Just drop host Apologetics Profile host Daniel Ray an email with a current mailing address to DRAY@WATCHMAN.ORG. We will select at random two listeners and notify you by email if you have been selected.What is the best way to share the Gospel with someone from another religious tradition? There is no one right way, no simple formula for how to do it. But it is necessary to keep in mind the concept of contextualization. How cognizant are we of the biblical cultures and times? The cultures and beliefs of those with whom we are sharing the Gospel? Or, the assumptions and biases of our own culture and beliefs? Here on part two of our conversation with author, scholar, and world-religions expert Dr. Win Courduan, we examine some basic premises about contextualization and how Jesus "fits into" other faith traditions. Winfried Courduan (PhD, Rice University) is professor emeritus of philosophy and religion at Taylor University, Upland, Indiana. He has led many undergraduate tours focusing on the lived religious traditions of various parts of the world. He is the author of several books, including Handmaid to Theology, Reasonable Faith: Basic Christian Apologetics, Neighboring Faiths (3rd Edition), and A Tapestry of Faiths.Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles: Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Animism by James C. Ventress: www.watchman.org/Animism Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Pantheism by Dr. Douglas Groothuis: www.watchman.org/Pantheism Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Shi'a Islam by Dr. Mike Edens: www.watchman.org/Shia Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Tibetan Buddhism by Dr. C. Fred Smith: www.watchman.org/TB Additional ResourcesFREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Today, we delve into Surah al-Insan (76), verse 8, reflecting on the profound teachings it holds. But first, let's honor the birth of Imam Hasan ibn Ali, the revered second Imam of Shia Islam. Born into the esteemed lineage of the Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hasan's life was marked by wisdom, compassion, and unwavering devotion to his family. In a heartwarming tale narrated by Ibn Abbas, we glimpse into the selflessness of Imam Ali, Lady Fatima, and their noble children, Hasan and Husayn. Despite their own hunger, they sacrificed their meager provisions to feed a beggar, an orphan, and a war-captive, embodying the virtues of compassion and generosity. This story not only underscores the importance of selflessness and empathy but also exemplifies unwavering faith in Allah's providence. As we reflect on these timeless lessons, let us strive to emulate the noble example set by Imam Ali's family, fostering a culture of compassion and service in our communities. Join us as we explore the profound teachings of this narrative and draw inspiration from the enduring legacy of the Prophet Muhammad's noble family.

On this week's episode we overcome the temptation to take a week off recording and discuss the fascinating claims outlined in a post made to an Anonymous image board by someone claiming to be an initiate of the inner, esoteric core of the Alawite religion which abounds in Syria, originates as an occult off-shoot of 9th Shia Islam and resembles in its hidden teachings the wisdom of the early Christian Gnostics. In the free section of the show we explore a unique vision of the tyrannical gnostic demiurge, the obscure occult traditions which informed Freemasonry, the anatomy of the astral dimensions, reincarnation, the origin of the Jinn and what the archons have to do with aliens.  In the extended show we discuss the metaphysical origins of the demiurge, the Al-Dud or shadow of the soul, spirit gates upon the Earth, Alawite holy books, a simple edible recipe to induce lucid dreaming, Kabbalistic worlds, assassin Jesus, the gnostic Sophia and of course methods on how to visit the mind of God. Thank you and enjoy the show!In this week's episode we discuss:Origins of the Alawite ReligionTraditions of the Inner OrderThe Gnostic DemiurgeThe Dark GatesAnatomy of the Astral RealmHow to ManifestTemplar RitualsHow to Travel through the AstralSecrets of CreationReincarnation as Women and Insects?In the extended show available at www.patreon.com/TheWholeRabbit we go further to discuss:Shape of the Human SoulThe World of The FormsEscaping The SimulationThe “Lion” / YaldabaothThe ShadowFallen Angels and JinnVampiric GodsHomemade Lucid Dreaming Potion RecipeThoth / TehutiKing Solomon's PowerEach host is responsible for writing and creating the content they present. In the notes: red sections are written by Luke Madrid, green sections by Malachor 5, purple written by Heka Astra and blue by Mari Sama…Where to find The Whole Rabbit:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0AnJZhmPzaby04afmEWOAVInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_whole_rabbitTwitter: https://twitter.com/1WholeRabbitMusic By Spirit Travel Plaza: https://open.spotify.com/artist/30dW3WB1sYofnow7y3V0YoSources:Original posts archived can be found here:1. https://archive.4plebs.org/x/thread/369312222. https://archive.4plebs.org/x/thread/369761683. https://archive.4plebs.org/x/thread/370232684. https://archive.4plebs.org/x/thread/370935155. https://archive.4plebs.org/x/thread/371341966. https://archive.4plebs.org/x/thread/372373927. https://archive.4plebs.org/x/thread/37333243Support the show

GUEST: Third Rail with Omar speaks against Israel on Palestine Hamas war and takes calls! The Hake Report, Friday, December 15, 2023 AD GUEST LINKS:  https://www.youtube.com/@third_rail  //  https://twitter.com/thecomforter_1  //  TIME STAMPS * (0:00:00) Start/Guest coming: Third Rail with Omar* (0:01:00) Hey, guys! Obvious Globe (Hake tee)* (0:03:24) OMAR (sound off at first) THIRD_RAIL* (0:05:55) KEITH, IL: ADL vs Kyrie, not colleges* (0:14:40) OMAR & KEITH: Israel, genocide, Hamas* (0:18:13) Palestinians genocided by occupying Israel* (0:20:50) Did Hamas make it worse for Palestinians?* (0:25:13) International Law, Indians, Palestine, Israel* (0:36:39) AUSTIN, NC: Cut off water? Trump v Biden. "Subhuman." * (0:47:01) ANTHONY, MO: Gov'ts for Devil, Zionism, Jesuits, War money* (0:52:19) The war racket, immigration* (0:56:44) "I Wonder as I Wander" - Phil Hahn and Steve Johnson (Songs of Christmas)* (0:58:58) Supers: Hostages, Israel abuse, Hamas Islamic law* (1:03:46) Supers: Hake Swag, Economy, Indoor hat* (1:09:48) JOSH, GA: Christmas, Paul* (1:14:28) JOSH: Grammatically correct, practical? Israel over Palestine* (1:18:47) JOSH vs OMAR: Ben Shapiro, Zionists vs Muslims to Christians* (1:24:14) MARK, CA: ADL, Holocaust, Jesus a Jewish Muslim* (1:27:37) MARK: Lies, history, WWII, Israel-founding* (1:29:30) MARK: Hitler, Islam, National Socialists, Jewish people* (1:31:06) MARK: Alliance, Nazis with Arabs, scientists* (1:33:33) LUCAS, CA: Hamas "freedom fighters" how?* (1:40:28) Taqiyya, Shia Islam, staying alive* (1:41:23) DAVID, FL: Israel, God, hate, anti-Christ* (1:43:19) DAVID: Christian Zionist? OT, Zechariah 14, Deut 29, Messiah?* (1:45:38) FREDERICK, CA: Cornel West not Trump* (1:48:50) Super: Landlord-Tenant, Oppressor-Oppressed?* (1:50:08) MAZE, OH: …Who's David? Judeo-Christian?* (1:54:43) Third Rail with Omar 7 PM ET * (1:56:10) "Eight Days of Hanukkah" - Verona (2004, All I Want for Christmas compilation, Lujo Records)BLOG https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2023/12/15/third-rail-with-omar-israel-palestine-drama-continues-fri-12-15-23 PODCAST by HAKE SubstackLive M-F 9-11 AM PT (11-1 CT / 12-2 ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 – thehakereport.com  VIDEO  YouTube  |  Rumble*  |  Facebook  |  X  |  BitChute  |  Odysee*  PODCAST  Apple  |  Spotify  |  Castbox  |  Substack  (RSS)  *SUPER CHAT on asterisked above, or  BuyMeACoffee  |  Streamlabs  |  Ko-fi  SUPPORT HAKE  Substack  |  SubscribeStar  |  Locals  ||  SHOP  Teespring  ALSO SEE  Hake News on The JLP Show  |  Appearances (other shows, etc.)  JLP Network:  JLP  |  Church  |  TFS  |  Hake  |  Nick  |  Joel  Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe

