Podcasts about Sodom

Send us Fan MailAbram comes home from battle with every reason to take the credit and take the money, and then he does something that still confronts us today: he gives a tenth to Melchizedek and refuses to let the king of Sodom claim, “I made Abram rich.” That single scene in Genesis 14:19-24 opens a bigger conversation about tithing, generosity, and Christian stewardship that is less about math and more about who you believe owns heaven and earth. We walk through why Abram's tithe happens before the law of Moses, why that matters for the “tithing is Old Testament” debate, and how gratitude changes the way we hold what we have. Along the way, we connect giving to the heart of the gospel through John 3:16, because God's love is expressed through giving, not taking. We also sit with Jesus' command in Luke 6:38 and the hard-to-believe promise that you cannot outgive God. Then we get practical. We break down the growth pattern that turns generosity into a stable part of discipleship: duty, discipline, desire, and delight. We talk about starting with ten percent, learning to give cheerfully, and asking honest questions about what our spending reveals. The closing challenge is simple and sharp: are you just tipping God? Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review if it helps you rethink giving under grace.Support the showhttps://www.jacksonfamilyministry.comhttps://bobslone.com/home/podcast-production/

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Genesis, Chapter 27.

Daily Dose of Hope September 1, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 19:1-29   Prayer: Dear God, We come to you today with sorrow.  We know that we are sinful and broken.  We know that we have fallen short.  We have been disobedient as individuals and as a church.  Lord, please forgive us and show us your better way.  How we need you.  We are lost without you and our behavior so often speaks to that.  Help us seek holiness.  Help us love others the way you love them.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, please help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis.  Today's reading is the first half of Genesis 19, verses 1-29.   Lot, Abraham's nephew, chose the best land.  It just happened to be that land included some pretty evil cities, both Sodom and Gomorrah.  Their wickedness has been mentioned a few times before this chapter but we get the full experience in chapter 19.    The angels from chapter 18 head over the Sodom.  Lot meets them with a hospitable spirit, offers them a place to stay, and food to eat.  But the men of the town surround Lot's house and demand to have sex with the visiting men.  Not a nice way to welcome people to town.  But instead of standing up to the mob, Lot offered his two daughters for the mob to rape!  What are we to make of this?    It was a sacred duty to care for those under your own roof in the ancient Near East.  Hospitality was a big deal.  But one would think caring for your daughters would be as well.  Lot clearly has some priority issues.  It shows his lack of care for his own daughters, maybe because they are women who have little value in his society, maybe because he was scared, we don't really know.  It's despicable though.  I'm grateful that God's messengers intervened to make sure those girls were safe.   The Bible definitely gives us the whole, ugly truth about people, their sin, their failures, their good choices, and their terrible choices.  God is not lifting them up as an example, but he is allowing us to learn from them.  Lot clearly had compromised his values.  He moved to Sodom.  He rubbed elbows with wicked people.  Something rubbed off on him.  But he allowed it.   The two men, God's messengers, make it clear that Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed.  Lot and his family must leave.  The sons-in-law, clearly not having a lot of respect for Lot, laugh at the thought of destruction.  But Lot, his wife, and the two daughters head out of dodge.  But his wife looks back, which God warns them not to do, and she turns into a pillar of salt.  I would have really liked some more information here – what a shock to the family!    Sin has consequences.  We get to see that again and again in Scripture.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope August 31, 2026   Scripture: Genesis 18   Prayer:  Abba Father, We come to you today, grateful for your love and care in our lives.  Thank you for your presence and your peace.  Help us to gather our scattered thoughts and set aside distractions so we can focus on what you have for us today.  In the next few moments of silence, Lord, help me be still and know that you are God...We give you all the glory, Lord Almighty.  Amen.    Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently studying the book of Genesis, learning a lot about God's character and truth, but also realizing how people haven't changed much at all.    Today's reading is Genesis 18.  This is a fascinating chapter.  Three men come to see Abraham.  But we also know that the Scripture says that the Lord appeared to Abraham.  Thus, we can assume that one of the men was actually the Lord in human form.  The other two might have been angels.    It seems that Abraham knew right off the bat that he was in the presence of God.  He runs out to meet the men, he makes sure they are fed the absolute best.  We know Abraham had been in the presence of God before and so there must have been something about the men that Abraham immediately recognized.    I had some thoughts about this.  How often have we encountered God?  How often have we encountered his messengers, the angels?  Are our eyes open to see when a heavenly being visits us?  Think about Hebrews 13:2, which says not to forget to show hospitality to strangers because by doing so, some people have shown hospitality to angels without even knowing it.    The men tell Abraham that within a year, Sarah will be pregnant.  She laughs and God knows it.  He calls her on it.  I don't blame her.  Women in their nineties don't typically think of pregnancy.  But God had willed it and he makes it clear, nothing is too hard for him.  Do you believe that nothing is too hard for God, I mean really?   The Lord shares with Abraham that he plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their horrible wickedness.  It's obvious that Abraham is greatly bothered by this.  He moves into this negotiation with God.  Will God destroy those cities if there are fifty righteous men?  What about forty-five or forty or thirty or twenty or even ten?  God is patient and says that he won't destroy Sodom or Gomorrah if there are even just ten righteous people there.    God's justice is perfect.  He knew that Sodom and Gomorrah needed to be destroyed.  As horrible as they must have been, it's still hard for me to think about such destruction.  I just have to keep going back to that truth:  God's justice is perfect.  He always knows best.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

2 Peter 2    1But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.    4For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8(for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.    Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. 14They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.    17These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

BEST OF: The largest LGBTQ pride event just took place on the Dead Sea on behalf of the Israeli people. It just so happens that the location aligns with the historical Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of this and other factors relating to psychopathy and homicidal behavior, will divine judgment be visited on these people again? Also, why does the Hebrew spirit of abortion and sexual promiscuity, of desolation and temptation, wear a rainbow? Does she have anything in common with Baal or Moloch?*The is the FREE archive, which includes advertisements. If you want an ad-free experience, subscribe below. 

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Genesis, Chapter 26.

Gil Rosen joins the conversation to discuss his book Alien vs. Decoding Genesis and his interpretation of Genesis through the original Hebrew text. He argues that many familiar biblical stories — especially the creation story, the serpent, the Nephilim, and the flood — have been flattened by translation and tradition. Throughout the episode, he connects Genesis to ancient astronaut ideas, the book of Enoch, global mythology, megalithic structures, and modern questions about AI and consciousness. gilrosen.net https://alienverses.info/ Gil's main argument is that Genesis reads very differently in Hebrew than in English. He believes the text points to multiple divine beings, not just a purely singular God. The serpent in Eden is framed as a bringer of knowledge rather than a villain. Genesis 6 and the Nephilim are presented as evidence of a hybrid experiment. Gil connects biblical stories to myths from other cultures around the world. The episode also explores whether advanced beings, consciousness, and AI could be connected. Gil sees this as a moment where science, spirituality, and history are starting to overlap again.   To gain access to the second half of show and our Plus feed for audio and podcast please clink the link http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support. For second half of video (when applicable and audio) go to our Substack and Subscribe. https://grimericaoutlawed.substack.com/ or to our Locals  https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/ or Patreon https://www.patreon.com/grimericaoutlawed   https://www.skool.com/audiobooks THE GRIMOIRE Audiobook Club and Library https://pegsandjokers.ca/ Family and Friends Cards and Pegs Boardgame online https://www.simulationmaps.com/#products Disaster Maps, Volcano Sim, Asteroid Sim, Shipwreck Map, UFO Map etc Support the show directly: https://open.spotify.com/show/2punSyd9Cw76ZtvHxMKenI?si=ImKxfMHgQZ-oshl499O4dQ&nd=1&dlsi=4c25fa9c78674de3 Watch or Listen on Spotify https://grimerica.ca/support-2/ Our Adultbrain Audiobook Podcast and Website: www.adultbrain.ca Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans Https://t.me.grimerica grimerica.ca/chats  Discord Chats Darren's books www.acanadianshame.ca Sign up for our newsletter http://www.grimerica.ca/news InstaGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the_grimerica_show_podcast/ Purchase swag, with partial proceeds donated to the show www.grimerica.ca/swag ART - Napolean Duheme's site http://www.lostbreadcomic.com/ MUSIC Tru Northperception, Felix's Site sirfelix.bandcamp.com   Timestamps 0:00 — Introduction and book overview 1:00 — Gil's background and how he started questioning Genesis 5:00 — Elohim, plural language, and divine beings 10:00 — Narrative shaping and early mental programming 17:00 — Adam, Eve, the serpent, and the fruit of knowledge 24:00 — Jehovah, the Garden, and the physical nature of Genesis 33:00 — Enoch, the Nephilim, and Genesis 6 41:00 — The book of Enoch and forbidden knowledge 49:00 — Global mythologies and shared symbols 58:00 — The book's timing and current disclosure conversations 66:00 — Gil's simplified thesis of Genesis 70:00 — Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham's negotiation 76:00 — Light weapons and declassified reports 81:00 — Ancient engineering and megalithic structures 86:00 — AI, consciousness, and the soul 94:00 — Closing thoughts and where to find Gil                    

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Genesis, Chapter 25.

Daily Dose of Hope August 25, 2026   Scripture:  Genesis 14   Prayer:  Heavenly Father, We come before you today in awe of your Word. Thank you for speaking to us through Scripture.  Help us commit to being grounded in your truth.  Help us make learning more about you a priority.  We get so distracted!  The world comes at us from all sides.  Lord, in these next few moments of silence, help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church.  We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis and this will be followed by a deep dive into Exodus.  Today's reading is Genesis 14.   In today's reading, we have the first recorded battle in Genesis.  It's also the only time Abram is connected to warfare (who knew he had so many armed men at his disposal?)  You might have noticed here that Abram is called a Hebrew as well.    But what is going on?  Remember that Abram and Lot are now living in separate places.  Lot actually lived in Sodom, which happened to be captured in the battle described in verses 1-11.  Lot is taken captive.    Now, God has promised to protect and care for Abram and it seems he is finally trusting in that.  Abram goes into battle to save his nephew and is very successful.  He meets up with two kings, Melchizedek (Salem's priestly king) and the king of Sodom.  Melchizedek comes with wine, food, and blessings.  The king of Sodom comes with his hand out.  These were obviously very different kings, which seem to further highlight the difference between Abram and Lot.  Abram is upstanding and generous, not worried about wealth or property.  Lot is living in what we will learn is a sinful place, possibly hanging out with the wrong people, and espousing values that are very different from Abram's.   I want to just briefly touch on King Melchizedek.  If his name sounds familiar, it may because the author of Hebrews says that Jesus is a priest and king, in the order of Melchizedek.  What does this mean?  Well, Jesus was not in the family line of priests.  His appointment as high priest and king came directly from God.  This is similar to Melchizedek, who is kind of mysterious figure, a king-priest which would have been highly unusual.  We have no evidence that Melchizedek's kingship or priestship were inherited.  Yet, he is called a priest of the most high God.  Did God directly appoint him too?  We really don't know, but it is fascinating that the author of Hebrews makes this connection.   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Genesis, Chapter 24.

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman Spud Webb 5'7 In Junior high he went to try out and his coach told him to sit in the stands…. You are too short.  Cut from his Junior year of BB and had to talk his coach into keeping him. He scored 20 points his first game.  No Div. 1 college would even look at him. So he had to play at Midland College- lead them to a national JR league Championship, then got a scholarship to NC state.  Every NBA scout scoffed. They said maybe he could play overseas or if he was lucky he could play with the Harlem Globetrotters. Every NBA team passed on him multiple times… He fell to the fifth round and was drafted by the Detroit pistons… and cut before the season ever started.  He was “lucky” enough to be signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Hawks… At that time his star teammate Dominique Williams was the Slam dunk Champion… spud entered the contest and Dominique said he thought it was a joke and he would do layups… Spud won with numerous 360 slams, dunks off the backboard and Reverse slam dunks…. People laughed at him! He credits his belief in knowing God gave him that talent for a reason, and that dream for a purpose.    My question today is: How will you respond when people laugh at your dream?       Gen 18:1  And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2  He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3  and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.4  Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree,5  while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”6  And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.7  And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly.8  Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.9  They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.”10  The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.12  So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”13  The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?'14  Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”15  But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”         Rather than just "inappropriate" or "disrespectful," biblical scholars and linguists often look at Sarah's reaction in Genesis 18:12 through a few distinct lenses:   1. Incredulous Incredulity captures a mix of disbelief, shock, and impossibility. Sarah was roughly 90 years old, well past childbearing age, and had dealt with a lifetime of infertility. Hearing a stranger tell Abraham she would have a baby by the following year sounded biologically absurd.   Abraham lives in a Spiritual and Theological worldview… Sarah lives in a physical biological world view…     2. Sarcastic (or Cynical) In Hebrew, Sarah's inner monologue reads as a self-deprecating scoff: "After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?" Describing her reaction as sarcastic or cynical highlights the defense mechanism of a woman who had likely given up hope decades prior and saw the statement as a cruel taunt or bad joke.   3. Human Her reaction was deeply human. It wasn't necessarily a malicious rebellion against God; it was an involuntary emotional slip—a defense mechanism triggered by years of grief, trauma, and disappointment over her barrenness.   The Nuance: Her laugh isn't scoffing insolence; it's a reflex against emotional re-traumatization. When a deep, long-buried desire is suddenly brought up by a stranger, cynicism acts as armor to protect the heart from being broken one more time. The Insight: Faith doesn't require instantaneous emotional compliance. God engages directly with her reaction rather than striking her down, recognizing the pain behind her defense.   4. Prophetic In the broader arc of Genesis, her laughter is viewed as prophetic or foreshadowing. The Hebrew root for laugh (tzachaq) is the exact root used for the name of the child God promises: Isaac (Yitzchak), which literally means "he laughs" or "laughter". What began as the laugh of doubt in Genesis 18 transforms into the laugh of joy and wonder when Isaac is born in Genesis 21: "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me".   Key takeaway: While her response is often labeled as "disbelief," calling it incredulous or sarcastic better captures her emotional reality, while calling it prophetic reveals the literary wordplay embedded in the text.     MAYBE OUR REACTION SHOULD MATCH *TO SOME DEGREE …SARAHS… WHY? WHY WOULD GOD USE ABRAHAM A MAN OF MANY FAULTS?      Failure 1: Deception in Egypt Age ~75 (Gen 12:10–20) The Misstep: When a severe famine strikes Canaan, Abram migrates to Egypt without seeking divine direction. Fearing the Egyptians will kill him for his beautiful wife, he asks Sarai to lie and say she is his sister.   The Fallout: Pharaoh takes Sarai into his royal palace as a concubine while enriching Abram. God strikes Pharaoh's household with severe plagues. Upon discovering the truth, Pharaoh rebukes Abram for his deceit and expels his family from Egypt.       Separation from Lot & Rescue Age ~75–80 (Gen 13–14) As their livestock herds grow too large for the land to support both of them, quarreling breaks out between Abram's and Lot's herdsmen. Abram generously gives Lot first pick WITHOUT SEEKING GOD - Lot gets captured.      The Unconditional Covenant Age ~85 (Gen 15) Abram voices concern that he remains childless and his servant Eliezer will inherit his house. God reassures Abram that a biological son will be his heir and cuts a formal covenant with him, promising descendants as numerous as the stars.       Failure 2: Scheming with Hagar Age 85–86 (Gen 16) The Misstep: After living in Canaan for ten years without a child, Sarai proposes that Abram take her Egyptian servant, Hagar, as a surrogate mother. Abram agrees without seeking God's guidance, taking matters into his own hands to force the fulfillment of the promise.   The Fallout: Once Hagar becomes pregnant, domestic conflict erupts. Hagar despises Sarai, Sarai mistreats Hagar, and Abram washes his hands of the dispute. Hagar flees into the wilderness before an angel instructs her to return. She gives birth to Ishmael when Abram is 86.       The Covenant of Circumcision & Abraham's Internal Doubt Age 99 (Gen 17) The Moment of Disbelief: After 13 years of silence, God appears, renames Abram to Abraham ("Father of a Multitude") and Sarai to Sarah ("Princess"), and institutes circumcision as the covenant sign. When God explicitly states that Sarah herself will bear a son within a year, Abraham falls face down and laughs to himself, asking mentally: "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at ninety?" (Gen 17:17).     The Three Visitors at Mamre & Sarah's Laugh Age 99 (Gen 18:1–15) Three divine visitors visit Abraham under the oaks of Mamre. The Lord repeats the divine pledge: "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."   Overhearing this from inside the tent entrance, Sarah laughs to herself, thinking about her advanced age and physical state. When the Lord asks why she laughed and whether anything is too hard for God, Sarah denies it out of fear, but the Lord responds: "No, you did laugh."     MAYBE SARAH IS LAUGHING KNOWING WHO HER HUSBAND REALLY IS?       BECAUSE EVEN AFTER THIS VISITATION FROM GOD….   King Abimelech (Genesis 20:1–18) The Outcome: Abimelech takes Sarah into his harem. However, God appears to Abimelech in a dream, warning him that Sarah is married and that he will die if he touches her. Abimelech protests that he acted in good faith, returns Sarah untouched, gives Abraham restitution, and asks why Abraham did this.     Pattern in Abraham's Failures Across these 24 years, Abraham's missteps shared a common theme: self-preservation and impatience.     BUT LETS ASK OURSELVES A QUESTION: Regardless of how Sarah saw her husband Abraham - regardless of how we see him… How did God see him?      Names and Titles Given to Abraham   Abraham ("Father of a Multitude"): Originally named Abram ("Exalted Father"), God personally renamed him in Genesis 17:5 to reflect his ultimate destiny: "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations." "My Friend": God personally refers to Abraham as His friend in Isaiah 41:8 ("Abraham My friend"), a title affirmed throughout Scripture (2 Chronicles 20:7, James 2:23). Prophet: In Genesis 20:7, God speaks to King Abimelech regarding Abraham, stating, "Restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live." "My Servant": God repeatedly refers to Abraham with honor as His servant (Genesis 26:24, Psalm 105:6), marking him as a trusted agent of the Divine will. The Promises and Blessings Spoken Over Him Divine Shield and Great Reward: Infinite Descendants: Royal Lineage and Multiplied Nations: Universal Blessing for All Humanity: Divine Protection: An Everlasting Land Covenant:     SARAH MAY HAVE LAUGHED AT FIRST IN DISBELIEF - BUT   3. Sarah's later reversal is the untold "second half" of the story. But Genesis 21:6 gives Sarah's own commentary once Isaac is born: "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." She takes the very word she used in doubt and reclaims it in worship. Isaac's name literally means "he laughs." This is a remarkable narrative arc — cynical laughter transformed into worshipful laughter —          FINAL THOUGHT: WHY DID GOD CHOOSE ABRAHAM?  IN SPITE OF ALL HIS FLAWS HE PRACTICED GODS HEART AND DESIGN FOR PRAYER.   What do I mean? Gen. 18 later in the chapter God tells Abraham I am going to destroy Sodom and Gomorra and Abraham does something very familiar according to Luke 11.       Luke 11 tells us how to pray - AFTER SHARING THE LORDS PRAYER JESUS SAYS SOMETHING AWKWARD ABOUT PRAYER - A parable.  A man goes to his friends house - he needs 3 loaves of bread… he will not give up asking.    If you ask seek knock - out of sheer perseverance I will answer!   Abraham here in Gen. 18 does just that for Sodom and Gomorra - showing Gods heart for the lost. 50 45 40 30 20 10!   I believe one of the greatest clues is given in these two stories in scripture about who God uses!   The one that will not give up asking God to fulfill his purpose!     WHAT IF WE UNDERSTOOD THE STORY OF ABRAHAM LIKE THIS: Yes he was a heap of missteps, failures, a massive example of weak humanity….    But in all his mistakes and failures he never quit asking God for that son!  FOR THAT ANSWERED PRAYER.      WILL YOU BE THE ONE WHO P.U.S.H.es into God. P - pray U - until S - something H - happens?

