Mary welcomes new guest Marziyeh Amirizadeh to talk about the 8 months she spent in a brutal Iranian prison for her faith in Jesus. Born just before the overthrow of the Shah in 1979, the Iran of her parents and grandparents transformed virtually overnight with the rise of the clerics – and strict Sharia law. We learn her story of being arrested for sharing the love of Christ to her fellow Persians and what took place behind the walls of Evin prison, one of the most brutal in the world. Accounts of fellow inmates and the lack of basic amenities paints a picture of a sort of bleak hopelessness that many of us in the West would find intolerable and beyond. But God. And there lies the immensity of her story – the presence of the Lord, the opportunities to bind up the wounds of women living lives of degrading sin and fear.  Being a bright light in the darkest of places. The worldwide outrage. The steadfast faith of Marzi and her friend Maryam will leave you breathless. We talk about the process of getting into such a place, enduring it, and getting out. Then we follow up with her current ministry, New Persia.  Find her books here – you will be changed.

Stand Up For The Truth Videos: https://rumble.com/user/CTRNOnline & https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgQQSvKiMcglId7oGc5c46A

Send Questions or comments here! We'll respond back in future episodes.

Fortified cities don’t fall in a vacuum. They fall after a slower collapse most of us miss: the quiet decision to trust something else more than God. Isaiah 17 is blunt about it. Damascus becomes a ruin, Ephraim’s strength withers, and the chapter forces a personal question we can’t outsource: what do we run to when fear gets loud and the future feels unstable?

We read the full text (ESV) and then work through the historical backdrop of Syria, the northern kingdom of Israel, and the pressures of Assyrian power. Along the way, we trace Isaiah’s main warning about misplaced trust, whether that shows up as political alliances, cultural idols, or “the work of our hands.” The images are memorable for a reason: harvest fields stripped to gleanings, olive branches beaten until only a few berries remain, and strong cities turning into abandoned places. We also take a quick side trail into the Valley of Raphaim and the Bible’s giants traditions to clarify what Scripture says and doesn’t say.

The turn in the chapter is just as striking as the judgment. Isaiah points to a remnant that looks back to its Maker, rejects idols, and learns again that the Lord is the Rock of refuge. And when nations roar like raging waters, God’s rebuke shows how fragile “unstoppable” threats really are.

Subscribe for more verse-by-verse Bible study, share this with a friend who needs steadier footing, and leave a review telling us what stood out to you most.

The Book of Isaiah, Verse-by-Verse Study is now available! We have released the first volume, which covers Chapters 1-39. If you would like to get your own copy to follow along with the podcast episodes, it is available now! A hardback copy is available as well! Visit our website at connectingthegap.net or purchase it anywhere you buy books online.

Purchase Here: https://amzn.to/4eHgIkt

An eBook version is also available on Amazon.

Support the show

Contact us at Marriage Life and More and Connecting the Gap Ministries

• Website: https://www.marriagelifeandmore.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ctgaponline
• X and Instagram: @ctgaponline
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@connectingthegap
• Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-1351356
• Email us at [email protected]
• Spotify direct link: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Zg2rss7gRtCfzCggGVYl9
• Apple Podcasts direct link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/connecting-the-gap-podcast/id1586240413

Connecting the Gap does not own the rights to any audio clips or bumper music embedded in the episodes sourced from third parties.

Thanks for listening, and please subscribe!

Sky High Broadcasting Corp.

Zechariah is maybe the most Jesus-focused book in the whole Old Testament. There were times while we were studying this book that I even forgot it was Old Testament. That’s how future-focused it is. 

And today, we’re gonna wrap it all up. So my plan for today is to recap what we’ve studied in this book, with a particular emphasis on Jesus. Let’s highlight all the places that spoke about Jesus’ first AND second comings.

I’d like to share what some of my favorite episodes were here. 

And after that, we’ll take a look at the last six verses of chapter 14. 

And then: we’ll talk about which book we could study next—and give you a chance to weigh in on whether you’d even like to the podcast to continue at all. 

That’s what we’ll do today on the God and His Prophets podcast.

Watch these episodes at my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LukeTaylorPodcasts

Need to get in touch with me? Reach me at [email protected]

If you’re looking for a Bible study podcast that goes deep into the major and minor prophets, God and His Prophets offers a verse by verse Bible study through these powerful Old Testament writings. Each episode explores the prophecy in the Bible, from the Book of Ezekiel study and later in Zechariah, helping listeners in understanding prophetic books and seeing their relevance today. We also connect the prophets’ words to end times Bible teaching and highlight connections to Revelation, giving you a Christian Bible commentary that equips you for spiritual insight and growth.

Could an ancient altar mentioned in Revelation be connected to some of the darkest events in modern history? Jonathan Cahn joins Mondo Gonzales to investigate the mystery of the Altar of Pergamon—the location associated with the “throne of Satan” in Revelation 2. Cahn traces its excavation, removal to Germany and remarkable historical parallels involving the birth of modern Germany, the rise of occultism, Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Party and the Holocaust.