The Gospel must be preached to all nations because God has elected some from every tribe, language, people, and nation to be in heaven. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Turn in your Bibles if you would, to Mark, chapter 13, and you can also turn as well to Matthew 24. We're going to be looking at both of those places. The Scripture reveals that despite all of its swirling complexity, human history has a purpose. We are moving to a destination. We're going somewhere with all of this. It's not just random chaos, but God has a plan and a purpose. The destination the Bible reveals, to which we're going, is a perfect universe, a perfect world free from all sin and a beautiful radiant city. The New Heavens and the New Earth are that perfect universe and that radiant city is called the New Jerusalem. The Bible reveals that the light source of that new universe and of the New Jerusalem, according to Revelation 21 and 22, is the glory of God, the glory of God. Revelation 21:23 says, "The city”[the New Jerusalem] "does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it for the glory of God gives it light and the lamb is its lamp." Again, in the next chapter, Revelation 22:5 it says, "They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light." But what is that? What is the glory of God? In my studies and my meditations, I've thought a lot, it's an important topic. I believe the glory of God is the radiant display of the attributes or the perfections of God. Sometimes it's just brilliant light, as 1 Timothy 6:16 says, "God dwells in unapproachable light." Well, think about that, unapproachable light. How amazing must that be? For this reason, the Seraphim in Isaiah's vision were constantly covering their faces, though they had no sin or guilt, but just in that unapproachable light, the presence of the glory, they were covering their faces. For this reason also, the theophanies, or the displays of God, where God shows up in human history are frequently attended by overpowering light, like in Ezekiel's vision of the likeness of the glory of God by the Kibar River east of Babylon. Ezekiel 1 says, "High above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. And I saw from what appeared to be his waist up, He looked like glowing metal as if full of fire. And that from there down He looked like fire and brilliant light surrounded Him, like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell face down." So radiant, light, brightness connected with the glory of God. Also at the time of the birth of our Lord in Bethlehem, an angel appeared to shepherds outside Bethlehem and it says in Luke 2:9-10, "There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over the flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." This was a glory of the eye, not of the mind or heart. It was just bright light, and it stunned the shepherds that night. But the glory of God is seen not just in brilliant light, sometimes it's in the radiant display of the perfections of God, the attributes of God woven into the tapestry of historical events. That takes the eye of faith to see it, but it's there. The attributes of God woven into the tapestry of history. The perfections of God, attributes of God, include His wisdom, His power, His love, compassion, justice, patience, kindness, mercy. These are attributes. God has ordained history, the story of history, for this reason to put Himself on display in the sequence of events and unfolding history. He put Himself on display in a history, a story, that He predestined before Christ began, written in His own mind before time began. The sequence of events, this history, has all been written out by the author of history and it's intrinsically connected with the Christ event, the story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said in Revelation 22:13, "I am the alpha and the omega. I am the first and the last, the beginning and the end." History is linear, and Jesus is history. Jesus is what the story is all about. The radiant display of the glory of God in heaven, I believe, will consist in part in a retelling of His mighty works in saving His people from their sins and in their individual context all over the world, across the centuries, a retelling of the mighty works of God and saving sinners. I believe it's the most glorious thing God has ever done. His glory is greatly on display in salvation. Revelation 7:9-10 says, "After this, I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes, and they were holding palm branches in their hands, and they cried out in a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.'" "The radiant display of the glory of God in heaven, I believe, will consist in part in a retelling of His mighty works in saving His people from their sins and in their individual context all over the world, across the centuries." Here's a multitude, a huge quantity of people, from all over the world, every imaginable context, standing around the throne of God in heaven praising God for salvation. The specific stories of these individual people that make up these millions from every nation on Earth, will bring infinite and eternal glory to God. A few verses later, Revelation 8:13, "Then one of the elders asked me, 'These in the white robes, who are they and where did they come from?'" As I've said many times before, that story will take forever to tell fully. It is so complex, but it is woven through with light, it’s woven through with glory. "These redeemed," who are they and where do they come from? Well, how long do you have? We have all eternity. So, pull up a chair and let's hear the story of how God redeemed this one and that one and the other one from all over the world. Heaven will be filled with the stories of the greatness of God put on display in the amazing tapestry of history that He wove in every century. This is the story of missions. The spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem to the ends of the Earth across every generation of history, that unspeakable glory as before us this morning. We're going to focus just on two verses of scripture. Mark 13:10, right in the middle of our Mark study, and then a parallel verse, Matthew 24:14. Mark 13:10, "And the gospel must first be preached to all nations." Matthew 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come." I