The angels have entered Sodom, and Lot has pulled them into his home despite the risk, in a city where sheltering a guest overnight is itself a crime. Rabbi Epstein and Tom pick up as the meal Lot serves turns out to be matzah, and the timing is not incidental. This is Passover night, centuries before the Exodus, the night the Torah ties to the very possibility of freedom. Lot has spent years chasing what Sodom offers and could never walk away from it on his own. Now G-d is about to take the choice out of his hands, and the conversation traces what that kind of mercy actually costs.That night the men of the city surround the house, and Lot makes an offer to the mob that is hard to read as anything but appalling. Rabbi Epstein and Tom work through what he might have been calculating and how the Sages weigh a failure like that. When the angels finally strike the crowd blind and drag Lot inside, warning him to gather his family before dawn and get out, he doesn't move. The Torah marks the moment with a cantillation so rare it appears only a handful of times in the entire text: he lingers.They end on the question they'll pick up next episode. If you've earned the right to survive judgment, have you also earned the right to watch it happen?

In this episode, we explore the biblical concept of God's delayed judgment and what it reveals about His mercy and grace. Because Jesus came first to reconcile humanity to God, we are living in an age where God's wrath has been satisfied through Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. From the warnings of the Old Testament prophets to the examples of Israel, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, Scripture reminds us that God is patient but His judgment is certain. We'll also examine the moments God brings discipline or judgment, and what these examples teach believers today. As the age of grace moves toward its conclusion and Scripture points to Christ's return and the coming day of judgment, we are called not to condemn others or seek vengeance, but to pray, forgive, extend mercy, and leave justice in God's hands. This episode is a sobering reminder that God's patience is an expression of His grace, while His warnings call us to take sin seriously and live faithfully in light of Christ's return. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries please visit us at: https://soulchoiceministries.org/  You can find more of Bill's teachings at: BillWieseTV-YouTube

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Genesis, Chapter 23.

No one let the Pope listen to this week's episode.   Our guest is Natasha Pulley, genre-defying author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, The Bedlam Stacks, The Kingdoms, and now, in the The Salt King she pits the Vatican and Catholic Doctrine against something much, much older, lurking in the salt mines of the world.   It leads us to a conversation about faith of many kinds, about reality-adjacent fiction, the horrid truth of Sodom and Gomorrah, dark representations of the Catholic Church, and the challenge of fusing folk horror and global apocalypse.   There are also some holy dick pics.   Enjoy!   Other books mentioned: Gentle Things (2026), by Danielle Giles Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2024), by Susanna Clarke The Hill in the Dark Grove (2026), by Liam Higginson The Name of the Rose (1980), by Umberto Eco Foundation (1951), by Isaac Asimov A Canticle for Liebowitz (1959), by Walter M. Miller Jr Father Alberto and the Flying Girl (2026), by Timothy X Atack   Support Talking Scared on Patreon   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

God is Still Warning of Earthquakes (1)  (audio) David Eells, 8/16/26  Saints, I want to share with you prophetic warnings we've been receiving from the Lord about the coming earthquakes. The following is what I believe.  Important: Some high magnitude earthquakes have been prayed down to a lower magnitude and it could be done so at any time. According to prophecies a large Japan quake will precede the large US earthquakes. Japan just had a 7.1 but this may not be the sign. They could have a larger magnitude earthquake, God forbid, – then 10 days of communication darkness for people in the U.S. to move to safety. The West Coast could experience a 9-something magnitude earthquake.  Then, New Madrid shortly after could have a 9-something magnitude quake. There will be smaller quakes in the Eastern US. For many years now, we have spoken about the earthquakes that precede the Man-child ministry and anointing. We encourage everyone to be spiritually prepared in faith and sanctification, and to be seeking the Lord for direction if He would have you move and where to go, provisions, etc. I want to go over some of these revelations with you today. We know we are getting close to these things coming to pass. Julie asked the Lord what the people needed to hear and pray about, and she heard “seven,” so she searched that under the dreams/visions page and the only one with seven in the title was Eve's revelation below.   Seven Earthquakes / New Madrid / Man-child Eve Brast - 04/23/2012 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was high above Earth, sitting on the clouds and to the right of Tom Welling, the actor who plays Superman in the Smallville TV series. (This was odd to me because I don't ever dream of superheroes, but I understood the parable of Superman being Jesus in the Man-child with the latter rain anointing and supernatural abilities.) He was pointing and showing me places where earthquakes were to take place around the globe and telling me about them. But the strange thing is, the Earth was wrapped in a golden yellow tarp that was made of the same material as the yellow raincoat that my son Josiah wears. (It used to belong to my dad and is way too big for him, but he loves to wear it when it rains.)(This is a sign that we will need more than people think to protect from the storms coming? Primarily pray to God in faith.) On top of the raincoat tarp was the red outline of all the continents of the Earth, and each place where there was going to be an earthquake had an outline of a star in red. I only remember two places: one was around the Great Lakes (New Madrid) area in the U.S.  (The Great Lakes / New Madrid quake could be the one that destroys the economy and brings the anointing of the Man-child reformers.) (I remembered this one well because when I saw it in the dream, I thought about the American Earthquake Brings Revival dream of 3/14/12. (I share this dream below) The other was in South America. There were seven stars (earthquakes) altogether that He pointed out to me. This reminds me of the seven booms that I heard after waking up from the Forgiving the Repentant dream of 4/02/12. (I'll share the seven booms portion of that dream below.) I could not remember exactly how many stars were in the dream, but I was pretty sure there were seven, so I asked the Father to give me a verse with “7” in it and my finger was on: (Psa.119:79) Let those who fear You turn to me, those who know Your testimonies. I asked the Father for a confirmation verse, and my finger was on: (Jer.22:7) I will prepare destroyers against you, Everyone with his weapons: They shall cut down your choice cedars and cast them into the fire. Were the seven earthquakes around the globe on 4/11/12 a sign of something larger to come?   American Earthquake Brings Revival Eve Brast - 03/14/2009 (Deborah Horton's notes in green) | (David's notes in red) I dreamed that I was a teacher over a group of elementary school students and also a commander over a platoon of 30 soldiers at the same time. (Eve is a type of the Bride of the last Adam, Jesus, since Eve was the name of the first Adam's bride since history repeats. The Bride, Jerusalem, here has rule over the body of 30 soldiers.) As a teacher with my students, I resided in the heavenlies, which was indicated by the floor being transparent and having clouds around it. I could see the U.S. underneath my classroom. God's hand appeared to my right and caught my attention. (Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin?) (This saying was written by God's hand and finger and it meant the Babylonish kingdom in the US will be judged and divided and will come to an end, as the deep state is now. Dan 5:25-28 And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end; 27 TEKEL; thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28 PERES; thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. (A type of Cyrus-Trump's kingdom conquering Babylon. Daniel, at that time, was a type of the Man-child who interpreted this judgment.) God's hand pointed down at the U.S./Canadian border. The hand and I descended toward the Great Lakes area. God's finger started pointing down to the ground near Michigan and then followed the U.S./Canadian border over to around Minnesota. Then He brought me in for a closer look and showed me a fissure that had begun in the earth. As He traced the crack with His finger, there was a huge earthquake. I heard the screams of many people falling into the rift that was opened in the earth. (A warning to question God if you are to leave the area?) (There have also been a lot of booms and small quakes in Michigan and Wisconsin around the Great Lakes area. (These can identify for you where the fault lines are for future use.) I was awakened to seven booms in real life. It definitely was not thunder. There was no rain, and the sky was not cloudy when I got up to type up this dream. The first boom rattled my window, woke me up, and made my heart jump. The first three booms seemed to be above-ground somehow, but the last four rumblings were from below the ground because I heard them through my pillow. [The booms in Forgiving the Repentant dream may have been earthquake activity. In another dream, the Statue of Liberty Falls to Its Knees at the New Madrid Seismic Zone and the “ground shook mightily.”]) Back to Eve's dream: I was then on the ground near the beginning of the fault line in Michigan with my students, but they were now soldiers. (A sign the students will have grown up when this quake happens and soldiers are needed after a large quake.) We marched down into the canyon that had been created by the fault line, and when we reached the end of the canyon, I saw the corner of a golden step pyramid, like those found in the Americas, sticking out of the dirt. God's hand came down and uncovered four golden structures from under the dirt. God's voice said, “This is Egypt”. (This reminds me of the parable of the servant who buried his talent in the earth, instead of using it to further God's Kingdom. America has been doing the same thing with all the gifts that she has been given.) (This shows that the root cause of the quake is that America is an Egypt and God's people are called forth out of her spiritually, even as He divides her with earthquakes and wars.) One structure was the four-cornered step pyramid with no capstone. (The Great Pyramid with the capstone missing is not Egyptian; it had no Egyptian hieroglyphics or art, as the others. The historian Josephus said that Enoch and his sons built it before the flood. A capstone on a pyramid is a “chief cornerstone”, Who is Jesus, and is missing and in Heaven. The Egyptian pyramids are inferior copies of it. The original Chaldean word for “pyramid” is “urimidden”, meaning “revelation measurements”. The Great Pyramid is mentioned in the Bible as an altar to the Lord, so it is prophetically Christian, not Egyptian. (Isa.19:19) In that day shall there be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to Jehovah. [The Great Pyramid fulfills this because it is on the “border” of upper and lower Egypt and in the midst of the country of Egypt.] (20) And it shall be for a sign [revelation measurements] and for a witness unto Jehovah of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto Jehovah because of oppressors, and he will send them a saviour, and a defender, and he [Jesus] will deliver them.) Within the Great Pyramid was a standard of measurement called the pyramid inch. With this, you could measure an outline of the history of man from beginning to end. A shaft went from the upper side of the pyramid to a pit, representing hell, beneath it. It is measured in length to represent the history of man in years. That history line was intersected by a passage that went to a room in the heart of the pyramid that was the exact size as the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of God, Jesus, would have resided. This represented the coming of Jesus to intersect that history line at the exact point in time when He came to save man's fall to the pit of Hell. So, God gave us this amazing witness in His Word. Also, the Great Pyramid originally had 144,000 polished limestones covering it before they were plundered. This represents the Man-child company mentioned twice in Rev.14:1-4. Back to Eve: One structure was a golden graven image of a queen of Egypt. (This reminds one of the Babylonish harlot ruling over God's people) One structure seemed to be a rectangular palace with large, tall pillars surrounding it. I can't recall what the fourth structure was, even though I asked the Father to reveal it to me. God's finger made the sign of the cross over the four-cornered step pyramid, and its corners slid open in the directions that the finger moved. Inside the pyramid was a solid gold throne which had no back to it. God pointed with emphasis to that throne. (Like the Great Pyramid, the heart of the Church is God's Holy of Holies, where His Ark and throne are. The mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant was “a solid gold throne which had no back”. The one on that throne should be God Himself, not the queen or harlot of Egypt. Egypt usurped the throne of the Great Pyramid as its own. So she did with Israel, God's real building. In Isaiah 14:4,12,13, the king of Babylon, inhabited by Lucifer, said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God”, which God said is Abraham's seed. So, America, as a modern-day Egypt/Babylon, has and will usurp authority over the Church, which will be resurrected from its death and burial in the dirt of America. This speaks of a great revival because of this earthquake judgment on America. Then I was taken back up over the U.S. into the heavenlies where I was at the beginning. As I returned to my place, I asked God, “What about my mother?” (Being concerned for my earthly mother.) And I heard my earthly father's voice from behind me say, “It's too late for her”, and then I woke up. (In this case, the Bride's mother is America, just what Jeremiah 50:8 says of Babylon: “It's too late for her.” (Jer.50:10) And Chaldea [Babylon/America] shall be a prey: all that prey upon her shall be satisfied, saith Jehovah. (11) Because ye are glad, because ye rejoice, O ye that plunder my heritage [They did and will persecute and kill God's people], because ye are wanton as a heifer that treadeth out [the grain] [persecution to bring forth the fruit in God's people], and neigh as strong horses; (12) your mother (there she is) shall be utterly put to shame; she that bare you shall be confounded: behold, she shall be the hindermost of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert. An earthquake tearing in the flesh of America will reveal the Great Pyramid symbol of the Church being born out of the travail of persecution.) When I asked for a verse for this dream and flipped my Bible open, my finger came down on verses 2-4 of Obadiah, but the Bible I have has an introduction to each book, so my finger came down on the sentence within the introduction, “God will bring her down”, verses 2-4. (Oba.2) Behold, I have made thee small among the nations: thou art greatly despised. (A sign of God bringing down from her thone the U.S. and destroying its economy through which it rules.) (3) The pride of thy heart hath deceived thee, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? (4) Though thou mount on high as the eagle, and though thy nest be set among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord. Deb Horton: I asked for a word and my finger came down on: (Psa.21:10) Their fruit wilt thou destroy from the earth, And their seed from among the children of men. Eve: Also, several months later, when I was reading Isaiah 19, the Lord told me that this chapter was in reference to this dream. (This chapter is about God's judgment on Egypt and the Great Pyramid altar. Part of that judgment is civil war, just as the judgment on Babylon was division -- Daniel 5:25-28. (Isa.19:2) And I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians (even now the U.S. is polarized by the left and right): and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, [and] kingdom against kingdom. (3) And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of it; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. (4) And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord (Satan); and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts. We have many dreams that speak of Civil War in America as a tribulation judgment. In the Word, when the Beast came against God's people, God always divided them to save His people.) Here's a portion of Eve's dream about the seven booms: ….Then I was awakened (at 4:00 am) by a loud, crashing boom outside our mobile home that shook the window, followed by two more lesser, crashing booms, followed by four more (seven booms). After the booms stopped, I realized that a song was being sung in my mind. The lyrics were, “I can walk on water. I can fly. I will keep on fighting till I die.” (representing dying to self) (Since the Bride was hearing the Man-child's voice in her mind, could this be the Man-child ministry, who will also do these wonderful things, coming after the time of the booming sounds, representing earthquakes?) This is a song that was playing on a HALO Lego video that my son Elijah and his friend (whose name is Rebel, believe it or not) were listening to last week on the computer. HALO is a Navy SEAL acronym for High Altitude Low Opening. It describes a certain airborne jump they perform. (It is the safest method for parachuting into enemy territory while under fire. It is to free-fall as close to Earth as possible before opening the chute. This maximizes the chance of evading the gunfire. The Man-child will be coming to Earth very fast and will be under enemy fire from many enemies, including the DS and factious leaders, just as in Javier's dream where he saw three snipers shooting at David from the darkness of a tank, but they could not hit him.) I'm not sure how it fits with the dream, other than the lyrics seem to describe Jesus in the Man-Child. But the song seems to be a rebellious mantra against the establishment (of the apostate hierarchy). I asked the Father for a verse for the song, and my finger was on: (Lam.5:15) The joy of our heart has ceased; our dance has turned into mourning. (There will be repentance by the 70 saints who were forgiven in the Forgiving the Repentant dream.) I then asked the Father for two verses for the booms I heard that woke me up and got: (Eze.22:31) Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I brought upon their heads, saith the Lord Jehovah. (Sowing unforgiveness, criticism and slander always destroys the one who does it.) (Mat.7:2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you. And (Eze.33:26) Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination (The sword of the Word is necessary to separate the sinner from sin and leaven.), and ye defile every one his neighbor's wife (by selfish lusts of the flesh): and shall ye possess the (Promised) land? No!   Midwest Earthquake of Epic Proportions Rick Sergent - 07/14/2008 (David's notes in red) The Lord first spoke to me about a major Midwest earthquake in December of 2003. Then on 7/14/08, He gave some details about this up-and-coming quake. It will happen soon, I believe. It will register on the Richter Scale as a 9-something. I believe it will be on the New Madrid fault line, maybe around St. Louis, MO? I heard these words in my spirit: “It will be of epic proportions”. This earthquake will permanently change the mindset of the people of this nation. It will alter the terrain on a large scope. It will never be the same. People from different nations will come to the aid of the U.S. (some may for ill intentions). Personal Notes: When I heard a “9”, I wondered if there was ever a verified 9 quake in the world. I may be wrong, but I only found three earthquakes. One was a1960 9.5 quake in Chile. The other one was on December 26, 2004, the tsunami that killed about 230,000 people. The U.S. Geological Survey says it was a 9.1. Others outside of this country said it was a 9.3. The 1964 quake in Alaska was around a 9, maybe(?) I do not want to sound like a doomsayer, but this quake may cause more deaths than any quake in the history of the world. I did research afterwards, and the tsunami quake of 2004 was the second in terms of deaths. The first one happened in about 1560 in China. That one claimed over 800,000 deaths, they say. In 2003, I had a friend who saw sea creatures in the spirit in Terre Haute, Indiana. She did not know why. I do not know if this is the quake that has been mentioned in relation to Lake Michigan or not, but it would not surprise me if it was. I believe it will be felt in almost all the states. The midsection of the U.S. will be the worst. (Also, the West Coast quakes around this time are prophesied to be terrible.) The big harvest or revival will come alongside great sorrows. Great Earthquake Impedes Travel, Drought Rick Sergent - 04/19/2012 (David's notes in red) On 4/19/12, I was not thinking about anything particular when I saw a vision of this woman on a horse. Her name is Mary. I know her. She is a mature Christian. Then I saw the word EARTHQUAKE in red letters. I have never seen those letters in red. I don't recall it; they have always been in black or an occasional other color. This word was right above her. I then saw these words: “Great Destruction Will Impede Traveling”. That made sense to me, why I saw Mary on a horse. (Also, Mary could be the woman Church who brings forth the Man-child, as it was with Jesus. Sandy and Audrey said she could also be the Church trusting in the strength of beastly flesh.) Then I saw the number 85. I did not know what this number meant. (Then, Deborah Horton sent us a dream that I David was restoring I-85 overpass or Passover. She didn't know about this dream.) After asking the Lord to explain to me about this 85, I received this revelation from Deborah Horton within two days and 85 is emphasized again. Here is a portion of it: There was a highway work crew repairing the overpass where I-85 goes over Highway 29. (The spiritual road crew represents those reformers who restore the paths to dwell in. (Isa.58:12) And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.) (Deborah: “Overpass” is a word play on “Passover”; if we want the Lord to pass over our sins, we must forgive everyone, but I was giving place to doubt and bitterness about a particular person when I had this dream. In real life, the place where I-85 passes over Highway 29 was chewed-up by heavy trucks going to and from the smelly, multi-state landfill. The landfill there is as large as a small mountain. Part of it was finally patched. So, we could say that the I-85 overpass/Passover has been kept in disrepair by trucks creating a mountain of garbage representing the magnitude of stinking thinking and ways of those who give in to factions and their false Jesus and apostate leadership. That would explain why, below, David was repairing the road. (Isa.58:12) ... The restorer of paths to dwell in.) (Deb later told me 85 is meaning 8 = New Beginning and 5 = grace. Highway 29 mostly parallels I-85, zigzagging back and forth across the path of I-85) From Rick's emails: In Deb Horton's dream, David was over a highway work crew, repairing the I-85. (Passover of Highway 29, which represents the earthquake, meaning God's people must be prepared through faith and God's works to escape these quakes.) In the natural, Highway 29 goes to the heart of Washington, DC, which speaks of the future quake. USGS says the epicenter of the 8/23/11, 5.8 quake was five miles S-SW of Mineral, VA, which is 84 miles to DC.. Wow, close enough! Number 29 may mean a second quake or judgment. (2 = second [and division] and 9 = judgment.) A portion of 29 between Greensboro, NC and Danville, VA will be upgraded to an interstate. They are naming the new interstate I-785. The point is that it is being made into a faster highway, meaning a quick time for the quake to hit D.C. without delay. Interstates do not have stoplights or stop signs and cross over multiple states. The earthquakes will be felt in multiple states. I did find it interesting that US Highway 29 dead-ends right where I-70 starts on the East Coast and moves west across the heart of the Midwest, all the way to the west to Utah, where it branches off with other interstates to Los Angeles on the West Coast. According to Wikipedia, the U.S. military wanted it that way to be able to travel from southern California to the northeastern United States (NYC). I am convinced of the spiritual revelation of the number 85 as a Passover and that these quakes are coming. But it is interesting that a Passover was being repaired on the I-85 interstate, going over Highway 29 and goes 84 or 85 miles from the epicenter of the last quake in VA to D.C., where the same 5.8 quake judged the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty by cracking them. Not a chance that is not a sign. We've had revelations that Government and Liberty will be changed by this. I am convinced that we must be entitled to the Passover of this judgment, which was paid for by Jesus, when it does come. Make sure your heart is right with God and your brethren by abiding in Jesus Christ.) In 2008, I gathered all the dreams on the New Madrid, splitting the country and compared what the timing looked like on each, and I came up with the theory that there were at least two big quakes in the New Madrid -- one at the beginning of the trib and one at the end when the nations come together to divide Israel for the last time. I shared this on the program at that time. In Brenda Schaunaman's dream on 10/12/08, I wrote: “This Midwest quake that divides the U.S. may happen twice, the last being the worst and dividing the country even more”. I do not doubt Rick may be right about a quake coming, but there was no year on the date part, which leaves open a very large quake at the end of the trib. I believe we will see a lesser but very damaging quake leading up to the tribulation when the Lord comes AS the latter rain on the Man-child body. Hos 6:3 And let us know, let us follow on to know Jehovah: his going forth is sure as the morning; and he will come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth. (1Co.4:5) Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his praise from God. Back to Rick: A major quake of over 9 on the Richter Scale, as indicated in the prophecy Midwest Earthquake of Epic Proportions, would probably cause an economic crash, especially if coupled with the Western seaboard major quake, back-to-back, knocking out the electric grid for months. (It would cause much death and push over the edge all they have already done to resurrect the economy with the RV. It would also help to bring revival.) Rick: About less than a week before I had received this vision of the number 85, I was on the phone with a lady who was a customer. She brought up the subject of dreams and visions, not knowing I was her confirmer. She said that there were going to be two major quakes -- one on the East Coast (which was prayed down), the other one off the New Madrid (Which, because of that, will come just after the terrible West Coast quakes). She said the Lord showed her they would be one after another. I told her I agreed with her but thought the quakes would be days apart. I told her the last three quakes that the Lord has revealed to me are where quakes are not commonly known to happen. He first showed me the Washington quake months before it happened. Then He showed me the largest quake in Oklahoma's history, months before it happened. He also has shown me one in Nebraska, but that, of course, has not occurred yet. The lady then proceeded to tell me about a drought throughout the United States. She said states will be fighting over water rights with inland waterways and lakes. (As of July 2026, in the U.S., we are seeing approximately 38% drought; some areas are experiencing extreme drought from the East Coast and throughout the country towards the West. This fighting over water rights may also be because of the enormous amount of water needed for all the Data Centers they are building in several places in the States.) I told her in 2011, I saw a vision of a donkey walking with its head down from west to east on a map of the U.S. There was the word “famine” on the donkey, with sagebrush blowing around it. (The donkey is the symbol of the Democratic Party, which is failing.) Then, just last week (April of 2012), I received a call, and the person said one of the headlines in the Indianapolis Star read, Drought in all states except for Alaska and Ohio. I then proceeded to tell her I saw in a vision in 2011 of a radial arm saw making a cut just on the south edge of the Great Lakes. When it carved out the lakes, it went over to the Mississippi River and made a cut all the way down to the Gulf. Then I saw these words: “War over Water”. She seemed to be my confirmer, too. (There has been a water war with major rivers very low.) Note: Additional confirmations and revelation: 1) In March of 2011, I was given this vision from the Lord: I saw the word: Earthquake suspended over a map of the United States. Three golden rods came from the word Earthquake. One pointed to what I thought was just north of Washington, D.C., but it was difficult to determine because it was more like a geography map and was not showing cities. The second pointed to the Midwest and the third pointed to California. This seems to indicate the possibility of a series of quakes indicated in Sandy Shaw's dream, Series of Quakes Hits U.S., in a simpler form in my vision. (She mentioned these same places plus a lesser-known seismic zone in the TN Valley.) Sandy had hers in May of 2011. (These two revelations were true but when the East Coast large quake was prayed down the sequence of the other two large quakes changed. We believe now the West coast will precede the New Madrid.) 