want to tell you something about the science of Bible interpretation. The Gospels, there are four of them, three of them basically take the same approach to the life of Jesus. Matthew, Mark ,and Luke. They're called synoptic because they see things from about the same perspective. Then the fourth Gospel, John, comes at it from a different perspective, but they all tell the same thing. We believe that all scriptures God-breathed is perfect, so therefore these are four perfect accounts of the life of Christ, but they have some differences with one another. When we have those differences between, let's say, Matthew and Mark, we harmonize. We don't pit them against each other, we put them together. We try to harmonize, and that's not always easy to do. Generally, I look on it as a two-for-one sale. I'm going to take both statements here as true, and if one of them tells me one thing, He said that and that's true, and if one of them tells something else, He said that, and I just harmonize, I put it together. I. Context: Jesus’ Prediction of the Destruction of the Temple Let's talk about the context here. We're moving through the Gospel of Mark. Mark 13 is Jesus's description of the history of the end of the world and the events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the end of the world. It came from a statement Jesus made in Mark 13:2: "Not one stone will be left on another. Everyone will be thrown down." This was a prediction of the destruction, at least of the Temple, but probably really of the whole city of Jerusalem and focused on the temple. It was the final week of Jesus's life. Things were hurdling to a conclusion, the dramatic turbulent events culminating in His arrest and His trial before the Jewish leaders. His condemnation by them is being handed over to Pontius Pilate for condemnation by the Romans and then His crucifixion by Pontius Pilate and the Romans. So that's where we're heading. Jesus has given a seven-fold denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees, the spiritual leaders of the Jewish nation. It's fully depicted in Matthew 23. It's just quickly summarized in Mark. But it culminates in this statement in Matthew 23: 38-39, "Jesus says, 'Behold your house is left to you desolate.'" This is a very important statement—your house is left to you desolate. “Desolate” means “empty." The reason I'm saying that is, "For, I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say ‘Blessed is He comes in the name of the Lord.’" “Not seeing Me again” is the essence of your desolate house. That's what makes your house desolate. Then Jesus dramatically walked out of the Temple, never to return again. The disciples came up at that moment and chose that moment to talk about how beautiful the Temple was. We shouldn't be surprised at this. This is what the disciples, the apostles were like, frequently off message. This is who we are as well. “As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, teacher, what massive stones, what magnificent buildings.’ ‘Do you see all these great buildings?’ replied Jesus. ‘Not one stone here will be left on another, every one will be thrown down.’" That must've been incredibly distressing to them. They come to Him later, privately, when He's out of the city, He's up on the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley, they're out of the city and they're there. As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, Matthew 24:3, “The disciples came to Him privately. 'Tell us,' they said, 'When will this happen and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?’" Matthew 24 and Mark 13 cover roughly the same ground, but Matthew 24, in much more detail. There's almost nothing found in Mark 13 that's not found in Matthew 24, and there are other things besides in Matthew 24, so I have my eye on both. Matthew 24 has the full question the disciples asked and the fuller answer that Jesus gives. The three parts of the question in Matthew 24 are, "Tell us, when will this happen?" And, "What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" The complexity of Matthew 24 and of Mark 13 comes in discerning and kind of to some degree, unweaving the tapestry of Jesus's answer. What is He talking about right now in this part? Is He talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in 870 AD by the Romans? Is He talking about the end of the world? What is it? They weave it through. Jesus, I believe, is giving a history of the world between His First and Second Comings. It's bigger than just the destruction of the Temple. Just to tell you, if you look at Mark 13:10, a key word for me in that is the word “first.” First. "This gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations." First before what? Before the destruction of the temple? That didn't happen. So clearly, Jesus's scope is bigger than the destruction of the Temple. He's looking at, I believe, all history, from the First to the Second Comings of Christ, and He's traveling and traversing that history. Look at verses 5-13, Mark 13. Jesus has said to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name claiming I am He and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There'll be earthquakes in various places and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. You must be on your guard. You'll be handed over to local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of Me, you'll stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them." Here's our focus verse, verse 10, "And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given to you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents, and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of Me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Last week, we traced out those thirteen verses and looked at the whole answer. Just to summarize, it begins with a warning against false teaching. He goes from that to a prediction of the ordinary convulsion of events of history, wars and rumors of wars. That happens in every generation, almost every year of history, nation rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom. That's all the time. There'll be famines, earthquakes, various places. He calls all this the beginning of birth pains. The birth pains means a terrible convulsion or pain resulting in something beautiful and wonderful. We're heading to a good destination, but we have a lot of pain to go through first. That's what “beginning of birth pain” means. Then He mentions persecution. They will be handed over to the local councils. They'll be flogged in synagogues. These will be opportunities for them to be witnesses to Him. They will testify to Jesus. "On account of me, you'll stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them." The flow of human history is a canvas on which the masterpiece of redemptive history is being painted. These commonplace convulsions, wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, arrests, trials, all of that is being sovereignly controlled to accomplish the spread of the Gospel, to accomplish the salvation of God's people, to accomplish the glory of God. That's what's going on here. It's amazing how God controls history even down to the micro-level, to