2) In Sandy's dream in the notes in red letters, David noted: “Their urgency may be to leave and get into new homes before the quakes because the New Madrid could affect her area in central Arkansas and at least IMPEDE HER TRAVEL”. (Rick: These are basically the same words in my vision I saw: “Great Destruction Will Impede Traveling”. And Mary on the horse/Man-child (4/19/12). David went on to say, “The Man-child will lead many into the wilderness prepared by this great destruction in the beginning of the tribulation”. Also a horse implies automobiles don't have gas or good roads like a wilderness. Update - 5/01/12 I received a major confirmation from my son, Jeremy. Jeremy texted me at 8:48 am on 5/01/12. I did not get hold of him on the phone until 7:16 pm the next day. First of all, Jeremy does not know anything about the vision of Great Earthquake Impedes Travel, Drought. Jeremy lives in Shreveport, in northeastern Louisiana. I had only told my friend Mary (who lives in Indiana) and one friend at work (who lives in Ohio). Jeremy prayed before he went to bed, “Lord, give me dreams or visions”. He awoke that morning wide awake, and he opened the Bible, and it was at Isaiah 24. He said, “Dad, I started crying and could not stop; it was like prophetic weeping”. (I call him Jeremiah sometimes, ‘The Weeping Prophet'.) He said he read the whole chapter and wept all the way through it. He said what was impressed in his spirit was economic collapse and a very big earthquake. (So much for the golden age.) He said, “Dad, I feel it is right around the corner, right at the door!” He later turned on the TV and said words were spoken, like a play on words from the TV. He said on the news they talked about the euro in trouble and the dollar also. He had not turned on the news for months. He said God seems to be confirming to him the judgment on the United States and the world. He said it's like people know it, but they are ignoring it or pretending it will go away. When Jeremy said that, a scripture came to my mind. I knew it was in Ezekiel 7, and I looked it up, and it was verses 25-26: DESTRUCTION COMES; they will seek peace, but there shall be none. DISASTER upon DISASTER, and RUMOR will be upon RUMOR. In my Bible, the subtitle above Isaiah 24 is Impending Judgment on the Earth. This thought then came to me: Eve Brast's dream of seven earthquakes around the world. I then noticed the Bible notes for Isaiah 24:1-6: “Its not clear what form the devastation will take. The imagery suggests drought and possible earthquakes. Such judgments have happened throughout human history and will be climaxed during the time before Christ's return, often referred to as the great tribulation”. I went on to read Isaiah 24:13: “When it shall be thus IN THE MIDST OF THE LAND among the people, it shall be like the SHAKING OF THE OLIVE TREE”. Verse 19: “The EARTH IS VIOLENTLY BROKEN. The EARTH IS SPLIT OPEN. THE EARTH IS SHAKEN EXCEEDINGLY”. Verse 20: “The EARTH SHALL REEL TO AND FRO LIKE A DRUNKARD, and shall totter like a hut. Its transgression shall be heavy upon it”. Let me share this transcript of a prophetic warning the Lord gave to Brandon Biggs, prior to the 7.4 Colombia earthquake that recently occurred on Monday, August 10, 2026.   The Lord Showed Us: It Was Coming A Shaking in Colombia link Brandon Biggs, 6/24/26  …. They felt that all over the place there would be Big earthquakes. What is this happening with the earth? The earth is shaking and rocking and reeling like a drunkard. The Lord said it was coming. The Word said it was coming. And so we're seeing the beginnings of it, the birthing pains. (It is the sign of the birthing of the Man-child ministry too) What are we about to see? Major shaking. Why? Because I told you Colombia will be shaken. Venezuela will be shaken. Cuba will be shaken, as we saw earthquakes; Cuba will be shaken. Why? Because it's a representation of what's happening in the spiritual realm. It is manifesting in the natural, and a great harvest of souls is coming to Venezuela and Cuba and Colombia. Watch, and it's going to spread through Brazil. Watch what happens. God is going to pour out His Spirit in South America. Watch.  Here's another clip Brandon posted on 8/10/26 about a recent volcano in Japan. So there is a volcano going off in Japan, like the Lord was telling us… I saw a lot of people go home because of this eruption. The Lord said, “Watch Japan; Japan's gonna split.” and I saw a major shaking hit Japan, and that's what we were seeing last night (livestream prayer meeting). I'm gonna shake…  He said, “California will have an earthquake that has not been seen in this generation.” A massive earthquake is about to happen in California.  …August 8th, an exploding fireball appeared, captured in Eastern Japan. Here is a Link to this article:  A two-kilometer column of smoke rose after another eruption of the Sakurajima volcano in Japan. The volcano began to become active on July 7. On the same night, surveillance cameras also recorded the glow. On August 8, ash was released from the Minamidake crater to a height of more than two thousand meters. The Japan Meteorological Agency predicts continued activity as magma accumulates deep underground. Near the craters of Nandake and Seva, there is a danger of falling large rocks. According to the researchers, this is the eighteenth eruption on Sakurajima this year. In the footage, the sky is filled with a black cloud of smoke, and local residents are hiding from the effects of the eruption. Brandon: The Lord says, “You will see fearful sights that will bring you to your knees.” And I say, watch the signs in the heavens. It will shake the signs in the heavens. Let me read this transcript of Brandon Biggs' revelation.    “The Lord Showed Me a Major Earthquake Along the San Andreas Fault Line” link  Brandon Biggs, 8/10/26 (David's notes in red) What did the Lord show us about the San Andreas? A week ago, the Lord told us to pray over the San Andreas. I said, “You're about to see a major shaking, and the water will boil. The water will come up out of the ground hotter than it's ever come out of the ground.” And I said, “You're going to see California have the ‘Big One'.”  And today, August 3, 2026, California's top earthquake expert issued a chilling new warning on the ‘Big One'. It could be tomorrow. He shows a clip from a news report:  “Scientists agree we are due for a massive earthquake along the San Andreas Fault. They just don't know when. But as Maribel Gonzalez reports, a new study suggests it may be coming sooner rather than later.  This simulation depicts Southern California's worst-case earthquake, a massive magnitude 7.8 rupture along the San Andreas Fault. [It could last] nearly 2 minutes of shaking. Experts say hundreds could die, along with billions of dollars in damage. This simulated earthquake rivals the powerful quake that struck Venezuela in June, highlighting their devastating impact.”  “It could go another 100 years. It could be tomorrow. It could be, you know, next minute.” said Dr. Lucy Jones, a seismologist at Caltech.  “But a new study warns the risk of a significant earthquake in California could be greater than previously believed, with even more widespread damage.”  “What we've found now is that, you know... stresses are naturally high, and they're actually in some places, the highest that we've seen in all of these 1,000 years,” said Liliane Burkhard, a geophysicist at the University of Bern. (You can see this interview here) Back to Brandon: And this is what I saw back four days ago. I saw a major earthquake, major hot geysers boiling even more. Water coming up out of Yellowstone. And I saw a shaking in California. A major shaking is coming to California. And the Lord said these earthquakes that will take place will be symbolic, that I'm about to have a major, major move of My presence upon San Francisco.  And I saw men without their shirts on, weeping before the Lord. (And the Lord was referring to homosexuality.) And He said, “Watch what I'm about to do.” In San Francisco, I saw perversion, weeping before the Lord. And I saw Portland; I saw Seattle; I saw British Columbia. I saw a major move of God coming to California in the days ahead. And a shaking of the earth, major shakings, earthquakes, and [destruction of] bridges and things like that.   We Are In Magnitude 7 Territory - Get A Tent Alison Pound, 08/10/26 There are going to be more earthquakes. A lot more. Larger magnitude. Like you just saw in Colombia, South America. Magnitude 7 and above are going to become a thing. China is going to have 3 x magnitude 7's - Not 6.9 but 7 and over. I am raising the mag. levels across the earth. Europe will have some mag 7's. Italy in particular. I will be destroying whole cities. Yes, you heard Me, whole cities. Various parts of the earth, across the nations. I have already told you Iceland will have some big quakes. Some of these (mag. 7's) will come before the California “Big One” that will be off the Richter Scale. And some will come after. This is how it will be from now until the end. The Ring of Fire will be lit up on your map. Remember I told you many years ago: look at the map, watch. (I regularly check the earthquake maps because God told me to ‘watch') I Am coming down to shake the whole earth one more time, one more season…… the final season. Everything that can be shaken shall be shaken. There will be landslides, large rock falls in mountainous regions. The landscape will be much altered in some areas. This is to be expected. Tell My people…. Camping gear! Tell them to keep camping equipment handy because some of them are going to need it. They will be living in tents. Many homes will not be safe to live in after earthquakes. Tell them if they do not buy camping equipment, tents especially, now, they will not be able to buy them later. (companies selling tents will be sold out) I told you it is TIME. I Am speaking about all that is happening and all that will happen from now on. It is time for all end time events to come to pass. You have been waiting. You will no longer be waiting to see these terrible events. Haggai 2:6 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.” Hebrews 12:25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.” Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.   Prophecy and the Destruction of California  Alison Pound, 08/07/26  Today, I went to the Lord to ask Him if He would allow me to write and publish on the subject of prophecy. What it is and what it is not. Whilst He agreed that many do not understand prophecy or even know what it is, the Lord did not want me writing about it. Instead, I was instructed to re-publish a warning for California. You will find that further down the page. The following is all of His reply:  People are going to be triggered. (He means that's a given) They won't like what I say. They won't receive what I say. What they do is go back to what they were taught. And they were taught by people who themselves don't know what prophecy is. They were taught it must be nice, kind, loving words, encouraging, positive, up-building. I have not the time to teach a people who will not listen to what prophecy is. You will keep on with posting what I will say to them until I stop speaking. They are not going to like anything I say. (He means you won't like what He says this time either) This is judgment hour, most especially for America and the American churches. It will be swift. The sentence will be swiftly carried out. It will be sudden. I will come upon them as I did with Sodom and Gomorrah. The people and place I Am talking about here have been given the warnings. There is time for just a few more. My prophets will speak one more time. And then the sentencing will be carried out. All I have said that I would do to California and surrounding states will be done. Japan will not get any more warnings. None. They will be hit first. Then California will have a short duration- hours only- before they are hit. I want you to know that I will have mercy, great mercy on some Christians on that terrible day. Because they will be out of the state, not in California. So these ones will survive to tell the story. They will, some of them, have sudden urgent business that takes them out of California. Some actual pastors, leaders of churches, will be away preaching, as will some others in the congregation. This (the aftermath) will be a terrible time for them, as they will be aware that they were spared. This is why I will spare them: It is so that they look at themselves afresh and at the State they so loved and are convicted. Repentance will flow in these ones. This is what I desire. This is what I prefer. I prefer repentance to destruction. It does not please Me to bring down these harsh judgments. But I Am a righteous judge and I will act righteously. All praise and glory to the Lord God Almighty, who is both merciful and just! The following Word from the Lord was first published on 1st January 2026, 7 months and 7 days ago. Reposting it here, as directed by the Lord.   TO WHOM IT WAS GIVEN TO HURT THE EARTH AND THE SEA I Am about to visit Japan. And then California also. Everything I told you I would do, I will do to them. I Am about to do it. I told you. My true prophets will know because I will tell them. Just before I do it, I will tell them. I will say to them, it is time. I will tell them to brace for impact. Because you, and they, will feel the impact of what I Am going to do. The shaking and the destruction of the earth and the people in those places will be immense. Shocking. It will be all that the survivors around the earth can talk about for a long time. That is, when they start talking. Because when this happens, at first, they will not talk. The shock will hit them. Some will then shake their fists in the air and will no longer follow Me. These ones did not know Me at all well before. But others will turn to Me in a big way. Prepare for this. Many will want to talk about Me suddenly. They will have questions. They will want to get right with Me. And My hand of mercy will be outstretched to these. Be ready to speak. Donald Trump is going. He will go shortly after California goes. And California is about to go. The seabed is in turmoil. Out of California, the underwater volcanoes are coming to life. Angels have been sent to command them to erupt. Angels are My messengers. They put My judgments into action. Remember the scrolls and the decrees? (The Book of Revelation, see below) Keep watching and waiting. When you see that Japan has had a magnitude 8 earthquake, a tsunami will follow. Then you will know California is next. The shaking will shift tectonic plates. I will shake the earth like a cottage. I have not told you this before, but this earthquake, the one that takes out California, will be felt further away than any earthquake before it. Other volcanoes in the vicinity will also erupt. Remember, I told you to keep an eye on the ring of fire? This is the time. This is the time when shipping will be interrupted and new paths will be found for the ships in order to bypass the volcanic activity. [In 2012 the Lord spoke about this, but I just did not understand at the time. He said: Way below the earth's crust, there will be a disturbance far greater than any before. Out upon the waters of the Pacific, there is going to be a disturbance that comes from far below. Shipping will be lost at this time. There will become an area that must now be avoided.] The Earth will never be the same again after this. Many, many sea creatures will die and will be washing up on far shores. This will go on for months. Dear one, this will be a terrible time for the people of the earth. Very trying. But incredibly, the wicked will continue to be wicked. It will be like they think time is short and they must get a whole lot more wickedness in before they go. Their hearts will harden, if that were at all possible. And although I Am in judgment mode and I Am very angry, I will be very controlled and perfect in all My judgments. You will have access to Me at all times. I will not be like the angry father here on earth who does not want to talk to anyone when he is in his angry mode. I do not want you to keep away from Me. But draw near and remain. This is the only way. Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Please note: I now believe there may be 2  mag. 8 earthquakes in Japan, happening close together. The Lord will speak to me on a subject over a period of time, adding detail to what He first said. If I don't catch everything, He will repeat what He said at a later time. Reading through my journal, I found that He had said Japan would have 2x mag. 8 quakes, adding that a mag. 12 would also happen there but at a later time. I saw Mount Fuji erupt in a dream some years ago. That may also happen at the same time as the 2 mag. 8 quakes. There has been increased activity in the ‘Ring of Fire' and the fault lines in America. That may continue for a while, or it may not. Psalm 91 says, “Whoever DWELLS in the shelter of the Most High….”  We dwell (live, remain) in the shelter of the Most High by casting off the things of this world and its sinful practices. By being in intimacy with Him and remaining so, humble and obedient, walking in His Ways. The peace of God which passes all understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.   A Catastrophic Earthquake Is Coming, Get Out Now!  Karen Newsberry, 8/6/25 On the morning of July 29, 2025, at 8:16 am I heard the Lord speak; as I listened to His voice, I cried. I beg anyone who lives in California to please get out! Get out now! “Repentance falls on deaf ears; a nation once put under protection, MY protection, such divine and illustrated protection. The world is my footstool; have I not spoken of the many judgments coming to this world? For out of prophets and babes, even the children have spoken what I have shown them.  Destruction comes to a state far beyond the land where the depths of water abound.  California, I have called for your repentance and have heard few repent. Those that are in Me, I have heard. Sin abounds in your land; for the stench, I cannot bear. Sin is as a primary language for such a nation; California, your mountains will move out of their place, your waters will shake to and fro…your judgment is now! Your nation will look with fear in their eyes at what is coming. I have been mocked and scoffed at long enough by a stiff-necked people. America, this is just the beginning of what is coming. Trump will continue to do what he has been assigned to do, but his time is almost up, for division was his goal.” Please, a catastrophic earthquake is coming; leave! I've seen in a dream of the destruction; please heed the Lord's warning! Here is a portion of a video transcript from Brandon Biggs in December 2025, called:   A Major 8.4 Earthquake on the New Madrid Brandon Biggs, 12/14/2025  …. There will be great, great shakings in the nation. Great earthquakes! Great earthquakes. Great earthquakes. I see on the New Madrid... I see a great earthquake. And it will go, and it will shake, shake, shake. And it will be a sign. It will be a sign on the New Madrid. A sign's coming. A major sign. I see it all on this side. …. I see Missouri. I see Kentucky. I see Tennessee…. I see “8.4.” That's what I see. 8.4.  There will be a shaking in the Heartland. A revival is coming. I see drought; I see rain. He said this is weather manipulation and weather warfare….   Tennessee Earthquake Elizabeth Marie, 5/20/25 (David's notes in red) The links she provides below all document and track the Madrid quakes: Southeast Missouri Earthquakes in the Last Week Missouri Earthquake Track Earthquakes Near Tennessee 200+ Earthquakes Shake the New Madrid Fault On May 18, 2025, the LORD led me to this verse in Jeremiah: “The LION (Satan) has come up from his thicket, And the DESTROYER of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place To make your LAND desolate. Your CITIES will be laid waste, Without inhabitant.” Jeremiah 4:7 The ‘LION' in this verse is DEATH, coming from the hand of Satan, as it says in 1 Peter 5:8, who comes to destroy the cities and land: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a ROARING like a LION, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 He is that GREAT DESTROYER, like in the days of Moses, when the ‘destroyer' came into the Egyptians' homes and killed the firstborns: “For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and not allow the DESTROYER to come into your houses to strike you.” Exodus 12:23 We are called to RESIST him: “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” 1 Peter 5:9 After reading Jeremiah 4:7, I immediately felt great sorrow and started weeping for what is coming. In my spirit, I knew that the ‘heaviness' that I felt was concerning the destruction that is coming to the United States. I believe this includes EARTHQUAKES! The links above are about EARTHQUAKES that occurred in the last week near the New Madrid Fault Line, as well as the 4.1 earthquake in Tennessee on May 10, 2025. The one in TN happened approximately 30 miles south of Knoxville and was felt in several states, including all the way down to Atlanta, GA. I heard from many who actually felt it, who were hours away, and they said it felt like a train rumbling through their house. EARTHQUAKE DREAMS: I have received quite a few dreams concerning the New Madrid fault, along with confirmations from other prophetic people. The first one was posted in Z3NEWS back in 2016, about the CONNECTION of a 9.5 earthquake, and the DIVIDING OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL: “In this vision, I saw an outline map of America. I didn't see the state lines, but only the outline of the U.S. Then, the map zoomed to where the earthquake started and I saw a black dot pulsating on the epicenter. The dot was in the upper part of the middle of the country, however, I wasn't sure of which state. It seemed higher than the New Madrid fault. Then I saw ‘9.5' indicating the level on the Richter Scale. I was not given any dates or timing.” “I was also shown that if Israel is divided, so shall America be divided.” Then, more recently, on April 15th, 2024, I had this dream and posted it on April 17th, 2025: “I saw an outline of the MAP OF THE UNITED STATES. Then I saw a large RED TARGET BULLS-EYE pulsating in the area of the New Madrid Fault. Then I noticed smaller, red, bulls- eyes, all up and down the East Coast of America. I don't know how many, but at least 6 smaller targets were pulsating. END OF VISION” I was also shown about the LIQUEFACTION that often comes with an earthquake: SERIOUS EARTHQUAKE WARNINGS The LORD does not give me these things to bring FEAR, but to bring revelation and confirmations of HIS END-TIME PROPHECIES. I believe that HE wants each one of HIS children to seek HIM concerning these warnings, so that they might HEAR HIS VOICE, and follow HIS directions accordingly. For some, it might even mean to relocate….BUT only if, or when you hear HIS still, small voice. (I agree) “And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 King 19:11-12   Warning Words About a Coming Shaking!  Ken Dewey 7/27/26  Celeste and I have been praying, asking the LORD if we could take a short vacation from this work [at Desert Zion] just to REST and recuperate. When we asked this, we heard Him say: The LORD said: “Don't travel!” We ask Him, "Will the Financial System fail?" He said: “No, it will be jolted!” Jolted: definition: to strike, shake up, jar, as with a bumpy ride or with a sharp blow, to move along in a jerky manner. He said again: it will change. I asked Him how; He said to something more maneuverable.  “Yes, there will be changes in the landscape, great changes. Lives will be lost, and there will be positive changes too. There will be building damages and rebuilding.” “People will panic for essentials, so have them on hand. Some technology will fail. It must not be depended on. Depend on Me, I AM your LORD. Do not fear. Air travel will be suspended.” We have posted this Word of Warning, even as we have heard it spoken to us.  LORD, help your people to hear and be warned, and help them prepare.  ~ Desert Prophet Ken Dewey The light will shine in His glory… In the desert.   The Next Step, More of Me!  June 9, 2026 Celeste Dewey Our God is a practical God. This is a practical Word from Him for the days ahead. Some are wondering what to do to be ready for the coming shaking. The next step will definitely need to be clearly seen. This is what The LORD said to me: “The LORD says today, “I need more of your time! Push everything aside! You must stay alert and don't let any setbacks [in your life] bother you. Some people feel stretched beyond limits; they feel like they are doing all they can to keep going. Just open your hearts and be in the moment. You take care of your relationship with Me. Concentrate and focus on it! I will help you. Just give Me your time and attention; that's all! Do not be afraid to take the next step, more of Me. (This agrees with the Word Debbie Fenske received recently about not being afraid of the Lord and getting close to Him, which I share below.) Eyes of Promise, Hearts of Fire, watch Me mold them to be My instruments of promise for a purpose greater than any man could imagine. Watch Me use them for My Glory, for they will go farther with Me than any other. They will see Me move; they will see the change firsthand because their gaze is unobstructed. It is set on the One who formed them and fashioned them for something greater than themselves. See me move secretly, opening their hearts further and further to My Desires!”  Added Scripture to Consider: Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  “I Love you, Yeshua!” I have posted this Word in obedience to my Holy Spirit teacher. God Bless you; you are in my prayers ~ Celeste Dewey   Do Not Fear My Love Debbie Fenske, 8/1/26 This is what the Lord began to speak to me as we were singing, No Longer A Slave. We are no longer slaves to fear.  “Yes, I say to you, My children, do not fear Me. Do not fear Me. Do not fear the great love I have for you. My love will draw you deep into Me. It's going to draw you deep into Me as you hang onto Me, and as you give Me all of your love. Do not fear where My love is going to be taking you. But look forward, expectantly, because you will know that My love has gone before you. It will be My love drawing you through your love for Me. So do not fear what I am going to be drawing you into. Because I will be drawing you into Myself. Deeper into Myself. Deeper into My love. Do not fear My love, My children.”  I felt that the Lord was using the song, Miracle Worker, to confirm that we don't have to fear. He is our Light in the darkness, and He's our Way Maker. And His love will lead us into dark places. But His light is in the darkness, going before us. Going through the darkness is helping us grow. We want all of God and we can trust Him in what He wants to do in us, because through it all He's our Light in the darkness, so we do not need to fear. He will always be our Light. Also, what came to me as I was typing this out was John 15. Out of His great love for us, it is His taking us through the pruning that will bring us deeper into Him.   Thank you Lord, for Your great love for us. We know there will be hard places that You are going to be leading us through. Even using us in. But we trust Your word to us, Lord. Thank You that it is always out of Your great love for us. And so we will not fear. We thank You that those You love, You prune. Thank You that in the pruning, through it all, You are bringing us to be Overcomers, and growing us more and more into Your image. So, we will not fear, because You tell us to not fear Your love. Thank You, loving Father. Amen.    Earthquake Warning for Wisconsin  Alison Pound, 08/14/26 link  August 2025  I Am the Lord. I Am here upon the earth for judgment. I will not relent in My judgments. I will not pause in My judgments. I Am a righteous God. All My judgments are righteous.  I will take America apart piece by piece. Until there is nothing left. She is a foul odor in My nostrils and a bitter taste upon My tongue. The cup is full. Full of America's iniquity.  I will not relent. There is to be another earthquake. A large crack will open up in the earth, many miles/kilometers long. I Am bringing this quake to a state where the people have long held Me in disdain. They are the rock'n roll state. Rock'n roll rules here. Unlike in the south where the blues is ‘it'. You do not know this state, and its fame.   But I have been watching them. My eyes miss nothing. The state of Wisconsin will have this earthquake. There will be many tremors ongoing after the California quake. But Wisconsin will have a large earthquake. The rock on which this state sits, deep down, has become quite thin. It is unstable.  There will be a division of the land. Eventually the USA will be broken apart top to bottom, north to south. Wisconsin has many farms, much produce. Feeding America. After this disaster they will no longer feed America.  