achieve His purposes. I found a number of years ago a great example of this in the life of John Calvin. John Calvin is a great reformer who spent most of his life in Geneva, a great theologian, tremendous leader. However, he was not originally Swiss. Geneva is a city in Switzerland. He was French and he was basically a refugee, a religious refugee running for his life because he believed in the Reformation. The Catholic King of France was persecuting what they called Lutherans, and he was running for his life. By this time, he had already written a significant theological work, and he was on his way to the French city of Strasbourg. He had in mind a quiet life as a scholar. He was going to be quiet in his room and eat little bowls of gruel and write theology books, and that was going to be his life. That would've made him happy. He was that kind of person. At any rate, he was a scholar but already well known. Amazingly, en route to Strasbourg, he couldn't go there because an obscure war had broken out between the King of France and Charles the Fifth, the Holy Roman Emperor. It's not at all one of the most famous wars ever. It's one of those wars and rumors of wars that Jesus talked about. But as a result, the straight road to Strasbourg was blocked with troop movements. So here, this fleeing man, this refugee has to divert through the city of Geneva. At any rate, there he is in Geneva, and William Farel, who started a Reformation work there hears that Calvin is there, and he thinks this is just the guy that we need for the Reformation here in Geneva. He was right, but Calvin had no such intention. When Farel came and said, "I want you to work here in Geneva," he said, "No, no, I'm going to go have a quiet life writing books in Strasbourg." He didn't say it just like that, but it probably went something like that. After Farel tried to persuade him and wasn't successful, Farel rose up in what Calvin called intemperate zeal and threatened him with the judgment of God if he chose a quiet life of academia rather than taking part in the Reformation in Geneva. Calvin was wired to fear that kind of thing and said, "Okay, I guess I'll stay in Geneva,” and he did. He was there most of the rest of his life. What's my point? Wars and rumors of wars for a purpose. "Are you saying that God orchestrated a war between Catholic King Francis of France and Catholic King Charles the Fifth, so that John Calvin would end up in Geneva and not Strasbourg?" Yes, that's what I'm saying, and other things too. Other things too, but at least that. That's what God does. Isn't it amazing that history has a purpose? Even as it seems to be churning and random and destructive, God is at work in the midst of all of it. The central work of all of this is, "You will be witnesses for me. You'll be my witnesses. You are going to proclaim this gospel." Look at verse 10, "And the gospel must first be preached to all nations." The power of the Holy Spirit is central to this mission. He said, "Do not worry ahead of time what to say, what to speak. It will not be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit." The Spirit is the driving orchestrator and force of the spread of the gospel, the third person of the Trinity, that is His role and He's extremely good at his job. As Acts 1:8 says, "You'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes in you and you'll be My witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea, Samaria to the ends of the Earth." In the midst of all this, there'll be a tremendous amount of pain for the witnesses, painful betrayals, family relationships will be compromised. Your own closest relatives will turn their backs on you. "Everyone will hate you because of Me," Jesus says. Intense persecution, and that's what makes this journey so glorious. The courage, the boldness, the suffering, the willingness to pay the price. That's the story. That's big picture. II. A Command in Mark Let's zero in on the command, Mark 13:10, “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations." In Mark's version, Mark 13:10, it takes a command form, effectively. It's a command in Mark. It uses the Greek word “dei”, which means “it is necessary,” but that's frequently a command, a sense of a command. It is necessary for the Gospel first to be preached to all nations. What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the message of the kingdom of God with Jesus as the King of the kingdom of God. He's the centerpiece, he is the King, he's the Lord, he's the Savior. The Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ and all that that means. That's what the Gospel of Mark has been unfolding all along. It's a message about the kingdom of God, that God is King. "What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the message of the kingdom of God with Jesus as the King of the kingdom of God. He's the centerpiece, he is the King, he's the Lord, he's the Savior. The Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ and all that means." The kingdom is the spiritual realm where the subjects of the King are delighted to have God as their King, and they're pleased to obey Him and to follow Him. They're delighted about it. God's sovereignty over rebels is a different matter, but the advancing kingdom of God has to do with individuals who throw down their weapons of rebellion and come in gladly under the kingship of Christ. The Gospel is, as we've said before, God, man, Christ, response. That God created the universe, the heavens and the Earth, and as the Creator, He has the right to make laws and rules by which we live our lives. God, the Creator, God the King, God, the Lawgiver and God the Judge. That's God. Man, we are created in the image of God to have a relationship with Him, to have a love relationship with Him and to love each other, but we have sinned. We have broken the two Great Commandments. We have not loved God with all of our hearts, all mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. We have sinned. Therefore, we stand under God's judgment, physical death, eternal death in hell. Christ is God's answer to that problem. The Son of God, fully God, fully man, born, took on human flesh. We celebrate it this time of year. He lived a sinless life under the laws of God. He died in our place as our substitute, a transfer of guilt effected. When we believe in Jesus, our guilt put on Jesus, He dies in our place, His righteousness is given to us, and that's the white robes that we're going to stand in on Judgment Day and for all eternity. The imputed righteousness of Christ, that's what Christ came to do. Then the response, we need to repent of our sins, turn away from our rebellion against God the King. Believe in Jesus, trust in Him, and we'll receive forgiveness of sins. That's the Gospel: God, man, Christ, response. It is necessary for that message to be preached, to be proclaimed to all nations. That's what He's saying. That has to happen first, before the end of the world. That's what first, first is tied to the end of the world. Why? Why is it necessary? Why don't I give you four reasons, four reasons why it is necessary for the Gospel. Let's keep it simple, because Christ the King commanded it. We'll start there. Christ told us to do this. These were his last words before He ascended back to heaven. The Great Commission, so-called, which is a commandment to all of His followers, to make disciples of all nations, is in all four Gospels, a different version but in all four Gospels and in Acts. The most famous version is Matthew 28, "Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and Earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I'm with you always to the very end of the age.’" To all nations in all eras of history, that's the Great Commission. It is necessary, therefore, that this happened because it is the will of God and of Christ for us. Secondly, it is necessary because the Gospel is the only way for sinners to be forgiven and reconciled to God. There is no other way. There is no other plan. The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Or as it says in Romans 10:12 -15, "There is no difference between Jew and Gentile. The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then, can they call on one they have not believed in and how can they believe in one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they're sent?" As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News?’” That's the logic of missions. It's a logical work that Paul does in Romans 10, using a series of rhetorical questions, assuming negative answers. The statement is made worldwide, anyone in any nation on Earth who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus in faith will be saved. But how can someone call on someone they've not believed in? They can't do that, can they? No, of course, they can't. No one can believe in someone they've never heard of, can they? No, of course they can't. And no one can hear without someone preaching or proclaiming the message. No, they can't. Absolutely not. And no one can do that preaching unless they're sent out. Hence, the need for missions. That's the logic of missions, and it's the answer to why it is necessary for this Gospel to be proclaimed. Thirdly, it is necessary for the Gospel to be proclaimed to all nations because God has chosen people in every tribe and language and people and nation. They're called the Elect, chosen before the foundation of the world. God wants those people reached. Jesus said in John's Gospel, "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. They must be brought in, and there'll be one flock and one shepherd." Those are people, not just Jews, but all the ends of the Earth. God has people out there. There will be people from every tribe, language, people, and nation. It's been ordained. They were chosen in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless and they have to be brought in, and the only way they're going to be brought in is by the preaching of the Gospel. That's the third reason. The fourth, it is necessary for the Gospel to be preached for the maximum glory of God. That's the ultimate reason for everything. It is for the glory of God that this be done. Ephesians 1:11-12 says, "In Him we're also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him, works out everything in conformity to the purpose of His will, in order that we who are the first to hope in Christ might be for the praise of His glory, that we might be, exist, for the praise of His glory and that we might praise His glory, that we might ourselves notice His glory.” So we will be glory, and we will see glory, and we'll praise Him for it. That's the reason why. Or again, in Romans 15:9, "That the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy." So those are four reasons why it is necessary for the Gospel to be preached. To whom should the Gospel be preached? What we've already said, to all nations. To all nations, the Greek is “panta ta ethne”. The word “ethne” is from which we get the word “ethnic”, and that's the key. We as Protestants, as Evangelicals, we have had a progressive, growing understanding of missions over the last 500 years. Little by little by little, we've understood more and more clearly our obligation in this matter. For the first three centuries, the church just exploded all over the Roman Empire. People were going everywhere preaching the gospel. Apostles, non-apostles, everybody, and it was spreading everywhere. It went as far north as Scotland, it went as far south as Sub-Saharan Africa. There's clear evidence of this. It went as far east as India. It went as far west as Tarshish, which is like Gibraltar. It was all over the place, and the Gospel was spreading. However, once the Dark Ages fell and politics wove together with some form of Christianity, Christendom came about. We had the Crusades, which are the most abhorrent misconstrued incident of mission that's ever been in history; we still paying the price. But there was this mixture of church and state, and it was a mess. To make matters worse, the Gospel itself, for the most part, was lost in a false “gospel of works" religion. The Dark Ages fell, but praise God, the Reformation came and scraped away all that darkness and the Gospel was reclaimed. The Gospel of justification by faith alone, apart from works of law, was shining in those Protestant churches, Lutheran churches, Calvinist churches, the Anabaptist churches. But those folks weren't doing missions initially. They were really just trying to survive. Missions, at that point, was done mostly by Roman Catholics through the Jesuits, who were spreading the power of the Pope and of their Catholic kings, like the King of Spain and the King of Portugal to distant places like Japan and other places. But they didn't bring the true Gospel with them. Meanwhile, the Protestants continued to establish doctrine and to reach their own countries, but not doing missions. But God worked in Protestant churches, little by little, a clearer understanding of our obligation concerning missions in four key steps. The first step, or insight, comes from William Carey. He was a Baptist, a cobbler, a blue collar guy, and he wrote an incredible work called An Inquiry into the Obligation Christians Have to Use Means for the Evangelization of the Missions to the Heathen. Heathen will be pagans or lost people. He was a trailblazer in Protestant missions. The insight is that we Protestants should do missions. We should go to distant lands and share the Gospel. Not just the Jesuits should do that, we should do it. That was step one. Step two came from a leader named Hudson Taylor. Hudson Taylor was a missionary to China. He went on his first missionary trip and just like most missionaries did in the mid-nineteenth century, he stayed on the coastlands such as Shanghai, port cities. He had a vision for the inland regions of China, teeming hundreds of millions of Chinese that had no hope of hearing the Gospel. He founded something called the China Inland Mission. So step number two is, we need to get off the coast and go into the dark heart of Africa, the dark heart of India and of China, and find people there who have no physical access to the Gospel. Step two, inland missions. Step three came from a leader at the end of the 19th century into the beginning of the 20th century named Cameron Townsend. He was a missionary in Latin America and South America. He was working