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Genesis, Chapter 22.

# Genesis 12–23: The God Who Provides## SummaryGenesis 12–23 marks a major shift in the biblical story. God calls Abram into a personal relationship and promises him land, descendants, and a blessing that will reach all nations.Abraham responds in faith, but his journey is not perfect. He struggles with fear, makes poor decisions, and sometimes tries to accomplish God's promises in his own way. Still, God remains faithful.In Genesis 15, God confirms His covenant by passing alone through the divided animals, showing that the promise rests on His faithfulness, not Abraham's perfection.God eventually gives Abraham and Sarah the son He promised, Isaac. Then in Genesis 22, Abraham is tested when God asks him to offer Isaac. Abraham obeys, trusting God to provide. At the last moment, God provides a ram in Isaac's place, and Abraham names the place “The Lord Will Provide.”Abraham's story reminds us that God desires relationship with us, remains faithful through our failures, and provides even when we cannot see how.**Big Idea:** Trust God, obey Him, and believe that He will provide.## Sermon Notes### 1. God Calls Abraham**Genesis 12:1–3**God calls Abraham to leave everything familiar and follow Him into the unknown.**Key Principle:** God desires a relationship with you, not just religious activity.### 2. Abraham's Faith Is Imperfect**Genesis 12:10–20**Abraham trusts God, but fear still causes him to make bad decisions, including lying about Sarah.**Key Principle:** Your weaknesses do not automatically disqualify you from what God is calling you to do.### 3. Abraham Chooses Trust**Genesis 13:1–18**Abraham lets Lot choose the land first. Lot chooses by sight, while Abraham trusts God with what remains.**Key Principle:** Choose by trust, not simply by appearance.### 4. Abraham Rescues Lot**Genesis 14:1–24**Abraham rescues Lot, meets Melchizedek, gives him a tenth, and refuses the king of Sodom's wealth.**Key Principle:** Live in a way that makes God's faithfulness visible.### 5. God Makes a Covenant**Genesis 15:1–21**God promises Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars. God alone passes through the covenant pieces.**Key Principle:** God's promises depend on His faithfulness, not our perfection.### 6. Abraham Tries to Rush God's Plan**Genesis 16–17**Abraham and Sarah try to produce God's promise through Hagar. Their shortcut creates pain, but God does not abandon them.**Key Principle:** God's timing is better than our shortcuts.### 7. God Provides Isaac**Genesis 21**After years of waiting, Sarah gives birth to Isaac.**Key Principle:** Waiting does not mean God has forgotten.### 8. The Lord Will Provide**Genesis 22**God tests Abraham by asking him to offer Isaac. Abraham obeys, trusting that God will remain faithful.At the last moment, God provides a ram in Isaac's place. Abraham names the place “The Lord Will Provide.”This points forward to the greater sacrifice God would provide through Jesus.**Key Principle:** We can trust God's provision even when we cannot see it yet.## Practical Applications1. **Take the next step of obedience.** What is one thing God has been asking you to do?2. **Stop forcing God's timing.** Identify one area where you are trying to control the outcome and surrender it to Him.3. **Choose trust over appearances.** Make decisions based on God's character, not simply what looks easiest or best.4. **Give God the credit.** Recognize where He has provided, opened doors, or carried you.5. **Prioritize your relationship with God.** Set aside intentional time this week for prayer, Scripture, and worship.6. **Lay down what you are carrying.** Give God the fear, burden, or uncertainty you have been trying to manage yourself.## Discussion Questions1. Where do you see Abraham growing in trust throughout these chapters?2. In what area of your life is it hardest to trust God's timing?3. Have you ever tried to force something instead of waiting on God?4. What does Genesis 22 teach us about obedience and trust?5. Where have you seen God provide in an unexpected way?6. What is one practical step of obedience God may be asking you to take?7. What burden do you need to surrender to God this week?> **“The Lord will provide.” — Genesis 22:14**

Roman revolution; Tens, hundreds and thousands; Family organization; Army of the Teutons; Arts of warfare; Germany today; Voluntarism; Government funding for private schools?; Sacrifice; Parental involvement; Removal of history in schools; Bible and government; Capitalism?; Socialism?; Knowing the "real" problem; Seeing our own faults; Degeneration of Sweden; Repentance; Honoring father and mother; Corban of Pharisees; Herod's welfare; Cain and Abel; Seeking God's opinion; Altars?; Two trees (sources); Drowned cat story; Darkened eyes; Idiotes; Knowing Moses and Christ and their Way; Christ's commands; Organized Christianity; Sovereignty?; Joining the Living Network; Pure Religion; Conquered people; Nicolaitan and Balaam; Jesus set the captive free; Welfare snares and traps; Forcing your neighbor; Socialism in America; Setting your neighbor free from your desire for them to provide your benefits; Leaven of modern Christianity; Loving the light; Born again?; Rome's free bread; Public religion; Strengthening the poor; The Sin of Sodom; National Adultery?; Force vs Charity; Fleshpots?; Tithes; Tribute; Freewill offerings; Allegiance vs Faith; "legal"; Scillitan Martyrs; Ring of Power; Coveting neighbors' goods; Leading the blind; Are you beginning to see?; Mt 15:14; Lk 4:18; Share the light given you; Going the way of righteousness; Will God show you?; Loving others; Jn 9:39 - Judgment; Lk 6:39; Perfection?; Ability to make things; Work and sacrifice; What is truth?; Viewing History; Societal degeneration; Pices of the puzzle; Chaos from the Tree of Knowledge; Solution in the Tree of Life; Holy Spirit; "We the People"; Puppeteering puppeteers; Supporting Righteousness; Evolving economics; Just weights and measures; Capitalism; How the kingdom functions; Human resources?; Evidence of sin; Sodomy, divorce, abortion; Sacrificing unrighteousness; Born again - in the kingdom of God; Self-infliction of injury; Compounding bad choice; Early Church = entire social welfare for Christians; Follow the ways of Christ, Moses and Abraham.

If it were possible to control another person telepathically or psychokinetically, could you force them to convert to Christianity—and would that conversion even be valid? In this episode of Catholic Answers Live, Jimmy Akin tackles unusual questions at the intersection of Catholic theology, science, history, and pop culture. He examines whether baptisms performed by the character Mr. Eko on Lost would be valid, whether Jesus received DNA from Mary, and how Catholics should respond to ancient-alien theories that reinterpret God, angels, and biblical events as extraterrestrial encounters. Jimmy also discusses the credibility of controversial claims made by Malachi Martin and breaks down the differences between Newtonian physics, special relativity, and general relativity. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 05:34 – Let’s suppose for a moment here that it is possible to either telepathically or psychokinetically link up to another person to the point of being able affect their bodily motions or in other words, let’s suppose that possessing other humans can be done. Let’s suppose the host is a non-Christian and the possessor a Christian. If the possessor, while  inside of the host’s body, pilots them into going to confession and declares Christ as Lord and Savior, is this a conversion and additionally would this be permitted? Why or why not?  17:10 – On the show LOST: are the baptisms performed on the island by “Father Eko” valid? The usual “desert island scenario” does not quite cover it. Eko is not a priest but is only impersonating one. And neither of the baptized was in imminent danger of death (although Charlie thought so on the basis of a dream) but survived at least into Season 5.  21:01 – I know this will be speculation, but do we have any proof one or the other whether the Holy Spirit used one of Mary’s eggs so there would be a DNA connection between them? Or is the general understanding that the Holy Spirit implanted an embryo in her, independent of her DNA?  28:42 – I saw an interview with Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, the ancient alien theorist on National Georgraphy YouTube… He claimed dozens of alien species have been with humanity for millions of years… Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed not by the Wrath of God but by a UFO. Tsukalos and other co-working theorists hold to the idea that we were visited by aliens during the pyramid era. For example, Tsukalos says that the Aztecs have carvings saying they saw huge giant snakes flying thousands of years ago (flying planes)… or floating turtles hovering over them (flying UFO discs) he claims it simply came down to misinterpreted technology from aliens for their lack of better words and explanations of what they saw… and therefore calling them Gods. This makes a lot of sense to me. Is it blasphemous to think or call God (the father) and his angels… aliens? What do you think about this misinterpreted technology?  44:34 – Malachi Martin made some weird complaints about things allegedly happening in the Vatican. How credible was he?  49:11 – What does the theory of relativity add or detract from the galelei-Newton system of coordinates? Was it just factoring in light speed? I'm reading through the theory now and I don't even get the difference between general and special (specific?) relativity. 

“The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” (Psalm 145:17) When Abraham was interceding with God to spare Sodom if even 10 righteous people were there, he asked, &ldq... More...

On using bread as a napkin, to wipe your mouth from a given flavor. Also, how long to wait between milk (cheese) and meat -- perhaps no time at all, as it turns out. Though some were known for waiting a full 24 hours, no less, from meat to dairy. Plus, salt from Sodom -- a very fine salt -- that gave rise to the practice of washing one's hands after the given meal. At one point, it was a very widespread practice, though less so nowadays. Which leads into the discussion of washing one's hands first thing in the morning. And other tidbits that seem to be about kashrut, but may really be about customs.

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Genesis, Chapter 21.

Movies are filled with cars, buildings, and cities blowing up—we love explosions! Does the Bible have any explosions? Kaitlyn and Noah, her fiancé, ask what counts as an explosion and elect one "explosion" the best.   0:00 - Theme Song   1:26 - What's the Biggest Explosion in the Bible?   3:10 - Was Creation an Explosion?   5:20 - Sodom and Gomorrah   8:17 - The Walls of Jericho   13:50 - Sponsor - Blissy - Pure mulberry silk pillow cases—hypoallergenic, naturally cooling, and recommended by dermatologists! Go to https://www.blissy.com/KAITLYN and use code KAITLYN to get 30% off!   14:46 - Sponsor - With and For - With & For: Psychology and Spirituality for Thriving Podcast. Check it out now! https://pod.link/1712333330   15:50 - Sponsor - Tyndale - To celebrate the NLT's 30th anniversary, Use code CURIOUS30 to receive 30% off any NLT Bible! https://tyndale.com   16:49 - Explosive Showdown: God vs Baal   26:36 - So—what's the biggest?   35:57 - End Credits

Hosts Pastor Robert Baltodano and Pastor Lloyd Pulley Question Timestamps: Bobby, DE (2:01) - Where does the idea that not tithing is a sin come from in the Bible? Nina, MA (6:10) - Is it okay to have cut off my marriage after my fiancé pressed me for certain things meant to happen only after marriage? Lisa, NY (11:02) - How can I convince my son that Jesus is God? He married a Jehovah's Witness. Cindy, NJ (16:45) - Where did the Gentiles go that died before Jesus died on the cross? Iris, Facebook (23:49) - Are the promises in the Bible for me? E.T., email (26:00) - My wife has taken off her ring after finding out about my sins. What should I do? Nina, MA (33:37) - Is it true that once you are engaged, you are married? Carrie, YouTube (35:52) - Does Isaiah 24 speak about Jesus's second coming? Kat, YouTube (39:47) - How do I talk to my brother, who is part of the Church of Christ, about the truth? Ed, VA (41:58) - Is the word "Jehovah" in the Bible? Where do the Jehovah's Witnesses come from? Why do we call them a cult? Henriquez, HI (45:01) - Can man change God's commandments? whassupwu, YouTube (46:56) - How close do you think our society is to Sodom and Gomorrah? Wild, YouTube (49:06) - Why do Christians say "Jehovah Jirah?" Bob, email (50:55) - How do you know the difference between instincts and when God is guiding you? What is the difference between coincidence and God's answer to prayer? Ask Your Questions: Call: 888-712-7434 Email: Answers@bbtlive.org

God does not take delight judgment. But sometimes a society can become so corrupt that It forces God's hand in this matter. In this episode we see both the depravity and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The post Genesis 19v1-29 The Depravity and Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah appeared first on Calvary Chapel Crossover.