with some tribal people, and they were doing all of their work in Spanish, the trade language. At one point, one of these tribal men said, "If your God is so smart, how come he doesn't speak my language?" Good question, right? Good question. So Cameron Townsend started a ministry called Wycliffe Bible Translators to get the Bible into the heart language of people all over the world, and that work continues to this very day. Insight number four came in the middle of the 20th century from a missionary leader named Donald McGavran, and he began to see that the issue wasn't reaching political nations, like nations that are represented at the United Nations. It had to do with understanding the word ethne as a people group, a group of people characterized by a language and a culture and a heritage and a self-identifying focus. And so that started the people group conception of the work. “Panta ta ethne” means to all people groups. Now, how many people groups are there in the world? No one knows, only God knows. It's very difficult to see lines of border and demarcation between people groups. Donald McGovern did his work in India, and there are probably at least 5,000 people groups, if not more, in India, but there's a lot of overlap. Joshuaproject.net, which you can go and check that out, they say 17,446. As an MIT engineer, I'm like, "I don't think there's that many significant figures." I would say roughly 18,000. or roughly 16,000. I don't think we can get down to 17,446. However, there's a lot. There's a lot of people groups. IMB has a smaller number of people groups. Then you go to the next level, which is “unreached people groups.” What are unreached people groups? It's defined as less than two percent evangelical in that nation. When I was a missionary to Japan, the Japanese were the largest unreached people group in the world, less than two percent evangelical. Since then, they've been superseded by another group. But that's a people group. That's what “unreached” means. “Unengaged,” another U is added, meaning, as far as the IMB knows, there is no effort to try to reach that people group. There's no one working on that, as far as they know. So you've got the UUPG, which is unengaged, unreached people groups. That's the focus. That's where the work should go. It is necessary for us to do that, for the church to do that. It is necessary for us to reach them with the Gospel. And this stands as a permanent command from our Lord and King Jesus Christ. "If you love Me, you'll keep my commandment." That's Mark 13:10, the command. III. A Prophecy in Matthew Look over at Matthew, where it comes across as a prophecy, or perhaps a promise. I'm okay with either one. Look what it says in Matthew 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as the testimony in all nations and then the end will come.” So prophecy, promise. What is Jesus saying there? "And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as the testimony of all nations, and then the end will come." The preaching of the Gospel to every tribe, language, people, and the nation is as guaranteed as the end of the world is. They're equally guaranteed. It's going to happen. This is a remarkable assertion by Jesus, more remarkable than not one stone left on another. Picture Jesus on that tiny little rocky outcropping there in the Mount of Olives surrounded by a band of followers that were frequently off message. You know those guys. Surrounded by a very small number of people saying, "This thing that we're doing here is going worldwide, everyone on Earth will hear about this." All peoples on Earth, all peoples, all nations will hear. That's incredible. Effectively, then, “the Jewish conception of their own kingdom will end, the Messianic kingdom, and My kingdom will be established and will reign for all eternity." That's awesome. How does He know that? He knows it because He's God, but He also knows it because the Old Testament scripture predicted that this would happen. God willing, next week, we'll look at Isaiah 49, but in Luke 24, "This is what is written. The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. And repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." It's going to happen. Which scriptures? Many. There are many scriptures. But I'm going to look at Isaiah 49 next week. Isaiah 49, 1 and 6, "Listen to me, you islands, hear this, you distant nations." Islands and nations, distant nations. God says to Jesus, "It is too small a thing for You to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make You," [Jesus] "a light for the Gentiles that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the Earth.” Jesus is actually not saying anything different than Isaiah the prophet said or that many other prophecies gave. Friends, this is a great encouragement. How does a team play if it's guaranteed, if they think they're absolutely going to win? They're going to play better than if they think they're going to lose. How does an army fight if they think ultimate victory is guaranteed? They fight better. We are going to win because Christ is going to win. This gospel is going to win. The task seems difficult. 3,150 unreached, unengaged, unreached people groups. None of them are easy to reach, or they would've been reached. They're in very difficult situations or places. I went through and thought about some of our units. If you guys don't know what the word “units” means, it means either a married couple, like a family or single. That's why we use the word units because some of them are single men and women, but sometimes family. We call them a mailing address or a group, a family unit. That's what we mean by it. I was reading about units in Turkey, 1.29 million practice Shia Islam. They speak North Levantine Arabic, a significant minority in Turkey. Their goal is to keep their Arabic culture alive in the secular Muslim state of Turkey and pass that on to their children and grandchildren. They mix elements of Sufism, which is Islamic mysticism and Shia Islam. Then we've got Thailand, where we have some units, I won't say their names, but they're there working, and there are people there that are following a certain flavor of Theravada Buddhism. Then in Bangladesh, overwhelmed with poverty, where we have another family unit there. People there are practicing Sunni Islam. They're tragically poor, and they're in darkness, in the grip of darkness. When we think about how difficult it is, and how long it takes to learn a language well enough to share the Gospel in it, and how long it takes to learn a culture, and how long it takes to make friendships, and then that whole journey, and then how long it takes to see one person cross over from darkness to light, that's the challenge in front of us. We need to be encouraged. Remember the lesson of the fig tree that we preached on a number of months ago? Mark 11:23-24, "Truly, I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he has said will happen, will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mountain moving, faith-filled prayer is made for the Great Commission. That's the mountain that needs to be moved. Remember what I said about prayer at that time. Prayer is not you giving God an idea He didn't have