Sodom is a city under a death sentence. Abraham has just finished negotiating with G-d over how many righteous people it would take to save it. Now the angels sent to carry out that judgment are walking through the gates and encounter Lot, Abraham's nephew, a man who chose to live in a place like this. Rabbi Epstein and Tom pick up the story right as the angels arrive, and the questions start piling up fast. Why come at night, in a city where sheltering a guest overnight is itself a punishable offense? And why is Lot the one sitting at the gate? From there the conversation opens into a bigger question: what is an angel? The answer is that an angel is a messenger with a job and no ability to refuse it. It does what it's told, then retires to sing praise in heaven forever. It can't rebel. It can't choose the harder right over the easier wrong, because choosing involves free will, something angels don't have. Humans, of course, do have free will; every time someone does the harder right thing when the easier wrong thing was sitting right there, they've pulled off something no angel can do. That is why a human being, though flawed, distractible, and capable of failing completely, outranks the beings who surround G-d's throne.

Because we're the QueerTheology Podcast, of course we're going to dive into Isaiah 1:10–18. This is a familiar and powerful […] The post The Sin of Sodom & Gomorrah? appeared first on Queer Theology.

A sermon from Genesis 19 on Sodom and Gomorrah.Speaker: Gregory W Mathis

DISCLAIMER: This week's sermon topic is rated PG-13.  The Bible is full of great children's stories, and then there are some that should never make it on the kids book shelf.  The story of Sodom and Gomorrah would be one of those. But the author of Jude uses that story not to shock us, but to caution us of what happens when we allow, and even normalize, moral corruption and perversion in our lives and communities.  The story may be unfamiliar, and even uncomfortable, but it's often in these stories we see the depth of God's grace and power. The heartbeat of Church on the Rock is to help people discover how they can LOVE God and LOVE one another, LIVE with passion, purpose and freedom, and LEAD others to this same experience in Jesus. We simply say, “helping others Love, Live, and Lead in Jesus". Commit to your "One More": https://onemoreak.com Let's Connect here: https://churchak.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/84/responses/new Learn more about us at https://churchak.org If you enjoyed our teaching and would like to donate to our ministries go here: https://pushpay.com/g/churchak?src=hpp

A @Christadelphians Video: # YouTube Summary/Description**[Actual, provable Bible Truth]** In a world that celebrates what Scripture clearly defines as sin, we must stand firm on God's Word. This thought-provoking and insightful presentation tackles the difficult subject of LGBTQ+ issues from a thoroughly biblical perspective, examining what the Old and New Testaments actually say about homosexuality, identity, and God's design for humanity.Join us for this outstanding expositional study as we blow the trumpet and sound the warning that our community desperately needs to hear. Drawing from the Law, the Prophets, and the Apostles, we present a clear, compassionate, and uncompromising look at what God thinks about these matters—not what the world thinks, not what we think, but what the Father has revealed in His Word.This wonderful presentation offers hope through the powerful truth that **such were some of you**—but you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Change is possible. Overcomers are made through faith.##

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0809db.mp3 Listen to Bible reading Through My Bible Yr 03 – August 09 Hosea 11 – 12 God's Love for Israel Hosea 11 1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 The more I called to them,     the more they went away from me. [1]     They kept sacrificing to the Baals     and burning incense to idols. 3 Yet I was the one who taught Ephraim to walk.     I took them in my arms, [2]     but they did not realize that it was I who healed them. 4 I drew them with cords suitable for a man, [3] with ropes of love.     For them I became like someone who lifts a yoke off their neck,     and I bent down to feed them. 5 They will not [4] return into the land of Egypt.     Instead, an Assyrian will be their king,     because they refused to repent. 6 The sword will slash against their cities.     It will destroy the bars of their gates,     and it will devour them because of their plans. 7 My people are determined to turn away from me.     Though they call him the Most High, he certainly will not exalt them. 8 How can I give you up, Ephraim?     How can I hand you over, Israel?     How can I make you like Admah?     How can I treat you like Zeboiim? [5]     My heart is changed inside me.     All my compassion is stirred up. 9 I will not carry out my burning anger.     I will not destroy Ephraim again,     because I am God, and not man, the Holy One among you.     I will not enter a city. [6] 10 They will follow the Lord.     He will roar like a lion.     Yes, he will roar, and his children will come trembling from the west. 11 They will come trembling like a bird from Egypt,     and like a dove from the land of Assyria.     I will settle them in their houses, declares the Lord. Israel Must Repent 12 Ephraim surrounds me with falsehood,     and the house of Israel with deceit.     Judah still strays from [7] God,     even from the Holy One, who is faithful. [8] Hosea 12 1 Ephraim feeds on wind and chases the east wind all day.     He multiplies lies and violence.     They make a treaty with Assyria,     and olive oil is carried to Egypt. 2 The Lord has a case against Judah.     He will deal with Jacob according to his ways.     According to his deeds he will repay him. 3 In the womb Jacob grasped his brother by the heel,     and when he was a grown man, he struggled with God. 4 He wrestled with the Angel and prevailed.     He wept and sought his favor.     He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with him, [9] 5 namely, with the Lord, the God of Armies.     The Lord is the name by which he is to be remembered! 6 So return to your God.     Observe mercy and justice,     and wait for your God continually. 7 A merchant has fraudulent scales in his hand.     He loves to defraud others. 8 Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich.     I have secured wealth for myself.     Among all my possessions no one will find anything that makes me guilty of sin.” 9 But I have been the Lord your God from the time you left the land of Egypt.     I will make you dwell in tents again,     as in the days of the appointed festival. [10] 10 I have spoken to the prophets.     I have given numerous visions.     I taught meaningful lessons through the prophets. 11 Since Gilead is wicked,     it is certain that they are worthless.     In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls.     Yes, their altars are like piles of stones in the furrows of a field. 12 Jacob fled to the territory of Aram.     Israel worked as a servant to get a wife,     and for a wife, he took care of sheep. 13 By a prophet, the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,     and by a prophet he took care of Israel. 14 Ephraim has provoked bitter anger.     Therefore his Lord will leave him bloodied by his guilt     and bring his disgrace back on him. Footnotes Hosea 11:2 A variant reading is the more they called them, the more they went away from them. Hosea 11:3 The text of the pronouns in this verse is uncertain. The translation follows the Greek Old Testament. Hosea 11:4 Literally cords of mankind. The words translated man and love have homonyms meaning leather, so there may be a play on words here. Hosea 11:5 Not is missing from some manuscripts. Hosea 11:8 Admah and Zeboiim were daughter cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Hosea 11:9 Or come in wrath. The Hebrew is difficult. Hosea 11:12 Literally wanders with. Translations disagree whether the term is negative or positive. Hosea 11:12 English verse 11:12 is verse 12:1 in Hebrew. In chapter 12 the subsequent Hebrew verse numbers are one higher than the English numbers. Hosea 12:4 Variant us Hosea 12:9 The Festival of Shelters in the autumn The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Genesis, Chapter 20.

Send us a text or a voicemailAfter his daughter is kidnapped by a network of AI goons, Grandmaster Slash sets out on a rampage to find her. His only allies are an unlikely trio of uncoordinated podcasters whose co-host mysteriously disappeared. Fueled by furious vengeance, the unlikely group ruthlessly fight against the artificial unintelligent automatons. On Episode 729 of Trick or Treat Radio our featured film discussion is the relentless martial arts marathon The Furious from director Kenji Tanigaki! We also talk about AI being used more and more in film, which actress joined the dark side, and we react to trailers for the films; Violent Night 2 and Victorian Psycho! So grab your skull crushing hammer, phone an ass-kicking friend to help you seek revenge, and strap on for the world's most dangerous podcast!Stuff we talk about: Horror surprises, Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives, Clown Chowder, clown around, voices in MZ's head, Nekromantik 2, Session 9, Catriona MacColl, Horrors Hallowed Grounds, Russ Meyer, Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, Tito Santana, The Brotherhood of Satan, Let's Scare Jessica to Death, replacement Jan Brady, Eve Plum, Watch Me When I Kill, The Meteor Man, Robert Townsend, My Boyfriend's Back, Mystery Men, The Sixth Sense, Vampire Whores from Outer Space, Tales of Halloween, Melissa George, Bag of Bones, 30 Days of Night, The Amityville Horror remake, Soleil Moon Frye, Dead and Breakfast, Vera Farmiga, M. Night Shyamalan, Unbreakable, Catherine Hicks, Child's Play, Paul Bartel, Escape from L.A., Umberto Lenzi, City of the Walking Dead, Demons III, Man from Deep River, Andy Warhol, Blood for Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein, The Yagas, The Blarney Stone, Slipknot, Der Fan, Salo: 120 Days of Sodom, Jebediah Tubi, Violent Night 2, David Harbour, Samara Weaving joins the dark side, Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Maika Monroe, Victorian Psycho, AMAB: All Marvel Are Bastards, A-List, Casablanca, Red Skull, Hugo Weaving, Crispin Glover, The Night Comes for Us, The Furious, Tagalog, Joe Taslim, Timo Tjahjanto, Dev Patel, Monkey Man, Stephen Chow, Journey to the West, Septic, Dick Grayson, Borderlands, Ice Cream Man, Chris Jericho, Eli Roth, Green Inferno, Hostel, and the Adidas-clad Bowman.Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/trickortreatradioJoin our Discord Community: discord.trickortreatradio.comSend Email/Voicemail: mailto:podcast@trickortreatradio.comVisit our website: http://trickortreatradio.comStart your own podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=386Use our Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2CTdZzKFB Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/trickortreatradioTwitter: http://twitter.com/TrickTreatRadioFacebook: http://facebook.com/TrickOrTreatRadioYouTube: http://youtube.com/TrickOrTreatRadioInstagram: http://instagram.com/TrickorTreatRadioSupport the show

Were the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 merely descendants of Seth, or were they heavenly Watchers who descended to earth as described in the Book of Enoch?In this powerful episode of The Forefront Radio, we examine the biblical evidence surrounding one of Scripture's most debated subjects. We compare the modern Sethite interpretation with the ancient understanding preserved in 1 Enoch, Jubilees, Jude, 2 Peter, and other historical writings to determine which interpretation best fits the biblical record.In this lesson, we examine:• Genesis 6 and the identity of the "sons of God"• Why Jude quotes the prophecy of Enoch• Peter's connection between the fallen angels, Noah's Flood, and Sodom & Gomorrah• The rebellion of the Watchers at Mount Hermon• The rise of the Nephilim and the corruption of mankind• Ancient testimony concerning forbidden knowledge, warfare, sorcery, and violence• Noah's generation and the reason for the Flood• Tartarus, the prison of the fallen angels, and the destiny of rebellious spirits• Evidence from the books of Enoch, Jubilees, Wisdom of Solomon, and Sirach• How ancient Ethiopian preservation kept these writings alive when many traditions marginalized themOur goal is to examine the Scriptures carefully, compare passage with passage, and encourage viewers to study these texts for themselves. Whether you are new to this topic or have studied biblical history for years, this presentation will challenge you to revisit Genesis 6 through the lens of the biblical and ancient literary evidence.

Send us Fan MailOne choice can change the direction of a whole family, and Genesis 13 shows it in painfully clear detail. We watch Abram and Lot hit a pressure point: their herds grow, the land feels limited, and the conflict starts to spread. What happens next isn't just a story about ancient tent life, it's a mirror for modern Christian living, leadership under stress, and the daily decisions that shape our witness.We talk through a principle that hits close to home: righteousness spills over. When Christ is alive in us, the blessing doesn't stop with us, it touches our kids, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and church. But the overflow works both ways. Sin and compromise don't stay private for long, and the people closest to us often pay the first price. From Joseph's influence in Potiphar's household to Abram's mixed track record, we tease out how integrity and failure ripple outward.Then we slow down at the crossroads moment: Abram offers Lot the first pick, and Lot chooses what looks best. The Jordan Valley seems like Eden, yet it pulls him toward Sodom. We connect “pitching your tent toward Sodom” to the modern temptation to stay close enough to the world to enjoy its advantages while trying to keep a clean testimony. That tension leads to a practical question: if your light is getting swallowed by the darkness around you, do you need to step back and rebuild strength?We close with a path forward for anyone who feels compromised: confess to God, make it right with people, and protect your witness with real boundaries. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs clarity, and leave a review so more listeners can find these Genesis devotions.Support the showhttps://www.jacksonfamilyministry.comhttps://bobslone.com/home/podcast-production/

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Genesis, Chapter 19.

The Time Traveler’s Quick Guide to Armageddon       Over the last several months, we have done some deep dives into the principalities and powers in high places, the beast kingdoms, and then more particularly, into the kings of the east, another category that intersects with the beast kingdoms, including the Persian bear.   In term of their proto-prophecies in the Torah, we’ve been all over the place because prophecy is cyclical, even though not identical, from generation to generation. When we read of events in the Psalms, Writings, Prophets, and New Testament, the writers expect us to already be familiar with those proto-prophecies.   It was important to establish the earmarks of the battles with the kings of the east in Torah because Adonai declares the end from the beginning. If we want to have the basic understanding of the sixth and seventh bowls of wrath in the end and how they lure in the nations to Armageddon (Har-Megiddo), then we familiarize ourselves with them at the beginning:   “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”)   And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.   Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.” And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.” (Re 16:12-18)   Har is “mountain,” and Megiddo is “a place of crowds,” so important in its military situation that it has been destroyed and built over numerous times. It overlooks the Jezreel Valley's flat, agriculturally fertile abundance as well as the road to the Western Sea, or Mediterranean, an excellent place to monitor the coastal trade route that connected continents from ancient times. John prophesies of a final crowd that will be drawn to this ancient hill in the ol’ breadbasket of Israel.   Rather than review some of the many points from our Heaven Shaking the Bear series, I will use them to augment some additional points in this newsletter. You can always go back and access the transcripts (thank you, volunteers!) or videos for little details, such as why even Canaanite kings are considered kings of the east. I'd rather add some new information for your handy time travel guide to Armageddon. We'll be half Marty McFly and half Indiana Jones on our hunt for clues to Armageddon.   Let's take a seat in our time machine, the Word, and travel back to our familiar story in Judges 4-5, the story of Deborah, Barak, and Sisera with his 900 iron chariots. A little clue is in Sisera's 900 chariots. It links the ancient with the future. Nine hundred years (plus some) is the typical age of the pre-flood notables from Adam to Noah. In human history, they are the ancients. It was an era marked by the rebellion of the “sons of Elohim” who provoked human beings to such a violence.   Sisera's chariots were iron, denoting the Roman beast kingdom that is mingled with clay in the feet of his image. In other words, something of Deborah's story will establish a template for understanding the final defeat of the Red One, who appears in Revelation as the chosen steed for the Great Harlot Babylon. The nine-hundred-year era of the days of Noah and its violence will link to the end time of Armageddon.   Every time I see the word “Babylonian,” my mind says, “babaloney.” Don't know why. But ick.   Okay, now let's power up the time machine. We need to visit Abraham's time during the battle for Sodom among the kings of the east, the Covenant Between the Pieces, and then visit Moses in the wilderness.   Ready? Push the Abraham button. It might say, Avram, but you'll recognize it. Here we go.   Wait, wait. First, tape a copy of Judges 4-5 and a map of Israel on your steering wheel. We'll need to compare what we see with the first battle of Armageddon that Deborah fought against Sisera to our past future locations.   Okay, here we come, Abrahamic period. We are landing among the four kings of the east, led by Amraphel (perhaps Nimrod), who marched through and defeated territories east of the Jordan. The five kings of the Sodom coalition have quit paying their taxes, so the four kings are on their way to collect plus interest.   Even though those cities of Sodom are situated mostly to the east of the Salt Sea, after the four kings first march and defeat cities east of the Jordan and in the highlands of Bashan, they are continuing as far as the Negev near Kadesh, En-Mishpat, and Hazazon-Tamar. By bypassing the Sodom coalition cities, the four kings are giving the five kings time to muster before the four kings turn back east and meet them near the Salt Sea in battle. Do you see this? Inexplicably, Sodom's five kings are falling into tar pits! Shouldn't they know about those tar pits? After all, this is their territory! How strange!   And there goes Lot and his family as captives. And there…someone escapes and runs to tell Abraham. Okay, we don't have to follow them up to Damascus. We know how this ends. Check your Judges 4-5 Scriptures and map. They're taped to your steering wheel, remember?   Something similar happened to Sisera's iron chariot. Like Pharaoh drove his chariots into the Reed Sea and there his chariot wheels became “confused,” so Sisera drove his chariots into the mud of the Kishon, which he should have known about because he was a Canaanite.   Although Pharaoh was not a “king of the east,” he is the dragon, and his authority was passed to them. This suggests that our soggy bottom boys are experiencing a Divine intervention, not just a human battle. Something flies in their brains, stings them, and causes confusion…perhaps the tzirah, the supernatural hornet of Moses and Joshua?   The tzirah went before the armies of Israel, and it helped Moses conquer on the east side of the Jordan and Joshua on the west side of the Jordan. It first causes confusion, and then it cuts off root and fruit. It is the supernatural bug described as being released from the King of Abaddon in Revelation.   Not so coincidentally, Deborah's name means “bee” in Hebrew, and “hornet” in Aramaic. The root of her name is “word,” as in Devarim, the fifth book of the Torah and perhaps the most apocalyptic since it is the little scroll of Torah. There was a reason Barak would not take his soldiers into battle without her; she represented the Divine power of the Word going before them!   How does Deborah know to tell Barak that he needs exactly 10,000 soldiers mustered from a place named “Kedesh”?   Deborah judged Israel under the “palm tree of Deborah.” A palm tree is a tamar:   “She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment (mishpat ????????????).”   Can you see Deborah studying the scrolls of Torah? Those scrolls are rolling her right into the time of Avraham, and she sees the conquests of Moses and Joshua in the wilderness, such as Amalek. She recognizes the conquests of the four kings as having the same names that are in the hill country of Ephraim near Har-Megiddo: From Kadesh to Kedesh. From Hazazon-Tamar to the tamar providing her shade to read the scroll. From En-Mishpat to her job rendering mishpat for Israel.   We know Deborah has spent time scroll-rolling back to Abraham's time because she mentions something specific in her Judges Five song. The Song of Deborah mentions the courage of the tribe of Ephraim in the defeat of Sisera's chariots:   “From Ephraim, those whose root is in Amalek came down…”   If you need to, program in “Amalek in the Wilderness,” and travel there to see a bit of the battle. This “root in Amalek” is thought to refer to the wilderness battle under Moses in which the Ephraimite Joshua defeated Amalek. The tribe of Ephraim is rooted in its leadership in the victory in the wilderness in Israel's first encounter with Amalek.   Deborah knows Amalek is enticed to attack when its opponent looks weak, so that gives her a Divine strategy in enticing this king of the east Sisera to his Armageddon. Okay, now travel back to the battle between the four kings and the five kings. The four kings of the east also conquered Amalek before turning back to battle the five kings of Sodom.   While the battle continues, let's return to this question (you already know how that battle ends): How does Deborah know to tell Barak that he needs exactly 10,000 soldiers mustered from a place named “Kedesh”?   We've only partially answered it. And our answer is based on the battle between bad kings of the east vs worse kings of the east. We don't want to take this as the only source of Deborah's inspired strategy to lure Sisera to Har-Megiddo. Deborah is scrolling through the rolls of the Torah, and she must have some even better prophecies on which she bases her battle with Sisera. Let's leave these guys for Avraham to deal with and travel forward and back to Deborah's palm tree for more clues.   Yes, time travelers. Next week we'll go back to the future with Deborah and spend some more time with Avraham and Moses. There must be a connection between Deborah's forty years of peace in Israel and Moses' forty years in the wilderness. Deborah has the handy traveler's guide to help her map it all out. We'll see her secret of selecting 10,000, and we might even take a peek inside Yael's tent to find that she knew the Torah, and it guided her hand when she drove the tent peg into Sisera's head.   Oh, dear, oh dread. Sandals muddy like heavy lead. Some yogurt he was fed. Then he went to bed. Now Sisera is dead. A tent peg's in his head.   Okay, Deborah is better at composing songs than I am. I gave it a shot. Roll your time travel machines to Judges 4-5, and we'll see you next week.   Please SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter to get new teachings.

Welcome to "The Bible in Today's World", the show that compares today's world with the Word of God. In general and specifically, are we following the Bible in our daily walks? Is society demanding that we follow the Word of God in all that we do? Does our Almighty Father look upon us and frequently say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" - or is He thinking of us as He thought/thinks of Sodom and Gomorrah? On today's show, we will discuss Genesis, Chapter 18.