before or persuading Him to do something He didn't want to do. That's not what prayer is. Prayer is you learning from Scripture what God is doing in the world and asking Him to do what He has decreed and ordained to do but hasn't done yet. That's what it is. God has decreed and ordained that people from every tribe and language and people and nation will be standing in those white robes around that throne. That's what He's decreed. It is encouraging to see the progress of the Gospel. Those other signs, wars, rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, those don't mark anything. They're characteristics of every generation. But the progress of the Gospel, that's like a ticking clock to the end of the world. If you were to put dots on a map all over the world of what we would consider to be healthy Bible-believing, gospel-preaching churches in the year 1550, where would you put the dots? It would be almost all Central and North Europe, 1550. If you advance 50 years later, [1600] you would see more dots in those same areas, but still nowhere else. If you put dots where you had healthy Bible-believing, gospel-preaching churches in 1650, by then you would have to add some North American colonies, in Virginia, and New England, and other places, and more over Europe, but nowhere else [1650]. If you advance another 50 years, many more dots up and down the 13 colonies. Many more dots in Europe, and nowhere else. By 1750, by then you had the Great Awakening, lots of dots all over the 13 colonies that eventually became the United States of America. You have some dots in the Caribbean where some Moravian missionaries went and sold themselves into slavery to preach the Gospel to the slave population there. Then, of course, Central and North Europe, some in the Catholic areas in Europe as well, but nowhere else. By 1800, William Carey's in India. So you put a dot there. But all the rest, just more dots in those same areas. As the new country of the United States spreading westward, there's more dots there, et cetera. In 50 more years, unbelievable. The 19th century, called the great century of missions, and they started to explode. By this time you've got Hudson Taylor in the inland regions. You've got dots in China. You've got a lot more dots in India, definitely dots in Burma. Because by the time Adoniran Judson finished his work, there were 25,000 baptized Burmese Christians. Now in 1850 there are dots all over. And by this time you can start putting them in Sub-Saharan Africa and other places. Add another 50 years, 1900, the great century of missions has ended. You got churches all over Asia, Mongolia, India, Burma, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa. In 50 more years, post-World War II, you've got the Gospel spreading to the islands of South Pacific, Irian Jaya, and Papua New Guinea. Soldiers that had fought there then went back to some of those places with the Gospel. Remarkable. 50 years later, the year 2000, the map's covered with dots, the entire world map. There's not a political nation on earth that doesn't have a healthy church. Not one. All the nations, I don't know how many nations are in the United Nations,230 some odd, all of them have some healthy church planted. But still, you've got those unreached people groups. So big picture, I can't tell you this progression without smiling. We are winning, the Gospel's spreading. The Holy Spirit is good at His job. He puts a compulsion on people, and they go where He wants them to go, and they lay down their lives as He wants them to, and the Gospel spreads. But there's still work to be done. I'm not going to burden you with statistics, that would be hard to communicate. But there's been a kind of a flattening of mission endeavor over the last 10 or 15 years. It's a little discouraging as you look, and it's just a narrow window, but missionary thinker Ralph Winter said, "More of the same will not get it done.” The burden is laid on churches like us and many other churches around the world to recommit ourselves to missions, recommit ourselves to the work left to be done, and to give sacrificially as we are called to do. IV. Applications First and foremost, if you're here listening to this mission sermon, but you came in here not a Christian, your work is to believe in Jesus. No point in talking about missions if you're lost. First and foremost, you've heard the gospel: God, man, Christ, response. I'm calling on you while there's time, repent and believe in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. If you're already a Christian, understand both the command in Mark 13 and the promise or the prophecy in Matthew 24. Take it seriously. This is the command laid on us, but rejoice in the sovereignty of Christ to get it done. Be confident in the final outcome. The Lord is going to win. He will be glorified. I'm looking forward to all eternity of hearing those stories. It's going to be phenomenal. Pray confidently in the spirit of Matthew 9 for more laborers, laborers in the harvest field. Churches like ours send out two precious commodities to the mission field: people and money. That's what IMB does. We gather people, and we gather money from Southern Baptist churches and point them strategically in directions. The Lottie Moon Christmas offering that we take every Christmas, our goal is $150,000. The Southern Baptist Convention exists in part for that. It was originated for that, and it's why we do. It's the crown jewel, I think, of our cooperation with Baptist churches all over the country. We pool resources to do a job too big for any one church to do. We couldn't afford to send very many fully-supported missionaries, just one church, to these various places. So we pool resources with thousands of churches. Truly, 100% of the money you give to Lottie Moon goes to missions. I was a trustee for nine years. What that means is we take more money in than Lottie Moon. It takes more money than Lottie Moon to put those missionaries on the field. I don't know how they tag dollars that go... Whatever, it gets pooled. The point is, the budget is bigger than the Lottie Moon offering. Where does the rest of the money come from? It comes from something called the Cooperative Program, where throughout the year, 12 months a year, we pool resources and a chunk of that goes to missions as well. A hundred percent of your giving goes, and our goal is $150,000. What I always say to you as a member of this church is engage, pray about your financial giving. We also have the opportunity through our home fellowships and through just your own initiative to get to know our friends that are serving overseas. We live in an iPhone or a smartphone world. You can contact them and be with them real-time. I FaceTime with these folks. You can find out what they're going through, support them, pray for them. I'm going to end this time now in prayer, and then we can get ready for the Lord's Supper. Father, thank You for the message that we have heard, the Gospel message of the Gospel going to the ends of the Earth and to the end of time. Now as we turn our hearts to the Lord's Supper, we thank You for the Word that we've heard and for the ordinance we're about to partake in. In Jesus' name, Amen.