(Genesis 13:10-13) Good families often make bad decisions. Mr. and Mrs. Lot are an example of this truth and a warning to us all. The saddest thing in Sodom was the destruction of a home that could have been blessed. In this study we find out why it happened and how we can avoid it. (10182260731) Join Scott Pauley's study through Scripture this year. Find resources for every book of the Bible by Dr. Pauley and Enjoying the Journey at enjoyingthejourney.org/journey-through-scripture/. Whether you're a new believer or have walked with the Lord for years, you'll find thousands of free devotionals, Bible studies, audio series, and Scripture tools designed to strengthen your faith, deepen your understanding of the Bible, and help you stay rooted in the Word of God. Explore now at EnjoyingTheJourney.org. Extend the Work Enjoying the Journey provides every resource for free worldwide. If you would like to help extend this Bible teaching, you may give at enjoyingthejourney.org/donations/

In this episode of The Reformed Brotherhood, Tony Arsenal delivers a rich expository sermon on James 5:1–6, one of the most striking prophetic passages in the New Testament epistles. Drawing on the Jewish literary and cultural context of James's original audience — Jewish Christians scattered from Jerusalem by persecution — Tony unpacks why this text is not a blanket condemnation of wealth, but a devastating judgment oracle against those who hoard riches and oppress the vulnerable. Along the way, he explores the eschatological weight of accumulated wealth, the theology of God's omniscient justice, and the stunning comfort available to the suffering believer. The episode closes by returning to James's thesis: that trials of every kind, including economic oppression, can be counted as joy because of who God is and what He has done in Christ. Key Takeaways James is a deeply Jewish book written to a specific audience — Jewish Christians dispersed from Jerusalem by Saul's persecution, not a general audience of wealthy or Gentile believers. The prophetic "Come now" signals a judgment oracle, not a direct address — James is not rebuking wealthy members of his congregation, but pronouncing eschatological judgment on oppressive landowners using a technique common in Amos, Malachi, and Micah. Hoarding wealth is not morally neutral — it is self-condemning — The corroded gold and moth-eaten garments are not just symbols of decay; they serve as legal evidence against those who refused to use their wealth for God's glory and the good of others. Withholding wages from laborers constitutes a form of murder — In the ancient world, depriving workers of their wages could literally cost them their lives. James draws on Old Testament law to frame predatory economic exploitation as a capital sin. God sees and hears the cries of the oppressed — The wages of defrauded workers "cry out" to the Lord of Hosts, echoing the blood of Abel in Genesis 4. God's justice is not passive or delayed out of ignorance — it is certain and coming. Matthew 25 reframes Christian mercy as care for the body of Christ — The sheep-and-goats judgment is not a general humanitarian mandate, but a specific call to care for persecuted brothers and sisters — and to recognize that mistreating them is mistreating Christ Himself. Trials are counted as joy through the doctrine of imputation — Suffering is not stripped of its pain, but it can be moved from the loss ledger to the profit column because God uses adversity as the instrument of sanctification and glorification. Key Concepts The Prophetic Address: Who Is James Actually Talking To? One of the most common misreadings of James 5:1–6 is assuming James is directly rebuking wealthy Christians in his own congregation. Tony Arsenal corrects this by grounding the passage in its literary and historical context. James employs a well-established prophetic technique — seen in Amos, Malachi, and Micah — of addressing an absent party in order to pronounce judgment on them, while simultaneously comforting those who overhear the oracle. His audience is the dispersed, impoverished Jewish Christians who fled Jerusalem under Saul's persecution. There were almost certainly no wealthy landowners in the room. The "Come now, you rich" is a judgment declaration directed outward, designed to assure the suffering poor that God has seen their oppressor and will act. Far from being a proof-text for radical poverty, the passage is a pastoral comfort wrapped in prophetic fire. Corroded Gold as Legal Evidence Against the Soul James's claim that gold and silver have "corroded" is deliberately shocking — and theologically precise. Gold, uniquely among metals in the ancient world, does not corrode. By saying it has already corroded, James is not making a metallurgical claim but a moral and eschatological one. The accumulated, hoarded wealth of the oppressor has lost its purpose. It sits idle while workers starve, and in doing so it becomes evidence — a legal witness — against its owner in the court of divine justice. Tony draws a direct line between this image and Jesus's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount about treasures stored on earth being subject to moth and rust. Both brothers — Jesus and James — appear to be drawing on the same shared wisdom, likely rooted in the same household and the same mother's instruction. Unused wealth does not just fail to help others; it actively indicts its holder. Counting It All Joy: The Accounting Logic of Sanctification Tony closes the sermon by returning to James 1:2 — the thesis statement of the entire letter — and unpacking the word "count" as an accounting term, directly related to the doctrine of imputation. Just as righteousness is reckoned to the believer in justification, so suffering can be reckoned as joy in sanctification. This is not a call to pretend pain isn't real, or to perform contentment. It is a theological reframing: what belongs in the loss column of the ledger can, by faith, be moved to the profit side — not because the trial was pleasant, but because God is sovereign, good, and working all things toward the believer's conformity to the image of Christ. The oppressor means their wickedness for evil. God means it for glory. The supreme example is the cross itself — the only truly innocent man, suffering the worst evil ever committed, for the redemption of His people. Memorable Quotes The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you — and the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees you — and that should be a great source of comfort. Imputation is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the loss ledger — what should be an expense — and we're able to move it to the profit. Not because it didn't hurt, and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified. Full Transcript Tony Arsenal: Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you." It's always a little, uh, strange to sort of jump into the middle of a series, and, um, you know, Wes is one of the most competent preachers that I know personally, so I trust that he has given you a good and satisfying overview. Uh, but I don't feel like I would be doing my responsibility if I didn't at least touch on a few things, uh, related to the, the intro to James that I think is relevant for this particular passage in a way that maybe is not relevant for the rest of the book. So some of this I hope is review, I, I anticipate is review, but I think it's worth, uh, touching on. James, as you know, is the, the half brother of Jesus. He was the leader of the Jerusalem church, and specifically he was sort of the figurehead of the Jewish church as a whole. Um, the Jewish church was the only church for the very early part of the church's growth. There were always, uh, Gentile believers. Even in the Old Testament, there were Gentiles who trusted in the Lord of Israel and the God of Israel. They were often called God-fearers. They rarely converted all the way to Judaism, but they were sort of seen as an attachment to the Jewish people. They didn't participate in all of the blessings of the Jewish people, but they did participate in most. They often had the same kind of protection. They were in a form of covenant with God. Um, they were able to worship and offer sacrifices. The temple itself had a whole portion of the temple dedicated called the Court of Gentiles, specifically for these Jewish worshipers. And as the church spread, primarily through persecution, which we'll touch base on here in a minute, as the church spread out from Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria, and ultimately to the ends of the earth, it took on a, an increasingly Gentile Greek flavor. As more and more primarily initially Greek converts came into the church, and then of course, as it spread to other sort of non-Hellenistic lands, other, other types of people, other nations, other people groups joined the church, the scriptures which-- the New Testament we receive primarily from Paul, at least in terms of the epistles, um, also began to take on a more Gentile flavor. Not because Paul was a Gentile, but because Paul was ministering primarily to Gentiles What we'll see here is that James is a very Jewish book. I'm sure that along the way there's been several kinds of things pointed out to you to show that, but I wanna show a couple things that not only establish James as the author, James the brother of, of Jesus, but also root the, not only the author, but the audience in a distinctly Jewish Christian, uh, context. So you don't have to turn there, I'll read this, but in Acts, uh, 15, which is the, the great Jerusalem Council, uh, we read this. It says, "With the following letter..." So the, the council meets, they make a decision about what k- what parts of the Jewish law were going to be commended to and recommended, uh, and required for the Christian believers, the Gentile Christian believers, and when they're done, they send this letter to all of, all of the churches. And it says, "With the following letter, the brothers, both apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are at, of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings." Now, I don't know about you, but I always sign my emails the same way, right? I've got, like, my work signature that I have to use, that the, the hospital makes me use with all the proper formatting and colors and fonts, but I always have the same signature. Mine is very simple. I just say, "Thanks," right? I just sign it as, "Thanks," above my signature, and I'm sure you all have that sort of characteristic way you sign a s- sign an email, or maybe it's the way you say goodbye at the end of a phone call. My father-in-law always says, "So long," which is a phrase you don't hear very often, so it's very distinct to him. We all have these little tells in our communication that sort of tip off who they're from. If you turn quickly back over to James 1, so just flip the page, uh, to the left here, he starts his letter by saying, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, greetings." It's the only two letters in the New Testament that we have where the author identifies himself, sends to a sort of generalized audience, and then signs it, "Greetings." Now, James, the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the Jerusalem Church. He was the leader of the Jewish ch- the Jewish Church in general, and he signed the letter coming from the Acts Council as sort of the presiding minister. If, if we were, y- you might call them, like, the moderator of your business meeting, or we would call them the moderator of our presbytery or our session in the Presbyterian context I come from. He was the one who sort of, like, presided over there, and so the letter that went out to the churches was signed in his name and written, drafted by him. So we see this characteristic way that the letter is addressed with this final word, "Greetings," which is not used frequently in the New Testament We also see when we look at the language carefully that the audience of this, uh, of this letter, it's debated and there are good arguments, but i- in my opinion, it's very clear that the audience of this letter is not Jewish Christians in general or, uh, Jews who have not yet converted. There are some people who would say that 'cause they're called the 12 tribes. But instead it is the Jewish Christians who originally dwelled in Jerusalem and were sent out into the countryside after the persecution that was started primarily by Saul. If you look at Acts, Acts 1 which is, uh, the passage where Saul begins to persecute the church or where Saul kinda comes on the scene as the persecutor of the church, there's a couple distinct, um, distinct linguistic markers we should touch base on. Starting in verse one it says, "And p- Saul approved of his execution. And there arose a day-- that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. They were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church and entered the house after house. He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison." When we look at this and we compare it to that, uh, again, that first verse of James where he says to the ones who are scattered, we see that there's a pretty strong linguistic parallel that tells us that the people he has in mind for this letter, the people he's addressing, are the same people who were dispersed or scattered out of Jerusalem in the persecution. When he says to the 12 tribes in the dispersion, that word dispersion is not really a translation. It's what we call a transliteration. So it's not like we've taken a word and sort of given it an English word. We've just changed the word, the letters over to English letters. In Greek, the word is diaspora, dispersion, and in, uh, Acts 1, the verb used to, to sort of describe this scattering of them is diaspero. And it is a picture of scattering seed. This is what a farmer would do. So it's not even the normal word we would use when someone is fleeing persecution. It's this idea that God has scattered Christians out into the world, in this case by persecution. He scattered them out into the world to be planted. A lot of this is where we get phrases from Tertullian about the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Now, why does this matter? As I mentioned, we often think in Gentile categories when we're reading the New Testament, and for good reason. One, we're all, all Gentiles, I'm presuming. I, I don't, I don't think-- I think I mentioned this last time, and no one came up and corrected me. I don't think anyone here is ethnically Jewish with ancestry that they're directly aware of, you know, where they trace their lineage directly back. Europe is a, a big amalgamation of just about everything, so most of us probably have a smattering of different ethnicities. But none of us are ethnically Jewish to the idea that we would, uh, identify as such in the same way. And even if we were, we've been raised and grown up in a Gentile context. We live in the West. We have-- We think in different categories. And what's more is most of the New Testament is written primarily to Gentiles by someone who is ministering to Gentiles. So Paul uses a fair amount of, of Hebraisms or things that are related to the Old Testament. Of course, he's explaining the Old Testament, and he makes ample reference to the Old Testament because that is the word of God, and it is profitable for our teaching, our correction, our reproof, and ultimately for our, our sanctification. But he uses metaphors and language in a way that is not common to the Israel context that Jesus and James and Peter and the other apostles were raised in. We don't have time to go there, but there's even some metaphors that Paul uses that are actually used the opposite way in, uh, in the more Hebraic Jewish, uh, epistles we have. One example that comes to mind is, um, Paul looks at the concept of milk, and that's not necessarily a good thing, right? It's not a bad thing, but it's what immature believers use, right? They can't handle the meat of the Bible. They have to be given the milk of the gospel before they can progress to the meat. In the Book of Hebrews, which I don't think was written by Paul, and in other places, Peter uses milk as a way to talk about nourishment, right? We think of the land flowing with milk and honey. Milk was not seen as some sort of substandard food that was only for babies. It was seen as, like, the richest, best thing that you could eat. We all have a linguistic environment that we grow up in. We all have a shared vernacular. You know, if I say something like, "You can't get there from here," everyone knows what that means. Obviously, you can get there from here, but you have to take this circuitous route. We know what that means. I think if we went around the room, we probably would find that there is this shared language. And then if we took individual families, we'd find that even within those families, there's further narrowing down of sort of like inside jokes and words that are used in ways that are not necessarily the same as others So when we read James, or when we read the letters of Peter or the letters of John, we should default to thinking more along the lines of comparing them to the words of Christ in the Gospel, first and foremost, and then to the Old Testament before we start to think about them necessarily comparing them to Ja-- or to Paul or to other kind of first century Hellenistic literature. That's not, of course, to say that Paul and James contradict. I'm sure that we went through a long explanation with much detail when you got to James chapter two, which is, of course, the most famous example. Paul uses the word justification or justify in a legal sense to make or to declare someone to be righteous. It's the verdict that the judge delivers, and it communicates the status. It actually performs what it says. When the judge says, "I find you not guilty," it changes your status from being potentially guilty to being cleared of all charges. Paul uses it slightly differently. He's not using it in the sense of to make someone righteous or to declare them righteous. He's using it to say they've been shown to be righteous. They've been validated. They've been vindicated. And if we get that mixed up, that's the source of all sorts of confusion. So when we come to this passage, and we'll get there, I promise, when we come to this passage, we have to understand some of the metaphors and the language that's being used draws from an existing body of shared cultural language that is foreign to us and is in some ways foreign to the rest of the New Testament, apart from what we see in the Gospels And it's important to remember, and this is why it's so key to land, that the audience of this letter is the persecuted, poor Jewish Christians who probably had a fairly comfortable life, relatively speaking, living in Jerusalem. These are city folks. These are people that live in Jerusalem or farm into the fields immediately around Jerusalem. They were established. They owned land. They probably had family that they had to leave, and now they're scattered out into the country with nothing. They're sent out into the world with no jobs, no family connections, no social welfare. Because they've left the Jewish faith, at least from the perspective of the Jews, they can't even go to their Jewish brothers and sisters and rely on the hospitality that's required in the law of Moses This is so important when we think about how James opens the letter and delivers what I think is his thesis statement. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you face trials of every kind." Trials like not knowing where the next meal is gonna come from, not knowing where the next roof over your head is, not being sure you can feed your children. We all face real trials and tribulations in our life. Some of them are related to our faith, and some is just the fallen human condition in the fallen world we live in. But we're talking here about a totally different category of, uh, trial and persecution than most of us hopefully will ever experience That brings us to our actual passage now. James opens up this section with a linguistic marker that signifies this is a change in topic. He says, "Come now," or another way to translate it might be, "Now listen. Listen up." When my son is doing something that, uh, I need him to stop or I need to give him instructions, I hold him by his shoulders and I say, "Look at my eyes. I want your eyes right here. Look at my eyes." That's what Paul is doing. He's stopping and he's interrupting the flow of language. This shows us this is a new topic and a new audience. James is not speaking to rich Christians in his audience. First, 'cause there likely weren't any rich Christians directly in his audience. Remember, these are the, the poor Christians scattered out into the Judean countryside, into Samaria He's using a technique that's really common in the prophets. It's common in Jesus, where he's addressing the people who are not really listening as a way to establish that they will be judged, to hold them accountable, but also to comfort those who are hearing the message. This is a form of prophetic address. We see this in Amos, where he's chastising the Jewish leaders. Uh, in Malachi and Micah, this happens. Malachi is primarily, at least initially, is primarily, uh, a book that is railing against the rich leaders in Jerusalem who had oppressed their own brothers and sisters. The chances that those Jewish cr- uh, Jewish leaders were reading his prophecy or hearing his prophecy is pretty slim. So he was addressing a different group to establish the judgment that he was proclaiming on another party. Jesus does this when he says like, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees." There were probably scribes and Pharisees in the audience there, but he wasn't just talking to the people in front of them. He was pronouncing a judgment oracle, a judgment prophecy on all people who fit that category, and James is doing the same thing here James is not opposing wealth generally. Sometimes James is used as kind of a New Testament example to justify the idea that we should all be poor and wear shabby clothing and walk around barefoot and dirty all the time. Right? This is a key passage that's used, uh, in parts of the church that really emphasize sort of a poverty-based lifestyle. Think of like the wandering monks of the Middle Ages or the, the, um, sort of more radical exclusionists that exist even in our day. I remember when I was in college, I was really enamored with this figure named Shane Claiborne. Some of you have probably heard of him, and I remember I was so impressed because he, he didn't buy new shoes. He just cut new shoes out of duct tape and put them back together. Now, there's some, you know, there's some rugged, uh, rugged get-it-done-ness that, uh, I think us, uh, New Englanders can appreciate, but God does not call us to wear duct tape shoes, at least not universally. I'm not gonna comment on whether he calls Shane Claiborne to do that. I also don't think Shane Claiborne does that anymore. Um, some of us he may call to a lifestyle of poverty in association with a mission field or in association with a specific calling. He does not call us generally to be poor or to not gain wealth What he is opposing here is the refusal to use wealth appropriately for God's glory and the accumulation of wealth just for wealth's sake We'll see that as we unpack the language here a little bit. He establishes that he's not just talking about the earthly hoarding of wealth, as though somehow the very act of accumulating wealth was itself the problem. What he's doing is he's pronouncing an eschatological judgment on those who hoard wealth and use it to oppress others. We see here he says, "Come now, you rich, and weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you." Th- that word weep and howl, those are li-- those are words that are most commonly used in prophetic literature to describe the final cry of anguish. Think about the weeping and gnashing of teeth that Jesus talks about. This is the language he's using. He's talking about the final estate of those who refuse to submit their wealth to God He says, "Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be the evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasures in the last days." Now, remember what we said. We, we should read this not in light of some general wisdom, although it is general wisdom that if we accumulate wealth, it tends to not actually go well for us if we're not utilizing it in God-honoring ways. But we should read this in light of the most obvious connection, his big brother, Jesus, who taught his people, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." To maybe land this linguistic, uh, this linguistic connection a little more, I don't know, vibrantly, I'm gonna speculate a little bit. So if you don't like it, then you can disregard it. This is not God's Word. This is a speculation. I can just imagine little Jesus, little nine-year-old Jesus, and probably little six or seven-year-old James and the rest of their siblings, and there's quite a few of them. And we have Joseph, uh, who maybe at this time was still living, although probably not. We know he was living until Jesus was later, you know, 12, he was still around, but we don't know exactly when he left the picture. But he was a carpenter, and he was not, probably not overly wealthy. Uh, they had had to pick up and move, you know, cross-country anyways. They-- We don't know exactly where they were from initially, but they went to Bethlehem, and then they returned to Nazareth. They probably didn't have a lot. There were a lot of mouths to feed and only one business. They didn't have a farm. They didn't own livestock that we know of. I can just imagine a time when little J- little James or one of his sisters was frustrated about the fact that they didn't have anything. And I could picture Mary getting down and going, "Do not store up treasures in, in, uh, in heaven or on Earth. It's all gonna waste away." The same way we might tell our children kind of a, a moral kind of story. Sometimes we have this picture, last time I was here I, I spoke on Philippians 2, we have this idea that Jesus was somehow like Superman, that he, he was just pretending to be a normal human most of the time. As it touches his humanity, as, as we think about Jesus as a human, he had a, his own human set of thinking faculties, his own human knowledge. He grew in wisdom and stature is what Luke teaches us. Well, where did he get some of this wisdom? There's a good reasonable argument to be made that some of the pr- more proverbial type sayings that we see in Christ, that they actually come from the wisdom of his mother and father. And a really good reason to believe that is James relies on the same exact, uh, sort of proverbial wisdom to l- land his point. He doesn't create his own metaphor, he goes back to, at the very least we can say he goes back to the words of Christ. That's a very safe position to take. But this is the shared linguistic context that they both grew up in And he says, "You've done this in the last days." Now, the, the phrase last days in the Bible, uh, in the New Testament generally refers to the time period from Christ's resurrection to his return. We, for a lot of reasons, think about it as kind of like that climactic end period in time. Depending on your, your persuasion, maybe this is when the Antichrist comes, or maybe this is before or after, or maybe during the time when the church is raptured. But in either case, we think of that sort of last period in time before Christ finally comes back. But the New Testament writers are really talking about the entire duration, from Christ's resurrection to his return is what they're referring to. But it does have in view this idea that we are in the last times. The, the final judgment is not necessarily strictly something that's out there in the future. We are living in the last days now, and so what we do and what we say and, and how we worship and if we worship is eschatology. It is the theology of the last times He also positions this as though this is a universal thing going on with those who hoard wealth. This is a very shocking image. Um, we have very good ways to preserve things in our modern world, right? We have ways to m- to make, uh, stainless steel that won't rust, or at least won't rust quickly. But most things in the ancient world, even most precious metals, corroded. Um, I remember when I was growing up, there was this project in my hometown. I lived in a, a little town called White Bear Lake in, in, um, Minnesota, although little is relative. It's pretty big compared to most of what we have out here. And I remember when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old, they had this big building project to build this brand-new, beautiful lakeside pavilion in the center of town, and it w- just gleamed in the sun. It was so gorgeous, and it was made of copper, and everybody loved it, and two years later, it was bright green. I think it's still bright green. I think they figured out it wasn't worth repairing, so they, they just, they just make sure it doesn't keep getting worse, and at some point, I'm sure they either have or will tear it down. But the one metal in the ancient world that didn't do this was gold. It's part of why gold is such a durable measurement of wealth is because it doesn't wear out. It doesn't corrode. It's very soft. It's very easy to damage it, which is why we don't build statues out of it, or we don't build, uh, buildings out of it usually, but it didn't corrode. So when James says here, "Not only your silver, which tarnishes and corrodes, but your silver and gold have corroded." Not are corroding, but have corroded. The rich hearer of this is probably, you know, sitting around like Scrooge McDuck with a pile of gold coins thinking, "Ah, it looks pretty good to me." And what James is saying is, "No, no, no. No, it's corroded. It's eating away at your heart. It's lost its value because you refuse to use it, and so it sits in a pile doing nothing for no one, except serving to further your own condemnation." This is such a crazy, shocking situation that the insanity of not using your wealth, period, the insanity of sitting on your wealth in the ancient world is going to serve as a form of evidence justifying the condemnation of these wicked fools And further, the corrosion of this wealth is an indication of the corrosion of their very souls. There's something about money. I was-- When I was here a couple times before, I preached one of the wealth passages out of Ecclesiastes, and there's something about money that has a unique way of really, really wrecking us. Either we don't have it and we want it, or we have it and we don't wanna lose it, or we have it and we don't spend it wisely. It seems like there's an infinite number of ways to screw it up. And we landed last time that the gospel is good news because with the nearly infinite ways of screwing it up, we're going to screw it up. But the one way that he talks about screwing it up here is hoarding it and sitting on it and not using it Moving on into verses four and five, James moves us now to a more sort of temporal register. He starts out by talking about what wealth is and what it's doing and how it will ultimately affect the entire life and eternity of those in his targeted audience, those he's proclaiming this prophetic, uh, judgment against. But in verse four, he moves back to the behaviors that are being, uh, being engaged in to show the state of these people's souls. He says, "Behold, the wages of the laborers you, who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter." James here points at the, at the behaviors that show this hoarding behavior, and he does it for a number of reasons. One, he needs to call out sin. That's part of the role of a Christian, and especially a leader or a minister in the church, is, um, to not only call out sin in the body of, of Christ, but in a, I think a very particular way, and there's all sorts of, uh, all sorts of theological controversies flying on around about Christian nationalism and other associated things. Some of it is just the spirit of the age. Um, post-COVID, there's a, a real strong sense that our government has failed us and we need to replace it with something else. But there is a, a true way, and I, I think some of those things are a little misguided, but there's a true way that the church, particularly her leaders, should be speaking to the culture around us, and yes, even to the government, to proclaim the truth of God into a wicked and godless culture. This might take the form o- of a m- minister who goes to a town hall meeting to speak out against a gambling association that's going to be forming, or a, an elder in the church or a deacon in the church who goes to speak to, uh, to the city hall or to the state legislature about the wickedness of abortion and about what we see it does to women's lives when they are fooled into thinking that this is the right thing for them. Again, the church is not the state, and the state is not the church, and we should be very careful not to cross those lines for all sorts of reasons. But we as a culture, as a Christian culture, in the United States particularly, have lost sight of our responsibility to speak truth in all circumstances to those in power So James is doing that, of course. But even more so, this is a way that he establishes for his direct audience, for the Jewish poor Christians who have been scattered in this diaspora, in this dispersion. He looks at them in a sense and says, "I see you. I see what's happening to you." And as God's representative, as his chosen voice for this message, as his inspired author, God sees you too This goes back again, the first two chapters of James serve as kind of a thesis statement and table of contents for the whole book. We get an idea of what may have been happening, the actual, uh, acts that were being engaged in, in, in chapter two verse six, he says, "You have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?" James has in mind here a form of predatory land purchasing, where the rich were sort of sweeping up property. They were sweeping it up, and then they were charging probably exorbitant prices to those who would lease the land to try to eke out a living. Does that sound at all like any of our current context, right? When's the last time any of us have tried to buy a house and found anything reasonable? Well, a large part of that is that there are big companies that are scooping up all the land and buying all the, the developments. Now, I'm not commenting on those particular situations. I don't know those people. I don't know their hearts, and some of those things actually are doing good things for the community. But we're familiar with this idea of someone who will purchase a resource, who will then jack the price up in order to turn a profit on it. I'm not opposed to turning a profit. Y- y- yeah, it takes money to run a business, and you have to, you have to recuperate those funds if your business is going to survive. But there's a, there's a way that that can be done that is a predatory act These rich landowners were getting fat on those that they were victimizing In our, in our modern world, we tend to think of someone who is overweight as unhealthy, for good reason, right? Too much weight, and I say that with someone with a little too much padding around the middle, so no, no judgment on this, but too much weight is not healthy, right? We hear that from our doctors, that there's a healthy weight range and there's an unhealthy weight range. In the ancient world, obesity was not the concern, right? Malnutrition was the concern. And so when you see, uh, a king in the Old Testament who's, who's noted to be fat, that's not always negative. Sometimes it is, but he's noted to be fat or he's noted to be large. Even the word for glory, I'm sure you've heard this before, the word for glory in the Old Testament has to do with being heavy. So this idea of weightiness or, um, being able to eat enough to actually gain weight instead of being thin was seen as a good thing, but not when you use it as a way to victimize other people. A person who gathers wealth honestly and enjoys it, that's, that's Proverbs right there. That's the Book of Ecclesiastes in its sort of positive sense, is that we, when we accumulate wealth and we use it for God's glory, it's perfectly okay for us to also use it for our enjoyment. God wants us to enjoy the fruit of our labor. But when we accumulate wealth and use it as a way to gain power over someone and to abuse them, that is what James is railing against here And ultimately, with the audience that James is writing to, this is a form of murder. This is why he says, "You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter." Because a person who can't feed their family in the Old Testament or in the New Testament era was likely to see them die. There are not a ton of people in modern America that are starving to death on the streets. It's not to say it doesn't happen. It's not to say that there's not things like food insecurity or malnutrition, but there are, there are plenty of places people can go to get their basic food needs met. It was not like that-- It's not like that in most of the world now, and it certainly was not like that in the ancient world. And so a, a landowner who again refuses, we're talking about the Jewish landowners, refuses to obey the Jewish law to leave some leftovers for the poor, and instead gleans all the way to the corner so that they can turn a little bit of extra pro-profit, is not only sinning against the Old Testament law, but is committing murder in the strictest sense by refusing to preserve the life of these poor, uh, Christians who are destitute And again, James is encouraging his readers here that the Lord has not ignored their plight. We can think back to the Book of Habakkuk, where Habakkuk basically lodges a lawsuit against God, saying, "You are not paying attention. You're not doing your thing. You're not being faithful to your covenant." And God says, "Let me show you how faithful to my covenant I am. The Chaldeans are on the way." And Habakkuk is like, "Whoa, wait a second here. That's not what I had in mind." God sees the oppression of the poor. He knows when His people are targeted. He knows when children are abused or when widows are ignored. He knows when the government does something to shut down a church, or when the medical institution refuses to acknowledge your personal rights. He sees those things, and He's not ignorant, and He's not static. He's not sleeping on those things. The purpose here is to comfort the oppressed by showing that God is not ignorant of what has happened to them. Just two quick Old Testament examples that use similar language. In Genesis 4, we read of Cain and his murder of Abel, and in verse eight it says, "Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?' And the Lord said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.'" Numbers, uh, 35 verses 30 says, "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death. And you shall accept no ransom from him who has fled to the city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest. You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land except for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it." There's a rich history in the Old Testament of language of inanimate things, land, blood, wealth, other kinds of things that give testimony to God in some way, and specifically of these inanimate, uh, impersonal things testifying to the sin of the people that dwell around them. Even Christ says, "If these people do not worship me, the rocks will cry out." Now, the rocks are not literally crying out, although it certainly would be within God's power to make the rocks sing. But Christ is not saying in that passage that the rocks are going to form mouths and begin singing Hosanna or whatever song they might have been doing. What he's saying is that the very rocks themselves give testimony to the glory and goodness of God. So even if the people around here fail to do so, the entire rest of creation is doing so, and that is what James is saying here. My dear brothers and sisters scattered in the dispersion who have nothing, and in society's eyes are nothing, some of you are facing persecution. Some of you will be killed for your faith, but God sees because the wealth that is being accumulated on the breaking of your own backs is crying out. The corrosion of that gold serves as evidence for the condemnation of those who are harming you We often want justice in the moment. I think we always want justice in the moment, don't we? I think it's a really hard discipline to say, "That person wronged me, but I'm okay letting God sort it out." That is a hard pill to swallow, but it is often the pill that we have to take. It's the medicine that God uses to further our justification, our j- our, uh, excuse me, our sanctification Paul says, you know, "Do not take vengeance. Let the Lord do that." We can trust, and this is where the comfort of this passage comes for us, brothers and sisters, we can trust that when we are wronged, that when someone has done something to us that is a violation of God's law, that that sin will be punished. Now, when we're dealing with other Christians, that sin has already been punished, and so it is not, it is not appropriate for us to hold onto that and to take vengeance. That's what the parable of the unmerciful servant is all about If I as a Christian refuse to forgive my brother and sister when they've wronged me, it's me saying that I'm a better judge of their sin and I'm a better executioner than the Lord is when he punished that sin on the cross. But that sin was not atoned for when we're talking about unbelievers. When we're talking about those who will ultimately end their earthly life and find themselves waking up in flames, that sin has not been atoned for, and so God will have his justice, and we will have our justice. We won't turn there, but in Revelation, we're familiar with the passage, I think it's chapter six, where the martyred saints are under the throne and they say, "How long, O Lord?" Well, God doesn't answer their question, but he gives them new clothes. When Job cries out and he's, he's saying, "I don't understand why this is happening. Why are you targeting me, God? Why, why are you a hunter with your arrows in my liver?" God doesn't tell him why, but he says, essentially, "I'm God and you're just going to have to trust me that this is right." We see a very similar, uh, kind of situation here when we think about when, uh, when Abraham, uh, when God tells Abraham what he's about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah, and then Abraham negotiates, apparently negotiates with God, uh, trying to secure the salvation of the city for the sake of the righteous. And we read starting in verse 20 of chapter 18, he says, "The Lord said to, to Abraham," he says, " 'Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. If not, I will know.' " God is always seeing and investigating the sin of people We're, we're teaching my son, August, the children's catechism, which is a, a great resource. Um, and one of the questions is, "Can you see God?" And the answer is, "No, but he always sees me." Now that may feel at first to some people like a little bit of a heavy-handed answer, but knowing that God sees us is not just there to correct our sin. It should do that, right? Even the secret sins we commit in the dark when, when we're not being watched by anyone else, even, even those God sees. But do you know what else He sees? He sees your pain. He sees your suffering. He sees your victories even when no one else is celebrating them. He sees your progress. He sees you, and that should be a great source of comfort Now this passage, especially verse six, can be a little bit hard to apply because although we're the targeted audience, we're not the target of the judgment oracle. So I think what we have to do, we have to, we have to think about this in light of the way that God talks about the judgment of unbelievers in other places in the scripture, and how that helps us to understand kind of what our, what our status is. If you'll take your Bibles and open to Matthew chapter 25, I think the, um, the account here of the goat and sheep judgment, uh, is instructive for us Starting in verse 31, it says, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King answered them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those on the left, 'Depart from me for you for, uh, depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, I was naked and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also, uh, they also will say, answer saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not minister to you?' Then he will answer them saying, 'Truly I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Now, this passage is sometimes understood as a general command to feed the poor or the sick, or to visit those in prisons, or any of the f- the sort of mercy ministry things that, that, um, are mentioned here. And those are all things that Christians should do, right? We should be engaged in, um, in mercy ministry to the poor, to those who are destitute. We should be mindful and thoughtful of those who have needs around us. What this passage is teaching, though, is not a general command to feed all people, but a specific command to care for your brothers and sisters in Christ when they have a need He doesn't say to the righteous, "You did these to everyone." He says, "Whatever you did to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me." All of the things that are listed here, the, the six mercy ministries that are listed by Christ here, are things that persecuted Christians were suffering at the time, persecuted Jew- Jewish Christians, and that would be common experiences for, for Jewish Christians and for all persecuted Christians. Right? They're hungry. They don't have food. Our diaspora Jewish Christians don't have land to farm, and even if they're able to scrape together enough funding to lease out a farm, they're being, uh, they're being totally overwhelmed by the cost of that. The sort of homeowners association dues of these pyramid schemes that were going on in the first century, they were so exorbitant that it wasn't even subs- subsistence farming. Christians were being thrown in, uh, in prison. They didn't have enough money to replace their clothes when it wore out. They couldn't have access to clean water. We take clean water as such a, such a basic thing, and it's so easy. You just turn on the tap, or you just go to the store and you buy a bottle of $7 water. It wasn't like this in the first century. If you didn't have a well, you didn't have water, unless you had someone who cared enough to share this precious resource with you. And so what Christ is saying to, to his people, both in the immediate audience on the Sermon on the Mount, uh, and in this, the Olivet Discourse here, what he's saying to his people is when someone in the body of Christ does not have what they need, the body of Christ should step up and make sure that that is the case, that they take care of that person. And likewise, he's saying to those who are not a part of the body of Christ, "Depart from me, I never knew you." Now, the intro to this, why it sometimes is called a parable, is the sheep and the goats. We sometimes go way too far into the arena of comparing the behavior of sheeps with the behavior of the people here, right? Sheep are nice, they're affable, they listen to you. In reality, from what I understand, sheep are pretty dumb and can be very stubborn, right? And then we, we read and we go, "Goats are stubborn, they're rebellious, they're not really good for anything." Well, there's a reason people have goats on farms. They, they can be stubborn, right? They can be destructive, but they also serve a purpose. So the point here is not that sheep are good and goats are bad. The point is that sheep are not goats and goats are not sheep. And, uh, another point that comes with this is sheep don't become goats by behaving like goats, and goats don't become sheep by acting like sheep. I have some friends that will tell you they have very affectionate, friendly, lovable goats, right? I'd, I would... If I could get my kids one of those little pygmy goats that everybody loves, I would do that, 'cause they can be very kind, very sweet, and they're very smart. But they're not sheep. And if you read this passage carefully, this fact that those who are taken to the right are, are in fact taken to the right is not because they fed the poor. It's not because they ministered to Christ by feeding the least of these. They did those things because they were part of the kingdom The King says to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The sheep on the right were always going to be the sheep on the right. They were predestined according to the counsel of God's will before all time to live and walk in good works. That's just Ephesians 2 there. That's also just James 2 there. You have faith, I will show you my faith by my works. This is evidence language, loved ones Likewise, the ones who are told to depart into eternal darkness were also predestined not to inherit this kingdom. No kingdom was prepared for them before the foundation of the world. They have no inheritance. They have nothing. They will end up in the state that they are trying to impose on these poor Jewish Christians. They will end up in the state that they may be trying to impose on some of us in this room And for the final verse here in, in chapter five, in verse six here, there's a lot of discussion and debate in the commentaries about who the identity of this righteous one is. It says, "You've condemned and murdered the righteous person, he does not resist you." Now, some commentators will take the fact that this is the singular righteous person, that he has been murdered and h- was condemned, and will take this as a reference to Christ. And that would, would make good sense, right? The Jewish, the wealthy Jewish landowners, the wealthy Jews in Jerusalem who per- who persecuted and cast out, um, the Christians, they were in the same group of people who condemned and murdered Jesus And at least at the time of writing this, and in many ways in our own day, God is not necessarily resisting them. He's allowing them to store up judgment for the coming day of wrath There are others who will take this as sort of the hypothetical singular, right? The righteous one or the righteous person is this, uh, representative hypothetical person that represents all of the persecuted Christians. And so it's more like saying, um, to the, the wealthy landowners who are persecuting Christians, "You have condemned and murdered the Christians, the righteous people, and we do not resist you." Now, at the end of the day, it's, it's always good to have good, sober, well-intentioned, text-based debates about what the Bible means. We can and we should try to convince others, uh, when we think they're wrong about what the scripture means. So that's not what I'm saying here. But in many ways, which of those two perspectives it actually is doesn't change the interpretation of this passage. Like we read in Matthew 25, like we read in Acts 9 when Christ comes and confronts Saul, what you do to God's people, you are doing to Christ himself. What you do to the body, you have done to the head. It's a little bit weird to say that when I stub my toe, I injure my head, but that's true, right? I don't injure my toe as though it's some separate piece. It's not like I'm a Lego man where I can just swap out a hand that gets cracked and put it back on. When I injure my toe, I injure myself. My whole body is injured even though it's specific to a part of my body. When you-- when someone persecutes you, when they, uh, try to extort your wealth, your funds, when they try to harm your body, when they try to take away your children, all things that are happening not just out there in the world, but in our country, even in our own region. When they try to tell you that because you don't wanna play a basketball game, that you can't play sports at all. When a city taxes a portion of a church's property because they don't think it's being used for religious purposes, they are doing that to Jesus Christ himself, and God will not be mocked This should call us both to faithfulness and to encouragement How people treat Christ or how people treat Christ's people, including how we trust, tr- uh, treat Christ's people, shows us what we think about Christ. The people who take care of the church do so because they love God, and they do it out of a regenerated heart that already loves God. And the people who hate the church do it because they hate Christ, and they do it out of their wickedness and out of their wicked heart This brings us back again to the thesis statement of James. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." And then he says later in that, uh, first chapter in verse nine, "Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass, he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower fails, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." Now, you're all coming up to the end of James here. Um, we probably have two, two more sermons, I would guess, and the rest of this chapter is reinforcing this. It's unpacking for the immediate audience and therefore for us, it's unpacking that although the rich have their punishment coming to them, that likewise our consolation, our comfort from Christ is also coming to us. He closes the whole letter out, he returns to his thesis statement to say, "I'm not going to pretend that the trials you're going through are joyful, but you can count it all joy." You can reckon it, you can impute it as joy, my brothers and sisters. You can put it in the joy column instead of the t- the pain column, right? We had discussion about the beautiful word imputation in the announcements and scripture reading in the beginning here Imputation is a, is an accounting term. And when we count it all joy, we're taking what should be a red line in the, in the loss ledger, right? We're taking what should be an expense, and we're able to move it to the profit. We're able to move it to the positive side, not because it didn't hurt and not because we wanted it to happen, but because our God is good enough to not rob us of the chance to be sanctified When we are oppressed and opposed, those who are oppressing and oppose us mean it for evil, just like Joseph's brothers, uh, and Pharaoh, and all sorts of wicked men in, in the Old Testament and in our own world. Pilate, Herod, you mean, you name it in the Bible, this applies. They meant their wicked acts for wicked things, but God, rich in mercy, works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And what is that purpose? That we might be transformed into the image of Christ so that Christ may be glorified and He may be the firstborn among many brothers. When we face trials and suffering of every kind, it leads us to our sanctification and to our ultimate glorification. We do not earn those things. We don't sanctify ourselves any more than we justify ourselves, or that any more than we will glorify ourselves or will raise ourselves from the dead. That is all God's work from start to finish. But God does use these things that He brings us through as a way to bring about that work It's like he bends us over the hammer, over the anvil of trials, and he hammers us until we become a sharp sword in the hand of, in his hand. Or he polishes us with a rough cloth until we become a smooth, beautiful gem, right? Think of any number of refining things that need to be done. It always involves, if the thing was, uh, was a person, it always involves something that would hurt a little bit. It always involves a little bit of damage to wear away the impurities. Our sanctification and our glorification is no different than that. He uses adversity. He uses the wicked actions and intentions of, of evil men and women. He uses those things to glorify us. So although we should never, uh, we should never seek those things, right? You don't have to go and make yourself the soft target to the wicked people. It's okay to keep your head down. There's nothing wrong with that. The Jewish Christians were probably doing their best to keep their heads down most of the time, and that's fine. There's not any words in scripture about being a coward if you don't, if you don't put a target on your back. But your target is gonna get there eventually, and that's not a bad thing. We can welcome that. We can count it as joy because of who God is and what he's done. The supreme act of suffering, the supreme act of, of evil happened to the only innocent person there ever was, and it happened to him for us.  this episode is available below.

#top .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-6876f3e9e3f13b72e580af8e17a9fc7e{ padding-bottom:10px; } body .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-6876f3e9e3f13b72e580af8e17a9fc7e .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{ font-size:25px; } .av-special-heading.av-gs9o3p-6876f3e9e3f13b72e580af8e17a9fc7e .av-subheading{ font-size:15px; } Through My Bible Yr 03 – July 30Amos 3 – 4 LISTEN HERE Through My Bible – July 30 Amos 3 – 4 (EHV) https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/tmb-ehv/03-0730db.mp3 See series: Through My Bible Why Amos Must Prophesy Amos 3 1 People of Israel, listen to this word that the Lord has spoken concerning you, concerning the entire family of clans that I brought up from the land of Egypt: 2 You alone have I chosen [1] from all the clans of the earth.     Therefore I will inflict punishment on you for all your guilt. 3 Can two people walk together without agreeing to do so? 4 Does a lion roar in the forest if it does not have prey?     Does a young lion growl from its den if it has not caught anything? 5 Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground if there is no bait?     Does a trap spring up from the ground when nothing has tripped it? 6 If a ram's horn is sounded in a city, the people become alarmed, don't they?     If a disaster takes place in a city, is it not the Lord who has done it? 7 Certainly the Lord God does not do anything         without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. 8 A lion has roared! Who can avoid being terrified?     The Lord God has spoken! Who can hold back from prophesying? Judgment Against Samaria 9 Make this known to the citadels in Ashdod     and to the citadels in the land of Egypt.     Tell them, “Gather yourselves together on the mountains of Samaria.     See the great confusion [2] there     and the oppression in her midst.” 10 They do not know how to do what is right, declares the Lord.     They are storing up violence and destruction in their citadels. 11 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:     An enemy is all over the land.     He will strip your strength from you,     and your citadels will be plundered. 12 This is what the Lord says:     Just as a shepherd rescues two legs or a tip of an ear     from the mouth of a lion,     so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be rescued     with only a corner of a bed or a piece of cloth [3] from a couch. 13 Listen and testify against the house of Jacob,     declares the Lord God, the God of Armies. 14 Indeed, on the day when I punish the rebellious deeds of Israel,     I will punish the altars of Bethel.     The horns of the altar will be cut off,     and they will fall to the ground. 15 I will strike the winter house     along with the summer house.     The houses decorated with ivory will be destroyed,     and the great houses will come to an end,     declares the Lord. Amos 4 1 Listen to this, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria,     you women who are oppressing the poor,     who are crushing the needy,     who say to your husbands, “Bring us more drinks!” 2 The Lord God swears by his holiness:     The days are surely coming against you,     when they will drag you away with hooks,     every last one of you with fishhooks. 3 You will go out through the broken-down walls.     Each woman will go straight ahead,     and you will be thrown out [4] toward Harmon, [5]     declares the Lord. 4 Go to Bethel and rebel.     Rebel even more at Gilgal.     Bring your sacrifices every morning,     your tithes every third day. 5 Burn some leavened bread as a thank offering,     and proclaim voluntary offerings—announce them!     For you love to do this, you people of Israel,     says the Lord God. Warnings Produce No Repentance 6 I am the one who gave to you clean teeth [6] in all of your cities,     and lack of food in all your places,     but you did not return to me,     declares the Lord. 7 I am the one who withheld the rain from you     while there were still three months before the harvest.     I would send rain on one city,     but on another city I would not send rain.     One plot of ground would receive rain,     but another plot, on which it did not rain, would dry up. 8 Whenever people from two or three cities staggered to another city to get water to drink,     they would not have enough,     but you did not return to me,     declares the Lord. 9 I struck you with blight and mildew.     Your many gardens, your vineyards, your fig trees,     and your olive trees were devoured by locusts,     but you did not return to me,     declares the Lord. 10 I sent plagues against you like the plagues in Egypt.     I killed your best soldiers with the sword,     together with your captured horses.     I made the stench of your camp rise up into your nostrils,     but you did not return to me,     declares the Lord. 11 I overthrew some of you,     just as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,     and you became like a burning stick snatched from the fire,     but you did not return to me,     declares the Lord. 12 Therefore, this is what I will do to you, Israel.     Yes, this is what I will do to you:     Prepare to meet your God, O Israel! 13 Indeed, he who forms mountains and who creates wind,     who declares his thoughts to mankind,     who turns dawn into darkness,     and who treads down the high places of the earth,     the Lord, the God of Armies, is his name. Footnotes Amos 3:2 Literally known Amos 3:9 Or turmoil Amos 3:12 The meaning of this word is uncertain. Amos 4:3 In the Hebrew text the verb is active, you will throw. The translation follows the Greek text. Amos 4:3 The meaning of the word Harmon is uncertain. It may be a place name or mean something like garbage dump. Amos 4:6 A striking description of people who have no food to chew #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-aocsdx-89cb4ca21532423cf697fc393b6fcee0{ height:10px; } The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved. #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-4vzadh-3f04b370105df1fd314a2a9d83e55b26{ height:50px; } Share this entryShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare by MailLink to FlickrLink to InstagramLink to Vimeo

What is a righteous life worth? Abraham puts that question to G-d directly, negotiating on behalf of a city he owes nothing to and testing how many good people it takes to redeem the many. He opens at fifty people, and stops at nine. Rabbi Epstein explores why that number carries significance far beyond this one episode, and what it reveals about the kind of presence a small group of committed people can have in a world that seems too far gone to save.Along the way, the conversation turns to what humility actually looks like when you are, by any honest measure, a great man. And the episode circles back to Lot, the nephew Abraham could not quite let go of, and the choices that placed him in a city under judgment in the first place. By the time the angels reach the gates of Sodom, one question lingers: if Abraham understood exactly what it would take to save the city, why didn't he go there himself and do it?

Time to wrap up our discussions on the Death Stranding Novelizations (at least until October when the first volume of the DS2 novels releases). We honestly had such a great time with these books. Not only were they a great way to revisit and reconsider Death Stranding, but there was quite a lot specific to the novel worth discussing! Join us for that after Danny puts Austin's knowledge of the final lines of all of the Metal Gear games to the test... for reasons. Mostly because we just can't help ourselves from talking about AC!D 2 again.Episode 89: "I have SODOM"

A sermon from Genesis 17 & 18 on Abraham, a visit from God, and the intercession over Sodom.Speaker: Greg W MathisTags: obedience, Christian, waiting, sermon, gospel, mercy, judgment, sexual sin.

Where your eyes lock, your life follows. Esau stared at a bowl of stew and traded away his birthright. Lot lifted his eyes halfway — just far enough to see Sodom, not far enough to see God. But Jesus? At the dinner table, at the tomb, on the way to the cross — He kept looking up. To step into the fullness of what God's calling you to, you have to Lift Your Eyes. Don't let your eyes get locked onto the world.

Welcome to Day 2909 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2909– “The Ultimate Close Encounter”  based on Luke 10:1-16 Putnam Church Message – 06/21/2026 The Good News According to Luke: “Practical Talk to Those in Ministry.”   Last week's message was “A Face Like Flint,” in which we studied the One who set His face toward Jerusalem now sets His grace upon His people. Today, we continue with our twenty-ninth message from Luke's narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today's message is: “Practical Talk to Those in Ministry.” Our core passage today is Luke 10:1-16, on page 1611 of your pew Bibles. Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two 10 After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.' 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick>who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.[b] 16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” Opening Prayer Father, we come before You today grateful that You invite ordinary people into Your extraordinary work. We confess that we often feel inadequate, distracted, discouraged, or afraid. Sometimes we carry burdens You never asked us to carry, and sometimes we measure ministry by results rather than faithfulness. Lord Jesus, teach us today from Your Word. Show us what it means to be sent by You, to labor for Your harvest, to depend on Your provision, to speak peace, to serve faithfully, and to leave the results in Your hands. Help us see that ministry is not reserved for a few, but belongs to all who follow You. May our lives become faithful witnesses to the nearness of Your Kingdom. Amen. Introduction: Why Would God Use Us? I have often wondered why God involves people in His work when He can do everything Himself. Have you ever thought about that? God does not need our talent. God does not need our strength. God does not need our planning ability. God does not need our committees, schedules, buildings, sermons, songs, or programs. He can do the job better than we can. He can speak a word, and worlds come into existence. He can open blind eyes, raise the dead, calm storms, silence demons, and move kings according to His will. So why does He entrust something as important as building His Kingdom to people like us? People who get tired. People who misunderstand. People who get proud. People who become discouraged. People who argue about greatness. People who sometimes want to call down fire on their enemies. That is the mystery of grace. God does not involve us because He lacks power. He involves us because He loves us, forms us, and gives us a genuine part in His redemptive work. In the previous message, “A Face Like Flint,” we saw Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem. Luke 9:51 is a hinge in Luke's Gospel. From that moment forward, Jesus is moving toward the cross, the resurrection, and the ascension. Nothing will distract Him from the Father's mission. Now, in Luke 10:1–16, Jesus does something remarkable. He multiplies the mission. Earlier, He sent the Twelve. Now He appoints seventy-two others, or seventy depending on the manuscript tradition, and sends them ahead of Him into the towns and places He plans to visit. This means the ministry is expanding beyond the inner circle. The Kingdom is not a private project for the Twelve. It is not merely the work of clergy. It is not limited to those with public titles. Jesus is building a people who are sent. And in this passage, He gives practical talk to those in ministry. That includes pastors, teachers, elders, deacons, missionaries, children's workers, worship leaders, caregivers, parents, grandparents, encouragers, prayer warriors, business owners, neighbors, friends, and every believer who bears witness to Christ. If you belong to Jesus, you are involved in ministry. So let us listen carefully to His practical instruction found in four truths in your bulletin insert on the side that says Practical Talk to Those in Ministry. Main Point 1: The Harvest Belongs to God, but the Labor Belongs to Us Jesus says the harvest is great, but the workers are few. So, He tells His disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest, asking Him to send out workers into His harvest. That is where ministry begins: not with panic, but with prayer. Jesus looks at the world as a harvest field. That image would have been vivid to His listeners. In an agricultural world, the harvest was urgent. When the crop was ready, delay could mean loss. Workers had to go into the field while the time was right. But notice what Jesus calls it. It is not our harvest. It is not the church's harvest. It is not the pastor's harvest. It is the Lord's harvest. That matters. When we forget this, we carry burdens God never intended us to carry. We begin to think the future of the Kingdom depends on us. We stay awake at night worrying about results we cannot control. We measure faithfulness by numbers, approval, visible response, or immediate fruit. But Jesus calls Himself the Lord of the harvest. He owns the field. He knows the soil. He sees the hearts. He sends the workers. He brings the growth. Our responsibility is not to control the harvest. Our responsibility is to labor faithfully. Object Lesson: A Seed Packet and a Basket Hold up a packet of seeds and an empty basket. The seed packet represents the work entrusted to us. / We can plant. / We can water. / We can tend. / We can prepare. But we cannot force life into the seed. The basket represents the harvest. / We long to see it full, and that longing is good. / But only God can bring the harvest. Paul says something similar in 1 Corinthians 3:7  It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. That is freeing. We are not excused from labor. Jesus calls us workers. But we are freed from pretending to be God. Ancient Context When Jesus sent these seventy-two, He sent them ahead of Him. They were not going out to build personal followings. They were preparing towns for the arrival of the King. In the ancient world, messengers often went ahead of a ruler to announce his coming. They did not invent the message. They did not negotiate the king's authority. They...

Welcome to Day 2906 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. Day 2906 – Theology Thursday – Prayer as Communion, Petition, and Covenant: From Ancient Near East to Modern Faith Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2906 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps!   I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2906 of our Trek.   The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Our current series of Theology Thursday lessons is written by theologian and teacher John Daniels. I have found that his lessons are short, easy to understand, doctrinally sound, and applicable to all who desire to learn more of God's Word. John's lessons can be found on his website   theologyinfive.com.   Today's lesson is titled PRAYER AS COMMUNION, PETITION, AND COVENANT: FROM THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TO MODERN FAITH. In the religious systems of the ancient Near East, prayer was a vital function, though its framework was drastically different from what later developed in Israelite and Christian thought. Prayer was primarily a method of maintaining the cosmic order through appeasement and transaction. Gods in Mesopotamia, Canaan, and Egypt were seen as powerful but unpredictable, often requiring elaborate rituals, sacrifices, and formulas to grant favor or avert wrath. These cultures did not operate under a theology of relational covenant but rather through a pattern of reciprocity: offerings and words were meant to provoke a specific divine response. Babylonian prayer texts like the “Shurpu” and “Maqlu” series reflect a deep concern with curses, omens, and unseen transgressions. The supplicant might not even know which god was offended or what sin was committed. In such cases, prayers became generalized pleas for forgiveness from all deities. Egyptian prayers often took the form of hymns to the gods, extolling their attributes and requesting protection or intervention, especially concerning the afterlife. Canaanite prayer and sacrifice, while less preserved in textual form, mirrored these transactional patterns. Ultimately, prayer in the ANE was primarily about control, using proper language and rites to maintain divine favor and personal or national survival. The first segment is: The Distinctive Voice of Ancient Israel: Relational and Covenant-Based. The emergence of Israel as a people devoted to Yahweh introduced a significant break from the ANE paradigm. While early Israelite religion still bore some cultural similarities to its surroundings, the theology of Yahweh as a covenantal, relational deity revolutionized the nature of prayer. No longer was prayer simply a means of magical manipulation or guesswork. It became a medium through which a person engaged with a God who had revealed His name, His character, and His promises. The earliest biblical prayers, such as those found in Genesis, reflect this relational nature. Abraham argues with God over the fate of Sodom, appealing not to ritual but to God's justice. Moses intercedes for Israel after the golden calf incident, reminding Yahweh of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These prayers do not treat Yahweh as distant or unknowable but rather as a God who can be reasoned with, challenged, and persuaded because of His own covenant loyalty. The Book of Psalms shows the breadth of human emotion brought before God: joy, fear, doubt, anger, and praise. Lament becomes a central form of worship, as seen in the cries of David or the national laments after Jerusalem's destruction. These are not sterile performances but passionate expressions of faith. Prayer becomes an act of courage, a wrestling with God, a protest against silence, and a clinging to hope when the world falls apart. The second segment is: From Temple to Synagogue: Formalization in Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism. As the Hebrew Bible gave way to the practices of Second Temple Judaism, especially after the exile, prayer began to evolve in response to historical necessity. With the destruction of the First Temple and the loss of the sacrificial system, the Jewish people turned increasingly to prayer and study as their central forms of worship. What was once spontaneous became structured. What was once private became communal. During this period, daily prayer rhythms began to emerge. Fixed times of prayer, morning, afternoon, and evening, mirrored the times of temple sacrifice and were eventually institutionalized. The Amidah, or “Standing Prayer,” developed into a core liturgical centerpiece. It offered a framework of blessings praising God, requesting needs, and praying for national restoration. The Shema, a declaration of God's unity and Israel's devotion, became part of daily prayer and identity. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Rabbinic Judaism restructured prayer life around the synagogue. Prayer was no longer centered on the priesthood and sacrificial rites but on the Torah, communal liturgy, and ethical action. This shift preserved Jewish identity during centuries of diaspora. Though formalized, prayer retained its relational element. It became the heartbeat of Jewish life, binding communities together and anchoring them to God's enduring promises. The Third Segment is: Prayer Reimagined in Early Christianity: Access through Christ. The earliest Christians, being Jews themselves, inherited this rich tradition of covenantal and liturgical prayer. Yet their belief in Jesus as the risen Messiah transformed their approach to prayer in significant ways. Central to this transformation was the idea of direct access to God through Christ. Jesus's own prayers, such as the Lord's Prayer, serve as both instruction and theological statement. The address “Our Father” reflects unprecedented intimacy. It reaffirms the covenantal relationship while highlighting the nearness and care of God. The prayer also orients the believer toward God's will, God's kingdom, and daily dependence, not merely petition. The Apostle Paul builds on this foundation by portraying prayer as a Spirit-driven communion. Believers are said to cry out “Abba, Father” by the Spirit. Paul claims that even when words fail, the Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for speech. This understanding of prayer shifts it away from set ritual toward a continual, personal interaction with the divine. In Christian theology, Jesus becomes the eternal High Priest, interceding on behalf of believers. This transforms the act of prayer from an attempt to reach an uncertain deity into an assurance of access to a loving Father through a faithful Son. Whether corporate or private, spontaneous or formal, prayer is understood as the believer's participation in the divine relationship secured by Christ. The Fourth Segment is: Boundaries and Prohibitions: When Prayer Becomes Misuse. While prayer is central to both testaments, not all prayer is accepted. The Bible gives several warnings about misguided or forbidden types of prayer. Chief among these is prayer to other gods. The First Commandment is clear: Israel was not to call on or serve any deity but Yahweh. This was not a cultural preference but a matter of covenant loyalty. Invoking Baal, Molech, or Asherah was not neutral. It was spiritual adultery. Another prohibited form was manipulative or theatrical prayer, often seen in paganism. The prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel danced and cut themselves, trying to compel their god to act. Elijah mocks this as futile. Jesus echoes this in the New Testament when He warns against “vain repetitions” and showy public displays. The goal of biblical prayer is not to impress people or mechanically control God. It is relational. Also forbidden were necromancy and communication with the dead, practices common in surrounding cultures. Deuteronomy 18 lists these among the detestable practices of the nations that Israel was not to imitate. Prayer was not to be blended with conjuring or attempts to access hidden knowledge through forbidden means. Later rabbinic tradition added safeguards to ensure prayer was done with the right heart. One was not to pray while intoxicated, or in moments of ritual impurity, or without focus. Christian writers like James and Peter also warn against praying from selfish motives or while harboring unresolved sin. The Fifth segment is: Rhythm and Repetition: Between Discipline and Pagan Imitation Repetitious or rhythmic prayer is sometimes misunderstood. Scripture does not forbid repetition outright, but it sharply distinguishes between reverent repetition and pagan-style incantations. Psalm 136 repeats the phrase “His steadfast love endures forever” 26 times as an act of worship, not manipulation. Many psalms and prayers use repetition as a poetic or liturgical feature, meant to reinforce covenant truths and lead the heart toward trust. The Shema and priestly blessing were repeated regularly in Jewish worship. Jesus's warning in Matthew 6 verse seven, “Do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do,” targets the kind of mechanical babbling seen in magical or pagan rituals. It does not prohibit...