It's Monday, November 6th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Nigerian Muslims killed 17 Christians in Benue State On Sunday, October 29th, Fulani Muslim herdsmen and other terrorists killed six Christians in Benue State, Nigeria, following the slaughter of 10 others earlier last month, reports Morning Star News. In addition, another Christian in Benue State, 80-year-old Washima Erukaa, was killed after being kidnapped on September 23rd. A relative said, “His captors had demanded that we pay a ransom of $6,340, but we were not able to raise the money.”  So, the Muslim terrorists killed him on October 23rd. Please pray that God would comfort the families who are grieving. Nigeria is the sixth most dangerous nation worldwide for Christians Turkey withdraws ambassador from Israel, breaks off ties As the death toll among Palestinian civilians has soared in the war between Israel and Hamas, the Muslim terrorists, Turkish President Recep Erdoğan said Saturday that he was recalling its ambassador to Israel and breaking off contacts with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in protest at the bloodshed in Gaza, reports AFP. The Muslim leader announced the decisions on the eve of what promises to be a difficult visit to Turkey by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Turkey, a Palestinian ally, had been mending torn relations with Israel until last month's start of the Israel-Hamas war. Iranian Muslims recruiting suicide bombers to hit Israel A hard-line Iranian group has been actively recruiting potential suicide bombers for operations in Israel, reports 24/7 News Around the World. The group responsible for this recruitment drive, Hezbollah, different from the Lebanese militant group with the same name, has initiated a campaign in the southeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, a significant place in Shia Islam. Posters featuring calls for 'martyrdom' have appeared on the streets of Mashhad, imploring residents to submit their personal details for consideration. These posters declare, “It's time for Jihad,” as they seek people to join a “special battalion of martyr seekers for Palestine.” Int'l House of Prayer Founder Mike Bickle accused of sexual abuse The Roys Report revealed that Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri, is facing allegations of clergy sexual abuse “spanning several decades,” according to an October 28th statement from the ministry's leaders. Titus 1:6a declares, “An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife.” Stuart Greaves, the Executive Director of the International House of Prayer, read an announcement during the 11 a.m. service at the Forerunner Church in Grandview, Missouri. GREAVES: “We are heartbroken to share that we recently became aware of serious allegations of sexual immorality directed against Mike Bickle. Our leadership team takes these allegations very seriously. And we are laboring for truth, light, redemption and righteousness.” Mike Bickle has led the House of Prayer since 1999. It is a 24/7 charismatic, prayer ministry with about 2,500 full-time staff, students, and interns, which attracts people from around the world. Ohio Catholic churches vandalized over pro-life convictions ahead of Nov. 7th vote Just days ahead of a statewide vote on whether to enshrine abortion into the Ohio Constitution, vandalism is reportedly on the rise against Catholic churches in the Buckeye State because of their outspokenness against the pro-abortion constitutional amendment, reports LifeSiteNews.com. According to the Ohio Attorney General's Office, the Issue 1 amendment would go far beyond even Roe v. Wade.  It would block prohibitions on partial-birth and dismemberment abortions, allow abortionists to target disabled babies, and end parental consent requirements for abortion. Plus, if Issue 1 passes tomorrow in Ohio, it would empower minors to make their own decisions about contraception, sterilization, and so-called “gender transition.” 10-year-old quadruple amputee to climb mountain to raise money And finally, a 10-year-old quadruple amputee is going to attempt to summit a 656-foot mountain to raise money for other children with disabilities, reports Good News Network. The climber, Luke Mortimer, is determined to summit Embsay Crag, in North Yorkshire, England which he can see from his rural home. The kind-hearted youngster has dubbed the peak his ‘Everest,' and is undertaking the challenge as an attempt to “return the favor” to charities which have helped him. Luke was just seven years old when he contracted the severe bacterial infections meningococcal meningitis and septicemia. Although he survived the deadly illnesses, he lost all four of his limbs and needed 23 painful surgeries over a ten-week period to replace missing skin and address his wounds. Charities and fundraisers set up in the wake of Luke's amputations managed $18,000 worth of donations from an army of well-wishers, allowing him to get his prosthetics. During the two-mile journey to the top of the summit, Luke will be wearing a set of shortened knee-length prosthetics called ‘stubbies' for the climb. Here at The Worldview we salute Luke Mortimer and pray that he successfully completes his mountainous journey and that the people of Britain would be generous as they bless other children who face amputations. Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Monday, November 6th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com).  Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

204 The  Baha'i Faith [Part 2] with Steve Matthews and James WalkerJesus once asked His disciples who they thought He was. Rightly did Peter confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Such a confession was not revealed to Peter by flesh and blood, but by the Father, as Jesus told Him. There are adherents of the Bahai'i Faith, an offshoot of Shiite Islam that began in 1844, who claim they follow the teachings of Jesus too. There are some 8,000 Baha'i centers of worship in the U.S. and many Americans adhere to the Baha'i faith. But who do the Baha'i say that Jesus is? Is he the same Jesus of the Bible? This week on the Profile we continue our conversation with counter-cult apologist Steve Matthews, who continues to unpack the syncretistic and contrary doctrines and practices of the Baha'i faith. Steve Matthews  is a Christian countercult apologist who is not only passionate about researching the more established cults, but also in responding to the newer emerging groups as well. He has his M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Trinity International University and is involved in launching ExaminingTheCults.Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles: Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on The Baha'i Faith by Robert Pardon: watchman.org/Bahai Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Shia Islam by W. Dr. Mike Edens: watchman.org/Shia Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on The Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam by Eric Pement: watchman.org/Ahmadiyya Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Islam by James Walker: watchman.org/IslamProfile Additional Resources FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook. SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

You have probably seen the bumper sticker "COEXIST" made up of several different symbols representing different belief systems and religions. But that bumper sticker is a command, an imperative. The fundamental question about that bumper sticker is "Who is issuing this command?" The Baha'i Faith is no exception to this inclusivism. They attempt to affirm that other religions are valid revelations of God and even ascribe to some of the teachings of Jesus. But this inclusivism is not really inclusive, as the only proper interpretation of the world's religions is given through the ultimate authority of the Baha'i faith, Baha'u'llah, who died in 1892. This week James Walker, the president of Watchman Fellowship, speaks with counter-cult apologist Steve Matthews who gives us an in-depth analysis of the Baha'i faith and why their doctrines of inclusivism and of Jesus are both contradictory and in error. Steve Matthews  is a Christian countercult apologist who is not only passionate about researching the more established cults, but also in responding to the newer emerging groups as well. He has his M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Trinity International University and is involved in launching ExaminingTheCults.Related Links: Free access to some related Watchman Profiles: Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on The Baha'i Faith by Robert Pardon: watchman.org/Bahai Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Shia Islam by W. Dr. Mike Edens: watchman.org/Shia Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on The Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam by Eric Pement: watchman.org/Ahmadiyya Watchman Fellowship 4-page Profile on Islam by James Walker: watchman.org/IslamProfile Additional Resources FREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.PROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (over 600 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: watchman.org/notebook. SUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/give.Apologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Brother Talib, who was raised amongst the urban culture of London and discovered Islam in a unique way. His journey into Islam revealed a startling truth: many lack exposure to different Islamic perspectives. Talib, however, embraced Shia Islam, but was initially discouraged from exploring it further and was told to stay clear from pivotal events like Ghadeer and Karbala, and was told that Shias had a separate religion. With his unique urban background, Talib offers us a fresh perspective that sheds light on the complexities of faith in the modern world.